The Stranger on Netflix starring DL fave Richard Armitage

No, but I'm gonna start it tonight. Thanks for the reminder.

Thanks for the reminder. One review said this was like "a male Lifetime movie." I admit, I chuckled.

Watching. This is a Lifetime movie. And I'm loving it. I keep picturing Richard with Lee Pace, though, and wondering where it all went terribly wrong.

Oh, my god! They shot Edina Monsoon!!

"Oh, my god! They shot Edina Monsoon!!"

Oh honey, no. They didn't just shoot her. They had a cop punch her in her fucking face, blast her kneecap off at disgusting close range with blood and skin flying everywhere, and leave her with a huge oozing hole in her forehead.

Armitage must have recently given birth with those Matt Damonesque hips and thighs. I want him to fuck me hard but he seems to have lost his figure.

Watch this if just for the novelty of Armitage's weight gain.

Armitage has a weird mouth.

R5-yes. It was all rather shocking. I didn't expect Jennifer Saunders to go out like that. It seemed rather gratuitous. Richard has an odd habit of rapid blinking during some line delivery. I find him at times stiff - and not in a good way.

Isn't this based on a Harlan Coben novel that takes place in Essex County, New Jersey?

Is the show good? Richard looks hot in the trailer.

"Good" isn't a word I'd use to describe it at all.

But, as noted above, it's entertaining in a "male LifeTime" movie kind of way -- a genre I'd never contemplated existing.

I watched all episodes last night. It was ok. The older son is a hot little piece of ass. Has lots of videos on Youtube.

Armitage got fat.

I would like to forget this series was ever made. I'm going to go watch North and South where I can watch Armitage eye-fuck everything to death. That kiss!!!

Fuck me.

Cum here

Cum here

Just finished. It was a male Lifetime movie. but gosh darn it, I enjoyed it for what it was. And yes, that North & South kiss was epic. I was always surprised Armitage's career did not take off more like Colin First's after Pride & Prejudice. Even then, though, RA pinged for me, but I still thought he made a lovely straight lead. That's what acting is about.

His voice alone can make someone cum.

Last one.

The plot made no sense. Why did the wife fake a pregnancy?

The oldest son is hot as fuck. Who’s had him?

Who plays the gay character?

Do you think Armitage has had the oldest son?

Richard looks good. I just wish he would finally come out.

I think he's very ugly and has no cheekbones at all.

R20-because the husband was having an affair (or on the cusp of one) and she was desperate to keep her marriage. The "I'd check their DNA" if I were you was just the stranger, as his sister, acting on a guess that we were to realize wasn't true.

R22 The gay character is the other detective. Did you miss him talking about his date in the first episode?

No, r27, I haven't watched it. I'm curious to know who the actor is playing the role.

R14, R15, R16 & R19 - ah, Richard when he still had his old nose. RIP.

The OG nose was so much better. Sigh.

It has a gay character? You act like this is some sort of amazing new thing.

The problem with this and the other Netflix/Coben project is that the characters are the most nauseating middle-middle types imaginable - the sort of people who’d invite you over because they want you to see that their Nespresso machine is better than yours.

I really enjoyed it... a serviceable mystery... I had only heard of Armitage through this place's hysteria... he seemed quite likeable and handsome. O'Brien is a really enjoyable actress to watch.

Does the gay character actually do anything gay, or is talking about a date in one episode it?

A male Lifetime movie is the perfect way to describe this. It's watchable if you don't hold it to too high a standard. A couple of quick glimpses of his chest, if that helps in your decision-making.

I first saw Armitage in the first season of Strike Back, which I will recommend for its shirtless bondage scenes.

It reminded me of a male version of the first season of Desperate Housewives. Total enjoyable fluff. I am always so surprised when shows feature British middle class.More often than not England is made to look gritty and grimy or the complete opposite with the upper class snobbery.

I loved Richard Armitage's character's house in this.

Will someone tell me if the actor playing "The Stranger" is a transwoman? Or is the character itself a transwoman? Watched with a friend and we could have sworn there was a reference to The Stranger being a man at some point. Whoever the actor is has the strangest body I've seen in a long time. Watch them run. . .

Her IMDB page says she was born a daughter to her parents and there is nothing about her being trans anywhere I can find r38 She looks a lot like Victoria Beckham to me...she has that same horsey face.

I want Richard Armitage in me quite deeply.

I know practically nothing about him but he's supposedly gay, right?

[quote]I loved Richard Armitage's character's house in this.

The tile on the floor of the front hall was so cool.

Enjoyed this show. Apparently I'm late to the Richard Armitage appreciation party, but wow he's extremely appealing to watch and quite handsome.

Me too. I paid no attention given the Category 5 hysteria about him around here. Never laid eyes on him til Netflix this weekend. I thought he was sexy and likeable.

Armitage had a nose job? Really?

He is lovely.

Armitage with dad-bod in dad jeans.

I didn't believe for a second Richard Armitage's character would have a wife, much less a potential mistress because of the actor's obvious gayness.

You wish. He looked and acted perfectly normal.

He's pretty fit and trim. DLers with their ridiculous standards still call that dad bod.

I enjoyed the show, but it was cast as if every other person in England is black.

They are not.

^ they are now.

If you watch British tv nowadays, you'd think half the population is black and South Asian, and every third white Briton is in an interracial relationship.

The actor who played the eldest son, Jacob Dudman, is very cute. And quite good.

I think O'Brien from Downton Abbey is always good. She was also good in Happy Valley. But she wears bigger wigs than anyone on Drag Race.

What did the murderer cop have to do with the blackmail girls? Why did he kill the cafe owner? Was O'brian a lesbian? Did the wife ever explain why she faked a pregnancy and miscarriage? What was the whole point of the teen plot? I mean other than having a vehicle for that revolting and pasty fat boy?

It was a show that suffered from over-plotting.

EVERY fucking person in the show had some drama or had maybe killed someone or themselves.

Armitage did have dad bod. Look at the scene where he is on the stairs in his underwear. Also, the scene where he is tied to the table and laying on the floor. Womanly hips and thighs.

That doesn't mean he's not hot. He is absolutely stunning.

Armitage reminds me of High Jackman.

I had a hard time believing that the husband would be with the wife. She is short, heavy, and not attractive.

I can't believe people didn't suspect Armitage's friend right away. He was so sleazy.

But why did the crazy police officer kill Edina Monsoon? Was that ever explained?

I assume she was going to pay, and keep her mouth shut, so what threat was she?

I kept expecting Patsy to walk across the screen swigging a bottle of Stoli in one hand and holding a cigarette in the other.

The bad guy was easy to guess because if you watch British TV at all, you recognize him as a fairly well known actor and his part was too small in the beginning given his popularity (in British TV). And I agree that Richard Armitage has feminine hips. He really has lost his youthful good looks (yes, in North and South he was very sexy). I also think he has little range as an actor--he's better playing cold personalities. I also noticed he doesn't seem comfortable acting with women. This show, the Stranger, is kinda bingeable despite not being very good but maybe that's because I'm a sucker for English crime shows.

Siobhan Finneran is a wonderful actress, she's always working in British tv. Check out Happy Valley on Netflix, she's also wonderful in that. It's a great show.

It is unbelievably that the detective character played by Siobhan Finneran would decide to be the chief investigator into her lifelong best friend's murder, and no one else on the police force would object to this or say anything.

I just started watching last night, and am in the middle of the 6th episode.

I like Harlan Coben, but this seems way too convoluted.

A third and final Happy Valley is apparently a go, as a side note.

What did the murderer cop have to do with the blackmail girls?

The blackmail girls were running their own racket. He had been hired by the guy Edina Monsoon's daughter had been banging for money to put them out of business. Fairly certain they had the goods on him.

Why did he kill the cafe owner?

He said to O'Brien at one point it got out of hand. He had not intended to kill her.

Was O'brian a lesbian?

Don't think so.

Did the wife ever explain why she faked a pregnancy and miscarriage?

I think it was a bid to save the marriage when he was having his affair

What was the whole point of the teen plot? I mean other than having a vehicle for that revolting and pasty fat boy?

They drove certain plot points... like if they hadn't done the poison bit the cop's ex wife wouldn't have showed up at his house when O'Brien was his hostage.

The bad cop killed Jennifer Saunders because his boss was one of her daughter's clients and was being blackmailed. He had to get rid of all evidence connecting the two. The wife had a fake miscarriage to stop her husband having the affair. The mother poisoning her daughter was a waste of time. I don't know why they showed the wife jumping from the bridge when she hadn't.

^ That was a nightmare that Armitage had. After the fall they cut to him waking up in shock.

There was a lot going on, it all came together, but there were so many strands to make it all happen. The mother as poisoner story was stupid.

It's weird that neither Armitrage (who murdered his friend) or the blackmailing Stranger faced any legal consequences for their crimes. The evil friend and (I believe) the bad cop died, so the only person who went to jail was (of course) the black guy football coach.

The touching moment between the half-sister and half-brother at the end rang totally false and contrived.

Armitage would NOT be having the warm fuzzies for a sociopath who got his wife killed.

No, r67. The gun Armitage had was the evil cop's gun - they showed his stranger/sister handing it to him in the scene in the apt when she and her lover were shot. So Johanna (good cop) made it look like the bad cop had killed Armitage's bad friend, and likewise Armitage's wife. So the bad cop, Katz, takes the blame for the deaths of Jennifer S, which he did, and the bad friend and Armitage's wife, which he didn't do. The bad cop was still alive at the end, but had been taken to prison. Johanna mentions to Armitage in the final scene that "tomorrow is Katz's sentencing." Why would the black guy football coach have gone to jail?

I guess Harlan Coben must have thrown in the Munchausen plot to give Katz (the bad cop) a motivation for needing to get supplemental work - he has such big expenses because of his poor, sick daughter.

[quote]...Siobhan Finneran would decide to be the chief investigator into her lifelong best friend's murder, and no one else on the police force would object to this or say anything.

That's because no one else knew, except for Finneran's detective partner. She had a line explaining that she wasn't going to tell anyone.

[quote]Does the gay character actually do anything gay

The stranger is also gay, a lesbian who does many lesbionic things.

The whole thing was so confusing. I thought the black guy coach admitted to embezzling funds, but of course, it was the evil friend.

But what about the guy who hired Katz? What happened to him?

I feel like maybe everyone got tired of Saunders and just decided to kill her off in the most vicious way possible. She could have been cut completely and the plot wouldn't have changed. Oh, and the girl who spiked the cigarette and stole the naked boy's clothing. She also got off scot-free. And what did the naked boy have to do with anything in the end? The whole movie was a lot of much ado about nothing. And didn't anyone want justice for the murdered llama?

Yes, that's definitely it. That's how these things happen. For sure.

[quote]The stranger is also gay, a lesbian who does many lesbionic things.

Was she? I thought her supposed father talked about his child as his "son."

Then we find out it is the Stranger. Was she trans?

Were there ANY people in that town not stealing, blackmailing, or trying to kill someone?

And what happened to the woman who was poisoning her daughter? This film let more wicked people go free than Donald Trump.

I’m only on episode 2. Does the hot son ever take his shirt off?

R75 That's what we heard! That old guy definitely referred to his kid "Chris" as his SON. I thought maybe this show was being so woke that there's a trans character and they don't even refer to her/him as trans. Whatever the case, The Stranger actor is one of the more unattractive persons of any persuasion I've seen on screen in a long time. Maybe in Season 2 we'll get the full backstory.

This thread is a riot. I love the way everyone just refers to Siobhan as "O'brian" and the discussion on Richard's weight gain. A few things are shocking. 1. Armitage was paired with such an unattractive partner. 2. Keeley Hawes is nowhere to be found in this.

R79-I know. It took a major suspension of belief to buy that someone like Armitage would marry someone like the wife.

The Stranger is definitely a female in this version (in the book, it’s a male). The old guy, Stephen Rea, calls her “Rosie” when she shows up at his hospital room.

Holy hell, there's a book?

Yes, it’s based on Harlan Coben’s book from a few years ago. The book takes place in New Jersey.

Keeley would have been great as the wife.

In fairness, O'Brien's actual name is a lot to contend with.

Just started watching it, the first two episodes. It certainly draws you in. I find it much better than the one with Michael C. Hall (with an atrocious Brit accent), which was also based on one of Coben's books.

Yes, I would have made the perfect wife.

Erm...

Someone up thread said Armitage looks uncomfortable in scenes with women. Pray, what do you mean?

r75/78: Actually, the Stephen Rea (actor's name) character did NOT refer to Chris as his son. I actually noticed that he never said whether Chris was a son or a daughter and I replayed it to be sure while I was watching, and I immediately guessed that "Chris" was The Stranger and also the illegit half-sister of Armitage's character. This show was pretty badly written and there were lots of obvious clues, although there was so many red herrings and stupid plot lines scattered around. The dumbest thing was how the evil neighbor (who killed the wife) kept browbeating Armitage's character while the guy was holding a gun in his hand (down on the ground). Who threatens somebody with a gun (unless it's because it's England and guns are much rarer--admittedly). It still made no sense; it was as if he wanted to be shot.

I enjoyed Safe. This one, not so much. Lots of moments that made no sense. Like when the black guy attacked Armitage. First of all, the reason is never made clear. Second, Armitage is 6'3" and pretty solid. No way would he have gone down like that.

This was the sort of TV show where the woke casting is so aggressive you would think every single person in the entire UK (except for the main character) is in an interracial relationship.

I didn’t think the interracial thing was too much at all. It was only Stephen Rea’s black wife who had a biracial daughter with Anthony Head, and Katz the bad cop’s wife and biracial daughter. There were two other blacks in major supporting roles, the coach and O’Brien’s partner. Surely that didn’t bother you, r92?

In addition to the two you list, O'Brien and her husband were also an interracial couple.

So were Richard Armitage's eldest son and his girlfriend.

So were the titular character and her girlfriend.

[quote]This was the sort of TV show where the woke casting is so aggressive you would think every single person in the entire UK (except for the main character) is in an interracial relationship.

It is rather distracting, and takes you out of the story. And sometimes the mixed-race child actors playing the kids don't match the actors playing the parents.

It's a bigger outrage that we didn't see Armitage dick. Or that he was paired with a dowdy fat woman.

I can't watch Jennifer Saunders in anything without halfway expecting her to turn into Edina Monsoon. Like when she answered the door to the killer cop at her bakery :

"We're CLOSED darling. Bugger off and come back tomorrow!"

*slams door*

"Pats, let's have some nibbly things and some more Boli-Stoli"

*lights cigarette*

[quote]It is rather distracting, and takes you out of the story

Why was it distracting for you? It was a contemporary story, and none of them was playing a real person, so why shouldn't it be multi-culti casting? The cute son's girlfriend did match her mother, although the younger daughter (who was the victim of the phony pussy pictures) wasn't as good a match. Katz's daughter, who was being Munchausened, seemed like a decent match for the actress playing her mom. And the stranger - well, we never really saw the actress who was her mother, only in a couple of snapshots, but she seemed fine, and more than fine as Anthony Head's daughter.

I keep thinking about the wardrobe they gave the dead wife. It really was Lane Bryant circa 1985.

Harlan Coben, like Grisham, basically writes pulp fiction in its Sunday best. It's fine and usually kind of compelling but it's sausage. I enjoyed it. I was a bit surprised they transposed it to the UK but I guess that was just down to who bought the rights.

O'Brien's black husband seemed gayer to me than Tyler Perry.

Will she be playing Meghan Markle in the inevitable docudrama?

Not unless she plans on injecting her face with fillers and gaining 20 pounds.

Twenty? Get off DL, Mulroney.

Fine. 30 pounds then.

R92 felt their racist point was so important that they had to make it twice. I didn’t even notice the multiracial casting until it was brought up on this thread.

I finished binging it this evening. Convoluted storyline but it was fast oaced and compelling enough to make you want to know more. Oldest son was hot. Armitage was hot. Controversial opinion - Anthony 'Giles' Head was hot. The woman who played Armitage's wife however reminded me of Sarah Fergie Ferguson. Agree with posters upthread, loved Armitage's house, and the scenery in general. The fat, pasty kid was hard on the eyes but he provided some welcome levity.

Like a woke Midsomer Murders. I'm giving it a 3 out of 5 stars.

[quote]O'Brien's black husband seemed gayer to me than Tyler Perry.

They seemed to imply that he was. Didn't they call him "your fancy man"?

And he seemed to be far more of a homemaker than O'Brien.

Wasn't it also implied that Johanna is a repressed lesbian herself, so it would make sense that the husband is also gay.

[post redacted because independent.co.uk thinks that links to their ridiculous rag are a bad thing. Somebody might want to tell them how the internet works. Or not. We don't really care. They do suck though. Our advice is that you should not click on the link and whatever you do, don't read their truly terrible articles.]

Muriel needs to cut the crap with the Independent.

[quote]Will she be playing Meghan Markle in the inevitable docudrama?

Anyways, as I said above, this actress better keep her distance. Like the guy that plays Harry on The Windsors, I have played Markle once, and I will play her again.

If you enjoy O'Brien as an actress, then you need to watch the first four seasons of "Benidorm" which partially overlapped with her filming Downton Abbey. She's excellent in that and you would never believe it's the same actress who connived with the Edwardian homosexualist.

Didn't really like her much in Downton Abbey, mainly because the character was such a 1 dimensional villain. Only started to like her when I saw Happy Valley.

To all you haters of RA's short, ugly wife in the show: You can suck it, because she's married to Rupert Penry-Jones (RA's co-star on MI-5).

OK is that VPL in that image @ R114... because if so, she had a reason to live.

r115, I was thinking the same thing. His dick is pointing at her.

I could have guessed who the killer of the wife was just from the fact that it was the most obnoxious person in the movie. What an asshole. Glad they killed him.

That guy playing O'Brien's husband in that Benidorm thing looks like Shaun Dooley, who played the asshole neighbor/killer in The Stranger.

O'Brien's husband in Benidorm was played by Steve Pemberton, who rivals Keeley Hawes in showing up in every British tv show produced.

I think Queen Elizabeth decreed that every British show has to include either Keeley Hawes or Steve Pemberton.

I have an actor friend who swears the UK an actor who catches one break will go through a phase where he or she gets everything and all other actors secretly hope they'll die. Eventually it gives and then everyone is friends again.

I believe it r120. Olivia Colman ran through that phase as well. In "The Night Manager" book, her character was a man. Then they had to write her as pregnant because Colman was pregnant in real life. I bet ten other actresses were saying, "Oh, for fuck's sake!" And that was just after she had done the tv musical "London Road." I bet Hannah Waddingham was thinking, "Bitch can't even sing."

And of course Judi Dench ran her course too. I always imagined that producers had pre-printed envelopes with Judi's name that they could immediately drop a script into and mail out.

David Tennent had a run like that too... they don't usually disappear, but it moderates eventually. Colman is probably peaking now with The Crown.

It was kind of different with Colman as she was already a well-known face here and she's always had work - she was recognisable to pretty much everyone in the UK from those deeply irritating "Bev/Kev" ads before she really hit the big time.

I'll be glad when Keeley Hawes dies down. She's not correctly cast for everything she's been in. In "Bodyguard" when she undoes her pants and puts her fingers inside her pants in an effort to seduce her bodyguard, I thought, "Ewww, nobody wants to see that."

And Imelda Staunton? Slow down girl, you're not an everywoman.

[quote]It was kind of different with Colman as she was already a well-known face here and she's always had work - she was recognisable to pretty much everyone in the UK from those deeply irritating "Bev/Kev" ads before she really hit the big time.

True, but she didn't belong trying to sing in London Road.

Omg, I thought I was the only one who got grossed out at Keeley's masturbation scene in Bodyguard.

[quote]I think Queen Elizabeth decreed that every British show has to include either Keeley Hawes or Steve Pemberton.

Don't forget about me!

r115, it definitely is. Rupert Penry Jones is known for that ("packs a punch" video clip below). His wife is more attractive than the way she was styled in "The Stranger." It was sad to see her looking so dowdy.

Only watch the last 7 seconds obviously.

Wow. Rupert Penry-Jones certainly does pack a punch.

[quote]And Imelda Staunton? Slow down girl, you're not an everywoman.

Well at least I keep my fingers out of my knickers!

R106, perhaps because I am used to watching shows with a diverse cast it didn’t even register with me like you that there was anything out of the ordinary for other people. Do viewers honestly notice the race of the actors in shows? I might notice an accent if it stands out but that would be about it and that would happen in a cast of all one race.

To those who might remember it Dervla Kirwin played a leading role in Ballykissangel back in the day.

Who did she play in The Stranger, r133?

[quote]Who did she play in The Stranger, [R133]?

The wife of Richard Armitage. And yes, she played Assumpta Fitzgerald, the barmaid in Ballykissangel for a few seasons. She also played the WW2 wife for a few seasons in "Goodnight Sweetheart".

Does Great Britain have changes in weather?

In the second to last scene, the one in the woods, nobody is wearing a jacket, so it's clearly not very cold. Then the last scene, we see a screen graphic that says "Six months later" and the characters are standing outside watching a football (soccer) game and none of them looks very cold.

Dervla Kerwin was the missing wife.

R81 When he said her name, the captions on my tv read ‘Chrissie’. Makes sense- she’s Chris.

According to British tv shows, every third white person in Britain is in an interracial relationship, and half the population of Britain is now black and South Asian. Why are they doing this? Are they pushing an agenda?

It's even in period pieces now, blacks and South Asians in London in fair numbers in the 19th century and early 20th century.

Why does it bother you so much, r139? Who cares?

You sound like a racist.

No, not racist just thinking it's a bit much and out of context. Like watching a show set in 1920 and the characters are using modern vernacular and vocal fry. It just takes you out of the story.

The neighborhood they live in is beautiful, but I read it was filmed in Manchester, which I thought was sort of like an English Detroit.

Manchester has its nice areas.

R139, I was quite surprised to see all those interracial relationships shoehorned into one show. It just felt a bit forced.

So how DID the Stranger know that Adam stayed because Corinne was pregnant? I was expecting to learn the sexy lady lawyer hired The Stranger. But that question wasn’t answered, was it?

When Adam and Killane were talking about Killane’s child, the omission of gender tipped me off.

R145-It was implied that she figured it out when she did a deep dive into her credit card spending.

For some reason it reminded me of J.K Rowling's The Casual Vacancy. I thought it was quite interesting how all the drama unfolded in this dramatic ripple effect.

Though some stuff was obvious way before they were revealed (if the wife is so honest, when it comes to money and the soccer club of her boys, why should anyone trust the neighbor's claims?).

Poor Taylor Lautner though. Reduced to being painted white and getting his head chopped off.

Poor Louis. That made me sad.

The fat neighbor friend was so obnoxious. He said maybe two funny things, the rest of the time he was an ass.

Did you guys get that (some of) the alpacas were named after the One Direction guys? LOL

The alpaca's head was pretty gruesome and like the poor thing was in severe pain at the moment of his death.

The neighbor counted on Adam being the same as him and putting the well-being of his remaining family over serving justice for his now dead wife.

Don Gilet and Siobhan Finneran play love interests in The Loch (murder mystery taking place at the famous Loch Ness) as well.

Jeniffer saying Jo(h)anna gave me a cheap thrill since her AbFab co-star is Joanna Lumley (playing Patsy Stone).

Hannah John-Kamen (The Stranger) was the lead in the SyFy show Killjoys with DL faves Luke McFarlane and Aaron Ashmore. And she was in Ant Man and the Wasp and Ready Player One. I think she is very pretty and striking.

R149 And the other alpacas were named after the group Take That. Gary, Jason, Howard, Mark, and Robbie.

Seems the alpaca farmer is a boyband fan.

r152. OMG! That went completely over my head!

Going to those extremes in order to fake a pregnancy is downright insane. It isn't realistic that the husband would take it so lightly. She put the family through the pain and grief of miscarriage, ffs. The Armitage character should have slapped her and thrown her out of the house while calling her a lying, fucked up piece of shit.

She faked the pregnancy, because she thought he would leave her for his colleague. She was desperate.

R154-his character wasn't exactly the strongest. He was pretty weak, actually.

R154, that is egregiously psycho. Women lie about it, but are smart enough to call it a “miscarriage” very early. After the first trimester (when you really start to “show” ), a miscarriage is a recognizable fetus and there’s a lot of bleeding. It’s not something you just flush away and say “I’m fine”. You have to get medical attention to be sure all the tissue is gone, or you can go into sepsis.

But anyway.

I still don’t understand how the Stranger knew about the affair. Phone records?

Why was the sugar baby daughter Kimberly so suspicious of her mother wanting to go on a holiday? “Why now?” Well why the fuck not? You’re in college now, let your mom have some fun, bitch. And suspecting her of being a lesbian with her best friend? That was weird.

The munchy-munchy-house storyline was played out.

[quote] Why was the sugar baby daughter Kimberly so suspicious of her mother wanting to go on a holiday?

She was afraid her sugar baby secret would come out, so she went in the offense by accusing Johanna of something, so her mother's cop friend would back off. Plus she held on hope that her mother wasn't killed because of her.

R160, I see. Makes sense.

The history between Richard Armitage and The Stranger doesn't quite add up.

RA grew up on that street. His father had an affair with The Stranger's mother. Nobody ever knew anything about The Stranger? Especially considering that she's not white? She grew up there with the old, white Irish dude and nobody ever remember her? Not RA? Not RA's father?

Did I fall asleep for part of the show or is that a hole in the plotline?

Good catch, R162. That is actually an enormous pothole-unless it was hinted that RA and his father moved away when RA was still very young - i.e. before the Stranger was even born. If RA left that neighborhood between the ages of 5-10 that would explain it.

It would make more sense if the setting was in a large city like London. The viewer could then believe that their paths never crossed. But this is a small town. Didn't The Stranger go to school? Would RA's teacher wife have known The Stranger? I'm assuming she learned her computer hacking skills from the old white guy?

When RA's father was trying to knock down the old man's house, wouldn't RA's father at least know the man had a daughter? It's never even suggested that he go live with his daughter.

I'm not saying that people had to make the connection between father and daughter, but they all act like she never even existed. She had no history in the town.

Manchester is not such a "small town".

[quote]Manchester is not such a "small town".

Then why do they all live on the same block? How does the gym teacher and the single mother teacher afford such fancy houses?

I think that is a plot failure, not having people recognize the Stranger.

Unless she really was trans.

[quote]She grew up there with the old, white Irish dude and nobody ever remember her? Not RA? Not RA's father?

The old white Irish dude was married to The Stranger's mother. The mother had an extramarital affair with RA's dad, Tony Head. The affair was after RA's dad, and RA and his mom, moved away. RA's only knowledge of The Stranger was that his client, Old white Irish dude, would mention a daughter, but he had no knowledge that the daughter was The Stranger.

The street that RA and his family, and old White Irish dude and his wife, lived on had clearly been crumbling for years.

Why was Katz having to work all those extra hours to pay for his daughter’s medical care? Doesn’t England have the NHS?

[quote]Doesn’t England have the NHS?

NHS doctors are too stupid to diagnose rat poison in someone's system. They had to refer her to a specialist.

The real possibility is that the crazy wife was just saying she needed the money to take the daughter to the doctor and Katz wasn't questioning it. He was just handing over the money.

Katz was a beady-eyed motherfucker.

He looked a little like William Hurt.

It took me a while to realize he was Thoros of Myr on Game of Thrones. I knew he looked familiar.

The naked by turned out to look like he could be Tilda Swinton's daughter. The fat kid was irritating, and looked too old for 6th Form. All the leads were good, especially Finneran, but Saunders was bizarre casting.

If you liked TELL NO ONE, the French flick from 2006, that's another Coben adaptation that has a lot of similarities, you'll like this well enough.

The naked BOY.

I think Tell No One has a more interesting plot, r174, especially the book, though the French movie is pretty good. IMDB used to have a huge list of Harlan Coben books that were in development for films, and now they're all gone. I wonder what happened? Of my favorites, Stay Close, looked like it was fairly well along on the development chute, but it's completely disappeared now.

Richard is far from his North and South days.

"I'm assuming she learned her computer hacking skills from the old white guy?"

I loved that she used "Password Hacking for free" or whatever the name was. In reality, actually hacking a password is extremely difficult and almost impossible. Most website block your account for 24h if you enter the wrong password more than 3 or 5 times. Actually hacking a website like Gmail or FB is almost impossible and so ridiculous that most TV shows think some nerdy kid or FBI agent can hack a website in 2 min. Most hackers use malware or fishing to get passwords and don't really "hack" a website.

I didn't really mind the interracial relationships, but I was surprised that the cop's husband was black. First, she stated that she was going to retire soon so she is probably already in her early 60s. So the black husband was way younger than her? I also expected her to be married to an old fat, white guy (bad snoring) and this pairing was distracting. I just expected someone different and thought they were mismatched. Guess I'm a racist too. Haha.

First, she stated that she was going to retire soon so she is probably already in her early 60s.

I got the feeling that she was in a midlife crisis. Wanted to leave her career, wanted to leave her husband.

I thought her police partner was poorly played. He was part goofy, then part serious. It didn't make sense.

Finneran and actor Don Gilet (who plays her husband Phillip) were both born in 1967. I looked it up because I was surprised at what seemed like a big age difference between them.

^Ha, so I wasn't the only one who thought the husband was a lot younger (but he is actually the same age). Still a weird pairing.

Btw, The Stranger is from the same production company/producer who produced Years and Years for the BBC last year. Years and Years also had a ton of interracial couples and diverse casting. Looks like this is their thing.

I don't mind interracial casting, but it should make sense. It seems the current trend is black vicars in small country towns. Would all those old white ladies vote for a black vicar?

Vote for a vicar? Like, for real? As in: Are you for real?

Vicars aren't elected or even chosen. They get sent by the local diocese (or even higher up when they get shuffled around, because ... you know).

The recent British police thriller COLLATERAL (also Netflix) has a LESBIAN! vicar--played by DL Fave Nicola Walker. Who has an Asian luvvah!!

She was not elected, by the way.

And the Asian lover was in Britain illegally! All the boxes were checked.

Nicola Walker is a DL favorite? Since when? I like her on The Split though.

R184-and I had zero sympathy for either of those women. The illegal immigrant was a heartless grifter and user and I wanted her thrown out. The vicar was just too stupid and pussy whipped to vic.

I hated it. Ridiculous plot- shall we call them twists? The stranger, although based on a foreign book is the type of British series they do a lot of now. With surprising turns in the plot that are not based in, well even an internal logic-you may as well as have an alien land. It's lazy.

I want to be fucked by Richard Armitage.

R188- I agree on all counts. HORRIBLE show. By the 3rd episode I was hate watching it.

The denouement was completely preposterous and supremely disappointing.

Truly terrible.

The plot was stupid. That nasty fat kid was trying so hard to stand out.

Adam let that dumpy woman off way too easy.

I’ve also watched “Safe” and am currently hate-watching “The Five”. I’m still waiting to see if the clue I spotted early on is a red herring or a twist.

All these series have so many similarities and themes, it’s gotten muddled in my head.

I watched The Five and Safe. I like them a lot more than this crap. The only saving grace is Richard. They need to give him more shows.

The fat kid with the llama head was the best actor

R194, he was the Chris Farley.

I thought the concept of a stranger blackmailing random people with dark secrets was intriguing, but it turned into a huge soap opera too soon. Still entertaining though.

For Americans: in cosmopolitan, non-Tory, educated Britain interracial friendship and social groups are the norm, and interracial romance not unusual. It’s not like America where it’s kind of plausible that in Brooklyn-set Girls Lena Dunham had an entire season where she interacted with no one who was not a Jew or a WASP.

Most of the characters in this show are in business or police and are “new” money, not old-Etonians or minor gentry.

Not as common as it is on the show, obviously. They overegged the pudding. But at least 1/4 of the relationships wouldn’t be uncommon, especially among the kids.

"They overegged the pudding" - I love it. Is this a common saying in England, r197?

I’m Australian r198. No doubt the phrase originated in Blighty.

Just watched this show...did Richard leave Berlin Station to do this shit? It was OK but I preferred him in Berlin Station.

I thought it was atrocious.

There is GOOD trash (Ozark is high quality , somewhat intelligent TRASH)

This show was simply horrible

Armitage was smoking hot on MI5.

It was melodramatic but entertaining. However I liked “The Five” and “Safe” more.

Armitage hasn’t aged so well in the face but still has a very attractive bod. Loved O’Brien as the cop.

Shaun Dooley, the neighbor, was excellent on the last two seasons of “Misfits”. He was wrongly cast here for reasons stated by one of the posters above.

The young actress who played the girl whose mother was feeding her rat poison was quite homely.

[quote] I think Queen Elizabeth decreed that every British show has to include either Keeley Hawes or Steve Pemberton.

Don’t forget me either!

The wife was killed because Armitage got tired of her screeching voice. I dare you to watch the answering machine scene without wanting to stab her.

The actress playing The Stranger had a face you just wanted to punch.

I dont really like to judge people by their appearance, but I immediately thought the wife was too old and homely for Armitage.

So who would have been a better match? Which actress?

Lee Pace.

Did Jennifer Saunders really need a paycheck this badly?

One of the worst shows ever. Couldn’t stand the “stranger” and the climax was horrible. His sister? Really?

I wanted to punch the fat kid in the face.

The Armitage character finding the buried wife was stupid. She would have been decomposing and likely missing her face. WTF

"So who would have been a better match? Which actress?"

Gemma Arterton, Marion Cotillard, Gillian Anderson (maybe also too old, but still hot), T'Nia Miller, Rosamund Pike, Kate Winslet, Kate Beckinsale, Felicity Jones

Armitage is no spring chicken. The age-appropriate Keeley Hawes would have been perfect.

We are supposed to believe that the cute young boy in the hospital had the hots for the dowdy wife? lol

The dumpy frau wife looked significantly older than Armitage. No way a guy who looked like him would be with a busted old hag like that.

The actress who played the mistress is a better match. Did the characters fuck?

Yes, r217

Did anyone else laugh when the stranger pushed a cart into Armitage and he completely busted his ass? Ate the floor and everything.

Siobahn Finneran is one of the best actresses working today. The Stranger left a lot to be desired, but she still gave 100%.

What am I, chopped liver?

This was utter trash with dozens of gaping plot holes and some absolutely inane dialog. But yeti felt compelled to watch the whole thing. Observations: the fat kid seemed completely out of place (overacting and in poor taste in such a serious story), loved Siobhan as she gave the series some needed emotional depth, the plot line with the guy who shot Jennifer Saunders was not developed enough and made no sense, the high heeled boots that o’Brien We’re ugly and distracting and Not practical for a cop, why would RA be so quick to feel a family bond with his sister who turned his life upside down and caused his wife to be killed and who was blackmailing people - including friends?

What? You didn't like the fat kid's rant about pedos and baby vaginas? Lol. Much like the actress playing Corrine, he was fucking irritating.

what else are you guys watching? I'm running out of shows to watch

I've tossed around the idea of watching this. This is the second Harlan Coben novel adapted for Netflix and set in the UK. Do they have a thing for Coben over there?

Be prepared to watch it several times before it makes sense. Or just read this entire thread. Lots of fecking nonsense with plot holes.

[quote] This is the second Harlan Coben novel adapted for Netflix and set in the UK. Do they have a thing for Coben over there?

The third. First one was “The Five”, then “Safe”.

The British thing helped me overlook the Lifetime/melodramatic aspect but I’ll admit that I enjoyed them. “The Stranger” was the weakest, though.

The plot was weak but Obrian and the abfab lady were really good.

O'brien was far better than the material. I'd love to see her do more modern roles and will check out benidorm.

What did you think of Armitage?

^Wasn't shirtless enough

Bump. Watching now. Love the interiors, that mix of old and modern architecture that you see in London. At least that's what strikes me as an American. I know it was an American book, but glad they moved it to England, I enjoy a good trip abroad. Pip pip

British DLers, does every fashionably decorated English home have this gorgeous, big-windowed sunroom at the back, looking out onto the greenest of green gardens?

Ok, just finished the whole series in one go. And honestly I did figure out the culprit pretty early on. There's more for a second season, I would think...

Is Armitage now considered A-list?