Guess what? KBS is finally giving me a good weekend family drama after the disaster ‘The Gentlemen of Wolgyesu Tailor Shop’. Well, not actually giving me, but they started airing a what it seems to be a 50 episodes drama worthy of watching.
The first two episodes didn’t show much about the story however we get some hints. The show starts with the Byun family and their 4 children. All with different personalities and life stories. However by the end of episode 2 we get so see that Joong Hee, a former idols who currently is a lackluster popularity king as an actor, find the father he never meet. Yes, it’s exactly what you are thinking, the father of Joong Hee seems to be the father of the Byun siblings. But we all know already that Joong Hee will fall in love with Mi Young therefore he isn’t the son and there’s actually some kind of birth secret behind all of this.
Episode one is mostly an introduction to the characters, like in any other show. Anyhow, as we go further we get to slowly witness the daily lives of the Byun family which includes: the father (Han Soo), the mother (Young Sil), the son (Joon Young), the eldest daughter (Hye Young), the second daughter (Mi Young) and the youngest daughter (Ra Young). Other important characters are Hye Young’s former boyfriend, Jung Hwan, and maybe the hidden son on of Han Soo, Joong Hee.
The second episode shows most of the personality traits of the important characters. I’m going to be blunt here, I like the interaction between Hye Young and her ex boyfriend the most. They are funny and goofy despite their damaging past. Of course, with time, I will get to like the others but for now Hye Young got my full attention and on top of that, I’m quite curious to know why they actually broke up. Clearly there seems to be some type of misunderstanding between the two, one that make both to feel like they are the victims of a betrayal.
Hye Young is interesting. She is independent with a logical thinking that gives a bit of somewhat arrogance. Confident and apparently cold yet outspoken, someone that can easily become a leader in any situation. Even though my first thought was ‘she is rather rude’, step by step I could get a hold of the type of person she is. However, I still consider her rude but still that’s not something bad, at least in her case. Given her impulsive personality, because she tends to be frank towards others some may find her extremely rude, yet I do consider her to be the rational character. Rational but with a dot of childish acts. She is stylish and uses stile to boost her confidence while always waiting to hear compliments from others.
Joon Young is the typical bum. Compared to his sister, Hye Young, he is polite and rarely seems to lash out on people. Considering his lack of enthusiasm, he wants to get out of problems fast and doesn’t care about others. An inoffensive guy with a high degree of observing others. For now, Joon Young may be just the warm hearted brother, but from the way I see it, he is self-centric. Regardless, thanks to his friendly outside, he can adapt himself to any kind of environment.
Ra Young is thoughtless and vulgar but because she tries to copy Hye Young. She finds her older sister to be cool and charismatic, although she herself may not be aware of that. The problem is that Ra Young takes some of her sister traits but don’t blend well with her personality. Hye Young is like a posh/ eloquent fox while Ra Young is a metis who tries to become a captivating breed.
Mi Young is soft and shy and the same as her brother, she would rather run away from problems or hardships. However, Joon Young runs away from problems because he can’t be bothered with anything, on the other side, Mi Young is scared of facing anything that can burst her own bubble designed as a form of protecting herself in front of others. She seemed obedient but I don’t consider her to be, in fact she may soon have an outburst because of her inferiority complex to Hye Young.
Maybe you are wondering why I transposed the other 3 siblings around Hye Young. Honestly, it felt like everyone was a bit jealous of her. Not in a major negative way, but more like each one of them wishes to have something from her personality.
After having my first taste of ‘Father is strange’ I can say that it looks good. Not sure how the story will develop in the later episodes however, I liked what I saw in the first two episodes. A laid back story about a family and the people they interact with. I always enjoy a good family drama which makes me like the characters from the first episodes. And here I’m talking about all the characters, they all seem likable and interesting to follow in the future episodes.
The story is quite generic and those who don’t enjoy family dramas may not like it, but for the fans of this genre I think it will be a good watch. Yet, I consider that we all should give second chances, moreover among all the fantasy and full or romance or detective stories, a good breath of air can become something good. Even though I do enjoy the other dramas I’m currently following, weekend dramas will always have a special place in my heart. As a first impression, I think that ‘Father is strange’ will soon become a drama I will enjoy more and more and who knows, it may also get into my top. Hopefully, the writer will continue the good job and won’t mess the story during the development. Another concern of mine when it comes to dramas of this type is the change of writer in the middle of the show….since, well, it happened I the past.
Four Seasons Dramas! 