Amnesia
Episode 7 of Mouse begins with Ji-Eun awakening in hospital after a bad dream. She implores her friend not to call the police as she rings Yo-Han instead. As we know already, he’s face-down in a pool of his own blood on the rooftop. We then cut to see Mu-Chi and Bong-Yi phoning an ambulance. Mu-Chi grabs Yo-Han and asks where Han-Kook is. Instead, he passes out on the floor before he can answer. Both men are rushed to hospital as we learn they’re in a critical state. With blood staining his hands, Mu-Chi learns that both are being prepped for surgery. Searching the CCTV footage, Mu-Chi is more determined than ever to find Han-Kook. This leads him to a suspicious looking car that’s been abandoned. Checking the trunk, they notice patches of blood inside. This, along with a blind spot on the cameras, seems to hint that the murderer switched cars. This eventually leads the team up to the abandoned building where Yo-Han burnt all those items last time out. The police head inside and notice patches of blood on the floor. Mu-Chi immediately calls for forensics to show up and try to piece together any clues there may be regarding what’s happened. However, there’s even greater damage to the wider political climate. Because of Officer Jung’s injuries, the President’s approval rating drops 40% and the public begin condemning the government for not doing enough. The President also receives a letter too, which holds a tape inside. Back at the hospital, Bong-Yi sneaks into Yo-Han’s room and removes all the tubes from him while he’s lying unconscious. Because of this act, Yo-Han passes away thanks to septic shock. Meanwhile, Ba-Reum’s fate lies with the Gods as over ten days pass. Numerous people leave notes for him too, hoping that the officer wakes up and thanking him for his duty. Bong-Yi is in a bad way, and after dropping off the bird at the hospital, notices Mu-Chi at the door. He heads in and berates her for not looking after herself. She thanks Mu-Chi for helping though, as she’s encouraged to sleep it off in one of the wards. This cuts us back to the moments we saw at the end of the last episode, as Ba-Reum snaps the bird’s neck and throws it out the window. Doctors arrive not long after, unaware of the bird incident, and begin asking him questions. Ba-Reum answers most of them perfectly except when he’s asked what his name is. He pauses, a puzzled look crossing his face. With his temporal lobe damaged, the doctors confirm that he’s suffering from amnesia. Only, it may well be a temporary condition. When he’s discharged from hospital, Ba-Reum is made out to be a national hero. Cameras snap as reporters follow him until he’s taken home. There, Ba-Reum begins to slowly piece together his old life thanks to photos dotted around. Meanwhile, Mu-Chi finds himself the focal point of a police investigation into the Yo-Han shooting. Despite those around him trying to help, Mu-Chi speaks truthfully and tells them he was aiming to kill. Despite this, the committee clear him of all charges. Mu-Chi is shocked and eventually has to be taken out by the other officers. The news pins the serial murders on Yo-Han, backed up by what they’ve found in his basement regarding the photos. However, another revelation ensues as Kang Duk-Soo is due to be released from prison. The people are not happy with this though, as protestors outside the prison demand he be executed. Mu-Chi waits for him too, telling the man that if he plays up again he’ll almost certainly come after him. We then inexplicably cut forward a year. The 20th presidential campaign is due to start as Mu-Chi is awoken by a joyous tune about the Kookdan Party. However, he’s distracted by a call from the station regarding events happening at the precinct. While he heads off, Ba-Reum shows up as the new officer ready to work with the traffic division. He’s been cleared to work earlier than scheduled and it seems like it could be a big publicity stunt to gain brownie points for the President. Ba-Reum heads out in the field with Officer Shin. Things seem to be going okay until he chases down a thief on their motorcycle. Rushing under a bridge, he apprehends the suspect but notices a dead body nearby. Whoever this woman is, she’s been left with her hands bound and is face-down on the ground. When forensics show up on the scene, Ba-Reum uses his knowledge to deduce that this is a camouflage for something bigger. The officers there refuse to hear him out though and decide instead to bring in forensics. While they do, Ba-Reum is taken away by his colleague, where he admits that his heart was racing at the sight of this. That evening things take a turn for the worst as Ba-Reum gets into a fight with his friends at the bar. In the bathroom he begins hallucinating too, believing he’s bleeding when he’s not. Mu-Chi learns that Ba-Reum has been reinstated and heads up to see him. Despite initially not remembering, something triggers inside Ba-Reum’s memory as the two catch up over a drink. He shows Mu-Chi the crime scene and, specifically, the highway knot used to tie the binds for this dead woman. Ba-Reum questions why the killer would have tied her hands like that, believing it may have been done as a form of sick entertainment for the killer. Whoever the killer is, they would have enjoyed watching them writhing around, with shallow cuts to slow the rate of death too. On top of that, the killer choked them out afterwards. Given how meticulous all of this is, Ba-Reum is sure this is a psychopath’s work – and not the last time they’ll strike either. Mu-Chi takes this information to the police station where he believes they have the wrong suspect. Despite this man’s DNA and tyre tracks matching the crime scene, something doesn’t add up. Mu-Chi realizes this first and heads to the scene of another murder. This one is different, with a mirror supposedly falling on a victim and knocking out her teeth. The washing line may hold a crucial clue. Not only is it holding unwashed clothes up, it also happens to be the same material as the rope used to tie the woman under the bridge. With Ba-Reum by his side, Ba-Reum goes over the gnarly details of this crime scene, including the horrible truth that this killer is experimenting with different ways of killing his or her victims. As Mu-Chi continues to investigate the origin surrounding the ropes, he learns that the second was tied clumsily, almost as if a little kid tied it. Could it be that Seo-Joon taught someone else? Well, when they head to prison to find out, Seo-Joon refuses to see Mu-Chi. Instead, he requests to speak directly to Ba-Reum. He apologizes to him as Ba-Reum skips past this and asks outright about the ropes and whether he tied them himself. Apparently Seo-Joon is not responsible for these deaths. However, he does show off a mouse in his hands which sees Ba-Reum stagger back in shock. As flashes of the past come into view, it seems like he may well be Jae-Hoon after all.
The Episode Review
Mouse squeaks its way through another episode as the investigation continues to twist and turn along this psychotic road. Yo-Han being killed off so suddenly is a real disappointment to be honest, and with him now killed it almost confirms that Ba-Reum is the psychopath killer. Even worse though is the manner in which Yo-Han was killed, with Bong-Yi just willingly showing up and pulling the plug. Given such a high profile case it seems a bit suspect that she was even able to get in the room without police guarding the door. And what about CCTV? As for Ba-Reum, what are you guys thinking regarding his behaviour? Personally I think he’s putting this entire “good guy” act on. He’s clearly capable of killing, given the way he twisted the bird’s neck. He also exhibited quite the excited, murderous look in his eye while talking about the different murders. It seems like he could be continuing to kill but also doing so in a more controlled manner. After all, his comments about the killer being a perfectionist seem to hint toward himself a little. The one year time jump is a bit of an odd inclusion too, with the Han-Kook case completely suspended and presumably chalked up to being unsolved. If that’s the case, and given the rope ties as well, could it be that Ba-Reum is grooming Han-Kook to being a killer? They mentioned how these ropes are likened to being tied by “a little kid” so it could well be a hint toward that. Either way though the series leaves the door wide open for where this one may go next. Roll on the next episode!
