This review may contain spoilers
Couldn’t stop watching.
Note: spoilers start in the 4th paragraph.
I watched Stranger and Stranger Season 2 back to back. I liked them both but TBH, I think the former was better.
Si Mok. Oh, what a character! I’ve thought about him the most of any KDrama character I’ve watched. What would it be like to live without emotion? What would it be like to know a person like him. I’d try to understand him. I believe I’d respect him for his brilliance and dedication but I also think I’d be just as frustrated as everyone else was. Cho Seong Woo embodied Hwang Si Mok to a T and didn’t falter in his portrayal through both seasons even though they were 3+ years apart.
I don’t think I’m smart enough to respond to some of the social issues brought up in both seasons, just to say I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about them since I finished watching both seasons. I believe that’s why I give Stranger a 10.
Spoilers
Seo Dang Jae should not have been given a pass for his assault on Yeong Eun Su. Sorry. I found it difficult to warm up to him after that, even in the second season.
I know it made the plot that much more realistic (maybe) and intense, but I was taken aback by Eun Su’s murder. Her death was especially sad.
Minister Yeong was a coward in the end, basically hiding in fear for 3 years. If he was such a great man, whom so many considered their mentor, surely he could have figured out a way to take down Chairman Lee. And then he lets his daughter go right into the fire pit, begging Si Mok to protect her. I wasn’t impressed with him at all.
Far too often KDrama culprits give a sob story about why they did what they did. And that’s pretty much all the viewer gets. Yoon did the same thing - but it was refreshing that Han Yeo Jin did not let him get away with excusing his revenge.
I’ve spent some time thinking about Prosecutor Yoon also. From his son’s death, the grieving he and his wife went through together and separately (not to mention the other families) the breakdown of his marriage which lead to their divorce, and the 2 years of investigating Park’s actions would have been a story in itself. Killing Park as he did, did nothing to avenge the lives of those innocent children. In the end Park (or the corporate thugs) never had to face the families and take full responsibility for his actions. Yoon actually robbed all the families of their opportunity to see justice served. If he had taken Park down through the legal channels, his son would have been proud. What a waste of Yoon’s life.
Chief Secretary Lee Chang Jun rightfully assessed his life when he laments over where his path to compromise and illegal alliances first started. Si Mok’s assessment was correct, he was a monster and IMO a coward for not facing the people and taking responsibility for his crimes.
This was my final thought about Season 1. Stranger depicts many issues with incredible realism. Does it also depict what the criminal justice system is really like in Korea, at least in part?
I watched Stranger and Stranger Season 2 back to back. I liked them both but TBH, I think the former was better.
Si Mok. Oh, what a character! I’ve thought about him the most of any KDrama character I’ve watched. What would it be like to live without emotion? What would it be like to know a person like him. I’d try to understand him. I believe I’d respect him for his brilliance and dedication but I also think I’d be just as frustrated as everyone else was. Cho Seong Woo embodied Hwang Si Mok to a T and didn’t falter in his portrayal through both seasons even though they were 3+ years apart.
I don’t think I’m smart enough to respond to some of the social issues brought up in both seasons, just to say I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about them since I finished watching both seasons. I believe that’s why I give Stranger a 10.
Spoilers
Seo Dang Jae should not have been given a pass for his assault on Yeong Eun Su. Sorry. I found it difficult to warm up to him after that, even in the second season.
I know it made the plot that much more realistic (maybe) and intense, but I was taken aback by Eun Su’s murder. Her death was especially sad.
Minister Yeong was a coward in the end, basically hiding in fear for 3 years. If he was such a great man, whom so many considered their mentor, surely he could have figured out a way to take down Chairman Lee. And then he lets his daughter go right into the fire pit, begging Si Mok to protect her. I wasn’t impressed with him at all.
Far too often KDrama culprits give a sob story about why they did what they did. And that’s pretty much all the viewer gets. Yoon did the same thing - but it was refreshing that Han Yeo Jin did not let him get away with excusing his revenge.
I’ve spent some time thinking about Prosecutor Yoon also. From his son’s death, the grieving he and his wife went through together and separately (not to mention the other families) the breakdown of his marriage which lead to their divorce, and the 2 years of investigating Park’s actions would have been a story in itself. Killing Park as he did, did nothing to avenge the lives of those innocent children. In the end Park (or the corporate thugs) never had to face the families and take full responsibility for his actions. Yoon actually robbed all the families of their opportunity to see justice served. If he had taken Park down through the legal channels, his son would have been proud. What a waste of Yoon’s life.
Chief Secretary Lee Chang Jun rightfully assessed his life when he laments over where his path to compromise and illegal alliances first started. Si Mok’s assessment was correct, he was a monster and IMO a coward for not facing the people and taking responsibility for his crimes.
This was my final thought about Season 1. Stranger depicts many issues with incredible realism. Does it also depict what the criminal justice system is really like in Korea, at least in part?
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