Big Mouth, starring Lee Jong-suk and Girls Generation’s Yoona kept the audience hooked throughout its run of 12 episodes. Lee’s comeback drama after his term at the military left viewers impressed with its tight storytelling and clever cinematography. If you are a fan of noir shows and ones that keep you guessing, this is the perfect one to pick up.

Plot Pot

Park Chang-ho (Lee Jong-suk) is an incompetent lawyer — his winning rate is less than 10 per cent and he tends to get scammed out of his money. But he has a supportive family comprising his loving but fierce wife Ko Mi-ho (Yoona) and his caring father-in-law. At the beginning of the drama, he loses a case against a company that had scammed him and several others through insurance policies. His wife is furious he has not been able to recover her savings that he had put into the plan and fellow victims, whom he had agreed to represent, say that he is rightly called “big mouth” because he is all talk but fails when it comes to effective results.

Surprisingly, he gets contacted by Choi Do-ha, the mayor of his city, to take on an interesting case. He would be representing Do-ha’s acquaintances who had allegedly committed a murder but in actuality, try to get them imprisoned and act as Do-ha’s double agent. The huge sum of money he gets as fees tempts him as he can then pay off his debts. However, in a shocking twist, he gets drugged and when his office is investigated, millions of won are found inside the walls. Park Chang-ho is suspected to be Big Mouse, a notorious criminal with an anonymous identity. Unsurprisingly, he gets jailed.

While Park is firm in his conviction that he has been framed and he is not Big Mouse, he soon realises that the only way he can survive in prison is if he can make everyone else believe he is. When they are scared and intimated by him, they will leave him alone.

One of the things that makes Big Mouth a supremely interesting watch is the fact that at some point, you will suspect everyone of being Big Mouse, even Chang-ho himself. There is no knowing who is pulling the strings.

In the meantime, outside the jail, corruption brews thick in the city. And it has been going on for generations. The Chairman, responsible for developing the city in a swanky urban place through his chemical plants and other industries, has a tight knit group of “followers” around him who eye his fortune and inheritance. However, the chemical plant hides its own share of secrets. The drama predominantly toys with the idea of corruption and how it can harm even those who have no involvement in its operations.

And there are the host of side characters. Each of them have their own share of secrets and their own stake in the big whirlpool of corruption, treachery and lies that is present in almost every establishment of the city. They have their own developments and backstories, which contribute significantly to make the plot all the more interesting.

Although Big Mouth successfully holds the suspense tight through most of the series, its ending is comparatively satisfactory. However, it is still a great watch. Both Lee Jong-suk and Yoona show some of their best performances with apt support from the rest of the cast and although the plot draws out quite a bit, they do manage to tie it all up.

• Where to Watch:Disney+ Hotstar

You Will Love It If You Lovel Secret identities

• Prison films
• Engrossing plots
• Flawed main character
• Legal dramas
• t2 Rating: 4/5

CHARACTERS WE TREASURE

Lee Jong-suk as Park Chang-ho: Park Chang-ho starts off as an adorable and clumsy lawyer. But even as he evolves into his more clever and scheming self, you can see his sincerity and love for his friends and family shine through. We also loved him in: Romance is a Bonus Book, While You Were Sleeping

Yoona as Ko Mi-ho: Fierce, playful and sharp, Mi-ho is a badass. She plays a huge role in exposing the crimes and corruption of the people around her and stands by her husband through it all.We also loved her in: K2