I had bookmarked Stranger on NetFlix, hoping to get Craig to watch it (the fast and dense subtitles for episode 1 did him in, sadly), but I left it there because I am an optimist and hoped I could talk him into trying again. But knowing that you’re watching it, Yolette, I couldn’t pass up the chance to spend some more time with the characters I found so fascinating. And now, 10 episodes later, I’m hooked all over again even though I know “whodunnit” just because I chortle at every little non-reaction from Hwang Shi-mok, or cheer at every badass standup moment from Han Yeo-jin.

When all is said and done, I think I’m going to have to put together a list of my favorite moments (if that’s possible without it being in the multiple teens).

Here’s one several to start (after the jump) from episode 9 or 10:

After the special investigation team is assembled, Lee Chang-joon has his wife invite them all to his home for dinner (while he’s off turning in his resignation and getting the official assignment for the team with Shi-mok). This is a very odd and inappropriate thing for him to have done, Shi-mok clearly feels, but he doesn’t rock the boat (perhaps because he knows he’s not always fully aware of what is correct socially) and finally sits down at the table after a very long and awkward moment. The tension in this brief moment is so thick you can cut it with a knife. Moment 1.

Then wifey dear starts with the awkward small talk and asks nosy questions about children and dating and offers to set Shi-mok up with beautiful women she knows and Yeo-jin mutters that she loves beautiful women too. Hah! Moment 2.

Then creepy FIL Lee Yun-beom comes home and tries his little handshake of intimidation routine on Shi-mok only for it to fail completely. LYB tries to squeeze too hard and hold too long and Shi-mok just loosens his fingers and breaks the hold. Moment 3.

And finally his moral compass asserts itself and he knows he’s got to get his team out of that house where the toxic Lee Yun-beom lives, and probable corruption king Lee Chang-hoon is trying to pull the wool over their eyes and pretend he’s a good guy. Everyone just stands there (wanting to dig in and chow down on the lovely food — except maybe for the new prosecutor on the team, Yoon Se-won who was hit hard by the child question), then resignedly picks up there things to go.

#bae-doona, #cho-seung-woo, #jo-seung-woo, #stranger, #stranger-secret-forest