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Star Wars Actor’s Brutal Netflix Thriller Perfectly Recreates Real-Life Sting Operation

By Robert Scucci
| Published

Studies suggest that in most cases, a child is abducted by someone they know, like a parent in the middle of a rancorous custody battle who just wants to see their kid. 2022’s The Stranger, on the other hand, tells a far more sinister story, resulting in a sting operation designed to take down a suspected child killer by forcing him to confess when he finally lets his guard down.

Inspired by the real-life murder of Australian child Daniel Morcombe, The Stranger is ultimately a work of fiction that uses real events to drive its narrative. It’s worth noting, however, that the real family who suffered the loss of their son wanted nothing to do with the movie, so names have obviously been changed, and the granular details tied to the true crime story were modified for the sake of respecting their wishes.

How Deep Does It Go?

The Stranger 2022

The Stranger takes its time setting up the conflict, as we first see events from Henry Peter Teague’s (Sean Harris) perspective. A seemingly broke loner riding the bus, he encounters a man named Paul Emery (Steve Mouzakis), who offers him low-level work for a criminal organization. This encounter eventually leads Henry to Mark Frame (Joel Edgerton), an undercover officer who has been building a case against him for years with the help of Detective Senior Constable Kate Rylett (Jada Alberts).

Mark Frame is the true protagonist in The Stranger, and we see the toll the investigation takes on him. Authorities are certain Henry is responsible for the disappearance and likely death of a young boy years earlier, but he had a solid alibi when he was initially questioned. To make matters worse, there is no physical evidence linking him to the crime. Having a young boy (Cormac Wright) around the same age as the missing child, Mark has a personal stake in the investigation, which is essentially built around a Mr. Big procedure.

The Stranger 2022

For those of you not up to speed on your true crime lingo, a Mr. Big procedure is a tactic used to coax a confession out of a suspected criminal by pretending to be part of a criminal organization yourself, and slowly gaining their trust over time.

With the stakes made crystal clear, The Stranger becomes a brooding exercise not in figuring out who made the child disappear, but in proving that one specific person was responsible. Henry is understandably guarded whenever anybody pries about his past, but he’s also eager to find gainful employment, something that has eluded him ever since he was convicted for an unrelated violent altercation years earlier. The supposed criminal organization recruiting him is simply biding its time until he fully lets his guard down, often reassuring him that if he ever gets into trouble, they will take care of it.

Not A Whodunit, But A “How Do We Get Him?”

The Stranger 2022

As The Stranger moves into its second and third acts, you can see the mental toll the case is taking on every officer involved in the sting operation. They know they have the right guy, but they have no evidence. They have nothing to work with aside from old traffic cameras, appointment sign-in sheets, anecdotes from bystanders in the area, and witness testimonials. They know Henry committed the crime, but if he’s not absolutely dead to rights when they bring him in, he walks. Mark knows this, and so does Kate Rylett.

The tension comes from knowing what they know and watching them bide their time until they finally have enough evidence to lock Henry Peter Teague up for good. The problem is that everybody is at their wits’ end after spending years on the case trying to bring the right man to justice. Everybody has a trigger finger and wants to use it. Everybody wants to heroically slap cuffs on the man who they believe, without a sliver of doubt, is the guilty party, but they need to exercise restraint if they want the operation to succeed.

The Stranger 2022

One of the finest examples of how a slow-burn crime thriller can push you to your breaking point, The Stranger is currently available to stream on Netflix.


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Home Depots Spring Black Friday sale is packed with free cordless tools — find the best BOGO deals on DeWalt, Ryobi, and Milwaukee

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The best Home Depot cordless tools deals at a glance:


Milwaukee Cordless Hammer Drill and Impact Driver Combo Kit


DeWalt FLEXVOLT 60V MAX Cordless Brushless 7-1/4 in. Circular Saw


Makita 40V max XGT Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless 6-1/2 in. Plunge Circular Saw Kit


Ryobi One+ 18V Cordless 8-Tool Combo Kit

Black Friday in April? Sure, why not. This year, Home Depot is celebrating the season by offering steep discounts on everything we need for spring yard work, getting those DIY projects underway, and preparing for outdoor summer fun. It’s a great time to save on plants, mulch, a new lawn mower, patio furniture, pizza ovens, barbecues, and even major home appliances like refrigerators.

But of course, Home Depot is always a go-to if you’re in need of fresh cordless tools. Whether you’ll use them for home or on the job site, shopping the Home Depot Spring Sale for deals is a smart move. We’re seeing nice BOGO offers from big hitters like DeWalt, Milwaukee, and Makita that’ll offer a free extra bonus with purchase. In addition to the BOGO deals, we have nice offers from Ryobi and Ridgid.

While the spring sale at Home Depot only started on April 9, we’re already seeing some BOGO deals that have sold out way ahead of the sale’s official end date of April 22. If this trend continues, it might be worth shopping soon to get the best selection. Here are some standout offers.

Best Milwaukee BOGO deal

free Milwaukee M18 18-​Volt Lithium-​Ion High Output Battery Pack with purchase

Why we like it

Milwaukee is one of the standout cordless tool brands, and they have deals abound during the Home Depot Spring Black Friday sale. One of the most attractive is snagging the Milwaukee M18 FUEL 18V Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless Hammer Drill and Impact Driver Combo Kit for $399 and getting the Milwaukee M18 18-Volt Lithium-Ion High Output Battery Pack 6.0Ah for free. That works out to a saving of $199.

Home Depot mentions the compact hammer drill is the most powerful in its class with the quickest driving speed. Milwaukee also added an auto-stop feature that eliminates over-rotation. Plus, the three LED lights that surround the bit and fastener are ideal for getting a clear view.

Best DeWalt BOGO deal

free DeWalt FlexVolt 20V/​60V MAX Lithium-​Ion 6.​0Ah Battery Pack with purchase

Why we like it

This BOGO deal offers a serious value. Snag the DeWalt FlexVolt 60V MAX Cordless Brushless 7-1/4 inch Circular Saw for $299 from Home Depot and get the DeWalt FlexVolt 20V/​60V MAX Lithium-​Ion 6.​0Ah Battery Pack with 6 Amp Output Charger for free, which ordinarily costs $249. That makes this one of the best BOGO values in the Home Depot spring sale.

The DeWalt FlexVolt family features over 180 tools with the Circular Saw offering 2,456 unit watts out. There’s an electric brake, integrated LED lights, and even rafter hooks for easy storage.

Best Ryobi deal

$369
at Home Depot

$529
Save $160

 

Why we like it

While this deal isn’t part of Home Depot’s BOGO offers, it’s still an excellent buy. The Ryobi One+ 18V Cordless 8-Tool Combo Kit is 30% off and serves as a great DIY combo kit for all sorts of home projects. There’s a driver/drill, impact driver, reciprocating saw, circular saw, multi-tool, and more. To keep things neat and organized, the Ryobi kit comes with two tool bags.

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What is OnlyFans?

The creator platform OnlyFans has changed the adult industry since its inception a decade ago. What started as a tip jar for bloggers has become an extreme moneymaker for some porn performers, making six figures a year or even in a single month. But do you have to post sexually explicit work on OnlyFans? Are you required to message back and forth with strangers? Can you actually make money on the platform? What is OnlyFans, anyway?

We’re here to answer your questions.

What is OnlyFans?

OnlyFans was started in 2016 by British entrepreneur Tim Stokely. Its main goal is to help content creators and artists “monetize their content while developing authentic relationships with their fanbase.” This basically means the platform was created to let users post content behind a paywall, which fans have to subscribe to for access. Fans can also pay more to message back and forth with creators and “tip” to get content created on demand that’s specifically tailored to their interests and tastes.

If you look back at OnlyFans promotional materials from 2016, you’ll notice that it was geared towards “safe for work” creators, like bloggers and YouTubers. This changed in 2018, when the majority of its parent company, Fenix International Limited, was sold to Ukrainian-American entrepreneur Leonid Radvinsky. Radvinsky, who died in March 2026 at the age of 43, previously founded the porn site MyFreeCams. OnlyFans pivoted to porn after 2018 (despite any type of creator still allowed on the platform), and it exploded in usage and name recognition during the COVID lockdowns.

While creators don’t have to post explicit content on the platform (and in fact, Mashable interviewed a creator who makes six figures from OnlyFans without nudity), it’s what the platform is known for at this point. In 2021, OnlyFans announced it would ban explicit content, only to reverse the decision days later due to backlash.

How much money can creators make on it?

It depends on the kind of content you’re producing, how much reach you have, and a whole host of other variables, but creators can make anywhere from a few hundred dollars a month to a few thousand. In 2023, the average OnlyFans creator made just $1,300 a year from the platform, but Mashable has interviewed creators who’ve made millions from it. Last year, current OnlyFans CEO Keily Blair shared that the platform paid out $25 billion to creators since 2016.

But if you think OnlyFans is “easy money,” think again. Last year, Mashable interviewed different creators about the work that goes into building a successful OnlyFans, including investing in camera equipment, hiring help, and marketing yourself.

How do you subscribe to creators?

You don’t have to be a creator to use the platform — in fact, it’s fueled by users who don’t post on the platform. In order to subscribe to creators, you simply have to create an OnlyFans account, go to the Home page, and find someone you’re interested in following. Check out their subscription tiers, and decide what kind of bundle or offer you’re interested in paying for. You can also tip a creator any amount you want, or pay for messages and individualized content with pay-per-view messages that range anywhere from a couple dollars to more than $100, depending on the creator.

And if you have a friend who’s started posting on OnlyFans and you want to support them, there are ways to do that, too, from subscribing to their pages to offering emotional support.

This article was originally published in 2021 and updated in 2026.

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Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold is getting a restock April 10. How to get yours before its gone.

Just a few months ago, Samsung launched a really huge foldable phone. Now, it seems like this Friday might be your last chance to get one.

The Samsung TriFold, which made waves when it launched in Asia late last year before making its western debut at CES 2026. The phone sold out almost instantly upon its U.S. release on Jan. 30 before disappearing from store shelves in March.

Samsung is committing to one more restock on April 10, both online via Samsung’s website and at a smattering of retail Samsung stores across the U.S. As before, we fully expect the online restock to sell out very quickly, so your best bet might be to make it to one of the physical locations, if you can.

In a note to press, Samsung mentioned these Samsung stores as places where you can expect TriFold restocks:

Obviously, there are huge chunks of the U.S. that are not especially close to any of those locations, so grabbing the TriFold online will be the only option for many. In person or online, it won’t be easy to get your hands on the $2,899 TriFold, as Samsung has only produced the phone in very limited numbers.

Samsung hasn’t said one way or another if this will be the final restock, but given that the phone was already discontinued in Korea, customers probably shouldn’t bet on any more restocks in the future. Rumor has it the company has been selling the TriFold at a loss.

Given its high price and experimental form factor, this doesn’t necessarily mean the phone was a failure. It could just mean that Samsung never intended to make the TriFold widely available for a long time.

In other words, if you want one, you better find a way to make it happen on Friday.

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