Mr. Plankton

How can something so heartbreaking be so beautiful?

I wasn't prepared for the emotional rollercoaster this love story would take me on.

Woo Do Hwan's performance as Hae Jo was so raw, so layered, and so utterly convincing that it was difficult not to feel stirred by his internal conflict, helplessness, and emotional turmoil throughout his wild adventure into nowhere, searching for love and meaning before the end of his life. As the viewer, we not only sympathize with the plight of his character, but we become so invested in trying to get to know and understand him that we get completely lost in the storyline, secretly hoping that he would find a resolution that wouldn't make his destination so heartbreaking.

Of course, Lee You Mi's performance as Cho Jae Mi and Oh Jung Se's performance as Eo Heung were fantastic as well. In fact, the whole cast did a stellar job, and I was simply blown away by absolutely everything this show had to offer.

It's funny because at first, I kept reading comments saying that there was a sad ending, and somehow I mistook that to mean the ending left the audience feeling unsatisfied and without closure. However, after giving it a watch, I realized that the ending was actually quite tastefully done. After all, not every show can end with the protagonist miraculously being cured of a terminal illness and running off into the sunset without a care in the world. Sometimes it's nice to let the viewer imagine the outcome they want. For example, we can imagine that perhaps Cho Jae Mi discovers that she did become pregnant after all, carrying on Hae Jo's legacy, or whatever other type of ending helps us feel better after seeing Hae Jo close his eyes. Perhaps they did it that way so they could produce a season 2 if the show is successful enough.

All I can say is that Mr. Plankton is definitely about the journey and not the destination... and what a wonderful journey it was! Yes, you will shed a tear (shhhh... just let it happen), but there are also plenty of laughs and thrilling moments too. I rated it as a 9/10 to avoid seeming biased... but deep down I want to give it a full ten stars and type my review using caps-lock so it's abundantly clear that Mr. Plankton is a masterpiece that deserves all the hype.

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POV: your sleep paralysis demon comes back into your life

I have terrible mixed feelings about this drama but probably not for what you think.

In short:
- traumatic on a personnal level
- annoying choices from the scriptors
- Woo Dohwan being his majestic self as usual (in french we say " the bread of the bakery")

Now for the full review:

The first time I watched it, I really wanted to like it but I just couldn't.

First of all I started to watch it because of Woo Dowhan which is simply my favorite actor all times. But this time his incredible acting ability may have been what made me feel uneasy. The toxicness of his character was too much to handle for me at the point that it was hard to watch without wanting to cry.

Maybe the show hurted me personnally because of a past experience but still I think WDH's performance was what made it so hurtfull (so this is not a diss toward him but the opposite). I felt like I was watching a depiction of my own life at some point, and it's probably why this show is so popular, a lot of the viewers could relate to the female lead since we almost all have experienced disppointing/traumatic relationships and felt like someone was playing with us.

Regarding the plot there were a few things that didn't felt right with me.

First of all the fact that Hae Jo was selfish enough to make a comeback into Jae Mi's life, knowing that he was dying and that he didn't deserve her after he destroyed her in the past.

But most importantly I could not stand how Eo Heung was treated by the show. I get the fact that sometimes you are not the right person for the person you want, and I'm not saying that Jae Mi should have forced herself to stay with Eo Heung, but she could have handled the situation better. She clearly knew the extent of her romantic feelings for him (which is to say 0%, I don't care that she had "affection" for him) from the begining AND she knew the moment Hae Jo popped back into her life like a sleep paralysis demon, that she would follow him to the end of the planet. But she still made Eo heung suffer because she could not make her decision.

BUT the worse in all of this, is how the scriptors of the show settled the situation. Why did they make Eo heung accept the situation by staying on good terms with the couple, when he clearly should have protected himself toward such disrespect he suffered. It made him pass for a stupid character who could not stand for himself (and the little time he spent in his room angry toward her doesn't make up for it). In my opinion he should have hold more grudges. Nobody is that nice in real life, his character was not credible at all in my opinion.

Anyway, to conclude it was very hard to watch the first time and after I finished I was so frustrated and confused because it made me pity myself

BUT

seeing how the show gained popularity and how people didn't seem to mind that Hae Jo was a complete *******, I decided to rewatch it but this time being aware of the toxicity of this drama. And this time I could fully enjoy the romance without wanting to k my self lol.

So yes this show is great, with great actors, great cinematography, and yes despite everything I still think they are endgame like all of you (but still the most toxic couple ever u_u).

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The Most Seemingly Insignificant Things Turn Out To Be The Most Important Ones

I have to admit, I only watched this for Woo Do Hwan. I came into this blind so I didn't know what to expect. This is probably one of the weirdest Korean rom-coms I've ever seen! But that's not to say that I didn't like it because I did to some extent. I didn't drop or watch it in installments so that counts for something. When I get bored with a drama, I would usually take a break from it and pick it up again days or even months later, or just drop it completely. That didn't happen with this.

The story follows Hae Jo, a runaway whose father practically discards him when he discovers Hae Jo isn't his biological son. He comes to believe that his life is an accident and that whatever happiness he might find is borrowed and temporary. Hence, he has issues with commitment and permanence. Woo Do Hwan plays this role to a tee. Very few actors can pull off an anti-hero type of character and remain sympathetic. His Hae Jo is a selfish jerk and yet you find redeeming qualities in him. You wanna punch him one minute but hug him the next. Do Hwan carries this show, imho. But that's not to discount the rest of the cast. I think they're great too. It's just that this is a Woo Do Hwan drama through and through. And if the lead role had been played by a lesser actor, it wouldn't have worked as well, I believe.

Plotwise, it's pretty angsty. Not that I avoid that sort of thing or have problems with sad endings. In fact, I rather liked how it ends. He came from thinking his life meant nothing to wanting to live because he realized his life is worth living. That to me is a powerful message. It's a story about life, love, regrets, second chances, and endings.

The production is more than decent with the music particularly standing out to me. I would've given this drama a higher rating if it had been shorter. They could've chopped it down to just 8 episodes and it wouldn't have affected the story at all. Too many unnecessary scenes that don't contribute much to the overall plot. My biggest beef with this drama though, is the toxic nature of the main couple's relationship and the constant ridiculousness and nonsensical behaviors of the characters. It drove me nuts! And that's why I only gave this an 8 out of 10.

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Beautiful and irritating simultaneously

PROS: Unique idea, good acting, on point soundtrack, beautiful cinematography. Good recommendation for people who enjoy crying and suffering while watching. Kim Hae-sook and Oh Jung-se are a quality guarantee in the cast.

CONS: There are some parts of the story that irritated me. Why did Hae-jo automatically assume he inherited the disease from his father, and not his mother? Why was Jae-mi in the clinic to begin with? Menopause symptoms? She was acting as if she was pregnant already and even asked the doctor if there was any possibility for her to get pregnant in three days, although obvious she never intended to sleep with Heung to begin with. What happened to the bag filled with money that Jae-mi had? What's up with Jae-mi's life in general - does she have no friends? No job? No apartment? There is a time space between her break up with Hae-jo and her meeting Heung, what was she even doing during that time? How did Hae-jo find her biological mother?

Jae-mi and Hae-jo's relationship being a middle point between healthy and unhealthy is obvious and I don't think their bond is meant to be romanticized, but Ko Mun-young was also abusive towards Moon Gang-tae at IOTNBO so I guess the screenwriter has a type. Heung has the best character arc and, although I am not in favor of age-gap relationships and Jae-mi never truly loved him and would be unhappy at his house, he was the most sympathetic character and the one that grew more as a person.

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Very watchable

Feb 2025
Overall a pretty good watch; some laughs and some heart string plucking moments. Loved the cast, but not all the characters!

I found Hae-joo (WDH), to be pretty selfish really and aspects of the way WDH played him in certain situations, reminded me of his character Si-hyeon in Tempted/The Great Seducer.

He could be shockingly cold and hurtful, yet looking the way he does, with that bad-boy vibe, is incredibly alluring. He also instils great confidence at times. A dangerous combo.

FL character, Jae-mi, is quite sweet, and absolutely craves love, a family, and stability. Consequently she puts up with far more than most rational people ever would!

Both of them carry heavy baggage, which is their great dividing rift. I doubted Hae-joo would ever have approached Jae-mi again, if not for his diagnosis, and subsequent plan for his remaining days.

I felt for Eo Heung (OJS), who was the polar opposite of Hae-joo. However, he was far too naive and gullible. He lacked self-confidence for 90% of the drama, but then found amazing courage and confidence the rest of the time. I think I felt for him most.

Besides being amusing and quirky, it's also sometimes very violent, often OTT, but mostly incredibly watchable!

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Netflix hits a home run

I’ve been waiting for months to be able to give an enthusiastic endorsement of a (recent) K-drama. Now I can. This series is laugh-out-loud funny. But it also has more depth and originality than the fare we’ve been served up lately by Netflix and others.

It’s nice to see a female lead in a K-drama who shows some agency and energy. Some of what she does is misguided, but so what? She’s a fully formed human being. I can think of other series–IT’S OK, THAT’S LOVE and MY DEAREST come to mind--featuring strong female leads. But most K-drama heroines seem like passive players in their own lives. Not this one.

Woo Do-Hwan commands the screen and gives a nuanced, affecting perfomance.

Crazy hilarity abounds. Some of it works, some–not so much. Nobody’s perfect in this drama. Characters hurt each other–but eventually understand that the secret to a meaningful life is to love another flawed person more than yourself. (Nobody hits you over the head with this message–but it’s subtly implied.)

Because the writers are willing to take risks, believability flies out the window here and there. Another problem is with the editing. There are a lot of slow sections that could have been tightened up. I loved the way the soundtrack moved from classical, to folk, to rock. I especially liked the music played when the credits rolled at the end of each episode--always a pleasant surprise. Kudos,

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At times, depressing to watch, but very good

This story was amazing to watch play out. So many twists & turns, so many emotions. This was a melodrama with just enough comedy blended into the mix.
Normally a ten episode series I find to be too short in the sense where things gets rushed to completion toward the end ... but this wasn't the case. It seemed to be just enough to give everything closure.
Beside Do Hwan, who plays a really great likeable character, the remaining protagonists all prove to add something special to the story as you get deep into this drama. Min Seok was definitely a comedy favorite part of this story. The bromance he shares with Hae Jo is touching, even after getting the hell kicked out of him throughout most of the show.
For me, the only negative I found was the ending. I was really hoping for some sort of miracle for our ailing main character. Wishing for a last minute cure or a hospital mix up with the terminal diagnosis. You really didn't want to see such the demise of such a great character ... but that wasn't meant to be. I guess it shouldn't be held as a negative against the series, after all, that's life, it's not always a happy ending.
Great show & great sound track with a very entertaining cast!!!

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My December 2025 recommendation

Watched this for my Recommendation Challenge from 𝑽𝒊𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒏𝑮𝒂𝒍. Yet another drama that I’ll never gonna touch if not because of Recommendation Challenge & ViolinGal.

Let’s start our review…

Story about Hae Jo, a man cast out by his family because of his unknown parentage.

The story follows Hae Jo, a man who was cast out by his family because of his unclear parentage. Hae Jo was born with the help of a fertility clinic. But due to a terrible mistake, his father’s sperm was mixed with another donor’s. As a result, Hae Jo is not biologically his father’s son.

Now, as an adult, Hae Jo runs a “service-for-hire” agency—basically a jack-of-all-trades. He’ll do any job (as long as it’s not murder) for the right price.

One of his clients is a bride who wants to escape her wedding. She hires Hae Jo to kidnap her during the ceremony. He succeeds, but they get into an accident on the way and end up in the hospital. There, Hae Jo receives devastating news.

He suffers from multiple vascular malformations in his brain—14 enlarged, fragile blood vessels tangled like a ticking time bomb. They could rupture at any moment. The doctor gives him only three months to live. The condition is hereditary, which pushes Hae Jo to make a decision—he wants to find his biological father before he dies.

Determined to find his “real” father before he dies, Hae Jo sets out on a final journey.

Along the way, he does something unexpected: he kidnaps his ex-girlfriend, Jo Jae-mi, right from her own wedding.

Jae Mi, who grew up as an orphan, has always dreamed of having a warm and complete family. She broke up with Hae Jo in the past due to their conflicting life goals and Hae Jo’s unresolved trauma.

Now, just as she’s about to marry into a prestigious, traditional family, she receives crushing news: she has premature menopause. Her dream of becoming a mother—and building the family she always wanted—is shattered.

She hesitates about going through with the wedding. After all, her fiancé's family is highly traditional and places great importance on bloodlines and offspring. Jae Mi’s marriage is only approved because her fiancé lies to his mother, claiming that Jae Mi is pregnant. Without that lie, the marriage would never have been accepted.

And now, If they find out she can’t have children, the marriage really won’t be happening.

So when Hae Jo suddenly shows up and whisks her away, Jae-mi fights back at first. But over time, her doubts about the wedding grow. And Hae Jo… he’s there for her again—attentive, familiar, real.

Slowly, she starts to waver. Should she go back to the life she planned? Or stay with the man who once loved her unconditionally?

Hae Jo takes Jae-mi with him to search for his biological father. From medical records, he knows there are three possible candidates. So together, they visit each man—trying to subtly test DNA, searching for the truth.

But they’re not the only ones on the move.

Meanwhile, both the groom from Hae Jo’s previous job and Jae Mi’s fiancé are chasing them. Turns out, the groom isn't some ordinary rich guy, he’s connected to a gang. And having his bride kidnapped in front of everyone? That’s a public humiliation. His pride is wounded. Now, he’s out for revenge.

So Hae Jo and Jae-mi are on the run—searching for a father, facing the past, and rediscovering each other—all while time is running out.

Now the questions…

* Will Hae Jo finally find his real father? And how will that reunion feel—will it bring peace or more pain?
* What will Jae Mi choose in the end—returning to her fiancé or going back to Hae Jo?
* How will her fiancé & her fiancé’s family react when they find out the truth about her condition?
* Can two broken people heal each other, even if time is short?
* And ultimately, will Hae Jo find peace before his time runs out?

That's pretty much the story without giving anymore spoilers. Now what I like and don't.

What I like:
+ Simple story yet offer us many life lesson we can learn
+ Proof of first love is not easy to forget. Haha…
+ Jae mi’s fiancé's love & devotion for Jae Mi.
+ What a funny relationship that eventually happened between Hae Jo & Jae mi’s fiancé
+ The support friends that Hae Jo has around him.

Overall I'm quite happy to watch this drama…

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A great foundation of plot that failed to deliver

I went into Mr. Plankton with high expectations— a strong A-list cast, a story about loneliness and trauma, and a melancholic, reflective atmosphere. And honestly, the acting did not disappoint. The male lead, female lead, and supporting cast are all phenomenal. They bring raw emotion and depth to every scene, making moments of vulnerability, grief, and longing genuinely resonate. I loved watching them act— they carried the show whenever the writing faltered.


Pros (What Worked and Made Me Care)


1. Acting That Pulls You In: Every single actor brought life to their roles. The male lead’s fragile, broken moments hit me, the female lead’s struggles were portrayed with subtlety, and the supporting cast added real humanity. Even scenes that should’ve felt flat still carried emotional weight because of them.


2. Themes That Could Hook You: The show explores loneliness, trauma, inherited suffering, mortality, and the search for connection. I could feel that this story wanted to be deep, and in some moments, it almost worked — especially when the characters reflected on their pain.


3. Atmosphere & Mood: I appreciated the cinematography and tone. The melancholy, reflective visuals and the road-trip sequences matched the internal journeys of the characters perfectly.


4. Emotional Peaks: There were moments that actually made me feel something— like when the male lead breaks down after being mistreated by a potential father figure. Isolated scenes like that reminded me of the show’s potential and made me wish the plot had been stronger.

Cons:

1. Rushed Plot & Arcs: Rivalries suddenly turned into friendships with barely any buildup. I spent 90% of the show watching the characters hate each other, only for them to magically become best friends at the end. It felt forced, and honestly, it annoyed me.


2. Female Lead’s Mistreatment & Unrealistic Decisions: Her struggles and trauma are often ignored or rushed. The abrupt shift from heartbreak over her previous fiancé to romance with the male lead felt unearned, especially considering how badly she was mistreated by him earlier. Her encounters with her biological parents are minimized, robbing her arc of emotional depth. These choices made her journey feel incomplete and frustrating.


3. Male Lead’s Lack of Growth: He’s supposed to be “broken,” but I didn’t see him really evolve. The unlikable traits stayed, and I found it hard to fully empathize with him.


4. Plot Holes & Inconsistencies: The male lead’s inherited disease and his search for parental love had so much potential, but the ending ruined it. The adoptive father who abandoned him suddenly becomes the source of unconditional love— like, wait, didn’t you ignore him when he ran away? It made zero sense and felt like a lazy shortcut.


5. Climactic Impact Undermined: The show clearly built toward the male lead’s inevitable death, but it didn’t hit. Too many rushed arcs and unresolved subplots left me disconnected. The emotional climax fell flat, and I couldn’t fully feel the tragedy I was supposed to.


My Personal Take: I really wanted to love this show. The acting alone is worth watching, and the themes are strong and relatable. But the writing just didn’t let me fully invest. Characters’ decisions felt sudden, emotional payoffs were skipped, and the ending undermined everything the story tried to build.

If you can watch it for the performances and mood, you might enjoy it. But if you’re like me and need plot coherence, earned character growth, and emotional payoff, you’ll probably leave feeling frustrated.

Bottom line: Mr. Plankton had a lot of potential and moments of beauty, but plot holes, rushed arcs, and unearned resolutions prevented it from becoming the emotionally powerful story it could have been. I loved the acting— I just wish the story had been as strong.

Overally, Mr.Planktoon's ending was rushed. As this plot's main focus of building up for that inevitable ending, isn't a good match.

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