[Drama 2017] Forest of Secrets / Stranger 비밀의숲 - Baeksang 2018 Daesang Award /Best Actor / Best Writer

[Irish_law]

OST Part 1 already released

 

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Last nite I tried to watch it without sub for about 8 minutes, I loove Jo Seung Woo's character already. If I'm not mistaken, he got sort of Sherlock's ability and technique?? I agree completely with knetizen comments, his character shows no emotion but we can feel Jo Seung Woo's deep acting.

 

 

[annagriss8]

@Irish_law Wait till you watch Episode 2, especially the ending. Stellar performance by JSW!

[ross27]

Hello chingus! I am so excited with this drama. JSW is so awesome with his excellent portrayal of the rational, emotionless Hwang shi-mok. Looking forward to the comments from this forum when the subs are ready. Cheers!

[annagriss8]

    

[annagriss8]

Yoo Jae Myung is so cute!

[rubie]

June 13, 2017

Prosecutors replace villain roles in today's dramas 

 
A promotional photo for tvN's new Saturday-Sunday crime thriller "Stranger" / Courtesy of CJ E&M

By Park Jin-hai The Korea Times

In the 1995 smash hit "Sandglass" set in the 1980s era of the military dictatorship, the prosecutor was portrayed as a person with a firm moral compass fighting against social ills.

In today's dramas, prosecutors are no longer righteous figures. In tandem with what is happening in the real world, where Woo Byung-woo, a former prosecutor and presidential secretary, who played a key role in the corruption scandal involving former President Park Geun-hye, prosecutors are taking the place of the classic villain roles of serial killers, and corrupt and spoiled chaebol heirs in dramas.

In the recently ended crime thriller "Whisper" prosecutors were featured as legal abusers as they formed a corrupt cartel of politics, businesses and the law.

As if reflecting the people's deep seated distrust of the country's legal institution, tvN's new Saturday-Sunday crime thriller "Stranger," OCN's Saturday-Sunday Sci-fi thriller "Duel," SBS's ongoing legal drama "Suspicious Partner" and MBC's action thriller "The Guardians" have corrupt prosecutor characters as their main antagonists. They use their power to fabricate evidence, ask for kickbacks from conglomerates in return for favors and try to win over a junior prosecutor probing a corruption case to their side with the bait of a promotion. 

Although such crime dramas shows the subtitles that read "This show has nothing to do with real figures and cases" in the opening scenes, it hardly seems to be the case.

"Whisper" took the motive of a prosecutor's corruption case that graced the newspapers, while "Stranger" too is suspected of having borrowed many ideas from real life in Korea. Actual names of figures and cases are not pinpointed, but all the prosecutors, lawyers and judges in the dramas are a mishmash of what viewers see in the media.

"By telling timely stories, we have garnered strong responses from viewers," said Kim Young-seop, head of SBS drama, on the success of crime thrillers "Whisper" and "Defendant," both of which enjoyed over 20 percent viewership. 

"The ultimate message we want to deliver is justice," said Ahn Gil-ho, director of "Stranger." "As lead actor Cho Seung-woo said, our drama will be a mirror that reflects these times. I want to deliver our message clearly and strongly."

jinhai@ktimes.com

[Guest]

Interesting first episode. Looking forward to the second one.

[Nymeria289]

Came for Bae Doona and Cho Seung Woo, staying for the story. First episode was interesting even if not groundbreaking. I feel bad for Eun Soo, she got dragged into a mess that she didn't create while trying to prove herself as a prosecutor. 

[Guest]

Finished second episode.

• Still an interesting story.
• I like that the drama doesn't waste any time to let both leads join forces. I enjoyed the scenes where they worked together, I hope that this isn't just an temporary thing. 
• ES gets the blame, but the moment she started to follow Dong-Jae it was clear that she will go down. She's the scapegoat and will take the blame.
• I still don't know what to think about the ending, does SM really want the promotion? That seems a little off.

[UnniSarah]

7 hours ago, Nymeria289 said:

Came for Bae Doona and Cho Seung Woo, staying for the story. First episode was interesting even if not groundbreaking. I feel bad for Eun Soo, she got dragged into a mess that she didn't create while trying to prove herself as a prosecutor. 

@Nymeria289... I think differently, she became greedy instead of learning from her teacher. Just because her boss is cold doesn't mean he is being greedy. He treat everyone with the same respect and when he told her he didn't trust her it was blow to her ego not her skills. In fact she chose to work with Shi Mom because of his reputation and expected her experience to be smooth and getting her way.

1 hour ago, Dhakra said:

Finished second episode.

• Still an interesting story.
• I like that the drama doesn't waste any time to let both leads join forces. I enjoyed the scenes where they worked together, I hope that this isn't just an temporary thing. 
• ES gets the blame, but the moment she started to follow Dong-Jae it was clear that she will go down. She's the scapegoat and will take the blame.
• I still don't know what to think about the ending, does SM really want the promotion? That seems a little off.

@Dhakra...once I watch episode 2 with subs , I will answer your question. 

[Nymeria289]

@UnniSarah She is still very green. To be honest, she took the case on face value, a robbery murder with definitive evidence. She just didn't register at first which was wrong. But she didn't tamper the evidence. I feel sorry in a sense that she'll be scape goat in a case that goes beyond the circumstances visible without her knowledge. That's why it says, Little Knowledge is a dangerous thing. I guess she'll learn how complicated and twisted the politics is in the prosecutors office, the hard way. 

[meechuttso]

On 6/11/2017 at 8:52 PM, UnniSarah said:

 Chingu's Annyeonghaseyo 

Can anyone translate this chart for me 

 

=============================
Peach: Prosecutor/DA's Office
=============================
Young EunSoo  'YES' (Shin HyeSun)   WDP 3DD Prosecutor
Seo DongJae   'SDJ' (Lee JoonHyuk)  WDP 3DD Prosecutor
Hwang ShiMok  'HSM' (Cho SeungWoo)  WDP 3DD Prosecutor
Lee ChangJoon 'LCJ' (Ryu JaeMyung)  WDP Director

Lee YeonJae   'LYJ' (Yoon SeAh)     LCJ Wife, LYB Daughter       
Lee YoonBum   'LYB' (Lee KyungYung) Cur. HanJo Group CEO

*WPD     = Western District Prosecutor's Office
*WPD 3DD = WPD 3rd Detective Division

============
Blue: Police
============
Han YeoJin    'HYJ' (Bae Doona)     YPD Inspector
Jang Gun      'JG'  (Choi JaeWoong) YPD Cop
Kim SooChan   'KSC' (Park JinWoo)   YPD Cop
Kim WooGyun   'KWG' (Choi ByungMo)  YPD Chief

*YPD     = YongSan Police Department

==============
Relationships:
==============
YES & HSM    Junior/Senior (Trainee/Mentor)
SDJ & HSM    Adversaries (red)
SDJ & LCH    Inferior/Superior
HSM & LCH    Adversaries (red)

LCH & LYJ    Married (pink)
LCH & LYB    Family, Inf/Sup

HSM & HYJ    Help, Cooperate (thick blue between WPD & YPD)
LCH & KWG    Help, Friend (thin blue between WPD & YPD)

 

@UnniSarah I hope that's helpful.

[meechuttso]

54 minutes ago, Nymeria289 said:

@UnniSarah She is still very green. To be honest, she took the case on face value, a robbery murder with definitive evidence. She just didn't register at first which was wrong. But she didn't tamper the evidence. I feel sorry in a sense that she'll be scape goat in a case that goes beyond the circumstances visible without her knowledge. That's why it says, Little Knowledge is a dangerous thing. I guess she'll learn how complicated and twisted the politics is in the prosecutors office, the hard way. 

@Nymeria289 YES (Young EunSoo), She'll bounce back, and not just coz I'm her fan. YES has an interesting back story where she has to clear her father's name, so she'll claw her way back from the bottom she has quickly hit. Next to HYJ (good cop), I am betting that YES will be HSM's biggest ally in getting to the bottom of this swamp, even if only for her personal ambitions and to clear her name and her father's.

[UnniSarah]

I am dying to know about Shi Mok's family history. We got to see a glimpse of his mom wanting to commit suicide and killing her child. She doesn't seem to be loving type. Maybe she was depressed from losing someone she loved. 

I hate seeing kids being treated that way. 

 

[meechuttso]

5 hours ago, Dhakra said:

Finished second episode.

• Still an interesting story.
• I like that the drama doesn't waste any time to let both leads join forces. I enjoyed the scenes where they worked together, I hope that this isn't just an temporary thing. 
• ES gets the blame, but the moment she started to follow Dong-Jae it was clear that she will go down. She's the scapegoat and will take the blame.
• I still don't know what to think about the ending, does SM really want the promotion? That seems a little off.

@Dhakra Regarding this last point, I actually think it's spot on. HSM's real motives are purposely unclear at the moment, and I think that knowing how deep the corruptions are that he is up against, HSM has to 'play hardball' or not make it. We'll see. The byline is 'everyone is a suspect', so by doing this, the writer does not take him off the list already after 2 episodes.

Also, I watched again to check the quality of the subs, and I have to say they're very good. I think it's worth the 2 days' wait for the subs because so much rides on the details and nuances in the dialog. My favorite part was the little scene between the internal auditors and HSM in the restaurant - so many subtle little details and contrasts. This is a first rate script all the way, for these first rate actors. 

[Guest]

3 hours ago, meechuttso said:

@Dhakra Regarding this last point, I actually think it's spot on. HSM's real motives are purposely unclear at the moment, and I think that knowing how deep the corruptions are that he is up against, HSM has to 'play hardball' or not make it. We'll see. The byline is 'everyone is a suspect', so by doing this, the writer does not take him off the list already after 2 episodes.

Also, I watched again to check the quality of the subs, and I have to say they're very good. I think it's worth the 2 days' wait for the subs because so much rides on the details and nuances in the dialog. My favorite part was the little scene between the internal auditors and HSM in the restaurant - so many subtle little details and contrasts. This is a first rate script all the way, for these first rate actors. 

Ah thank you, that makes sense. 

[UnniSarah]

@meechuttso..... Thanks for the translation and it was helpful. At least now I know there is no romance involved. 

16 hours ago, meechuttso said:

@Dhakra Regarding this last point, I actually think it's spot on. HSM's real motives are purposely unclear at the moment, and I think that knowing how deep the corruptions are that he is up against, HSM has to 'play hardball' or not make it. We'll see. The byline is 'everyone is a suspect', so by doing this, the writer does not take him off the list already after 2 episodes.

Also, I watched again to check the quality of the subs, and I have to say they're very good. I think it's worth the 2 days' wait for the subs because so much rides on the details and nuances in the dialog. My favorite part was the little scene between the internal auditors and HSM in the restaurant - so many subtle little details and contrasts. This is a first rate script all the way, for these first rate actors. 

Chingu, I agree he will do anything to get to the bottom of this corruption. 

@Dhakra @meechuttso...LCJ was trying to make SM lose his lose his temper if he has no idea about SM medical condition. He was trying to find a way to get rid of him. 

Remember the men SM went to have lunch with , I don't trust them at all. The vibe I got from them was they were using him to do all the dirty work while their hands stay clean. They are also worried that Cleaning up the corruption from that office will need a scapegoat but SM ( plans on making sure he isn't blindsided from either side). So he will be playing on both sides . EVEN LCJ ADMITTED THAT SM IS SMART AND STILL NEED HIMMIN THE GAME TO GET AHEAD. 

[larus]

Forest of Secrets: Episode 1

by SailorJumun

With an intriguing story and the characters to match, Forest of Secrets is already off to a strong start. The prosecution office may seem like that small ray of hope for truth and justice to see the light, but unbeknownst to the outsiders, there’s a web of secrets tangled into this forest, revealing a darkness that our emotionless hero is about to find himself encased in – whether he likes it or not.

 

Read more http://www.dramabeans.com/2017/06/forest-of-secrets-episode-1/

[meechuttso]

5 hours ago, UnniSarah said:

Remember the men SM went to have lunch with , I don't trust them at all. The vibe I got from them was they were using him to do all the dirty work while their hands stay clean. They are also worried that Cleaning up the corruption from that office will need a scapegoat but SM ( plans on making sure he isn't blindsided from either side). So he will be playing on both sides . EVEN LCJ ADMITTED THAT SM IS SMART AND STILL NEED HIMMIN THE GAME TO GET AHEAD. 

Haha. You shouldn't trust them, but they are the internal audit team, so that's why they are shown eating at a cheap Chinese joint in contrast to the prosecutors who were being wined and dined with 'escort' service in fancy hotels in HSM flashbacks. The auditor offers HSM only the same cheap blackbean paste noodle for lunch, then says, 'this might be your last lunch (as lawyer) shall I upgrade it to sweet and sour pork?' to which his cohort says, if it's his last lunch on us you might as well go all the way and upgrade it to 'seafood platter' (the stuff with the yucky sea cucumbers), which was pretty funny. Then the blackbean paste splatters on him, and he's trying to get it out as he mumbles to HSM, only to grab HSM's untouched bowl after he leaves. I think the point of the scene was that HSM is definitely one of the suspects if not for murder, at least for the coverup or whatever they are uncovering as a result of this whole thing blowing up after the 'suicide' (note that suicide is in quotes, as nothing is what it seems on the face of it at this point). There's so much there in every scene.

[meechuttso]

27 minutes ago, larus said:

Forest of Secrets: Episode 1

by SailorJumun

With an intriguing story and the characters to match, Forest of Secrets is already off to a strong start. The prosecution office may seem like that small ray of hope for truth and justice to see the light, but unbeknownst to the outsiders, there’s a web of secrets tangled into this forest, revealing a darkness that our emotionless hero is about to find himself encased in – whether he likes it or not.

 

Read more http://www.dramabeans.com/2017/06/forest-of-secrets-episode-1/

Thank you @larus That's a well done recap. I hope they do it for many more epiodes.

I think this drama will build up to a crescendo and so I am perfectly content with the pacing of the first 2 Eps. As the actors themselves said, they didn't know until Ep 12 or 14 who the real culprit was. I think this calls for a little wager on this thread perhaps?

And the article says: "Shi-mok’s hoobae Eun-soo may be a new recruit to all the deceit, but now that she’s a part of it, I doubt she’ll have an easy time getting out even if she wanted to. She doesn’t seem like a bad person, but that drive to be a successful prosecutor may very well be her downfall, especially if she keeps taking advice from Dong-jae. For all we know, we could’ve already lost the chance to save her from corruption."

I agree that YES is in a whole lot of pickle right now, but I will disagree vehemently with that conclusion. Fighting, Young EunSoo!