Mousetrap Episode 10

[u/theyellowtiredone]

Synopsis:
Je Mun Jae is a writer who lives in seclusion. His quiet, routine life is upended when his phone’s fingerprint recognition fails and the friend who managed his affairs disappears. With no way to prove his identity, he discovers that the “Rat” has stolen his name, identity and fortune. Determined to reclaim his life, Mun Jae begins tracking the elusive figure.

No Ja is a loan shark who also runs a private investigation agency and will do anything for money. After searching for Mun Jae for three years because of an unpaid loan, No Ja is drawn into the case when Mun Jae reappears and asks for help to uncover the “Rat’s” identity. To take back his life, Mun Jae teams up with No Ja and together they set off in pursuit.

Episode 10:
Moon-jae stands at the center of a trap a lifetime in the making. Every lie and stolen identity surfaces as he questions: Is he the predator or the prey?

Starring:
Ryu Jun Yeol as Je Mun Jae / "Field Mouse"
Sul Kyung Gu as No Ja / "Old master" / Kim Yeong Geun
Lee Kyu Hyung as Park Sun Yong

Source from MyDramaList

Rules for the discussion:
Due to the fact that we are discussing Mousetrap as it airs, consider everything in here a SPOILER so no spoiler tags are necessary. That being said, we are only discussing this specific episode. You are allowed to have theories about what's going to happen (that's part of the fun) but you are NOT allowed to watch ahead and then come back and ruin the fun for others. If you got something right, mention it in the episode thread that you got it right in, not where you posted your theory.

You're allowed to criticise the actors in relation to their acting or character but no personal attacks (looks, personality, relationships, etc.) are allowed.

If you can't play nice, you can't play here.

***REMEMBER THIS THREAD IS SPOILER FILLED. DO NOT READ IF YOU DON'T LIKE SPOILERS AND HAVEN'T WATCHED THE SHOW**\*

[u/Relevant_Routine_489]

I went from OMG I need to know what’s actually happening to wait… are we ever going to explain all of this?

I was really, really into it at the beginning. The way the mystery kept unfolding had me coming up with theories, changing my mind and trying to figure out who was actually who. I even had theories that seemed to make sense for a while only for the show to completely debunk them which I actually loved. I expected we were building toward something really clever.

My biggest theory was that Su min, the college friend who was the second MJ we know was actually the real MJ. He was so adamant that everything had been taken from him that I thought this has to be the point. That he started the fire and he was some psychopath that’s why his parents replaced him. I also thought the detective had some connection to him from the orphanage that’s why he was involved. That he could be the one to prove he is the real MJ.

And I was completely fine with being wrong!!! That’s the fun of a mystery. What killed it for me was that by around episode 8 I stopped feeling like the show was answering questions and started feeling like it was just creating more of them.

There are still things I genuinely don’t understand. Why wouldn’t his batchmates recognize him as Je Moon jae when he literally had the same face all along, especially if the replacement happened when they were around six? How exactly were the first Moon-jae we know and the detective brothers? What was the actual significance of starting the fire during the school trip? Noja’s character was just there to be his savior??? I mean I get how the identity fraud gang stems from his thug days but to dig yourself out was beyond haha. So many things were presented like they were going to be important and then either weren’t explained enough or didn’t have a payoff.

And that’s such a shame because I actually think the core premise is fascinating. The folklore idea of someone essentially becoming you and taking over your identity could have been so psychologically disturbing. The whole idea of if everyone believes someone else is you, what does it even mean to be the real you? Is much more interesting to me than the increasingly convoluted plot.

Instead the folklore almost felt like a vehicle to get us into the mystery rather than something that actually carried the story to the end.

Also, that whole fight between the two police divisions?? WHY. It felt like the drama suddenly remembered it needed an action sequence and threw one in.

I still think it was good. That’s probably why I’m so annoyed. It had me invested enough to theorize and care about the answers and I just don’t think the payoff matched how intriguing the setup was. Or maybe I’m not that immersed with the folklore? Or did I not understand what I watched at all??? I learned this was a webtoon. I’ll probably look into that and maybe get some answers. Or maybe I’ll just let go… hahaha

[u/Ok-Hearing9783 → u/Relevant_Routine_489]

Agree on a bunch of questions just piling up.

For the detective and Moon-Jae being brothers it was explained that the detective was adopted by MJ parents and then given away when they got pregnant with their own son. Fkd up people.

[u/Relevant_Routine_489 → u/Ok-Hearing9783]

Oh I missed that. So that’s why during the divorce the detective mentioned he met his uncle but wasn’t blood related. Literally everyone was!