It’s a testament to Netflix’s vaunted algorithm that I just discovered the service’s years-long collaboration with Harlan Coben. A popular mystery writer, Coben has had a deal with the streaming service since 2018 that has produced 9 shows in multiple languages. I was aware of a grand total of 0 of them until a week ago. The algorithm is so strong that I wasn’t even seeing the discussion of these shows online! That is true power right there.
Jokes aside, Missing You is my first foray into the mysterious and twist-heavy world of Harlan Coben. An adaptation of his novel of the same name, Missing You follows detective Kat Donovan who discovers her missing fiancé on a dating app and soon uncovers a vast conspiracy full of dark secrets, murder and dog breeding. The last part might seem like an odd addition, but it’s honestly the most original thing in the show.
Villainous dog breeders are just one part of the rich tapestry Missing You weaves. We have a police chief who is hiding something, a best friend who is hiding something. We even have Kat’s mother who, you guessed it, is hiding something. There are so many twists and turns packed into these 5 episodes that you become numb to them. How many secrets can one person have?
Maybe the plot twists would work better if these characters actually felt real. Instead, the show’s cast mainly consists of people waiting to give Kat, and by extension the viewer, plot information or recap her complicated backstory. That we so rarely leave our heroine’s perspective only makes this flaw more obvious. Everybody exists only when Kat is in the room with them.
Rosalind Eleazar’s performance as Kat is the show’s bright spot. Donovan is the type of hyper-capable detective you’ve seen a million times before. Eleazar imbues her with enough vulnerability to make her someone worth rooting for, even when the writing falters. Kat’s overly complicated backstory is essential to the show’s mystery, but it prevents us from ever truly getting to know our protagonist. This, coupled with the insistence of the writing to tell us how good Kat is at her job rather than show us, holds her back from being an interesting character.
Missing You isn’t a terrible show. Instead, it commits a worse sin: it’s forgettable. That must be why there are so many scenes where viewers learn the same information they uncovered a few scenes before. I get it. Attention spans are rapidly shrinking, but shouldn’t we have a little more faith in the audience? Especially when they can rewind with a few clicks! For a program like this, though, that refresher might be necessary. Even then, I doubt you’ll remember much once you’re done.