Strangers 2 / 비밀의 숲 시즌2 [2020]

[abs-oluteM]

Ohhh oppa is alive ! 

 

So there’s this weird dream sequence that Shi Mok had 

it’s like LCJ is telling him (SDJ) his time is not up yet & that approval smile to Shi Mok ( this is weird ! ) 

 

And then SDJ woke up 

 

omo @SilverMoonTea @im0202 your ship is not going anywhere...they said goodbye . You know what happens when women cut their hair !! He’s being transferred I think

 

But he notice her hair !!!

Spoiler

 

 

[abs-oluteM]

SDJ is back - wife drops him off to give his statement .  He still has his smarmy vibe . Some things don’t change ! 

BTS  with his wife
 

Spoiler

 

 Ending scene with LCJ voice over & Shi Mok arriving at his new posting 

 

[im0202]

1 hour ago, abs-oluteM said:

But he notice her hair !!!

Improvement on Shimok’s part: In season 1 he said “it looks weird” referring to her with lipstick on. In season 2 he said she ‘changed’ her hairstyle. Season 3: ???? (Who knows what he will say lol)

 

We’d better get a season 3!!!

[ktcjdrama]

Season 2 is done! Seems like there will be a season 3 although there is no talk about it yet, is there? 

 

Will be back with more thoughts after I sleep on the finale episode first. But maybe for now what I can think of commenting on is that it was a poor decision by Choi Bit to abandon the body at the highway. They should’ve brought his body somewhere else (away from secret meeting suspicion) and just call the ambulance in. This case was rather weak for me. But I love how the connection with other cases are set up that leads to its unraveling.

 

@abs-oluteM when the dream sequence happened, I was like what is the meaning of it?! Explain it!! Good thing that later on they did address what the dream could've meant.

 

I must say that I'm glad YJ stayed behind and not go back to the front-liner. It's going to be hard, but she is not one to be defeated by peer pressures. I'm glad to see her new boss has some respect for her, and acknowledged her specifically. Those two male colleagues of her, they've been a sore to see since the beginning. I roll eyes every time they appear.

 

Edited October 4, 2020 by ktcjdrama

[40somethingahjumma]

The thing that really broke my heart in this last episode and really got me teary was seeing the good guys, Yeo-jin especially, get treated like rubbish for essentially being whistleblowers. All this yapping about reformation is hot air nonsense when the work culture is entirely dysfunctional at its core from a completely upside down view of what virtue means. 

 

Reformation? (To quote from one of fiction's greatest minds... Inigo Montoya )

 

The emperor has no clothes and yet the people who cop the most backlash are those who do their job by pointing out the problem. It's both infuriating and tragic to watch Yeo-jin getting pulled aside for being a "troublemaker" and ostracized in her new position. But what's really tragic to my mind is that so few people really understood what went wrong in the first place. As far as they're concerned, they did nothing wrong. Those who got caught did nothing terrible. They were just "unlucky" to get caught. It was someone else's fault for being too diligent, too rigid, too unyielding. The show is realistic in that it highlights that all too human quality. Few of the offenders felt genuine remorse for what they did including the kid that drowned his "friends".

 

I'm glad in some ways that Yeo-jin stuck to her guns despite all the subtle bullying she was subject to. Apparently treating whistleblowers like pariahs are par for the course in the police organization. Being given the silent treatment by her colleagues in the Intelligence Bureau is a sober reminder that change doesn't come easily. It is reminiscent of the Segok Station bullying that took place against Sgt Song who was transferred for reporting on his chief. This attitude is so much a part of the workplace culture that certainly no reward for any act of virtue. There's so much wrong with the organization it's hard to know where to start. Fortunately it does seem that the new director might be a much needed breath of fresh air among the brass. 

 

For me the resolution was somewhat anticlimactic... I would have liked to have known what Hanjo was up to gathering all these people together at the vacation home but as far as the way the writer handled the issues around crime and punishment... there's very little to fault. This is where the strength of the script really lies. Si-mok and his superiors thought he was there to participate in the council negotiations but God, the universe, fate brought him back to Seoul to deal with something more urgently. A malignant cancer that needed to be removed.

 

On hindsight, Woo Tae-ha was far more cynical than he seemed. His corruption certainly wasn't the work of a single day. In the end, he seemed almost sociopathic in his glibness. As he told Lee Yeon-jae, he knew that the prosecution was probably due to lose its direct investigative rights. It's time had come. But all the time he acted as if he was desperately trying to protect prosecutor rights. At the end of the day the only person he was trying to protect was himself. The language and the way he tries to manipulate people is highly suggestive of his tendency to abuse his power and bully others into submission. 

 

As for Choi Bit, she thought she had to play the game to climb the corporate ladder. She wasn't without a conscience and showed herself to be the better person when she gave the press con and stepped down. This was someone who was obviously intelligent and deserved to get to where she was... even if it was expedited because she cleaned up after her boss. She did what Yeo-jin couldn't. 

 

I also wanted to highlight Chief Kang Won-chul's tirade to Lee Yeon-jae before he exited. She was upset at his rebuke that she was the lynchpin that brought her husband down. "What kind of organization is affected by a single person?" His answer was telling.  Organizations are made up of people. In fact I go so far as to say that organizations are made up of individuals.  And yes, a single person can make the difference. That's what leadership -- good or bad -- is about. Frankly... I would add... an organization is only as good as the people in it. 

 

An organization can have the best processes in the world but if the people who are in it are only concerned about their own interests at heart, it doesn't matter how many regulations govern it, someone within will try and find loopholes to game the system. The more that happens, the more the rot and decay spreads.

 

I think the show makes a strong case for outliers... strangers to the gaming that goes on... men and women who remain true to ideals of the criminal justice system who aren't afraid to stand as outsiders no matter the personal cost. They are needed to keep the scumbags honest. They are feared and even disliked but they are needed to ensure that the entire building doesn't collapse into a heap.

 

[abs-oluteM]

Final BTS by LJH & YSA’s agency ( who also produced SF2) 

 

 

[stroppyse]

On 10/4/2020 at 6:23 AM, abs-oluteM said:

So there’s this weird dream sequence that Shi Mok had 

it’s like LCJ is telling him (SDJ) his time is not up yet & that approval smile to Shi Mok ( this is weird ! ) 

 

I thought the dream was interesting, if a bit heavy handed. It was as if saying to SM and SDJ that they still had things to do before they could join them.

 

What was well handled was SM mentioning the strange dream casually to YJ who takes note of it, and draws the conclusions from it, such as that SDJ was on his way to recovery. And that she then took the time to visit Yoon Se Won. The fact that he walked away in the same direction as Lee Chang Joon and Eun Soo whereas Kang Won Cheol went into a different office was clearly taken by YJ as a sign that SW may take his own life, meaning die and be with LCJ and ES, so YJ meets with YSW to head that off, making him promise to see her when she comes back and letting him know who sent him the care package of underclothing. What YSW did was wrong, but YJ doesn't want him to take his own life.

 

On 10/4/2020 at 6:23 AM, abs-oluteM said:

omo @SilverMoonTea @im0202 your ship is not going anywhere...they said goodbye . You know what happens when women cut their hair !! He’s being transferred I think

 

What does it mean when a woman cuts her hair? I've never heard that superstition.

 

And, yes, SM gets transferred back to a provincial office. And while there was no overt progression on the romance, I thought it was telling that SM seems to be getting some of his emotions and his EQ back. I'll take this as progress, that YJ and SM still have a connection with each other. So, maybe in the next season?

 

On 10/4/2020 at 6:46 AM, abs-oluteM said:

SDJ is back - wife drops him off to give his statement .  He still has his smarmy vibe . Some things don’t change !

 

This is what makes me think that there might be Season 3 as part of the overall arc. SDJ is the only one who can connect Yeon Jae to the things, as Yeon Jae herself says to SDJ as an encouragement to get him to wake up. But we don't actually know what SDJ decides to do with the information he has. Plus, he's given reassurance during his coma, again by Yeon Jae, that her husband had valued SDJ as someone who would do the right thing and could take care of himself. So, the fact that they end his arc before he makes any comments to the press is a tease, but could also be a hint at a continuation.

 

Though, if there isn't a Season 3, I think we can assume that SDJ decides to reveal Yeon Jae's involvement while if there is a Season 3, then SDJ may decide to try to play the angles again.

 

On 10/4/2020 at 8:21 AM, im0202 said:

We’d better get a season 3!!!

 

I'm with you on this one! On the one hand, the ending was a "realistic" ending with everyone going on with their lives, for better or worse. On the other hand, so many loose ends.

 

On 10/4/2020 at 9:02 AM, ktcjdrama said:

I must say that I'm glad YJ stayed behind and not go back to the front-liner. It's going to be hard, but she is not one to be defeated by peer pressures. I'm glad to see her new boss has some respect for her, and acknowledged her specifically. Those two male colleagues of her, they've been a sore to see since the beginning. I roll eyes every time they appear.

 

On 10/4/2020 at 10:32 PM, 40somethingahjumma said:

I'm glad in some ways that Yeo-jin stuck to her guns despite all the subtle bullying she was subject to. Apparently treating whistleblowers like pariahs are par for the course in the police organization. Being given the silent treatment by her colleagues in the Intelligence Bureau is a sober reminder that change doesn't come easily. It is reminiscent of the Segok Station bullying that took place against Sgt Song who was transferred for reporting on his chief. This attitude is so much a part of the workplace culture that certainly no reward for any act of virtue. There's so much wrong with the organization it's hard to know where to start. Fortunately it does seem that the new director might be a much needed breath of fresh air among the brass. 

 

Well said, both of you. I totally respect that YJ sticks to it with her position at the National Police Agency. She could have gone back to the police station where she could be in the field where she loves it and with colleagues who care about her as well as their work. However, she knows that she has a job to do at the national agency, even if she has to suffer as a whistleblower.

 

I was happy that the Superintendent was shown to be amenable to YJ after having heard good things from CB about YJ. It shows that at least not everyone is going to be totally against her, plus having a superior officer acknowledge her like that is going to force her new colleagues to re-evaluate their plans to make her a total outcast.

 

Her two male colleagues. Whatever. I want a Season 3 as well so that YJ could be shown wiping the floor with those pathetic excuses for conformist manhood not knowing what to make of YJ. I assume that YJ may become the next CB eventually except without the corruption to help her into the position. 

 

I also liked the rest of your commentary on organizations and how outliers are needed to shake things up and keep people honest.

 

Anyway, as far as this drama goes, I actually liked the ending even as it leaves me feeling that I want to see more. And, not just the romance that keeps being hinted at between SM and YJ without actually going anywhere. Even without any overt romance, I do love how YJ and SM interact with each other. Even the drama notes that Woo Tae Ha and Choi Bit are like SM and YJ gone wrong, which observation made me laugh. In the end, life continues to happen, people come and go, but the story doesn't seem finished without more resolution o Hanjo, frankly. Hanjo was a secondary player to the actions in this season, though they were the reason for a lot of the various coverups.

 

If there is no Season 3, I'll have to satisfy myself with the thought that YJ continues to climb the ladder at the National Police Agency through her stellar work and integrity. Even if she has to compromise some, she won't let herself compromise to the point where she is unable to look herself in the eye. SM will continue to do his work quietly and astutely wherever he's place, but he keeps being forced to go back to headquarters to ferret out more corruption. Eventually, SM and YJ will realize that they are each other's best friends as well as having respect for each other, and finally become a couple.

 

But, I'm really hoping for a Season 3, and this time to see more of SDJ and possibly even YSW who has been paroled from jail, though can't imagine right now what role YSW would take on to make him side with the good guys this time.

[ktcjdrama]

6 minutes ago, stroppyse said:

 

What was well handled was SM mentioning the strange dream casually to YJ who takes note of it, and draws the conclusions from it, such as that SDJ was on his way to recovery. And that she then took the time to visit Yoon Se Won. The fact that he walked away in the same direction as Lee Chang Joon and Eun Soo whereas Kang Won Cheol went into a different office was clearly taken by YJ as a sign that SW may take his own life, meaning die and be with LCJ and ES, so YJ meets with YSW to head that off, making him promise to see her when she comes back and letting him know who sent him the care package of underclothing. What YSW did was wrong, but YJ doesn't want him to take his own life.

When I saw YSW walking away together with LCJ and YES, I thought of and was worried he had taken his life in prison. But now I am going to interpret that they are the people who left the prosecution work. 

 

Any thoughts on why ES lingered a bit longer and SM looked at her a bit longer? Remember in season 1, there were people who think that there’s some romance between SM and ES? I didn’t think so, but this scene made me think about the possibility... why the production wants to highlight it... I still remember that one song that played when SM was looking at the stretched out sleeve of the sweater. 

[stroppyse]

9 minutes ago, ktcjdrama said:

When I saw YSW walking away together with LCJ and YES, I thought of and was worried he had taken his life in prison. But now I am going to interpret that they are the people who left the prosecution work. 

 

The implication was that YSW was going to take his own life in prison and join the other dead prosecutors, and the fear of that is why YJ went to visit him again to keep him from doing that.

 

But, I also like your analysis that all three of them are people who leave the prosecution permanently, whereas KWC had retired.

 

12 minutes ago, ktcjdrama said:

Any thoughts on why ES lingered a bit longer and SM looked at her a bit longer? Remember in season 1, there were people who think that there’s some romance between SM and ES? I didn’t think so, but this scene made me think about the possibility... why the production wants to highlight it... I still remember that one song that played when SM was looking at the stretched out sleeve of the sweater. 

 

I don't think that there was any romance between ES and SM. However, ES was his junior prosecutor who worked with him in his office. ES was special to SM, so I thought that was just having a moment of connection and goodbye in a way that they weren't able to do while she was still alive. So, I guess, a closure of sorts.

[UnniSara]

Hi everyone 

Stranger 2 OST is out at Itunes

 

[UnniSara]

Dream Sequence in episode 16 

I agree with @stroppyse ES was special like everyone who does work with SM becomes special. For example  SM met up with his old colleagues Investigator Kim Ho Sub. He actually smiled at him. KHS was thrilled because while working with him SM never smiled.  
YJ cutting her hair means change and wanting to live by her beliefs. She also wants  to keep fighting for justice the right way. She and KWC both learned that compromising ( will never benefit anyone because there are always consequences to that are beneath surface) will only do a disservice to the public and justice will never be serve. Luckily for YJ it did not kill anyone but KWC compromise almost killed someone indirectly. 
 

This episode left me wondering which way will SDJ go.  His kidnapping helped him with his family issues but did it make him want to seek Justice for the public buy doing the right thing. I hope so

 

i knew SM trusted YJ but his character has shown the most growth.  
1. He asked her to dinner unlike the last Season he just left

2. he smiles more at her

 

3. He only drinks alcohol with HYJ 

It took me so long to realize that . I am quite ashamed 

 

[SnowBlob]

It's time to say good bye to Stranger season 2. Thank you @UnniSara for opening this thread so we can have a good discussion about this drama throughout its 16 episodes! And you were right when you said previously that WTH and CB were nothing like SM and YJ. These last 2 episodes showed that their relationship was built on something wrong to begin with (so nothing right and endearing about that!). And I could only conclude..what an annoying character WTH is. He's unrepentant until the end and he looked only to his own benefits and failed to see others' troubles as the result of his actions. In fact, he wasn't the only perpetrator who kept blaming others, Kim Hu Jeong did exactly the same and so a few others (face palm). But then in the end we saw a glimpse of hope in ex-prosecutor Kang Won Cheul. He said that he himself was to blame and not Hanjo. Good on him! 

 

I'm really happy to see a possible suicide prevented and we still have YSW alive. When I watched the dream scene...I was wondering why YSW was part of the three people which two were already dead. The possible meaning only hit me when it hit YJ!! So I wonder is this the cleverness of the writer? Like she did it in a way to ensure people wouldn't be able to understand what it meant for YSW specially (as I fully got it why KWC turned and SDJ was stopped) and she later created another scene with YJ when she wanted the viewers to also have a light-bulb moment WITH her through her prodding questions in relation to YSW. If yes..BRAVO!

 

I will always welcome a season 3~ I really want to find out what SDJ's answer was...YES/NO?

 

 

Love his smile at the end and great to see his old secretary? at the end too! 

 

Thank you everyone for all your thoughts.. I'll see you around on other drama threads in the future! 

[mademoiselle]

I need to binge this so I won't read the posts above. I came to share this cute gifs of Shi Mok not being able to eat, lol.

 

Spoiler

source: https://dingyuxi.tumblr.com/post/631430525348954112/hanyeojins-hwang-si-mok-every-time-he-almost

[40somethingahjumma]

I had begun to write my overall thoughts on the drama when I realised I should just write a review for the forum.   Which I did. Here. I kept spoilers out of it as much as possible. 

 

Some final comments:

I liked this season enough to want a third season. Especially because we didn't get Dong-jae's response in the investigation over Park Gwang-su's death. But also I'd like to see how Yeo-jin gets on under the new regime in the Intelligence Bureau and being shunned by her colleagues. The potential is there despite the pacing issues in the earlier part of the drama. There's no disputing however that the ensemble cast is stellar and the writing shows a great deal of thought. For me I'm always eager to see the leads together ... even if they're just chatting over drinks or when there's a bit of banter. I've become really fond of them as individuals and in collaboration. Without a doubt they're special to each other and when the chips are down, the one is there for the other. Who knows if a season 3 would see them both take things to another level. 

 

I do lament the lack of Lee Joon-hyuk in this although to be fair he did quite a juggling act in the past 12 months. He was memorable in whatever capacity he was in. The man deserves the success and recognition that he's been getting of late. It boggles my mind that it's taken him this long to be this ubiquitous. 

 

With regard to Eun-soo's presence in Si-mok's dream, I have my own views on this. It always seemed to me that she was someone who was always eager to get close to him (I always thought she was crushing on him) but because of her father's urgings or his own reflexive need to maintain a distance, he might have found her difficult to handle especially because of her persistence. I think there's lingering guilt and regret that he wasn't kinder to her especially because of her untimely departure. I found it telling that Dong-jae's junior at his present posting, reminded him of her. I personally had a hard time warming up to Eun-soo (even after the second viewing) but I was left with a good impression of Jung Min-a. Apparently SM thought well of her as well. Enough to send her the suicide note so that she could investigate the Segok Station suicide further. She was obviously deliberately compared to ES. Obviously eager to do well but more circumspect. 

 

The importance of taking responsibility for one's actions comes up as one of franchise's favoured themes especially in light of all the contrasts showcased here. I'm both sad and relieved that Kang Won-chul was a casualty as a result of all the machinations at play. But he showed himself to be more introspective... more capable of change than most of his peers. More significant for his mental health is that he escapes the clutches of Hanjo and doesn't lose himself in their schemes.

 

 

 

 

[UnniSara]

On 10/10/2020 at 5:57 AM, 40somethingahjumma said:

I liked this season enough to want a third season. Especially because we didn't get Dong-jae's response in the investigation over Park Gwang-su's death. But also I'd like to see how Yeo-jin gets on under the new regime in the Intelligence Bureau and being shunned by her colleagues. The potential is there despite the pacing issues in the earlier part of the drama.

I agree @40somethingahjumma  there should be a season 3 and if they hadn't had that political story line, the rating would have went through the roof. After all this about crimes not politics. Dong Jae's response and Jeo-Jin's work under the new regime in the Intelligence Bureau. How her work is or not affected and if she will be able to get their acceptance. 

[mademoiselle]

On 10/7/2020 at 9:06 PM, SnowBlob said:

I really want to find out what SDJ's answer was...YES/NO?

I think it is a NO because he received an invitation to be in service for the Hanjo Group like the deceased Park Gwang Soo did, isn't it?

 

I finished binging and it is definitely much better being able to continuously watch the episodes than having to wait for it each week. It's harder to follow due to its convoluted storylines. I'll honestly say I don't like S2. The impact of what happened feel lesser than S1. The series of events that happened are all separate cases and not at all linked like how I initially thought. The only link between these cases were due to Seo Dong Jae dog sniffed them out as being suspicious.

 

I'm quite disappointed with the story-telling re: the Hanjo Group. And now it is going to be carried forward to S3, if there's gonna be another season. The strife between the siblings didn't seem to go anywhere in this season. She found out her father maybe sick etc., but no revelation afterwards. I'd have liked it better if the writer can close the chapter on Hanjo. Let the new season have a new villain or another chaebol group or whatever it may be. The finale hinted at Kang Won Cheol's plead for Hanjo to not harm Shi Mok and Dong Jae, so is this a foreshadowing that Lee Yeon Jae will eventually follow Lee Chang Jun's wish, that that's why the writer is keeping this sideplot...?

 

Like some of you, I much prefer SF remains as crime solving drama rather than meddle in too much with current affairs/politics. A little bit is ok, about corruptions and all, but not so convoluted and complicated. There were so many characters involved in this season that it was extremely difficult to keep up who's who and it's not interesting enough for me to want to re-watch and figure out who they are. It would have been much more interesting if SF adapted the Burning Sun scandal into a drama as it crosses over to crimes + chaebol involvement + celebrities + police corruption (and maybe prosecution too).

[-StrongTower-]

I am also hoping for a 3rd season.

 

Season 2 was alright for me. It lacked the thrill and excitement from Season 1. The plot is good. Many entangled stories. 

[wink_]

Posted by Jieun Im AKP Staff

Well-made drama 'Stranger' to reportedly return with a new spin-off season

 

 

 

 

The well-made drama 'Stranger' will reportedly return with a 3rd season.

 

According to one exclusive media outlet, the production team for the popular series 'Stranger' is currently planning for a third season, gathering excitement. According to the reports, the 'Stranger 3' will be a spin-off version of the previous two seasons, raising anticipation.

 

'Stranger' is a drama that depicts the story of a lonely prosecutor Hwang Si Mok (played by Jo Seung Woo) and detective Han Yeo Jin (played by Bae Doo Na), as they track the truth behind hidden cases. The first and second seasons of 'Stranger' were highly praised by viewers for being a "well-made drama” and achieved high viewership ratings.

 

The spin-off series 'Stranger 3' will tell a new story, presenting exciting new variations of previously introduced characters. While nothing has been confirmed as of yet, the production company for 'Stranger' stated, "We are currently discussing many different possibilities."

 

https://twitter.com/allkpop/status/1585155510470410241

 

 

[ktcjdrama]

Lee Joon Hyuk will continue to portray the life of Seo Dong Jae from the hit K-drama Stranger.

On February 9, industry insiders revealed that the hit tvN K-drama Stranger will be having a spin-off K-drama. This time, the story of the supporting role of Seo Dong Jae will be unveiled. Lee Joon Hyuk portrayed the role in the past two seasons of Stranger and reports stated that the actor will return and be the main lead of the upcoming spin-off. 
(click below link for more)
https://mydramalist.com/article/a-k-drama-spin-off-of-stranger-will-be-led-by-lee-joon-hyuk

 

[abs-oluteM]

I will open a new thread for Good Bad DongJae :D