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A Psychological Thriller of Redemption
"No man can walk so long in the shadow that he cannot come again to the light."— Robert Jordan
It's been a long time since a drama made me feel so much. I feel drained, literally because I'm sleep deprived having binged this in 3 days while keeping up with work. Emotionally and mentally too because this was a well written drama that explored some scary ideas about the human condition through an intriguing thought experiment. The question isn't new, it's been around since the mid-1800s when Francis Galton coined the phrase "nature vs nurture" in a discussion about the influence of heredity and environment but history has shown us that our tragic flaw has been our ability to rationalise violence under the guise of humanity. Popular science fiction films like Gattaca and Minority Report had similar themes of free will vs. self determination, but what I think this drama does better is it's ability to demonstrate the nuances and implication of the debate and the various manifestations of our hubris through a very raw examination of how our humanity is nurtured, tested and proven in the way we experience pain, guilt and forgiveness.
I really liked Ba Reum's trajectory and ending. His emotional and spiritual journey was heart wrenching and Lee Seung-Gi did an excellent job of terrifying me one moment and making me weep for him the next. That ending, "He died in extreme pain as he repented for his sins. Did the deity do that to punish him or to save him?" I really love it not only because we see him get a redemptive arc and finally at peace with himself and with God but this idea that even "monsters" are extended grace is a challenging concept to accept spiritually but reflects an important characteristic of unconditional love.
Lee Hee-Joon's portrayal of his character's vengeful anger cloaking grief and shame was really well done. I really like how it explored his journey of forgiveness, learning to forgive himself and those who've wronged him. Forgiving is hard, but not forgiving hurts us even more.
At almost every critical moment we will see people given very similar choices make very different decisions, and what this writer did so well was you could genuinely understand where they were all coming from. Ironically this is also where I feel she dropped the ball with the ending. Specifically by having the people vote in favour for the abortion of foetus with the "psychopath gene" and the bill passing, while a realistic outcome, seems to undermine some of the thematic ideas being challenged through the narrative, made even worse by the idea that the schemer behind this devastating plot got what she desired - to see the bill passed and society enforcing a very dangerous doctrine.
On a lighter note, did you know that South Korea has a population of 51 million people and half of them are in this drama? And by the 4th episode a quarter of them are dead. I challenge anyone to find a historical with this many characters and deaths. The key difference here is unlike wuxia's and sageuk's where you can usually just go with the flow until things fall into place, this is one drama you do need to pay attention to every character's connection to get the most out of it.
Also somebody please cast Kwon Hwa-Woon in a rom-com, my shallow ass couldn't stop thinking what a cutie he was even while I thought he was a psychopathic killer.
Thanks to @Joerin who got me intrigued about this drama and @TheButterfly whose post got me motivated to start it.
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A town of Mouse?
I have just finished watching all 23 episodes. This is a first for me, to watch a series where everyone is either a killer (either by inciting the killing, or purposefully or coercively take part in the crime), a victim or both. For those who have not killed, there is at least one person they passionately wish to kill and it does not matter if they are mothers/gov leaders, detectives, family friends....So many serial killers all living in the same area, crossing paths as if the whole town was made of killers. There is also very little to explain how does THE MAIN killer/predator gets to know his victims well enough to apply his version of the deadly sins judgment (Some of them are shown as if the killer is prowling/ stumbles upon them, follows them and then kill them right then and there--if that is the case, for example, how does he know if they are lazy or not?).
Episode 2-12 episodes were very frustrating as I could not find one decent person. The brain story was too much for me, they should have used something less dramatic, like a bone marrow transplant which actually changes the DNA of someone.
No one is really relatable or likable, the only normal person seems to be Park Jun Hyun's character. Also, despite his flaws, it is really not possible to dislike Le Hee Joon's character (his story line is quite compelling and his acting is really top notch). The first episode and the last 5/6 episodes were the most captivating for me.
And all that said, I was so moved by the acting of both the main characters and the supporting cast, that I would recommend others this series.
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Underwhelming
Despite the raving reviews, I wasn't drawn to this. I attentively watched 3 episodes and skimmed the rest. It was boring and dragged for me after what happened to the family. It was like an episode of Criminal Minds with some background drawn out to 20 episodes. It also reminds me of a Webtoon "It's Mine" which started out well enough but is also getting dragged out to who knows when.I guess I'm used to watching serial killer type dramas, and nothing was significantly new here. I couldn't get into either the main characters or victims either.
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lee seung gi i luv you
thoughts i had while watching:- i want mu chi to father me - ba reum pls pls pls give me one chance pls pls pls (even after the time skip…it’s ok we all have our ups and downs) -nahhhhhh why’d they have to murder the geriatric -these children are more terrifying than the adults. free birth control ig - don’t blame hong ju i would’ve fallen for the hot murderer too ( i did ) - that headhunter guy is so goofy i laugh every time he comes on screen - ba reum babe look at me this isn’t you. you’re better than this (NAHH CAUSE WHY DID HE HAVE TO KILL THE CAT) - bong yi i <3 u -honestly everything that ba reum has done (besides the cat) has been a real W (BRUH NVM) - who tf is this lee min soo guy…….been here for 5 min and already ruining shit……put him on the hit list ig - mu chi pls be my father figure and tell me you’re proud of me pls - ba reum is so stupid but so smart and i will giggle at anything he says idc if he’s a killer i’m romantically in love with him - OH EPISODE 15 WAS CRAZY I HAVE BEEN GAGGED WTF. not my bbg hottie bf. i can fix him i promiseeeeeeeeeee (maybe not. it just keeps getting worse… damn we lost a good one) - poor bong yi was getting played this whole time. don’t worry bbg i’ll treat you better than that weirdo pls i’m rich and not a murderer pls - i get that it’s a thriller but damn can these bitches stop dying it’s saurrr tiring - poor sung yohan - this show is too smart for me. i need this wizard of oz stuff explained to me like a child pls. - ba reum has gotten hit in the head more times than i can count like DAMN let the man breathe for a second plsss - BRUH FUCK YOU FOR MAKING ME FEEL BAD FOR BA REUM - yo han is a VICTIM. - NAUR NOT PO PLS ANYONE BUT HIM - nahhhhh the rich girlie with the bob was in charge the whole time???????? bitch???? - pro-death ig?? - that whole ep 19 rain fight……….hahahahahah…..kmn - choi hong ju and go mu chi. mother and father!!!!!! - uh bong yi my ass fuck you fuck you fuckyyou -still confused i think i need a rewatch.
took me five months to finish and got so attached to every single character at this point idc if ba reum is a murder i want my bbg back.
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You’re in for a ride
This show is amazing the only problem I have with it is that it’s to long and it didn’t have to be. Besides that if you don’t know one thing about the show going in to it just know it’s plot twist after plot twist.What makes the show is the plot twists, so it’s not very rewatchable.
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Interesting drama Indeed.
I would say that Mouse was able to reach the expectation that I have set for it though there are some parts where I wish its much more unique rather than predictable. This drama is definitely something that is worth watching though sometimes felt dragging, due to its theme and the serious nature. Regardless, it was a very solid drama, where the acting is on point, the plot was somewhat predictable (e.g. Bareum being the killer) but I really like the concept of integrating the "Lab Mice" concept to people and obviously it is not morally acceptable but its a fresh concept in a K-Drama given that the theme of murder and serial killings is common.Was this review helpful to you?
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THIS IS A MASTERPIECE
Everything about this drama is perfect! Amazing acting skills and perfect casts! The cinematography and the music are soooo good! THERE'S NO BORING EPISODE. I LOVE THIS DRAMA SO MUCH!1 A MUST WATCH!!The acting is so fucking good bro !!!
I'M SO GLAD I WATCHED THIS!!
While watching the drama I created a lot of theories and most of it are right! I was able to predict some things but the main twist I WASNT ABLE TO THINK OF THAT WOAH
THIS DRAMA BLOWS MY MIND
SO GOOD
THE ONE WHO MADE THE STORY I LOVE YOU SO MUCHHH
THIS IS THE FIRST DARAMA THAT MADE ME CRAZY
THE PLOT TWIST WAS SO CRAZY
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Mouse; two different shows combined together
So.... it's been a couple of weeks since I finished watching it. Still don't know what I think about it.That show is... it should have been a couple of seasons. I think, honestly, that is the reason a lot of people who watched this show feel like it's a mess. It's because the first half of the show felt like a completely different show from the other half. Honestly, the first half was ok. Not bad, but not good enough for 8.8 rating.
Then the second half came and everything changed. I don't remember a lot of shows that the second half was actually far better than the first. Usually it's the other way around. It almost felt like the writer got bored with his own story and decided to change it completely.
The second half was great. I needed this. The problem was that everything was rushed; they did not explore enough things. It was like they finally understood how to make this show great, but didn't have enough episodes to do it because they wasted it in the first half.
I cried at the end of it, and I'm not a person that usually does it. This is why I find it so hard to love this show - it brought so many emotions in me but only from a certain point. All in all - I think you should watch this show.
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This is my top 2 Kdrama I've ever watched
This is my top 2 Kdrama of all time behind Dr.Romantic.This Kdrama is super good that every ending of 20 episodes will make you watch another one?.I love the whole cast,thanks to them they gave us a whole new amazing story. I recommend that everyone should watch this especiially if they watched serial killers documentary,this Kdrama has it! I love this Kdrama even it has no good music that I like and that's how I love this Kdrama. In terms of rewatching it I will say that 40% possibility that I will rewatch it because there is no mystery and guessing what will happen next in the story.
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a masterpiece
I do not usually leave reviews like this on any show that I watch, just a short comment about whether or not I enjoyed a certain show or not but I felt like I had to write one this time. I started watching Mouse for the first time in March this year but the length of the episodes kind of threw me off at first. The only show I watched that had 1 hour and 20-30 minute long episodes was Crash Landing On You and it took me a while to get used to that. Other than the length of the episodes, I also had a hard time getting interested in this show because I found the first two episodes quite uninteresting so I decided not to continue it because I had many other shows to start and finish so I just decided to drop it. Around September, I started seeing more and more content about Mouse and I was thinking about giving it a chance again even though I already knew who the actual killer was, which kind of ruined the whole experience for me but thankfully there were still some suprises. Anyway, I did start to watch it again and this time I did not drop it and managed to finish all 20 episodes, including one of the episodes from the special, which was very useful because it showed how Jung Ba Reum committed the m+rders.What did I really think about Mouse?
Well, I believe that it is one of the best thriller/crime kdramas I have ever seen. Other than the top-notch acting and interesting storyline I think that this show had no flaws. Suprisingly, I did not really hated anyone, other than the woman who was behind everything because the fact that she toyed with people and let innocent people die aóbut still got pardoned enranged me quite a bit but oh well. The ending made me really sad though, I tried not to have any sort of symphathy towards Ba Reum but I did feel quite sorry for him towards the end. He was a bad person indeed but after the brain surgery he did start to change although that does not really cancel out the fact that he m+rdered so many innocent people. I think him dying was quite fair for him. I am really glad that all the characters who went through so much got their happy ending.
I do not really have much else to say, but I'd recommend everyone to watch this show because it is really worth it. If you are a fan of crime dramas then this is definitely for you.
It has a lot of triggering things in it though, so I would not recommend it to people who can not really take stuff like that. (For example animal cruelty etc..)
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The plot was excellent but in my opinion they missed the main topic
so what is the story about what happens if we can identify pyscopaths in advance ,should we kill them in womb or not?and from watching the whole series all i could conclude is that people with pyscopath gene can be gentle too that 1% ,even if their are low possibility everyone deserves that ,but in the end the billl passed to kill the foetus.wow what was the director telling us? else the plot was good,totally thriller and mystery you cant think of what happens next. so kamshamida i hope it helpsWas this review helpful to you?
the fast and furious of kdramas if fast and furious involved serial killers and genetic experiments.
Of course, "Mouse" isn't perfect. There are times when it's so over-the-top that it's hard to take it seriously, and there are plot holes big enough to drive a truck through. But honestly, that's part of what makes it so fun. "Mouse" is the kind of show that's so wild that you just have to go along for the ride. And let me tell you, Bareum's got some serious demons. Like, "I talk to my dead mom and have hallucinations" kind of demons.One of the best things about "Mouse" is the characters. Lee Seunggi is amazing as the best friend of the protagonist - he's so good that you almost forget he's supposed to be a bad guy. And the protagonist himself is a hot mess but somehow, you can't help but root for him.
This show has everything: a rookie cop, a psychopathic killer, and enough twists and turns to make your head spin. But don't worry, it's not all doom and gloom.
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