REVIEW: ‘The Stranger’ on Netflix starring Richard Armitage
Courtesy of Netflix press site / Provided with permission.
Watching The Stranger miniseries on Netflix almost instantly inspires viewers to go out and buy Harlan Coben’s book, the source material for the mysterious tale. That’s an endorsement of Coben as an intricate and engaging storyteller, but it’s a bit of an indictment for the TV series. The convoluted plot and tertiary storylines are probably expertly handled in a work of fiction, but on screen, spread out across eight episodes, they can make for a tangled, confounding web.
The British TV series stars Richard Armitage as Adam Price, a lawyer living a seemingly perfect life. He loves his wife, Corinne (Dervla Kirwan), who is a teacher at the local private school. They have two sons, both football players at the local club. They live in a beautiful house in a neighborhood of quaintness and obvious wealth.
Then the stranger arrives. Hannah John-Kamen plays a mysterious character who walks up to Adam at the football pitch and reveals a secret about his personal life: A few years ago, his wife faked her pregnancy and miscarriage. At first, he doesn’t believe the quite unbelievable story from this stranger, but she tells him to look into a credit card charge on a previous statement. Sure enough, he finds a charge from a company that helps women fake pregnancies.
This conversation and internet sleuthing set off a chain of events that involves the local police detective (Siobhan Finneran, the best of the cast), a café owner in town (Jennifer Saunders) and many others — with special emphasis on many. There are so many supporting characters in this series that it can be hard to keep everyone and everything in line, and even harder to care about each plot point.
One of the better side points involves Adam helping an old neighbor of his, played by Stephen Rea. He is facing destruction of his townhouse thanks to an eminent-domain redevelopment of his city block. The developer in question is none other than Adam’s father, played by Anthony Head.
One of the worst side points involves Adam’s eldest son (Jacob Dudman) and his circle of friends who are up to no good in the local woods. Don’t wait for this thread to somehow tie into the overall fabric of the miniseries because it doesn’t.
The acting is top-notch. Finneran, an alumna of Downton Abbey and Happy Valley, is believable and heartfelt as the local police detective. She has a personal connection to certain events that transpire, and the actor is an expert at making the audience care about her decisions and trajectory. The same can be said of Armitage, who holds much of the series together. Adam becomes the focal point for this twisty drama, the one person who, against all odds, tries to find answers about his wife and other connections in this sordid affair. It’s always appreciated when Saunders or Rea are signed up for a project as well.
John-Kamen is excellent as the stranger, but, by virtue of the character she portrays, there is not much learned about her until the thrilling finale. That is a shame because at times her role feels underwritten.
The Netflix series, which was created by Coben, could have cut a few characters and a few plot points, perhaps making the series run only six episodes. Sometimes digging deeper doesn’t always work out as planned.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
The Stranger, starring Richard Armitage, Hannah John-Kamen and Siobhan Finneran, is now available on Netflix. Click here for more information.
