Review: Harlan Coben’s Shelter is a gripping teen mystery
Harlan Coben's Shelter deals with the concept of trafficking albeit in a manner more suited to the audiences at home. The story is based on a young adult novel of the same name and revolves around the activities of Mickey Bolitar and his friends.
Hyderabad: Human trafficking is no laughing matter. According to the International Labour Organization, as of 2022, approximately 50 million people were estimated to be victims of trafficking and exploitation to include forced marriage.
Harlan Coben’s Shelter deals with the concept of trafficking albeit in a manner more suited to the audiences at home. The story is based on a young adult novel of the same name and revolves around the activities of Mickey Bolitar and his friends.
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The series begins with Brad Bolitar (Kristoffer Polaha) and Kitty (Narci Regina) informing their son Mickey (Jaden Michael) that they are moving back to the United States. In the US, their family meets with an accident in which Brad is killed and Kitty is hospitalized for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Mickey is only 16 and is under the tutelage of his paternal aunt Shira (Constance Zimmer) who has her own baggage. They relocate to their hometown in New Jersey. Mickey runs into Ashley Kent (Samantha Bugliaro). They plan to catch up with one another post school. Mickey soon realizes that Ashley is missing, and Kent is not her name. What follows is a gripping teenage whodunit and whydunit.
It is invigorating to see a series involving teenagers without much teen affairs. There are, however, scenes that depict puppy love scenarios between the lead pairs. Directors Patricia Cardoso, Edward Ornelas, Christina Choe, and Deborah Kampmeier strictly adhere to the script.
Luckily the cast has enough experience and deliver good performances. Special shoutout to Adrian Greensmith, Abby Corrigan, and Sage Linder who play Arthur “Spoon” Spindell, Ema Winslow and Rachel Caldwell respectively – classmates and friends of Mickey. Adrian plays the role of a nerd to perfection. Abby as a goth and someone who wants people to like her for who she is, is outstanding.
The episodes are gripping. The story does not only deal with the missing person, but there are other sub plots that include Spoon and Ema’s auditions to The Phantom of the Opera, school bullies and borderline racist police captain.
The script also deals with issues of the elders – Shira being in love with Hannah (Missi Pyle) her best friend who is the mother of Mickey’s classmate; Mrs Friedman (Didi Conn) – an aged teacher who feels guilty for not doing enough to save a student of hers 27 years ago. It also deals with the story of The Bat Lady (Tovah Feldshuh) aka Lizzy Sobek (a character most likely based on Irene Sendler) who is said to have saved the lives of many Jew children including Anne Frank. All subplots combine to show the connection between the Bat Lady, Brad, and Mickey.
Tragically, it is the adult characters of the film that are the letdown. Certain dialogues like “your uterus has an expiration date” or “I’m not that easy to kill” are cringe worthy. Scenes involving a mystery man in black are equally bad. A few subplots are left unanswered, and probably will be dealt with in Season 2. The makers downplay the base of their story – trafficking and it becomes only a footnote of the proceedings. Only time will tell whether that issue would be dealt with in Season 2.
Remember, this is a teen mystery, a teen story, nonetheless. Keep that in mind while watching and you will be surprised. Expect an out and out suspense series, you will be disappointed. This is a good binge watch series.
