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'''''The Stranger''''' is a British [[mystery (genre)|mystery]] [[thriller (genre)|thriller]] series written by [[Danny Brocklehurst]] and based on the [[Harlan Coben]] novel of the same title. The miniseries premiered on [[Netflix]] on 30 January 2020. It stars [[Richard Armitage (actor)|Richard Armitage]], [[Siobhan Finneran]], |
'''''The Stranger''''' is a British [[mystery (genre)|mystery]] [[thriller (genre)|thriller]] series written by [[Danny Brocklehurst]] and based on the [[Harlan Coben]] novel of the same title. The miniseries premiered on [[Netflix]] on 30 January 2020. It stars [[Richard Armitage (actor)|Richard Armitage]], [[Siobhan Finneran]], [[Jennifer Saunders]] and [[Hannah John-Kamen]]. |
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==Premise== |
==Premise== |
Revision as of 16:12, 1 March 2020
The Stranger | |
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![]() | |
Created by | Harlan Coben |
Based on | The Stranger by Harlan Coben |
Directed by |
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Starring |
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Opening theme | "Monster" by Walking on Cars |
Composer | David Buckley |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of episodes | 8 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
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Producer | Madonna Baptiste |
Running time | 42–51 minutes |
Production company | Red Production Company |
Original release | |
Network | Netflix |
Release | 30 January 2020 |
The Stranger is a British mystery thriller series written by Danny Brocklehurst and based on the Harlan Coben novel of the same title. The miniseries premiered on Netflix on 30 January 2020. It stars Richard Armitage, Siobhan Finneran, Jennifer Saunders and Hannah John-Kamen.
Premise
A mysterious stranger tells a man a secret that has a devastating impact on his seemingly perfect life.
Cast
Main
- Richard Armitage as Adam Price
- Siobhan Finneran as DS Johanna Griffin
- Jennifer Saunders as Heidi Doyle
- Shaun Dooley as Doug Tripp
- Paul Kaye as Patrick Katz
- Dervla Kirwan as Corinne Price
- Kadiff Kirwan as DC Wesley Ross
- Jacob Dudman as Thomas Price
- Ella-Rae Smith as Daisy Hoy
- Brandon Fellows as Mike Tripp
- Misha Handley as Ryan Price
- Anthony Head as Edgar Price
- Hannah John-Kamen as The Stranger
- Stephen Rea as Martin Killane
Recurring
- Lily Loveless as Ingrid Prisby
- Kai Alexander as Dante Gunnarsson
- Jade Harrison as Vicky Hoy
- Callie Cooke as Kimberley Doyle
- Robert Ewens as Max Bonner
- Don Gilet as Phillip Griffin
- Aretha Ayeh as Suzanne Hope
- Ace Bhatti as Parth Kuhalam
- Jemma Powell as Becca Tripp
- India Brown as Ella Hoy
- Joey Ansah as Stuart Hope
- Camilla Arfwedson as Sally Prentice
Episodes
![]() | This section's plot summaries may be too long or excessively detailed. (February 2020) |
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
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1 | "Episode 1" | Daniel O'Hara | Danny Brocklehurst | 30 January 2020 | |
Family man Adam Price is approached by a woman at his son’s football match who tells him that his wife Corinne faked her pregnancy. She also tells him to get his two children DNA tested. Meanwhile, his son Thomas goes out to a party with his friends Mike and Daisy. Adam goes home and becomes more suspicious after seeing that the ultrasound image from Corinne's third (claimed) pregnancy was completely different from that for their two sons. He then checks his bank statements for the company “Novelty Funsy”, something The Stranger told him to look for, ringing the bank when he’s unable to find out what the company is. After a decapitated alpaca is found in the morning, the police (Johanna Griffin and her partner Wesley Ross) drive out to a nearby farm and talk to the farmer about her missing animal. On the way back, they see something suspicious in the woods and investigate, finding Dante, a classmate of Tom, lying unconscious on the ground. The bank sends Adam a list of websites for which Novelty Funsy acts as a umbrella, and he sees that one is a fake pregnancy website, prompting him to ask Corinne about her lies. She admits to faking her pregnancy after becoming acquainted with a woman named Suzanne Hope who had done so habitually, but doesn’t tell him why, telling him that she’ll speak to him after a school event later that evening. However, Corinne does not show up at the event. | |||||
2 | "Episode 2" | Daniel O'Hara | Mick Ford | 30 January 2020 | |
Johanna’s best friend Heidi (Jennifer Saunders) is approached by both The Stranger and her friend (Lily Loveless), who reveal to her that her daughter Kimberley (Callie Cooke) has been involved with a website called FindYourSugarBaby.com. They have proof and pictures, and unless Heidi agrees to pay 10,000 pounds, they will release the proof and ruin her daughter's professional future. Adam is handling the legal case of a former policeman named Martin Killane who does not wish to be evicted from his home, and Adam learns that his own father Ed is on the board of the adversarial land development company. The Stranger’s reign of terror continues. Meanwhile, Adam still has no word from Corinne. Corinne’s schedule says that she should be attending breakfast club at school, so Adam heads that way to see if she’s there. Along the way, he gives his neighbor Doug Tripp (Shaun Dooley) a ride. While at the school learning that Corinne was a no-show, Adam learns from Daisy's mother Vicky (who, like Corinne, is a teacher at the school) that she was approached by The Stranger with a blackmail proposal, threatening to expose nude photos purportedly of Vicky's young daughter Ella, which had been taken from Ella's phone. It is revealed that Doug's son, Mike, decapitated the alpaca while under the influence of drugs. He, Tom, and Daisy plot to dispose of the animal's severed head. However, their movements are tracked by the police through Dante's phone; Mike is arrested although Tom and Daisy flee. Heidi is confronted by a man claiming to be a police officer looking into the blackmail scheme. After she hands him the evidence that The Stranger left with her, he turns violent and shoots her, eventually leaving her for dead. | |||||
3 | "Episode 3" | Daniel O'Hara | Karla Crome | 30 January 2020 | |
A woman named Michaela is cornered by The Stranger in an elevator while at her Hen’s party. They discuss how the woman broke up with her previous boyfriend David after he posted a sex tape of them online as revenge. The Stranger reveals the tape wasn’t posted by David, but by her current fiancé Marcus to break up her relationship with David. Adam and Corinne's son Ryan's youth football coach and another player's father (who is a policeman) arrive at Adam’s home looking to speak with Corinne about money being stolen from their son's football team. With still no word from Corinne, Adam questions whether these allegations might be true. The police question Mike concerning the alpaca head and the gathering the night Dante was injured. The police visit Dante’s house to look for clues and find photos of Daisy stuck to his wall. On his computer they find homemade videos spying on Corinne, Mrs Price, at her home, the school, and at football matches. Daisy confesses to Tom that she was the one who spiked Mike’s drink as revenge for putting the nude photos of her little sister online. With the help of Killane tracking both Suzanne Hope and The Stranger's rental car, Adam continues to look into leads surrounding Corinne’s whereabouts. Using a phone tracking app, Tom and Ryan learn that their mother is nearby, only a couple miles away, in town. The man who shot Heidi is revealed to be an actual policeman named Katz, who works with Johanna; he is surprised to learn of the link between his victim and his co-worker. After repeated failures to get in touch with her friend, Johanna discovers Heidi's body at the café. | |||||
4 | "Episode 4" | Hannah Quinn | Danny Brocklehurst | 30 January 2020 | |
The Stranger confronts Ed about his past affairs, telling him that he has a child he was unaware of. After he demands more proof than she provided him, she runs off. At Heidi's café, the police begin their investigation into her murder. Johanna asks Wes to hide the fact that she knew Heidi so that she can be assigned to the investigation, but realizes that Katz already knows of her friendship with Heidi. Adam confronts Doug after learning that the secretive phone call that Corinne made on the day of her disappearance was to him. Doug tells Adam that the phone call concerned the money stolen from the football club and that Corinne wanted more time to sort the situation out and to show her innocence, but he did not allow her that. At the murder investigation, Katz attempts to throw suspicion on Heidi's husband or a burglar, and volunteers to check the security videotape. Tom and Ryan tell Adam that they have tracked Corinne's phone and the three of them, with Killane, drive toward it, but eventually find the phone abandoned on a bridge. Johanna tells Heidi's husband Ian of Heidi's murder, and then is comforted by her own estranged husband Phillip, who encourages her to take time off work to grieve. Adam goes through Corinne's phone and finds a number filed as "That Bitch" which is the same as his contact, Sally Prentice, with whom he had had an affair. He meets her, and asks about the phone call; she tells him that she denied the affair to his wife, but that Corinne knew of it. This explains Corinne's fake pregnancy to Adam. Adam reports Corinne as a missing person to the police; they conclude that this must have been done by the murderer. Kimberley tells Johanna about the blackmail attempt on Heidi without disclosing the reason. Ed attends Tom's football match and tells Adam he intends to be a better father and grandfather going forward. After discussing the state of affairs with Mike, Daisy and Tom and all others are alarmed by Olivia lying prostate on the ground. Katz, who we now learn is Olivia's father, rushes to her side at the hospital. Wes and Johanna, unaware of Corinne having gone missing, go to the Price's house to speak with her, after evidence at the café indicates that Corinne had been at the scene of Heidi's murder. | |||||
5 | "Episode 5" | Hannah Quinn | Charlotte Coben | 30 January 2020 | |
After her work-shift at a movie theater, The Stranger and her friend visit a sports stadium, where she hands an envelope to the father of an athlete who took steroids, demanding 10,000 pounds blackmail from him. He attacks her and her friend rescues her using a taser. Katz visits Olivia in the hospital, saying she will get better and it will all be worth it. Johanna interviews Adam, unaware that Corinne is missing, telling him that Corinne's key fob was found at the café where Heidi was murdered. As Katz looks on, Adam tells Johanna of the visit from The Stranger that sparked Corinne's disappearance, and about the other victims he is aware of. The Stranger and her friend argue. Adam tells Doug about his interview by the police. The Stranger visits Killane's neighborhood, which bulldozers are preparing to raze. Tom and Mike go to see Daisy, and Mike confronts her over her belief that he had proliferated the nude photos of Ella. She believes his protestations of innocence, and admits to having drugged him with PCP during the rave, confessing that Olivia was the person who had accused Mike to her. They go to see Olivia, but her mother lies, saying that Olivia is still in the hospital; further, Mrs Katz vents anger at Tom and his mother for poking their noses into the Katzes business. The Stranger and her friend make up after their argument, discussing the motives behind their actions, and their intention to get out of the blackmail game after enriching themselves further. They wonder why they had not heard from Heidi and learn online that she had been murdered, thereupon deciding to immediately shut down their operation. Phillip visits Johanna at work and inquires about their future. Katz admits to never commencing a missing person's investigation for Corinne; after seeing the file, Wes and Johanna realize that Corinne is the woman whom Dante had filmed. Killane phones Adam about the demolition equipment in his neighborhood and tells him that he has located The Stranger's accomplice, Gabrielle, and that she is connected to a detective agency. Adam and Doug arrive at Gabrielle's office address while she is destroying evidence of her operation with The Stranger; later they follow her in their car, but lose her. Tom, Mike, and Daisy witness Olivia's mother disposing of syringes and rat poison boxes in a neighbor's bin. Wes and Johanna interview Vicky who sends them to Bob, the football coach, from whom they learn about the missing money. Ed visits Killane appealing to him once more to accept eviction and move, then telling him that the demolition order has gone through. Adam and Killane witness the demolition of Killane's flat, which unearths a body; Killane, seeing the body, says "I'm so sorry". | |||||
6 | "Episode 6" | Hannah Quinn | Mick Ford | 30 January 2020 | |
Killane is jailed, and confesses to Adam that he had murdered his wife many years earlier for threatening to leave him and take their child. Katz visits the Powerses, a man-and-wife who own the company Ethical Share, which aims to open investment to the masses by handling trades through churches. Mr Powers says that Katz is the head of security for the venture and inquires of him how the shutting-down of the blackmailers is coming along. In reply, Katz says that he has bought time by planting Corinne's key fob at Heidi's murder scene, then tells Powers that the evidence packet he got from Heidi shows that Powers was deeply involved with Kimberley. Adam tells Johanna of Killane's confession, and of his own affair; she tells him that Corinne's car was located, and together they go to it and discover one of Corinne's earrings in the rear seat. Tom, Mike, and Daisy decide to try again to confront Olivia, and do so; she admits to Tom that it was she, not Mike, who sent the photos from Ella's phone out of jealousy for Mike's attention. Adam tells Johanna about Gabrielle, then retrieves Corinne's passport for the authorities while The Stranger watches from the bushes. Talking to Adam, Tom questions his mother's fidelity. Wes finds Gabrielle's office cleaned out. Interviewing café workers about Heidi's last days, Johanna learns of Heidi's meeting with The Stranger and Gabrielle in a car park; she telephones the station to ask Wes to pull security video, but Katz intercedes and offers to watch the videotape in shifts. He sees the taped meeting while Wes is away, but later shows it to Wes and Johanna. Johanna shows the videotape to Kimberley, who confesses to her work with the Sugar Baby website and to being made aware by her mother of the blackmail. She further discloses that one of the three men who she was seeing through the site did not respond to her message ending their relationship. Kimberley agrees to contact him and set up a meeting; we learn that the man is Powers, who agrees to meet her. Mike tells Daisy that his memory of the rave-night is returning through flashbacks, and he remembers killing the alpaca with a shovel, but nothing concerning Dante other than that Dante was going into the woods with Daisy. Katz causes a commotion in order to warn Powers away from the trap that the police set for him through Kimberley. Ed complains to Adam that the murder investigation has halted demolition, and Adam tells Ed of Corinne's disappearance. Tom speaks with Olivia about her constant illnesses, telling her about the rat poison. Tom hides when her father arrives, then stows away in the car that Katz drives away after retrieving a gun. The Stranger appears at the hospital where Killane has been taken after a suicide attempt, and she is seen there by Adam. | |||||
7 | "Episode 7" | Daniel O'Hara | Danny Brocklehurst | 30 January 2020 | |
Adam chases The Stranger from the hospital into the surrounding streets, but she eludes him in a railyard. Katz discovers Tom hiding in his car, and Tom admits his suspicions about Olivia being poisoned by her mother. Mike and Daisy pick Tom up later, after Katz races away, angry and concerned; he gets to Olivia and removes her from the reach of his wife. Dante, recovering in hospital, is interviewed by Johanna; he tells her that Daisy absconded with his clothes after an invitation to skinny-dip. He said he then was discovered by Max Bonner (Robert Ewens), the sports-club caretaker, who chased him with an axe, but that he remembers nothing more. Johanna and Wes interview Max, who claims he was only harvesting firewood and did no harm to Dante, who simply tripped and fell. Katz texts his wife Leila that he knows of her poisoning Olivia. Ed brings Peter Ince, a private investigator, to Adam to assist in the search for Corinne. Adam tells Ed and Peter about Corinne's fake pregnancy, his own affair, and The Stranger, prompting Ed to relate that The Stranger had visited him as well. Since The Stranger had been in the hospital while Killane was there, Ed surmises that the two are connected and Ed, Peter, and Adam begin to go through Killane's possessions, which Ed's company holds in storage. Johanna eulogizes Heidi at her memorial, while Wes reviews the case evidence. Powers visits Katz to tell him to clean up the mess hindering the starting of the business, and Johanna arrives, forcing Katz to shoo Powers away, after which Katz tells Johanna about his daughter's poisoning. Wes telephones Johanna and, on speakerphone, says that he found videotape showing Katz arriving at the murder scene. Katz attacks Johanna, who locks herself in a bathroom whilst Wes and other police race to the scene. Katz retrieves a gun then confesses murdering Heidi to Johanna. Johanna jumps from a window but injures her leg and Katz pulls her back inside the house. Adam finds a photo of Killane with The Stranger, who returns to the hospital and enters Killane's room, calling him dad. | |||||
8 | "Episode 8" | Daniel O'Hara | Danny Brocklehurst | 30 January 2020 | |
Leila returns to the Katz home, demanding to know where to find Olivia, while her husband holds a gun on Johanna. Police race to the scene; Katz assaults Leila, who cries for help and Johanna escapes to a neighbour. Katz takes Leila's car, in possession of Johanna's phone, and drives away. Peter tracks The Stranger (Christine Killane)'s home address. Adam phones Johanna, reaching Katz, saying that The Stranger has been identified, and promising to text the location to Johanna's phone later, which he does on arrival at Christine's home address. Adam enters the apartment building, then is attacked and knocked unconscious by Gabrielle. Waking in The Stranger's apartment, chained to an anchored table, he sees photos of the blackmail operations, then discusses her operation with Christine. She details how she believed her mother had abandoned her, blaming first herself and then her father, only to find out later that her father had killed her mother. She also discloses that she learned that Killane (unbenownst to him) is not actually her biological father, and that she is in fact Adam's half-sister through an affair Ed had with her mother. Katz bursts in brandishing a gun and holding Gabrielle hostage; he tosses Gabrielle to the ground then shoots her in the stomach, berating the pair for victimizing Powers. Adam escapes from his chains and attacks Katz, but is overpowered. When Katz shoots at Adam, Christine jumps in front to take the bullet in her back. While Adam chokes Katz with the chains, demanding to know where Corinne is, police enter to take control of the situation. Johanna arrests Katz for Heidi's murder. Christine is hospitalized; Gabrielle dies of her wounds. Christine admits to Adam that Bob, the football coach, had hired her to dig dirt on Corinne, and that she did not know the investigation would lead to her learning of her own half-brother and the identity of her father. Adam confronts Bob on the football pitch; Bob tells Adam that Doug claimed Corinne stole the money from the football club and that she intended to pin the theft on Bob, who had misappropriated funds before. Adam drives to Doug's house and confronts him about stealing the money and sending texts from Corinne's phone after her disappearance, pulling a gun that Christine passed to him in the hospital. In fear, Doug offers to take Adam to Corinne, who is in the countryside. Learning that Adam had attacked Bob, Johanna visits the school to have Tom use the phone tracker to locate Adam. On reaching the site, Doug admits to killing and burying Corinne, and Adam locates her body in a shallow grave. Adam shoots and kills Doug as Johanna arrives. In an epilogue set six months later, Johanna has reunited with Phillip after her retirement, and she attends one of Ryan's football matches; Ed also attends. Bob coaches, Dante films the match, Tom and Daisy are an item, Christine has jumped bail, and a flashback reveals that Johanna covered up the evidence of Adam's killing Doug and that she pinned Corinne's death on Katz, who is due for sentencing. In the final scene, Christine is shown observing the football match from afar. |
Production
It was announced in January 2019 that Netflix had begun development of a miniseries based on the Harlan Coben novel, with the adaptation being written by Danny Brocklehurst and with Richard Armitage set to star.[1] By March, the cast was rounded out, with the additions including Siobhan Finneran, Hannah John-Kamen, Jennifer Saunders, Anthony Head and Stephen Rea.[2]
Filming
Filming began in March 2019, taking place in Manchester.[3] Scenes were shot in Bury and Bolton in April,[4] and in Stockport in June.[5]
Reception
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 86% approval rating for the miniseries with an average rating of 6.63/10, based on 21 reviews. The website's critical consensus states, "If not quite as addicting as its source material, The Stranger has a strong cast and enough tension to keep viewers on the edge of their seats."[6] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 62 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[7]
References
- ^ White, Peter (28 January 2019). "Richard Armitage To Star In Netflix Thriller 'The Stranger' With Harlan Coben & 'Safe' Team". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 17 November 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
- ^ White, Peter (5 March 2019). "'Happy Valley's Siobhan Finneran & 'Ready Player One's Hannah John-Kamen Join Netflix's 'The Stranger'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 18 December 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
- ^ Griffin, Susan (6 March 2019). "Filming starts in Manchester on new Netflix drama The Stranger". ilovemanchester. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
- ^ Molloy, Tom (11 April 2019). "Upcoming Netflix series The Stranger filming in Bolton". The Bolton News. Archived from the original on 29 September 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
- ^ "New Netflix Drama 'The Stranger' will be Filming in Stockport Tomorrow". Edward Mellor Estate Agents Ltd. 27 June 2019. Archived from the original on 29 September 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
- ^ "The Stranger: Season 1 (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
- ^ "The Stranger: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
External links
- The Stranger at IMDb
- The Stranger on Netflix