Time travel is an important function of The Barn, though the mechanics of this functions are unknown. There are also two Time Travel Episodes. Audrey Parker's immunity to the Troubles provides her with a Ripple-Effect-Proof Memory, letting her know when something has been changed so that she can Set Right What Once Went Wrong. Although time travel is a fairly frequent trope on Haven, Time Travel Tense Trouble is rarely invoked.
The Barn
The exact time travel mechanics of The Barn are unknown, but it seems to employ some sort of a Time Dilation. Duke Crocker's brief time in the Barn was equal to six months in the regular world.[1][note 1]
Time dilation would explain how the mysterious woman doesn't age between her appearances in Haven.[2] It would also explain Lexie DeWitt's experiences in the Barn. For DeWitt, time moved in an unusually compressed fashion-she'd think that she'd gone home, had dinner, slept and come back to work, but in reality no time had passed at all and these were just more Fake Memories. When DeWitt became aware that things were not what they seemed to be, this stopped fully affecting her and she became aware that time was passing differently.[3]
Little is know about the specifics of the how time works in The Barn but it seems to function on some sort of Celestial Deadline, given it's close ties to the Hunter Meteor Storm.[note 2]
The Barn's time travel also appears to be at least somewhat controllable. According to Agent Howard it came whenever the mysterious woman called it.[6][note 3] Howard is also able to use The Barn to travel to Haven outside of the 27-year cycle.[7]
Groundhog's day loop
Anson Shumway's Trouble traps Parker in a Groundhog Day Loop.[8]
Stable time loop
In "Sarah", Stuart Mosley's Trouble sends Crocker back to 1955.[9] A Mister Sandman Sequence is used to demonstrate that he is a Fish Out Of Temporal Water, and so he ends up invoking What Year Is This?. He then Write Back To The Future hoping that he can somehow get help Getting Back To The Future.
Meanwhile, In The Future things start changing, though only Parker is aware of this. Nathan Wuornos goes back to 1955 to find Crocker. Crocker's unusual clothes attract attention, but Wuornos fits in perfectly, especially once he gets a Nice Hat.
Crocker gives his grandfather a gold dubloon that he'd inherited, creating an Object Paradox.[note 4] When he tries to convince his grandfather of who he is, Trust Password is invoked. Meanwhile, Wuornos meets Sarah Vernon and embarks on a brief Time Travel Romance. This turns his relationship with Parker into a Reincarnation Romance and makes the two of them Parents From The Future.
This episode uses multiple forms of Temporal Mutability: Stable Time Loop and creation of an Alternate Timeline. The way that this episode is cut strongly implies that the alternate timeline that Parker is stuck in is affected by San Dimas Time but this is never made explicit. Parker's immunity to the Troubles gives her Ripple-Effect-Proof Memory.
Crocker is remarkably genre savvy and knows that he's not supposed to change anything, but he breaks his pledge not to change anything and tries to affect the future, invoking Time Travel For Fun And Profit. He turns out to be Wrong Time Travel Savvy — he and Wuornos had Already Changed The Past. His decision to Screw Destiny becomes a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy, directly causing the events he was attempting to prevent. You Can't Fight Fate, at least not when it comes to time travel.
Other
- While not strictly time travel, Hadley Chambers's Trouble creates Ret Gone as one-by-one everyone in Haven disappears, leaving the remaining Havenites with no memory of their ever existing. The HPD class photo, the Haven Herald subscription list and the "Welcome to Haven" sign function as Ripple Effect Indicators.[10]
- Weirdness Search and Rescue is invoked to rescue Crocker from 1955 and Parker from the Barn.[9][3]
Notes
- ↑ The missing six months that Crocker was in The Barn is the only Time Skip that's happened in Haven.
- ↑ Celestial Deadlines also govern Moira and Noelle's Trouble.[4][5]
- ↑ While Howard is an unreliable narrator, the Barn did show up for Lucy Ripley when she called it for the Colorado Kid, lending credibility to his story.[6]
- ↑ Crocker's gold dubloon exists only between August 16th 1955 when he arrives in the past and late 2010 when he's sent back. Try not to think about it too hard, it'll give you a headache.
References
- Time Travel Tropes at TVTropes.com
- ↑ "Fallout"
- ↑ "Sins of the Fathers"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Lost and Found"
- ↑ "Magic Hour: Part 1"
- ↑ "Magic Hour: Part 2"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Thanks For The Memories"
- ↑ "Lay Me Down"
- ↑ "Audrey Parker's Day Off"
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Sarah"
- ↑ "Silent Night"