Mary Malone's Missing You Character Fixes One Disappointing Part Of Harlan Coben's Book

Warning! Spoilers for Netflix’s Missing You ahead!

Actor Mary Malone plays Aqua in Missing You, a character that greatly required a more nuanced portrayal than seen in Harlan Coben’s original book. The 2024 Netflix limited series is based on Coben’s novel of the same name, joining previous streaming adaptations of the writer’s work like Fool Me Once. Missing You is a delightfully bingable mystery thriller, which sees its detective protagonist, Kat Donovan (Rosalind Eleazar), confronted with a string of missing people somehow related to her father’s murder and fiance’s disappearance. Still, it was Kat’s friend, Aqua, who left a mark.

Malone’s Missing You character is a transgender woman and best friend to Kat, who ends up deeply linked to the story’s overarching mystery. Despite her limited mainstream experience before the Netflix series, Malone did a phenomenal job with Aqua’s character. She is immediately likable, with evident loyalty and optimism. Still, it quickly becomes apparent in Missing You that Aqua hides some painful truths from Kat. Just as in Coben’s novel, Aqua’s secrets eventually bubble to the surface. However, unlike the Missing You book, Malone’s character is a more solid representation of the transgender community.

Mary Malone’s Aqua Fixes A Disappointing Aspect Of Harlan Coben’s Missing You

The Missing You Book Was Confused About Trans Identities

Aqua was a sympathetic and vital character in Coben’s Missing You book, but there were various problems with how she was characterized. Coben described Aqua as a “transvestite” in the 2014 novel, an outdated term that is typically considered derogatory. In addition to this, Aqua is a confused character. She has no concrete identity, and it’s evident when reading Missing You that Coben wrote Aqua’s character without fully understanding the difference between being a cross-dresser, gay, drag queen, or transgender. Malone’s portrayal in the Netflix series corrects this.

Harlan Coben reportedly praised Malone’s performance (via Pink News), admitting that the actor brought something to the character that he had been unable to write.

Malone’s performance in Netflix’s Missing You adaptation shows no sign of a poor, confused individual. She is a transgender woman—secure in her gender identity and supported by the people within her life. This is far more fitting for the 2024 series, where the bar for accurate LGBTQ+ representation on screen grows ever higher as society begins to understand the community better. Of course, Netflix’s first step in meeting this was casting a transgender actor like Malone to take on the role. From there, Missing You corrected Coben’s misjudged approach with more respectful and educated writing.

Aqua Is Easily One Of The Best Parts Of Netflix’s Latest Harlan Coben Show

Mary Malone Gave A Nuanced Performance

Aqua does yoga in Missing You

There’s always a lot to love about an on-screen adaptation of Coben’s work. The author is the master at guilty-pleasure mysteries, and Netflix’s limited-series format is perfect for bringing these stories to life. Still, when an adaptation comes a decade after a book was released, changes are bound to be necessary, especially regarding LGBTQ+ representation. Netflix took the perfect approach by casting Malone. With this actor providing the heart behind the character, it was easy enough to fall in love with Aqua. This is imperative since she winds up being at the center of Missing You‘s ending mystery.

The renewed confidence that Netflix gave Aqua in Missing You was most evident during her conversation with Kat’s father before his murder.

The renewed confidence that Netflix gave Aqua in Missing You was most evident during her conversation with Kat’s father before his murder. She told the man that she understood what hiding a part of herself felt like. Malone’s character never had to say, “I know what it’s like because I am a trans woman,”—this was wholly unnecessary. Through her expressiveness, the actor communicated everything audiences needed to know, making Aqua a far more powerful and memorable character. It was the perfect way to repair the disappointing confusion of Coben’s book.

Source: Pink News