It’s very hard to watch people getting conned. And they aren’t just scamming one person for money but a family and a child. Because of this it makes it hard to feel anything for the leading lady. Or any interactions of the leads.

And I don’t fully get his super powers but that ending of ep 2 had me curious. It seems like some weird time loop. Because he went to a past that already happened but was not seeing himself holding her hands but he went and held her hands. Or I confused myself here 😅

I will give this a 4 episode test. For now, I am not on board.

First two episodes were intriguing and I sort of liked it (there are many parts I don’t, or better don’t fully convince me), but also it’s been so long since Jang Ki Yong played something else than the tall guy, that I really want to hold to this one, yet… 16 episodes? I don’t see it… still… let’s hold on for another week.

Also, what if our con artist has also superpowers?

I have a lot of specific thoughts. My first is that this show is a lot darker than I expected it to be. Anyway, here are the rest:
- I think it's interesting to have a female lead who is morally grey and severely traumatized (usually the latter is the ML).
- I think the romance is going to be quite interesting, and it definitely hooked me. I hope it's more of a slow burn and they don't end up together too quickly. Neither is in a place for a healthy relationship right now.
- I'm pretty sure that the ML would need detox if he were to quit drinking.
- ML also needs behavioral activation, but I could see how revisiting the past over and over without any way to change it could get someone dysphoric.
- The thing with the granddaughter reminded me a LOT of Encanto. The girl herself also reminds me of Violet from The Incredibles.
- It was so nice to see Ki-ho again! He'll always be Ki-ho to me.
- Why is Grace always be insulting Dong-hee when the latter's family owns the business she works for? Like, what the heck? Also, am I supposed to like Grace despite her rampant fatphobic comments?
- I love/hate Dong-hee's storyline. I like Dong-hee herself, but I hate that the storyline is going to end with her losing weight. I hate the fatsuit (also, how hilarious that this is Nagini from Fantastic Beasts franchise. Anyway). I want her to get some confidence and find a dude who loves her for who she is. I want her to have Ji-wan's storyline from Love is for Suckers. Also, this storyline made me even more appreciative of Ji-wan. Remember how NONE of us believed that romance would happen because we were so cynical about how kdramas portray women who aren't a certain body type?
- I really got a Time Traveler's Wife vibe with the ML visiting the FL in the future. I hope we see him appear more and more, as a version of him that's more and more in love with her.
- Eventually sleeping meds aren't gonna work on the insomniac lady anymore, so what then?
- FL's the one whose dog died, right? Also, I was not expecting to see a dog die. Ughhhh.
Finally, can someone explain what happened with the FL's exes to me? Were they bad dudes or did she set them up? Was it... both? I was really confused.

1. The ML... *Sigh*

It's funny how he was too drunk to pick up the phone when his daughter called him, but the first thought after leaving the kid home was "let's go drink again". Of course the FL was like "yay!!!" 🙃

This guy doesn't seem to have tried to get better once in seven years. And it seems like he isn't thinking of changing in the present time either.

After taking the kid home, you would've thought he was going to talk to her about the call he received from her teacher? Nope. Better let's go drink with the FL, right? And it's not like he at least asked the FL about anything that happened in the bathroom and what he can do to help his kid next time.

The father-daughter relationship is there, but it doesn't seem like the intention of the show is to make them work. I already can see how instead of the ML taking responsibility as a father, we'll get the FL as the new mom that will fix everything for them.

Oh. And of course instead of asking for help with his drinking problem, depression and grief, he will be healed by the power of romantic love, and his supernatural connection with the FL.
Her stalking became his first happy memory after seven years? Give me a break.

The show is just using the kid to make the FL look good in front of the ML. And the ML's pain is used as a joke.

2. What's with the sis?
I don't get her story.
Apparently, she gained weight out of nowhere and people treat her like trash because of that? There's no explanation for anything. There isn't even a conversation or backstory about her. It's just people being awful to her, and then we see her stress eating, and because she ate something people treat her bad again. Like what?

And I think it's supposed to be funny? And then sad? The show doesn't seem to decide. For me, it's just weird and annoying.
She should break up with that guy, kick him out of her building, and start living her life.
She can get a job, a hobby, a real boyfriend, a pet, Idk, literally ANYTHING, because she's rich, pretty, and has nothing going on in her life.
I don't see anything stoping her from doing what she wants.

It wouldn't feel frustrating if the show cared about how the noona feels about herself, but it's all about how everyone else sees her. And it's annoying that's the only thing going on with her plotline.

PS. Bong Seok from Moving proved that overweight people can fly too. Leaves us alone, kdramaland.

3. Haraboji and halmoni.
Is haraboji real? Why is he all happy on his own while the rest of the house is on fire? I feel like halmoni created this "idea" in her head and took him out of one of her dreams.
He doesn't seem to have a connection with anyone in that house.

In general, the family feels really disjointed (it's so weird to not see them eat together, or just do stuff/be in the same house), but he feels like a complete outsider. More like a family friend or secretary.

And halmoni... she should stop...

Thanks, @unit for your recap that expresses exactly what I felt about this drama-- the concept is really interesting. I also liked the "superpower" that allows you to go back in time to relive happy moments but also, at the same time, observe aspects that you didn't notice at the time that would put a damper on your happiness. That seems more like a curse than a superpower, but still it is a different twist on time travel.

The problem is no one except poor Yi-na is very likeable here--certainly no adult in the superpower family, and the gold-digger family isn't exactly sympathetic either, although is a sad comment on all the characters that I am actually rooting for the con artists. That is, except for Yi Na--I'm looking forward to her coming into her powers now that she has had her period. But what is that--is the acquisition/loss of powers some sort of sexual/fertility metaphor?

A couple of other things: I couldn't help but notice that Jang Ki-yong is playing a deeply depressed man the same way he played a gumiho (the only other show I saw him in)--that is, as someone who never changes expression. I guess either gumihos are always depressed, or maybe, just maybe, he has a limited acting range. He is good looking, though.

But speaking of a good looking actor, why put Soo-hyun in a fat suit? I get really impatient with kdrama characters obsession with weight (and I frankly find some kdrama actresses in real life unhealthily thin.) I always find it annoying when weight becomes a focus, regardless of whether its done in a body shaming way or not.

All in all, then, I agree with @mayhemf -- I'll give it two episodes more. And then I might have to never go back to relive the watch, because it won't be a happy memory.

SIGH, there are A LOT of issues with this one. A lot of them also don't make any sense at all. Dong Hee being bigger has absolutely nothing to do with her inability to fly. This doesn't make sense. Also, a pet peeve of mine with "fat suits" is they always pad the hands, it is very weird. The fact that Dong Hee is the only one suspicious of anything is wild.

Man Heum is an awful person. Her obsession with getting her son married is very creepy. Why? Also, why has she never tried sleeping pills?

As for Gwi Ju, it seems like the magical power of love will cure his depression and alcoholism(which absolutely no one is noting). Also, his exposition regarding the depression is very weird. Why are you telling us it is hard for you to come to work, aside from the fact that we have seen you there twice, show us, don't tell us.

Grandpa and Yi Na are the most interesting and if I stay it will be for them.

As for our con artist family, I have seen it before so as of now they aren't particularly interesting.

This is surely the most tedious ML ever inflicted on me, at least I cannot think of another. For me, there is nothing worse than self-pitying, self-indulgent, vacant people slobbing around like tramps with their mouths hanging open (am I supposed to sympathise?). His daughter also mopes around because she doesn't deserve birthdays and feels guilty, his sister mopes and snipes alternately because she's frustrated over being fat and having no self-control - are we really supposed to feel sorry for these people? And then the worst sin of all in my opinion, we get served up a load of mawkish sentimental tosh at the end of ep 2. Well I made myself watch until then but I won't bother with any more of it.

Am I the only one tired of characters with a traumatic past? Who are the only survivors when their parents are killed by trucks of doom? Who are bullied at school, subjected to unkindness and abuse, who (if they do manage to have living parents) are the children of dysfunctional alcoholics, ambitious lunatic social climbers, revenge obsessed maniacs, uncaring selfish users, criminals, etc? Are there two parents anywhere in Korea that are actually normal? It seems to be too much of a challenge for many writers so they continually raid the mentally unstable cupboard for convenience.

The first episode made me laugh a couple of times but that was it. I like the idea of super powers being lost thanks to modern self-indulgence and the way we have all obediently fallen into line to see this as bad luck of some kind and worthy of sympathy, despite helping hands being offered (and spurned) but I'm not a fan of the way this is being tackled. I don't like anyone in this drama so they can drink themselves silly, plummet from a cliff trying to fly, or whatever ... without me for the next 14 episodes.

K-dramas - at least the ones I've tried in the past few months, are starting to remind me of the smug, self-regarding novels that became popular in the 80s and 90s where completely mismatched characters and plots were clashed together in an attempt at the fantastical, but in fact were pretentious garbage. Please don't continue down this road k-dramas. A good story doesn't require all this nonsense.

Grifters I can watch--Parasite was a great movie as was Grifters. Alcoholics and their enablers I can watch--for much of My Liberation Notes, Gu was a compelling character. However, the actual neglect of a child and her having a narrative that she should have never been born in the midst of what seems to be a black comedy is so hard to watch. Add to that the sister storyline that tries to be about her emotional eating dips over to charicature (her messy eating, her licking the lobster, etc), which just isn't fun and almost mean-spirited.
The stuff that I did think was good, like Jang Ki-Yong's acting, was completely overshadowed by my unease about Yi Na, which grew as I watched. It's just not fun or funny to me.

Yi-na needs and deserves so much more than any of the adults in her life -- be they her family members or the incoming con artists -- seems qualified to provide. But I'm willing to give the drama a couple more episodes to show there's a heart and thoughtful writing behind the intriguing and sometimes disturbing plot points it has hit thus far.

Thanks for the recap Unit.
It's a weird premise to start a show with only one, or two at most, likeable characters and the rest are really alienating. I agree with Unit "that the show has it's work cut out for them to turn these flawed characters around to get us to warm up to them".
Also I'm surprised that the FL is back in the same role as a con artist after Delightfully Deceitful. I had to jump ship mid way so I'm really cautious with this show.

I had not thought of Encanto but yes, that's there. And Parasite, The Incredibles and White Lotus (both seasons. Anyone who has watched that series will agree). What a combo!
I have watched the first two episodes in a row and I really liked them. Maybe the main characters are dislikeable people, but this drama is well produced: direction, script, music, pace... I can't see any flaws so far.
I'm totally in.

I’m watching for Jang Ki-Yong. He doesn’t get good roles too often, maybe this one will work out for him. And I-na. Wow. What a long list of dramas and movies under 12 year old actress belt. Trying really hard not to look at the elephant in the room (pun intended) - the fat suit. Really? In the Netflix original drama? Bad idea.

Thanks for the lovely recap @Unit, as usual. Your recap is more entertaining than the actual series. Finished the two episodes. I can't relate to anyone. What are these weird beings?

This guy has a thirteen - thirteen!!!!! year old child he is barely aware of. That's pretty much the childhood lost forever. So is the story heading towards where he magically goes back and makes up for being the non-existent father? And we are supposed to feel sorry for his sorry a$$?

It took me out of the story and to be honest, at this point it's a hard sell. Close to it comes the fat shaming.

And then, we have a whole bunch of thugs who are magically going to become nice because they are supposed to be positive characters. Anyone who cooks up conning a family with a child comes from a deep dark space. Love magically does not light up that shithole deep within that putrid mind.

And we are also supposed to believe that a guy who has been sleepwalking in alcoholic daze for last thirteen years will suddenly start seeing hearts in the air? I think the makers forgot all the arches at home 😂😂😂

I don't think I will last another two episodes.

Yeah.... this drama was more somber than expected. It was interesting while I was watching, but I'm not hooked. I will give it a few more episodes.

The main character I'm rooting for is Yi Na. I would like to see her become bright and happy, enjoying life without being glued to her phone all the time.

I didn't know Moon Woo Jin was in this! Looking forward for Yi Na to try a new hobby and make a friend. She looked noticeably smaller than the other kids, fitting the look of a timid kid among her peers.

I don't care much for either families except Yi Na. Gwi Ju is dealing with depression and grief, but he's been dealing with them for 7 years and neglecting his child. He needs treatment and therapy, not alcohol.

Doubtful that the drama will do a good job with Dong Hee's story. She supposedly lost her power to fly after she gained weight. So they will probably have her become slim again in order to get her power back. Unless they keep her as an obese character who overcomes her block and is able to fly again. Some of her power was active when she was fiercely determined on the treadmill. Her stress eating and overeating is a problem though so I hope she has a healthy, realistic outcome.

Thanks @unit for the recap. It was nice to see Jang Ki-yong back in kdramaland. I have only seen four of his dramas with OCN’s KILL IT (2019) (Viki) being the most recent so it has been awhile. It is because of his wonderful performance in MBC’s COME AND HUG ME (2018) (Viki US) (btw a Wed/Thur drama) that I have a soft spot for JKY. He showed that he can do ‘depressed’ in both CAHM and KILL IT.

Back to TAF. Overall I enjoyed the first two episodes. The twist at the end of episode one was well done. I think the writer is taking a gamble introducing the main characters so negatively (as the comments seem to show). I have seen that backfire (with poor ratings) in the past for example 3 dramas I wound up really enjoying: APAD, INAR and CHICAGO TYPEWRITER.
We have 12 episodes and hopefully the writer has things in hand.
In an April 24 Soompi article Jang Ki-yong was quoted:

“Rather than words, I tend to be the type to express with actions. That’s why I’m shy when it comes to expressing affection, and this is definitely a difficult aspect when acting. Overcoming that is my assignment.”
That is from a short interesting article:
https://www.soompi.com/article/1656878wpp/jang-ki-yong-and-chun-woo-hee-praise-each-other-and-reflect-on-their-upcoming-drama-the-atypical-family

Thanks @unit for the recap. The drama was darker than I thought so I walked after episode one because I can’t watch vulnerable people, especially children be exploited.

I also didn’t get why someone who was on a birthday celebration trip with his family would literally leave part way through the drive to or from the event, although Gwiju was dressing it up like he was being called to save someone else. It looked like his wife was annoyed as it would feel like he was prioritising other people over the family, like a workaholic. I wonder if she knew that was what she was signing up for when she married Gwiju because if he was a firefighter it would make sense that he would have irregular shifts and at times not be able to spend quality time with them but maybe combining that with the superhuman elements was too much for her on that day.

I also think Gwiju had a cheek turning up at his wife’s resting place without their daughter and in that state. I totally understood why his father in law would not want to be seeing that when he came to see his daughter especially if he held Gwiju responsible for her death.

It was disappointing that Gwiju couldn’t be bothered to buy his daughter a gift so asked his sister to do it and when he had to buy it himself bought the same gift he had bought her from the last time he was a proper dad, 7 years previously, when it would have been age appropriate. In Hi bye, mama! the maternal grandmother refuses to take the baby from her son in law as she knew he needed the responsibility of caring for the child to prevent him from succumbing to his grief. In The Atypical family it is hard to work out if anyone is spending time with the child apart from maybe grandad.

All the members of the family have issue and I already know it won't be addressed like it should be. Gwi-Ju is alcoholic and Dong-Hee has an eating disorder ( I don't think this character can be compared to Ji-Wan who had a healthy relationship with food). I feel so sorry for I-Na who had to live with adults focused on themselves.

I like scammers as heroes when they scam bad people, not desperate ones.

@unit Thank your for a good recap. I found the drama to be bad all around and the final nail in the coffin was the FL making use of a poor child to con an entire family. That's terrible and no amount of redemption would make me want to sit through the emotional damage that the kid will be subjected to in the future episodes.

The tone in the drama is quite unusual and I only started to like it in episode 2. The background music is used in an interesting way, especially the many scenes without any music at all which makes it more like a play on stage.

Jang Ki-young is good here, his body language showing the depression more than his facial expressions. As others have written, he looks far too healthy for an 7 year-long alcoholic. I like Grace's fashion style, not the usual mummsy clothes the actress usually wears in dramas. I don't know why she has a sleeping disorder. I am sure there is more to Dad as well, even if he seems to have no super powers.

The connections will be a lot more complicated and I can see the drama becoming more interesting as it goes along. Even the time travel is not bothering me here.

I've just finished trying out the first 2 episodes.

The premise is interesting but this family seems so dysfunctional in very grim ways. And I feel so sorry for the kid. Dong-Hee is all prickly but I feel for her too - something obviously went very wrong since the family tragedy.

Strangely, while the FL comes from a family of scammers and she is the lead "actress" in the scam, she seems quite likeable. I might be wrong but my impression is that her kindness to the kid is quite genuine. There are flashes of her potential to be a much better person than being a scammer.

I might follow this for another couple of episodes but if it continues being so grim, I might bail. Life is too short to waste time on wet blankets.

I think I'm just in a weird headspace at the moment, but something in this show is very very compelling to me. I'm a person who doesn't do fantasy, time slip, or science fiction shows in general.
So what is it about this one that's upending my preferences? Maybe it's just the premise of superhuman people going through bad sh*t too, the poor eating the rich, unpleasant folks getting their comeuppances, or I don't know what... Especially since none of the characters are likable so far, except for the little child who has my whole heart- she's the same age as my son so it makes me angry to see her mistreated by her family.
Maybe it's just the sets or the intriguing music that just thrums in the background at points. Or maybe I'm just willing myself to like a Kdrama to get off the high that was Will Love in Spring. *shrug*
PS. Anyone know what's the song playing at the end of ep2?

I started this and finished just the first episode so far. It’s compelling already. Scene stealing Park So yi is just mesmerizing in all her 12-13 year old-ness. And I love their Mr. Red flag +Ms. Redder flag match up here as well. And I pretty much like Jang Ki-Yong in everything I’ve seen (and it’s pretty much everything he has done), so I’m on board this watch. The supporting actors are all excellent as well. And time slip melodrama has my name written all over it.

This show is both better and worse than I anticipated.

First, it's more narratively coherent than I thought it would be, and the sullen yet dreamy tone and style is interesting, immersive, and unexpected. I agree with those who said it's reminiscent of "Parasite" in terms of plot (I have not seen "Encanto," so can't speak to any parallels to that one) and there's a strong thematic cynicism running throughout that, for now, suggests depth and complexity that may or may not ultimately be there in the story itself.

The major downside for me is the over-the-top, cliched, and lazy fat-shaming in every scene in which Don-hee appears. If she's not being used in the service of hackneyed "comedy" (ha-ha she owns and works at a liposuction office even though she's so fat her shirt button flies off and hits a client in the face), she's insulted by everyone around her as if all that matters is the number on the scale. Not to mention the endless scenes of her scarfing down snacks to remind us (as if we could ever forget) that when you're fat it's your fault for being weak-willed and lacking willpower, not because people come in all shapes and sizes.

I also had a lot of trouble watching all these adults ignore, dismiss, or attempt to manipulate Yi-na.

For now, because I know this is only the beginning, I'm willing to wait and see what the show does to resolve the issues and conflict it has now established. I would love to be surprised if, for example, Don-hee ended up fat and happy, and the show inverted the lessons about body size and personal character that it seems to be telling now.

Jury's also out on the main couple. Even though I feel like playing this role right after taking on a similar character in "Delightfully Deceitful" (I made it through about seven episodes of that one) meant that the reveal of Gwi-ju's scammy nature and family was not as surprising as it might otherwise have been, Chun Woo-hee is still very good in this role. But again, since I just saw her play a lying, scheming character, I'm not as excited about her work here as I might otherwise have been. As for Jang Ki-yong, he isn't one of my favorite actors, and so far, his portrayal is only making me roll my eyes at how terribly kdramas depict depression and alcoholism, but again, I know it's not fair to suggest that the first episode shows the story and character arcs in their entirety.

I'll give this one two more episodes and see where it goes.

Wow from the comments this sounds like the downer of the week award goes to this drama. I haven't started yet and now I wonder if I shan't wait to hear about next week's comments to see if its worth starting.

Here we are in the year of our Lord 2024, well into the 21st century, and fat people are still Koreans' objects to heap humiliation and shame on. All the while we continue to see horrific abuse of alcohol as totally acceptable. Just throw in a humanitarian trip to "Africa," and maybe someone in blackface and this show'd be all set.

Interesting first two episodes but I am unsure about the plot premise. Our con artists want to grab the building BUT to do that our FL must not only marry the ML but has to bear a child with him. How do they plan to deal with that?

Question- what caused his sister to become severely obese when previously the opposite was true? We need the backstory.

So far I find this interesting.

Thank you!
That was a great recap.
I hate the fatphobic storyline, too. Only good thing is that she is not depicted as dumb or cute. But also: even people who have fits of over-eating generally know where their mouths are, so they don't end up with chocolate all over their faces, actually. Also, with the money that family has, wouldn't she be able to hire someone to help her lose weight without fainting? ... But that's a bit like the therapy thing.
But there's a mood about the show that has me super intrigued from the first moment.
I talked about it here:
https://www.dramabeans.com/activity/p/1574866/

Many comments here are criticizing the ML for moping and not doing anything for his daughter. But people, he is depressed. He cannot do anything unless the depression is addressed. It is not lack of will or affection. He is just sick.

I found this intriguing because it was so different than expected. I didn't like any of the characters, but I felt about them like you do in Parasite--liking the characters isn't the point. I am curious to see where they go next. If they try to make them likeable, that may make the show work less because they have such red flags to overcome. If they keep them unlikable it may become a drag. While shows like this and Blood Free don't give us characters to gush over, I am glad that we are having more diversity in characters.
Also, it's interesting to me that the parents forcing arranged marriage is having a comeback at the moment in C and K dramas. It's something I struggle to get as a Westerner, and it had definitely died down a lot since I first watching dramas. I don't like it, but I am wondering what forces are bringing it out more.

Update: I've discovered a lot of beautiful music through watching dramas, and plays a huge part in my watching experience. This show's music definitely caught my attention. In case anyone is interested, the song at the end of Ep 2 is by a singer called Lee So Ra, and the bgm is by Jung Jae Hyung, whose albums I've been listening to all evening... Great discovery for me!

Another slow start for me. Still confusing about the family's superpower (I was thinking something similar to Moving but now I'm getting back to zero 😂) . But because of Chun Woo hee and Jang Ki yong, I'm going to give ep. 3 a chance to move me 🤭

Thank you for the recap. Your opening sentence is pretty much the TL;DR required.

I'm so glad I went in without knowing too much about the plot. The twist in the tale was rather delicious. Can't wait to see the FL take a measure of each member of the Bok family.

Oh! I didn't catch the detail that uri FL has a found family! Hmm, interesting. 🤔

So true, samchon following Yi-na was definitely worse than where Dong-hee’s story seems to be heading. Although I'm sure Dong-hee will loose weight and thereby WIN in life. *misguided life lessons*

For now I'm interested to see Do Da-hae's "powers".

I can’t with the fat suit just like I can’t with the poor Africa narratives. I get Korea’s obsession with weight but I find this narrative beyond insulting. Do better k drama writers and producers.