Queer Representation Without Exploitation — Harlan Coben’s Shelter
By Anne Gregg
From Riverdale to Outer Banks, mysteries with a cast of high school archetypes have been a staple of teen media. But while these shows have queer characters, the representation often comes off as performative. The queer characters in these shows are often there to be sexy, progressive, and have drama surrounding their queerness. These shows, especially Riverdale, hold a special place in my heart, but I wouldn’t say they are good representations of queerness, especially for young queer people. On the surface, Harlan Coben’s Shelter, based on the book series of the same name, seems like other teen shows, with its stock teen characters and intriguing mystery. In fact, that’s why I started watching it. I was surprised to find the show subverted every expectation I had and was actually filled with realistic teenagers, casual queerness, and a lot of heart.
Shelter follows Mickey Bolitar and his friends Spoon, Ema, and Rachel as they try to uncover the secrets of their town. Mickey is your typical teen male protagonist– except he’s more realistic than the stock sensitive jock. Mickey is kinder and actually has his priorities in order. His friends fit into similar archetypes; Spoon, is the resident nerd of the group but he is also incredibly emotionally intelligent and the most supportive friend someone could ask for. Ema is a grunge girl shrouded in mystery, but she is also a loyal friend. Rachel is a cheerleader dating the mean jock, but she is open-hearted and protective towards other girls.
The main characters have a lot of heart and genuinely care about each other in a way that other shows often do not portray. While they have fights and get angry with each other, the show is more about the characters learning to open up and figure out who their true friends are then it is about arbitrary teen drama for the sake of teen drama.
Many of Shelter’s characters are casually queer. In fact, the most substantial romantic plotlines in the series are between queer female characters. This is a rare thing in teen media, because teen media is often targeted to appeal to straight teen girls and employ the overused sassy GBF that the viewer would want as a friend. The relationships in Shelter are also not constructed for the male gaze. The main queer relationship between Mickey’s aunt, Shira, and her best friend from high school, Hannah, is between two Gen X women who act and dress their age. Hannah is not portrayed as a hot mom, just a mom. And Shira is a tired lawyer and former basketball star, neither are what society would deem “eye candy”.
While their relationship is secretive and fits a more classic scandalous teen show relationship, Ema and Whitney’s relationship is not scandalous at all. Everyone knows and accepts that both of them are queer. There’s no drama behind it. Ema’s relationship with her mother is not strained by her queerness and Whitney is a popular girl with a popular brother. They are of a different generation than Shira and Hannah. While teenagers in this generation do still struggle with coming out, it’s nice to see a story that isn’t about that. The drama these two couples face is not a result of their queerness, but rather a result of miscommunication (and cheating).
The relationships are also not there to be titillating for the audience. While the character’s have sexual desire, it’s not expressed in an exploitative way. In fact, while there is a trafficking narrative in the story, the camera chooses not to linger on the girls for too long, and although girls in more revealing clothing are present in those scenes it make the viewr feel uncomfortable (because it should). You are not meant to Google them. They are not a spectacle. Rachel’s cheer routine is also a pretty standard routine you would see at high school. It is a little suggestive and her skirt is pretty short, but the camera doesn’t try to objectify the girls, it just shows them as they are in the scene. They also serve to reveal details about the characters. Ema has a hard time trusting people and opening up to others. Opening up to Whitney is a big moment for her. Shira and Hannah are both lost, stuck in their lives. Their relationships allow them freedom that shapes their decisions in the rest of the narrative.
Outside of the relationships, Shelter is a fun and heartwarming show with an interesting mystery. While the plotlines are constricted and many things are left unresolved because of the show’s short eight episode run, it manages to do a lot within that time. The characters grow from each other and really feel like a close group of friends by the end of Season One. The representation is wonderful and understated, and is allowed to just exist while the teens explore a world of mystery and murder.
About the Author:
Anne Gregg is a poet and writer from Northwest Indiana. She is an English Writing major at DePauw University and is the editor-in-chief of her campus’s literary magazine, A Midwestern Review. She is a Media Fellow at her university and loves dissecting how LGBTQ+ people are portrayed in film and tv.
