Yun Tae-hyun in My Unfamiliar Family
#MemorableCharacters

As the wonderfully addictive My Unfamiliar Family wraps up its final week, I wanted to highlight one character in the story who really stood out for me. Yun Tae-hyun, played admirably by Kim Tae-hoon. I would not say that it was fine acting, because the poor guy didn’t really have much of a role. His wasn’t even a particularly well fleshed-out character (and in fact, that might have been one of the show’s few flaws), for he was always shown through another’s gaze, and we never truly got to understand what was going on in his mind. 

But the way in which the show used his character to reveal the disintegration in our social fabric was very special, and in my limited viewing experience, unprecedented in kdramas at least. The show was always respectful, and never reductionist, in its depiction of Tae-hyun’s situation. It was also deftly brutal in its takedown of the prejudiced ones around him, while recognising that this was only the beginning, and a blank slate could not be served up overnight. 

As an epecially close observer of the legal and policy changes around it in my country, I know that statutory recognition is but the first step towards normalising homosexuality. There is so, so, so much more to do, and such a long road to traverse before heteronormativity can be discarded and true diversity be embraced. Most importantly, the first stop on that road is ourselves. This show forces a confrontation with the self, and with the deep biases that have to be uprooted before any real change can be said to happen. This is a universal truth, and for this reason alone, this show was an accomplishment of no mean order.

I am excited as to what the future holds for the drama industry after this show: I can only hope it doesn’t regress after having taken this very assertive step forward.

10
5

    I totally agree.
    I think we’ve already talked a little before about the subject in one of the comments (at least I have). There are very few dramas in which we’ve dealt with homosexuality. Love with flaws was one of them and I liked the way it dealt with it: the gay character was just another character who felt in love with a guy and who was accepted and loved by his family. Just as it should be. I loved the way it normalized that fact. And I also know that wouldn’t be so normal in such a traditional country, and that’s why I appreciate the approach MUF has shown us.

    3
    1

      Yes we discussed it in the comments section somewhere as well. I just wanted to memorialize it on my fanwall 😀 I haven’t watched Love with flaws, for whatever reason, I couldn’t get to it. But you’re right – this is exactly where we need to get to, and way beyond as well. I’m so happy popular culture is slowly mainstreaming this.

      0
      0

    Of the MUF couples, the EJ-TH arc is the one I look forward to the most when every new episode comes along. This is probably because EJ is the character I care the most but TH as a character is heartbreaking to watch every single time. And they know each other to the bone and would have been soulmates if with different circumstances. The way the drama treats him is, as you say, respectful but with not a lot of explicit narrative about his thoughts – Kim Tae-hoon’s portrayal is a standout. He manages to navigate the rather limited lines and ambiguity to elevate this character’s arc that earns audience’s understanding and empathy. His ‘natural’ affinity with EJ’s family is quite compelling when he virtually is not in talking terms to his own.

    I reckon Ep 15 maybe his last episode as EJ moves to her next phase of life. Even though it’s a drama character, I wish the Tae-hyuns out there able to find their happiness.

    2
    1

      “I wish the Tae-hyuns out there able to find their happiness.” So well put! My thoughts exactly. No Tae-hyun anywhere in the world should have to go through what he did, or be in a situation where he has to put an Eun-joo through so much as he did. It wasn’t fair on him or on her.

      And I loved how the show developed the EJ-TH arc so organically as a combination of fate, free will, the desire to fit into society, and the demands of society itself. This is true of everyone’s stories. How you navigate all this mess is what makes your story special.

      1
      1

        So pleased with the EJ-TH scene in the final episode – finding peace with who you are sounds simple but yet the hardest thing to achieve for so many of us.

        0
        0