Harlan Coben’s Shelter Season 1 Episode 1-3 Review: Pilot / Catch Me If You Can / The Dirt Locker

This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.

Harlan Coben’s Shelter introduces viewers to Mickey Bolitar, the tragedy that lands him in his father’s hometown, marred by a mystery that he’s trying to solve by laying out some clues while posing a whole lot of questions during Harlan Coben’s Shelter Season 1 Episode 1, “Pilot,” Harlan Coben’s Shelter  Season 1 Episode 2, “Catch Me If You Can,” and Harlan Coben’s Shelter  Season 1 Episode 3, “The Dirt Locker.”

Welcome to Kasselton, New Jersey. A small town where everyone knows everyone and a huge secret lingers over every single resident, whether they know it or not.

And that’s precisely where Mickey Bolitar ends up after seeing his father die in a car accident. With his mother admitting herself to a center to help with her depression, she winds up in the care of her aunt, Shira Bolitar in the small town of Kasselton.

Pilot: Meet the Players, The Town & The Mystery

The first episode, written by Charlotte Coben and Ed Decter and directed by Patricia Cardoso, has the makings of a run-of-the-mill pilot, laying the foundation for the mystery surrounding the house and the disappearance of a young boy, Dylan Shakes, all those years ago.

There’s a lot thrown at the viewer, from the quick seeming flashback at the top of the hour to the phone call Brad makes, there is an ominous tone to even the most mundane interactions. Paired with how many of the characters react to seemingly unassuming questions and it’s clear that the mystery somehow involves all the adults of Kasselton.

Add the teacher with the clandestine photos of fellow new student Ashley Kent, and you’ve got yourself the most real nightmare fuel. The way that we see teachers like Mr. V and Mrs. Friedman interact with students adds an unnerving feeling that whatever is happening targets the children of the town. 

I appreciate that Mickey Bolitar isn’t the typical broody, solitary new kid and embraces Arthur’s friendship, and later is open to Ema’s (reluctant) friendship given the state of his home life. Jaden Michael plays him in such a grounded way given the premise of the series adds a certain earnestness and relatability to things he’s going through in terms of loss, change, and grief.

It certainly helps when things begin to escalate as the hour concludes with a shocking reveal and questions about the butterfly’s connection to Mickey’s parents.

Catch Me If You Can: Secrets Galore & Heartbreak

“Catch Me If You Can,” written by Charlotte Coben and Ben Pack and directed by Edward Ornelas, continues to build upon that reveal of Ema’s longer lasting tattoo further expands the web of potential conspiracy while also offering a look at Kitty Bolitar’ s return home.

This hour gets to do a bit more of the emotional work allowing the story at least some measure of room to breathe by letting viewers see at least a bit of Mickey’s relationship with his mother.

Kitty’s released from the center and Mickey is ecstatic while Shira seems cautious about the whole situation. The awkward tension bleeds into a simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking talk between Mickey and Kitty.

It’s what makes Kitty’s breakdown even more gut-wrenching. The one tie Mickey has to his old life and the sense of happiness tied to it all is grieving and the fear of losing her. At the same time, she’s incapable of moving forward is unbelievably sad and grounded in a reality that viewers can imagine.

While Mickey’s dealing with the difficult aspects of seemingly losing his mother, new levels of the central mystery are seemingly unlocked as Ema learns of the Abeona and it’s meaning from her henna/tattoo artist.

Spoon: Fuck, he’s gonna take my switch.

From the spine-chilling line delivery of the meaning behind the butterfly to how he burns the evidence of the octopus man, there aren’t many answers but more questions for viewers.

“Catch Me If You Can” also adds depth to Shira’s story by teasing some intriguing tension between the woman, Officer Taylor, and his wife who we later learn is her former best friend. The tension is palpable, and it feels like history is heavy with yearning.

I appreciate the 90s nostalgia introduction through the reminiscing Shira does while sporting a Hole T-Shirt.

The Dirt Locker: A Baffling and Shocking Twist with More Questions

The episode written by Nicki Renna and Charlotte Coben and directed by Christina Choe opens on some downright wild insinuations being made about exactly what the Bat Lady is doing in Kasselton.

By the time “The Dirt Locker” rolls around, the core trio of teenagers are playing to their archetypes. Greensmith plays Spoon’s nerdy, comedic relief in a fun way that doesn’t feel overwrought. The same can be said of Corrigan’s Ema which gives the artsy loner more depth while also playing into some stereotypical aspects.

Shira and Hannah’s more formal reunion and their post-party clean-up kiss make the awkwardness and tension between Shira, Hannah, and Officer Taylor understandable. Despite being telegraphed from their first encounter, it’s still a smart character choice and leaves the story open to leading down so many different paths.

The opening act calls back Mrs. Friedman’s story and the project assigned to her European History class by showing viewers what can only be assumed at that point, Lizzy Sobeck, saving a cattle car filled with children from Auschwitz.

It’s a story that seems to be bookended in a way that feels like an enormous jump and firmly lands the series in that weird science fiction territory with the connection to Lizzy’s mission of revenge to the man Mickey remembers seeing at the car accident scene.

Even more questions come to mind as the final act reveal overshadows the other aspects of the hour, including meeting Mickey’s grandparents and Spoon and Ema’s Rachel surveillance discovery. The decision to introduce so many strings of the story within the first three hours is a choice. I’m curious to see how it pays off.

Random Thoughts:

• Between The Big Door Prize and this show, I seem to be having a “mysterious blue butterfly” kind of summer and those clues never are what they seem to be.
• The adult cast is filled with so many recognizable faces. From Grease’s Didi Conn and Adrienne Barbeau to Crossing Delancey’s Peter Riegert, it’s honestly impressive.
• The way Mrs. Friedman can just casually walk in to the Bat Lady’s home is unnerving. Add the horrifying polaroids she finds in Mr. V’s desk, and I’ve got questions that need some answering to make this even remotely okay.

What did you think of this episode of Harlan Coben’s Shelter? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Critic Rating:

User Rating:

 

Harlan Coben’s Shelter streams Fridays on Prime Video.

 Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!

What to Stream in August: Ahsoka, Heartstopper, Love in Taipei