There are moments when a drama makes you reflect beyond its plot and direction—when the characters’ actions prompt you to pause and think, perhaps even reconsider your own choices. When these characters are brought to life by talented actors, their performances add layers of depth, making the story all the more captivating. Mr. Plankton is one such drama that achieves this, with standout performances that elevate the narrative. Woo Do Hwan surprises viewers by infusing his character with a more playful side. While he still portrays a complex and brooding figure, Hae-jo in Mr. Plankton is also a man who laughs and smiles—bringing an unexpected lightness to his role. Joining Woo are Lee Yoo Mi, and Oh Jung-se, both of whom bring warmth and depth to this poignant tale about second chances and finding one’s purpose in life.
Mr. Plankton Review: Woo Do Hwan and Lee Yoo Mi’s new road trip K-drama brings heart & humour but lacks the emotional punch
The 10-episode drama, which premiered on Netflix on November 8, 2024, explores themes of personal reinvention and the search for meaning. The plot of Mr. Plankton is rather simple. We have Hae Jo (played by Woo Do Hwan), a fixer who does all kinds of jobs as long as he gets paid well. A few years later after he was born, his parents found out the fertility clinic had mixed the sperm donor samples and that Hae Jo was not his father’s biological son. Thus begins an ill-fated tale of growing up for Hae Jo. His mother passes away soon after and his father abandons him. When he finds that he is terminally ill, he sets out to find his biological father.
On the way, he reconnects with Jae Mi (played by Lee Yoo Mi), his ex-girlfriend who is about to get married to Eo Heung (played by Oh Jung Se). She tells her fiancé’s family that she is pregnant but she finds out just three days before the wedding that she is going through an early menopause and hence, she will never bear any children. She is shattered because she wanted to be a mother for as long as she can remember. She is an orphan hence she desires to have a family of her own. She hides the menopause from her fiancé’s family and prepares for the marriage. But on the day of her marriage, Hae Jo kidnaps her and involuntarily drags her with him on the journey to find his father.
Thus begins a tale of a journey all over the country where the past is revisited, the present is discussed and the future is prepared for. Eo Heung is an adorable character. His love for Jae Mi is honest and pure because he found someone who wears their heart on their sleeve. Jae Mi’s iridescent happiness reflected onto Eo Heung and he saw a future for the couple. Then we have his mother, Beom Ho Ja, the family’s orthodox matriarch. Hailing from a family with a long and rich ancestry, the family still runs on some old ideas and customs.
Mr Plankton is absurd, somewhat confusing, and a little bothersome to watch as the story progresses. The ‘kidnapping’ of Jae Mi by Hae Jo was crazy to begin with. But things that don’t make sense in reality, make sense in a K-drama. The drama starts with a simple plot point and the audience would expect a good share of laughs and tears. Neither was delivered with complete satisfaction.
Hae Jo and Jae Mi finding each other after years and rekindling their romance was an interesting angle considering the changes both have been through since they first broke up. While Do Hwan and You Mi’s camaraderie is great to see on screen, the constant push and pull between their characters boils down to cumbersome after a point. In reality, I doubt any person would stick to such treatment for long. Jae Mi says out of frustration that she is a pushover, and somewhere we might have to agree. Hae Jo and Jae Mi’s romance is not perfect but it was sustainable for them. It was a formula that worked for them and made sense to them. It didn’t need to make sense for others.
With Kkari (played by Kim Min Seok), we find another character who cannot be dubbed as grey, but just a plain egg on a plate that rolls to the side it is tipped at. He eventually turns completely loyal to Hae Jo but his past actions cannot be justified after a point. His role is small and somewhat significant towards the end to bring the chaotic trio together once again.
Hae Jo, Jae Mi, and Eo Heung’s relationship was odd and absurd from the beginning. Eo Heung’s attempts to get his bride back are commendable. However, one flaw in Eo Heung is that he does not know when to give up or stop pursuing something. He found his happiness in Jae Mi but he failed to recognize that she might no longer feel the same for him. One should fight for their love but when the love stops being reciprocated, one must learn to deal with the heartache and move on. Eo Heung moves on but not before venturing on a path of chaotic self-healing journey. Jae Mi’s kidnapping was a catalyst for Eo Heung breaking out of his shell and his mother’s dictatorship.
In an alternate universe, Eo Heung and Jae Mi’s marriage would not have been sustained as both of them wanted different things in life. Like Jae Mi said, they might have found their happiness but they could also have become the reason for each other’s misery in the long run. Hae Jo and Jae Mi found their short-lived happiness with each other because somewhere both were aware of an expiry date looming near the horizon.
Woo Do Hwan, Lee You Mi, Oh Jung Se, Lee El, Kim Min Seok, and Kim Hae Sook give stellar performances despite the confusing narrative. Their characters show some development as the story progresses and it feels satisfying to see progress on that tangent at least. Eo Heung’s character has the most character development of them all if we put things in perspective.
Overall, like the sea plankton that floats away in the sea providing nutrition and oxygen despite being lowest on the food chain, Mr. Plankton floats in and out of your memory as it delivers briefly engaging moments. It creates small windows of curiosity for the next adventure in the story, but there isn’t much to look forward to. The joy is fleeting and limited, just like Hae Jo and Jae Mi’s relationship. The series had great potential to deliver a mature take on a love triangle edged with an angle of self-discovery and a heartbreaking illness. But one cannot help but feel that plot planktons drifted so much and so apart that it became difficult to bring them back together in an orderly fashion again.
Also Read:Woo Do Hwan and Lee Sang Yi likely to return as Bloodhounds gets renewed for season 2 on Netflix
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