Episode three: It’s no “Meatballs.” It’s no “Days of Our Lives.” But “Harper’s Island” is getting kind of … good.

Let’s begin with the wacky antics of the wedding party. Englishman Cal and Chloe snub groomsman Sully for leaving Cal hanging upside-down in a trap in the woods in episode two. They would be even angrier if they knew how all the other booby-trapped victims ended up, but what with the swimming pool and the mimosas, everybody’s too distracted to question the absence of Cousin Ben, Uncle Harry, the pastor or the bridesmaid with the frou-frou dog. They do wonder how Cal landed Chloe, and he posits that he’s a doctor and Cambridge grad, and that he’ll keep Chloe if she never meets anyone else with a British accent. Ha!

Chloe’s personality seemingly does a 180, and she lures Sully off to a day spa where he’s lathered in a honeylike substance. Before he can woo her much further, Cal bursts in with a big feather pillow! And covers Sully with feathers! Oh, what summer camp hijinks come next? Alert Bill Murray! This is a murder mystery program, yes? Well, it was a little funny.

Meanwhile, a gaggle of main characters seeks answers about Kelly’s hanging, which Sheriff Mills thinks is suicide. Yes, but: 1) the daughter of one of serial killer John Wakefield’s victims would never commit suicide by hanging; 2) her eyes were full of a mysterious red substance and 3) the sheriff’s daughter, Abby, knows Kelly wanted to move to L.A. soon, and specific, life-changing plans are not typically suicidal behavior. But debating this point helps fill an hour.

Abby talks with the last person known to see Kelly alive, which is J.D. Dunn, who in the course of some afternoon delight with the deceased saw she had covered herself with tattoos about Wakefield. J.D. won’t have much time to contemplate Abby’s murder theories before he is hit by a truck – not a scratch of a hit, either – so is he the next victim? Meanwhile, the sheriff visits Kelly’s ex, Shane, who appears to be sincerely grieving her death, having mocked her suicidal tendencies and all. Shane waves off the sheriff with the I’m-just-a-grieving-local-like-you routine and then sneaks a peek in the bed of his truck. There’s J.D., all trussed up and scared looking! Nicely played.

Abby will find J.D. propped up to be hanged at Shane’s, where she talks the latter away from resolving their longtime squabble to explain that she thinks Kelly was murdered and that Wakefield is responsible. At this point we’ve heard enough about this killer that you would think we would get background, relevance, a photo of the guy, something, but no. I trust the promise of flashbacks via child actors on the IMDB cast list will shed light on this at some point. The sheriff bursts in to disarm Shane, who accidentally kicks the chair out from under J.D. But J.D. doesn’t break his neck, luckily, as the Scooby gang unties him pre-strangulation. Presumably Shane will be in jail for a few episodes, and Jimmy will have some solo time to romance Abby and act like a suspect. Where is he in this episode, anyway? Probably standing in front of a mirror, trying to turn his brown eyes blue. Oh, and the sheriff learns Kelly’s eyes had been filled with red ink. Creepy. And the killer, who must be praised for supporting his local newspaper if nothing else, leaves a clipping with a taunting message for the sheriff to find him.

In a strange subplot set up largely to give us some more victims in the next few episodes, bride-to-be Trish Wellington’s brother-in-law, Richard Allen, is carrying on with her stepmother, Katherine Wellington. I do not mean carrying-on of the daisies-and-sonnets variety, though there seems to be a seamy belt motif in this series. We are also to understand Richard does this to deal with the pressure of membership in the Wellington clan, an issue groom-to-be Henry Dunn will dispose of quite nicely within the hour.

Finally, let’s see Hunter off in style. Thank goodness I finally recognized him from the cast of “Days of Our Lives” from 10 years ago and that I no longer watch that show. Almost ever. Hunter bursts in on Trish trying on wedding night lingerie in a store dressing room, much like in “He Knows You’re Alone” (1980). The scary part is Trish acting like she’s contemplating going back to this sleazeball, who is amused when he realizes Trish isn’t in on the fact that her father, Thomas, paid for him to come out and break up her wedding to pauper Henry. Hunter’s off to collect some more money from Daddy. Henry’s tipped off that Hunter is on the island, so he snoops around to discover travel information that also confirms Thomas wants Hunter to break up the wedding. The difference between Hunter and Henry is Hunter will request $50,000 to go away without telling Trish what Daddy is up to, while Henry will accept Daddy’s lifelong friendship and support in exchange for his silence.

What’s the other difference? Well, Henry is emoting more of that creepy-underbelly side of his magnetic smile. He leaves Trish a rendezvous note, purportedly from Hunter, to test his fiancee’s allegiance. He is relieved — or disturbed? Murderous? — when he hears Trish at the door before she walks away. Not a resolved issue, one might say. Meanwhile, Hunter collects his 50 grand and takes off in a motorboat, where he discovers Uncle Harry’s gun and cash. He cackles, as Hunters often do. But the boat runs out of gas, so Hunter fiddles with a compartment lid that, when opened, sets off another booby-trap — a shotgun pointed at Hunter’s head. Boom. Goodbye, Hunter. May there be a third “Cruise of Deception” storyline in your acting career.