Mr. Plankton – K-drama Episode 1 Recap & Review

Episode 1

Episode 1 of Mr. Plankton begins with a scene where Hae-jo is lying in the snow, wishing to live, as a woman named Jae-mi runs towards him, screaming.

The scene then cuts to Hae-jo, who runs a business fulfilling personalized requests that he finds enjoyable. While searching for his next project, a woman approaches him, asking him to kidnap her from her wedding.

Despite his partner Gi-ho’s objections—since the woman’s fiancé is a gang boss—Hae-jo agrees. On the fateful day, Hae-jo crashes the wedding and steals the bride on his motorbike.

As they flee together, Hae-jo recalls his past, when he was abandoned by his parents. Overcome by the memory, he loses focus and crashes the bike. He wakes up in the hospital to find the woman has already run off to the airport. It’s revealed that she robbed the gang boss of his money and had planned the entire escape.

At the hospital, Hae-jo learns he has inherited a rare brain disease from his biological father and has only three months left to live.

Meanwhile, we meet Jae-mi, who is believed to be eight weeks pregnant, at a jewelry store to get her groom’s family heirloom ring fitted. Later, at the gynecologist, she discovers her groom had lied about the pregnancy to gain approval from his 500-year-old family, which places great importance on lineage and legacy.

Soon after, Jae-mi learns she’s experiencing early menopause, causing her to lose control in a fit of distress. At the hospital, Hae-jo chances upon her tantrum and learns about her situation. Here, we find out the two were in a relationship for three years before breaking up, as Jae-mi wanted children while Hae-jo did not.

Back at her in-laws’, Jae-mi is terrified, worrying about the consequences when the family discovers she cannot bear an heir. She tries to run away at night but hesitates and stays. The next day, she appears cheerful as she prepares for her wedding, while Hae-jo decides to close his business and leave to find his biological father, feeling angry about his predicament.

Meanwhile, the gangster refuses to believe his fiancé planned the escape, so he decides to pursue Hae-jo to make him pay for “stealing” his bride.

Hae-jo ends up at Jae-mi’s wedding, intending to convince her to leave with him as the episode ends.

The Episode Review

Mr. Plankton’s introductory sequences set the tone for what’s to come in the series. Based on the show’s start, there’s a high chance we may see a very sad ending. It’s interesting how this year has brought so many terminal illness tropes, but Mr. Plankton balances these with comedic moments.

The episode’s ending actually marks the beginning of the main plot, following an introductory episode that set the scene for the action. But the questions remain: why does Hae-jo want Jae-mi to come with him? And how will he find his father?

Additionally, there’s clearly more to Hae-jo’s character, as there are hints of a traumatic childhood. We have yet to understand the whole story, so we’ll catch up with you in the next recap!