# The Stranger (2020)

> An unassuming rideshare driver is trapped in her car with a mysterious passenger from the Hollywood Hills in a tense game of cat and mouse across Los Angeles.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/83452

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 13
- Episode runtime: 8 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: thriller, crime
- Created by: Veena Sud
- Network: Quibi
- Cast: Maika Monroe, Dane DeHaan, Avan Jogia, Roxana Brusso
- TMDB rating: 6.2/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10681780/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: breakneck
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: mild
- Tone: tense, claustrophobic, suspenseful, intense, foreboding

## What critics say

Audience reception is negative, with viewers rating the short-form thriller only middling at around 6 out of 10.

## Synopsis

The Stranger (2020) is an American mobile thriller series created by Veena Sud, produced for the Quibi short-form streaming platform. Maika Monroe plays Clare, an unassuming young rideshare driver whose ordinary shift turns into a nightmare when a mysterious passenger from the Hollywood Hills climbs into her car. Dane DeHaan plays Carl E., the unsettling stranger whose intentions stay unclear as the night unfolds, while Avan Jogia plays JJ, a figure tied to the chase. Captain Vasquez, played by Roxana Brusso, represents the police presence hovering at the edges of the story. The engine of the series is simple and relentless: Clare wants to survive and escape, and every turn of the road tightens the trap around her. Each short episode advances the ride in real time, moving her through the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles where danger hides in ordinary places. The series runs one season of thirteen very brief episodes, forming a single continuous story rather than separate cases. Its tone is tense, intense and claustrophobic, built on dread and suspense inside a small enclosed space. Fans of Duel, Breakdown and Fargo will find resonance in its confined menace and cat and mouse suspense. Its tight format makes it a quick, gripping watch for anyone craving unrelenting pressure.

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