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My Father is Strange tells the story of the Byun family, seemingly ordinary, composed of the father Byun Han-soo (Kim Yeong-cheol), the mother Na Young-sil (Kim Hae-sook), and their four children: the eldest Joon-young (Min Jin-woong), the lawyer Hye-young (Lee Yu-ri), the former judoka Mi-young (Jung So-min), and the youngest Ra-young (Ryu Hwa-young).
The family's life is turned upside down by the arrival of Ahn Joong-hee (Lee Joon), a former idol actor who shows up at their door claiming to be the biological son of Byun Han-soo. But his presence forces Han-soo to confront an enormous secret: in reality, he is not Byun Han-soo, but Lee Yoon-seok, a man who took the identity of his deceased friend to escape an unjust past.
While Joong-hee integrates into the family and develops feelings for Mi-young (with great confusion for both of them, who believe they are step-siblings), Hye-young begins investigating to clear her father's name and restore his true identity.
1. A Family Drama That Works Despite Its Length
My Father is Strange has 52 episodes, a length that normally intimidates. Yet there is never a dull moment. The strength of the series lies in its ability to weave together the stories of all the family members without any of them feeling superfluous. Lee Joon is the beating heart of the drama, and Jung So-min gives Mi-young a sweetness and quiet strength that make her immediately empathetic.
2. Song Ok-sook: The Annoying Mother Par Excellence
Particular praise goes to Song Ok-sook, who plays Oh Bok-nyeo, the landlady and mother of Cha Jeong-hwan. It is not the first time she has taken on the role of the "annoying mother" or the unbearable mother-in-law, and by now she has become extremely good at it. Her role is unbearable — an intrusive, nosy woman who meddles in her son's life and that of his fiancée Hye-young — but Song Ok-sook plays it to perfection, making it hateful and believable, never caricatured.
3. Cha Jeong-hwan: A Pathetic Mama's Boy, and She Won't Leave Him
Cha Jeong-hwan (Ryu Soo-young) is a pathetic mama's boy. He is the classic mother's son who has never cut the umbilical cord, incapable of taking a clear stance against his mother. The worst moment comes when he lies for four days about his mother's serious illness, deeply undermining Hye-young's trust. And why does he do it? To defend his mother, who has clearly done wrong, by making up that she was sick and walking around with a brace on her arm just to attract attention and exploit her daughter-in-law by making her do all the work and household chores. And the worst part? She won't leave him. Hye-young, an intelligent and strong woman, continues to stay with him despite the lie and the mama's boy behavior. The truth is that trust, once broken, is very difficult to repair. Four days of lies are not a small mistake: they are a betrayal.
4. The Issue of Pregnant Women and Workplace Ostracism
The drama also addresses the ostracism that pregnant women suffer in the workplace in Korea, through the character of Kim Yu-joo (Lee Mi-do), who becomes pregnant and has to face heavy consequences: opportunities are taken away from her, her duties are scaled back, and she comes under pressure to leave. However, this issue is not handled at its best: it is introduced and then dropped without real development or a satisfactory resolution. It could have been handled better.
5. A Drama That Reflects Social Change
My Father is Strange is also a portrait of the social transformations of Korea in 2017. It tackles themes such as premarital cohabitation, contract marriage, premarital pregnancy, and even "jolhon" (졸혼), meaning married couples who live under the same roof but lead separate lives. In a traditionally conservative genre like the weekend family drama, it dares to show different views of marriage without judging.
The family's life is turned upside down by the arrival of Ahn Joong-hee (Lee Joon), a former idol actor who shows up at their door claiming to be the biological son of Byun Han-soo. But his presence forces Han-soo to confront an enormous secret: in reality, he is not Byun Han-soo, but Lee Yoon-seok, a man who took the identity of his deceased friend to escape an unjust past.
While Joong-hee integrates into the family and develops feelings for Mi-young (with great confusion for both of them, who believe they are step-siblings), Hye-young begins investigating to clear her father's name and restore his true identity.
1. A Family Drama That Works Despite Its Length
My Father is Strange has 52 episodes, a length that normally intimidates. Yet there is never a dull moment. The strength of the series lies in its ability to weave together the stories of all the family members without any of them feeling superfluous. Lee Joon is the beating heart of the drama, and Jung So-min gives Mi-young a sweetness and quiet strength that make her immediately empathetic.
2. Song Ok-sook: The Annoying Mother Par Excellence
Particular praise goes to Song Ok-sook, who plays Oh Bok-nyeo, the landlady and mother of Cha Jeong-hwan. It is not the first time she has taken on the role of the "annoying mother" or the unbearable mother-in-law, and by now she has become extremely good at it. Her role is unbearable — an intrusive, nosy woman who meddles in her son's life and that of his fiancée Hye-young — but Song Ok-sook plays it to perfection, making it hateful and believable, never caricatured.
3. Cha Jeong-hwan: A Pathetic Mama's Boy, and She Won't Leave Him
Cha Jeong-hwan (Ryu Soo-young) is a pathetic mama's boy. He is the classic mother's son who has never cut the umbilical cord, incapable of taking a clear stance against his mother. The worst moment comes when he lies for four days about his mother's serious illness, deeply undermining Hye-young's trust. And why does he do it? To defend his mother, who has clearly done wrong, by making up that she was sick and walking around with a brace on her arm just to attract attention and exploit her daughter-in-law by making her do all the work and household chores. And the worst part? She won't leave him. Hye-young, an intelligent and strong woman, continues to stay with him despite the lie and the mama's boy behavior. The truth is that trust, once broken, is very difficult to repair. Four days of lies are not a small mistake: they are a betrayal.
4. The Issue of Pregnant Women and Workplace Ostracism
The drama also addresses the ostracism that pregnant women suffer in the workplace in Korea, through the character of Kim Yu-joo (Lee Mi-do), who becomes pregnant and has to face heavy consequences: opportunities are taken away from her, her duties are scaled back, and she comes under pressure to leave. However, this issue is not handled at its best: it is introduced and then dropped without real development or a satisfactory resolution. It could have been handled better.
5. A Drama That Reflects Social Change
My Father is Strange is also a portrait of the social transformations of Korea in 2017. It tackles themes such as premarital cohabitation, contract marriage, premarital pregnancy, and even "jolhon" (졸혼), meaning married couples who live under the same roof but lead separate lives. In a traditionally conservative genre like the weekend family drama, it dares to show different views of marriage without judging.
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