Harlan Coben’s Shelter Season 1 Episode 8 Recap

Found – The episode opens with Mickey Bolitar (Jaden Michael) trapped inside Bat Lady/Lizzy Sobek’s (Tovah Feldshuh) burning house. As Mickey pounds on the door, Bat Lady comes through. She urges him to save him but he refuses. Covering her with a throw, he drapes her across his back before busting through the door. Ascending the stairs to the first floor, he looks up to see a burning rafter falling in his direction. Minutes later, he sees Bat Lady on the floor a short distance away.

Arthur “Spoon” Spindell (Adrian Greensmith) says no bodies have been found. Emma “Ema” Winslow (Abby Corrigan) questions if Bat Lady started the fire. Mickey assures her that it wasn’t Bat Lady because it was when Luther/paramedic (Luke Marinkovich) was stabbing her. Rachel Caldwell (Sage Linder) suggests Bat Lady escaped the burning house. Mickey says now he will know what Bat Lady was going to tell him about Brad Bolitar (Kristoffer Polaha). Spoon tries to assure him that it isn’t his fault. Rachel tells them that Hannah Taylor (Missi Pyle) sent her a text asking about Troy Taylor’s (Brian Altemus) whereabouts. She embraces Ema before leaving.

At a house party, Whitney (Alexa Mareka) asks Rachel if Ema hates her for telling Buck (Antonio Cipriano) about her mother, Angelica Wyatt (Stephanie March). Ema claims to possibly love Ema. Rachel demands she leave Ema alone because she isn’t good enough for her. Troy is drinking with Buck when Rachel approaches to tell him that Hannah is worried about him. Troy curses Hannah. She pleads with him to talk to her. He asks if she is breaking up with him. She says they will talk when he is sober. He says their relationship is over. After she leaves, he and Whitney get intimate.

A flashback gives Mickey an idea. Later at the burnt remains of Bat Lady’s House, he leads Ema, spoon, and Rachel to the garage where there is an entrance to a hidden tunnel. As he prepares to cut the security chain, Ema warns that Luther may be in the tunnel. Rachel gives each of them a powerful stun gun. With the door open, they descend into the tunnel. Ema flips on the electricity. Deeper into the tunnel, they discover a vintage movie projector and dozens of film reels. Mickey loads film into the projector before a battered young Luther (Daniel Adaro), his brother, Ricky (Kamron Ali Toosi), and other children. Bat Lady assures them that they are safe when she hears sirens. She orders teen Brad Bolitar (Micah Max Polaha) to take them to the soundproof cellar while she stalls the police. Mickey recognizes his father.

Mickey can’t get medical clearance to play basketball. Ema reminds him that he was in a coma just 12 hours ago. uDOu alerts pop up on Rachel’s phone. They watch as Whitney confesses to stealing money from her brother to buy fake uDOu followers. She claims her brother blackmailed her into doing something to someone she cares about. She says the girl doesn’t want anything to do with her now. She admits to hooking up with her brother’s best friend. Stunned, Ema questions if Whitney is referring to Troy. Rachel says they are no longer dating.

Troy contributes his fling with Whitney to being intoxicated. He assures Buck that it will never happen again. Buck says it doesn’t matter because Whitney is his twin sister. He urges Troy to think about their basketball game. Outside the school, Sunglasses Man/Dylan (Hunter Emery) informs Mickey that Bat Lady is expecting him. Inside the school, Spoon describes Candy (Sophia Adler) as “sweet” and “kind.” He regrets not being able to tell Candy’s mother what happened. He says she saved his life before questioning what happened to her body. He admits to being “happy” he is still alive. Ema embraces him. Later, Jim (Wesley Han) and Spoon commentate on the Kasselton High School basketball game. During a time out, the Camels gather around Coach Leslie (Tisola Logan). As the game restarts, Troy walks off the court. Chief Ken Taylor (Lee Aaron Rosen) watches as Hannah goes after him. Outside, Troy confronts Hannah about her and Shira Bolitar (Constance Zimmer) when Ken approaches. Back to the game,  Spoon rants about being suspended when Principal Gorelick (James L. Ward) runs him off.

Shira invites Spoon, Ema, and Rachel to Mickey’s party. She compliments Rachel’s half-time dance. Ema stresses the need to have her butterfly tattoo removed. Rachel reminds her of Abeona rescuing children. Ema says the movie with Luther is disturbing. Spoon questions why they rescued Ashley Kent (Samantha Bugliaro), not Candy. Later, Spoon has Agent (Brandon Curry) to add Candy’s name to his heart tattoo.

Bat Lady tells Mickey that he has a film that belongs to her. Mickey says Brad is in the film. She Brad led the removal of six children, including Luther and Ricky, from a foster home. She explains how Luther suffered a facial laceration when Brad pushed him through a window. She denies they were aware of Ricky’s asthma. In a flashback, Luther bangs on the door begging someone to help Ricky but he dies. Back to the present, Lizzy tells Mickey that the shelter door was sealed shut but Luther always blamed Brad. She says the truck involved in the accident was driven by someone Luther knew who disliked Abeona. She claims Luther pretended to be a paramedic and drove a stolen ambulance. Mickey asks why she lied about Brad being alive. She says Brad calls her at night before describing him coming into her life as “fate.”

Shira sets up for the party when a sullen Mickey walks through the door. He tells her that Brad is really gone. She embraces him when Ema, Rachel, and Spoon arrive. Mickey recalls Spoon saying noise travels from the teacher’s lounge to the boiler room before racing out of the room. Emma, Rachel, and Spoon follow him. Shira receives a call from Hannah informing her of Brad’s casket being at the morgue.

In the tunnel, Mickey tells his friends about Bat Lady’s claims. He reminds them of how they heard the teachers in the lounge from the boiler room. He says Luther wanted Brad to suffer when they approached the soundproof door. Spoon points out that the welds are new. Mickey screams at the door and calls his father. At the morgue, Shira is shocked by what she sees in Brad’s casket. Back to the tunnel, Mickey and his friends break into the soundproof room to find Brad alive.

 

Harlan Coben’s Shelter Finale Synopsis

Mickey tries to save Lizzy from the burning house but they are separated when a fiery beam falls from the ceiling. Mickey figures out there is a tunnel underneath Bat Lady’s house. He, Ema, Spoon, and Rachel find a room filled with film spools and a vintage projector. The old film shows the aftermath of Brad’s abusive foster home rescue. Luther, Ricky, and four children are placed in a soundproof room where Ricky dies after an asthma attack.

Dylan later informs him that Lizzy is alive. She tells Mickey that Luther staged the accident by convincing a non-supporter of Abeona to drive the truck. He stole an ambulance and pretended to be an ambulance to avenge Ricky’s death. She says Brad is the only dead person she knows who calls her at night.

In the previous episode Mickey learns Brad was planning to leave Abeona. He becomes concerned about Ashley who in Abeona’s care. It is almost as if she never existed in the finale.

Recalling voices traveling along pipes from the teacher’s lounge to the boiler room, Mickey has an idea. He and his friends return to the tunnel. Spoon recognizes the welds securing the soundproof room are fresh. They break the welds to get the door open. Brad appears out of the dark. At the same time, Shira discovers Brad’s casket is empty.

Harlan Coben’s Shelter Review

The finale reveals little that is not expected. Nearly half of the episode is wasted on a basketball game, a house party, and teen drama. The film provides much of what Lizzy tells Mickey later in the episode. This is not to mention, the stolen ambulance and Luther the paramedic are revealed in earlier episodes.

Hannah and Shira’s relationship is barely mentioned. Whitney and Troy’s fling is a roundabout way to add drama to two already tumultuous relationships. It seems they are pushing for a second season which is yet to be officially announced.

Like everything else in the series, the escape from the house fire is too easy. Nothing about the escape is unbelievable. It is rather cringeworthy.

The finale leaves so much to be desired, it deserves a 5.5. Get more Harlan Coben’s Shelter recaps here. Support Reel Mockery by donating. Our onsite advertising builds brand awareness, click the link to learn more.