Kdrama to Miss: Mad for Each Other (2021)

Mad for Each Other (2021)

Grade: D+

13 episodes, 30 minutes each
Viewing Platform: Netflix

Detective Noh Hwi-oh is on leave from work in order to receive anger management counseling after assaulting the man who stabbed his partner on duty. He's also reeling from a breakup with his fiancee. In a series of misunderstandings, his new next-door neighbor accuses him of stalking her and ends up beating him with an umbrella and damaging his car. To be fair, Lee Min-kyung is suffering some paranoia after her boyfriend turned out to be married, then subsequently beat her when she tried to leave and dragged her name through the mud. Will these “mad” individuals be able to overcome their past, or will the hardships of life doom them to a lonely existence?

*This kdrama was rated MA, but it felt more like a PG-13 show. There are certainly adult topics covered – drug use (Hwi-oh is a detective, after all), extramarital affairs (but Min-kyung was not aware at the time), a pervert flasher (nothing is shown and it's used more as a comedic device), and a cross-dresser (this is more American influence, trying to get viewers to think of it as a “harmless pastime”) – but nothing seems quite strong enough to warrant the MA rating. It isn't nearly as funny and lighthearted as the synopsis suggests, though, hence the lower rating. A lot of time is spent exploring the psychological damage that comes from being in an abusive relationship; while insightful, it's not uplifting. Wouldn't recommend.