The Atypical Family – K-drama Episode 11 Recap & Review

Episode 11

Episode 11 of The Atypical Family continues from where Gwi-ju discovers that Da-hae is alive. They spend heart-warming moments together at the guesthouse. The next morning, while Da-hae is still asleep, Gwi-ju visits Il-hong and Hyung-tae at a popular restaurant and warns Il-hong against doing anything to Da-hae. After breakfast, and after Da-hae has ensured that there’s no red mark on Gwi-ju’s neck, they return to the Bok family residence.

When they arrive, everyone learns about I-na’s powers, and Gwi-ju and Da-hae discover that I-na knows about Man-heum’s premonition of Gwi-ju’s death. Gwi-ju tries to speak to I-na, but she’s too distressed to talk.

Later, Dong-hee visits Gwi-ju and asks him whether he fell in love with Da-hae on his own accord or under the influence of their mother’s dreams. It is revealed that Dong-hee was an upcoming lead model for a show when Man-heum had a dream about the lead model getting hurt. This prompted Dong-hee to skip the show. Another model was asked to walk the ramp in Dong-hee’s stead and later had an accident because the heels were custom-made for Dong-hee’s feet and not hers. Feeling guilty, Dong-hee kept eating until she gained too much weight.

Elsewhere, Da-hae and Man-heum talk about the future. Da-hae asserts that she’ll continue to look for different ways to save Gwi-ju, but Man-heum reiterates that the future cannot be changed. She tells Da-hae how she’s seen Dong-hee and another woman fighting in Dong-hee’s new house and predicts that Ji-han is possibly cheating on Dong-hee. Man-heum feels she cannot tell Dong-hee because her dreams have cursed her children, and she doesn’t want to dream anymore.

Later, Da-hae tries to console I-na, saying that the Bok family is gifted but doesn’t know how to use their powers properly. Da-hae swears to help them and save Gwi-ju.

Elsewhere, Ji-han shows Dong-hee their new house after their marriage, all the while cheating on her. Da-hae and Kyung-tae tail Ji-han and later threaten him with pictures of his cheating on Dong-hee. They ask for 200 million won to keep their mouths shut or ask him to cancel the wedding. Ji-han agrees.

Over the next few days, Gwi-ju tries to talk to I-na but to no avail. He comes across Dong-hee secretly stuffing herself, feeling guilty about being too heavy to fly. Dong-hee relays that she feels unworthy and unattractive. Gwi-ju tells her that she was the prettiest when she was in elementary school. This makes him travel to the day when he was admitted to the hospital after spending too much time in the past and not eating. Dong-hee’s love for eating encouraged the sick Gwi-ju to eat as well. After Gwi-ju returns to the present, Dong-hee reveals how unhappy she is, and a revelation comes to her that she does not love Ji-han.

Elsewhere, Ji-han hands over the money to Da-hae when Grace arrives. Ji-han and his lover are enjoying their time at the apartment when Grace brings Dong-hee and reveals that Ji-han is cheating on her. Dong-hee breaks up with Ji-han and asks him to pay her back the money she lent him for the clinic. But Da-hae enters with the 200 million won, claiming that she received Ji-han’s debt already.

Ji-han and Grace engage in a scuffle for the money when Grace is pushed through the window and falls. While at it, Dong-hee remembers Gwi-ju’s words about how she used to fly even when she was heavier and perhaps it’s her diminished self-worth that’s hindering her flight. Remembering this, coupled with the possibility of Grace’s death, Dong-hee springs into action and jumps out of the window. She’s eventually able to catch Grace and fly!

Ji-han records Dong-hee and Grace flying on his mobile while making his escape from the “crime scene.” Grace and Dong-hee return to the apartment, their hair messed up exactly like in Man-heum’s dreams. Da-hae later informs Man-heum that her dreams can be interpreted differently and that they are possibly not a curse.

Gwi-ju then takes I-na to the zoo, and while there’s only 30 minutes remaining, they enjoy their time together, and Gwi-ju comforts I-na, telling her that everything will turn out right in the end.

When Da-hae visits Il-hong at the sauna, she’s surprised to see Man-heum there. It’s revealed that Il-hong asked Man-heum to visit to return the lottery ticket to her. It’s also revealed that Il-hong orchestrated the entire situation with Ji-han. She had Kyung-tae approach Ji-han for a low-interest loan. Ji-han got the loan from Il-hong’s acquaintance, who’s also a moneylender. She also sent Grace to help Da-hae into revealing his affair to Dong-hee.

In a one-to-one talk between Dong-hee and Il-hong, it’s revealed that Il-hong actually loves and cares about Dong-hee and views her as her daughter. They cry and hug, and Il-hong asks Dong-hee to be happy.

While Gwi-ju makes braised pollock using his father’s forgotten recipe, I-na works hard to dance well so she can show her father that she has a passion and is not invisible anymore. Da-hae and Gwi-ju enjoy dinner together, where a future Gwi-ju visits the two, smiling at them. Back at the Bok family house, Man-heum has another nightmare about the fire 13 years ago.

Soon-gu stays by her side, puts on some music, and they dance together. Meanwhile, Gwi-ju sees them together and travels back in time to when his parents danced together on a picnic. This is where he sees a little girl in color who turns out to be Da-hae and helps her ride her bike. Everything around him becomes colorful as well, signifying that now, he might be able to touch and feel his surroundings.

When Gwi-ju returns, he notices a red scar on his neck—the same scar that Da-hae’s savior had. He tries to hide it beneath his clothes and joins the family for a meal.

The Episode Review

The Atypical Family is surely atypical, and we are here for it! In this episode, our fears about Gwi-ju’s mutating powers suggesting that he might die saving Da-hae from the fire have come true. Apart from the suspense this addition creates, the scenes involving Dong-hee and her comeback are probably the best that her character has experienced in the show.

As we thought, Il-hong did care about Da-hae! We would have loved to see more of their dynamics, which fall quite short of how it’s executed in the series. Moreover, this episode had some insightful dialogues. For instance, when Da-hae tells Man-heum, “You can’t change your dreams, but you can choose how to interpret them. Your dream may not have shown you everything. Perhaps you were too afraid to see everything clearly. So please, keep on dreaming.”