“The Atypical Family” episodes 1 & 2 introduce us to the story of the Bok Family, who have all lost their superpowers and are not trying too hard to regain them. However, a shimmer of hope arrives in the form of Da-Hae. On the outside, Da-Hae is a sweet, kind, and caring young woman, but her secret is that she is a con for rich men for their money. Da-Hae gets lucky as she saves Gwi-Ju from drowning, winning his mother, Man Heum’s trust and affection. The story starts to unfold as Da-Hae navigates and gets close to the Bok family for her selfish intentions.
This article contains spoilers.
The Atypical Family Episode 1 Recap:
“The Atypical Family” opens on a bleak note. The Boks, a family burdened by the weight of their fading superpowers, stand atop a cliff, taking turns to use their abilities. Bok Man Heum, the head of the family, is unable to see the future because of her insomnia. Bok Dong Hee is unable to fly because of her obesity, and Bok Gwi-Ju is unable to see the past because of depression. Moreover, Bok Yi Na does not have any superpowers, making Man Heum anxious. Man Heum is unhappy with the state of her family. She wants to jump off the cliff into the ocean, but she can’t get herself to do it. On the other hand, Gwi-Ju is drowning in the sea, frightening the family.
Does Da-Hae save Gwi-Ju?
There’s a beach full of people, but nobody is moving to rescue Gwi-Ju. Fortunately, Da-Hae witnesses the incident and saves Gwi-Ju. Revived but disoriented, Gwi-Ju mistakes Da-Hae for his deceased wife, Se-Yeon, and clings to her before succumbing to unconsciousness again and is hospitalized. Bok’s family concludes that Gwi-Ju has tried to kill himself, but he denies doing any such thing.
Da-Hae is a newbie at a massage center that Man Heum often visits. The other masseuse has no interest in giving Man Heum a massage because she is difficult, and nobody is able to put her to sleep because Man Heum refuses to take any tablets. Da-Hae takes on the challenge. To everyone’s surprise, Da-Hae successfully puts Man Heum to sleep. Man Heum recognizes Da-Hae, is thrilled, and invites her home for a house call.
Da-Hae meets the Bok family.
Da-Hae is fascinated by the massive house the Bok’s have. She prepares tea for the massage and sneakily adds something to it, hoping no one notices her do it. Meanwhile, as Da-Hae is still in the kitchen, Gwi-Ju is a complete mess. Gwi-Ju is awfully drunk, and to snap him out of it, Da-Hae shatters a valuable bottle of wine. Gwi-Ju gets the wrong idea about Da-Hae and informs her that Man Heum will give her the reward money for saving his life.
During the massage, Da-Hae tells Man Heum that she has been married twice, and one used to cheat on her, and the other had a different personality when he was drunk, but she always wanted a family of her own. To add to the misery, Da-Hae also mentions that she is alone and without a family. Gwi-Ju gets to have a long nap after the massage and dreams about Da-Hae wearing their family ring. The dream is incomplete, but Man Heum thinks it’s a sign and decides to get Da-Hae married to Gwi-Ju.
Bok family and their modern lifestyle problems
Gwi-Ju owns a gym, and he is looking for a personal trainer. A woman comes to the gym with her resume, but Gwi-Ju does not care to look at it and asks her to start work the next day. However, Dong Hee interviews the woman, and they get off to a wrong start. Dong Hee works in a liposuction clinic, but the patients do not have a good brand image because of Dong Hee. She is fired from the store and binge eats through the pain. Man Heum has hidden motives as she invites Da-Hae for lunch on I-Na’s birthday and Se-Yeon’s death anniversary.
Da-Hae arrives on time and is met with a cold Gwi-Ju. Gwi-Ju is upfront about what a mess their family is and asks if she wants to marry despite that. Tensions escalate as Man Heum and Gwi-Ju engage in an intense argument. Man Heum wants Gwi-Ju to move on, and she reveals the secret that she had foreseen that their marriage would not last, and if he had not married Se-Yeon, she would have lived. I-Na overhears the conversation, but since she is a reserved teenager, she ignores them and blows out her birthday candle before she leaves.
Later, Gwi-Ju wishes I-Na for her birthday and gives her a soft toy. I-Na thanks her father and opens a drawer filled with the same toy, which is probably what she has received over the years. A flashback takes us back to the day of Se-Yeon’s accident. Gwi-Ju, rushing to save someone, entrusts I-Na with the stuffed animal, assuring it will protect her in his absence.
Da-Hae- the con artist
Man Heum is dizzy because of the stress and is rushed to the hospital. The seaweed soup is burning on the stove, and Da-Hae is afraid of fire. I-Na helps Da-Hae turn off the stove and confronts her about what she mixed in the tea. Da-Hae lies and says it’s a sweetener. I-Na warns Da-Hae to run away from her family as they used to have superpowers, and because of psychological and modern-day problems, they are unable to use these powers. At first, Da-Hae does not take I-Na too seriously. Gwi-Ju is back and hears from Da-Hae that I-Na has eaten food and asks about the superpowers that the Bok family has. Gwi-Ju is surprised I-Na has eaten, and Gwi-Ju warns Da-Hae again that when two people get married, they vow to protect each other, and he will not be able to do that.
Da-Hae asks him to stop being stuck in the past and move on. Da-Hae also mentions the day Gwi-Ju almost drowned on the beach, which was because he wanted to protect a soft toy as a little girl was crying for it. Returning home, Da-Hae finds her family gathered around the kitchen table and heartily laughing. They find I-Na’s tale of superpowers totally wild. Da-Hae has lied to Man Heum about her family as she has a family, but they are con artists taking advantage of people. The gym trainer, it turns out, is Da-Hae’s sister. However, Da-Hae knows she needs to win over Gwi-Ju in order to marry him.
The Atypical Family Episode 2 Recap:
The episode opens with a glimpse into Gwi-Ju’s past. A young, nine-year-old Gwi-Ju wins a giant carp at a street vendor, but his joy is short-lived, and Man Heum beats Gwi-Ju for not listening to her. Upset, Gwi-Ju retreats into memory – the memory of winning the carp. In this moment, he discovers his superpower. However, the superpower has a downside. Gwi-Ju repeatedly visits the memory but discovers there was an accident during that time. Regardless, he is unable to help a little girl’s dog from dying because he cannot touch anything in the past. In this way, Gwi-Ju ran out of all good memories.
Da-Hae and her family’s manipulation.
Gwi-Ju gets out of the house for a smoke and discovers that I-Na has thrown out all the stuffed toys Gwi-Ju has given her. Gwi-Ju also notices a strange man lurking around, but he gets distracted as I-Na leaves for school. Despite these worries, Gwi-Ju steps up as a father, warning I-Na about her safety and encouraging her to call him if she needs anything. Gwi-Ju decides to make an effort and visit the mall to buy I-Na a new present. Da-Hae and her family are like hawks watching Gwi-Ju’s every move. Da-Hae sees the right opportunity and starts helping Gwi-Ju pick out a present. Gwi-Ju is not interested in her help and decides to drink at the food court.
Da-Hae joins him and asks him to give the present to I-Na even if he is not interested in hanging out with her. Gwi-Ju takes the present and watches I-Na secretly, loving her gift. Both Gwi-Ju and I-Na are happy. Man Heum is on the move to push forward with Gwi-Ju and Da-Hae’s marriage and invites her to Bok’s Gym. Da-Hae’s sister Grace is at the gym, ready to help Da-Hae. Man Heum talks to Da-Hae about the wedding and informs her that she is planning on gifting the building to Gwi-Ju after their marriage. Da-Hae indicates that she prefers living with a person before marrying them to get to know the individual, and Man Heum is on board. Dong Hee overhears the conversation and talks to her mother privately.
The conversation is not as private as Dong Hee hopes, as Grace is eavesdropping on them. Dong Hee wants the building and promises to get married to the doctor (Jo Ji Han) from the liposuction clinic before Gwi-Ju. Gwi-Ju walks in, and Da-Hae loudly tells Gwi-Ju that he has helped her by holding her hands. Man Heum is excited by the news.
Dong Hee’s dreams are falling apart.
Eom Soon Gu (Gwi-Ju’s father) cleans out all the alcohol in the house and invites Gwi-Ju to join him for a drink outside. They reach the restaurant, and it turns out Gwi-Ju’s parents set it up to let Da-Hae and Gwi-Ju bond. Gwi-Ju sits down and starts drinking alcohol without saying much. Grace has made a move as she visits Ji Han at the liposuction clinic. Dong Hee visits the clinic and hears a woman giggling along with Ji Han and Dong Hee is enraged and binge eats some chocolates.
Nonetheless, Dong Hee decides to confront Ji Han, and she is shocked to see Grace with him. Dong Hee and Ji Han go out for drinks, and she asks to get married to him before the agreed-upon date. However, Ji Han’s pride gets in the way, and he rejects it, saying that he will not marry her until he pays back the money he owes her. Dong Hee heads to Bok’s Gym and runs on the treadmill.
Meanwhile, I-Na is struggling at school, and the teacher calls Gwi-Ju and informs him about the papers he needs to sign and pay more attention to his daughter. After school, I-Na walks, and the strange man follows her. I-Na rushes to the washroom and calls everyone in the family, but nobody answers. Hesitantly, I-Na calls Gwi-Ju, but he is drunk. Da-Hae answers the call and informs her she will get her. Da-Hae informs Gwi-Ju, and he wakes up from being passed out and starts running despite being unable to be steady.
The Atypical Family Episode 2 Ending Explained:
Is Gwi-Ju the first to get his superpower back?
Da-Hae and Gwi-Ju reach the public washroom, and Gwi-Ju notices the man. He tries hard to hit him but keeps falling. The man is none other than Da-Hae’s uncle, Noh Hyung Tae. Gwi-Ju thinks about the stuffed toys that have been disposed of and feels energized, so he punches Hyung Tae’s helmet. Da-Hae’s signals him to act hurt. Upon hearing her father’s voice, I-Na comes out of the washroom and asks what the man has done. Da-Hae realizes I-Na has got her first period and helps her out. Gwi-Ju asks Da-Hae for a round of drinks. Da-Hae insists they held hands, and she suggests maybe he came from the future to help her. Then, she narrates a story about how she grew up lonely as a child, and I-Na reminds her of her childhood.
Da-Hae also says her mother was never around, and her father was an alcoholic, and she understands Man Heum. They part for the night, and Gwi-Ju starts signing forms for I-Na’s school. Meanwhile, Dong Hee is overexerting herself on the treadmill as she wants to fly again. Grace is worried about watching her and stops the treadmill. Dong Hee falls on the floor crying. Grace manages to calm Dong Hee. Gwi-Ju ponders Da-Hae’s suggestion about holding her hand at the mall as a result of coming from the future. He closes his eyes, and voila! He’s transported back in time. But there’s a crucial difference – he can now touch people and objects in the past! In the end, Gwi-Ju helps Da-Hae in the past by holding her hand.
The opening episodes of “The Atypical Family” spare no anticipation as the story kicks off with its fast-paced story from the first minute. While Da-Hae’s plan seems to be unfolding smoothly so far, the possibility of other family members regaining their powers will be an obstacle in her scheme. The most important person who can ruin Da-Hae’s life is Man Heum, and that’s the route the show is probably heading towards. Man Heum is the one hell-bent on marrying Gwi-Ju to Da-Hae, and she may be the one to stop it in the end.
At the moment, Da-Hae has only one goal: to con Bok’s family, but by the end of the season, the chances of her falling in love with Gwi-Ju are high. Now that I-Na has got her first period, maybe she will discover her superpower, and things might go south for Da-Hae. So far, the story is intriguing and fast. Let’s wait and watch for what other plot twists await.
