Feeling like you’ve watched everything that has ever been created at this point? You’re not alone. We’ve been keeping really busy here trying to start our own garden and doing yard work, but the last couple of weekends it has been extremely cold, rainy, and we’ve even had some snow. Needless to say, we’ve spent a lot more time physically in our home recently and we too felt like we’ve ran out of things to watch. That was until we decided to start “The Stranger.”
While my husband is also into horror and mysteries, he’s not as into them as I am. He’s come in on one too many gruesome scenes of movies that I started watching alone, like the chainsaw scene in “The Terrifier.”
There have also been times where he has been stuck watching gruesome horror movies after I fell asleep on him like the time we decided to watch 2003’s “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” We’ve both seen it 7.8 billion times, but I understand him being a bit hesitant to watch horror movies with me after I made it through all the boring parts and fell asleep right before it really started to get good, leaving him pinned and unable to shut it off. In my defense, I was sick.
In any case because he’s had a few experiences he’d like to forget, when it’s time for me to pick the next show or movie we’re going to watch he usually protests until I just put it on anyways and get him sucked in.
“The Stranger” wasted no time getting us both sucked into the story’s web. The story starts with Adam Price (played by Richard Armitage) at his son’s soccer game when he is approached by a stranger (played by Hannah John-Kemen). At first, the exchange seems to just be 2 strangers making casual conversation as many of us do when in public situations. This only for but a moment though as in the next second the stranger tells Adam that he didn’t have to stay with his wife, Johanna (Siobhan Finneran), and that she faked her pregnancy which he believed to have resulted in a miscarriage. Initially Adam doesn’t take the bait, but the stranger plants seeds in this conversation that prompt Adam to investigate further before confronting his wife with his findings.
After telling his wife he knows about the fake pregnancy in an attempt to get answers, she disappears without a trace leaving her children and Adam behind. Desperate to find his wife, Adam decides to investigate things himself and uncovers not just his wife’s secrets, but also the secrets of those who are the closest to him.
Don’t let that fool you into thinking that the only twists are involving Adam, Johanna, and the mystery behind the fake pregnancy and disappearance. While it is the main plot line, it is just a piece of the puzzle for the characters of the show. With every truth that is exposed, the characters begin to realize that those within their inner circle are hiding dangerous secrets leading them to question what their family, friends, and colleagues could be capable of.
If I dig any further into the plot involving the other characters, I will ruin it for you. Trust me when I say though that this is the type of show you need to pause on your bathroom breaks when you are binging it because there are no throw away moments.
The character development in the show is like an onion. Each character is introduced to you for what they are at face value first, but each time a character is shown it’s just like peeling another layer of the onion to reveal what is at their core. There were times throughout the show that I thought I would hate certain characters. The actors and writers though do a great job of showing why each character made the decisions that they did, making you relate to the on some level. This to me is something that takes a show from being just good to an incredible binge worthy series.
Oh and did I mention that this first encounter with The Stranger and Adam happens within the first 7 minutes? “The Stranger” waists no time jumping into the story and getting your heart pumping which is a nice change of pace in comparison to some of the other shows available right now.
“The Stranger” doesn’t fall into the typical mystery story arc that we are so used to. We actually thought we had figured out at least part of the plot line several times, and we were wrong each and every time. Each and every episode is FILLED with twists and turns.
If you’re looking for something that will keep you on the edge of your seat begging for more, I highly recommend “The Stranger.” My husband absolutely loved it and would recommend it as well so if you plan on watching it with someone who does not want to watch anything with gore or senseless murder, this is a safe bet for them too.
Have you watched “The Stranger?” Let me know what you think in the comments!
