The Atypical Family premiered on Saturday, May 4, 2024, releasing two episodes over the weekend on Netflix and JTBC. Starring Jang Ki-Young and Chun Woo-Hee, the fantasy romance K-drama revolves around a woman entering into the lives of the members of a family with superpowers.
Episode 1 begins with the Bok family’s head, Bok Man-Heum, trying to jump off a cliff as her magical powers are gone. While her husband, Eom Soon-Gu, stops her, her kids — Dong-Hee and Gwi-Joo — do not react. Man-Heum drops the idea of ending her life when she sees Gwi-Joo (Jang Ki-Young) missing.
At first, the family thinks his power to transport to a happy past moment has returned. But the reality is that he has dived into the sea and is now drowning. The clan, including his daughter Yi-Na, rushes to the beach. They witness Do Da-Hae (Chun Woo-Hee) saving Gwi-Joo. Man-Heum predicts that she is the savior of the Bok family.
The Atypical Family Episode 1 spoilers: Did Chun Woo-Hee believe Jang Ki-Young’s family secret?
The Atypical Family episode 1 introduces the Bok family who have magical powers. Man-Heum can see the future when asleep, Dong-Hee can fly, and Gwi-Joo can transport to a happy past moment. But modern-day problems, including insomnia, obesity, and depression, have taken away their powers, leaving Man-Heum in panic.
At a massage parlor, she bumps into Da-Hae, who helps Man-Heum fall asleep. She finds the young lady interesting and invites her to her house for in-call service. Da-Hae finds the family members strange but rich. She tells Man-Heum that she has been married twice, but none of them worked, as the first husband cheated and the second was abusive. She mentions that she is an orphan and craves a family.
It appears Da-Hae is a nice woman, but the next scene features her spiking Man-Heum’s tea, which makes her fall asleep. Further, it shows Da-Hae entering a sauna place and calling someone “mom.” She seems to be someone with secrets, and her fear of fire adds more curiosity to her mysterious personality. Meanwhile, episode 1 moves on to Dong-Hee’s (Kim Su-Hyun) lifestyle. She used to be a model with magical powers to fly, but now she is suffering from obesity and an eating disorder. She works at a plastic surgery clinic, but her appearance demotivates customers.
On the other hand, Man-Heum decides to marry Gwi-Joo with Da-Hae, as she thinks the latter is the family’s savior. For context, Gwi-Joo has been depressed since his wife died seven years ago. Towards the episode’s ending, Man-Heum falls sick, and Da-Hae takes care of Gwi-Joo’s daughter, Yi-Na. The latter warns Da-Hae to run away from her family, explaining their powers. But Da-Hae thinks she is kidding.
The episode ends with Da-Hae’s big revelation. She has a sister, a mother, and an uncle, and they scam families for money.
The Atypical Family Episode 2 recap & spoilers: Chun Woo-Hee plans to scam Jang Ki-Young into marrying her
The Atypical Family episode 2 features the reality of Da-Hae and her family. They work together to find wealthy families and create personal bonds with them. Da-Hae scammed her previous two marriages, and her next target is the Bok family. She believes she must win Yi-Na’s heart to marry Gwi-Joo.
She, however, doesn’t believe that they have superpowers but doesn’t mind playing along with the story. In episode 2, Gwi-Joo snaps out of his alcoholism to buy a gift for her daughter in a mall. He bumps into Da-Hae, who offers to help, but he denies it. Despite that, she buys a shoe for his daughter, and he leaves after reluctantly accepting it. At the mall, a fire alarm goes off, which makes Da-Hae panic. Gwi-Joo appears from nowhere, holds her hand, and vanishes in a few minutes.
Meanwhile, Man-Heum creates scenarios where Da-Hae can meet Gwi-Joo. She directly tells the young lady to marry her son. Man-Heum even plans a dinner date for the two, where Da-Hae and Gwi-Joo end up drinking. At the same time, Yi-Na calls her father to tell him that a man in a black outfit is following her. Da-Hae and Gwi-Joo rush to help Yi-Na, and Da-Hae recognizes the man. He is her uncle and is keeping an eye on the family.
It appears Da-Hae’s plan worked as Yi-Na has created a soft spot for her in her heart. The episode also sheds light on Yi-Na’s childhood when she was in the backseat during an accident. At the time, her father disappeared to a past moment, and she felt her superpowers, which might have caused the accident. Yi-Na blames herself for her mother’s death.
Towards the end of the episode, Gwi-Joo shares a drink with Da-Hae to thank her for helping his daughter. Da-Hae mentions that she also wants to thank him for holding her hand at the mall when the fire alarm went off. He denies that he held her hand. To this, Da-Hae jokes, saying that he must have teleported to the future to help her.
Gwi-Joo wonders if it is true, but he cannot touch anyone when he teleports. The episode ends with him transporting himself to the same moment and holding Da-Hae’s hand.
The Atypical Family will return with new episodes on Saturday and Sunday on Netflix and JTBC.
