honestly one of the most binge-worthy and fun shows i've seen in a while. the twists and turns kept me on my toes and the characters were all quite unique and i constantly wanted to know more about them. the storyline with the kids was definitely least interesting, but everything else was incredible. is it a show that gets a bit ridiculous at times? hell yes. but that's what makes it so so good! the ending was one of the most satisfying i've ever seen! everything really got wrapped up and came together so well. so pleased with this series as a whole.
It was easy to binge it all at once, for moderate entertainment value. But don't pay too close attention or your mind will tumble head over ass through the MASSIVE plot holes. What the hell was the point of the decapitated alpaca? Why was there no CC footage of it? Why did Katz have to kill Heidi, and drag it out in torture so unnecessarily? Was Oliva (in "Sixth Sense" style) really being slowly poisoned by her mother, and if so, WHY? How the hell was Suzanne Hope faking a late pregnancy for years and no one caught on, including her husband? Why the hell was Corinne protecting Tripp over the Football Club and her husband? Oh... there's too many questions, nevermind.
Quite a lot of concurrent plots and twists and turns, very enjoyable, binged all 8 episodes over 2 days. Try it.
WOW!! What a great show. Every time you come up with a question, another one pops up and it just keeps adding more. Well written and a true attention-grabbing show. Plenty of twists and "didn't see that coming" bits.
Thankfully Netflix put the entire series up in one go... I'd have lost my mind if I couldn't binge-watch this and have to suffer over 8 weeks!! Watched the first 7 episodes in one night. 10/10
Love this mystery/thriller genre. Lots of twists and turns. Grabs you right at the gate.
One of the absolute best shows! Lots of plot twists and an amazing cast.
Utterly nonsensical unbelievable codswallop. This show seems to think it's clever but it just isn't. it's got more holes in it than Swiss cheese. A good thriller demands believability which this left somewhere on another planet.
un-logical pile of stale and pg-13 stories all in one bundle that looks like a "good" show, but actually is very, very bad. Poorly acted, even worse script...
I thoroughly enjoyed the series, from start to finish. A perfect binge ;)
It's one of those shows where you know the plot is illogical and full of holes, but somehow you can't stop watching cause you're a closeted masochist.
I'm not a fan of Coben's writing to begin with, as he uses the same formula over and over again in all of his books i.e. something from the past is back to haunt someone, and parallel sub-plots somehow intersect in the most implausible ways . Now Coben gets to do his lazy shtick yet again via Netflix, who obviously have no minimal standards of what should be brought to screen anymore. The show somehow started off OK, but deteriorated quickly with each mandatory yet ridiculous plot twist like an ex cop who is such a criminal mastermind that even all the multiple warnings about the intended demolition of his house, couldn't think of moving the body elsewhere. Also, how convenient is it to have a creepy care taker at the football club, who just happens to be around to memorize licence plate numbers for fun?!
I also couldn't put up anymore with the super annoying synthesizer music that at some point seemed to be playing every time a character was driving a car or walking through a door for "dramatic" effect.
I only watched it for the the pretty good cast who all deserve much better than this, and did the best they could with their one dimensional characters (especially the massively underrated Richard Armitage and the always excellent Stephen Rea), but perhaps they all have massive credit card bills to pay.
Worst of all, did they really have to kill poor alpaca Louie?I found him to be the most interesting murder victim of the series!
To be completely honest, the whole show hinges on the fact that the pay off when the mystery is revealed is gonna be worth the time watching it, and I'm not actually convinced it is. I was expecting something grander, a bigger secret plot or something.
It all comes down to a greedy, messed up girl intent on exposing secrets, even if it means completely destroying the lives of others; the petty antics of a bunch of high schoolers and a dirty cop trying to cover up the even dirtier dealings of a corrupt scumbag.
In the end, the set-up promised much more than what we actually got, and I'm left kinda disappointed with it all. Pity.
Lol, that ending are you kidding me XD it's a mess.period.
Good thrill , really loved the series
Just a convoluted mess. Plot twists just for the sake of having plot twists and not even making sure they make sense.
First episodes are actually quite enjoyable and entertaining. But in the last two/three episodes it just became clear they had absolutely no idea how to finish the story.
So far I'm really not enjoying this show. I see all the comments about plot twists and how good it is to binge. Being the kind of person who likes to watch one episode a day and sometimes days apart this one just doesn't work well for me because every time I'm watching it I just feel confused and unsure what's going on. I don't feel compelled to continue it, but I will because I hate not finishing things, but man it just feels like it's moving at a snail pace. I'll update my ratings and comment later when I'm done if my opinion changes, but for now this show really just bores me.
Great British cast. Heaps of twists, right out of the gate with so many tendrils of character stories you have to be on your game to keep up. The last episode suffered from not finishing the repercussions of the finale. It needed one more episode to explain motivation and justify the final actions. The story was weakened by the leap to resolve (maybe the book did a better job, in this, than the series). I give this series an 8 (gripping) out of 10. [Mystery Drama]
For an English TV show I was impress by the writing and tension build up during the season. The plot is well knitted and the acting great, I was impressed. Start watching it and you won't be able to stop, this is a great binge. great show!
Good final episode, with most loose ends being tidied up nicely . Still not sure where the Stranger went? Really enjoyed the show, excellent binge watch. Well worth a watch. You won't be disappointed. :thumbsup_tone1:
I did not like episodes 7 & 8, I did not like how this storyline & I regret spending 8 hours of my life watching it.
I did not like episodes 7 & 8, the last two episodes & so I am disappointed I wasted 8 hours watching it. I don't recommend.
3 Thoughts After Completing ‘The Stranger’:
What a strange little show. I never felt fully invested in all of this. Probably because it was overloaded with wayyy too many subplots that ended up feeling like a total waste of time.
The theme song is horrendous. Doesn’t match the vibe of this show in any capacity.
Yeah, the ending was shocking… but there was a strong sense that so much was left unexplained.
it was good but...so many loose ends and plot holes??
spaghetti thriller, loads of threads,murky middle as they all seem to merge, then several red herrings revealed and the final denouement. Fun overall if fun is the right word.
Not happy about the way they ended it.
The Stranger is a typical series from Harlan Coben. As the story unfolds, the series goes on a thrilling ride filled with twists and turns that keep you guessing until the very end. The show's pacing is great, with just the right amount of suspense and drama to keep the you engaged throughout. A must-watch for fans of Coben and suspenseful thrillers.
A slog to get through with poor acting and a confused story.
The plot is full of holes, but it was interesting and entertaining enough to keep me watching. Still... I'm glad it only has one season. This wouldn't work a second time. So let's keep it one season, please.
Seriously, they don't explain if that mother really poisons her own daughter? And if so, why would she do that? Some idiot drug abusing kids say that it's the case, a dirty cop believes them and that's it? That's just stupid...
THE GOOD: 'THE STRANGER'
WRITING: 80
ACTING: 85
LOOK: 65
SOUND: 50
FEEL: 85
NOVELTY: 50
ENJOYMENT: 85
RE-WATCHABILITY: 75
INTRIGUE: 90
EXPECTATIONS: 85
The Good:
There's some good, warm-hearted humour particularly in scenes with Griffin and her bumbling partner, Ross.
Richard Armitage is fairly good, as is Dervla Kirwan. They have some intense character moments together and the sparks fly all Iver the place. The family dynamic between Armitage, Kirwan and the boys is both realistic and want, making the characters and their fates interesting to follow.
I love the way the different intertwining plot strands slowly but surely move closer towards a joint conclusion. It adds to the dramatic tension of the plot.
The entire concept of a stranger walking among knowing all our deepest secrets is a fairly intriguing one.
Thanks to the constantly moving plot and deepening mystery, this series never feels long or slow, even though there ain't much actual action.
There are gripping twists and turns at every junction and the end of episodes, keeping the story fresh, the pulse high and the viewer at the end of their seat.
The Bad:
I'm bored of these generic thriller film/show soundtracks that consist of endless loops of electronic sounds that rarely bring anything to the film itself.
The first half of the series seems more preoccupied with Adams personal life and the mystery surrounding Corrinne. The central homicide case is overshadowed by this until later into the series.
The different plot strands seem very disconnected from each other minimally, which makes it difficult to figure out how things are supposed to connect.
The police work is unusually lousy, never goes anywhere and feels very unfocused throughout.
Some of the plot details are introduced early on but never explored or fleshed out over the eight episodes (such as the drug thingy with the kids), meaning that they are left awkwardly hanging.
Things turn a bit long-winded towards the end.
The Ugly:
You could say Adam pretty much tripped over the solution, amirite?
VERDICT:
Great performances and an engaging plot, with several intertwining plotlines, keep this fairly traditional thriller series interesting until the end.
75% = :white_check_mark: = GOOD
Awful premise with a lot of terrible acting and questionable plot twists thrown into the mix.
I think I spotted an plothole. How can Kratz be held responsible for killing Doug Tripp while Adam shot Doug when Kratz was in prison already? People must have seen Doug between the time Kratz got arrested and the moment he got shot by Adam... So that story can't possible be true.
There's a lot going on with this one
"Secrets Hurts and Kills". A good mystery drama which has one of the best ending / last episode of some TV Shows. With a lot of twists and turns this show will keep you hooked while guessing what is actually happening. Good watch! 7/10
very good show!! worth watching!!
I have enjoyed Harlan Coben other tv series "Safe" and "The Five" and this one didn't disappoint. Bingeworthy!
Bingeable, you kind of need to see the next episode and the next one to see what happens but too many plots. Like sardines in a can.
And that intro musing was a very poor choice, makes you think you're about to watch yet another teen drama, doesn't fit with the theme of the show. Good thing is that it has a proper ending.
After binging this show in 2 days, I'm not impressed. There are some serious logic holes and the twists aren't nearly as spectacular as the writers probably thought. The story has great premises, but the execution and bad acting really bring the whole thing crashing down. The first 2-3 episodes make intriguing promises the show can't keep.
At times it feels like a cheap involuntary comedy, the only reason you binge it is to find out how far fetched the rest of the story will be.
The ending is half-assed, though at this point you probably wouldn't even care if every character was murdered.
Shout by Bill DjebaraBlockedParent2020-01-30T23:48:23Z
Plots pile on top of one another, leaving me to work out how or if they’re linked. ... Not dark enough to be great, but highly bingeable.