tvN Thriller Drama Mouse Rises in Second Week Ratings to 6.202% as the Story and Characters Start to Coalesce in the Search for the New Serial Killer

I found tvN Wed-Thurs drama Mouse a bit underwhelming last week, it didn’t grab me as the killings were exceedingly brutal but the characters unknown so it doesn’t emotionally connect. The first and second episodes also didn’t segue well, from the OG serial killer now behind bars to new investigations with some bumbling tone thrown in, I wasn’t quite feeling it. Episodes 3-4 are much better IMO and the ratings went up from the first week to hit a high of 6.202% with the 4th episode. It’s clear there is a serial killer in the present tied to the OG serial killer, son or protegee or homage that’s not clear. There is also more than one twenty-something character with the serial killer gene, I’m guessing 3 of them, so the drama seems to be headed towards an evil-evil showoff where it takes a serial killer to catch another one? The directing got more consistent with this week’s episodes as the characters are starting to get fleshed out but I don’t like the feeling that many smaller supporting roles are merely there as current and future serial killer fodder because it’s so clinical. Lee Hee Joon‘s character as the son of murdered parents and current dogged detective seems like our stand in while the rest of the characters are not yet fully clear what their motivations are and this guessing game may end up being too twisty for its own good as characters we are supposed to like we’re too scared to get comfortable with in case he/she turns out a baddie. For now I think Mouse is solid, it has a strong self-awareness of what story it wants to tell and the execution is getting better and better.