In the season finale of “The Atypical Family,” episodes 11 & 12, we see Da-Hae and Gwi-Ju struggling to accept that if Gwi-Ju saves Da-Hae, he will die. If he doesn’t, then Da-Hae will disappear. Amidst the emotional battle, Dong-Hee finds happiness with Gwi-Ju’s help, and Da-Hae and Grace help her with Ji-Han. Meanwhile, I-Na is courageous, makes friends, and learns to live an ordinary life with others. The Bok family learns to accept and understand how to use their powers without feeling miserable. On the other hand, Baek Il Hong takes surprising action, moving Da-Hae to tears.
This article contains spoilers.
The Atypical Family Episode 11 Recap:
The episode begins with Da-Hae and Gwi-Ju enjoying some romantic time. But Da-Hae keeps looking at Gwi-Ju’s neck as the person who had saved her from the fire had a mark on his neck. As Da-Hae sleeps, Gwi-Ju visits a restaurant, finds Baek Il Hong, and tells her that Da-Hae is running away from Gwi-Ju to save him from dying. Furthermore, Gwi-Ju tells Baek Il Hong that Gwi-Ju intends to save Da-Hae from the fire, even if it means he will die. After spending more time together, Gwi-Ju and Da-Hae head home. Man Heum is relieved to see Gwi-Ju alive.
Meanwhile, I-Na blames herself for ruining Da-Hae’s plan despite Gwi-Ju convincing her otherwise. In an attempt to help Gwi-Ju, Dong-Hee tells Gwi-Ju that she is supposed to be the star model. However, because of Man Heum’s dreams, she let go of that dream. So, Dong-Hee asks Gwi-Ju not to pay attention to Man Heum’s dreams as she believes Gwi-Ju can change the future.
At the same time, Man Heum expresses to Da-Hae that her dreams have always been a curse to her children. She recently dreamt of Dong-Hee crying in her new house with another woman, and it seemed like they fought. However, Man Heum cannot meddle with Dong-Hee’s life anymore. Later that night, Da-Hae talks to I-Na, who is afraid to look at other people again. Subsequently, Da-Hae tells her that her family has incredible powers. Still, they make themselves miserable because they don’t know how to utilize them properly. Da-Hae ensures to lift that curse and help the Bok family.
Da-Hae spies on Ji-Han
It’s close to Dong-Hee’s wedding day, and Ji-Han has found an apartment for them and asks Dong-Hee to pay the deposit. After meeting Dong-Hee, Ji-Han meets his girlfriend, and someone takes their pictures. That person is Da-Hae. At a parking lot, Da-Hae sends the images to Ji-Han and blackmails him. Later, she gets into his car and asks him to call off the wedding or give him 200 million won not to ruin the wedding.
When Ji-Han tries to snatch the phone from Da-Hae, Hyung-tae hurts Ji-Han. Later, Da-Hae asks Hyung-tae to listen to Baek Il Hong and not meddle with her plans, as she intends to save Gwi-Ju no matter what. At the sauna, Hyung-tae relays the message, and Baek Il Hong calls for Grace to plan something. Later, Gwi-Ju catches Dong-Hee stuffing herself and asks her why she is acting like she is committing a crime. Dong-Hee responds by saying she should not be eating because of her weight. Smiling, Gwi-Ju reminds Dong-Hee that when Dong-Hee was in elementary school, she put a lot more weight, but she used to fly around like a bee and was happy. Despite Dong-Hee getting married soon, she feels unhappy, and Gwi-Ju makes her realize that she may not love Ji-han anymore.
How do Grace and Da-Hae help Dong–Hee?
In a surprising turn of events, Ji-Han gives Da-Hae 200 million won and asks her not to expose him. After delivering the cash, Ji-Han is having a romantic evening in what is supposed to be his and Dong-Hee’s new apartment. At that moment, Grace brings Dong-Hee to the apartment for a surprise. As they enter the apartment, Ji-Han hides his girlfriend, and Grace looks around to find the woman. Eventually, Grace brings the girl out, and Ji-Han apologizes to Dong-Hee, agreeing to move in with her family if they can proceed with the wedding. Furious, Dong-Hee calls off the wedding. She asks Ji-Han to pay her back the money she had lent to open his clinic, and Da-Hae enters with the money.
Both Da-Hae and Grace play catch with the money as Ji-Han tries to get a hold of the bag. As they fight, Ji-han accidentally pushes Grace. She goes flying out the window with the money bag. Dong-Hee focuses on using her superpowers and flies to save Grace. After flying around, Dong-Hee brings Grace down, and they cry joyfully. At that moment, Da-Hae realizes there is more to Man Heum’s dreams and tells Man Heum and the family that it is all about how one interprets the dream and encourages her to continue dreaming.
Baek-Il-Hong makes amends with Da-Hae
As the family continues to talk, Gwi-Ju pulls I-Na aside and takes her to the zoo. The reason Gwi-Ju brought I-Na to the zoo is that he had made a promise on her birthday many years ago. Now, he wants to fulfill it, but it’s closing time, and Gwi-Ju promises to bring I-Na next time. Unfortunately, I-Na is scared and tells Gwi-Ju that there may not be a next time. Therefore, Gwi-Ju buys a ticket and takes I-Na inside. As Gwi-Ju buys I-Na cotton candy, she starts to sniffle, and Gwi-Ju promises her that there will be a tomorrow. Despite their powers, they feel lonely but should stop running away from it. The day I-Na was born was the best present Gwi-Ju had ever received. I-Na starts to cry, and they hug it out. I-Na asks to come to the zoo again and asks for churros.
Meanwhile, Baek Il Hong calls Man Heum to the sauna. Da-Hae arrives to chat with her. Keeping her end of the promise, Baek Il Hong gives money to Man Heum, saying it is for Da-Hae and Gwi-Ju’s wedding. After the chat, Baek Il Hong tells Da-Hae that she is glad Da-Hae is alive, and she meant it when she said Baek Il Hong wanted her and Gwi-Ju to be happy. In a flashback, we see Baek Il Hong helping Da-Hae in her attempt to save Dong-Hee and scamming Ji-Han. Watching the heartwarming conversation between Da-Hae and Baek Il Hong, Man Heum smiles as her fake dream of Baek Il Hong hugging her grown-up daughter comes true.
Gwi-Ju gets a scar on his neck
Later that day, Gwi-Ju cooks Dong-Hee’s favorite dish as a child. They have a meal together as a family. At school, I-Na works extra hard to practice the dance with Joon-woo’s help. Watching I-Na work hard, Joon-woo asks her about it, and I-Na says she wants to show someone how passionate she is about something and that she isn’t invisible anymore. At home, Man Heum dreams of the fire again. Soon Gu asks her to look for clues, saying he will be by her side. Meanwhile, Gwi-Ju and Da-Hae get romantic. However, suddenly, they hear music, and Gwi-Ju peeps out to see his parents dancing.
The dance brings back some memories to Gwi-Ju, and he goes back to when he was a child. The family is enjoying a picnic, and his parents are dancing outdoors. Suddenly, Gwi-Ju sees a girl in color and realizes it’s Da-Hae. He follows her, only to find that Da-Hae is made fun of by her friends for not knowing how to ride a bicycle. Saddened, Gwi-Ju helps Da-Hae learn to ride, and as he runs, a branch scratches his neck. After spending time in the past, Gwi-Ju comes to the present, looks at himself in the mirror, and finds the scar. As Da-Hae calls out to him for dinner, Gwi-Ju realizes what it means for the scar to appear now.
The Atypical Family (Season 1 Finale), Episode 12 Recap:
The episode begins with Gwi-Ju at the pharmacy getting the rash checked, and the pharmacist says the rash will go away within a couple of days or a week. At school, Hye-Rim has become an outcast. But I-Na sits with Hye-Rim and asks her to join the dance group once again. At the gym, Grace brings Hyung-tae as the new trainer, and Dong-Hee is attracted to him. Later, Dong-Hee goes out for a run. Ji-Han stops her and blackmails her, saying he will post the video of her flying everywhere. The threats seem empty to Dong-Hee, and she continues her run. But Hyung-tae finds Ji-Han and throws his phone in the water.
Later, Man Heum has another dream, which she relays to Gwi-Ju. In the dream, Man Heum can see smoke, people covering themselves in a blanket, some people flying, and a school clock falling over. Keeping the details in mind, Gwi-Ju visits the fire station where he used to work and asks for more information about the school fire 13 years ago. At dinner, Da-Hae finds Gwi-Ju’s behavior solemn and odd. In the middle of the night, she checks his neck and sees the rash. This wakes Gwi-Ju, and he asks her to wait another day before they can tell the family since I-Na is performing the next day.
What happens during I-Na’s dance competition?
Another dream worries Man Heum as she watches Dong-Hee fly in front of everyone at the dance competition. However, Dong-Hee decides to attend it and promises not to fly. That way, they can be certain Gwi-Ju will be safe when he travels to the past. It is the day of the competition. The Bok family and the Baek Il Hong family arrive to support I-Na. However, as Da-Hae and Gwi-Ju leave for the event, Gwi-Ju gets a call from his firefighter friend to check the reports. Promising to arrive before I-Na performs, Gwi-Ju asks Da-Hae to attend the event.
At the event, Da-Hae gives her wishes to I-Na and promises that Gwi-Ju will be there soon. Gwi-Ju learns the layout of the school building at the fire station and rushes to I-Na’s event, making I-Na happy to see him in the audience. At the same time, Ji-Han calls Dong-Hee to the green room. When Dong-Hee arrives, Ji-Han is on one knee proposing to her. Annoyed, Dong-Hee rejects Ji-Han, and Ji-Han blackmails him, saying that he will burn the place down and pour a little gasoline on the floor. Knowing that Ji-Han does not have the nerve to pull such a stunt, Dong-Hee tells Ji-Han that she found his cowardice cute, which is why she loved him, but now he has to clean up and leave.
On stage, I-Na is nervous, and Joon-woo helps I-Na. The group performs well. Thanks to I-Na, Hye-rim shows up and performs with them. In the audience, Da-Hae realizes Gwi-Ju is wearing the same outfit the day he warned Da-Hae about I-Na being locked in the gym storage room, and Gwi-Ju rushes out. Meanwhile, I-Na and Hye-rim make up and become friends again. After Gwi-Ju leaves, Man Heum realizes that the dream of smoke and school fire was of this day, and Soon Gu pulls the fire alarm. As Ji-Han is cleaning up, everything starts to catch fire. Gwi-Ju promises that if he goes back to the past, it is because he wants to and not because of a dream. There is a fire in the backstage area. As predicted, Dong-Hee flies, but people don’t see her except her family.
The Atypical Family (Season 1 Finale), Episode 12 Ending Explained:
Is Gwi-Ju alive?
Since I-Na and Hye-rim are on the stairs, they are stuck in the fire. I-Na asks Hye-rim to stay back as she runs to find a way out. Just as I-Na leaves, Gwi-Ju comes from the past, saves Hye-rim, and rushes back in to save I-Na. As Gwi-Ju is looking for I-Na, Da-Hae faces her fears, walks through the smoke and fire, and finds I-Na. The school wall with the clock is about to fall, and Gwi-Ju holds it so Da-Hae and I-Na can leave. However, Da-Hae is not ready to go without Gwi-Ju. But Gwi-Ju tells her that it is time to save her, and reluctantly, Da-Hae leaves and the wall collapses on Gwi-Ju.
Gwi-Ju returns to the day I-Na was born as the wall collapses and rushes to the school. Knowing the shortcuts, Gwi-Ju fights off the fire, reaches the storage room, and helps Da-Hae. The rescue mission is still on. Gwi-Ju gives Da-Hae the family ring and pushes her out the window as he sees floating cushions. As Da-Hae is pushed, the fire explodes in the building. Fast forward to the future, Ji-Han is put in prison. I-Na is living in a dorm, and she is coming home for a while. Now, Da-Hae has a son, Bok Nu-ri, and she is hanging out with her son, hoping for Gwi-Ju’s return.
At the gym, Grace auditions for roles and has left the world of scamming. Dong-Hee flies around with Hyung-tae. At the sauna, Baek Il Hong and Man Heum get along, and Man Heum comes home with the news that she dreamt of someone else joining them for dinner that day. As Da-Hae hangs out with her son, Bok-Nu-ri reveals that he brought a ball from the past. Hoping for something to happen, Da-Hae asks Bok Nu-ri to bring his father, Gwi-Ju from the past. Bok Nu-ri looks at his father’s picture and then continues to play. Finding the situation odd, Da-Hae leaves but stops and turns around. Gwi-Ju is in front of her, holding Bok Nu-ri’s hand. With tears of joy, Da-Hae welcomes Gwi-Ju back.
The ending suggests that Gwi-Ju is back, considering that Man Heum had a dream of it as well, but the idea is left vague. Gwi-Ju fulfills his destiny by saving Da-Hae from the fire. Bok Nu-ri probably has an evolved superpower where he can visit the past but brings things from there as well. I-Na’s story is left abruptly, but she has friends at school now. The scammers turn a new leaf over as they earn the right way and get along well with the Bok family. The series initially and for the most part addresses the problems of modern life like depression, obesity, insomnia, and more, but with a fantasy-like element. Towards the end, it shifts towards the storyline of Gwi-Ju’s destiny but emphasizes that happiness from within can solve all the problems.