Stranger Season 2 (2020)

Prosecution Vs. Police

STRANGER. (Forest of Secrets/Secret Forest/Bimileui Sup) This k-drama is definitely one of the best crime shows I've watched. It seamlessly blends the genres of Procedural Crime, Mystery, Thriller, and Drama perfectly. It was a highly addictive watch, an unforgettable experience.

Let me first start by saying, the cast is simply fantastic, especially our two main leads, the apathetic and stoic Prosecutor, Hwang Si-mok (played by Cho Seung-woo) and the feisty, quirky Lieutenant Han Yeo-Jin (played by Bae Doona)-who both have one thing is common-the desire for justice and to purge their departments of corruption, no matter the cost. Since there begins to look like there is corruption everywhere, the two end up forming an unspoken alliance. Their on-screen chemistry is undeniable and interesting.

While the entire cast and characters are great, even side characters and antagonists are interesting and relatable. My only complaint, and it is a pretty minor one, is that I often wished for more character backstory and depth, especially in side characters. However, I grew to love and care for many of the characters regardless, even without extensive character details and history. Not many series are able to pull that off.

Cho Seung-woo (Prosecutor, Hwang Si-mok) brilliantly plays an apathetic character type, and somehow manages to give him so much depth, heart and expression, again almost all in subtext and subtlety. He really stands out among all the "cold genius" archetypes and by Season 2, has become one of my all time favorites. He is such an odd mixture of apathy, cunning, and bluntness all the while being polite, passive and quiet. While he is certainly brilliant it never seems that his work is ever easy for him. It is always difficult and challenging-he is just stubborn and driven enough to find the truth and seek justice.

On the other hand, actress Bae Doona (Lieutenant Han Yeo-Jin) manages to portray an equally interesting character. She is quirky and eccentric, lively and outgoing, that you can't help but love her. Her strong and yet compassionate persona make her the perfect counterbalance to Hwang Si-mok. The two leads really propel the series along. They are almost complete opposites but for their shared sense of justice and duty, and together make a brilliant team.

I think what I really loved about this series is the realistic character portrayals. No one felt or looked like a fashion icon or typical drama idol. They were all flawed and unique and make the series highly believable.

This series storyline is incredibly complex and well thought out, with a very tight, intelligent plot. There's a lot of suspense. Often, I find a common issue with procedural crime shows, in that they tend to be slower paced and drag along. Not so with this series. The pacing is quick and sharp. Also, I love how it never tries to dumb things down. You really have to follow along with it, because it wastes no time trying spelling things out for viewers and there can be quite a bit of subtext going on. This all proves the great writing and direction. I highly recommend this series if you are looking for a fast paced crime thriller. A MUST SEE.

[NOTE: This Review is for Season 1 & 2]

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This is Drama is really good..

I want Season 3 on this Drama..same Character and Have Romance for the two main leads.. Please make it happen for us all the fans of them..🙏🙏🙏🙏this is really good Drama that's why we need Season 3 with Romance please I really really Love them..Jebal ..make make make it happen please.. please..🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 really want to see them again.. they are always good together.. want to see them with Romance also..🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️🙏🙏🙏🙏❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ I've already missed them although I didn't finish yet the Season 2..🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

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Perfect. That's all I can say: perfect.

Now that's out of the way, let me just say how the the second season picks up years after the events of the first season. Prosecutor Hwang Si Mok has been assigned somewhere remote and Superintendent Han Yeo Jin has been assigned to the head office. The first season broke my heart with all the deaths surrounding it but it was needed to be done in order for the characters to grow. This season introduced new characters and gave the kind of reunion only Si Mok and Yeo Jin would have. It also depicted a plot that would put both of them at the different sides of the spectrum. It focuses on the ongoing war between who should hold the power to grant a warrant: will it be the prosecution or the police. What I liked about this is that even though Si Mok and Yeo Jin were pushed into the middle of years long fight, they still trust each other with their life. That is how they are loyal with each other. That even though both the prosecution and the police were plotting against each other both of our beloved leads still share information with one another. Every character in this season held their weight and it didn't feel like this was all on the shoulders of Doona Bae and Cho Seung Woo.

For me, romance between Si Mok and Yeo Jin isn't the most important part of the show. Heck, I will be even okay if they did not introduce any hint of romance because their relationship goes beyond romance. They will always be partners no matter the circumstances and that is what's most important.

Also, am I the only one clamoring for a third season? Please? Universe?

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The web of stories were all important

Without a doubt, Stranger is the best kdrama that I've seen. S2 has been released last year and I still cannot find myself getting this obsessed with another kdrama.

Some of the reviews I've seen hated the intricate web of stories that the writer shown in S2. On the first watch, I kind of agree that the first half is a bit dragging and I didn't see the relevance of telling these smaller storylines... but they are all part of LSY's bigger picture. In reality, prosecutors and police don't just work on a single case. So if somebody got abducted or killed in their line of work, police needs to go through all the previous cases and see if anyone might have some grievance against them. It is but natural re-investigate these cases, especially since SDJ has taken quite an interest on them.

By the second half of the drama, it became clearer and I understood the writer's intention and reason for introducing the smaller plots. It might be dragging if one watched S2 on a week by week basis vs binge watching it.

Somebody asked me which season I liked best and I honestly cannot choose between the two. S1 is all about the story. S2 is all about the character development. I have rewatched the two seasons for several times and I have plans to continue doing so. New nuances come up with every rewatch making me appreciate the writing, directing, acting, editing, scoring all the more.

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Contemporary Crime Drama

Stranger
K-Drama
Ep 32
Two Seasons
PG-13

I like Contemporary stories and Crime / Murder mystery so when I heard this was a mix of both I was excited!

Sadly it was just okay for me.

This show had great actors and 97% of them played morally grey characters. The only exception were the leads!
Let's do some pros & cons

Pros:
◇The acting
◇How it wasn't as dark and gory as it could be 👌 (Definitely PG-13)
◇The Leads

Cons:
◇It felt like it dragged at times
◇The plot twists were okay
◇The writing at times
◇Wanted more friendship & chemistry

Over all I am happy I watched this show. Would I recommend? If you like slow crime dramas then yes, if you like fast past thriller type then maybe not.

Rewatch? No

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Secret Forest had that charm about it and the 2nd season sure did that a full justice. I really was skeptical but interested in how the writer would hook me for a more political plot rather than the investigations in season 1 and wow! she really did. This season had it's special story, narrative, message and an overall feel to it that is so different in its course than a ton of dramas that tackle prosecution. It was smart, beginning to end. Of course the ACTING was top notch as expected. Maybe I didn't love the side characters as much I really loved those of season 1 but the story here was I guess made the focus more than navigating any emotional attachment to the characters. Watch it if you haven't cause I don't know why you are still waiting!

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Kick-ass women and stellar cast!

So far, I am four episodes in and am LOVING it!!! Bae Doona, who is one of my absolute favorites, is as usual killing it in this role. I like it that she and the other women are all tough and they kick ass!!! Bae Doona for sure is the best part of this series. Jo Seung Woo, who plays Si Mok, is brilliant as usual. Lee Jun hyuk, who plays Dong Jae is such a great actor, he is not only hot AF so a nice bit of eye candy, but he excels at playing a character who is supposedly on the 'good' side, but just barely so, he seems so weasely and sleazy/sketchy at the same time. I'm not even sure I understand everything yet, but I am waiting for the build up and twists like in season 1! Even the music is dramatic, for sure this is a high quality drama with stellar cast. Can't wait to see where this goes!

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Mentioned this in my previous review of stranger season 1 but I'm going to mention it again, one thing that I really like about stranger both season, is the process of investigating and solving the case. everything was pure smart and brain, there were no connections with higher ups, sly moves or tricks or coincidence. and thats why i like this drama. well, I enjoyed this season more than the previous one because of the cases involved. There were more cases in this season, which were more complicated and unique as well but with less twist. It wasn't about the common serial killer or things like that. No need to mention the acting, it was amazing. Some parts were quite slow paced but I was still okay with that

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Stranger 2 : adequately fulfilling on it's journey to Stranger 3

Finally, it is all I could think at the start of Stranger 2, three years later, and it was captivating as I expected it to be, worthy of the over three-year wait. Having Lee Chang Joon's voiceover to start the episode was just brilliant. A reminder that the road to justice is long and rife with political tension. And, of course, where there is a crime to be solved, there is Hwang Shi Mok. I loved it. I always enjoy how he meticulously observes, sizes up a situation before questioning or jumping to conclusions. It was also thrilling to see Bae Doo Na reprise her role as Han Yeo Jin, love her with long hair, and Detective Jang. I love seeing them all at work; they click intuitively.

It's always great to see a woman in roles typically given to men and Jeon Hye Jin at that. I couldn't wait to see what she brought to the show as the police and ever-powerful prosecution office fought over independent investigative authority. I've always thought it quite weird how the prosecution had sole jurisdiction. So, I was interested to see how the fight would go down and how it would affect Shi Mok and Yeo Jin's fight against injustice. I am always ready when it comes to these two. And of course, Stranger 2 did not disappoint in how it tackled all the issues it presented, from coverups to police and prosecution corruptions to the embedded unscrupulous accepted and worse expected societal norms that hurt more than they help in junior/senior to rich/poor treatments and relationships. And I think what I find hardest to reconcile since I started watching k-dramas is that exactly -- the disappointments in the embedded unscrupulous accepted societal norms.

I loved the many twists and turned in this second installment but, more so, how differently the whole team handled the second season. I was glad to see that it was not a sequence of the first but rather a continued effort to justice's long and politically charged journey. And to see that journey can to an emotional ending as it hopefully continues to its next chapter to an incredibly penned, directed, acted, edited, and produced drama. The beginning and ending words of Lee Chang Joon sum season 2, SM and YJ, entirely—“Doggedly chasing after the truth and marching towards what’s right is a never-ending process. To stop for a moment is to fail. Marching towards change is like having two needles on your feet, with an invisible thread trailing after you, never stopping for breath as you march on. In the belief that a sliver of hope is better than immeasurable despair, we move forward with every determination once again.” This drama called attention to how arrogance, ignorance, and incompetence can, in mere seconds, bring down one’s life work (Chief Choi and Prosecutor Tae Woo). But at the same time, it showed us that one should never give up hope; it’s the light to a better and more fulfilled future for all involved. “Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.” —Desmund Tutu.

As sad as I was as excited for how it started and ended—strong and proud. I especially revered Chief Prosecutor Kang Won Cheol for standing tall for what matters most and putting his juniors before himself; that’s a mark of a true leader. As they say, it’s only after you’ve stepped outside your comfort zone that you begin to change, grow, and transform. Chief Kang’s last act was a reminder that it’s easy even for the best of us to be swayed and lose our way, but the courage is in acknowledging it and getting back on track. It takes a lot of courage to do what he did. LYJ Hanjo’s leader’s reaction to his resignation said it all. She underestimated him for sure, and his final words struck her worse than if she’d been hit by one of those kdrama white trucks of doom. Undoubtedly one of the best crime dramas ever, now and forever. Solid character arcs, acting, development, and portrayals, even SDJ’s character. I cannot wait for season three, finishing what Lee Chang Joon started with a takedown of Hanjo Group. Shi Mok's dream at the finale for me captured everything Stranger 1 and 2 stand for— Hope. I will miss this drama until its next installment and highly recommend both seasons if you haven't watched them yet. Not one disappointing episode.

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O drama que mais aguardei este ano não foi nada do que esperei :(

É inegável que minhas expectativas estavam altas, eu amei a primeira temporada que antes mesmo de terminar já havia se tornado um dos meus dramas favoritos. Amei tudo na primeira temporada, os personagens, o enredo extremamente bem feito, a fotografia...enfim, tudo mesmo.

O que a segunda temporada de Stranger nos entrega é uma história sem sal e morna. No início pensei que o clima embaçado dos dois primeiros episódios logo seria dissipado por um grande esquema que me deixaria empolgada e que me consumiria com aquela mesma sensação eletrizante que a primeira temporada me trouxe.

A sensação de que algo grande aconteceria e que as coisas esquentariam foi por água abaixo por volta do episódio 8 quando percebi que meu lado fangirl estava superestimando o enredo. Não me entenda mal, não é que a história seja ruim ou que não faça sentido é somente porque a primeira temporada foi surpreendentemente incrível que a segunda não conseguiu manter o ritmo.

Ainda não entendo porque transformaram a Han Yeo Jin que antes era vibrante e cheia de vida, ávida por mudar o mundo em uma personagem passiva e inexpressiva. Quanto aos personagens secundários também não gostei como ficaram apagados nesta temporada. Nada a reclamar do meu promotor maravilhoso nesta temporada, ele continua o mesmo.

Resumindo, não sei se mudaram o diretor, o roteirista ou sei lá o quê mas fiquei com a sensação de que faltava alguma coisa, que algo não estava no lugar a história simplesmente não decola o que é uma pena.

Se voltaria a assistir esta temporada? Definitivamente não. Se indico? Talvez para quem não tenha assistido a primeira temporada e decida começar por esta temporada possa até funcionar mas para quem assistiu a viciante primeira temporada não consiga dar uma nota superior a um mero 6 no máximo. Se assistirei a terceira temporada? Sim, afinal minha esperança nunca morre!

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Retour du procureur Shi Mok, son absenced'émotion et sa justice implacable.

Dieu sait que je l’attendais, cette saison 2 de « Stranger » tant la première m’avait enthousiasmée !! C’est dire que la barre était sacrément haute, et honnêtement, je dois avouer que, même si j’aime beaucoup la saison 2, je préfère nettement la 1.
Pourquoi ? Parce que le scénario de la 2 est moins équilibré, plus confus que celui de la 1.
La saison 1 était comme un trépied dont les trois points d’ancrage (Shi Mok, Yeo Jin et Lee Chang Jun) étaient de force égale tant au point de vue personnage qu’au point de vue intrigue, et tous les seconds rôles(la jeune procureure, le coupable des crimes...) apportaient une force dramaturgique pas tout à fait au rendez-vous ici.
Ici ce n’est pas le cas. La rivalité police/parquet entraîne une dilution des liens, qui sont moins nettement affirmés, et les personnages de « méchants » n’ont ni la force ni le charisme de ceux de la saison 1…Donc au début j’ai été un peu perdue par cette histoire de droits d’enquête, que les Coréens comprennent certainement très bien, mais qui pour moi étaient assez brumeuse…
Mais un des personnages disparaît, et pour le retrouver, Si Mok reprend peu à peu le dessus, rejoint par Yeo Jin, et tous les deux vont unir leurs enquêtes, faisant fi de toutes ces rivalités internes pour ne chercher que la vérité et sauver la victime, si c’est encore possible.
Au total, c’est un très bon drama, je regrette que le réalisateur (pas le même que la 1, dommage) n’ai pas montré plus de rigueur dans les premiers épisodes, mais l’interprétation hors pair de tous les acteurs lui donne une solidité et une force de conviction réelle. Pour tout vous dire, je ne serais pas contre une saison 3, loin de là !!! Mais réalisé par celui du 1 !

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