High on tension and easy resolutions and low on character development, the drama concludes its run with a finale just as atypical as the entire story was.
But for a drama about superpowers, I think we should just suspend our disbelief and be thankful that no one was sacrificed, and we got an atypically happy ending.
- Main Leads: Jang KiYong | Chun Woo Hee | Park So Yi | Go Doo Shim | Claudia Kim
- Addictive Meter:
- Overall Rating:
- Rewatch Value:
- K-Dramas of Similar Vibe: The Witch’s Diner | The Uncanny Counter | Strong Girl Bong Soon
The Atypical Family Series Quick Recap
Desperate to help her family regain their long-lost superpowers, Matriarch Bok Man-heum enlists the help of a mysterious lady, Do Da-hae. But as it turns out, Man-heum isn’t the only one with ulterior motives, as Da-hae harbors a secret agenda of her own as well.
The Atypical Family Series Highlights
A likable character to root for among the atypical Bok Family
Between alcohol-addicted Gwi-ju, obsessed Man-heum, and smart-yet-makes-stupid-decisions Dong-hee, I-na felt like a breath of fresh air. I dare to say were it not for I-na, the drama wouldn’t be half as watchable.
I-na effortlessly stole the show and our hearts since she first got introduced. Caring for I-na was the main reason we warmed up to Da-hae. Likewise, we only rooted for Gwi-ju to survive the fire because I-na needed her father by her side.
It is also saying a lot that I-na’s crush on her classmate got us more invested than the main romance. Shout out to Park So-yi and Moon Woo-jin for killing it in their respective roles.
The Atypical Family Series Musings *Spoiler Alert
It was clear since the premiere that the story is building up a central mystery surrounding the fire incident and the identity of Da-hae’s savior. While Gwi-ju was the most potential candidate for this role, a part of us wished it was Gwi-ju’s senior who saved Da-hae back then.
Hence, their connection and the reason why she is the only one he can touch while in the past. But the whole Da-hae’s past is Gwi-ju’s future thing felt more complicated than intriguing.
And as the story progresses, we learn that Gwi-ju might lose his life while saving Da-hae. But if he doesn’t go back to that day, Da-hae will vanish into thin air. And while I appreciate Gwi-ju’s desperation to save Da-hae, I wish he gave I-na as much thought and care. They just reconciled, and suddenly I-na is on the verge of losing a parent once again.
While I have nothing against Da-hae and Gwi-ju’s son being the one bringing back a stuck-in-the-past Gwi-ju. I wish the drama would go with the theme that there is more to Man-heum’s dreams than meets the eye like it did with the dream about Dong-hee. Instead of having dual fires and a 5-year time skip, I wanted a twist where everyone joins hands to help Gwi-ju save high-school Da-hae and get back safely.
Having flawed people as the main characters is a brave and refreshing choice. But this means we need to see their character growth, as well. Instead, too much time was spent on the superpowers and the fire mystery, and everything got wrapped up quickly in easy resolutions that left us more frustrated than satisfied.
For starters, we had a con artist trying to scam a young girl to get married to her father as our heroine. And though Da-hae grew on us along the way, it wasn’t because of her journey, but since she seemed to care genuinely for I-na, being a bullying victim herself.
Next on the list is Gwi-ju. After neglecting his daughter all those years, all we got was one conversation and a brief trip to the zoo. This is nowhere near enough to make up for all those times I-na suffered alone without having her father by her side. But once again, both the drama and Gwi-ju seem to prioritize the fire incident over taking time to mend this father-daughter relationship properly.
Likewise, we have Dong-hee who started off as an interesting character yet whose character arc was limited to losing weight and chasing after a trashy man to marry. After spending 10 episodes in that messy arc, we got Dong-hee spreading her wings again, so to speak, after figuring out that her low self-confidence was the reason she couldn’t fly and not her weight.
Don’t get me started about Man-heum as I don’t want to waste my breath listing her countless flaws. But since it is the finale and we need a happily ever after for everyone, Man-heum is now forgiven by everyone, no questions asked!
The theme of forgiveness and out-of-the-blue redemption arcs is extended to Da-hae’s family of scammers as well. Gym Spy Grace is now best friends with Dong-hee after almost killing Dong-hee while trying to catch her flying on camera to blackmail her with it. But who cares about that now? Grace decided to turn over a new leaf so we should forget about that attempted murder!
In the same vein, we should get behind how much Da-hae suffered at the hands of the loan shark lady and get touched by her motherly love for Da-hae! And finally, we have I-na’s former stalker switching positions and becoming I-na’s cheerleader and Dong-hee’s new boyfriend!
As a mystery fantasy, The Atypical Family delivered a solid story, albeit a bit complicated. But I can’t help but think the missing ingredients could have elevated the show and made for a more entertaining watch.
Photos and Videos: JTBC Drama
