REVIEW: ‘The Atypical Family’ Episodes 3-4

More layers surrounding the family’s powers are unpeeled in The Atypical Family Episodes 3-4. Bok Gwi-ju (Jang Ki-yong) learns his powers have returned, but all moments in time are connected to the mysterious Do Da-hae (Chun Woo-hee). Gwi-ju’s daughter, I-na (Park So-yi), has been hiding her mind-reading powers from her family. And, we learn more about how Da-hae got involved with scamming wealthy people to take their money.

The Atypical Family Episodes 3-4 spends a lot of its focus on Gwi-ju and his fixation on two things. One, being able to go back into the past in association with Da-hae, and two, his need to save people. The audience is likely to put the puzzle pieces together before Gwi-ju. Each time he goes back into the past, the visual clues are there, homing in on Da-hae. Where his surroundings are painted in shades of grey, only he and Da-hae are illuminated in color.

It’s also no surprise then that she may be connected to a moment of tragedy in his past. In a flashback, it is revealed that on the day I-na was born, which should be a moment of rejoicing, his firefighting colleague was killed in a fire. Gwi-ji carries guilt in his heart because his colleague took his place that day on the shift so that he could be there when his daughter was born. Over time, Gwi-ji realizes he can go back in time to that moment of happiness to try to see if he can make it to his colleague before the building collapses.

His failures become an obsession, isolating I-na and pushing away his wife, Lee Se-yeon (Jung Min-a). We’ve seen how his past visits are connected to Da-hae and her previous phobia of fire shown in Episodes 1-2. It becomes clear that the person he is linked to in this section of time is Da-hae, not his colleague. The obsession eventually prompts him to resign from his position. Then, an ultimatum from his wife proves too little too late when he inadvertently returns back to that time. When he returns, his wife is dead.

This fills in the blanks for why Gwi-ju was so self-destructive. The guilt hangs over his head for not being able to help the ones in his life who needed it the most. The theme of the pros and cons of having powers is blatant here, and Gwi-ju is not the only one who suffers. With the arrival of Da-hae and her compatriots, all of his family members are experiencing a revival.

I-na’s power makes her anxious. Across The Atypical Family Episodes 3-4, it is revealed that she can read people’s thoughts with direct eye contact. Rather than deal with people’s thoughts, she does what she can to make herself invisible, even if her avoidance may accidentally draw attention rather than detract. This leads her into a romantic triangle situation between Han Joon-woo (Moon Woo-jin) and Ko Hye-rim (Kim Soo-in).

In Episode 2, it is clear that I-na has a crush on Joon-woo, but she can’t entertain it. However, in Episode 3, an incident with Hye-rim leads him to help I-na put on her glasses. She hears his inner thoughts and learns he thinks she’s pretty. In Episode 4, Hye-rim corners her under the guise of friendship at a corner store. I-na reads her thoughts loud and clear. Hye-rim will make her life hell if I-na likes Joon-woo. Caught in a pickle, she lies to Hye-rim about her feelings for Joon-woo.

Unfortunately, Joon-woo hears the cruel things I-na says and his attitude shifts. Already so afraid of her powers, this moment only reinforces I-na’s anxieties. This is despite the care and attention Da-hae gave her in trying to draw her out of her shell and instill confidence. Confidence is in short supply in this family, and whether or not the family realizes it just yet, Da-hae intends to exploit their weaknesses.

The only one not immediately buying into Da-hae’s charms is Bok Dong-hee (Claudia Kim). Working in fashion, but also seeing how people treat her based on her appearance has made Dong-hee a cynic. This cynicism doesn’t help protect her against her fiance’s infidelity. Neither does it protect her against Da-hae’s scammer colleague, Grace Kang (Ryu Abel). But it does help her sniff out a rat. In this case, Dong-hee has grown suspicious of Da-hae and how easily the family has taken her in.

This culminates in a shocking moment of truth for Da-hae at the end of The Atypical Family Episode 3. After witnessing Dong-hee floating in the air, she panics and rushes up the stairs, almost falling over. Da-hae is caught in the knick of time by a soaking wet Gwi-ju. But this Gwi-ju is from the future. How can she tell? He casts no reflection in the mirror, causing her to freak out over ghosts. This leads her in Episode 4 to believe that the family does, in fact, have special powers.

In some ways, this makes Da-hae’s job easier. As revealed in The Atypical Family Episode 4, part of the attraction for Da-hae and her “family” targeting Gwi-ju and his family is due to rumors surrounding their mental instability. Admittedly, the family is all quirky and eclectic in its own way. But the slowly dawning understanding that the family does have superpowers makes Da-hae nervous. Particularly after Bok Man-heum’s (Ko Du-shim) vision of Da-hae getting hurt comes true.

But Da-hae can’t easily escape from this plot. In a flashback sequence in Episode 4, her “family” is revealed to be debtors. Baek Il-hong (Kim Keum-soon) held Da-hae’s father’s debts and forced Da-hae to take on that debt over the years. Il-hong reveals part of this backstory to Gwi-ju after he follows them to the hospital post-injury. However, Il-hong isn’t doing it out of a sense of kindness. She is hoping to endear Da-hae to Gwi-ju for potential marriage plots.

The whole setup surrounding how Da-hae is involved is pretty hard to swallow, even with the knowledge that debt collection can be incredibly ruthless in Korea. The idea of entrapping men into marriage only to strip them of their assets to pay off her father’s debt isn’t too far-fetched if you consider the genre. But, whether due to the writing or its execution in The Atypical Family Episodes 3-4, it’s tricky to suspend disbelief here.

But Gwi-ju needs someone to save and this scenario opens up the path for what is likely to come in the future. That said, this man isn’t so easily swayed. Previously, she has pointed out things he’s done with her that he has no memory of. Later on, he goes back into the past and acts out what she’s described to him. Pressured by Il-hong to get Gwi-ju to sign a marriage contract, Da-hae tries to use this quirk of his powers against him, but he’s not believing it.

Instead, Gwi-ju pushes back. He says it’s too soon. However, if she wants to marry him, he’ll see how far she will go to make the marriage contract a reality. Before she has a moment to really respond, Gwi-ju swoops in for the kiss, leaving Da-hae dazed and potentially sparking romance between the two. This is how The Atypical Family Episode 4 ends. Despite the intended effect of the kiss, it feels like it’s premature. The two need more build-up to sell it.

The Atypical Family Episodes 3-4 does a good job of exploring Gwi-ju and I-na specifically, giving insight into their fears, obsessions, and how their powers have negatively impacted them. The idea of powers being both a blessing and a curse isn’t new, and so this exploration is pretty standard. The character who seems to be having a more unique struggle is Dong-hee. Even though the character is still relegated to being the butt of fat jokes, she’s slowly turning into the more intriguing of the characters.

With that said the whole scenario of how Da-hae got involved with the debtors is pretty hard to swallow. Much like the kiss that wraps the end of Episode 4, the reveal seems to have come too soon. Not enough has been done quite yet to make her situation believable enough or convincing enough to suspend disbelief. That’s not to say that it isn’t an interesting scenario. It is. With more finessing, it could have tugged at the heartstrings. As it is? The emotional impact is lackluster.

The Atypical Family Episodes 3-4 succeeds in its expansion on the core superpowered family members, giving insight where insight is needed. While not wholly mindblowing, actors Jang Ki-yong and Park So-yi both get their moments to shine with the focus on them. The episodes struggle most with their lack of believability in the non-superpowered plots, making it harder to buy into what we’re seeing on-screen.

The Atypical Family Episodes 1-6 are now available on Netflix. New episodes premiere on Saturdays and Sundays.