Helmed by director Hong Jon-chan, known for Juvenile Justice and Dear My Friendsand screenwriter Jo Yong who penned It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, Mr. Plankton is the latest K-drama to hit Netflix.
Opening Shot: The series opens on a windy snow slope—a serene scene until bloody footsteps come into the frame. A dying man is revealed and he contemplates the meaning of death in a voiceover, accepting his fate. As his eyes begin to close, he sees a woman running towards him, distraught.
The Gist: Hae-jo is an orphan who has resorted to petty crime and black market jobs to make ends meet. When he is diagnosed with an illness that gives him just months to live, he finds his ex-girlfriend Jae-mi to help him find his biological father. But Jae-mi, a fellow orphan who has always wanted to be a mother (and is experiencing a setback when she’s diagnosed with premature menopause), is set to marry into a wealthy family just as Hae-jo arrives.
What Shows Will It Remind You Of? If watching stories about former lovers who find their way back to each other, the Korean TV industry has you covered: the broad strokes of this series may remind you of Third Charm or My Strange Hero.
Our Take: According to the director of Mr. PlanktonHong Jong-chan, the series is meant to convey the idea that every object has a purpose and a value—including those who have unfortunate family situations or illnesses. In his series, Hong drives home this idea via his two central figures, both dealing with news that has altered their ideas about the life they will live, and both trying to find meaning in a life that was marred by absent parents.
Unfortunately the series itself is very muddled, as Hae-jo’s quest for closure with his biological family isn’t introduced in the pilot despite being the story engine for the K-drama. Mr. Plankton also introduces side plots with hefty set pieces and characters that ultimately don’t amount to much and have little impact on the central story.
The two leads have chemistry, but Lee Yoo-mi’s over-the-top style occasionally detracts from the overall project. In one pivotal scene in the first episode, Lee as Jae-mi wails after finding out that she cannot conceive a child, and her performance feels exactly that: performative.
While the series is perfectly fine to watch casually, it lacks the depth that the creative team seemed to be aiming for.
Sex and Skin: Nothing too explicit in this one.
Parting Shot: Jae-mi’s husband comes to receive her for their wedding procession, but finds her there with her ex Hae-jo.
Sleeper Star: Kim Min-seok as the sidekick Yoo Ki-ho brings the series much-needed levity, and his expressive face helps make the comedic moments land.
Most Pilot-y Line: “You guys had better die at the same time. Don’t leave one without the other,” Hae-jo tells his fish right before they are both killed when criminals invade his home and break the fish tank. The line invokes the journey that he is about to embark on with Jae-mi, as they are star-crossed lovers cosmically bound to one another.
Our Call: SKIP IT. If you’re looking for a star-crossed lovers story, there are plenty of others to choose from.
Radhika Menon (@menonrad) is a TV-obsessed writer based in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared on Vulture, Teen Vogue, ELLE.com, and more. At any given moment, she can ruminate at length over Friday Night Lights, the University of Michigan, and the perfect slice of pizza. You may call her Rad.
