Overview of Big Mouth
‘Big Mouth’ is a South Korean television series that premiered in 2022 and stars Lee Jong-suk, Im Yoon-ah, and Kim Joo-hun. The plot revolves around an ineffective lawyer who becomes involved in a murder case. Park Chang-ho, known as ‘Big Mouth’ since his school days, is an underperforming lawyer with a meagre 10% victory rate.
Unfortunately, he gets involved in a murder case and is accused of being the infamous con artist, Big Mouse. With his and his family’s lives and honour on the line, Park attempts to uncover a larger conspiracy involving the privileged elite. The show’s premise is based on the well-known fable of David and Goliath, and it deals with how a good-for-nothing lawyer turns highly dangerous to his adversaries when cornered.
Profile
- Drama: Big Mouth
- Directors: Oh Chung-hwan, Bae Hyun-jin
- Writer: Kim Ha-ram
- Network: MBC TV
- Episodes: 16
- Release Date: July 29 – September 17, 2022
- Language: Korean
- Country: South Korea
Cast
Main
- Lee Jong-suk as Park Chang-ho
A third-class lawyer with a 10 per cent success rate, nicknamed ‘Big Mouth’ by his legal colleagues for his proclivity to speak before doing. His life is put in jeopardy when he is mistaken for the genius conman known as ‘Big Mouse’. - Im Yoon-ah as Ko Mi-ho
Chang-ho’s supporting wife, a nurse with a strong personality and stunning attractiveness. - Kim Joo-hun as Choi Do-ha
Gucheon’s ambitious mayor, whose life goal is to become the most dignified president.
Supporting
- NR Forum(Nine Rivers Forum)
- Yang Kyung-won as Gong Ji-hoon
The president of the media conglomerate Gukdong Daily and the chairman of the NR(Nine Rivers) Forum. - Kim Jung-hyun as Jung Chae-bong
The director of Chilbong Academy. - Lee Yoo-joon as Han Jae-ho
A surgeon. - Oh Ryung as Lee Du-geun
The legal counsel of NR (Nine Rivers) Forum. - Yoon Seok-hyun as Cha Seung-tae
Managing director of OC Group. - Park Hoon as Seo Jae-yong
Head of the Department of Internal Medicine, Hematology and Oncology at Gucheon University Hospital. - Hong Ji-hee as Jang Hye-jin
Jae-ho’s wife and a culinary researcher. - Kim Kyu-seon as Ashley Kim
Ji-hoon’s wife, a Korean-American and the director of Woojung Gallery. - Jang Hyuk-jin as Choi Jung-rak
A prosecutor at Gucheon Public Prosecutors’ Office.
Gucheon Hospital
- Ok Ja-yeon as Hyun Ju-hee
Do-ha’s wife and the director of Gucheon Hospital. - Kim Seon-hwa as Park Mi-young
The head nurse at Gucheon Hospital. - Park Se-hyeon as Jang Hee-joo
A nurse at Gucheon Hospital.
Gucheon Prison
- Jeong Jae-sung as Park Yoon-gap
The prison warden of Gucheon Prison. - Kim Dong-won as Gan Su-cheol
A prison officer at Gucheon Prison. - Kwak Dong-yeon as Jerry / Oh Jin-chul (real name)
A conman with three prior convictions who admires the genius conman “Big Mouse” - Yang Hyung-wook as Noh Park
A prisoner at Gucheon Prison.
People around Chang-ho
- Lee Ki-young as Ko Gi-kwang
Mi-ho’s father. - Oh Eui-shik as Kim Soon-tae
A lawyer who is Chang-ho’s best friend and assistant.
Extended
- Yoo Tae-ju as Tak Kwang-yeon
A psychopath death row inmate at Gucheon Prison. - Song Kyung-cheol as Yang Chun-sik
A gang leader. - Park Jeong-bok as Go Tae-sik
A prisoner at Gucheon Prison. - Shin Seung-hwan as Peter Hong
Jeon Gook-hwan as Kang Seong-geun (Chairman Kang)
Special appearances
-
Kim Do-wan as Chang-ho and Mi-ho’s neighbour
-
Yoo Su-bin as Chang-ho and Mi-ho’s neighbour
Synopsis
The plot begins with the identification of a criminal. ‘Big mouse,’ as the individual is infamously called, is a menace in the city and is involved in almost all illegal activities. The plot shifts and is focused on Park Chan-go. Due to his financial issues and familial pressure, Chang-ho is looking for cases that can net him large sums of money. His legal cases, however, have a dismal conversion rate.
In any case, the mayor of Gucheon, Choi Do-ha, offers him a post as the defence counsel in the Dungeoon Hospital murder case. Initially hesitant to take on the case, Chang-ho eventually agrees after taking his career aspirations and financial necessities into account.
The case involves the killing of Professor Seo Jae-yong, Head of the Department of Internal Medicine, Hematology and Oncology at Gucheon University Hospital. The prime suspects are three doctors and board members of the hospital and very important people to Mayor Choi. On visiting the three suspects, Chang-ho receives a guide to follow for their trial. He is only required to be a toy that acts according to the powerful’s key.
On that night, Chang-ho celebrates his wedding anniversary with his wife, Ko Mi-ho and father-in-law, Ko Gi-kwang at a luxurious hotel. He assures his wife that he can afford the celebration and will soon be on television.
He had to leave the family dinner soon since he has an important meeting with the prosecutor. On his way out, he drinks the complementary drink he received, which turns out to be drugged, leading to a car accident. He realises upon awakening that he is facing some unforeseen difficulties that will rewrite his fate.
Chang-ho gets arrested for drugs. Following the arrest, his office is investigated where money and drugs are discovered. He is brutally treated in prison and just before getting beaten up and hanged, the chief in the prison orders Chang-ho to be revived as the news says that he is the’ big mouse’, the dreaded gangster involved in the many crimes in the city.
Chang-ho works his way through prison to defend his innocence and disclose the truth behind the case’s peculiarities.
That journey is peppered with peril, double crossings, and killings. Mi-ho, Chang-ho’s wife, plays an important part in researching the murder case and exposes many dark corners of the Gucheon University Hospital. Unfortunately, she dies prematurely as a result of a deadly illness induced by being exposed to chemicals in the hospital’s hidden laboratory. Despite the complex hurdles and heartbreaking personal misery he encountered, Chang-ho is ultimately successful in bringing the truth to the forefront of the law.
Theme
The bigger screen space of ‘Big Mouth’ is occupied by the repeated but continuing topic of ‘power and money ruling society’. The rich and powerful having an advantage in society is not a novel concept to the public or spectators. The issue has been addressed numerous times in films and television programmes in the past, but it is the method and presentation that makes all the difference.
It’s rather insightful how a third-rate lawyer gains reverence from the common and powerful due to an erroneous perception of his identity. The title he took was not that of a popular character, but it was the power and connections behind that position that gained him dread, obligation, and respect from those who had treated him poorly in the first place.
‘Big Mouth’ undoubtedly demonstrates that “some are above the law” when we claim that “everyone is equal” in front of the law.
The three suspects’ special underground cell in the prison and the prison chief’s obedient treatment of them are sufficient to draw a clear image of an unequal world. The wealthy and influential rejoice in the casino vibe while those who have been charged with the same crime clean up the sewage in the prison because of their ordinary status. In the first episode, Chang-ho was likewise compelled to serve as the elite’s puppet while holding the title of lawyer.
Chang-ho changes from someone who initially led a virtuous life into a savvy player who can prosper in the world of power, corruption, and backstabbing as he pursues the truth. Even the protagonist’s gradual change is an illustration of how connections and influence may position oneself as a demanding character in society.
There are secret societies, smooth-talking villains, a sinister programme that exploits convicts as guinea pigs, and much more lurking in Big Mouth. All these drawings serve justice to the theme of ‘money and power dominating’ as well as ‘dirty power politics.’
Awards
-
MBC Drama Awards 2022
-
Grand Prize (Daesang)(Lee Jong-suk)
-
Drama of the Year (Big Mouth)
-
Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries (Im Yoon-ah)
-
Best Couple Award(Lee Jong-suk and Im Yoon-ah)
Interesting facts about Big Mouth
- “Big Mouth” and “Big Mouse” are both written as 빅마우스 in Korean.
- Big Mouth was initially confirmed to be released on tvN. However, in April 2022, it was announced that the series would air on MBC TV’s newly established Fridays and Saturdays time slot instead.
- The lead characters Lee Jong-suk (Park Chang-ho) and Im Yoon-ah (Ko Mi-ho) were long-term friends even before the series.
FAQs
- Who are the directors of the K-Drama ‘Big Mouth’
Oh Chung-hwan and Bae Hyun-jin. - What is the genre of the K-Drama Big Mouth’?
Hardboiled, Noir, Legal, Crime. - Who are the main characters in the K-Drama Big Mouth’?
The lead characters are Lee Jong-suk as Park Chang-ho, Im Yoon-ah as Ko Mi-ho and Kim Joo-hun as Choi Do-ha. - How many episodes are in the K- Drama ‘Big Mouth’?
16 episodes. - What is the Instagram ID of Lee Jong-suk and Im Yoon-ah?
jongsuk0206 – Lee Jong-suk and yoona__lim – Im Yoon-ah.
