Currently Watching: Madame Antoine

Currently Watching: Madame Antoine

Recently, dramaland seems to have a certain inclination for psychology. Or, at least, something that appears to be psychology. We get a variety of shows with awesome screen writers behind them and star-studded casts, spouting all that terminology that is usually typed up smaller than the disclaimers on a pill box and dismissed as readily as most things associated with the marginalized and powerless. They are: 

DID. 

Bipolar. 

Anxiety disorder.

Agoraphobia.

As someone with chronic depression and anxiety, I can definitely say that the idea of more representation does please me. We need stories to set things straight. We need good, kind, understanding narratives that divulge more of the world besides narrow-eyed diatribes on "crazy" and "sick" people, people who are more likely to be psychos and mass shooters or that weird neighbor on the end of the block than individuals with real lives and real stories you can actually respect and relate to.

(Okay, I promise not all of this recap is going to be me on a personal soap box.)

But, as much as I appreciate shows like Flower Boy Next Door and It's Okay, It's Love that actually try to get somewhere near the actual field of psychology and recovery, there are so many more shows that...just aren't. 

(I also adore Kill Me, Heal Me, but let's be real: DID does not usually involve Ji Sung, a variety of delightful personalities and a tragic family secret that takes twenty episodes to unravel. Also, even if it does, it's not pleasant for anyone involved, particularly the patient with DID.)

All of this is pretty much a prelude to say that if you're like me and you are a psychology major or minor: do not come into Madame Antoine expecting real, solid science. This show pretty much demolishes any idea of ethics, proper practice and diagnosis.

And you settle in and try to be okay about it, because...well, because Sung Joon.

Okay, the premise. So, pretty much, this is Oh My Venus but withSung Joon as a jerky psychologist and Han Ye Seul as the gorgeous fortune teller downstairs who end up being tossed together in a general practice slash romantic experiment that tramples all over ethics, as I previously mentioned.

Okay, so that's a mouthful and a little confusing.

First, Go Hye Rim, our fortune teller. 

I actually really like her, in spite of most of the other characters deeming her a hack, a cheat and a general liar. She's a fortune teller who claims she's guided by the ghost of Marie Antoinette in order to help people solve their problems. (Well, Marie Antoinette as depicted in The Rose of Versailles. Hye Rim being told by her little sister that, unfortunately, Oscar does not exist, may have been one of my favorite moments in the series so far.)

In reality, she's just a really good listener/observer and uses that gift to figure out what people want to hear - and actually gives them decent advice for the bargain. 

Also, the only reason she's so invested in any of this is because she's a devoted mom trying to keep her daughter in a good school overseas. (and yes, a super young-looking mom who needs to spill her beauty regime yesterday). 

With our leading lady comes her equally sweet-faced little sister, Go Yoo Rim (Hwang Seung Eon), who seems to be part of a film crew and aspires to make documentaries. She's devoted to her Unni and a little suspicious of all the flower boys slash handsome jerks who seem to be settling around her recently. 

Um, yeah. It doesn't really rain men, guys. And never when you really want it to.
So we have our leading lady. And her sister.

And then there's Sung Joon, a.k.a. Choi Soo Hyun, a.k.a. Dr. Jerkface who needs to be smacked with a copy of the DSV-IV. He is the genius who has a bone to pick with women - as in the entire gender - and, in usual drama hero fashion, has a trauma in his past that he chooses to disassociate from and use as his reason to spread ill will and certainly not good cheer wherever he goes.

Oh, and check out that face.

I can't decide whether I want to admire that face or fight him for having it.

Maybe both.

I think the one thing this guy has going for him is the promise of hot kisses. 

Which, yes, somehow this devoted mother slash "actually cares about people and doesn't like the feeling that she's ripping them off heroine" is going to lock lips with this guy. And apparently have good chemistry.

You know, the guy who hates women to the point that he's making his magnum opus experiment based off messing with their hearts. That is seriously the main reason I keep ranting about ethics, because Choi Soo Hyun, who is repeatedly referred to as a respected psychologist, is doing a mess of a case study where he uses actors and makes women fall in love with them.

And then breaks their hearts by revealing they were part of a case study before asking them to fill out a questionnaire. And then wonders why he keeps getting slapped.

Oh, and did I mention that our Hye Rim is the new test subject, because he wants to ruin her life? And, he's only working with her to begin with because their mutual landlord either wants to match-make them and/or have the two of them kill each other in a hateful frenzy so that he can have his building back. That's this guy, who is, as always, typically adorable (played by Byun Hee Bong):

And why did I compare this to Oh My Venus? Because of the two guys who follow Dr. Jerkface around, surprisingly tolerant of his general "I'm a handsome jerkface, bow before me and offer to have my children" aura and actually not gagging when they adoringly refer to him as Hyung.

That's Cutie (played by Lee Joo Hyeong), and Pretty Boy (played by Jung Jin Woon). No, I haven't learned their names yet. How can you tell?

Cutie is a math prodigy and one of the contenders for Hye Rim's heart in the experiment. He's socially awkward and pretty...well, not who you'd expect to win a Noona's heart, but he does have said Noona's little sister on his side (and perhaps more than that), so maybe he does have a fighting chance - except that pretty boy over there is Soo Hyun's celebrity younger brother and a silver-tongued charmer.

May the best noona romance win, I guess? 

As fond as I am of Cutie, he's definitely not going to win on merit of his kisses. Maybe the rule is cold heart, hot kisses?

(SHE DESERVES BETTER THAN ALL OF YOU)

I'm waiting to see if any contenders appear for Soo Hyun's hand, but let's face it: the guy may have a nice face but he has a black heart to go with it. I'll actually be pleased if we don't have a serious secondary lady (and if there is, let me know in the comments since I haven't gotten too far in yet), because it'll be a change of pace.

Now, what do I think so far? 

I think...I really should turn off the side of my brain that is screaming about code of conduct and lawsuits and disclosure in case studies and enjoy the wacky ride. Because, believe me, this is totally wacky and not really that serious as you expect it to be, in spite of Soo Hyun's momentary flashbacks and sudden angst. 

My predictions for this show, though I won't claim to be any kind of Madame Antoine:

1. Little sister and Mr. Cutie get paired off. (Actually, I'd put my money on it.)

2. Dr. Jerkface gets slapped at least twice every episode. (Honestly, I volunteer as tribute.)

3. A lot of hate-kissing. 

If you're into eye candy, a surprisingly sweet heroine and lots of moments where you want to slap the leading guy, this is the show for you. As long as you're willing not to take any of it seriously.

(Also, if you're into irony. Because out of the entire cast for this goofy little show, it's the fortune teller who actually wants to get her psychological know-how straight. She actually goes out and buys a textbook. How is that for dedication?)