The Atypical Family has “Parasite vibes” with Da-hae’s storyline
JTBCNetflix’s The Atypical Family has fans making comparisons to the movie Parasite thanks to the arrival of the mysterious Da-hae.
Parasite was the golden ticket that pushed South Korean entertainment into mainstream Hollywood. The Oscar-winning movie focuses on a poor family’s plight to experience a better life by infiltrating a wealthy household.
And it seems like Netflix’s The Atypical Family was inspired by the movie as fans can’t help but notice some similarities between them thanks to the reveal of Da-hae’s true intentions for the Bok family.
A fan on X/Twitter said, “This is when I got the feeling the plot is getting interesting. It’s like Parasite families combined with supernatural element.”
A fan also commented, “#ATypicalFamily ep1 is half boring half interesting. But I like the premise. Intriguing enough to make me watch succeeding eps. It is giving me Parasite vibes. I like the leads and I like this director (he did Snowdrop).”
“FL & her family’s background kind of reminded me of Parasite. It’s unexpected but I’m interested in how the story will go,” chimed in another fan on Reddit.
In the K-drama, the Bok family are extremely well off and harboring a big secret. They each have superpowers, from the ability to fly and see into the future, to traveling to the past. But they all disappear due to real-life issues like insomnia, being overweight, depression, and phone addiction.
When Bok Gwi-joo is rescued from the ocean by Dae-hae, his mother is interested in her. She believes that she could be the answer to getting her son out of depression and forgetting his deceased wife. But, as the story progresses, Da-hea’s interest seems intentional.
It’s revealed in Episode 1 that she and her “family” are running a con with the Bok family. They have already begun infiltrating the family, having Da-hae weasel her way to marry Gwi-joo and bleed them dry for their worth.
The con began with Da-hae purposely taking on Gwi-joo’s mother as a client at the spa she works for. Her “sister” also faked her resumé to become a personal trainer at Gwi-joo’s gym. Their “brother” was also tailing the family.
It was also revealed that Da-hae has done this before. Her prior marriage ended in divorce by playing the long con. She found her husband cheating when in reality it was with her sister. For her second husband, she fabricated getting hit with a wine bottle to prove her husband was abusive in court.
In Parasite, the Kim family infiltrates the Park family. It first started with the eldest son posing as a tutor for their teenage daughter. Soon his sister poses as a teacher for their son and, finally, their parents play the role of the family driver and housekeeper.
The Kim family’s intentions came from one of desperation to better their lives, even if it led to chaos, while Do-hae’s family has conned before with malicious intent.
How far with Da-hae’s con go as Gwi-joo falls in love? The Atypical Family will stream on Netflix, and you can catch other May K-dramas to watch.