The WONDERfools Episode 3 Review: Unlikely Heroes, Dark Secrets, and Explosive Chaos
Just when I thought The WONDERfools could not get any stranger, Episode 3 somehow pushes the chaos even further. This episode mixes supernatural mystery, dark conspiracies, and absurd comedy in a way that should not work, but somehow it absolutely does. By the end of the hour, the story finally starts shaping its unlikely group of heroes while revealing more disturbing truths about Dr. Ha and the experiments from the past.
The episode begins with a tense prison meeting between Nam Sun-gyu and Dr. Ha Won-do. Sun-gyu informs him that Un-jeong has returned to Haeseong and also mentions the mysterious “Child of Eternity.” The moment Dr. Ha hears this, everything changes. Sun-gyu eventually helps him escape prison, making it obvious that Dr. Ha still has unfinished business connected to the children from the old lab.
Meanwhile, the story picks up directly after the previous episode’s cliffhanger. Chae-ni survives the terrifying incident on the boat and suddenly reappears in front of Un-jeong. Instead of welcoming her back safely, Un-jeong instinctively pushes her away with overwhelming force. The scene immediately reminds us how unstable and dangerous his powers truly are.
Elsewhere, Dr. Ha’s followers gather to discuss Un-jeong’s sudden return to town. Seok Ju-ran, Seok Ho-ran, and Kim Pal-ho all seem unsettled by his reappearance, especially Pal-ho, who still carries obvious resentment toward him. Dr. Ha soon orders them to capture Chae-ni before her abilities become harder to control.
At the same time, Gyeon-un leaves Chae-ni at Ro-bin’s house after she faints. Once she wakes up, she admits that she can teleport, shocking Ro-bin completely. Before anyone can process this properly, the episode introduces another ridiculous power reveal.
Back at home, Gyeon-un struggles to explain to his wife why his flower deliveries are late. During the argument, his hands suddenly become stuck to a flower pot. Soon after, even his feet refuse to move from the floor. His strange ability appears to involve sticking to objects, something he desperately wants to hide from everyone else.
Chae-ni becomes convinced that all of them are developing supernatural abilities. Ro-bin is curious, but Gyeon-un wants no part in any of this madness. Eventually, though, he admits that Un-jeong nearly killed Chae-ni at the warehouse earlier.
The following day, Chae-ni storms into City Hall looking for answers from Un-jeong. Their loud argument quickly attracts attention from the other employees, creating an awkward public scene. Un-jeong clearly wants to avoid her, so he grabs onto a foul odor complaint in Haedeul as an excuse to leave the office immediately.
Not wanting him to escape, Chae-ni sends Gyeon-un after him.
Meanwhile, the police ask Jeon-bok to identify Director Choi’s body at the morgue. They also hand over his supposed suicide note, where he claims Dr. Ha was innocent. The situation immediately feels suspicious, especially once the episode reveals what truly happened through flashbacks.
In the past, Director Choi pressured Dr. Ha to reveal information about the Child of Eternity. Ju-ran then used her supernatural abilities to manipulate him further. Once they learned about Jeon-bok and her restaurant, Ju-ran forced Director Choi to stab himself with a pen, making his death look self-inflicted.
The episode later shifts toward Dr. Ha’s memories of the Hawondo Lab fire years ago. The flashback reveals terrified children escaping while authorities arrested him for illegal experiments involving minors. That disaster clearly connects to the powers appearing in Haeseong today.
Things become even darker when police officers Park Seung-ryeol and Gyeong-hwan investigate the Church of Eternal Salvation after a missing persons complaint. Ju-ran calmly guides them through the building while secretly hiding the victims trapped below. Even though Bong-pal and Sang-moo desperately cry for help from the basement, Ju-ran uses her powers to prevent the officers from hearing them.
At the same time, Chae-ni, Ro-bin, and Gyeon-un corner Un-jeong inside their car and demand answers about their strange abilities. Before the conversation can go anywhere, the police officers suddenly drive past them.
Then the episode delivers one of its most horrifying scenes yet.
Gyeong-hwan’s face begins melting while he is driving.
The vehicle crashes instantly. Chae-ni, Ro-bin, and Gyeon-un rush over to help, while Un-jeong hesitates before finally stepping in. Seung-ryeol survives, but Gyeong-hwan’s body has somehow turned soft and unstable, almost like he no longer has bones.
Un-jeong eventually uses his powers to lift the vehicle while the others attempt the rescue. The situation becomes even more chaotic after Gyeon-un accidentally sticks himself to the burning car while trying to stop the fire from spreading.
Chae-ni teleports away to grab a sickle so they can cut him free, but before she returns, Ro-bin suddenly unlocks super strength and pulls Gyeon-un away seconds before the car explodes.
For the first time, the group actually works together.
After surviving the accident, Chae-ni excitedly announces that the four of them are now a team. Unsurprisingly, Un-jeong immediately rejects the idea and insists he wants nothing to do with them.
Still, the dynamic between the characters is starting to feel stronger and more entertaining with every episode.
While the others celebrate surviving the ordeal, Un-jeong begins connecting the strange events happening throughout Haeseong. Eventually, he realizes the Church of Eternal Salvation may be behind everything.
Meanwhile, Chae-ni, Ro-bin, and Gyeon-un try reporting the accident to authorities, only to discover someone is covering up the entire incident. That realization leaves them genuinely frightened for the first time.
Later, Pal-ho confronts Un-jeong at City Hall and demands to know why he came back to Haeseong. Their argument reveals more details about Dr. Ha’s experiments and the so-called “variants.” Un-jeong openly accuses Dr. Ha of using damaged children for his own benefit, while mocking Pal-ho for treating him like a father figure.
Eventually, Chae-ni approaches Un-jeong once again and asks him to teach her group how to control their abilities. During the conversation, Un-jeong briefly mentions the term “Wunderkinder,” though he refuses to explain what it means.
The episode also reveals that Un-jeong experienced a near-death moment before gaining his own powers. He quietly reassures Chae-ni that she no longer needs to fear death, giving viewers a rare glimpse of his softer side.
Soon after, Un-jeong notices Pal-ho secretly following Chae-ni and rushes in before anything terrible happens. Realizing she will continue becoming a target, he decides to keep her close instead of pushing her away.
In a surprisingly wholesome moment, he offers Chae-ni a temporary volunteer job at City Hall.
Chae-ni is thrilled and immediately calls Jeon-bok to share the news. But the episode ends on an ominous note after Jeon-bok returns home and finds Dr. Ha waiting for her inside the restaurant.
That final scene alone makes Episode 4 feel incredibly dangerous already.
Episode 3 Review
Episode 3 might be the strongest episode of The WONDERfools so far because it finally balances all of its genres properly. The series moves smoothly between comedy, suspense, action, and horror without feeling completely overwhelming.
The rescue sequence involving the crashed police car was easily the highlight of the episode. It was intense, weird, emotional, and strangely funny all at once. Ro-bin discovering his super strength during the chaos also felt like an important turning point for the group.
I also like that the show is slowly building trust between the main characters instead of rushing their friendship. Un-jeong still acts distant and suspicious, but his actions constantly reveal that he genuinely wants to protect Chae-ni.
At the same time, the mystery surrounding Jeon-bok keeps getting more suspicious. The show continues hinting that she may know exactly who Chae-ni really is. I would not be surprised if Chae-ni was one of the children involved in the Hawondo Lab experiments years ago.
Dr. Ha also becomes far more terrifying in this episode. Instead of acting like a simple villain, he feels deeply obsessed with recreating whatever happened in the past. The Church of Eternal Salvation now looks less like a religious organization and more like a dangerous cover for ongoing experiments.
Most importantly, Episode 3 finally makes the “team” aspect of the story exciting. They are still messy, inexperienced, and constantly arguing, but that is exactly what makes their chemistry enjoyable to watch.
