Stranger

I used to watch lots of crime thrillers. But I assure you this one by far one of the best I have seen. Most of the directors of crime thrillers will underestimate the viewers capacity and irritate us with their screenplay. The director of series didn't made that mistake. Till the very end, we could not able to guess the murderer or the motive behind it. Acting is outstanding. Hats off to the entire team for such brilliant production.

After watching Parasite, i had this thing to watch a Korean Tv series and guess what. I'm hooked to this one. It is really amazing, fan of breaking bad, the wire, better call saul, Mindhunter, True directives and many more like that will be hooked to this. Trust it's hidden gem on internet. The cinematography, acting, screenplay everything is amazing. I'm really happy that I'm getting to know Korean culture little little from this movie and series.

I have more than hope for all the best in the future for the writer of this drama! My favorite was Bae Doona, but that is a personal reference, all of the acting cast did splendidly, they delivered their roles magnificently and the script was majestic! I watch at least 3 k-dramas per month, and this is... one of the best, if not the best drama I've seen so far! I kept wondering throughout the series if the script was made by a Korean person, because it lacks all of the washed out clichés, the story is excellently thought through, characters are deep and the point itself explores the corruption, and the bad deeds done by very influential people who occupy high places within a country. Forest of Secrets set a new bar for dramas, and I really hope we'll get the chance to see something else from the author soon!

The first season of this Korean drama opens with Prosecutor Hwang Shi Mok discovering the body of a murdered man. The case will see him working with policewoman Lieutenant Han Yeo Jin. They are very different characters; thanks to an operation when he was a teenager Shi Mok has reduced emotions. There is an early suspect but questions are soon raised about his guilt as evidence emerges suggesting the victim had been involved in corruption. The case draws attention to tensions between the police and the prosecution service.

The second season opens with two students drowning at a beach where the closure notices had been taken down. Those who took the notices down are quickly apprehended but they have contacts in high places and are soon released; Shi Mok is on the case. Once again he finds himself working with Han Yeo Jin as both are seconded to a group examining the relative powers of the police and prosecution service. Both sides are keen to show the other in a poor light so look into wrong doing in the other service. Tensions further mount when a prosecutor disappears; evidence suggests kidnapping or worse.

I really enjoyed this series. It doesn't waste time with needless exposition concerning the rivalry between police and prosecution; it treats the viewers as intelligent enough to pick it up as the story progresses. The cases in both seasons are interesting and the main characters are fun to watch. Cho Seung-woo does an outstanding job as Hwang Shi Mok but Bae Doona steals just about every scene she appears in, as she manages to produce laughs with the subtlest of gestures, without every becoming a comedy character. The rest of the cast are impressive too. Overall I'd certainly recommend this.

These comments are based on watching the series in Korean with English subtitles.

The story and characters were absolutely amazing!!! Shi Mok Hwang and Yeo Jin Han have soon become among my favourite characters ever and I already miss them. I really hope there will be a follow up of their story. The series is a great chance to understand Korean culture and it can compete with the best series around the world. The whole plot and reconstruction is very realistic and all the cast is superb, all characters very detailed and true, it's one of the best series/movie I ever seen. It gives addiction! I look forward Shi Mok to come back to Seoul and to lieutenant Han!