Madame Antoine episode 8 recap

Episode Recap

If you’re not reading this recap at noonasoverforks.com, then this is stolen material. Please support the people who actually wrote this recap by visiting noonasoverforks.com/madame-antoine-episode-8-recap.

After some passionate kissing, Hye Rim (Han Ye Seul) abruptly pushes Soo Hyun (Sung Joon) away. Confused by his hot and cold approach, she wants proof that he genuinely has feelings for her. Despite Soo Hyun outlining how passionate his love is with an academic scale, Hye Rim points out that he is still conducting the experiment on her.

Soo Hyun offers to answer any of Hye Rim’s questions about the experiment, but is caught lying with the very first question. Soo Hyun proceeds to skim as close to the truth as possible. He even tells the truth about his low score on the fMRI that was conducted on Hye Rim, which makes her laugh. When Soo Hyun asks if they are now dating, Hye Rim rejects him, because she still cannot trust him.

Hye Rim meets with the Chairman (Byun Hee Bong) who asks her to read the fortune of his daughter. Hye Rim has concerns about reading someone who she cannot see, but gives it a go, and fails miserably. She senses the Chairman’s discomfort when she mentions marriage, so Hye Rim advises the Chairman to marry off his daughter quickly. The Chairman loses his temper and sends her away. 

Hye Rim goes to a rock concert with Yoo Sun (Jo Eun Ji) who is currently in her Emma personality. Hye Rim goes looking for Emma in the washroom, and finds Yoo Sun has returned, but with no memory of the past few days. Emma is appearing more frequently, and Hye Rim worries that Yoo Sun’s personality will disappear. However, Yoo Sun is reluctant to let go of Emma, because she sees her as a friend who helped her through difficult times. Hye Rim reveals that it was Emma who broke Yoo Sun up with her boyfriend. 

Yoo Sun confronts Emma in her mirror about causing the break up with her boyfriend. When Emma shows no sign of remorse, Yoo Sun orders her not to appear before her again. Emma threatens to stay, and Yoo Sun breaks her mirror.

Seung Chan (Jinwoon) asks Hye Rim to go out to a movie with him. She is about to turn him down, thinking of her kiss with Soo Hyun, but he has already bought the tickets. During the movie, Hye Rim is distracted, and afterwards, Seung Chan correctly guesses that she has fallen for someone else. Before Hye Rim can respond, Seung Chan reassures her that he is amenable to just being friends, as long as she is not dating his brother. Hye Rim’s eyes widen in alarm, but she stays silent. 

Seung Chan confronts Soo Hyun asking if he is the one who Hye Rim likes. Soo Hyun is happy to make this claim to her affections. However, this only reassures Seung Chan that it is not Soo Hyun, and he walks away laughing as Soo Hyun angrily insists that he is the one.

Yoo Rim (Hwang Seung Eon) is watching in disbelief as Ji Ho (Lee Joo Hyung) practices martial arts while chanting Hye Rim’s name. Yoo Rim flips Ji Ho on his back and bluntly tells him that he has no chance with her sister. Ji Ho admits that his chances are low, but insists that a possibility exists. Yoo Rim takes a different approach by encouraging Ji Ho to confess his feelings to Hye Rim, confident that he will be rejected. 

Yoo Sun asks Soo Hyun to help her get rid of Emma. Soo Hyun is surprised, and proceeds to ask her when Emma first appeared. Yoo Sun claims that Emma appeared in middle school, but an unseen mother figure showed up before then. Soo Hyun asks Yoo Sun to recall what happened when her parents died, and that is when he realizes that the personality that he is speaking with is Yoo Sun’s mother. Yoo Sun’s mother asks that Soo Hyun get rid of both her and Emma from Yoo Sun’s life.

Soo Hyun asks Hye Rim for her help in getting rid of Emma, which she reluctantly agrees to, since she has become close with Emma. Before leaving, Soo Hyun asks if they are dating, and Hye Rim grudgingly agrees to try seeing each other. He suggests going out tonight, and Hye Rim pretends to be blasé, but when Soo Hyun is out of sight, she pumps her fists. Preapring for the date, Hye Rim starts fantasizing about kissing and skinship with Soo Hyun, though she resolves not to come across as easy. Meanwhile, Soo Hyun is experiencing a crisis of his heart being at odds with his research. He is nervous about his date like it’s his first time.

When they meet, Hye Rim senses Soo Hyun’s nervousness, and gives him ample opportunities for skinship. Soo Hyun remains proper and gentlemanly until Hye Sun blows up in frustration, and leaves.

When Hye Rim returns, Yoo Rim and Ji Ho are waiting for her. Ji Ho shows her a video and gives a science heavy confession of his feelings. Hye Rim turns him down on the basis that she could never see him as a man. Ji Ho runs out abruptly and Yoo Rim goes chasing after him, but loses him. Ji Ho cries by himself.

During Yoo Sun’s treatment, Hye Rim wants to leave, upset at the prospect of losing Emma. Soo Hyun insists that she needs to stay. When Emma awakes, she is angry at Hye Rim for conspiring with Soo Hyun, and threatens to kill herself and Yoo Sun. Soo Hyun appeals to her conscience as Yoo Sun’s friend. Emma turns to Hye Rim to tearfully ask if she, too, wants her to disappear. Hye Rim tells her that Emma will become a part of Yoo Sun, and promises to do all the things with Yoo Sun that she did with Emma.

Yoo Sun attends the magic show of her ex-boyfriend in preparation for letting go of him in her heart. The magician asks for a volunteer and Yoo Sun is asked up on stage. The magician talks about memories of love then causes flower petals to fly from his hand as Yoo Sun cries.

Mi Ran (Jang Mi Hee) is struggling to keep up with Seung Chan in his daily exercise routine. Seung Chan asks Mi Ran what to do now that he has been rejected by Hye Rim in favour of Soo Hyun. He worries that Soo Hyun will toss her aside when the experiment is over. Mi Ran tells Seung Chan that he can only be accountable for his own feelings, to continue to love, and to exercise his way through the pain. 

A drop of ink lands on Soo Hyun’s hand accidentally, and the memories of an amusement park come flooding in. He asks Hye Rim to join him in visiting an amusement park, but she agrees only after Soo Hyun reassures her that he will be less chaste.

Seung Chan overhears Soo Hyun making plans with Hye Rim, and he attempts to make a date with Hye Rim for the same time. Hye Rim lies about the reason why she is not available, and it confirms for Seung Chan that she has fallen for his brother. Seung Chan can only ask that she reject the next scheduled fMRI test.

Hye Rim goes to Soo Hyun to announce that she will not be participating in the fMRI test nor will she go to the amusement park with him. Soo Hyun responds by ripping up her contract then getting Hye Rim to delete his experiment records. Hye Rim no longer sees any reason to distrust Soo Hyun, and happily agrees to go to the amusement park with him.

At the amusement park, Hye Rim leaves Soo Hyun to hold her ice cream as she goes to buy churros. Watching the parade, Soo Hyun starts to remember the time he visited the amusement park with his mother, and his mother abandoned him, promising to see him on his birthday. Hye Rim returns and is alarmed to find Soo Hyun in distress.

Hye Rim brings Soo Hyun to receive counselling from Mi Ran. Hye Rim secretly enters the observation room and listens to Soo Hyun recount being abandoned by his mother who scolded him about dripping ice cream before disappearing. He has become extremely sensitive to drops of liquid on his hand ever since. Mi Ran is concerned about how composed Soo Hyun is, but he insists that he can treat himself now that he knows the problem.

Hye Rim reveals to Mi Ran that she witnessed their counselling session, and asks if there is anything she can do to help Soo Hyun. Mi Ran just asks her to stay by his side, and suggests playing adage-guessing games with him (what kind of advice is that?!).

Hye Rim follows Mi Ran’s advice to the letter, perplexing a weary looking Soo Hyun. Later, she cooks him a hearty lunch then attempts to amuse him by feigning missing teeth and doing a lip sync performance for him. An irritated Soo Hyun orders her to leave him alone.

Soo Hyun meets up with Mi Ran and she asks if he has been playing a lot of adage-guessing games lately. That is when Soo Hyun discovers that Hye Rim had spied in on his session with Mi Ran and has been trying to help him in his recovery.

Soo Hyun rushes back to the café where Hye Rim is still singing and performing to prove to herself that she is amusing. He lists all the things about Hye Rim that he hates, and yet, he admits that he has grown to like her. Hye Rim points out that she is a divorcée with a child, many issues and a lack of self-confidence. Soo Hyun hugs Hye Rim and declares his love for her. 

Comments

I enjoyed this episode much more than the previous one despite the inexplicable logic of Hye Rim. Here is a character who is looking for any excuse to ignore her better judgement in order to date a man she does not trust. Fortunately, since I can’t take Hye Rim seriously as a character anymore, I was highly amused by her attempts at skinship, and her insane ideas of how to cheer up a mentally scarred man.

Another reason to love this episode was Sung Joon. It’s official: Sung Joon has turned on his magic. He was just non-stop attractive in this episode, and I attribute it to the fact that his character was less of a robotic asshole and more of a morose gentleman. Now, if Hye Rim could also sober up, then we might have a foundation on which to build a believable romance.

In the meantime, here are some screen caps of Sung Joon looking cute.

Madame Antoine (마담 앙트완)

 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 || series review