This review may contain spoilers
RUSHED ENDING (ALMOST) RUINED THE SERIES
Big Mouth should have been an easy 9.5, but that bit - the last 10 minutes of the finale almost ruined the entire series.To be honest, this series was one of the few that i have watched and waited for every week. This is probably Lee Jong Suk's best role to date. The very first episode will snare you like a mouse to a mouse trap, and youll find yourself wanting to see and know more. It was a fantastic setup.
Not until you reached that last 10 minutes that you will realize how stupid (or incredibly smart) the creators must have thought of their viewers - that they thought they could wrap the whole 16 episodes in a few minutes. It just doesnt feel rushed, it felt like a betrayal of trust. In the risk of being spoilery, the ending felt very out of character for the main leads. After the credits rolled i have to double check if there were more upcoming episodes, because for sure they didnt just wrapped the series in less than 10minutes. Or did they?
Would it hurt to add another episode or at least extend the finale by another 30mintues?
Like i said earlier, this could be Lee Jong Suk's best role to date. Im Yoo Na was also amazing until the character wasnt. Kim Jeo Hoon is impressive as hell and gave LSJ a run for his money. Yang Kyung Won maximized his screentime until the creators relegated him into a useless minor character by the last three episodes.
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Fantastic throughout but slipped in the finale
There could have been no better project than this for Lee Jong Suk to make a comeback through. I wanted to anticipate a lot but I had also in my mind that this could be another regular thriller drama with typical elements and development. However, by the interval (better late than never), I came to realize that this is way above the standard and is actually unique of a script. It might not be a masterpiece but it is admittedly is an excellent piece of thriller.Developed by ‘Studio Dragon’ and Produced by ‘AStory’ & ‘A-Man Project’, “Big Mouth (빅마우스)” is a hardboiled crime cum legal drama. Directed by Oh Choong Hwan and broadcasted on MBC, the drama was written by debutant writer Kim Ha Ram under the guidance of ace scriptwriters Jang Young Chul and Jung Kyung Soon. Made with 30bn won budget, it was also distributed by Disney+.
The drama keeps at center, Park Chang Ho (Lee Jung Suk), an infamous attorney with low success rate, who is known to distribute huge & empty promises, but fails to do anything, hence being named, ‘Big Mouth’ from his school days. Despite being an orphan, he has been lucky enough to have Ko Mi Ho (Im Yoon Ah) in his life, who is a skilled nurse at a famous hospital. One day, he gets a proposal from the Gucheon city mayor Choi Do Ha (Kim Joo Hun) to handle a mysterious murder case, solely because of his incompetence.
However, during his attempt to unveil the truth, he finds himself being framed as the notorious conman ‘Big Mouth’ who has been uncaught after scamming thousands of billion won sum. As every wind turns against him and his life changes overnight, he prepares himself within the Gucheon Penitentiary to fight his best to get out of it, while Miho too pulls strings to help solve the mystery surrounding the case and get to the root of it.
Other familiar actors in the drama playing major roles are: Lee Gi Young, Kwak Dong Yeon, Oh Ui Shik, Yang Kyung Won, Jeon Guk Hwan, Yang Hyung Wook, Ok Ja Yeon, Kim Jung Hyun, Jung Jae Sung, Jang Hyuk Jin, Kim Sun Hwa, Lee Yoo Joon, Oh Ryoong, Yoon Suk Hyun, Park Hoon, Kim Dong Won, Hong Ji Hee, Song Kyung Chul and Yoo Tae Joo.
Plot development is top-notch and the progression is definitely untypical of what ypu usually see in Kdrama thrillers. The pilot episode did a good job in establishing a background of both the story and the protagonist’s history, describing as to why he was called ‘big mouth’. The follow-up was steady and smooth showing how the protagonist tries to convince a mass of people as a part of his grand plan. Introduction of various elements and untwisting many knots further develops and builds immense interest of the show and I guess the ratings and popularity were hiked. There are several twists and peaks in each episode to hold the suspense and there was not a single sequence of events that lost its way. More than once, the show has such turning events that changes the entire dimension of the then situation of the show. The finale sequence would have been a pleasure and if you see it’s not really messed up but there were things that could have been avoided and there were things that could have been done better.
The two creators are pro-gamers in the industry and undoubtedly their tips have worked but in spite, it amazes me to discover that the main writer is a debutant, and this is not even an adaptation from where one can refer to for screenwriting. In short, the new jakka-nim has hit the spot proving their skills. From setting the stage, to enabling smooth and well-paced flow and from nurturing the characters to producing exciting outcomes, the show was thoroughly entertaining. Different plot elements served as a great deal of engagement. The dialogues and the momentary monologue narrations, particularly for the male protagonist, were very striking.
Making his comeback after 2 years, the maker of many popular modern dramas, Oh Choong Hwan PDnim has again been successful in implanting the entertainment factor within the audience. Owing to his directorial talent, this drama was excellent from every aspect. The very execution of screenplay has done wonders in a way that this will definitely be something the Kdrama stans will remember for long. The scenario of the Gucheon Penitentiary was well-planned and the setup meant to give off noir and shady vibes with a sense of darkness suited very well. The screen-editing with different types of sequence organization plus the sound production, made the experience even more thrilling and exhilarating.
Composed by Park Se Joon and written & sung by Justhis, “Brand New” is the one and only OST in this drama which is a rap song that was introduced at the end of the 8th episode, i. e. exactly at the interval, where a major twist takes place. I swear the vibes of the scene with the initial rap-lines were so gripping and rip-roaring that it instantly gave me goosebumps.
A case of mistaken identity escalating to a fight for survival is not new for Kdramas but what makes the drama to stand out is a unique storyline and stupendous execution. To be very honest, the theme and the overall mood of the drama are not that shabby and dark for the noir genre, instead the script is also decorated with lighter elements, which comes as a must for Korean dramas, that includes the individual arcs as well as various relationships between two and among two. I was particularly touched by the bonding between Chang Ho and his father-in law Ko Ki Kwang (Lee Ki Young), who were also co-worker at Changho’s own law firm. We can say that among all the chaos and misery he had to experience inside the prison, those moments worked like strength for him to prepare the road ahead.
Lee Jong Suk has taken up this chance of playing a character than his usual taste to challenge, learn and nurture his skills and he has visibly aced it. The range of dynamics he covers actually takes a lot to carry out: from a witless lawyer and fulsome family-man to a savage leader and wise survivor, who has to choose between life and death. Whereas the drama serves as a vehicle prepared for his comeback and he was not really exceptional, it was still appealing as a whole.
Contrastingly, Miho is lovingly yet perceptive lady who knows her strength and limits and acts with a calculative mind. Yoona is already a splendid actress and she carried out Miho very well. The medical conspiracy subplot that was portrayed through illegal and inhumane research projects done in secret and indulging Miho as the key-rider in unveiling it, was surely interesting but it somehow felt like the medium of giving Yoona more screentime, when it didn’t really relate with the main plot at times and lacked plausibility.
Kim Joo Heon as a main character is an exciting news for me, he has been a favorite actor and once again, he’s proved how fantastic skills he possesses. His firm facial expressions are the best aspect about him and the way he has utilized it throughout the show was compelling.
Yang Kyung Won’s performance as an antagonist was entertaining for sure though I had issues with accepting and adjusting with it in the initial episodes, but he improved quickly. I guess we have been so used to seeing him in the comic roles that it resulted in the awkwardness albeit his fierce negative role in a recent drama.
Romance is limited so expect the least if some of the initial sequences give you the idea that there is a lot of it in the drama. In a way, this fact serves as a strength for the overall development and quality. The love between the leads is limitless though, for the way they communicate and exchange emotions even though they don’t share much time onscreen together.
The antagonist side unlike others is very strong in the sense that, they are not very radical and know their limits and how to work with that. The hierarchy among them has been portrayed accurately with a prey-predator concept, as they are constantly pushed to pursue the leases of one another. The order of unveiling the evil was likable ngl, and then, the shift in influence was quite interesting.
The makers should be applauded for the plot elements, development and execution; all these resulted in building up a good amount of suspense. Given the usual trend in such thriller dramas, the chapter by chapter progression has been sketched in a way that, it was not at all easy to guess few things even by throwing stones into the dark. The kind of myriad twists and turn of events in the latter half of the show, especially the last four episodes, had me at awe; there were times it gave me goosebumps and had my eyes opened.
It was interesting how the drama has adapted innovative approaches in order to tackle simple subjects, by completely turning it around for which the outcomes always look much refined. A lot happened in the first episode, in the finale and in between, as well. The story and the premises entirely grip you before you realize it and the slow & steady transformation in Changho, i. e. his character development is beguiling for sure.
I am particularly upset with the ending because I was manifesting a lot. The elements there were actually caused and rooted in previous episode so we were assuming something like that might happen but when it actually did, I think it did feel a little off. the sequence of events felt rushed for sure and then the huge blow I was expecting didn’t happen at all and the manner in which things took turn were a little underwhelming. I am sure the writer must have thought it through before adding this particular event for a major character but I wish it didn’t happen.
Final Remarks… Big Mouth offers a wide range of ingredients of entertainment ad enjoyment and is actually a good thriller that should be tagged in the must watch list. With high production values and amazing performance, it results into appealing and satisfying outcomes even though there were aspects that could have been avoided from a critical pov. Please go ahead and watch it and you will realize that it has everything that pulls you in and holds you back. It was a easy 9.0 until the finale happened, so yeah!
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Meandering plot that leads to nowhere, unresolved subplots, ridiculous ending
The series started off decent enough. I was rating this a 7.0 at Episode 6. By Episode 10, I was completely disillusioned by the terrible writing that didn't really allow Lee Jong Suk, Im Yoon Ah and Kwak Dong Yeon to display a wider range of their acting skills. Surprisingly for me, Yoo Tae Joo is probably the best thing to emerge from this chaotic, confusing mess.This series spent more than half of its episodes in the penitentiary. It wasted most of its time getting the audience trying to guess who Big Mouse is, who in the world is the "invincible" guy who managed to swindle something like 100 billion from crooks in the upper echelon of a shady corporation. The possible suspect moved from person to person, and this was how the drama dragged its feet from Episode 1 until Episode 10. The inanity.
The mayor, Choi Do Ha, turning out to be the big bad was no surprise, it was obvious from the point he sought out Park Chang Ho and got him involved in his quest to retrieve the ever so secretive "scientific paper". CDH's reasons to enlist PCH's help was superficial and illogical, it just didn't make sense to me. Right here and there is a big glaring plothole. There's no such thing as a "secretive scientific paper". Do the writers know that peer research papers go through a lengthy review process and is processed dozens of times before the final publication can be made? There's no way a paper that exposes the hazards of a radioactive substance of that magnitude can be kept secret for so long. It's just ridiculous writing.
Not to mention Hye Jin's murder was unnecessary, and to top it off, her death didn't even serve any purpose other than providing nonsensical shock value to the audience. She escaped to the US only to come back to get murdered. LOL. Why? If I were thousand of kilometres from my psychopathic ex, I wouldn't go back to where he was. Yeah, her ex-husband is worse than scum, and he didn't even get punished for her murder. Her body was never found! This subplot was completely dropped by the writers. For what? Yeah the mayor Choi Do Ha is also scum for helping him dump Hye Jin's body. Then it turned out Choi Do Ha wasn't even Choi Do Ha, he usurped the identity of a dead boy! What in the world. LMAO. Tell me how you do that as a kid. Who helped this kid changed his legal papers? This trope is tired and old, and honestly if people want to pull this in modern storylines, they need to provide a more viable and cogent explanation.
After all the twists and turns this drama flipped out, it was revealed that Big Mouse is really not a single entity. It's one guy, who's the head of some secret organisation, like Freemasonry, but mafia ala vigilante-style, with some dozens of members who abide by a set of organisational "code" - that also wasn't made clear to the watchers. Lmao I don't even know how to describe this circus house - this is the worst drama Lee Jong Suk has ever been in.
There was a scene where Park Chang Ho was tortured in a white chamber - why?! To extract information about the 100 billion dollars he siphoned off - allegedly. After he became Big Mouse, did PCH expend any energy to find this place he was held in, and did he bust it with his newly gained cronies of the Big Mouse organization so as to prevent future abductions and illegal imprisonment? No. And because of that, while we saw that the mayor truly "loved" his wife Joo Hee, in the end he nevertheless subjected her to the same white chamber torture after learning that she had betrayed him. It was just so inconsistent with their characterisations.
Holy crap, I still have so much to go on, but I'm trying to end this review quickly. The loving relationship Park Chang Ho had with his wife Ko Mi Ho was dealt a cruel blow after she was exposed to "radioactive" water. She quickly developed cancer, which progressed to Stage 4, within weeks of exposure. Like?? LOL, that's crazy. First of all, the drama told us NK9 is a highly toxic material that was found in the wastewater of their plant, but we weren't told how toxic it was. We just have to believe that it's super-super toxic, okay? I wonder if the writers came up with this idea from the time Japan announced dumping wastewater from the Fukushima plant into the ocean, which was met by protests and condemnations from Korea and China, but endorsed by the US. Anyway, in real life, allegedly, drinking water with radionuclides in it could take years for harmful effects to show, and yes, that includes an increased risk in cancer like leukemia. But the people in the drama who had contact with this radionuclides-filled water actually developed leukemia and died within weeks after its one and only exposure (Tak Kwang Yeon, Ko Mi Ho)! What's even more hilarious is that Choi Do Ha was eventually killed by the same radioactive water (that looked as clean and clear as your normal chlorinated pool water btw) on the same day he swam in it. Upon being told by Chang Ho that the water was radioactive, Do Ha then crashed into the pool like a plank. LMAO.
So what about the 100 billion that everyone was after in the first place? The 100 billion that placed Park Chang Ho in this predicament he said he didn't want to be in? Where is it? Gone, Soon Tae said. Someone stole it, and that was that. No mention of it ever again. What about the hospital that Joo Hee was serving director at, the hospital that had forced the next-of-kin of their dying patients to sign DNR agreements? Joo Hee had been serving at the hospital as a director, there's no way she was ignorant of all the criminal activities in the hospital. She's very much aware, and her last minute redemption by exposing everything her husband had done gave no closure on whether she was being held accountable for her actions as well. For a massive scandal like that, she would have been imprisoned IRL. I mean, really, what about the rushed cremations of the dead patients, what about the evil head nurse and all the other bitchy nurses who distributed life-threatening pills and injections, masquerading them as flu shots, medicine and vitamins? There was no comeuppance for them. Nothing. So really, what the hell did I just watch?
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It was good unti it wasn't
I stumbled upon this drama because I have seen so many clips of it on Tik Tok and decided to check it out. The result is that it didn't disappoint... until it did in the latter half.- THE GOOD -
1. Acting:
I had seen many of Lee Jong Suk's (Park Chang Ho) dramas, such as W, Pinocchio, and When You Were Sleeping. However, his acting didn't really make me go "WOW" in those dramas. However, it was incredibly good especially in the first half of the drama when his character was in prison but got stale as the drama progresses (after he got out of prison). Nevertheless, it was still tolerable for me. It was my first time seeing him in this kind of role so it was definitely refreshing and I really enjoyed it. This is my first time watching Yoona (Ko Mi Ho) in a drama but I have heard many people saying that she was mediocre. To be honest, I don't really see it. Her acting did justice to the character and it didn't distract me from the main events of the drama.
Apart from our 2 protagonists, the acting of the antagonists was so so so sooooo good, especially in that funeral scene where Kim Joo Heon (Choi Doha) was fake crying and that smirk he gave Park Chang Ho. OMG. Chef's kiss. I love it. Overall, the acting was brilliant.
- THE BAD -
1. Story:
The first half of the drama was what got me hooked! There were so many questions that were unanswered and the biggest one was "Who is Big Mouse?". There were a lot of theories and speculations regarding this and one of my favorites was the theory that Big Mouse was Park Chang Ho and he's just fooling the viewers (breaking the 4th wall). This theory is definitely so much better than the actual Big Mouse reveal (the Room Leader - No Park).
Because Big Mouse is the driving factor of this whole drama, of course when we reveal who the real Big Mouse is, it should be grand right? No. The Big Mouse reveal was so underwhelming that it made me feel that there was more nuance to this, but there wasn't. And then it got revealed that Park Chang Ho's best friend was in the Big Mouse organization too which was totally out of left field because we never learned what the reason behind him being in this organization was. After a disappointing reveal, the great Big Mouse who conned everyone got killed off in like 10 seconds and so Park Chang Ho became the new Big Mouse. What is funny to me is that when Big Mouse wasn't revealed, everyone had a difficult time figuring out the mastermind behind this alias. But when Park Chang Ho became Big Mouse, he was walking around the neighborhood with lines of bodyguards and followers and people bowing to him as if he was parading around that he is the new Big Mouse.
We were introduced to so many plot points prior to the final episodes and so the ending was rushed. It felt as if the drama completely changed its tone after Chang Ho got out of prison - it became dull. The elder was portrayed as someone who got immense power but he was killed off in an instant. The main villain Choi Doha was also killed off too fast and easily so it felt anti-climactic. It would've been better if they followed Vincenzo's route when doing this (iykyk). But then again, this is being posted on Disney+ and Changho is much nicer than Vincenzo so I doubt that would've worked. Miho's death had no impact to it, I was expecting it to be more emotional because she's literally one of the main characters but it felt flat. The final scene went from colours to black & white while Miho's dialogue from wanting to Changho become a good Big Mouse played - this scene was kind of good and it left me with many thoughts like what is the line between wanting to be a good Big Mouse for his wife and becoming a Big Mouse who punishes and kills people, is Park Changho going to become evil, etc.
2. OST:
Personally, I don't know but there wasn't any notable OST in this drama.
-OVERALL THOUGHTS-
Overall, the theories for this drama were far better than the actual plot. I enjoyed it up until the part Changho left prison and the whole new arc began. This drama is worth the binge if you have nothing to watch but don't go into it with huge expectations cause you will get disappointed because of the ending.
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Wannabe Smart Story
This is my first ever review in this site since I am awfully inactive here only when a series has really gathered my undivided interest that I am actually engaging in here. Also, this review should have been posted in the earlier days or so to say right after I’ve watched the finale but I decided to initially calm my disappointment down in order for me not to demonstrate excessive biaseness with my evaluation.Almost two weeks have elapsed and my disappointment remains hovering around me thereby this sentiment has to be relieved into a long rant in the guise of an evaluation. Lol.
Here it goes...
The story presented a high potential marvelous series in its initial episodes. It was not only good and promising but it was everything you'll ask for a noir series therefore, I loved it to such degree and held it to high pedestal, which was a huge mistake for as the story advances and reached the second half of the series, it kicked off losing what it has promised to deliver.
My major dilemmas are: 1.) The writers spin the story around Big Mouse, who was introduced as a powerful, fearsome genius conman and a Gang Boss to whom none amongst the non-member of his organisation have seen nor could even distinguish his actual gender. 2.) They teased the viewers so much with Park Chang Ho's high possibility of being the real Big Mouse with how he was initially described as practically a dumb lawyer who's incompetent enough to win a case to becoming a dangerous and brilliant strategist in such a short amount of time. He transformed into a smart and cunning strategist that his enemies feared him. In addition, there's no precise background story provided for his character, which induced more viewers to assume. 3.) They threw in so many mysteries to be solved that I (we) assumed it to be so smart.
But it was all just a facade.
Second half of the series arrives and the direction of the story sets off changing into an eye-rolling-worthy anti-climactic revelations and occurrences. Then, the great and invincible Big Mouse was killed off almost immediately in such an easy peasy tactic that you begin to wonder if he's actually Big Mouse with how easy he was dealt with. On top of that, the then smart and cunning strategist inmate Park Chang Ho was reduced back to his unwinnable status who couldn't smartly conceive a cunning strategy to overcome Choi Do Ha. After which in the concluding episodes, he imitated the concept of Again My Life's finale plot where he rather settled on vying Mayoral against Choi Do Ha in which he predictably met his defeat.
After all the brilliant strategies he has mastermind behind bars I guess he exhausted his brilliant ideas as soon as he was vindicated that he even failed to think of devising his powerful organisation to his advantage. And as if it wasn't enough, he even chose the most unsatisfying fashion of making Choi Do Ha pay for all his preposterous evil deeds that cost his wife's precious existence.
Yes, I and several of the disappointed viewers were anticipating a brutal conclusion for Choi Do Ha. After all he's committed numerous acts of evilness that he didn't deserve that simple death.
Regrettably, there were characters and sub plots that were also introduced as the series comes to its end only for them to be abandoned devoid of relaying their useful purpose for the story. They were merely introduced for fillers which I would say is such an inferior manoeuvre for the conclusion of the story.
Majority of the characters here were vastly wasted, especially Hye Jin, Ju Hee and most of all, Mi Ho.
Hye Jin suffered and was dispatched for nothing.
Ju Hee was initially shown with high potential of having an impactful role but ended up just a mere wife who blindly loved her evil husband and only at the last minute was she useful but then her usefulness remained futile to finally nip his husband's evil doings in the bud.
Miho... the sacrificial lamb for this series. She's such a sacrificial wife, who did everything to support her husband and even walked into the lion's den in order to vindicate him. All of her actions were merely to lead to her demise to influence Chang Ho to carry on his Big Mouse identity to help the unprivileged.
Funny how all the female characters here were mostly done dirty. I am rolling my eyes! Lol
Oh, special mention for another wasted with high useful potential character: Jerry. The writers wrapped too much mystery around him only to make him a mere sidekick.
Honestly, the mystery surrounding Big Mouse is what majorly carried this series and after he was revealed the exhilarating mystery died down and everything commenced on deteriorating. Such a devastatingly wasted potential of what could have been a terrific noir series only to end in a terrible fashion.
This series should be watched without using your head and just simply absorb everything as it is because once you kick off analysing every mystery that the writers will throw, your expectation will escalate to which will cost you only with great disappointment in the finale.
In conclusion, the entirety of the plot is frustratingly plain but it was veiled in the mystery surrounding Big Mouse and its plainness was unsheathed when Big Mouse was finally identified and until the series ended.
Final words: Big Mouse was an ambitious series that attempted to be smart but failed miserably.
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Basic Political Mystery KDrama
Big Mouth is one of kdrama that have promising plot at the beginning. The Plot "Who Big Mouse" delivered very well, keep you wondering who is the BM and why they do all his things. I love the character development of Changho, and power couple as Miho beside him. I love the suspense and how the political issue in this drama satirzie the real political issue in real life, sad but very true.But after the BM revealed, the plot become very basic political mystery kdrama. Suddenly the plot "Who BM" just there so Changho get the power againts the villain. BM who intruduce as the powerful, intimidating, mysterious, smart ass villain become so called mafia group that we even didnt know from whom and why they have their power. Doha as final villain become so bland, another pyscho devil villain to hate.
The ending, is one of the thing i cant let it go. I mean i even didnt hope for happy ending, but this ending very rushed. Because of duration, i didnt feel the saddness and sorrow of Miho death, is not like Changho didnt sad, but the way he sad at the moment of Miho death just like producer told him to not really sorrow because he still need to kill this evil villain Doha to save the day. There still mystery that didnt solve at all (Hyejin death, Mr. Park and etc). To many mystery told none of them solve.
I feel if in the end of the day, this drama just want to focus to Changho againts Doha, the plot "Who BM" should revealed sooner, so that the solve of main plot Changho againts Doha become more intimidating, clear and maximum.
Big mouth still good political mystery drama, there some moral value and satizire to society that i love. But i didnt wanna rewatch this or recomend this drama to another ( didnt really worth the time). Overall 7/10
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Incoherent and frusrating!
Big Mouth now joins Vincenzo in the category of kDrama thrillers that are incoherent, inconsistent, illogical, and frustrating. Especially frustrating because you see talents such as Lee Jong Suk, Kim Joo-Hun, Kwak Dong-Yeon wasted.While the primary premise was intriguing, the drama does not progress well. There are so many bizarre plot twists and incomplete plot lines, not to mention how a cancer patient looks NOTHING like a cancer patient and a death that was not necessary.
The reasons I watched it through and did not DNF was a) Lee Jong-Suk's Donald Duck face, b) Yang Kyung-won's excellent turn as the incompetent and unhinged Gong Ji-hoon, and c) to know what would finally happen to Choi Do-Ha.
Will not be recommending this one to anyone, ever.
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How was this drama green lit?
Big Mouth is a drama that attempts to say a lot of things and use a lot of themes, all of which end up falling face first into the ground. The plot reminds me of a typical badly produced mid 2000s drama. It doesn't know what it wants to be and everything about it is so uninspiring and empty. Does it want to be a murder mystery? A crime thriller? We're in a prison now, does that mean our cast will do something within the confines of this place? The drama tries to use these genres all at once and ends up feeling like a waste of time.The pacing is bad even by kdrama standards. The first half of the drama wasn't that bad since it felt like it was building up several different mysteries that we as the viewers could speculate about and see how it all ties up. However, the latter half is just a horrible mess, which I'm sure a lot of people have commented about but I'd like to say it again: the last few episodes of this drama is quite literally unwatchable. I could not stand sitting through these episodes and watching them flail around trying to give the viewers a satisfying conclusion. I know a lot of people struggled to finish the drama purely because they wanted to see the romance, but I'll be honest and say it wasn't even that good at all. Just your average kdrama romance that didn't tug at my heartstrings and only served to move the plot forward.
I've watched Lee Jong Suk across multiple dramas and I'm not trying to be rude when I say this man should stick to his romance focused genres. I appreciate him trying to branch out to a new genre but he just didn't impress me with his performance here. His character isn't the least bit charismatic, which is surprising considering LJS almost always has a certain charm to him in other dramas. Instead we get an annoying parasitical manbaby who I could not care about in the slightest. Yoona as Miho was nothing special either. She did her role and I have no majorcomplaints, but I already know I'll forget her performance in 3 weeks. The weird slowmotion and closeups for the "look at how cool our main characters are!!!" scenes didn't really get me? Guess it'll make for some good edits on youtube dot com. The rest of the cast was boring even if they had decent acting. The side characters are forgettable, the villains are cartoonishly evil (as per the usual kdrama standards) and the big reveal on who Big Mouth was soured my entire day.
Tl;dr Big Mouth was created by taking everything bad about Pretty Little Liars and I wasted 16 hours of my life watching it.
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Big Mouth = Big Mouse
One of the dramas that I have been waiting for is actually airing and I couldn’t be happier.My favorite type of dramas are the kinds that make me feel something.. as someone who gets bored easily and is a pessimist about things.. but I always knew that this drama was going to be really good. Now will it be amazing?
The last drama that I watched like this was Flower of Evil, both have my favorite actors and both are thrilling and unpredictably. I’m betting Big Mouth will be just as refreshing of a drama. And so far everything is looking to be good, I don’t see how this drama could be screwed up, everything is all there for me.
You’ve got the pacing- which moves along smartly and doesn’t drag. The drama isn’t shying away from blood and is getting pretty heavy off the bat- and then you have the acting and chemistry between the actors.
Lee Jong Suk is a heartthrob, I know he can swoon and be charming. I also know he can be scary as hell when he needs to be. Here you’ve got everything coming from him. I love that he is doing a drama that is able to show his full range- from being a flirtatious husband to a money hungry man.. he honestly is questionable with his morals but is still so likeable. There aren’t many episodes yet, but this is such a promising role for Lee Jong Suk- and so far you can really tell how well and immersed he is in this role. I was waiting for his first project back from the military and this doesn’t disappoint. Im Yoon Ha plays his wife and is also likeable. So far they have an interesting and playful dynamic as a young married couple, and I’m interested to see how devoted they are to each other as the plot develops further.
Episode two is where things went in a completely different direction than expected. Changso is put in prison wrongly and his wife is insisting he is innocent. It’s the premise of the show in the description so I expected that.. but the execution was done so well that I was blinded really. The way he ended up there was shocking, and it’s not just for shock factor either. I really like the whole underdog aspect of being in jail, and by the end of episode two I like how strong we see Changso really could be.. he could honestly become some sort of leading figure in the prison if he wanted. He could be the bad guy if he needs to and I would still like him. Lee Jong Suk brilliantly plays him, especially in the scenes when he is questioned if he is Big Mouse. The writing is done well enough where it’s noticed that he never gives an exact answer.. so it makes me wonder if he really is the major criminal? All signs point to him and even in his personal moments he is never confirmed not to be Big Mouse- but we do know he’s a big mouth. (Honestly the guy likes to provoke others)
I am enjoying the whole persona that Changho is forced take on, and from the warning he gives about becoming a bad guy- you start to see things that could show him possibly truly becoming that. In the end big mouse may not be him (still wondering who..) but he has taken on that role and may be going to far to turn back. The acting of specific scenes floor me and more than that the whole plot twists and overall story are so entertaining that you don’t want to miss a second.
In short, Big Mouth is worth the wait. It’s impressive with its visuals and is something I can tell that I’ll feel bad if people look past and not watch. Watch it, it’s very good- be a part of the airing process and feel thrilled each week. This show is a serious contender to be a drama of the year, and for me personally it’s definitely becoming a favorite.
The ending might be controversial, but to me it was clean cut. This drama stayed thrilling and faced paced. To the end it really was that good. I loved it and have nothing to complain about outside of one glaring issue that I won’t spoil.
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PERFECT AND SUIT MY TASTE
I'm really looking forward to watch this drama even before it airs because the casts are superb! And, to be honest, this kdrama hasn't disappointed me at all. It's like a mind game, and I want to see more! Besides, I like this kind of genre.The plot, the characters, everything is perfect, and I don't feel like any of the plot is rushed. This kdrama successfully keeps my attention glued to the screen.
This is the best ongoing kdrama I've seen so far, and I'm hoping that it will be successful and that the plot will not be messed up until the end of episode 16. I will update this review once this drama has finished airing to see if it deserves a 10 or if it should stay at 9.5 or lower.
Update: I just finished watching it. A well-paced drama, I think the script for this drama is great; kudos to the writer and director for not wasting valuable talents. Because you know, some dramas have really great actors, but because of the poor script, everything feels wasted. I agree with people who say that the ending feels a bit rushed, but overall, it's still ok.
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This review may contain spoilers
pre big mouse
1st off I'll say this only "worked" cuz of the actors, mainly lee jong suk. I am a LJS fan, I adore the dude but I'm unbiased when I say his acting improved so much and he carried this on his ownunlike Eve tho where SYJ and the ridiculous makjang were entertaining, this got boring after ep7ish
for acting and character I'll rate them as such
Lee Jong Suk(Park Chang Ho): 10/10, legit carried the show, went from UWU to believable mob boss in 1seconds
Im Yoon Ah(Mi Ho): 8/10 but I enjoyed her time as "minnie mouse". I wish this show was more of a power couple
Kim Joo Heon(Choi Do Ha): 5/10. he was bland the 1st half, unsurprising reveal, over estimated himself and boom he was dead in 1 second
Kwak Dong Yeon(Jerry): 7/10, he was better as the bromance cellmate, got super boring when he was revealed to be a big mouse lanky
Yang Kyung Won(Gong Ji Hoon): 8/10, better psycho villain than doha, 2 overexaggerating psychos in 1 drama gets bland, and he was the crazy one 1st so doha just felt like a copy cat
Ok Ja Yeon(Hyun Joo Hee ): 6/10 seemed more villianis but like miho, the women here were an after thought
Jung Jae Sun(Park Yoon Gab): 8/10, I know the actor as the jijjiri type of evil, so I liked how he got a bigger role and the actor tbh would've been better as real big mouse, he switched between petty villain to power boss well
Real Big Mouse: 3/10, the actor felt bland, his character twist even blander, 99% of the people didn't believe it was him xD
3 VIPs: 1/10. they were a 3in1, they dragged one side kick villain into 3 and made them 3 whiny losers
this show was a fun underdog forced to be the big dog, the prison scenes were fun, but then it all lasted so long that their main fight was just an echo "loooook for pappppeerrrr"
everything was resolved way too quickly, doha big villain that ruined water supply, miho gets sick/dies just as a pawn in the revelation and booooooooooooom, doha is killed
the best parts for me were actually the fact that they were married, but I guess like every other "marriage" in "crime" genres, the wife must die so the husband takes action ;/
this overall felt like a prequel to the story of Park Chang Ho as a real badass big mouse, in a way real big mouse was better off as an organization with no leader, or 1 guy that manipulated ppl, having 1 guy with his own set of organization just for him to die so Park Chang Ho could take over the crown on a silver platter, was all just too simple
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Big Mess (in a good way)
This is one of those dramas that is a bit hard to rate, the story is overall good, the production amazing and the actors are all professionals who know what they are doing. Teaching viewers never ever to drink, well anything while driving, to not trust anyone and that it only takes one moment to make a fatal mistake that will kill you...The story is some kind of combo Mouse, Prison Play Book, Big Boss and Erin Brockovich with a twist... And a couple of plot holes. It started. off trying to portray Big Mouth as a guy who is slightly pathetic, happily married with a great found family in his father in law but kind of a looser, and well though Lee Jong Suk does do a good job trying to portray that guy, I could not really buy it and did not really enjoy seeing him that way... However I assume that was there to make way for the rapid character development that followed. Beside that first episode of pathetic Big Mouth. The rest of the characters and their characterisation was done really well, they were all divers, complex and mysterious enough to make me suspect more or less anyone as Big Mouse during that first part of the drama. All good things that had my head spinning in. a good way.
There are also quite a few great pebels of romance, that truly add that something to this drama, and though it is not in any way a romance, those pebels where a lot better than many scenes in pure romcoms. Me a romance junky would have loved to see more of those... Maybe in a drama special...
The villains in this are as corrupt and evil as it gets, while I would say I have seen quite a few evil rich and corrupt people portrayed in dramaland... I found that the villains here actually managed to beat quite a few of the previous evils I have seen. So I would say the villains here are defiantly among the top villains of dramaland.
There were however a few draggy parts in the middle, some a bit to predictable parts and some stuff that where clearly only there to confuse us. There where also a few social issues mentioned here and there such as domestic abuse, and doctors ethics but they were not really explored...
At some point the drama changed direction, while some may not like this I really enjoyed the shift and found the second part really interesting, and while I did feel that the ending was a bit rushed I was kind of impressed over how they wraped it up.
So people, do not drink anything and drive... heck why not avoid contact with liquids all together... But if you do enjoy watching evil, corruption, eat the rich type of stories and do not mind a few plot holes here and there this may just e a good fit for you.
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