'Stranger 2' aka 'Forest of Secrets 2' Episode 2: Prosecutor and police set for battle with Yeo-jin, Shi-mok
Can you really remain steadfast about your ethics and beliefs when you are forced into a corner to pick a side? Not that there is a side that aligns with your beliefs, but both sides are equally corrupt and chaotic. Which side will you choose and how will you respond to resulting accusations of being a whistleblower if you were forced to out the lies that you had promised to side with? 'Stranger 2' also known as 'Forest of Secrets 2' will deal with all these questions and in that vein, we see Yeo-jin (Bae Doo-na) get selected to be a part of a special commission to bring a reform bill in place that will once and for all bring an end to the heated debate of if the Police Department should be allowed independence in investigating cases.
Shi-mok (Cho Seung-woo), who was on his way to report to the Wanjo Prosecutors' Office is asked to return to Seoul and report to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office where he is informed that he will be working for the prosecutors' side in the upcoming special commission. Shi-mok has a lot of questions. For instance, why is the prosecution not heeding the reform bill that was passed by the government? Why was he selected despite the opposition that Assistant Chief Attorney Woo Tae-ha (Choi Moo-sung) faced while trying to scout him out? Will he be forced to side with the prosecution despite the apparent corruption that he has witnessed himself? We see Shi-mok contemplate on all of these questions as he gets ready for his stint at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office.
Then the season also sees Shi-mok and Yeo-jin meet after a long time and even as the two congratulate each other on their promotions, both also realize that the road ahead is going to be complicated. Yeo-jin will be forced to take the police's side irrespective of all the flaws that she has been witness to as she served the past two years by Choi Bit's (Jeon Hye-jin) side. The conflict that Yeo-jin and Shi-mok will face in the upcoming episodes is the same. To take sides out of loyalty or to shake up both the departments while they are at this special commission and use the public as a witness to support what is right, will be a huge part of the plotline this season.
This will be contrasted with the internal conflict within Hanjo as Lee Yeon-Ja, the former Chief Prosecutor of Western Division's wife, is faced with proving her capability in heading her father's company. There also seems to be internal conflict within Hanjo as Lee Yoon-ja might have to face an opposing power within Hanjo. For now, we are speculating that this person could very well be her brother, who could also be the father of Lee Yong-ho. The call that this man had made to get a lawyer to his father, was given visual importance by portraying how powerful his father was. This is also the reason why we believe that Yong-ho's case will be the one that becomes the key to unraveling both the police and prosecution.
Then there is also the case of police and prosecution trying to blame each other and pointing fingers at each other to defend their standpoint in the upcoming special commission. In this process, the prosecution gets help from Seo Dong-jae (Lee Joon-hyuk), who had already dug up dirt on the police and especially Choi Bit. At the end of episode 2, we see a file on the table between Tae-ha and Dong-jae as they wait for Shi-mok's arrival. When that happens, there is sinister music that plays in the background that hints at the file holding information that would very well dictate how the special commission would help the prosecution.
'Stranger 2' is set to premiere on August 15 and originally airs on tvN on Saturdays and Sundays at 9 pm KST in South Korea and can be streamed on Netflix.