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Netflix's latest thriller series Fool Me Once, based on Harlan Coben's book of the same name, was released on the streaming channel on January 1, 2024. It follows Maya Stern, a widow, who supposedly sees her dead husband on a nanny cam while she's keeping an eye on her baby. She sets out on a quest to uncover the truth about her husband's possible reappearance but to do that, she needs to examine his ambiguous past and her contentious military background.
Fool Me Once is brimming with unexpected twists and intriguing characters. While the lead character Maya is an enigma in herself, her friend from the military, Shane Tessier, is also a mystery in himself. A military police officer, he reaches out to support her after her husband, Joe's death. However, there is a sense of constant doubt surrounding his real intentions throughout the series.
Those who watched the Netflix series were curious about Shane and his intentions with many wondering what the deal with him was. In a reply to a fan on X, Harlan Coben offered an intriguing insight into Shane and his deep concern for his long-time friend Maya.
Coben also revealed a spoiler which only added depth to the story and it looks like there may be more to Shane than meets the eye. He noted that while Shane's behavior might be strange, he isn't the bad guy in the show.
Disclaimer: This article will contain spoilers for the Netflix series Fool Me Once.
The mystery about Shane in Fool Me Once
Fool Me Once has many surprises and dubious characters, including Shane Tessier. Even after viewing all eight episodes, he would still have viewers wondering if he was a bad guy. He is introduced early on in the series and all throughout, he assists Maya with her investigation often keeping an eye on her daughter Lily when Maya is out looking for clues.
He even helps Maya examine the bullet that killed Joe's sister, Claire, helping her to confirm that Joe was the one who killed Claire. Maya has Shane look for license plates, check the accuracy of gunshots, and find out whether Detective Kierce is receiving payment from the Burketts.
Everything he does is voluntary, but in episode four of the show, things begin to go downhill when he unexpectedly shows up at Maya's house in the middle of the night.
Maya, believing someone has broken into her home, confronts the intruder, with a pistol in her hand. However, it turns out to be Shane, along with Maya's daughter Lily. Shane explains that he broke in because Lily was crying while Maya was screaming and he believed she was having a nightmare.
Though he reveals that he had come to inform her about Tommy Dark, it seems like something that he could have told her in the morning. Later, viewers see a hooded person planting a tracking device on Maya's car, setting off the alarm. The person is revealed to be Shane.
When Maya lies to Shane on the way home from the police station in episode six, he gets upset. In another scene, he is seen waiting for Maya in the dark as she returns home. When Maya confronts the nanny and her partner about Joe's death, Shane helps her drop them in the countryside, so they can walk home.
In the final scene, set eighteen years later, Shane becomes a part of the family as Lily welcomes her daughter into the world. Shane's actions do not seem to raise doubts among the rest of the family.
Author of Fool Me Once Harlan Coben talks about Shane
As fans watched the Netflix thriller, they were curious about Shane and his intentions questioning if he truly was the bad guy he was shown to be. Although his actions were seen as extremely suspicious by most people, it is important to understand the reasons behind his actions.
As he responded to a fan on X, the writer of the book that the show is based on, Harlan Coben explained Shane's intentions and why he did what he did. The author noted that Shane was worried about Maya's behavior, especially her conviction about her husband being alive.
While assault rifles aren't easily available for purchase in the UK, in the show, Maya has guns and uses them. Coben mentions that Shane probably knew that if his friend were to go berserk, she might lock herself and her daughter in the house, in a situation that would undoubtedly be distressing.
The author of Fool Me Once has his explanations for Shane's seemingly strange behavior which proves he is not truly a bad guy. He is just worried about Maya's erratic and dangerous behavior. However, the way he's portrayed is to keep the viewers guessing about his true intentions and intrigued till the end.
Watch how the plot around Shane and Maya unfolds in the British television series Fool Me Once on Netflix.
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