Currently Watching: The Atypical Family

Disclaimer: No spoilers ahead

The Atypical Family is truly a family like no other. The drama too stands out because of its atypical take on the typically used supernatural genre.  A few have compared it to The Addam’s Family while some others saw glimpses of Marvel in it. The drama description itself doesn’t reveal much- A family with superpowers lost them because of modern day problems. It remains quiet, unassuming and inconspicuous. However, if any of the below given points resonate with you, JTBC's The Atypical Family should be on your watchlist.

CAST

Jang Ki Yong fans can all assemble and admire his acting potential in his performance of Bok Gwi Joo. He’s back after nearly three years and with a bang.

Apart from him, there are Kim Su Hyun (aka Nagini of the Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald) and Chun Woo Hee (of Be Melodramatic, Argon and Delightfully deceitful) in challenging roles.

The supporting characters are played by seasoned actors Go Doo Shim, Oh Man Seok and Ryu Abel besides others.

Park So Yi is absolutely brilliant as Bok I Na and can be your sole reason to hop on this show (like me). Her scenes with Moon Woo Jin (credited as a guest star in MDL) are just a spam of that replay button.

CHARACTERISATION

The characters are all multidimensional and so uniquely written that you keep second guessing everyone’s motives and intentions. It happens on both sides- are the protagonists hiding that slight bit of evil or are the antagonists really not so wicked?

You wait for their other sides to come to the fore. You want to know how it plays out. And you want to clap when it does.

Spoiler alert: It does!

Although the story of the children is comparatively light and quite typical, it is by no means superficial. I Na is more desperate for something other than her crush on a boy. You keep wanting more of their scenes- the story of Bok I Na and Han Joon Woo. And you keep rooting for her. 

NARRATION

While TAF may appear as a regular story of the supernatural, its presentation is vastly different. The story is tightly woven and moves at a quick pace. There are no unnecessary scenes and the character backstories are interlinked well.

The clever use of the gain and loss of powers creates an atmosphere of suspense that builds gradually through each episode. Even without action, gore and chase, there is always a lingering trace of thrill in the air.

The colour palette used in the drama and the taking of a few scenes particularly add the necessary greyness to it.

TAF is like a perfect amalgamation of a family drama with sufficient edge-of-the seat moments to keep us asking for more.

THEMES

Superpowers- I remember playing silly online quizzes like which superpower are you or which would suit you the best as a kid. TAF manifests those powers, with its own spin over the game. Besides, the nature of the powers itself is worth noting- ability to travel to the past, to see the future, to fly and to- (it’s a secret!). And instead of discovering them, our Bok family here loses them. This is another special aspect to watch out for.

Modern problems- Amid the fog of magic surrounding the drama, TAF highlights several issues of today’s world- Bulimia, Insomnia, Depression, Phone addiction. It portrays them so sensibly and naturally that anyone can easily relate to them. It discusses the hypocrisy of body shaming and the disconnection today’s children and parents feel with each other.

Being Human- Initially, the Bok family is selectively truthful with the FL. They need her and would do everything to keep her. On the other hand, the FL is no saint. She’s in it for something too. There is greed, deceit, and manipulation in TAF.  Everyone's materialism is exposed. Their sufferings are reasonably justified. Those who have watched the movie will definitely be reminded of Parasite.

DIALOGUES

They are well written and are not preachy. Sometimes, they also bring out a few laughs. This conversation between I Na and Joon Woo is as funny as it’s heart wrenching.

JW, confessing: “I can tell by your eyes.”

BIN, scared: “By any chance, do you have any ancestors by the last name Bok?”

I Na also has some sass at her disposal. Look at her bartering with Da Hae:

“Why don’t you make use of our superpowers? Start a circus. It’ll be a hit.”

Then some thought-provoking ones as well.

“I realised that I couldn’t be happy if I was the only one who was happy.”

“Mistakes can be undone.”

"It's not just your size that's extra-large. You have a big heart too? It's unhealthy to be so bad on yourself."

They are simple and effective with no long repetitive monologues about feelings.

REALISTIC

Given that its genre is supernatural, that TAF is realistic comes as a surprise. Instead of discovering the powers and saving the world, the main characters here lose them and end up saving themselves.

Instead of showing the grandeur of the powers, the drama discusses their liabilities. It also unapologetically calls them selfish and thieves.

Instead of applauding the powers, the people who witnessed them freak out and run away. Because no matter what fantasies we may have read of, the fact remains that humans can’t fly or time travel.

In a rare depiction in fantasy dramaland, TAF keeps things real and keeps the proceedings grounded.

TAF is that impossible drama we never saw coming. 8 episodes have been released but the suspense only keeps building up. There are several points yet to be cleared. What did Se Yeon mean in the car that day? How is Da Hae related to the Bok family? Are Joon Woo and I Na endgame? Will Dong Hae teach the guy a lesson or will they reconcile? What is the fate of the conmen? When is the family going to find out about I Na? What exactly is the innocent hobby of Gwi Joo’s father that he is having to pay that hefty price for?

It is likely that we'll find out soon.

Tune into Netflix on Saturdays and Sundays to watch The Atypical Family.

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Thanks to Tine for editing!