The Stranger

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!