Story: [10/10] Personally I'm a very big fan of this story. The plot is very well written and a lot of the characters are well-drawn out. A lot of the characters has their own motive as to why they do what they do. As you get further into the story the characters begin to reveal themselves more and more. This provided for a very complex web of characters as you find out how their lives intertwine. Heck, by the end of the drama, I even fell in love with two of the villains. You get to learn how these villains went from your every day Joe to murderers. Other shows usually don't give their villains a very good backstory. Other villains are murderers because they like killing... Wow... what a boring reason right?
Do you like to be placed on the edge of your seat dying to know what happens next? One of the other reason I really like this drama is that it's also very suspenseful. You never know what is going to happen next. There are a good amount of red herrings, but just enough so that the show is not too ridiculous or too boring. Every episode ends with tiny twists that leaves you wondering what will happen in the next episode. Boy am I glad that I binge-watched this show. Or else I'd be dying to know what happens each week.
There is also a little bit of romance in this drama as well. Not much, but it does add a little flavor to the story. This drama makes you wish for more. Even better so, my favorite type of romance are tragic romances that don't work out. This drama has just that. You'll just have to watch the series to see what I mean though.
Acting/Cast: [10/10] I was a very big fan of cast in this drama. Both the male and female leads aren't exactly big-name stars, but they did their job very well. Oh I also forgot to mention that the main male lead had part of his brain taken out as a child? I thought the male lead did a decently good job acting like he had very little emotions. You do get to see some smiles here and there though. Although I was more so interested in the supporting casts. There where a lot of very big name supporting characters in the drama that really added some extra flair to the show. I'm a big fan of Lee Kyung Young, Yoon Se Ah, Yoo Jae Myung, Lee Ho Jae, and Uhm Hyo Sub in other roles. You know a show is legit when you have a great supporting cast such as this one.
Music: [9/10] The music on this show wasn't that bad. I generally don't give shows a 10 unless they're a "music-focused" show or if they have a VERY memorable OST.
Rewatch Value: [10/10] I mean it when I give this show a 10 out of 10. I made the mistake of multi-tasking while watching this drama. Unfortunately this show is very complex and is not like your typical K-drama. You'll miss out on certain connections if you aren't paying attention. This show is on the top of my rewatch list when I get through my backlog. I'm going to rewatch it again for the plot as well as to pick up any tidbits that I may have missed.
One of my biggest gripe about this drama is the whole brains surgery and emotionless male lead. I didn't feel like it really added much to the story. It felt like it was just there to distinguish this show from other murder mystery/prosecutor drama. Honestly this doesn't really take away from much while you're watching the drama though. I only brought this up because I usually try to bring up at least one thing I didn't like in a show or one weakness. Overall I'm a HUGE fan of the story and the supporting cast. This show is a must watch! It's currently the 3rd ranked drama on MDL for a reason! Can we make it the top ranked show?
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Bae Do Na and Jo Seung Woo are exceptional in their roles as a rare non-romantic buddy-cop partnership. While this show deals with familiar themes of corruption that kdrama viewers will find familiar, it is an interesting and gripping examination of the issue with a verisimilitude that borders at times on depressing.
Intelligent, fierce, uncompromising and stark, this is television at its finest.
10/10
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WHAT DIDN'T WORK:
It had quite a number of flaws, many of them being on character development. There were a ton of flat and boring characters, who lacked clear motivations, and realistic boundaries in the series.
Starting of with the male lead, Hwang si Mok. He is known to have a personality disorder due to a brain surgery that removes his capability of feeling human emotions, most specifically empathy. There were a lot of scenes and minutes proving this. But those scenes I believe are meaningless, and just made the show draggy because it didn't in any way move the plot. There was no clear connection on how this disorder affects Hwang Si Mok's judgement or how he would have solved the mystery and why he was so determined to stop the corruption in the prosecution.
If he had been a normal person, or without having this disorder, would he have acted differently? Given how the series built his character, I believe he would have done the same thing. So why include this meaningless angle at all?
Han Yeo Jin, the female lead was also a dull character. She's a character that the series would just force everyone to accept that she's good just because she is. There are no developments on why she is acting the way she is, or why she's helping Hwang Si Mok. Also, come to think of it, there was no other background given in the series towards her identity, aside from that of her being a police officer.
Kim Jeong Bon, Hwang Si Mok's supposed middle school friend/classmate. There's no information at all given to their supposed "friendship" that should motivate him to help Hwang Si Mok in his endeavors. I found it a bit weird that he suddenly was so determined into helping Hwang Si Mok, who is barely an acquaintance, and who he just randomly met after 20 years.
I could say more flaws like these for many other characters. I think the only characters who had real depth in the series were probably Dong Jae Seo, and Chang Jun- Lee, but then their character development also came a bit late.
Aside from poor character development, the pace was unusually slow for the genre. I wouldn't say that 16 episodes were too much for the series' content, but some of the episodes could have been used to again, better character development, rather than just watching the leads stumble to dead end after dead end of the mystery they're solving. A lot of the scenes involving solving the mystery could be compressed further to give way to better content.
WHAT WORKED:
I think what's good about this drama is the fact that it had a clear focus, and never bent away from the plot. This is probably the main reason why the audience stayed with it until the end. (despite its many flaws) It developed a desire among the audience to know the end, and how the culprits would be caught.
The script was also something praise-worthy. Dialogues were very realistic and is based on actual spoken language, and not cheesy/heroic type of lines, especially those said by the leads. A lot of thrillers/action dramas or any drama for that matter fall into the pit of trying to make the leads act like superheroes or super cool characters by making them say unrealistic cheesy speeches as they capture the culprits, whilst heroic music plays in the background. Pretty sure we've all encountered this in one drama or another.
The acting, I'd say was good, in the sense it was realistic, and not overly done.
OVERALL:
The series could have been much better if it had paid more attention into creating more tangible and deeper figures amongst its leads. By doing this, it could have bettered its connection with its viewers. Only then would the audience have a deeper reason as to why to watch this series, other than just having the desire to know the show's end.
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The script is so tightly written. The story is a cleverly laid out labyrinth with compelling, intelligent characters at each turn. There are no throw away characters who behave stupidly, frustrating plot details, cutesy comic relief or romance just for the sake of adding romance. Every line could have a potential effect on the outcome. If you let your mind drift for a moment you might just miss out on some new clue or development. While watching, I often had the unsettling feeling that everyone is not who they seem and everyone is up to no good. Then a moment later I would often come to the exact opposite conclusion and think maybe this character is exactly who he appears to be after all. It had me on the edge of my seat and guessing up through the last episode. The writing is so impressive.
"Stranger" is really well-acted. The 2 main leads do such a great job. Jo Seung Wo is excellent as Prosecutor Hwang. Playing a cold, emotionless, and calculating character with limited facial expressions, he somehow manages to shine with goodness and integrity, gain our sympathy and win our hearts. Bae Doo Na is excellent as Lieutenant Han who is the more stereotypical good cop character, but she brings her character to life with warmth, passion and toughness. I also particularly enjoyed Lee Joon Hyuk as Seo Dong Jae. He portrays his smarmy despicable character with a lot of emotional range. He's the guy you love to hate and sometimes feel sorry for. All the characters have great chemistry together - both the heroes and villains - though you never really know for sure who is who until the very end when all the pieces fall together perfectly. It's a thrilling and compulsively watchable drama that builds in intensity as the story progresses. I am sorry to be done. I even re-watched the last episode immediately so I didn't have to say goodbye just yet.
This drama brings up ideas about what makes a person who they are. Does a person ever fundamentally change? What make us human? What makes us good or bad? Is it our emotions, our ideals or intentions? Our actions? Morals? A sense of justice? If you are into crime stories you have to watch this. But I also highly recommend this to people who appreciate an intelligent well told story that makes you think.
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Despite not being a genre I'm gravitating towards, it's well-done!
Stranger / Secret Forest follows Hwang Shi Mok (Jo Seung Woo), a brilliant prosecutor who has lost the ability to empathize with others due to a surgery he had as a child and he teams up with a female police officer Han Yeo Jin (Bae Doo Na) as they investigate a seemingly simple robbery turned murder, amid political corruption.I don't gravitate towards political or corruption, things that seem to be really relevant to the show so I was apprehensive, but the show did a very good job at presenting you all of the puzzle pieces involving different characters. No one and nothing was being purposely left out to divert or keep me confused. I have to say that although it's engaging in the moment of watching, I don't feel any intrigue/addiction for the next episodes, maybe because my own tastes don't really line up with this genre.
What I want to highlight is how well the story was presented. I was surprised because of the synopsis about a prosecutor who lacks empathy would focus on human emotion and behavior. The cameras shot close-up to characters faces, to show all of the micro expressions. For a role that is supposed to be cold and emotionless, Seung Woo's acting is captivating. While his face remains blank at most times, there are slight nuances in his expression that highlight the emotional development. Then the two actresses I was happy to see here were Bae Doo Na and Shin Hae Sun. The acting of the entire cast is top-notch! I loved the Stranger Overture OST (my favorite aspect of this show, really), the cool blue tones for the color grading. I think it matches with our analytical male lead. Also loved how they showed the prosecutor's office as bleak narrow hallways. All in all, the execution is well-done!
Mar 2024
Find me on Instagram: @kdramajudge
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There’s this saying that a lot of Korean dramas start out good then become bad after the first eight episodes. The exact opposite happens in Stranger/Forest of the Dead/Forest of Secrets (why so many titles? I’m going with Stranger for now -.-); and I’m a bit disappointed. I think I should have managed my expectations but the problem is that this one got compared to Signal a lot. I wasn’t necessarily looking for something similar to Signal in terms of plot, but I wanted something with at least the same level of suspense and excitement. I think Stranger didn’t know what it wanted to be. It wanted to be a thrilling murder mystery but it was more of a commentary on corruption in law offices. If they had managed to blend all these genres into an intriguing, compelling story then that would have been great but what you have after a mildly interesting first episode are eight more episodes of false alarms and red herrings. During this time, there is a bit of a whodunnit going on. I normally love whodunnits, but the execution in the first eight episodes is at best eye rolling or at worst, boring.The focus for the first eight episodes was guessing the identity of a murderer. So viewers were made to follow the stoic lead character as suspicion was transferred from one character around him to another. That in itself was not so bad, if it weren’t for how slow paced and ridiculous the basis for suspicion was at times. In one episode, the police arrested someone simply for being in the same area as another victim. This person who was arrested was not even in the same building as the victim. The only basis for arresting this suspect was that he knew the said victim. The police in Asian dramas are usually not depicted as the smartest (how else would the Sherlockian main character get to shine and dazzle us with his/her wits?) but even for dramaland, this was way beyond my personal level of tolerance. The fact that the plot treated this arrest as justified (one corrupt prosecutor sees this as an opportunity to blame an innocent suspect) instead of berating the police for how dumb they were was unacceptable. Usually, when an innocent is framed, there is at least some basis for it, such as you know- actually being in the scene of the crime? -.-
In another scene, a comatose victim is given a bodyguard by the police to protect her because she was supposedly the only one who saw the murderer. The problem? The bodyguard is only there to protect her sleeping arse by the day because you know, we all know that there is absolutely NO WAY the murderer would attack her by night. Because killers need their rest as well. -.- There’s dumb and there’s unforgivably dumb.
In other episodes, the main lead transfers his suspicions to other supporting characters but there’s no excitement for viewers because it is made obvious that the latest suspect cannot possibly be the murderer. They are either too sleazy, too incompetent or too emotional. There’s this sleaze bag Dong Jae who doesn’t do anything but lick the head honcho’s butt. When he’s not being a sycophant he’s peering at other people from behind hallway corners with frightened-I’ve-definitely-got-something-to-hide eyes. He gives you that same disgusted feeling as watching an evil minion/side kick because you are simultaneously annoyed and entertained by watching him even if you know he’s not the big bad of the story. I guess that counts as a positive because the actor playing him definitely did a good job in portraying a scum bag who wasn’t particularly evil.
I liked the main lead, Hwang Shi Mok, a lot. I thought he would be one of those cold-hearted geniuses who weren’t particularly nice but placed on a pedestal by the writers but he turned out to be very likable. He is exactly the kind of person you wouldn’t mind having as a friend, as a boss or as a mentor, even if he isn’t communicative. The guy had determination and a quiet intensity that made him interesting and more importantly he was a really nice person anyone would have wanted on their side. The only problem is that he had a condition that made it hard for him to express emotions and this was either used against him, or caused others to misunderstand his intentions.
Police Lieutenant Yeo Jin is another likable character (the actress Bae Doo Na has a gruff no nonsense personality that fit this role so much) but to be honest, she didn’t really do much. She had her best bad ass moments in the latter half of the series (tracking a suspect using video cams, chasing another suspect down, having a little fist fight here and there if she needed to) but in terms of figuring things out, solving clues and making connections, she hardly had any contribution which was disappointing. The only thing is that viewers were made to think that Yeo Jin and Shi Mok were equal co-stars but the truth is that he is the main character…and she is just supporting. If these expectations were set from the beginning, then her lack of contributions in the field of detection, along with her lack of screen time in the first eight episodes, wouldn’t have been so noticeable.
I think the supporting female lead Eun Soo did a lot more sleuthing than Yeo Jin. I really liked Eun Soo because she had her own personal goal and was very relentless about it. She was the type of character you expected to be naive and to not stand out much, but she turned out to be just as determined and single minded as Shi Mok.
I think Stranger’s success lies in its characters. They were interesting and you really cared about them. The only thing is that they seemed to be caught up in an inferior plot.
The plot finally picks up again after eight boring episodes because it finally focuses on what the drama is about- corruption in law offices and the police force where murder just happens to be a symptom of a bigger disease. I think Stranger would have been better if it had ten episodes instead of sixteen because then they could have removed all the unnecessary, pointless plot lines and gotten straight into the most exciting, relevant parts. I would not say the latter half was as exciting as Signal or other suspense thrillers. Stranger wasn’t really a thriller, it lacked the suspense and edge of your seat excitement to be called that. But it worked on some level as a drama that had an occasional interesting moment thrown in.
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I don't have time to go into details, but also I cannot give spoilers anyhow. I can give this drama the best endorsement I am capable of as a person who has seen A LOT of Kdramas:I have completed 244 dramas (nearly all Korean, a couple Chinese). I had but 1 that I rated a 10 - Signal....until I finished this one. I now have two dramas ranked 10. Yes, it's that good. There are no flaws. This drama is as good as Kdramas get: writing, directing, acting are all superb. There is never a facepalm moment. The lead male is perfection. The lead female is also, for a rare change, perfection! A truly competent and not in the least annoying female lead in a Kdrama, what a rare thing indeed! I had high expectations for this drama given the lead actors. I was not disappointed!
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A different look at a done topic. I love how this is slightly like A Beautiful Mind. Both have a female lead in the police profession. Only difference that our main lead is a prosecutor.
This drama is so well done. The pace is not slow its like a steady current aiming to break down a rock. Steady but with power. It will crush the rock at the finale. Each episode builds on what we know and adds more to our knowledge of the story. When we think we have it all down and its done. We get a curve ball out of nowhere.
I love stories that develop like this. A puzzle in a puzzle hidden by an equation with additional variables and aspects that make you really think.
Its also slightly cute at points with interactions by certain characters.
Betrayals, friendships, sudden changes in alliances, great story, amazing actors. I'm so pleased overall with this drama. Even at the half way mark I was overjoyed to get to see more of the story unfold. I can already sense this hole in my chest hurting when I don't get to watch new episodes.
Its also a very good, solid choice of drama to marathon.
Sara Rojas JULY 30 2017
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- Robert Louis Stevenson
“You take people, you put them on a journey, you give them peril, you find out who they really are.”
- Joss Whedon
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If I were to describe this drama with one word, it would be:
Misleading - complex - secretive - slowly seething - engraving
Yeah, okay. Those were not only one word but five. But as difficult as it is to categorize each character in this story, it's also impossible to find only one word or one saying that would cover every beautiful aspect about this whole show.
Hwang Shi Mok, a prosecutor who lacks the ability to feel any emotion since a surgery in his childhood, and Han Yeo Jin, a police lieutenant, team up to fight corruption in the prosecutor's office. That pretty much describes it all and the summary above is also very accurate about the key points.
-- Misleading --
I admit that I was a little skeptical and hesitant before I started this drama. Prosecutors and corruption. Not again... But my worries were groundless. Even though this drama is indeed about those things, the whole set-up differs alot from your usual k-drama structure. Sometimes and especially in the beginning you might think that many things are predictable. But you will soon be disabused. You'll learn that every scene, every move and every obvious incident has always two maybe even three faces to them. You can never be sure about what you see right in front of you.
-- Complex --
The characters in this story are as cunning and sly as the story around them. There is not one person you can be certain about and only the finale will reveal everyone's true nature. Only at the far end you'll see the whole picture. So, be aware of the fact that you have to pay a lot of attention.
-- Secretive --
Imagine each one of these people as trees with many branches - long and short ones, thick and thin ones which symbolize their every wish, desire, greed, ambition and so much more. Everyone hides in the shadows. Some of them stand in a light grey, others in far darker places. But it doesn't automatically make them bad people. And I loved that the drama conveyed that as well.
-- Slowly seething --
The story flow might seem a little dragging here and there but you shouldn't forget that this a drama that focuses much on the corruption in the prosecutor's office and never loses its way. It's "slowly seething", as I was describing it in the beginning.
-- Engraving --
The music is subtle and so well set that you are left with deep impressions every time an episode ends - even though the narrative flow might seem slow-paced. And let me tell you that this drama has one of the most captivating final episodes I've seen so far.
-- Forest of Secrets --
Never was drama title more accurate.
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“If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility.”
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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So I actually have some backstory when it comes to this drama. Bae Doo Na is actually my first KDrama girl crush, and I didn't even watch her in a Korean TV show. I love the roles she selects (badass queens, no weak female leads here), I love her acting style, just everything. So going into this, and knowing her, I have high expectations. And they were met, but maybe not surpassed.
Additionally, I used this drama to try to get my friend who is into KPop but not KDrama to watch this with me (social distance Netflix party!). She's not into romance focused shows, so I thought this could be a great start since it has so many raving reviews. Long story short, we never followed up after the first episode, but that was due to dragging internet and overall kind of a shitty streaming experience. I'm glad I gave it a second shot. Every episode pretty much ends on a cliffhanger, so if that's not your thing, beware.
In conclusion, I typically watch crime/thrillers with a romance angle, so this is probably the first drama for me where there really wasn't that aspect. For not having my favorite genre, I still really liked it, so that's really saying something for a RomCom fan. If I was more of a crime drama girl this drama would probably be a 10, but I'm not so I'm just going to rate it being true to how I felt about it based on my personal preferences (yes, people have those).
TLDR; Stan Bae Doo Na, everyone should at least give this drama a good ol' try.
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However, if you can ignore the above as I did and just go with the story, it is still an enjoyable watch.
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For those who expect a good thriller full of plot twists I totally recommend this show.
Hwang Shi-mok is a prosecutor with an unusual past. After undergoing a rare surgery he lacks apathy that besides painful side effects makes his 5 senses more evolved than most people.
When he sees himself having to solve a murder case that might involve his superiors he puts his career on the line to dig on to powerful man.
The plot itself looks super interesting right? In this whole season we will meet different characters that we will hate and love all over again.
If your looking for romance you will only find sympathy and human knowledge. How does the mind of powerful people work? What do we get from being apathetic and controled? Can we really trust people who surround us?
*Story
I can only give it a 7 cause in the middle it gets a bit boring. When you have a suspenseful kind of plot for a 16 episode show you have to be careful not go all aboard and in the middle give 2 pointless episodes just to say that the show is long. Besides that I can say I like the beginning a lot and only kept going cause I got attached to some characters. The ending is average but considering there might be a 2nd season I kinda am excited for it.
*Acting/Cast
I give it a 9 for sure, the actors are so good and the characters they portrait are unique and addicting.
*Music
There isn't much of a music component here so it gets a 6 for the awesome intro.
*Rewatch value
If I would re-watch the show? Obviously. I would even repeat in a few years when I forget who is who, lucky enough my memory sucks.
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