The Stranger (I) (2020) User Reviews

Great show let down by rushed writing

[delandrodders · 7/10 · 6 February 2020]

The source material was clearly excellent, I had forgotten how good Harlen Coben is. As an aside, if you like this show you should check out the French film 'Tell No One', which is also based on one of the author's books.

In returning to the Stranger, the story is great and in the main, it has been beautifully transferred to the screen. I was happy with most of the show up to the very last episode, which to me was full of holes.

I will only concentrate on my perceived faults. Starting with a relatively minor one, where in flashbacks to when Dervla Kirwan's character is seen holding her infant children, she looks exactly the same as she does som 14 years later.

OK, now for the big issue, the ending. One character shoots another one at the end. A police officer arrives and we again see in flashback that together they blame the killing on another character who is already in custody. Said character uses a gun that was used and removed from an earlier crime scene. Surely someone would have noticed that the gun was used in woodland many miles away, when it should have been at a crime scene? Surely forensics or someone would have determined that the character in custody couldn't have got to the woodland due to him being incarcerated. Even if they assumed it was done before he arrived at the other crime scene, surely this would have been ruled out by the forensics team?

The ending felt like it had been written Hollywood and everything was tied up too quickly. There was no conclusion to a particular subplot concerning a certain Malbec40, which I found annoying. Overall, it felt like the build up was a long time coming and the final episode was rushed.

Good show but the end is full of major mistakes

[nathalieab · 7/10 · 8 February 2020]

Soo The show itself is nice and worth watching but the end really annoyed me because there are huge mistakes:

So he shoots him. And the police lady and him trying to hide it and say that it was Katz. Well Katz at that time was already arrested. Since it is possible to be very precise on saying when the victim died... police would have noticed. And the foot print would have been fresh and no foot prints of Katz. So other option would have been not calling the police and just burry him next to her. But then noone would have known that Corinne is dead... which everyone knew... So HOW? It's just a rushed end really doesn't make sense.

Besides that frustrating end it is a good show

Thrilling in the beginning, more suspense in the middle, shot bricks in the end😠😡

[psdeep-14971 · 7/10 · 1 February 2020]

What's the best way to ruin a series that has shown so much potential? Wrap up the series with a dim ending! That's what The Stranger did. The plot is unique, the pace of the story did interest a lot of inquisitiveness in me; however, the ending was completely disappointing. I wish the makers could add a bit more mystery as to the disappearance of Mrs Price!!

A lot of plot holes

[northernpaladin · 7/10 · 16 February 2020]

Given the host of superlative reviews of this series on this site yet another one is somewhat redundant BUT. Like many I was completely gripped by the series and I only started watching on a whim. The leads, Armitage & Finneran give good performances and some solid support is offered by, Dudman, Kaye, Kirwan & Rea. The drama is well paced and gripping and because this is done so well you tend to overlook the glaring plot holes and departures from logic hence so many 9 and 10 reviews. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed the excitement but the final episode is absolute nonsense and because it is so ridiculous all the other inconsistencies, which you've wilfully ignored, get a far more critical appraisal. For instance (this is the spoiler bit), the alpaca thing is never properly resolved and the guilty party is never charged despite it being common knowledge by the end. The school kids drug rave goes nowhere when in actual fact the evidence available, particularly in such a posh school, would have had the police doing drug tests. Why is the mum poisoning her own child, how did she get hold of some of the stuff (anti biotics we're told), how does she know how to mix and administer, why does the hospital not refer on after such baffling symptoms? There was no need for this macguffin to give Katz motivation, a clear case of an american plot line not translating well to a UK setting. The villain's motivation is absurd, posh middle class types raiding the soccer club funds for ten grand for an unknown debt? These people are swimming in money and to think they are then going to take a hammer to someone who's going to blow the whistle is rubbish, how many of us could really kill? But to compound the stupidity he keeps the victim's phone? Err, evidence? Even if you buy into the false flag text message idea why then keep the phone? How does it keep charge over 6 days? And why the whole tracking the phone chase when he doesn't know it's being tracked but leads Armitage and his sons on a merry dance to then dump the phone. The motivation for The Stranger although given are never really believable and the revelation of being Stephen Rea's son but actually Armitage's sister via his dad's affair with Rea's wife is equally unbelievable and implies a sex change somewhere?? All this really serves as is gaining sympathy for an unsympathetic character who waltzes off unscathed. The biggest problem however is the end. Would a police officer of what looks like 30 years service conspire to cover up the killing of the bad guy by the hero who, no matter how sympathetic, they have only known for around 6 days and hasn't exactly been forthcoming a lot of the time? Would they cover it up in such an half assed way? Would not the scene of the crime guys have sussed out there was something wrong with the crime scene? And how did Katz, who is under arrest, get out to some woods with a gun he doesn't have to kill a bloke he has absolutely no connection with? Which all very neatly contradicts the whole point of the story that secrets never stay secret, yet at the end our two main characters have a huge secret which in reality would never have been a secret. Watch by all means and enjoy the ride but be prepared for a serious disappointment with the final episode.

Excellent acting and a satisfactory ending!

[blueone-43932 · 8/10 · 30 January 2020]

Binge-watched the full series today, and happy to report that it was well worth it. Certainly keeps you on the edge of your seat and unlike so many series nowadays, it doesn't leave you waiting for another series - it actually has an ending! Great acting throughout, a good story and definately worth a watch.

Had me hooked until.......

[emd112174 · 6/10 · 1 February 2020]

I really started getting into this series wondering how everything will be tied together. It's not really tied together, more like scotch tape and very messy. A bunch of people getting killed for not really good reasons. Towards the end I was disappointed.

Very entertaining, well acted series.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 26 April 2020]

This right part series will surprise and entertain you. You'll reach the half way point and feel that a solution to the events is virtually impossible, there truly are so many plot threads in the first few episodes. Stick with it, as it is worth your time, the best episode is Part 7, which had me on the edge of my seat, the conclusion will be divisive, though personally I liked it.

It may have you questioning how much of your information is online in different places, particularly on social media.

Plenty of red herrings to keep you puzzled, and scratching your head. I love a mystery, if you enjoyed the series 'Safe' you'll appreciate this one. Lots of action too, with some great car chases and on foot chases.

A magnificent cast, so many perform, though I'd share the accolades between Richard Armitage and Siobhan Finneran, the pair are terrific.

Personally I hope they leave it as just the one series, though I'm sure there's an itch to do a second.

Really enjoyed, 8/10

More Loose Ends Than A Shoelace Factory

[electricolormakeup · 7/10 · 4 February 2020]

I loved this series immensely, up until the last episode where everything fell apart like a pyramid of cooked spagetti.

• What happened to Olivia, now that her father is in prison for 3 murders? Is she just left with her mother who's done a DeeDee Blanchard on her?

• It was a nice attempt to gloss over the fact that Killane's son is now his daughter, make her gender transition just a fact of life without it being a big deal. Unfortunately this was just confusing.

• Why did Adam's father's law firm have all of Killane's belongings instead of the police? He killed his wife, they would have confiscated everything.

And the biggest of all; the kids and the drugs. Multiple teen characters had ongoing side effects days/weeks after the rave. This was initially presented as part of the plot, inplying more than just Mike had been spiked in some way. But then..nothing. And we still don't know what happened to Dante.

RIP Louis the Llama, and my hopes for this series.

Awesome miniseries... not sure why so many didn't like it.

[juana1976 · 8/10 · 8 February 2020]

I've read through some of the reviews and notice quite a few didn't like it. My only complaint was that they tied up the end in less than ten minutes when they could have went on for at least one or two more episodes. Nonetheless, we loved it and enjoyed the suspense and how everything was tied together.

Definitely not perfect but keeps you on the edge of your seat!

[mckeen-13639 · 9/10 · 31 January 2020]

Get past episode 2, totally gripping, great acting most of the time, totally amazing twists, definitely worth binge watching! It's a solid 8, but I gave a 9 because people expect to much and giving lower score that it deserves, this is thriller definitely worth watching.

Enjoyed this, but a bit too many coincidences.

[rodcambridge · 7/10 · 9 February 2020]

I enjoyed this show. After watching the first episode on a Friday night, I felt compelled to watch another three, and then the remaining episodes the following day.

Lots of twists, and some interesting characters kept me intrigued - I especially liked Hannah John-Kamen's portrayal of The Stranger.

Some things bothered me, though. Why do all of these people live literally in the same road, opposite each other, go to the same school, attend the same football club, etc. That seemed a little too 'convenient' for me. These, and some other coincidences (which you'll see) made things a bit detracting for me. This all culminated in an ending which was OK but, again, just a little too convenient.

Having said all of that, it was quite an entertaining eight episodes and I'd recommend giving it watch!

Not good but still keeps you watching

[Bilse85 · 5/10 · 9 February 2020]

Ok; to me, this story was unbeliavable. In a way that there is no way one can believe the events described in the series. Even if we suspend belief for the entertainment value, there are too much inconsistencies, twists and coincidences that start to bother right from the beginning. In order not to give spoilers I won't go into detail but there are some major moments which are too soap opera that I forgot I was watching a thriller/ crime mystery adapted from a novel by one of the most successful writers of this genre. Then I remembered that the only novel I've read from H. Coben was not to my taste either.

Adaptation was also basic. Whenever something significant happens we are kindly reminded of the moment that is related to that revelation by flashbacks, why? I guess because we are too stupid to make the connection by ourselves.

The acting; I really enjoyed watching Anthony Head (Although I must admit his acting is always the same acting since Buffy, which is fine by me). Kaye was good, Dooley was good, so were all the actors/actresses in the second roles, the children especially. Husband was ok. I had a problem with Kirwan's adoring mother portrayal . It was just not convincing . And the lead dedective Jo (?) character did bother me . I think the ending was an insult to her , a quick fix in her personal and professional life. The actress was trying hard but there was no purpose or depth in her character.

To sum up, very superficial, meaningless, like an AI generated story ... that I could not stop watching because it had a junk food quality to it. Everyone likes to watch beautiful houses and cars and people with beautiful clothes on, with the exception of the bad guys of course. They were not fashionable :) I also kind of wondered what will happen in the end , not to the characters because they became so annoying that I did not care anymore , but I wanted to see how they will tie everything up. It was done quickly .

So a success despite all the flaws. A crowd pleaser. But if you are serious about crime fiction, watch Hinterland instead. I wish there was more of that one.

Over dramatic and far fetched

[Vindelander · 6/10 · 17 February 2020]

Quite good for the first 3 episodes but then gets increasingly fantastic- but not in a good way. Average acting, unbelievable storyline and I only watched to the end as I'd spent so much time on it.

An intriguing mystery

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 21 February 2020]

This eight part thriller opens Adam Price, a married father, is approached by a young woman who tells him that his wife Corrine's miscarriage two years previously had been faked... she was never pregnant. He has difficulty believing her but finds evidence to suggest she was telling the truth. Shortly afterwards Corrine vanishes; a text tells him that she needs time to think things over. There are also suggestions that she might have been involved in a theft from the local football club where she was the treasurer. If that weren't enough there is also a naked boy found drugged and comatose in the woods after a party and the severed head of an alpaca! The police enquiry is led DS Johanna Griffin.

This is an intriguing thriller with plenty of twists and turns; some are a little far-fetched but that didn't spoil my enjoyment of the series. There is a fine sense of mystery concerning the whereabouts of Corrine and the identity and motives of the mysterious stranger of the title. Some mysteries, such as the identity of the person who decapitated the alpaca are wrapped up pretty quickly but more emerge as the series progresses. The cast does a fine job; most obviously Richard Armitage as Adam Price and Siobhan Finneran as DS Griffin; there are also notable performances from Dervla Kirwan as Corrine; Paul Kaye as police officer Patrick Katz; Anthony Head as Adam's father, Edgar Price; and Stephen Rea as Martin Killane, an ex-police officer who is employing Adam as a lawyer and helps with his investigation into the stranger. The ending is a little disappointing but not excessively so. Overall I'd recommend this to fans of mystery dramas who like multiple interlinked character arcs and a few good twists.

Much Stranger Things

[Lejink · 7/10 · 15 May 2021]

This eight-part ITV mini-series based on a Harlan Coben novel provided three hours of breathless lockdown entertainment for my wife and I. With more twists and turns than a Pleasure Beach rollercoaster, you couldn't rest for a second before the next plot turn came around the corner.

Richard Armitage is the happily married solicitor whose life is turned upside down and inside out when a mysterious young woman reveals to him a dark secret of his wife, which eventually leads to their separation and even deeper consequences as matters progress. Turns out that this young woman has made a cottage industry unearthing skeletons from other prominent citizens resident in Armitage's seemingly blissfully happy village, but what at first seems to be a simple get-rich-quick ruse turns nasty when the local coffee-shop owner is murdered.

But of course that ain't all, not by a long-shot. Being a Coben adaptation, there are about a bazillion sub-plots raging and cross-cutting in the background, including a cantankerous retired cop who won't give up his old flat to a property developer, a teenage girl supplementing her income by selling sexual favours via an online sexting app, the narcissistic big-shot at her beck and call, an embezzlement scandal at the local boys football club, a soft-drug-fuelled silent rave held by the local teenagers which goes horrendously wrong for one young lad who ends up naked and near-death in hospital and as for the poor alpaca which becomes a ritual sacrifice at the party...

And there's even more, as Armitage's old rake of a father, who owns the property company trying to buy out the reluctant home-owner, also has a dark secret from his Casanova past and just to top it off, there's a crooked cop who'll do anything to finance the medical bills to find a cure for the mysterious illness his daughter is suffering.

I'm almost breathless just recounting all this. Anyway, while it's all completely bonkers and fantastical, somehow all the connections make a sort of crazy sense leading to a satisfying conclusion when the mystery of Armitage's wife's disappearance is finally solved.

With an interesting and varied cast including the likes of Jennifer Saunders, Paul Kaye and Steven Rea, the pace never flags as intrigue is piled on intrigue and one cliffhanging situation leads to another.

Dull, it certainly wasn't.

Intriguing and VERY entertaining!!

[yahiaelkahky · 10/10 · 30 January 2020]

I read an article about this show and it got my attention. I stared it the moment it came out and I've been pinned in front of the TV since then!

After finishing it, I must say it was THRILLING! It keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time, and each episode gives you some pieces that by the finale complete the puzzle and leave you satisfied with the ending!

I definitely recommend watching it, and if there's a second season I can't wait!

Baffled by the vitriol of some of the reviews

[paulbg-56417 · 7/10 · 15 March 2020]

I found this enjoyable, interesting, and entertaining, which I think was the show's intent, I am surprised by some of the outbursts from others - this is a TV show and not life or death?! Worth a binge in my opinion.

"Secrets tear us apart." - Episode #8 - Chris Killane/The Stranger to Adam Price

[classicsoncall · 8/10 · 11 May 2020]

I've never seen so many one sentence reviews of a movie or series here on IMDb as I have for 'The Stranger", both on the positive and negative side. I mean, what's the point really of coming here and saying you loved it or hated it and then not back up your sentiment with some useful commentary? I feel it's a disservice to serious viewers to write a throwaway review with nothing behind it.

Had to get that little rant out of the way. Anyway, I enjoyed this mystery drama, with episode after episode offering intriguing little reveals that add further suspense to the story line. Some of the plot threads wind up going nowhere which isn't really a problem within the big picture. One such instance was when The Stranger (Hannah John-Kamen) tried to shake down the father of an athlete on steroids and got pummeled for her trouble. However most of her blackmail attempts were cleverly crafted with just enough credibility to throw lives and careers into a tailspin, not to mention the handful of deaths that occurred along the way. The eighth and final episode offers a number of stunning revelations that tie up the dangling story lines, although it is true that some rely on a heavy dose of coincidence concerning the relationships among the characters.

It's intriguing to speculate on a follow up season to this series but I don't think that will happen. For one thing, I would bet that The Stranger learned her lesson on how the results of her actions caused such turmoil in the lives of those she impacted. Her quest to expose lies had gone awry often enough to put an end to that particular mission. Besides, with her exposure, the series would probably have to come up with a new Stranger, and that would totally dilute the concept offered in the original series.

Good beginning, not the best ending...

[shauryagarg-71083 · 7/10 · 25 February 2020]

When I first started watching this, I quite enjoyed this series because of the mystery and the suspense. The storyline pace is a bit slow which leads to the bad last episode. Suddenly, so many things start happening: deaths etc. I will try not to have spoilers in this but it is like mixing different soups then adding to much salt. It is a good series but it needs a better ending.

Absolutely Appalling

[grahambuckle · 31 January 2020]

Terrible script, terrible acting and ridiculous storylines. So bad it was amusing in parts. The more it goes on the worse it gets. Ending is hilarious.

We need more like this

[deznii · 10/10 · 30 January 2020]

What can I say, another Corbin masterpiece. Keeps your mind working... Great story line Great acting Just great

A stranger show than some

[Martipee · 6/10 · 29 March 2020]

English mysteries usually have their own quirkiness about them, The Stranger being on e of them. It starts off slow, but speeds up eventually with quite a few twists and turn in its storyline. It could have been a classic if the script was more consistent and believable, but it all depends on what viewers like or expect really. Unfortunately the ending - final 10 minutes - might be a big letdown for some as the script appears to be have been "made up 5 minutes before filming" (to be polite at best) as it lacks any connection to the original story. Good show let down by a wonky script.

Starts well but gets stupid quickly

[andyhunts · 3/10 · 3 February 2020]

Starts well enough but the plot gets stupid pretty early on, decent acting by the lead and the cop but some of the other acting is shocking. By episode 5 I hated two thirds of the characters in it so I didnt really care what had happened to them or what the actual point of the story was.

Bad ending

[ruif · 6/10 · 17 February 2020]

I just give 6 because of the ending... It is completely unreliable. I'll not provide details but no one can believe on it. Just too stupid.

Excellent series! A real mystery thriller!

[andrewtragedy95 · 9/10 · 31 January 2020]

I watched it all today with the wife and loved every second. Everything in this is very realistic and could happen to anyone. The blackmail, the secrets, and everything hidden in plain view. Harlem Coben is a genius and I love the way this translated to screen. I hope more of his works are adapted to a limited series like this was so masterfully.