The Atypical Family is the 121st K-Drama series I’ve finished and is actually one of the more unique ones. It’s a tad reminiscent of Moving in that the plot involves super powers, but that’s where any similarity ends. This series is about the Bok family. The Bok matriarch Bok Man-heum has the power to see the future in her dreams. She has been using this power to build wealth — winning lottery numbers, skyrocketing stock prices… she can see them. That said, the Boks have always lived comfortably. Meanwhile, her daughter Bok Dong-hee can fly while her son Bok Gwi-ju can go back to the past. Unknown to her, her granddaughter Bok I-na can read minds by looking into people’s eyes.
Here’s the problem. The Boks have lost their powers over the years due to lifestyle diseases. Bok Man-heum has insomnia so she can’t sleep. If she can’t sleep, she can’t dream and thus she can’t see the future. Bok Dong-hee has become obese and so her extremely heavy weight now keeps her from flying. Bok Gwi-ju has become a depressed alcoholic due to his wife’s death and can no longer time travel. If this downward spiral doesn’t stop, they will lose everything they’ve amassed. They need to get it together and soon.
Everything changes with the arrival of Do Da-hae into the Boks’ lives. Da-hae saves Gwi-ju from drowning at the beach and Man-heum senses something special about her. She believes Da-hae holds the key to the Boks getting their powers back. Strangely enough, Gwi-ju finds that his powers are enhanced when Da-hae is around. He is able to somehow change the past as long as Da-hae is in the timeframe he goes back to.
There are no super villains in The Atypical Family. Most of the conflicts arise from misunderstandings / miscommunication like how they do in normal families. It’s interesting to see how they navigate through all the personal and family issues. The main dilemma eventually boils down to Gwi-ju and Da-hae. Gwi-ju needs to save Da-hae’s life, but doing so would result in Gwi-ju’s undoing. But if Gwi-ju doesn’t save Da-hae, Gwi-ju will never get out of his depression and alcohol addiction. Props to the writer for coming up with an excellent plot resolution which fits perfectly into the narrative. I love how neatly this series concluded.
If you want something refreshing and unique, do check out this well-written and well-cast drama. Claudia Kim is so perfect as Bok Dong-hee. She’s gorgeous even with all the prothestics to make her look extremely obese. This is such a far departure from her glamorous villainess Lady Maeda in Gyeongseong Creature, which just showcases her versatility as an actress. Chun Woo-hee is also exceptional as Do Da-hae. I just watched her on The 8 Show playing the psyhotic 8th Floor and now she’s the meek and good-hearted protagonist in The Atypical Family. Her range is just wow.
The Atypical Family is now streaming on Netflix.
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