Mouse

Very complex which may be a good thing or could be a bad thing depending on what you are after

7.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2021 South Korean mystery, crime, thriller television series with 20, 70 Minute, episodes.

There is a serial killer on the loose and no-one feels safe. After his mother and father are victims, Ko Moo Chi (Song Min-jae) bravely identifies the killer causing one of the most notorious killers to be sent to prison. Fast forward and now Ko Moo Chi (Lee Hee Joon) is a detective who will stop at nothing to get the bad guy. He is on a personal mission to put as many killers behind bars as possible. It seems there is a new serial killer whose crimes rival the brutality of the "head hunter" the killer who killed Chi's parents. After several chance encounters with another police officer officer, Jetong Ba-reum (Lee Seung-gi) who is known for his good deeds and many, including Chi, wonder if he has what it takes, in terms of a hardened personality, to make it as a homicide detective. Nevertheless they team up to stop this new serial killer. Oh Bong-yi (Park Ju-hyun) sees Ba-reum as stability in a life that has been far from stable. Their romantic pairing is something her grandmother wished for seeing handsome and kind Ba-reum as a perfect pairing for her granddaughter who is haunted by a traumatic past. Choi Hung-ju (Kyung Soo-jin) is an investigative journalist specializing in stories about killers. Her work has her working with Detective Chi frequently and he values her opinion. They were once romantically interested in each other but life events drove them apart. Will they catch the killer through their combined efforts before he can kill many more? Is everyone who they seem?

Spoiler alert***
What I liked about this series. It went very in depth on the psychology behind psychopathy. It showed very clearly how some psychopaths are experts at blending in with "normal" people and how those closest to them can be fooled. I liked the relationships between friends, former lovers, and even the interplay between the serial killers and the police. I thought all of the actors played their roles very well.

What I did not like about this series:
1) It was so complex that it made the story hard to follow at times. The plot twists were frequent and you had to pay careful attention to things that may have happened several episodes ago or you may miss the significance of the latest twist. It caused me to tune out several times to let the story play out a little bit and get back to normal.

2) I did not like the inconsistencies. For example the killer was a psychopath even as a child and had one of his father's mice (assumed). But if the mouse was his father's it did not make sense as he was in school when it showed him with the mouse and his father was put in jail before he was born. So, where did he get the mouse as a small child? Another inconsistency was when Bong-yi was rescued as a child by Ba-reum. He gives her a piggy back ride and they seemed to be about the same age. However, earlier in the show the Bong-yi commented on their age gap and it seemed to be significant, like maybe 10 years.

3) An event with new characters would happen in one episode and seem to conclude then several episodes later they would mention the names of the people involved in the episode. By the time I would figure out what event they were referencing, the story would have moved along.

4) I did not like that I felt I had no one to root for. I like Ba-reum early on but when he turned out to be bad, I was very disappointed. The rest had some serious character flaws, Bong-yi jumped to conclusions, Chi wanted to kill the bad guys and be judge, jury and executioner, and Chung-ju does not open up to anybody.

5) Loose ends. There were a lot of unexplained things. Such as the mouse, why did Ba-reum have a mouse. The mouse almost seemed to be controlled by Ba-reum when it attacked the snake - what was that about? We also never got the full story of what transpire to PD Choi as a young child. What happened to her brother? How did the serial killer get her to work with him? The Oz organization was mentioned frequently but when things wrapped up we never got the full story of who all belonged to Oz and why they joined. The pregnant lady who was identified as having a child with the psychopath gene at the same time that Ba-reum's mother was, what happened to her and her child? There were so many psychopaths it was hard to keep track of who was who.

6) Romance died. I know it was never fully intended to be a romance but there was a cute romance developing between Ba-reum and Bong-yi and then we found out the truth about him and that was that, as it obviously would be. But then even Detective Chi and PD Choi, they had a romance in the past and, at the end, Detective Chi indicates to another detective he still has feelings and might confess but then PD Choi and he sit down and talk about their feelings of guilt over the way things played out with the doctor. They sort of agree it sucks and they will live with that guilt then she just walks away and he drives off into the sunset in his egg truck. Felt like we had build up in both cases only to be let down in the end.

7) There was a lot of emphasis put on the psychopath gene and, while they mentioned that there was a possibility the individual may not be a psychopath but a genius instead, they never pursued that angle. It is not dissimilar to what, in reality, is known about psychopaths that there are thrill seekers who have that similar flatline emotional state but do not exhibit as murderers, they may be thrill seekers (extreme sports), highly competitive business or finance moguls, or other such adrenalizing pursuits. It was unclear if the Doctor was thought to have the psychopath gene, he was part of the experiment so you could assume he did, however it was not clear.

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I am literally GAGGED

I started watching this because somebody recommended it on TikTok, and I am literally GAGGED. This is what I imagine when they say "psychological thriller." The way they frame Ba Reum's character as likeable, they get you to fall deeply in love with the character, then completely crush the character's entire being to create another version of him that is morally questionable but still socially "acceptable," then reveal what he is really like is sooo genius. Every character has so much depth and connection to each other, and it builds a level of complexity that completely destroys the idea of strictly good or bad. It is very well done to the point that you find it difficult to completely hate any characters. This is such an interesting approach to psychological thrillers, and I would recommend it to everybody that is into this genre or open to it. Ko Mu Chi I LOVE YOU!

9/10 watch.
2.0 rewatch value because my mental is not strong enough to watch it more than once.

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História impressionante e show de atuação

Mouse é um kdrama que me surpreendeu imensamente. Tem uma trama envolvente desde o primeiro episódio e entregou mais do que prometeu. É claro que em alguns momentos acabei ficando confusa, e parecia que não estavam contando a história direito, no entanto percebo isso como essencial para as reviravoltas e o choque nos últimos episódios. Pode ter sido desatenção minha em alguns sinais, mas gostei dessa confusão porque a compreendo como parte da trama e também das mudanças que ocorreram após o incidente cirúrgico. Lee Seunggi foi excelente em cada cena. Conseguiu fazer três personagens diferentes e guiar os sentimentos do expectador com uma atuação maravilhosa. Com certeza entrou para o meu Top 3 de kdramas favoritos. Excelente!!

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So far, like it.

I was one of the viewers who absolutely liked the ep 1 of mouse, for someone who has a short attention span, this is a good start. Watching it gives me different kind of emotions and I am so fond watching the ep1-6, however there are some part which I found doesn't make sense. I skipped some parts that I found boring. After the brain transplant thing happened, I started to doubt how will the story flows, it was so messed up.

I knew that Ba Reum is the psychopath from the start, just like any other kdramas, it's easy to guess who is who. I lowkey wanna drop it tbh, but I'm glad that I watched ep14-15 and everything makes sense now.

To clear everyone's confusion about the "brain transplant" who says it's unnecessary, the scriptwriter's purpose is to let psychopaths feel the remorse, guilt and pain. In that way, they'll suffer.

When Yo Han's brain transferred to Ba Reum, the psychopath Ba Reum started to regain his memory through Yo Han's brain. Concluding that Yo Han is not a psychopath but the 1% genius, he has emotions that normal people have. The brain of Yo Han is now in Ba Reum's head, this is the reason why he now has emotion.

As I said, I was also belong to those people who doubted it. To everyone who felt disappointed, let me tell you that this one is working well. And besides, even if the brain transplant is non-existent in real life, just remember that you are watching a Sci-Fi story so do not expect that it can be realistic as what you think.

Anyway I won't feel tired praising Lee Seung Gi's acting, he already proved himself but he outshine it this series! All casts deserve an applause & recognition.

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Hhhmm .. Unusual but not that mind blowing

Okay, this may contain some spoilers ..

1st, maybe I missed it somewhere, but can anyone tell me, WHO IS THE GIRL that was with little Ba Reum, who stepped on and crushing a mouse to death just like that and I think that's the 1st thing that aroused Ba Reum's killer instinct ?
Anyone remember the girl ? She was older than Ba Reum .. or maybe that's just not that important to be detailed later on, like from whom Wu Yeong Cheol (did I spell it right) the psychopath killer that also almost killed Ba Reum, got his psychopath gene ? Coz his father was a (good) cop and his mother also seems normal, though maybe she really ever had an affair as WYC said

2nd, if Ba Reum really was adopted (and switched with Yo Han) by another woman, when did it happen ? I mean at what age and why the woman willing to adopt Ba Reum, if she knew from the start that Ba Reum is the Head Hunter' son ? and what is expected to happen by Ba Reum's mother and the adoptive mother to switch their son ???

3rd, okay maybe it's just to add dramatic, tragic, heartbreaking point by not doing it, but if I was Moo Chi's brother, once I got the chance to speak to Moo Chi by phone, though my neck was stuck on a knife, I'll certainly yell to my brother who is actually the killer, hahahaa ..

And I can't even understand why that PD Choi chose not to return to her family just because she felt "guilty" for being an "accomplice" of the Head Hunter .. She was just a kid and certainly was forced, who would blame her ? She was "torturing" her parents, especially her mother by doing so actually ..

It's even weirder when the OZ came out .. I thought it would be better if it's just a story about a psychopath, not a "Customized" psychopath ..

Well, I don't think I'm enjoying it .. sorry, for those who think this is a masterpiece or anything like that .. so many loopholes ..

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What a waste of potential in the stupidest way possible

First of all, the moment they showed psychopath gene i was pretty annoyed. Like sure way to establish more prejudice against children of criminals.
I must say I enjoyed the first few episodes and then i don't know what the fuck happened. It is like the writers said fuck logic.. we are gonna use all the possible tropes available in Korean drama universe.
And what stupid female lead. Girl you are in school. Stop throwing tantrums and go study. Also what a damsel in distress. They tried so hard to play into the strong female lead trope yet somehow she always needed saving by her knight. I wonder how did any of this make any sense. And on top of that they played the hero forgetting his life trope. Someone tell the writers that this trope is now backdated.
And then the moment they also used brain transplant I just simply stopped because WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!!!! I could not watch any more episode.
And now I want those 9 hours of my life back. What a wastage of my time.

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Crime Drama Slayer

I was never a big fan of crime dramas because I find it too stressful to watch. However, the first 15 minutes of episode 1, will already have you at the edge of your seats.

I cried on the first episode already because the acting was soo good, I felt as violent, oppressed and scared as the victims.

The non-chalant way and expression the villain had was superb, you'll hate him to the core immediately.

The 4th episode, was heart wrenching and the ending was the best cliff hanger. If in the last episodes, you already had the impression or idea who you think the real culprits are, you will start questioning your judgment because the ending on the 4th episode will make you doubt each character. I can't wait for the next episode and this is one of the best dramas of Lee Seung Gi!

Episode 5 is traumatic! You'll cry buckets of tears because of Lee Hee-Joon's (Ko Moo-Chi) acting! I admire him, that was magnificent! I had to pause watching the next episode because I felt I had to emotionally prepare myself for the next unfortunate event.

I haven't rated it a 10 yet because I'm not sure if I would like the ending, however I really like how the story unfolds as of the moment. No annoying unnecessary flashbacks! Just pure entertainment all the way.

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mouser

Ok, I found the acting in this drama very good but, I feel the storyline kind of brings down their acting... I was really into the drama and the last 4 episodes lost my interest, especially when there was a such a big lag in airing. When they don't air for a couple of weeks, it started to loose the shine for me.
Also towards the end, I couldn't figure out what the heck was going on,, at this point my favorite is the Detective and now I have to wait again to watch the finale.
It's not keeping my interest at all, and if it has a werid ending, I will be very disapointed

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Its way too much complicated

I was super excited to watch this series and first few episodes didn't let me down. But as the story progress, I started to hate this series the way it is presented to viewer. Why so much complexity? The story had so much potential and interesting plots that if it was presented very simply, it would have been more than enough to be a masterpiece. But I think the director just messed it up. Making unnecessary confusing plots over and over and over, Mixing purposely all the incidents was really not needed. Each episode makes disappointed with a new question without answer and with more confusion. I am very much fan of thriller plots, unexpected turn, but this is not that. It is purposely made annoying to make me give up this series in the middle. It has little Sherlock Holmes type touch but again the way this series is presented to the viewers, it is just disappointing. Finally I just read the story from some review online because I was tired and at some point started to hate the way this series treats the viewers. We love to find answer of question and wreck our brain if thriller and suspense are alongside together. But this is not such thing. I mean what is the point if you show someone's thinking or imagination as a clue? That's not a proper way to impress viewers on serious plots. Honestly, if you are bored to death without any other options, then only maybe this series can make you wake up and stop procrastinating. Otherwise, come on : do like me and move to other series.

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The opening starts with an intensity that I’d argue most dramas don’t have. Many dramas lead you in with a slow and sluggish start or start off fast and decline, however this is one of a kind. It had me gripping my seat every week as the story unfolded.

What I love about this is that it keeps you guessing at every turn, analyzing each characters perspectives as well as their actions. So detail oriented that you can’t miss anything otherwise you miss a clue. What makes this show so eerie is the facial expressions, and the impending suspense that you get from them.

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