I'm Jessica and this is K BA K Rambles where a couple of friends review Korean dramas and we're back with another K drama and I'm back with my good friend Caitlin from No Sleep for Dramas podcast. And how are you, Caitlin? Hello. I'm good, I'm good. How are you Good We've. Been chatting for about 40 minutes before we started recording so we we are all warmed up here. Caitlin, you haven't been on Like Just You without Drama trio since Flower of Evil.
Yep. It has been a really long time since I've had you on. And this is the funniest thing. But this episode is on Stranger, which is something that we discussed on one of the drama trio episodes. And I was like, would you be willing to come on? I've never seen it. Would you be willing to come on? And you were like, hell yeah, like absolutely. I rewatch it, like the whole bit.
And I was like, OK, cool. I initially I had such high like aspirations of watching both seasons of Stranger and reviewing both seasons on this episode, Girl, that didn't happen. That didn't happen. We're just going to do season one. We're just we're just going to review season one because your girl got busy. I watched 10 episodes of another show and then that recording got pushed back. So that ate into my time and then just life happened.
So it just didn't happen. I got 30 minutes into episode one of season 2. We're just gonna we're just going to review Stranger season one. So before we do, this is your first time listening. Thank you. Go ahead and subscribe on your favorite podcast app. We're on Apple podcast, Spotify, Google Podcasts and many more. And if you like us, please give us a review on Apple Podcasts. Come and check us out on social media to stay up to date on our latest episodes and reviews.
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OK, so this is the My Drama list synopsis for season one. Like I said, we are only going to cover season one of Stranger. There are two seasons out so far. Don't worry, I'm making her watch season two. Yeah, because we're going to get, we're going to get there.
I told her I was like, we have to circle back and do Season 2. I really still want to watch Season 2, so maybe for spooky season we'll circle back and do Season 2 of Stranger because I'm not done with it. I really do want to finish it. I've had so apparently I'm doing the Lord's work because apparently I've had so many people sense that drama trio episode where I like just I can't remember what it was. Yeah, me neither it. Was like, it was like it was, it
was like a recommendation thing. It was like one of the like we did. It was like bring 10 dramas or something. Was it the genre to talk about them? I think maybe, yeah, yeah, it probably is a drunk. OK, Yeah. I've had so many people DM me and be like, I'm watching Stranger, like I just finished season one, how could they do this? Oh my God, I've had like four people message me since that episode and I'm like, thank you. Thank you for actually watching the show.
I Yeah. So I'm one of these people because I was so intrigued with your assessment of it and your synopsis of it. You really sold it on that drama tree episode And I was I literally you can hear it like it's live on the show that we recorded. I was like, if we if I do it like for tip Hock, would you come on? And you were like, tell me when like name the date, right. So this is it. Like, we're here finally. So I'll just go ahead and read
the synopsis. We'll go through some behind the scenes people, and then we'll just talk about the show. I have to be up front. I did not take a single freaking note on this show. I was just, like, in it, OK? I was, like, immersed. All right, So here's a synopsis. Hung Shimok underwent brain surgery as a child to curb his violent temper, which left him devoid of emotions. Huang becomes a prosecutor known for his piercing intelligence or intellect? That's what I wanted to say,
Intellect and logic. But he is ostracized because he lacks empathy and social skills. He is also one of only a handful of upright prosecutors who have refused to take bribes. One day, he encounters a stabbing victim while investigating corruption. He meets Lieutenant Hanyu Jin at the crime scene. They join force forces to root out corruption at the prosecutor's office and solve a serial murder case. Serial murder case. OK, not sure about that bit. All right, this it works.
Out it's it's literally it's a basically serial murder case. Is like they have more than three murders. That's a serial murder case, OK. So this aired from June to July 2017. It is 16 episodes long and it's directed by Ankil Hope. He really hasn't done anything much at all, just things like the glory, The glory part one and two happiness record of youth watcher memories of the Alhambra rooftop prints, which I've highly recommend.
Rooftop prints. I, I don't know why, I just love that show and it is written by Isuyon, who was inspired by the Korean saying we cannot rule those who want nothing to create the character of Shemalk, which I thought was interesting. I'm not sure exactly what that means. You can muse about that if you if you like Caitlin, but I think there might be something lost in translation.
I truly do. She's had a pretty good run because she's done things like Life from 2018, which is a medical drama with Ido Mook and a ton of cast members from Stranger, including the male lead. She also wrote Stranger 2, the sequel, in 2020. And then she's been partnering with Disney lately because she's done Grid, a Disney Plus show from 2022 with Sulkung Jun from
Are You Human Too? And I thought when I saw him, I was like, Oh my God. And then Blood Free, she wrote Blood Free, which is currently airing on Disney Plus with Jujuyun and Han Yoju. Yeah, which is so good if you need a recommendation. So you're watching it? Yeah, yeah, I'm liking it a lot. All right, but so this show Stranger stars toe so MU he plays Huang Shimok. He's been in about 18 movies and a few TV shows like divorce attorney Shin. He is the divorce attorney Shin.
He's also been in Sisyphus, The Myth, Stranger 2, The sequel, Life. Like I said before, God's Gift, 14 Days and The King's Doctor. This is my first time ever seeing this man. Oh, really? Oh, yeah. Yeah. OK. Have you seen him as a good? Actor Yeah, yeah, I watched this. Sisyphus. I don't recommend it and it's not for the actors. The writing is horrible, obviously. Stranger, Stranger 2 God's gift.
I have watched, but I did not watch Life and I have not watched The King's Doctor All. Right. And then his. I like him. He's good. He's like, it's like, I think Stranger is my favorite character he has played really, but I have I have a soft spot for his like character, but he
is a very versatile actor. Like he, he, he chooses roles that you would never picture him doing and then he does the role and you're like, oh, OK, I understand why he did this role 'cause he's not like in, in my mind, he's not the typical Korean actor. Like he doesn't have some like especially appearance wise. You look at him and you're like,
it's an interesting look. Like people don't really, I, I don't, I don't normally see people like talking about him a lot, especially when it comes to like, oh, he's a good looking guy. I think he's a good looking guy, but he doesn't come up in those types of lists. OK, I was about to slide in and be like, he's super handsome. I find him. I know, I know. Yeah, OK. He's very handsome and he. I mean, I don't know, I just. I've never seen those types of lists. I think he's.
Very man. In those type of lists, yeah. But I think he's a very versatile actor. He doesn't. He chooses roles that you normally wouldn't think he could do or like, picture him doing. And then he does them and he does them really, really good. So I, I love him as an actor. I wish he would do more. But he, he's a, he's a very much a movie actor. Like he does a lot of movies. Yeah. So then his Co star is Bay Doona. That Bay Doona she plays Hanyo Jin the cop.
She is the Watson to his Sherlock in this show and she's been in about 21 ish movies, including a lot that is in our side of the world. You know like rebel moon parts one and two, which are terrible movies. She's she's. Good in them though apparently I haven't seen them. But I haven't. I refuse. So she's also little about me. Umm, she's also been in Broker from 20/22 with IU. She's worked with that director before in umm, something about a
doll. I, it's like a blow, uh, air doll I think is the name of the movie that she was in. Anyway, she's worked with that director before, the director of Broker. She's been in Persona also with IUI. Don't know if you've seen Persona. Persona's bizarre. I did. It is bizarre, but I have seen it. OK, me too. It is Netflix, yeah, Tunnel from 2016. I really want to see Tunnel. Really good. It's it's really good. Yeah, Jupiter. It's heartbreaking, but it's good.
Oh no, don't tell me Tunnel's heartbreaking. Well, I mean like I I wouldn't. The premise already sounds heartbreaking. Yeah, the yeah, it's like, in terms of like, just because of the premise, it's like a very intense, heartbreaking show, but like. Well, tunnel, Tunnel the movie. Yeah, the movie. From 2016. So for those who don't know what tunnel is about, I read the synopsis and I was like, I definitely need to see, need to see this movie.
It is this man who is on his way to his daughter's birthday party to celebrate his daughter's birthday. He's got nobody else in the car with him and he's got his daughter. He's bringing his daughter's birthday cake with him. A tragic tunnel collapse happens while he's driving through the tunnel and when he wakes up from this this collapse, he's stuck inside his car with nothing but 2 bottles of water and the cake. Yeah, yeah. And like that's that's the setup.
Wife. Yeah. And Baidu no plays his wife or ex-wife. I want to say they were divorced or separated. I don't think they were like happily married, but I could be wrong. I I I haven't watched the movie in a very long time. I really want to say it. So that's 2016 Jupiter Ascending, which is one of the worst movies ever made. Cloud Atlas, one of the strangest movies ever made. That's with Tom Hanks, Hugo Weaving, Halle Berry, big All Star cast, super weird.
The host from 2006, that's Bong Joon Ho. Like amazing movie, amazing monster movie. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance from 2002. Bei Duna almost doesn't even look like herself because she's so young. This is like a / 20 years old. 2002 This is a Pachanuk movie. It's part of the Vengeance trilogy. I covered it on the Patreon feed last year during Was it last year or the year before? I can't remember because I watched all three movies in the
Vengeance trilogy. So that put me in a real Bad Men mental place, but I did it anyway. So that's her movie work and then she's also been in a handful of TV. Not as much TV as she has done movie work, but she's done since 8:00. From 2015 to 2018 she was a recurring character like she was on this show. She was. Fantastic. And Sansa Q was also in that show, which, yeah, that's where I first saw her. I first saw her in Sensei, right. Which they're chemistry. I need them in a Korean drama
together. Like their chemistry is so good at that. Show my Atlanta so Sense 8 that was a real big hit for Netflix and that's why she's in so many Netflix movies and so many Netflix shows including Kingdom which was in 2019 and season 2 aired in 2020. Kingdom is one of the best K dramas ever. This was right at the start of when Netflix was investing in K dramas right? And BAE Doona was like a Netflix darling from Sense 8. And Kingdom is a zombie show of epic proportions that is so good.
Jijiyun is in it as well. Stranger Two comes along in 2020. The Silence C which is also a Netflix sci-fi show. K drama. Not very good, but it's a, you know, out there if you want to watch it was. It was fine. It wasn't like the best ever, but it was decent. Exactly. And then she will be in family plan later this year. I don't know what that's about at all, but I. Want to say it's another like family of superheroes but I could be wrong. Is it really? I I want to say it, it is oh.
Do you know that sounds familiar? When they were announcing like the cast and Beiduna was in it. I think it is like a superhero thing. OK so that these two are the main. I've seen, I've seen most of what BAE Doonas does. I love her. I feel like I've seen a lot of her too. I don't think she's a bad actress at all. I think she's amazing. And obviously she started as a model, kind of branched out and made her name doing these movie like for all tours, right?
The Pacha Nuk and the Bong Joon Ho movies and the I forgot the name of the director of Broker, but like that director too. These three movies kind of put her on the map. Right. Yeah. And since then, she's been a staple of Western and Korean media. Yeah, yeah. She was like one of the first, even though I have been watching Korean dramas years before she ever came onto the scene. She was like one of the real first Korean actors that I witnessed in American entertainment.
And nowadays you kind of see them pop up, like Kim Ji Hoon is going to join Butterfly, for example. But like back then when Sense 8 was happening, that did not happen. That did not happen especially. Because could we have like Daniel Dae Kim in Lost? Yeah. And The thing is like and that was even like Korean American like the fact they brought up. Korean atrocious. Yeah, like.
When he spoke Korean, yeah. The fact that they brought over like in sense 8, it made sense because it did take place in Korea. Like they had to find Korean actors, but like that was unheard of. Usually you'd see like Asian Americans like they could. They sometimes even didn't use the right ethnicity when they were using Asians in American shows. Like, so her being on Sense 8 and so Q is also. And like, that was like my first exposure of, like, Korean actors
in an American show or movie. Yeah. And not just in Korean productions. Yeah, so already big cast. I don't want to go into everybody else that's in this show. Maybe Shin Hai San, who plays Unsu. You've seen her before. I I I don't have her filmography in front of me. EQ hyung as well is also in this. I always consider him his loony from prison playbook, that's how. Her son was in like my 18th life for example. Yeah, see you in my 19th. Life 19th. Life. Yeah.
See you in my 19th. Thank you for dragging my memories. See you in my 19th Mr. Queen. Mr. Queen shit, 30 but 17, which is I love that show. So those are some shows from her. And yeah, so there's some other people in the show as well, but large, large cast, ensemble cast. But those two, Chosung Wu and Beituna, are it like they are the top billing of their show. This show did very, very well, not just in ratings but also critically.
It did amazing. It was making topless on like New York Times, like best list, best shows of 2017. I remember seeing that, like I remember seeing that list and when they, when they put that out, 'cause this is a 2017 show, like it was their pic, The Stranger was a picture on that
article. It wasn't even like just like in the article, I was like, and my, because my parents knew that I watched Korean dramas, they like, pointed it out to me and they're like, my dad's like, is this a good show? And I'm like, is this a good show? Are you kidding me? It's a New York Times, of course it's a good show. But like, that was a big deal. That was like the first time I had ever witnessed a Korean drama in like The New York Times Best of 2017 shows.
Like nowadays you kind of see that more commonly. Like Kingdom was in it and Extraordinary Attorney Wu was in it a couple years ago whenever that aired. But like, that time was like the first time I had ever seen a Korean drama in that whole article. It was a big deal. So this thing did really well at the Beck Song Awards, the 54th Beck Song Awards, and I am going to read to you all the things that it won and was nominated
for. So it won just clean sweep the Teh Song, the grand prize for TV, which is something that is not announced beforehand. They don't announce who they are thinking of nominee. They don't announce the nominees. They don't announce who they are considering for the day song until the night of and you they announce the winner. They're just like this, this person, this team, this TV show, this film won the day song,
which is incredible. Then later on they released like who was in consideration and stuff like that, which is crazy. But Tosung Wu, our male lead, won Best Actor cleanly. Just won ISU Yon. ISU Yon, the screenwriter won best screenplay. This is her debut work. This is her first K drama she's ever written. She won the best screenplay at the Beck Song Awards. Incredible. This was not obviously nominated for best drama. It lost to Mother that year.
It was on Kilhole. The director was nominated for best director. He lost to Kim Yun Yun Chol for The Lady in Dignity and EQ hyung who is loony from Prison Playbook was nominated for Best New Actor and he lost to Yung Sejong for Temperature of Love. When I saw Temperature of Loving Yung Sejong, I like had a little conniption there. I was like, Oh my God, I fucking love that show and I love Yung Sejong in that show. So I was like, wow, he lost to
like a good newcomer, right? I, I, I just felt that it was warranted because this guy was good, but like, not that. I mean, it was he was a male lead in temperature of love and stuff like that. He was just like a side character in strangers. So anyway, I, I was reeling with that reveal anyway, nominated 8 times. Crazy. Yeah, it was every. It was everywhere. 3-4 anyway, nominated a lot of times. I'm not sure if it was eight times, but a lot of time.
It was everywhere. Like it it took like it had ratings. Like there's a reason why they made season 2. Like everybody was really surprised when they announced season 2 for this show. I was not. I was like, dude, do you remember how popular this show was? Like it is it was a juggernaut in 2017. Like ratings were double digits all the time. It was obviously nominated a lot got recognition in New York Times like that again, that never happened.
So like everybody was like, why are they making a season 2? They never make season 2. And I'm like, it makes sense for stranger. They're hecking they're they're making like a spin off now this year. So like I totally am. This is going to be one of those shows that they're going to bring back every few years. Like it's just built that way. I would not be surprised if we get a season three. In my opinion, it just it's yeah, I was not surprised whatsoever.
They made a season 2. Everybody else was. I was like it makes total sense. Well, they built it I think to be a multi season. Yeah, they did. Yeah. And even season 2 ends up that way where they could easily do a season three. Like not even connected to either one of the other seasons. Not that Season 2 is not really connected to season one, but like they, they built it that way.
It's kind of like Taxi Driver, like you can kind of just do a season, yeah, every three years, every four years, whatever, whatever. Yeah, it's great. So this was my first time watching Stranger and my experience watching Stranger, which let me just prep in case you've gone this far and you didn't. You can't quite wrap your head around what it is. It is a crime thriller, drama. There is no romance. We want romance, but there's not. We want romance, so. There's no romance.
OK, That's what this is. So I went into this thinking I have pretty good judgement of characters and people, and I can figure out who the killer is and who the mastermind is because I just have watched a lot of media and can do this or whatever. Baby, I didn't know who was go, who was who, what was going on, who was the killer, who was the mastermind.
If things were changing each episode and you could only trust two people and that was the two leads, Bei Duna and Shimo, the the male lead, I was riveted to the screen. I could not tear my eyes away. And it was right around episode 10 or 11 that I started getting real lost. I was like, Oh my God, I don't know what's. I literally was like, I have no idea what's going on because they were doubling back on themselves.
And they were people that they had sort of cleared from suspicion were back on the table. You know what I'm saying? Like it was, it was very cyclical and. Right, right. If, if that's not your bag, if, if crime thrillers are not your bag and rooting out corruption in the police force or the prosecution service is not your idea of a good time, I'm sorry, don't watch. But this was so exciting to watch because I can't, I don't know how to put it, but it was
very suspenseful. It was very Sherlocky and. Right. I had, I had a tremendous sight. I have crazy eyes right now. I I do talking about this. I was sending, I was sending Caitlin these crazy voice memos of like, I just got to this episode and this happened. I don't know what's going on. I don't know who to trust. I I thought this person was good, but they're not like, I
need help. Like, I was sending her really unhinged messages and all the Caleb would send back would be like, yeah, I told you it was crazy. Like that's all. There would be no help at all. She would just be like, Yep, keep going. Because I didn't want to say anything because I'm afraid I wouldn't spoil it. I had one guess it was wrong, like it was I'm telling you. I was very entertained. Yeah, you were super entertained.
And every time we would talk, you would just be like, Oh my God, I would send you these crazy gifts of like, screaming like things. And Oh my God, it was such a bit of a haunted house thing where it's like you turn a corner and it was you didn't know what was there. And that is the best kind of plot, the best kind of writing that it's not, you're not being taken for a ride in the in a in the wrong sense. You're being taken for a ride in the best sense. Right, right.
So I cannot recommend Stranger enough. I think it's a master class in telling a story and and putting a lot of puzzle pieces in front of you. And the audience is still like, I don't know how to put this together. Right. And that's what I loved about it because again, I watch a ton of crime dramas and so if I can predict the ending, I usually drop them because I, I, I don't know, my mind works in a way. I'm not like boasting or anything.
There's definitely a lot that I'm unpredictable, like I can't predict, but there are somewhere it's like, I totally know where this is going. I'm not going to watch it. Stranger was one of those where I had no idea what was going on. Both seasons, like both seasons. Like I think the other thing that helps out this show too is like you have multiple mysteries that pop up. So it's not just one crime in in stranger. You have murder, you have
corruption. You have like just sketchy people like everything so and then. Everything. And what are they hiding like? And everything connected by the end. But like, you have so much crime and so many threads going on there's you can't predict it. And it's just masterfully woven together at the end. Yeah, yeah. So I don't know how much else to say because it's it. We'll get into spoiler territory very quickly. Yeah. And I don't got any notes
either. I just said, I said at the top, like I came in raw, like I don't have any notes. I didn't take anything down when I was watching this show. So I almost feel like we should just give our ratings or maybe like no, even like favorite scenes and stuff. We'll get into spoilers. It would be spoilers, yeah. Maybe is there a character that you really connected with? I love Shebuk like he's he's my favorite.
I always I have a soft spot for like his type of character where it's like the quiet type, the calculating type, the like observant type, like I couldn't I relate a lot to that type of character. So I immediately loved him out the get go. And then also just because he his character brings a comedy side to the show that like he never would have expected just because his brain works differently that he doesn't. And I said this in the drama
trio, like he can't comprehend. Like, for example, we know all of Korea has these like, society rules, how you have to be respectful to your elders and like respect the rules and authority and stuff. His mind can't comprehend that Like they, he's like, why the heck are we following this?
And so he has much, a lot of these scenes in both seasons where he's just like, Oh, yeah, I'm supposed to shake your hand because you're like my son back or like, yeah, I should answer that question because you're my son, BAE. But like, why am I answering this question? Like it's. And he brings A and he like in his own mind. Like he doesn't see it as comedy. He's just like, it's a logical
thinking of his brain. So then BAE Doon is like you like you like, she explains it, which is why it's the Sherlock Watson relationship. But yeah, I just, I love his character. And then I love him and Beijuna, like, together. Like, I love their relationship so much. But yeah, I absolutely love his character in this drama. I do too. I love them both. I loved Shimuk so much. I thought he was very endearing. Like considering the fact that
he has very little empathy. He's not smiling, he's not laughing, he's not joking around with people. There's very little to latch onto. I found him incredibly endearing. Yeah. And I think that goes to show of like chosen Wu's like acting and like how he portrayed the character because even when you are playing a character with that type of like emotional block, you still latch on to something with that. Character, in my opinion, it's
hard to do, yeah. Like you can see him constantly working things out and the gears turning constantly and him questioning things and how to. Like the social situations thing is very comical at times and then also very tense at times because it's suddenly very high in their society. It's very high stakes, especially when you're dealing with corruption and the person that he's not shaking hands with, he's invested, he's investigating and possibly could have done something very terrible.
Right. So then it becomes this whole like thing, right? Like it spirals out of control, his sort of withholding of respect in in these situations. So you're kind of it's in some instances you're like, oh, that's funny, like he didn't do this. And then others, others you're like, is he making a statement? Is he just being, you know, himself or does he he definitely doesn't trust that he distrust this person. So is he doing this on purpose? Like is he trying to get a rise
out of this person? So you're kind of like also coming across all of these reasons why he couldn't be doing for these performative actions, right? And it's so interesting to read the room and read it like he might. And then also, it's interesting to see where like, even though he is not intentionally doing some of these social things, he just like, realizes after the fact, like, oh, I should have done this or oh, I need to do
that. Like, what else makes him endearing is like, he still has people that want to be his friend. Yeah. There's just something about his character, even within the show that. Other characters still want to righteous. Yeah. And commanding that people want to get to know him. Yeah, yeah. And so and. There's not much to get to know and like. Exactly. That's what's. Funny is that like there's not, it's very shallow, shallow water there. So yeah.
And it's not like people treat him as a child. Like, that's not, that's not what we're saying either. It's like they very much understand he's adult, He doesn't act like a child or anything like that, but like there's just something as I can't like really describe it anyway. There's something really endearing about him, even though.
But it's a a strength. It's like it's not a weak weakness, endearing like you would think maybe in a child who's in very big situations like the the ones in the show. Right. It's like a strength. Yeah. In the show. Yeah. And then Beiduna, who I love, I, I connected a lot with Beiduna because she is LED a lot by her feelings and emotions, but she's very calculating and observant as well. And I just love the how dogged she is. Yeah.
In the pursuit of justice and in the pursuit of, you know, criminals and things, she's running after people and like using judo on them and stuff. And I'm like, get it, girl. And I love how she has this very nuanced take, especially like towards the middle and like end of the show. She has this very nuanced take on good and bad because no one is all good and no one is all bad. We are all Shades of Grey. And she has this opinion that's like we like all of us are pretty.
Like none of us are good. Right, right. You know what I'm saying? Like no matter like what, we think that we're better than some of these criminals because we didn't murder someone or do this or that and the other like we're not good either just because we didn't do this criminal thing. Like what makes us good? Are we better than them? Like just, you know, she has this really cool ideology that I, because I took no notes and didn't get the actual quote. I'm paraphrasing.
But I really appreciate her take and how she is basically like, look, we're all kind of sucky, right? Let's just try and be a little better, yeah? But I think that's why she's drawn to Shimak so much is because even though like he has this past where he wasn't very good and that also still plays into that quote.
Currently, when the show is when he's an adult, he really is the epitome of a good like, which is ironic because he's like doesn't understand the societal norms and everything, but he literally is the epitome of a good Korean citizen 'cause he. Follows the. Rules and like. He's fair. Fair and like doesn't take bribes. Like he's the best you could possibly be in that situation. Which to take? Like not take bribes. That's like bare minimum. Exactly like. Bare minimum, don't take bribes.
Exactly. And like you'll see in the show that he does like there are things that he regrets and could have done better and could have done that. But like it's, it's not like the bad type of thing that like you other see other people do. So like it's really interesting. Just like they do it, they do not having that mindset. And then meeting see, Mukim is like, OK, like he's like the
best example ever. And he still has flaws, which we will we find out later on. They're both willing to call their colleagues out on their shit. Which? Yeah, yeah. Even today, if you were in a similar situation in, in a, you're in the Justice Department, right? Are you going to call out your colleagues who have seniority over you in a very hierarchical society? I don't know like. That's who. And who like expect you to not call them out, right?
To have their back, to do the corrupt things they do to to make sure the the reputation, the reputation of the entity as a whole stays intact. Right. Yeah, yeah. That's a major theme in this show. Yes, huge. And they both say fuck that. Yes I will, and it's amazing you're you're taking that's the ride. That's literally the whole show is them going to bat for truth and justice and the American way. I'm just kidding. Not the American way, but you
know what I'm saying? It's like just what is right, right, period. And I really just enjoyed their camaraderie, their journey, how she softens him, how when they're in situations together, she kind of plays the good cop and he, because he's so direct, plays the bad cop like he doesn't like because he has no filter. He has no like levels to things. It's just one tone the entire
time. He inherently comes across as the bad cop and then she can come in and sort of like finagle and charm her way into being the good cop and get different information or whatever. So I love their dynamic together throughout the show and them eating together is great because they what is it? She?
He doesn't like salty food and he's constantly and they don't say what it is until later in the show because they just show him like going to eat by himself, which again, is very he's an outcast in the prosecution service. So he goes to eat by himself. He doesn't give a shit. Everyone else gives a shit. He doesn't give a shit that he's eating by himself And he he's constantly putting water in his
soup. And you see him kind of going like, oh, like kind of do having these reactions to the soup, to the food. And you're like, is it too hot? Like, is it what, what is it? Is it too spicy? Like what's going on? No, it's too salty. Right. And she understands him. Like they go to eat at one of those tents, I forgot what they're called, but like the tents, the outdoor tents, right? And he orders a soup. He does the same thing. And she's like, oh, it's too salty.
And it she understands him. Yeah, well, the other thing is, is she's the only one that allows him to eat. Like that's also the running joke in both seasons is where it's like he goes to take a bite and like something. He gets a call. He gets a call. Or like somebody walks in or like whatever. So like. The you. The only times you see him eat is if he's with her. So it's like, or even like alone when he's in his apartment. You'd never see him eat ever in his apartment.
So yeah. And that's also like a running joke where he, like, has no time to eat ever. Yeah, I also like the the the juxtaposition of like his apartment is very sterile and there's no personality but there. But something about him and the way that he plays his character, Tosungu is warm. Yeah, yeah. Like he treats people with a baseline respect. Right. Yeah. No matter their status.
And the personality that starts to inject itself into his home comes from her because of the little doodles that she gives him, right? And instead of throwing them out, which you would expect this dude to just be like, OK, like, she threw a brain. And like, this little bit is like, my emotional capacity. And this part is like, my desire to finish the case and think like, it was like, this thing in the show, this moment in the show for this one doodle.
And you expect him to throw out these doodles, which accumulate. Instead, he saves them. Yeah, because he looks annoyed when she gets these. Yeah. These doodles to him, yeah. And later on in the show, she's in his apartment and she sees them, and she just, like, smiles to herself. And those moments are so cute and, like, establish this relationship between them. And it's those moments, those glimmers between them that you're like, why aren't they together? Exactly? That's what we mean.
That's what we mean by there should be romance, but there isn't. There's literally no romance at all in this show. It's because they have such a connection. Right. Yeah, that's that's that's going on. Two seasons. Two seasons, No romance going on. To see that, oh God, 32 episodes. I honestly don't. I mean, knowing the character like you know there you can never comprehend romance really. Like it just won't. It wouldn't make sense. It really wouldn't.
So I think like this relationship is pretty much as close of like quote UN quote or romance you will get with his character. Like he just cannot comprehend that at all because he's just too logical. So it wouldn't make sense if all of a sudden they started dating in like season three or something. It's just, it wouldn't make sense at all. But we can hope and pray that would happen.
And like look off into the distance and kind of look at him in the alternative world because they they have such chemistry like the. Chemistry is so. Good. Yeah, good. Anyway, I don't know if there's anything else we can talk about without getting into, like, true spoilers, Right? Right. Anyway, we did our best. What would you rate this show out of five sold you bottles? I think I know the answer, yeah. Like I would rate this one of my favorite shows. Oh my God, Yeah, yeah.
I would rate this 4 1/2 out of five and the .5 is literally just because I have a pea brain and I was a little bit too lost last few episodes. But I'm positive that if I rewatch the show I would appreciate it even more. That happened to me with season 2 because I rewatched season 2 and I rated it like a nine when I first watched it. I still loved it, but it was it all. It was really confusing when I first watched it 'cause I was watching it as an aired. So I think it helped that I like
was binging it this time. So I raised it to a 9.5 'cause I could appreciate the drama more. But got you. Yeah, I completely understand why this would be confusing. It is one of those dramas you have to really pay attention. You have to like, you cannot. Just. Put it in the background and expect to. Get it? You have to pay attention. You can't look at your phone like you can't do any. It's one of those. Even season 2 is the same way
like you cannot. It's not one of those where you're half assed watching it. You have to watch it to understand what's going on. For sure, for sure. OK, so those are our ratings. We're going to get into spoilers right after this as much as I can. Again, I don't have a very good memory and I was very confused for a little bit of the show, so we'll see. And I have no notes, so we'll see how much I can contribute to the spoiler section. But yeah, we're going to do
spoilers right after this. Excuse me, I can't tell. I can't tell you know. I am noting. Oh sorry, swear this crossing shells. What? All right, we're on the other side of spoilers. So if you don't care about spoilers, keep listening. But if you want to preserve your first time watch of stranger season one, then stop watching, stop listening and come back later. Keep listening after you've watched the show.
So I don't know where you want to start Caitlyn or what you want to say, but like, I, I thought that the Oh my God, I don't have, I don't, I don't even have nicknames written down for these people. So Yu Jian Myong plays Ichang Jun, who is like the chief prosecutor. And then he gets promoted to the Blue House. He quits the prosecution service and then he gets not promoted, but like affirmed into the Blue House or whatever, Right, Right.
And he has the crazy wife and the the table father-in-law, right. So this guy, I always thought he was sketchy. I was like he's for sure in on it. Like he he has to be the murderer of Mr. Park because Mr. Park is the dead body. Mr. Body. We'll call him Mr. Body because he's the first body that we see. He's the the murder that kind of colors the whole show. He's the. One found in the house. He's the one found in the house, he's the one that was stabbed to death in his own house.
But this guy wasn't a savory character at all. He was bribing almost the entire prosecution service and providing them with women, underage girls of money services, what you name it. He was like procuring it for them, for his own gains as well as other people's gains.
He was like a broker. Yeah, because he was using all of that as leverage in terms of blackmail when it if he needed to, if he had, he had all this information against basically anybody in leadership on both, like just not even the prosecution. Like the IT was like cops, it was CEO, it was, it was everybody, everybody who was anybody. He had everyone's dirty laundry. Yeah, yeah. So it was just a matter of time before he, I mean, he had a target on his back because.
Absolutely. And he knew it, that's why. And he knew it. House. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So Mr. Body dies and Ichangjun, the chief prosecutor, I'm just going to call him the chief prosecutor, even though like another chief prosecutor comes in. It's very confusing. But anyway, chief Prosecutor Changdun, he's sketchy because you think that he was like
sleeping with an underage girl. They had like video footage of her going into his hotel room at like this conference, conference that they went to and stuff like that. And he didn't sleep with her. He like swore up and down and like he didn't sleep with her. And he was just, he hated she Monk. Like you could tell that there was animosity between him and well, not she Monk didn't give a
shit. But like he hated she Monk didn't like that he was so righteous that he was so proactive against like all this corruption and fine. Well, I think he also didn't like the fact that he didn't bow down to him. Like, he, he, he because Shima didn't understand that this dude was your boss. Like, you needed to bow to him. You needed to shake his hand. Yeah, he didn't like that. He didn't like the fact that there was this guy who unintentionally, like, he viewed
it as intentional. He did not think like the, the chief prosecutor didn't think like 'cause at the time when this was going on, the chief prosecutor didn't know what actually was happening with Shamuk and his head, but like he thought it was intentional. He thought Shamuk was doing it in terms of like to undermine him. So he didn't like that either. Like he on one hand, he didn't like the fact he was like digging up all this dirt and.
Like he was good at his. Corruption but also didn't like the fact he didn't bow to him and view him as his boss. Yeah, yeah. Didn't show him proper. But then at the end you find out he kind of did at the same time, like he did respect him at the same time.
It was interesting. I almost don't know if they did it. I don't know because what threw me off the scent was this like holier than thou speech that he gave in. Like, I don't, I don't think it was midway through the show, maybe like 1/4 of the way through the show, he comes to like Shemukh and he says like, I basically, I believe in justice. I believe in the prosecution
service. I didn't do this thing that you accused me of. And basically, again, I'm paraphrasing because I don't got the quote in front of me at all. He was like, I don't, you know, I believe in, in the process, the process, the justice system and stuff like that. And he did. And his acting was so good because I believed him. I was like, I think maybe he's telling the truth that he, he, this is his religion. You know what I'm saying? That he.
Well, I think The thing is is. Actually righteous. I think that's like that, that what was great about the speech, Is it it that's what he thought. He trusted the process and he trusted the system, but he then got married to Hanjo's heiress and that's when it went downhill. Like that's the problem is like he did he he, he was Shemukh before he got married and before he got entangled in Hanjo.
And then he at the end, he was like, I am aware, I'm fully aware that I am not the person I was before I married this person. While I love her, I have done very sketchy things and I will own up to it, quote UN quote Shimuk. And Shimuk is the only person I can trust because I'm well aware that he is never going to take a bribe. He's never going to be corrupt, he's never going to do all that. So he literally is the only person I can trust with all this information and whatever.
So I respect him. Like the The thing is, is like he realized I might hate the guy because he never like it might rub my mind. Yeah, it. But I have to respect him. I have to respect his his. I got to respect the game. Yeah, I have. Yeah, his yeah. So I mean it it, it was a very interesting dynamic with this character because he he was Shimuk before he married Hanjo and then Hanjo got.
Corrupted. Along with like everybody else, got corrupted by. It wasn't just a corruption of like deeds, it was like a corruption of his soul. Almost like he felt like he betrayed his own values and his moral, his own sense of morality by marrying this person that he loves who has a the devil as a father. Like, yeah, yeah, yeah. And that and that was his downfall. Like he he was ended up being
the devil's advocate. Yeah, and then you, I always love the scene when they're in the courtroom where he's like, you're never going to see me on trial. Because like, you'll never see me. You'll never prosecute me. Because like, I never predicted his ending. I thought he would like, go on trial. And then I was like, oh, he was like, that was foreshadowing he. Literally was like, you will never catch me alive. Right?
Exactly. And we both thought we're going to see him alive at the end of the show. Psych No, he ends up killing himself, which I despite the fact that this was always foreshadowed, I and and the I don't like when they do this. Like I I'm going to precipice this whole thing by saying I don't like when they do this in general in K dramas. Is that the person who has done the most wrong, who is at fault for everything? Hold on, hold on, let me finish. Hold on, hold on, let me finish.
So the person who is at fault like the the murderer, the rapist or whatever, they end up killing themselves to escape consequences, punishment, what have you. I hate when that happens because then and then the show like moves the fuck on like quickly They're like, OK, I guess that's done. Can't prosecute a dead person.
In this case, they did it the best way possible because this person was going through internal turmoil for the better part of 20 years and he was like, his letter to his wife was wild, was like unhinged. She was like Korea's on the brink of societal collapse, blah blah blah blah. Nothing sacred. Well, it was like crazy and I was like, Oh my God, there's no he for years wanted to kill himself because he felt so trapped. Trapped. That's a great word.
He felt so trapped because he loved his wife. He never cheated on her and loved his daughter and, and like, but at the same time, look at everything that his father-in-law made him do, made him say yes to. And you can't like choose in Korean society especially. I feel like that's cutting off your father-in-law. Right. And especially in his situation, like in his. Situation. He wasn't rich when he married the. Family. Like it was very apparent he
came from a poor upbringing. He was like lucky to be married to her in terms of society terms. Like he could not say no to his. He married. Could not. Yeah, he married. To everyone else's eyes, he married up. Yeah, and his father-in-law knew and exploited that. Yeah. Yeah, it was foul. And there was no escape like his daughter was studying abroad, like this would never happen if he was like, we can't be aligned with your chaebol family. Like we have to go it alone.
Right. Yeah. So it was, it was undeniable that he would kill himself to escape. Yeah. And make. Himself the scapegoat yeah, but at the same time like he revealed everything and revealed like he he can't he went out as a morally Gray character in my opinion because. Because whether he did what he did, yeah. He did, still at. The end of the show, you're like, what did he? Think yeah, but the one thing you. Know he did. Was a whistleblower at the.
Same. Yeah, he was a exactly He was a whistleblower, but you don't know exactly what he did. The only thing you know for sure is that he instigated Looney from Prison Playbook or Seven O. We'll call him Seven O because of the tattoo. Yeah. He instigated 7 O to kill. Mr. Body Yeah, yeah. And like, orchestrated that whole thing for him. Right. Which means he is a murderer. Like I said, maybe that's it. Like that. Is that the worst thing that he did?
Like on paper, I don't know. They showed him like winning and dining with people in a one of those bars, not bars, sushi host clubs, sushi restaurants or something. And he obviously maintained that he never cheated on his wife, so it's not like he was taking sexual favors. Right. But like, what else did he do? Like he, I think it was all paper. I think he was all doing stuff on paper. Yeah, it was all about like money. Yeah, it was all about. Laundering.
Money it was. It was all had to do with that, that town or city that they were like building. Yeah. And he was basically funneling money through it. He was basically laundering money like he was laundering money through it. And then also all of these people, because he was so high up, he got some people off the hook in terms of crimes and in terms of that too, so. Like which to me? Helped people. Through the system. It wouldn't be so bad if he was a defense attorney, right?
Unless he was doing something illegal, like, you know, altering evidence and like, you know what I'm saying. Like, well, that's what the law. And that's I think was part of it. Plus he was on the wrong side. Plus he was on the prosecution service side. So is just bad. But again, they don't go into detail about what he did so wrong. But anyway, he kills himself and I think it was done the best way. This is terrible to say like that. The suicide was done in the most
tasteful way. I think it was presented in the most tasteful way. Right. Yeah. Yeah, but it you were, you were taken aback. Well, I at the first time I'd ever watch this, I just didn't predict it even though they foreshadowed it. Like so I I it made sense for the character after it happened. Like I totally agreed why they went direction they did with his character.
But just the first time watching it, I never predicted that he would be like I knew very early on he was a bad guy, like he was one of the people involved, but like I just didn't A, didn't predict he was the lesser of evils compared to other people. And B, like while it made sense in hindsight, like I never predicted that he would just go and kill himself. But because the, the surroundings of why he killed himself and like how he did it and what came afterwards made
sense in hindsight. But I just, it was a, it's a terms of just like I didn't predict it happening. I think he was also, so he found himself so reprehensible and the fact that he could have been on trial in the very courtroom that he so respected, it would have broken him. And it would have been so embarrassing for him to have led the prosecution service as a chief prosecutor. And then it comes out, all this shit comes out and then he's on trial. I think it would have it.
It would have ruined him internally and his whole life. It would have imploded his whole life, so he knew like it just it couldn't go down like that. Right. Yeah. And I think another thing that he did, it is like he revealed all this dirt that he had recorded, the whistle blowing stuff and whistle blow. He knew if he didn't kill himself, somebody would. Oh, yeah. Like it would it? He would never have surprised Sur Sur survived. And it would have been his father-in-law.
Yeah, it would have been something his father-in-law did and he never would have survived it. So he was like, I'd rather go out in my own way and do my own thing. Have the agency. Over it versus knowing I'll be killed two months from now yeah, it yeah, is is. And that way he got all the information out too, like he didn't have, he didn't have to be the Mr. Body with all this leverage because he like it was all out and everybody, everybody's dirt was there and.
Yeah, all the recordings and the paperwork and everything. So his wife, I want to touch briefly on his wife because I saw her. I was like, where is she from? Where's she from? I haven't watched Sky Castle yet. That is later in Season 5. Nice, nice. Just I have not. I have not watched that either. Oh OK, well anyway, first time for everybody. So his wife, I watched her in Snowdrop and when I realized that I had watched her in Snowdrop, I had like a full body chills.
So the the wife, I found her so cool because you couldn't tell if she was good or bad. You couldn't tell if she was out here trying to kill mistresses or if she was just suspicious of the people that could be his mistress. You know what I'm saying? Right, right. So it turns out that she wasn't killing mistresses. She was. She was just going to lay eyes on them. Yeah, she was just curious. She was just curious. Yeah, she has a bigger role in.
Season 2, yeah, I saw. I saw that she was like a top building in Season 2. I was like, oh, cool. So she also, I was like, we need to talk more about the conversation that the wife has with BAE Doona at that awkward dinner. Yep. That she tries to host with the investigation crew because I was like, what is this? This is like I could write a thesis on this. Because the dynamic they were, it was like 2 lionesses in a room together and everyone else
was just, they were like zebras. Like they had no, you know, they had no say. They didn't matter because Beduna, like she is. So I don't know how to describe this conversation because I don't have the conversation in front of me. But you know which one I'm talking about, right? Yeah. Oh, yeah. Like the one where the wife was like, oh, it's so weird to see a female cop. Like, it starts like that. And Beduna's like, yeah, like I'm a female cop, Like, what of it?
And it turns into like this housewife versus working woman thing. It was a feminism versus traditional, Yeah, feminism versus trad wife thing and classism thing all together. Right. I think it would. I think in one way it was just due to the upbringing that the wife had and the fact that her father probably catered to her every need.
She somehow thought that she could host this dinner with the team and either get information somehow from them or manipulate them into not pursuing the case or whatever. And then the fact that Schumach and Beduna like do not accept bribe like nobody in that room did. But like, it was, it was like it, it became very apparent very quickly that she was not going to get her way and she couldn't.
She needed to keep up this facade of a perfect housewife while hosting this, even though you could tell she was like fuming inside. So it, it, I think that that's how I interpreted that scene where like she was trying to either get information or basically tell them to knock it off and leave this alone. And then real. I quickly realized that was not going to happen and it's all of
this. And I think the and I. Think the other thing is because she went she literally was talking directly to Beduna because she was the only other female in the room so she felt I think she could. She thought she would get something out of her. Like she thought she could manipulate the only female. Right. That they would have some sort of camaraderie or like, girl, you know what I'm saying? Like they would connect. Yeah. It didn't happen. It was like oil and water.
Yeah. And the way that her fate, the wife, the her face changes when I can't even remember what Beiduna said, but like her face like changes and falls and she looks like she's about to kill Beiduna. She like made a joke, like Beiduna made a joke. It's some she said something and Beiduna being Beiduna like her character just was like and it wasn't even her character was
trying to get back at her. She just, like, made a joke trying to, I think kind of like trying to like, like cut the tense, like the tension in the room because everybody could tell there was it. So she, like, made a joke trying to, like, cut the tension. And then the wife didn't like it because it obviously made her look bad with an. It was insulting. Yeah. It was insulting, Yeah. Oh my God, I loved it. Yeah, I was eating up that messy trauma.
This is so tense. Like they nobody wanted to be there, but they can't say no because it's the chief prosecutor's wife that, you know, it's all of this politics, right? Like these relationship politics that are happening? Right. And I think the prosecutor also invited them over because he thought he could do the same thing, like get information and either tell them to knock it off. And obviously that also didn't happen, so.
So let's move forward and talk about the weasel, which is Ijun Hyuk. His character's name is Dong Jay. Like that guy. Like fuck that guy bro, like. He he's getting like a spin off. So is he really? Yeah. That's the that's the that's the show that's coming out this year. He's. Getting Oh my God. And no one really know if it's a prequel or a sequel or something. I'm assuming it's like a like a spin off spin off. But yeah, that's it's literally going to be his story.
Oh my God, this guy's the worst. The worst. He is super easily. No, he choked out home girl Unsu. Like when he choked her almost to the point of death. I was like, yeah, you're done. We can't refer you anymore. You almost killed a woman in an alley over actually nothing at all. She just said, I'm not going to let you get away with something like she just goaded him in the street, which she was stupid for that. But no sense at all.
That man, he had no sense. And he was, he was fully, fully taking bribes, taking everything. They had all of this evidence on him. And then he was like, why don't you just let me go and I'll help you out? And then he becomes like this quasi ally for the last half of the show. Yep. Yep, I cannot believe they let him back onto the prosecution. I mean, they couldn't really, they didn't really have anything on him specifically.
He was a small fish. Like they they used him basically and he knew he he was going to be used so he took that to his advantage. Like they had bigger fish to fry. But him tampering with evidence with the phone? Yeah, of course. I mean, I'm not saying like he's a great character. He's a very great character. Like he, he's not a good guy, but they they were like there's bigger fish to fry. We need him to get evidence of other people.
We need him to do this. Like he and he, that's the also his character though, like he's not loyal to anybody. Like the minute either people are going after him or he is going to get fried, he switches sides and that's his character. That's his characters through and through, especially in season one. The. But that's the fun of his. Character I hate it. He's he is fun. He is fun but also a so annoying. Yeah, so annoying. Yeah, he's he's a lovable, annoying character.
I love him. He's so good. Because you think he might have murdered someone like earlier on the show, you think he might have murdered the girl, the hooker. And then you're like, maybe not. And then you're like, well, maybe he did. Like you're flip flopping back and forth like then you find out maybe he didn't murder her but why the fuck does he have his her phone? Right. And it's like this whole back and forth and this goes for every single sketchy character in the show.
Like you're unsure of every single person besides the lead 2 characters. This is the, this is how it goes for the whole show. You're like. Well, even though we even there was a time where you were like Ishimuk actually a good guy though like that's the beauty of this show too. Like because he is so reserved and so closed off you for a couple episodes even him is looking a little sketchy until everything is revealed. Craziness Don Jay is. Craziness.
So good. Don Jay. So when he choked out Unsu, that's when I was like, you're done, you're done. And then he was like, Oh my God, is she alive? Is she alive? Oh, thank God she's alive. I'm like fuck out of here, bro. Like you suck. What a punk. OK, then Unsu, who's played by Sheena son. I found her so annoying as well because she just didn't have like street smarts. She didn't. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Didn't I see? Smarts. Yeah, I also found her quite annoying in in the first watch like.
And she was just like banging her head against the wall and not really realizing, oh, I have a concussion, right? Or she was like. Yeah, and then like she would run off and like, follow people without telling anybody. Just so reckless. You knew it was coming. You knew it was coming with her. Yeah. So when they were like, it was a possibility. At the end of the show, we get a second body. Finally, we have a second body. Yeah.
And it's in the hooker's house, so it's either the hooker who went missing at the hospital or it's someone else. And when they're not saying who it is, I'm like, it's in Sue, it's unsu. It's got to be unsu. And lo and behold, they like uncover the the blanket that they have they put on her and 1st there she is, she's dead. Yeah, yeah. Just Bluetooth close to the sun there. Just not that she deserved it. I'm saying like she. Well, I mean, like I think you,
you knew. You knew the minute you saw the zero. She saw the 07. She was daughter. Marked her death. You knew. She saw the text like how did you? How did you feel about that reveal? Oh, that was the worst one to me. That was the. That was the one that I sent you, I think.
I I was waiting for that. Voice memo I was like screaming in the voice memo because the the end of the episode like that that he so this is we're talking about say 17-O looney from prison playbook EQ hyung, that guy seven O he you thought he was an ally. You thought he was just kind of like a straight laced internal affairs dude that got taken on great chemistry with everybody on the on the show, on the investigation team and a really good investigator and he was
very supportive, very helpful. Girl, when that juice or whatever fell on his shirt and it turns see through and you could see the tattoo, I was like, Oh my God, is that a 70? Is that A70 on this man's body? And sure enough, it looks like it's not a 70, but it looks like A70. Yeah, I start hyperventilating. I was like, Oh my gosh, Is he the killer? Has he been the killer the whole time? Right. The whole the whole time. Yep. The whole time he's right there it embedded.
Embedded, so there was no rebounding from the. I couldn't handle it. That was. Well, then you got that wonderful scene in the airport, which that was the scene when I that was the that was like, I need to put this scene on my social media, but I can't do it yet because she had an. Airport scene is amazing. It is astonishing. Like him. Like yeah, over Beiduna. One of my favorite scenes in
season one. It is such it should go down as like in the in the pantheon of chase scenes in K drone like that is a really good chase scene and he's plowing through police officers like nothing. Right. Yeah. Like they're made of cardboard. Yeah. Yeah. Like he's truly gifted. That man is true. That's truly gifted criminal. So I enjoyed the heck out of that reveal. I was super entertained. And yeah, it spirals out of control because then after they
figure out he's the killer. Is he the killer of Mr. Body alone? Is he the killer of also Unsu? Did he attempt to kill the hooker as well? Like what to? What's the? Extent of this, right, Yeah. Yeah, so it's it's crazy. It kind of goes pretty fast from there. Once they catch him, it goes pretty fast from there. At the end of the show right now, my only guess, and I'll tell you this was straight wrong, was that Kyung Wan, who is Mr. Body's son? I thought he was the killer.
I thought that he killed his dad and that didn't happen at all. I especially thought he was suspicious because he was running from police and shit and he was deleting photos of the hooker from his phone. Right, right, because he had a crush on her in high school. And then his dad, like, hired her to be this underage hooker. It was nuts. It was nuts. Oh my God, Bedlam. So he had motive for killing his dad and then he ended up not right not killing his dad. Yeah, but this came up recently
and I can't remember. Oh reset when we did our drama trio reset review and we were spoilers for reset spoilers for reset that see drama the. I'm going to try and make this as non spoiler as possible, but at the end of that show we figure out who is the assailant. Right. The bomber on the bus and we were like, look, it, it kind of gives because of the reason for why they were doing that. It kind of gave them a license. Anybody who was in that same situation, a license to kill, right?
Because because of that crazy sad back story and the situation that they were in and in this very similar case for say 170, he lost his son in this fiery bus crash. And it was very, it was completely heartbreaking to hear the story coming from him when he was being interrogated by Shiwan and he was saying, like, I looked into the situation and it was, you know, basically a big corruption case, big cover up. And my son died for nothing.
Like unnecessarily like it was, it was not an accident. It was, it was negligence. Yes, yes. And what Baiduna's character ended up saying to him was that anybody who's lost a child has a can do what you did then, like they have a license to anybody. There's so many people who have gone through terrible, wrongful situations and does that mean they can start killing people? Right. And the answer is overwhelmingly, profoundly no, No, yes. It's no like this.
This level of vigilante justice, like, where does it end? It's a slippery slope. Exactly. Yeah, so that's what she was. Saying in his, in his case, it wasn't one person too. It's like, Oh yeah, it's not like, yeah, it's not like he just like went and killed the driver. He like killed the people who didn't fix the bus. He killed the person who hid the the people who didn't fix the bus. Like it was like a whole thing. Yeah, yeah. So I found that really important.
Like that? She said That, yeah. Yeah, yeah. I don't. I was going to say I don't have anything in my notes. Look, I have no notes but. So what did you think in terms of like, what did you think of BAE Doona and Shimuk's, like, first encounter together? Because they had, well, they technically two encounters. I'll say one is like when they're chasing after the suspect and like, they both meet each other and they both are like, what the hell are you doing? Like you're a prosecutor.
I'm a cop. Like, we're chasing the same guy. What the heck? And like they go through all the alleys and everything. And then Beduna like, is up on that second floor, whatever. The guy like, jumps down and then she looks there. So like, what did you think of that meeting?
And then the other meeting was like, when they're in the guy's house, like the, the, the Mr. Body's house and she comes around the corner and she looks like this there was a night like in his own world, like trying to figure out scenarios of how this dude could get killed. Like what did you think of
those? Two scenes I like the meet cue of them chasing the same suspect and then he takes the suspect and like, leaves her high and dry and all of her colleagues are like, why the hell did you let the prosecutor take the perp? Like, that is bizarre.
You, Jim, you both chased him. And then, yeah, that moment that she sees him like whipping around this kitchen knife, this giant kitchen knife, trying to recreate the scene and figure out what what possibly happened in the amount of time that the that the perp had to do it to make to do the murder is. I thought that was hysterical. And I know it's not meant to be hysterical. You're supposed to be surprised. You're supposed to be like, oh, no, she's seeing him like figure
it out. And there's no context for her. And he's not going to explain anything because he doesn't give a shit and he doesn't realize that he looks like a lunatic and. And that like speaks to his character in general. Like he does that a lot in like where it's like he imagines himself. Like this is a trope in crime dramas. You have these characters that kind of imagine himself as the criminal. He does that a lot in in both
seasons. So it's like you ran like just you imagine him like like just being in a room with him and he's just standing there imagining fix the entire time. Oh my God. Yeah. Also, I enjoyed the red herring of like this. What was it? I think it was Ausb drive with evidence on it of tax evasion of the chaebol family that the ousted. I don't know what what was he like because this was unsu. 'S dad Yeah, he was the he was the previous chief prosecutor. Was he OK?
Yeah. So the previous chief prosecutor, that old man, he had all this evidence and he was hiding it for three years and then Unsu got murdered. And they thought it was because she had this evidence on her. She like specifically went to get this USB drive and bring it to Chimok to help the case and she gets slaughtered. I love the red herring that this was kind of like building up and we were wondering what's going to happen to this USB drive? When is Shima going to get his hands on it?
He was requesting this evidence for the longest time from the from the old man and he wasn't giving it up. And then finally she gets murdered and you think, Oh no, the bad guys have the evidence. They have this USB drive. Finally they got their hands on it and it didn't even matter. They were like, get rid of all her shit. Like it doesn't even factor in the. Overall story, this tax evasion evidence, right, right. It's so I thought that was some of the.
I love that red herring. Well then even with her character because you have these scenes throughout where it's like like you don't even know if she's a good person. Oh yeah, the longest time, like there was that like coffee scene where he like goes and like sees like the footage talking to the guy, talking to the Mr. Body and she's the one talking to him. She was the last person to see him alive. So you're like, what the heck? Yeah, you're like, Oh my God.
Did she have her boyfriend or ex-boyfriend murder him? Right. Exactly. Yeah, yeah. It was good. I liked it. Again, everyone is morally Gray. No one is safe from being suspicious. And I liked it. I liked it a lot. I thought it ended on a on a interesting note. You thought he was going to America to tour every single state? I was like, that sounds like torture. They said he was going to every single. What was it like? State Department. State.
Yeah, it was like prosecution department when they said he was going to all 50. I was like, Oh my God. That's a lot. That's a lot. Somebody stop him. Yeah, I just love the fact that like going back to like, Shimok and like Beiduna's relationship, like. Yeah, yeah. I love that she kind of like, once they got over the fact that, like love, like the realizing they have to work together, she kind of just like pops up in randomly, like, like
in his office, for example. He'll like walk in and she's like sleeping on the chair. Yeah, because she's been waiting. For. But then he lets her keep. Sleeping exactly. Yeah. Like. She's tired. It's like those moments where it's like, it's just, it's funny how like going back to the Sherlock Holmes Watson thing, like it was like he didn't say
anything. He didn't like request that her like to be in his life or anything, but she kind of was just like, I'm going to barge in on your life and kind of just be there all the time. Yeah. And like, what did you think of that whole? Well, two things. So there was like the the the suit in his head in his house. Like, what did you think of that whole scene? Like, like, 'cause like what I liked about this is like we, we touched on it was like found
family. It was like the, it started with Beijuna and then it brought into her other cop buddy and then it was unsu. And then it was like the assistants and then it was 07 and then it was the, the, the other guy. What's, what's his other guy name? Yeah. So it was like a bunch of them, right? So like they he gets he. The HR specialist. Yeah, he, he walks in on this suit and he calls her very deadpan. Is like, Oh yeah, you, you
should come over here. OK, so the suit that we're the suit that we're talking about is that someone illegally entered his house while he wasn't there and literally chopped up a a suit of his and hung it up by a noose. Yeah. And like, and when when the lights were off, you thought it was a person like. Yeah, like, and then he's burning on the lights and you realize it was a suit, but it looked like an hanging body. Yeah. So like he calls up Beiduna and Beiduna's like. What?
And like runs over, but not only her, like everybody runs over to his. House, it's her. It's her and the other cop, the one that gave the evidence to the the police chief. Yeah, yeah. So also the police chief, kind of like the first watch. I was annoyed by the police chief a lot. Yeah, he's wrong anyway. Well, not, not, not not that police chief, not the one that went on trial. The. One, the other one, the boss. I know exactly who you're talking about.
Yeah, he's he never. Yeah, we never got a resolution for him. No, no. And you don't really. He's in Season 2. Like he's a little more in Season 2, but like in Season 2, it's the same thing, kind of. We have squinty eyes over here 'cause we're just like. But I just love the fact like there's those moments that you like live for is like they all come racing over and you're like, are you OK? Are you OK? He's like, I'm fine.
And then they look at it and they're like, it's much, much worse than you said over the phone. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I like, are you OK staying here? He's like, yeah, I'm totally OK staying here. And they're like, Are you sure about that? What the hell? Yeah. And then the other thing is like, what did you think about his whole head situation? I thought this was a convenient thing that they kept pushing was every time he was in a stressful
situation he would get these. It was like tinnitus or something and ringing loud ringing in his ears or something. Yeah. I thought they would bring it up more often and it would come into play in situations, high fake situations, but it really didn't. It would. It came into play like 3-4 times in the whole show and it started
the show. Because he stops traffic because he has one of these episodes and you see him kind of come to and he's backed up an entire bridge because he's pulled over, which he could have just gone off the bridge entirely, like having one of these episodes, but he had the wherewithal to stop and park the car in the middle of the street. And then he wakes up and just keeps on going towards Mr. Body's house, which is when all hell breaks loose.
I, I don't know, I, I had, I think they could have utilized it more, but when it came in, you were like, oh, right. He has this recurring thing. Yeah, yeah. And that was one of the things I wish they had. Like, it was heartbreaking to see eBay Dunas character find out, like, what was going on. Yeah, because even I I still remember the line where because it was like right after Unsu, they found Unsu when he had the big episode. And he goes to the he goes to the autopsy.
Yeah, which they were. Everyone was like, why are you serious? You're going to go to the autopsy of Unsu. And he was like, yeah, I'm going to do it. And right after the autopsy, he collapses. Right. Yeah. And so like the line that she comes in is like he she sees him on the bed and she's like, can we stop seeing people in this way? Or like, can we like this is too much or something like that?
Like I I interpreted that as like her saying what Seemukh wanted to say like 'cause we have fully know like with with his reaction to Unsu like that was like like his. Body's reaction. Yeah, so like the whole point of the especially like the really bad episode he had was like he could not express how guilty and how much regret he had and how much like feelings he had towards unsu and the death he he saw it as it was his fault like fully and he couldn't express
that whatsoever. So that in that caused his entire episode to him like going like falling down in the hallway and everything because that was the culmination of all of these emotions being built up for the last 12 hours to 24 hours or whatever. But yeah, like her character walking in and basically saying what he wanted to say in a way and having that feelings of expression that he wanted to do and then. I didn't take it that way. I thought it was it was sort of her sentiment.
Well, it. Was for the. Whole situation plus things she look like. That yeah, it was, but I think, I mean I interpreted it was, I mean I interpreted it was her, but also I interpreted it as like she was translating him. As well. I like that. I like that double meaning. And then I also, one of my favorite scenes in the entire show is the funeral scene where he explodes. Bro. Because thanks for bringing me one of the best acting scenes I've ever seen him do. Because it's. Just Oh my God.
You don't expect it. Yeah. Start screaming, starts getting really angry. You don't expect it. Like, obviously no one expected it because he's never done that before. But it's just like you, you and like, at that point, the chief prosecutor, like the the guy who committed suicide at the end of the show, like knows about his condition and knows like what led to his condition. So like, you kind of could tell he was a little scared in that scene too.
He like he knew what this. Dude could like did when he did get angry before he had the filter of the surgery. So if people don't understand, like, so Shumuk's character, the reason why he got the surgery to basically got a lumbotomy in a way, is because he had some violent outbursts, like really violent outbursts when he was a child and in school. And they just couldn't do anything to quell those emotions. And he couldn't express them very well and couldn't. He was just like, yeah, he
couldn't control them. So they basically gave him a lumbotomy. They removed parts of his frontal temporal lobe, which is where your personality is. Right. It's who you are, and that is how he turned into who he is today. Yeah. And so there they explained it in the show where there are times where because he cannot process that anymore, Like, and when he was a child, he was over processing stuff and couldn't control them. But now it's the other way around where like he still has
those emotions. They're just very, very, very deep within him and his body cannot process those emotions. And when he becomes too stressed or has too many emotions of these built up and his brain cannot comprehend them and can't find a reasonable way to quell them and to make him understand, he has these episodes. And so in the funeral scene, I think it was a combination of him again feeling regret himself
and being guilty himself. But also getting really angry that like basically everybody who led to her death because he fully knows there's somebody in the room that did kill her, kind of just like talking business in the funeral. Like they were very disrespectful at this funeral. And he got angry because no one was saying anything. And he finally just was like, are you kidding me? So I love that scene. It was one of my favorite.
Scenes. Well, the father, her dad, the OG chief prosecutor started going for the Blue House. Chief prosecutor Changjun, who showed up? Which bad form to show up when it's so sketchy your involvement in this whole thing? They do it all the time though. Gripe. Shows. They do it all the. Time, I'm sure, yeah. And I, yeah. So he shows up to the well. Even the father-in-law was there, which I always never was. Like, I was like, why? Like there's no reason for the
father-in-law to be there. Like he didn't know unsu. He didn't. Yeah. So UNSU's dad goes feral on his ass and it's like you killed my daughter how can you be here? And he like takes his cane and like tries to hit him and it hits Dongje, which thank God it hits Dongje like he needs to be hit. And then like fuck that dude. And and that's when because all it it it's very I think he got over stimulated also like she milk in this situation. And he goes alright.
Like then he starts screaming at everybody. Yeah. And the dad, and he says like, why didn't you do anything when you had the chance, right? Yeah. And I think did you? Did you? Think you were hiding the truth for your family? Because look what? Look what's happened. Yeah, and that speaks to Shima's character because again, we said he's very blunt about anything. Like he does no filter whatsoever. To blame her father for her death at her funeral, Yeah,
like. That's yeah, that's just something you don't do. And again, I think that scene also was him realizing it was also his fault. Like he has always, I mean, you'll see this in season 2. It's a it's a ongoing thing. He'll bring up unsu in season 2 as well, where it's like you fully know he regrets what he did with this character. Like, and The thing is with this character is like she, even though we did find her annoying a little bit like she tried to work with him.
He, she tried to help him out and yeah, and she had her own agenda and own motives to do that too. But he also was like and. He didn't trust that he didn't. Trust she had an agenda and he also was trying to protect her at the same time. It wasn't all just like he didn't trust her. He also was like, if you get involved in this, something's going to happen and I don't want
you to have that. But on the other hand, in hindsight, you kind of see that he thought he should have involved her because at least she would have been more safe. Like, in hindsight, I think he realized she would have been more safe. Yeah. She wouldn't have been alone. Exactly. So the funeral scene I think was also him kind of yelling at himself and realizing that all these people in the room led to her death. But he also could not be completely absolved of the reason why he was dead.
It's heavy. It's heavy, yeah. And I love that scene. I'm glad you brought it up. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Well, did you have anything else in your notes? Anything at all. So you have a question that in here that I I've always loved the OS TS for this drama and season 2. Like I I woke up this morning because I finished season 2 like two days ago. I still have season 2 OST in my head. I absolutely love the music of this like not even the OS TS.
I love the background instrumental of this like whenever there's like when there's like something revealed or like at the at the. Very the viol. Like the violins, like it's like my head, like the drums come. In Yeah, I hear it right now. It's good love that I like. It's very one of my. Favorite, favorite background musics of all time? Yeah, I love it. Yeah, it's very good. Great, Great point. It's not even OSC, it's just score. It's score. Yeah, it's a score.
It's a memorable score. It's like one of those things where it's like the OS TS. I hear it. I'll be like, Oh my God. Exactly, exactly and season 2 kept the same thing like you'll you'll see that it's the same like they have different OS TS, but it's the same like score played differently, like you know, it's it's the same concept, like they have the same like violins and drums and everything, but it's differently sounded in a way, but it's
familiar. OK. But yeah, I absolutely love the instrumental backgrounds of this. I mean I like the OS TS too, but like. Nice. Hands on one of my favorite scores in a drama ever. I love that. I'll say the last thing that I have on my mind is he shows Shemukh, shows the wife, the chief prosecutor's widow, the suicide note that he leaves behind for her. It's it's with him because he left it to for Shima to give to her right. And she reads it because she comes in so hot, like guns
blazing. She goes, I'm going to take you down. There's not going to be anything left. Like she talks such a big game. And then he doesn't say shit to her. He just goes and gives her the note. He gives her the letter. She reads it and she doesn't say anything. She just gets up and leaves. Yes check bounce so appropriate she's just like you know what my husband had his head on straight as a matter of fact, and you know what I think I'm a little bit embarrassed.
I'm going to leave because there's nothing to there's nothing to take down here. This is exactly what he wanted. Was this whole. Investigation. Well, and the fact is like she realized because I mean, one of the reasons why she came in hot is because she fully blamed Shivoke for her husband's death. That's what she said, that you killed him. And in season 2, she still thinks this a little bit, but like, there's things said to her in season 2 that kind of writes her even more.
But like, I think obviously reading that suicide note, she knows like, because in the suicide note he's like, Shumuk is the only person I trusted, like. And I think that also kind of irked her a little because he didn't realize. Yeah, he. She realized because he. Could have left all that stuff. With her exactly. But he didn't. Yeah, yeah. Which like says a lot about their relationship and his relationship with him and things like that, yeah. Yeah, yeah, it's bad.
It was toxic. It was toxic. He might have loved it, but it was toxic. Anyway, I think that's it. Like, did you have anything else you wanted to say before we get out of here? I don't think so. Oh my God, well this was wonderful. As you can see, we had a fantastic time watching Stranger season one and we will likely, very likely be back for Stranger season 2 to talk that through.
Caitlin's already done the hard work and rewatched season 2. I have about 15 1/2 episodes to watch before I'm done, but it'll it'll happen. It'll happen this year for sure. We would love to hear from you guys. If you have watched Stranger and you want to hear more from us, talk to me. But obviously talk to Caitlin because Caitlin's watched it twice. Now three times. Three times. Oh my. God 'cause I re I re. I rewatched this when season two came out so this was my third
time rewatching season. 1/3 time rewatching season one. So where can we find you online, Caitlin, in case people haven't listen to the drama trio episodes or Flower of Evil or something in the Rain or all the all the episodes that you're on? You can find me on Instagram and Tiktok and Twitter under no sleep, the number for dramas. I'm mostly on Instagram and Tiktok though, so yeah. Or you can go and listen to my podcast or blog like. Exactly. Yeah. All right.
Well, that's been our show. I'm Jessica and this has been the Tibba K Rambles podcast. None.