A confusing start to this Korean series and a lack of chemistry between the leads makes Mr. Plankton on Netflix a far from riveting watch

2/5 stars

Lead cast: Woo Do-hwan, Lee Yoo-mi, Oh Jung-se, Kim Hae-sook

Woo Do-hwan ( Bloodhounds) and Lee Yoo-mi ( Squid Game, All of Us Are Dead) team up for a head-scratching road trip as former lovers in the zany and cloying Netflix Original drama series Mr. Plankton, directed by Hong Jong-chan ( Juvenile Justice) and scripted by Jo Yong ( It’s Okay to Not Be Okay).

Supercilious male leads are not just common in Korean dramas, they are the characters around which whole series are built. Handsome and cunning, they excel at whatever job they do – and they know it.

They grin and strut their way through these stories. However, their outward arrogance is a shield. The female lead usually bounces off of this shield in a meet-cute where they get on each others’ nerves. The shield also serves to mask the lead’s pain and vulnerability, which usually stems from an unresolved family trauma.