Note: This post contains mild spoilers to the first episode of The Stranger
The Stranger had me at Richard Armitage, but truly, after watching the pilot, I do think this is a solid mystery. The strings of the story still hang loosely, as expected in a first episode that is meant to set and hook. It worked on me, and I am fairly certain I will be watching the rest of The Stranger over the weekend.
Adam Price (Mr. Armitage) is a lawyer who lives a seemingly idyllic life with his wife, a teacher, and two sons. DS Johanna Griffin (Siobhan Finneran) is a detective about to tackle on major life changes; she is close to retirement and has finally decided to divorce her husband of 26 years.
The arrival of a Stranger (Hannah John-Kamen) who revealed a massive secret to Adam about his wife coincided with a bizarre case of a beheaded alpaca with a human bite mark, and a teenager found naked in the woods. The community -- the grownups and the kids -- now appear to harbour multiple secrets, with the mysterious Stranger hovering in the shadows.
The one time in the episode that I half rolled my eyes was when Adam's wife Corrine (Dervla Kirwan) promised to tell Adam the truth during dinner at a restaurant. Of course she disappeared before that. The fact that Corrine used a credit card associated with a joint account she had with her husband to pay for the services of her big secret also kind of rang false to me, but then again I am not married. Do most married people only have joint accounts and no longer keep their personal accounts?
In any case, this is my weekend sorted. If you'll have a busy weekend and would simply like to watch a few minutes of Richard Armitage, I recommend searching 'Richard Armitage bedtime story' on YouTube. You're welcome.
The Stranger is a Netflix miniseries based on a novel of the same title by Harlan Coben.
Director: Daniel O'Hara
Writer: Danny Brocklehurst
Original release date: January 30, 2020