Ji-hoon and Prosecutor Choi are sitting in a car when the prosecutor finishes the call and tells Ji-hoon he was right. Ji-hoon then calls his own people at Woojeong Daily and tells them to write an exclusive report on the drugs found in Joo-hee’s system. He implies that a big plan is in the works and all they need to do is wait and watch.
Chang-ho, the new warden at the prison, shows Gan Soo-chul a tarot card with the Big Mouse symbol. Soo-chul calls an assembly of all inmates and conducts a body search for weapons. The inmates go into a changing tent and strip down. The guards search them while Chang-ho watches from the warden’s room, looking for tattoos of Big Mouse. ..
They find three men with Big Mouse tattoos. The new warden wants to have them tortured to reveal Big Mouse’s identity but Chang-ho tells him not to. When he is irked at receiving orders from Chang-ho, Chang-ho reminds him that he was the one who gave him the title.
Mi-ho speaks to Hye-jin, who had taken the previous blood samples from her and analysed them in the US. They found a drug called ASR and a high number of white blood cells, indicating leukemia. As she speaks to Mi-ho, someone takes photos of her.
Just then, Mi-ho helps the death row inmate who is screaming in pain. She gives him a painkiller. ..
The two discuss how it’s likely that the model inmates are given a different drug from the other ones. He tells her that they leave the premises occasionally for paid work, but he doesn’t know what kind. ..
Noh Park, the room leader, has announced that Mi-ho, the model inmate, wants to consult with inmates about their blood tests. She tells him that he can get five or six people to see her today.
According to a report by the South Korean news outlet Yonhap, the man who took photos of Hye-jin and then released them online was hired by Han Jae-ho. This revelation comes as a surprise, as it is unknown who hired him.
Joo-hee reads an article about her use of drugs in the hospital. Mayor Choi says it is Big Mouse retaliating against him. Joo-hee says it could also be because Big Mouse is after Professor Seo’s paper. She says she knew something was happening in the hospital but chose to ignore it.
Later, one of the mayor’s men shows him the cup used to drug Joo-hee. He figures Chang-ho knows everything about him. He tells his man to check on Hye-jin too.
The old warden, Park Yoon-gab, is brought to the prison and almost immediately gets in a fight with Soo-chul. Soo-chul rounds up him and the other Big Mouse followers and tries to torture them into revealing Big Mouse’s identity but Chang-ho intervenes. As Yoon-gab and Chang-ho walk back to their cells, the other inmates shout threats at Yoon-gab. Chang-ho tells him that even Big Mouse won’t be able to protect him here.
Joo-hee called the head nurse at the hospital and asked to see the underground lab. After they returned, she seemed disturbed and asked the mayor to take her home. She didn’t tell the mayor what she saw, since she wanted him to have a clean slate as a politician. ..
So-chul realises that he is not on the list of final candidates for the warden and calls the mayor and asks for permission to do things his way since Chang-ho seems to be protecting Yoon-gab. The mayor agrees.
Chairman Yang announces that Soo-chul has replaced Big Mouse as the new leader of the prison. The inmates are outraged and demand their freedom. Yoon-gab tries to calm them down, but they won’t listen to her. Chang-ho comes to her defense and tells them that he is just as good as Big Mouse.
Chang-ho heads to the warden’s office and contacts the mayor, but the mayor doesn’t give him time of day. While Soo-chul boasts about having more control, Chang-ho says he is now relieved of his shackles.
Yoon-gab is constantly beaten up by the prison guards. The room leader brings a few model inmates to Mi-ho, who draws their blood.
Hye-jin arrives in Korea to pick up more blood samples. Mi-ho drives her to a safe house, but Han Jae-ho is following them. ..
Meanwhile, Soon-tae and Mi-ho father try following the bus with the model inmates going on their work release but soon lose track of it. The bus reaches a remote building. The inmates go underground and put on protective suits, as behind them the building wall begins to crack.
Han Jae-ho enters the safe house and tries getting Hye-jin to come back to him. She tries protecting herself with a knife but the struggle ends with Hye-jin getting stabbed.
Mi-ho, a new inmate at the prison, learns from the model inmates that they are experiencing fever and dizzy spells. ..
Chang-ho is only alive because Big Mouse wants him to find Professor Seo’s paper. He is well aware of this and is only pretending to work with Choi Do-ha. He tells Yoon-gab he wants to meet Big Mouse at the church at 8 PM, or he will get rid of the plan to find Seo’s paper.
Jerry, a patient at another hospital, gets a phone call from Chang-ho. Afterwards, he says that Chang-ho is amusing. ..
Gong Ji-hoon’s wife is holding an auction and tells the other NR Forum members to help her raise money. They dismiss the mayor and his wife, hoping that the Elder will disown Joo-hee. Just then, Joo-hee turns up with the Elder and they tell everyone else to leave that room. ..
Mayor Choi arrives at the safe house to find Hye-jin lying in a pool of her blood. He checks her phone and sees that she had been messaging Mi-ho. He then calls the new warden and tells him that Chang-ho and Mi-ho must be killed today. ..
Chang-ho is waiting in the church when he gets a message from Big Mouse that there has been a change in location for the VIP ward. Chang-ho is called to the special VIP ward instead. ..
Some inmates are creating a ruckus and a guard slips one of them an access card. He begins opening all the cell doors. As the commotion increases, Chairman Yang tells his people to stay put.
Chang-ho goes to the special ward.
The warden gives his inmate a gun and orders him to kill Mi-ho. ..
A guard smashes an electric panel, leading to a prison-wide blackout.
Noh Park, the room leader, enters the special ward and sits opposite Chang-ho. He uses a lighter to see who it is — it’s Noh Park, the room leader! Chang-ho asks if he is Big Mouse and the episode comes to a close.
The Episode Review
The show continues to point fingers at a number of different characters, and it works. As a viewer, I have no idea who Big Mouse is. At this point, it could be anybody. Even seeing the room leader in the last scene comes with a certain doubt. We can’t trust anybody and that’s kind of exciting.
The show’s focus on the plot may be taking away from its depth, as the story revolves around themes of greed, systemic corruption and politics. However, the fast-paced story and constant twists and turns are intriguing.
Big Mouth is set to have a thrilling third act.
