[비즈한국] Now, pay attention! Look at this strange and suspicious family. There’s Mom Han Young-soo (Bae Doona), who has the ability to freely edit other people's memories; Dad Baek Chul-hee (Ryoo Seung-bum), a fighting master who can wipe out a gang of thugs with one hand; son Baek Ji-hoon (Lomon), a genius hacker; daughter Baek Ji-woo (Lee Soo-hyun), a 'fighting pro'; and the eccentric grandfather Baek Kang-sung (Baek Yoon-sik), who acts as the family mediator. The description alone is extraordinary; they don't even have a single family photo, and the kids don't have those common things like smartphones or social media accounts. These are the protagonists of the Coupang Play original series ‘Family Plan’.
This family is not connected by blood. Han Young-soo and Baek Chul-hee were raised in a mysterious institution called the Special Education Center as children and were brought up as 'human weapons.' Young-soo, who grew up calling the Special Education Center instructor Ahn So-jin (Jin Seo-yeon) 'Mom,' felt an attachment to the infants Ji-hoon and Ji-woo, leading her to attempt an escape. She formed a family by taking them out along with Chul-hee, who loves her, and Baek Kang-sung, who helped them escape, and treating them as her husband and father. The main plot of the drama follows the series of events that occur as they settle in Geumsu City after wandering from city to city to evade the Special Education Center's pursuit team.
The problem is that the city they settled in, Geumsu City, is a place crawling with heinous villains, rivaling Gotham City where Batman operates. The high school the twins Ji-hoon and Ji-woo transfer to is controlled by student body president Park Jae-gon (Kwon Ji-woo) and school bully Jo Gyu-tae (Bae Jae-young)’s gang, who take photos of female students to create obscene deepfake合成 (composites) for blackmail and even force them into sex work.
Jo Gyu-tae’s father, Jo Hae-pal (Yoo Seung-mok), a national-level organized crime boss, is merciless when it comes to spilling the blood of those who stand in his way. Oh Gil-ja (Kim Gook-hee), the head of Geumsu Real Estate, has a suspicious relationship with Jo Hae-pal and is seen disposing of her own husband without hesitation. Her husband, Jang No-won (Kwak Ja-hyung), the head of the Regional Development Division at Geumsu City Hall, is a villain who shares information about victims of sexual exploitation with Park Jae-gon and sexually exploits his own subordinates. The runaway shelter run by Oh Gil-ja is also incredibly suspicious, and above all, it is very strange that all these characters are believers of the Geumsu Aspiration Church run by Pastor Yoon Myung-hwan (Nam Yoon-ho).
Furthermore, from the moment they enter Geumsu City, Young-soo's family gets involved with serial killer Gae Bal-yi (Kim Joong-hee). They happened to lock him up after a coincidental car accident, but grandfather Baek Kang-sung releases him, thinking his presence could unite the family, which leads them into the serial murder case. Naturally, the family becomes exposed to the investigation of Detective Kang Jung-hwan (Kim Jung-hyun), who had been tracking Gae Bal-yi. Can Young-soo's family take down the heinous villains of Geumsu City? Who is the final villain of Geumsu City, and for what purpose are they committing such evil? What is the relationship between the Special Education Center hunting them and the serial killer Gae Bal-yi?
Stories about people raised as human weapons in special institutions are themes we've seen in several works, such as the movie 'The Witch.' We've also seen many stories about non-blood-related families forming deep, sticky family bonds. Social issues like sexual exploitation via deepfakes or "gapjil" (abuse of power) where apartment security guards are treated like servants are also things we've heard about often in the news, and local criminal cartels are familiar subjects. The existence of vigilantes who punish villains? It has been depicted countless times in pop culture. Nevertheless, 'Family Plan' creates a freshness we haven't seen before through its unique perspective, speed, and rhythm. Just when you think it's a blood-splattering hardcore thriller, it swings the audience back and forth with quirky black comedy, traversing through hero stories, school dramas, and action films.
The cast that makes up this vibrant and unique family is the core of 'Family Plan.' With Bae Doona, Ryoo Seung-bum, and Baek Yoon-sik—who are second to none when it comes to unique characters in Korean cinema—forming a family, there’s no way you can’t watch it. Bae Doona, who possesses a unique atmosphere as if she exists in a different layer of air than normal people, couldn't be a better fit for Han Young-soo, who distorts villains' memories and plants pain and trauma while shedding tears with an expressionless face. Ryoo Seung-bum, playing Baek Chul-hee, a romanticist who is always looking to protect Han Young-soo, is responsible for the laughs in this series. He looks endlessly timid, but he grabs attention by becoming a completely different person when he puts on his red gloves and dispatches villains with thrilling action. And what about the eccentricity of Baek Yoon-sik, which brings to mind the film 'Save the Green Planet!'? On top of this, Lomon from 'All of Us Are Dead' and newcomer Lee Soo-hyun join in to complete a family like no other in the world.
'Family Plan' surpassed 'Anna' and 'Boyhood' to record the highest opening viewership among all Coupang Play series, and it is currently on a hit streak, showing a 425% surge in viewership after the release of episode 4 compared to its opening score. The final episode is scheduled for release on December 27, and there are already strong voices yearning for a second season. Honestly, is 6 episodes enough for the story of such a charming family? So, Coupang Play, please release Season 2 quickly.
About the author, Jung Su-jin?
She has worked for various magazines, covering and writing about movies, travel, and popular culture. She doesn't want to fall behind on trends, but she has become an "old-school" person who anticipates only obvious clichés in the next scenes while watching the latest dramas. She is trying to regain her lost sense while drifting through the vast world of OTT, and her current wish is for an integrated OTT subscription plan.