Mr. Plankton (2024)

Balancing angst and comedy

Combining the angsty plot of terminal illness while also trying to maintain loud and slapstick humor is a very difficult feat but Mr. Plankton managed to do it extremely well. The humorous scenes are laugh-out-loud funny, while the sad scenes still hit really hard, and I never felt like I was getting whiplash between them.

As much as I love green flag MLs, I do think several kdramas have overcorrected recently; it's actually refreshing to get a drama that gives both its leads stories that have equal weight, and to see an ML that has more purpose than to just be in love with the FL. With that being said, Hae-jo's character is absolutely the best part of this show, and WDH plays him to perfection.

I feel a little more mixed on the other characters, to be honest. While I liked Jae-mi's plot, I wish we focused more on her desire to be a mother and have a family. The flashback we got of her at the orphanage is extremely touching. Instead, it seems like we get a lot of her relationship with Eo Heung and his mother. I don't necessarily dislike this, but it's weird. The drama does a fantastic job of making Heung a sympathetic character. His capacity for love is so great and his relationship with his mother goes through such important development, but I still never quite felt the emotions of it, not when Jae-mi and Hae-jo's dynamic is so strong and heart-wrenching. I also felt liek the love triangle was dragged out just a little too long; we saw clips of Jae-mi/Heung and they're cute but as a viewer I never once believed that they belonged together.

I did, however, still enjoy the humorous scenes with the three of them, and I almost wish we got a longer road trip type plot, with a new character (Gi-ho, Bong-suk) joining them in the car ride to each next sperm donor. It would have made the party scene at the end feel more meaningful, because I actually don't think we saw them spend much time together before then.

Overall, I think the first half worked better for me. Something about the bickering and the chaos was just so fun, whereas the last few episodes seems to have Hae-jo leaving Jae-mi stranded as a plot point multiple times. The ending also needed to be extended a little longer for things to get tied up. The plot is pretty outlandish — sometimes it works because it absolutely leans into it, and sometimes I had to remind myself "this is a DRAMA and that's why Hae-jo is still allowed to drive." Either way, it's fun.

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Emotional tug-of-war

Netflix might have let me down with some of its releases this year, but Mr. Plankton completely turned that around. It proved to be one of those rare dramas that kept me engaged from start to finish,I wasn’t bored for a single second. The story of Hae Jo’s journey felt so genuine, and each moment added depth to his character.

The countryside visuals were a huge plus, creating a beautiful, immersive setting that perfectly matched the mood of the story.The acting was fantastic, too. Shin Ha-kyun brought incredible depth to Hae Jo, making his journey feel real and relatable. The cast overall added so much heart to the story.


Still, I have mixed feelings. If it weren’t for the kind of cheating element, I’d be even more invested, though I’m not sure if I’d fully call it cheating—it’s a bit ambiguous.

Another thing I don’t fully get is why dramas feel the need to start with miserable characters only to end on a similarly sad note.

But even with that, the pacing was excellent, making every minute worth watching.

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