Big Mouth – K-Drama Episode 3 Recap & Review

The Transformation Begins

Episode 3 of Big Mouth picks up from the previous episode’s cliffhanger, with Park Chang-ho staging an ‘escape’ and yelling at the guards to shoot him. It doesn’t work as the warden realises it’s Chang-ho and ensures he’s captured alive. He informs Gong Ji-hoon about it, who in turn warns him to keep Chang-ho alive.

At Gucheon University Hospital, Mi-ho is introduced to her new colleagues. As part of a hazing ritual, they leave her to administer medicines for the patients alone. She takes it in her stride but soon comes across a patient who seems to be dying. She saves him with CPR but gets in trouble for doing so — all the patients on the 7^th floor have a do-not-resuscitate order. Later, she overhears the relative of a patient being forced to sign a DNR as otherwise the patient would not be given the surgery.

Back home, Mi-ho, her father, and Soon-tae discuss how Professor Seo’s research paper must have something to do with this. Soon-tae hands Mi-ho the divorce papers that Chan-ho had him draw up, but she tears them up.

At the prison, the warden counts bundles of cash and goes through a notebook with names and numbers. He then calls an assembly for Ward 2, reiterating that he is God at this penitentiary. He then starts dividing the inmates into groups.

Jerry explains to Chang-ho that the groups are different grades. Grade A are those who are in the warden’s good books or who pay him every month, like the room leader who reads the warden’s fortune. They get various benefits while the others don’t. Chang-ho tries standing up against this practice but the warden has him taken away.

He ends up in Grade C where he and the other inmates are forced to work in the sewers. Meanwhile, the three suspects of the Gucheon hospital murder enlist another inmate to kill Chang-ho. He tries stabbing him in the courtyard but Chang-ho evades his attacks, once again saved by the watching warden. Chang-ho realises the three suspects are not the ones who framed him as Big Mouse.

In his office, the warden tells Chang-ho to compensate him for the number of times he’s saved his life. He asks for 5% of the 100 billion won Big Mouse stole from Lala Capital. He then tells Chang-ho that he is alive only because Ji-hoon thinks he is Big Mouse. Should his cover be blown, Ji-hoon will easily eliminate his family. The threat to Mi-ho makes Chang-ho lose his cool. He admits to being Big Mouse, threatens the warden’s family and promises to show him what makes him Big Mouse.

Meanwhile, Mi-ho is questioned by the prosecutor, who tries to pressure her into admitting Chang-ho is Big Mouse. She stands her ground. Sitting by a bus stop later, she reminisces about the time when Chang-ho first asked her out. It was right after she had broken up with her previous boyfriend and Chang-ho was carrying a drunken Mi-ho home. Mi-ho tears up thinking about this, while Mayor Choi watches her from a distance.

At Mayor Choi’s house, Hyun Joo-hee (his wife and the director of Gucheon University Hospital) brings out some wine and glasses. They’ve been trying to have a baby but Mayor Choi tells her they should stop, he doesn’t want to see her suffer anymore. He asks her about Professor Seo’s paper but she says it’s just a rumour.

In the sewers, Chang-ho continues to work with the other Grade C inmates. When they are given slop for lunch, he riles the inmates up and revolts against the guards, demanding better food. Maintaining his façade as Big Mouse, he whispers threats to the warden and it works. As Grade C is allowed into the cafeteria along with the others, they cheer for Chang-ho.

Mi-ho and Soon-tae visit Chang-ho in prison. This is the first time Mi-ho and Chang-ho are seeing each other since his incarceration and the reunion is emotional. Chang-ho insists on the divorce as he is resigned to being in prison forever, but Mi-ho claims she will keep fighting. She says he would do the same were the roles reversed. Back in solitary, Chang-ho decides to survive for Mi-ho’s sake. To do so, he fully accepts his role as Big Mouse.

He tells Jerry to ask for 50 inmates’ wishes. Only three do so. One of them is the room leader who asks Chang-ho to find his missing daughter. Another is the psychopath who killed nine women. He wants Chang-ho to save his mother, a leukaemia patient who needs a transplant.

As Mi-ho works in the hospital she tries to find out about Professor Seo’s paper but all the staff feign ignorance. She then gets called in to meet the director, who has found out her connection with Chang-ho. Hyun Joo-hee asks Mi-ho to resign but the latter refuses. Mi-ho tries asking about Professor Seo’s paper but to no avail. Outside the office, the relative of the patient in room 701 approaches Mi-ho. She claims her husband is in danger but runs away as the head nurse arrives.

In the prison’s VIP room, the three suspects hatch another plan to murder Chang-ho. This time, they rope in the warden too.

The man who previously tried stabbing Chang-ho is shifted to Chang-ho’s cell, and appears to have had a change of heart. But later in the laundry room, he brings out a bag full of weapons and hands them out to the gang leader and his lackeys. Together, they gang up on Chang-ho and his few followers. The warden keeps his men on standby, telling them to let Chang-ho be stabbed once before interfering. He’s double-crossing the three VIPs!

The fight begins and the three VIPs reveal that they’ve hired the psychopath to do the real damage. But as the psychopath moves to attack Chang-ho, the room leader steps in and takes the blow. Chang-ho gets the psychopath off him and looks straight into the camera, eyes blazing with anger.

The Episode Review

This show seems to be made for Lee Jong Suk to show his range of talent. From pretending to be a crime lord to completely breaking down in front of his wife, he is absolutely convincing. As a viewer, you feel for Chang-ho more than anyone else.

The story moves at a good pace in this episode. We don’t get a lot of twists or turns but we do see Mi-ho and Chang-ho move forward on their own paths. The flashback to memories from their past helps ground the fact that they were just ordinary people before this.

It’s interesting to watch Mi-ho fight for Chang-ho’s innocence as he himself is forced to take on the role of Big Mouse. While they’re doing it to survive, I wonder if there will come a time when both of their paths clash.

The transformation is underway, Park Chang-ho has decided to survive and we can’t wait to see where his newfound determination takes him.