Harlan Coben's Shelter Season 1 Episode 2 Review: Catch Me If U Can
Jasmine Blu
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Oh, how this series weaves tangled webs.
With some of the series' foundation out of the way, Harlan Coben's Shelter Season 1 Episode 2 could zero in on some of the mysteries introduced, and the hour was easier to follow.
The installment was packed with some revelations and new developments, from the return of Kitty, Ema's prophecy, Mrs. Friedman digging into Mr. V's disappearance, and that tense cliffhanger.
Ashley was not as we could've imagined, and the more they dug into what happened to her, the more things came out about her.
Meanwhile, the familial elements that the series explores, whether the Bolitars or the Taylors, elevate the installment, too.
But one thing that sticks out about this hour is that Shira was onto something about everyone having secrets, and a past, too.
Again, one can't gush enough about Jaden Michael and how fantastic he is as Mickey.
It's a credit to the actor that he can help this character leap off the page, and with a series that's so convoluted and filled to the brim with the plot, he still manages to helm and center it with his performance.
The character-building around Mickey Bolitar is frankly fascinating to watch unfold.
And the use of dialogue, things like placement, direction, and camera shots only add to this character standing out as he does.
One of the best things about a series is how you can become immersed in everything about it and take a moment to appreciate all the little details.
The opening scene had Mickey and our boy Spoon Spindell in jail after they got arrested, piecing together all the information they knew about Ashley and the mystery surrounding her disappearance.
Mickey and Spoon are so Scott and Stiles coded that I appreciate how this series scratches the Teen Wolf and a bit of Riverdale itch.
The two of them lying on the bench, mostly unfazed by their predicament, both focused exclusively on figuring out this. Ashley's situation was delightful.
But one of the most notably subtle moments was the placement of the Kasselton police emblem behind Mickey.
Everybody has secrets, Mickey.
Shira
We have this young, determined, protective, fearless teen boy on a mission to find his friend when the police won't even entertain her absence.
And he's sitting in front of their emblem of the American eagle, with the words "Honor, Service, Fidelity" emblazoned on the wall.
Mickey possesses all of these virtues. We've seen it, and it's only been two installments. He embodies what those words mean, and his mission to find Rachel is how it's showcased.
You just know that was a deliberate shot, and those are the little things in a series that make me squeal in delight.
Agent's intuitive proclamation that Mickey was a "protector" further solidified who and what Mickey is, although that moment was heavy-handed in its delivery as they spoonfed us this concept.
Mickey Bolitar is a worthy, honorable, lovable protagonist and hero, and we already know he won't stop until he gets to the bottom of everything that plagues the Kasselton community riddled with secrets.
It's also refreshing that Mickey and Spoon's antics don't go unpunished or without consequence within this series.
That element of realism in seeing that they can be caught and thrown into jail or anything else gives us realistic but also high stakes that fuel the intensity and sense of danger surrounding every move they make.
They made some progress in the Ashley mystery, and based on how well they did during this installment, I have full confidence in this Gen-Z Scooby-Doo gang.
It was a risk going to the hospital after they just got out of the clinker, but talking to Mrs. Kent about who attacked her husband gave them their first significant clue, the person who may be behind Ashley's disappearance is a man they've dubbed Octoface.
Each of the teens has a respective skill set that makes them an asset to their investigative team. Naturally charismatic, Mickey knows how to charm people and get answers from them.
As a little Brown boy, his charisma being his superpower, is an invaluable depiction when we're still in an era where young males like him can be vilified far too often.
He has a natural ability to lure people in rather than "scare them off" or "intimidate them," and before you know it, he's collecting information left and right that is of use.
His gentle prodding of Mrs. Friedman provided him with the information that Ashley Kent had supposedly dropped out of school, and when sharing that with Spoon and Ema, it was apparent that none of them bought anything about it.
It's also alarming that Ashley disappeared at the same time as Mr. V, which kickstarted Mrs. Friedman into investigating an angle of her own.
The Octoface lead meant they had confirmation by the time they figured out why Ashley looked so terrified in one of the dozen photos she and Mickey took on that first day of school.
Oh, my god. I think I might hate you.
Ema [to Spoon]
Mickey's charisma meeting Spoon's savvy skillsets and quick thinking are how they figured out that Ema's crush, Whitney, would have a photo of the man who scared Ashley in the background.
I love that their clues and the progress they make are within the realm of what you'd expect from teenagers.
One glance at Octoface scared the crap out of Ashley, and she was gone shortly after. And they now know that Octoface beat up the man living in the home Ashley was supposed to reside in.
It's hard to say what the trio's plan is whenever they find Octoface, but it doesn't seem like they're thinking that far ahead.
Ema Winslow's connection with Agent, the tattoo artist, would've given them a solid lead if Agent were honest about Octoface. Agent knows who he is, and rather than tell Ema anything about that, they burn the photo of Octoface in the tattoo book.
But it seems Agent knows a lot more than they let on. Despite not giving Ema the information she needed, Agent did mention that the spirit encouraged them to put the specific butterfly on Ema because it represents a goddess known for protecting children.
Agent's cryptic parting words to Ema were that she might not be the child needing protection. Instead, she may be some manifestation of the Roman goddess, Abeona, someone who protected children.
Based on the path she, Mickey, and Spoon are currently on, it's a prophecy coming to fruition.
Agent: Maybe you're not the child who needs protecting, Ema.
Ema: What?
Agent: Abeona, maybe you're the goddess.
But before the trio can get further, they must join forces with Rachel Caldwell. Currently, she's keeping things under wraps and pretending she doesn't even remember Ashley.
But she has Ashley's bag, the gun inside it, and she's paranoid about people watching her and whatever connection she has to all this.
Rachel is a true actress, as she puts on a good front, including appeasing Troy when she has much bigger things on her mind than whatever mindless teen boy things he wants to drone on about.
She found a Go-bag, money, and tons of IDs that belonged to Ashley in a locker at the train station. It implies that Ashley was involved in something bigger, and she's either been on the run or is engaged in something covert.
Octoface confronting Rachel at the locker after her discovery is disconcerting. We know nothing will happen to her, but it was still a nail-biting cliffhanger for the hour.
Ironically, when searching through Mr. V's belongings, Mrs. Friedman found many photos of Ashely that looked reminiscent of what one would see in a human trafficking lookbook.
Mrs. Friedman is familiar with Bat Lady and whatever games she plays. She wasted no time going to the house and inquiring about them killing Mr. V and burying him on the property.
Mrs. Friedman also is one to reflect on Dylan, and that's a whole other angle that connects to Brad.
Ema: What does it mean?
Agent: Abeona is the goddess of protecting children.
Ema: Why do I need protecting?
Agent: You tell me.
Thanks to Shira, Mickey knows that his father was best friends with Dylan and was on the same little league team with him as a kid.
It shocked Mickey, as Brad was forthcoming with his life, but all the mysteries at Kasselton seemed to remain locked tight.
Now that Mickey knows about this connection to Dylan and the other bits of information about his father's experience with that house and Bat Lady, he's more open to the idea that his father could still be alive.
He doesn't want to admit it, but you can tell that he's buying into it, and the only way he can make sense of everything is if he can talk to Bat Lady.
Bat Lady and Sunglasses Man are working together. While it initially seemed like she was the leader after Sunglasses Man's encounters with Mickey and Ema, I'm unsure about a concrete hierarchy.
While Sunglasses Man didn't give Mickey much information, he did confirm that Bat Lady was right about Mickey's father.
The only downside to that scene is that it prevents Ema from telling Mickey the truth about her tattoo. You can tell it's weighing heavily on her mind.
She had no idea why it was put on her, and it was supposed to be temporary, but it's sticking around for a bit. It could be damaging if she harbors this secret much longer.
This is the price we pay when we love others -- You get the wonder, the joy, all the good times... the memories you'll never forget. But you get the tears at the end, too. But he was worth it, right?
Kitty
Although, Mickey doesn't seem like the top to throw away friendships over misunderstandings. While Mickey and Spoon are the ultimate dynamic duo in this series, it was nice to have scenes with Mickey and Ema one-on-one.
They have a special bond too, and I love that they're building up all these little relationships in the time that they have.
Mickey opened up about Kitty with Ema in a way he may not have done with Spoon.
It was a solid installment for Kitty Bolitar. We learned that she was a famous athlete and she battles severe depression. Not only did it cause her to end her career early, but it's why she's been having a hard time after Brad's death.
The death triggered her, and she's not in the best place. And that's what made her exit from the facility bittersweet.
Mickey was so earnest and hopeful, and you could tell how excited he was to have his mother back, but Shira was far more cautious, and I was right there with her.
Mickey and his mother have such a special bond. It was endearing to see how happy they were around each other, effortlessly falling back into conversations in Spanish as if they hadn't been separated for months.
Kitty was putting on a brave front, but it wasn't surprising when she missed her appointment, and it was nerve-wracking, albeit predictable, that she wound up near the Falls.
Goodness knows, if Mickey had lost his mother too, he probably wouldn't have recovered.
Kitty needs severe help for her mental health, which means she'll have to go away for a while until she gets her depression under control, and that leaves Mickey with Shira for longer than either of them anticipated.
It's interesting to see the friction that spiderwebs across the town because of the Bolitars.
On the one hand, there's a chance that Mickey may go easy on his aunt now because she's trying her best.
And on the other hand, it breeds more tension and mysteries as the past unfolds for all of them.
That doesn't belong to you.
Octo Face
Shira Bolitar and Chief Taylor had history. They were high school sweethearts, but something transpired that pulled them apart and also ruined her relationship with Hannah, her former best friend and Chief Taylor's current wife.
Hannah seemed pissed off that Shira was back in town and her husband didn't tell her about it. And Troy picked up on all of the tension and did some digging.
Troy comes across a lot better in this installment than Harlan Coben's Shelter Season 1 Episode 1. He had more depth as a character and didn't feel like a snooze-fest of an archetype.
His home life is tense. He doesn't get along with his father, who seems to be the point of contention for him and his mother. And there are so many layers to that family dynamic that there probably won't be enough time to unearth them.
But now that he knows that Shira is someone from his parents' past and she's also a Bolitar, it'll be interesting to see how that dictates his relationship with Mickey.
The tension among the adults is as intriguing as everything else happening right now, and I love that this series doesn't waste any of its characters.
The stories also intersect well enough that it doesn't feel too messy or as if we're getting pulled into too many directions.
Over to you, Shelter Fanatics. What was Ashley involved in, and what do you think Rachel is hiding?
Are you intrigued by Shira, Hannah, and Chief Taylor's past? Will Mickey and Ema's prophecy come to fruition? Who is Octoface, and what is he up to? Hit the comments with all of your theories!
Harlan Coben's Shelter airs Fridays on Prime Video!
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is an insomniac who spends late nights and early mornings binge-watching way too many shows and binge-drinking way too much tea. Her eclectic taste makes her an unpredictable viewer with an appreciation for complex characters, diverse representation, dynamic duos, compelling stories, and guilty pleasures. You'll definitely find her obsessively live-tweeting, waxing poetic, and chatting up fellow Fanatics and readers. Follow her on X.
