The Drop Off
Yong-Soo is starting to do background checks on his workers and if that rings true, then it means he could be found out. Joo-Hyun tells him to hold on but for how long can he do that?
Dong-Ha is struggling to come to terms with the death of his father and the breaking away of his friend Kwang-Chul. He’s worried about what he’ll do next and whether he can make it on his own. Dong-Ha weighs the pros and cons of a coup before deciding against it, but he’s not sure if Kwang-Chul will forgive him if he does.
Kang-Jun learns about Kwang-Chul’s plan from an insider, who also reveals about the dead bodies and where the money is being kept. He contemplates whether to tell Yoon-Soo and get Kwang-Chul kicked out of this operation as a result.
The situation with the group continues to worsen, with Yong-Soo and Kang-Jun watching on the news as a drug bust sees a lot of narcotics seized. With the heat rising, Yong-Soo puts out the call to shut down the warehouses for now and stop production, at least until things calm down. ..
Eun-Joo is forced to confront her daughter’s past and the reasons why she’s been acting out. She learns that her daughter has been bullied in the past and that it has led to her current state. Eun-Joo decides to pick up her daughter from school and take her to a place where she can be safe from bullies.
Eun-Joo sets out on a quest to find her daughter after she is reported missing. When she finally catches up, Eun-Joo apologizes for slapping her and promises never to lay a finger on Yeon-Woo again. She also admits that she’s miserable but Yeon-Joo ignores her and rides off with her biker friends.
Dong-Ha is visited by Kwang-Chul at the university campus, where he tasks the Professor with his first delivery. His car is filled with expensive gear which, on the surface, look like a bottle of water but we know there’s more to it than that. Kwang-Chul asks Dong-Ha about his family and Dong-Ha tells him about his father who died when he was young. He also tells Kwang-Chul about his mother who died when he was young.
Dong-Ha boards a train to Busan as instructed and Kwang-Chul checks his progress. He also heads back to see Yong-Soo, telling him he still hasn’t found the money and needs more time. In order to show how serious he is, he decides to go and visit the Sangseon Ring himself and buy them more time. When Kwang-Chul leaves, Kang-Jun promises that the guy is lying. As a result, Yong-Soo agrees to let Kang-Jun take matters into his own hands.
Dong-Ha is followed by a contact at Busan Station. He’s clumsy and drops his bag, struggling to dodge and weave through pedestrians. Unfortunately, he walks right into this trap and he’s bagged and thrown in the back of a van. ..
Dong-Ha is a small-time drug dealer who is constantly being threatened and extorted by gangsters. One day, he is approached by a shady man who demands that Dong-Ha hand over his drugs. When Dong-Ha reveals that he only has one bottle of drugs left, the man realizes that Dong-Ha doesn’t know what’s going on and decides to take him hostage. Dong-Ha manages to escape and warns other dealers not to deal with this man. ..
Kwang-Chul’s subordinate Jung-Bae sends Dong-Ha a message telling him to be at Busan Station at 8pm for the KTX to Seoul. Meanwhile, Dong-Ha is slipping further into this shady world of business, Yeon-Woo’s troublemaking, Hyun-Woo’s loneliness, and Eun-Joo’s depression all combine to make A Model Family one deliciously ironic title for Netflix’s latest K-drama. ..
The Episode Review
Breaking Bad, Money Heist, and Ozark are all shows about criminals trying to get away with their crimes. A Model Family is a show about a family who are criminals. The story is blending these three shows together to create a twisted and morally ambiguous thriller. ..
There are a lot of good things about this story, especially the dark underbelly of crime and Dong-Ha’s tumble down the rabbit hole into this seedy world of drugs and murder. Through his eyes we see how dangerous this world is and all of this came about off the back of covering up a few dead bodies. ..
This conflict is far from over, and there is no one clear winner or loser.
