Can't get enough of TV's most notorious drug cartel family the Byrdes? Netflix draws inspiration from their hit series Ozark and continues its rise in Korean language dramas as it launched a new crime/drug lord show A Model Family on August 12. Here's why you should watch it!
Contains Spoilers!
4.5/5
A cash-strapped adjunct professor, Park Dong Ha (Jung Woo Reply 1994 2013) is pulled in all directions by his family. He is constantly fighting with his wife, Kang Eun Joo (Yoon Jin Seo Coffee Mate 2017), and is contemplating a divorce. His teenage daughter, Park Yeon Woo, is a typical teenager with her own problems, and his young son, Park Hyun Woo, is in need of a heart transplant. One day, while coming home from a depressing working day, Dong Ha stops in the middle of a rural road on the way home and cries in his car. While crying into the steering wheel, a mysterious black van bumps into his car. Dong Ha finds two dead bodies and a bag full of cash. He unintentionally steals the cash and disposes of the bodies.
Meanwhile, a local drug cartel is looking for this van with their money. They send the number two guy, Ma Kwang Chul (Park Hee Soon Dr. Brain 2021), to retrieve it. Dong Ha gets involved with the cartel and is made to become a mule for them as a way to protect his family from them.
We learn that the local police force has an undercover agent deep within the drug cartel, but disappears suddenly. Kang Joo Hyun (Park Ji Yeon Hospital Playlist 2 2021), a detective leading the anti-drug crime team, is hot on the cartel's tail and investigates the relationship between Ma Kwang Chul and Dong Ha.
Here are three reasons why you should be tuning in for this new thriller series!
1. Far from normal.
This family is anything but a model family. With constant blaming from his wife, Dong Ha is depressed that he can't get a better job as a full-time professor. The character development and interaction in this series are very good! The amount of debt this family has accumulated due to the expensive medical treatments for their son has driven them to desperate measures.
2. What it truly means to be the head of the household.
Being a father can sometimes be a burden when the whole family relies on your salary, as the sole breadwinner. But what happens if the head of the household is struggling at work with a mountain of bills to pay including medical treatments? Jung Woo does an amazing job acting as the head of a stripped-away family that is really on their last leg together. Portraying a father who will do whatever it takes to keep his family together, this series gives off an emotional connection with its audience.
3. Living in a small town is a bummer.
The fact that this series takes place in a rural Korean town makes it more intriguing. This means that there's no place to hide from the bad guys. Word gets around town and it isn't very difficult to find someone. Because of this reason, more action and suspense are thrown into the plot! Each episode ends with a gripping reason to continue and you can easily finish the series in a day!
This 10-episode suspense thriller is rated 18 and over due to the violence and gore it contains. If you just want to "Netflix and chill" on a lazy Sunday afternoon, this drama will definitely get your heart racing!
Let us know if you've seen this drama and your thoughts about it! Are you looking forward to more Netflix-made Korean dramas?