Mouse (2021)

This review is more to vent and appreciate all the aspects of the drama for my own purpose

From the beginning till the end I was hooked. like a fish out of water, each episode was like oxygen I needed. I could not stop and I would have binged the whole 20 episodes in one go if the normal human body allowed it but useless instincts took over at times. Pathetic human bodies am I right?

In the beginning, I was doubtful. The first 2 to 3 episodes were a clash of scenes and characters. Random killers and families and pregnant women. For me honestly, it was like an information overload. I still loved it though, no doubt there. As that random person on Rick and Morty said, "this information will be important later." Now, the story sticks to its plot of 'what if psychopaths' genes could be detected before they were born. A creative idea worth exploring. The plot is interesting and the avenues they explored to showcase the pros and cons of such an unrealistic idea were entertaining. I say unrealistic because let's face it, as someone in the science department the number of flaws, ethical regulations, and whatnot even pertaining to this idea is insurmountable. But lets not get into the semantics of science.

This drama revolves around the consequences one single step can induce. Every single episode was a whirlwind of emotions and questions that really made me think more about the moral obligations we face every day. In terms of pacing, the drama deserves a 9/10. Simply because I believe they could have wrapped it up nicely in 16 episodes. At some points I found the dialogue to be tedious and some scenes to be unnecessary. Like that scene where Seung Gi stands in front of the cross and declares that he's diety. I realize that that scene might be the ultimate act of sinning; the act that showed how monstrous he is but DAMN the number of times I had to see that scene nearly made me want to punch a wall.

The storyline cleverly shows us two halves of the same story and at the first half, you see scenes that make you think you've figured out everything but then comes the revelations, and when you finally understand you've been duped, by then you can only appreciate how they've managed to hook you line and sinker, even though half of it is a lie. As the story unweaves itself you realize that the information, in the beginning, was indeed important for later. Scenes that make you go "ahhh" and "ohhh" and *gasp* are my favorite scenes and there was a surplus of this in the drama.

In the end, this drama left me feeling emotionally drained in a satisfying kind of way. Not every character got the ending they wanted but in my eyes, it was the ending they needed. The only ending I feel conflicted about was *cue gasp* Lee Seung Gi. Yep, I said it. Why? okay so hear me out, he was a psychopathic killer I agree but this was before his brain transplant. Prior to his transformation, he put on an act. To the normal eye, he was an adorable, kind of air-headed, and a naive young officer who was a goody-two-shoes who was actually a psycho serial killer. Okay. Now after the transplant, he developed emotions right? and the kind act he put on actually became his persona. He came to believe his act and that in turn became his memories. This brings me to the question, is he the same person as he was one year ago? No.

Just like that question where if we replaced all the old planks of an antique ship with new planks, would it still be the same old ship or would it be a new ship? The planks in this case are his memories. I might be going way off course here but imagine if something like this did actually happen and the killer never regained his memories of being psychotic. If he was judged, you would have to judge the person he was before the incident. This new person has no recollection and hence would hold no accountability in my opinion. Of course in reality, the said person would be convicted of his crimes nonetheless but it still got me thinking and in turn, I had conflicted emotions. I do not disagree with the end Seung Gi met. Looking at it from a logical point he has to be held accountable for his actions and rightly so. I disagree with the ending the non-psychopathic Seung Gi met.

Every character in the drama was complex and important. Except for the two useless detectives. Sheesh, sometimes the police were so useless istg. The acting was top-notch and the soundtrack was grade A.

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