Children of a Lesser God ~ Daddy! Did I Ever Go to Church?
“Children of a Lesser God” is a 2018 Korean drama series, with 16 episodes, categorized as Crime, Mystery, Horror, Supernatural, and Fantasy; streaming free with ads on Tubi TV.
SUMMARY: The church assembly room is the scene of a mass murder. It appears the deaths were intentional poisonings and they ere on their way to heaven. The number of notes does not equal the number of bodies. 31 notes. 30 bodies. Who is missing?
♦ Daddy! Did I Ever Go to Church? I Heard a Bell Ring.
“Children of a Lesser God ” is about science versus shamanism or the unexplained supernatural. When Kim Dan was a young girl, she went to church assemblies with her mother. In this particular assembly at the church building, she had a vision?, a nightmare?, a frightening thought? She wasn’t sure. But she saw everybody in the assembly dead. They were all dead, including her mother. But how? Why? Not sure what she saw, but the police had to come to the church to investigate the scene. It appeared to be a “mass suicide”. The police found 31 notes, but only 30 bodies. One body is missing. Who?
Did Kim Dan’s father know what was going to happen? The missing body is his daughter, and he managed to grab her and run away from the church with her. She did not die thanks to him. But the oddest thing happened. They were in the woods, and it was as if she knew where to go. Kim Dan found a box of items buried, and it looked like things that belonged to a shaman. In the box was a bracelet with a small bell attached. Kim Dan always wore the bracelet. But for reasons she could not explain, whenever she heard a bell, she would see things – frightening, terrible, awful things. People accused her of being a witch. Her father assured her that she wasn’t a witch and she wasn’t a bad person. She is just different. But it’s best she doesn’t tell anybody.
Kim Dan doesn’t have a memory of what happened that day at the church. Her childhood memories seem to have been erased. Although when she drew pictures as a child, the “trauma” came out in her drawings. Her father does not want her to remember. That’s why when she asked him what she was like as a child, he said she’s the same as she is as an adult. Beautiful and kindhearted. Something bothered her, though, and she asked if they ever went to church when she was little. Her father insisted, “NO!” They never went to a church or a temple. He hoped that answer would satisfy her. It did. Temporarily.
♦ My IQ is Very High
Kim Dan works at the police station. An elderly man came in to report that his adult daughter was missing. He was sure something had happened to her. The police said they couldn’t take action because she was an adult. That night, Kim Dan had a dream?, a nightmare?, a vision? She saw the girl murdered and followed the clues to the murderer’s location. Kim Dan almost became his next victim. Fortunately, a detective, Cheon Jae-in, arrived at the scene and saved her.
Cheon Jae-in was pleased to have intervened and prevented a tragedy. But he was displeased because it took him 4 days to figure out the alleged murderer’s location, but she figured it out in a day? HOW? Cheon Jae-in doesn’t like to brag, but he has a very high IQ. He has a reputation for capturing criminals. But Kim Dan solved the crime before he did! How is that possible? He asked her and she told him she “sensed”. Kim Dan couldn’t explain or didn’t want to explain because she knew he wouldn’t believe her.
The murder investigation continued, but the police did not have enough evidence to hold the man. Kim Dan had seen him commit another murder, and she tried to get them not to allow him to walk free. She said he’ll kill again. Cheon Jae-in asked her how she knew. Of course, she couldn’t explain it, but she did know. He told Kim Dan that her answer was unacceptable. He had a high IQ, believed in science and facts, and always followed the rule of law and proper procedure. Cheon Jae-in is not going to chase after the suspected murderer based on her word. Little did he know that he would regret his words. The next victim turned out to be his dear sister.
- Did he still believe in science and facts, and always following the rule of law and proper procedure?
- What good was having a high IQ when he couldn’t save his own sister?
Kim Dan continued working for the police, but Cheon Jae-in became disillusioned and left. But their paths would cross again, and there would be more murder cases with the same suspected murderer.
Main Characters:
Viewership and Rating:
- IMDb: 7 of 10 stars
- My Drama List: 8 of 10 stars
- Dramabeans: 8.8 of 10 stars
My personal rating is the same as MDL.
“Children of a Lesser God” is fun if you like crime and mystery with elements of the supernatural. If only in real life there were people with a gift to predict a crime before it happened, or have psychic abilities that allow them to solve the crime.
The male lead for this series, Kang Ji-Hwan, is one of those actors who fell from grace because of a scandal. His last K-drama was in 2019, and knowing how unforgiving the South Korean entertainment industry is, I don’t expect to see him again.
NOTE: There is a 1986 American film titled “Children of a Lesser God”. It I nothing at all like the Korean drama. It is a good movie, if you’re interested. Based on the true story of deaf actress Phyllis Frelich, and it stars Marlee Matlin, who is deaf in real life.
LINKS OF INTEREST:
Final Review: Children of a Lesser God | The cat that watches TV
Bells of truth and hidden facts in OCN’s Children of a Lesser God | Dramabeans
Take 3: Children of a Lesser God Review | 18 Cinema Lane
Children of a Lesser God K-Drama Review | The Seoul In Me
TRAILER/TEASER:
Ani-Hongo. “CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD (2018) – TRAILER.” YouTube, 20 Feb. 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK5qz3x6EsQ.
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