'Secret Mother' vs 'Desperate Housewives'

SBS TV show "Secret Mother" tells dirty secret of old, new rich, social climber

By Kang Hyun-kyung

The SBS TV series “Secret Mother,” which has seen smooth sailing since it premiered on May 12 with a 7.8 percent viewer rating, is Korea's “Desperate Housewives.”

Just like ABC's hit drama that aired between 2004 and 2012, “Secret Mother” features an ensemble cast and follows the lives of four housewives in Seoul's posh southern district of Gangnam. “Secret Mother” focuses on their struggles underneath their seemingly wealthy, perfect lifestyles and the ugly side of the old and the new rich.

The two dramas are also similar in that both are mystery series about the neighbors of the upper-middle class who have their own secrets.

Actress Song Yun-ah plays psychiatrist in the SBS TV series “Secret Mother.” / Korea Times file

Unlike “Desperate Housewives,” however, “Secret Mother” features revenge as a consistent topic that runs through entire episodes.

Lee Myoung-chun, a Chung-Ang University professor, said continuation is one of the striking differences between the Korean and American TV series.

In the typical U.S. TV series, he said each episode tends to feature a different topic and there's no consistent one that continues throughout the entire series.

As opposed to the American drama, he said the Korean TV series features a dominant topic and each episode is part of the entire storyline. Accordingly, Lee said viewers are anxious to see what will be next and that's why some say Korean dramas are addictive.

Unlike “Desperate Housewives” in which the four neighbors on the fictional street of Wisteria Lane have no other bonds, the four women in “Secret Mother” have a bond formed through their children of the same age. Their children are third graders at the fictional private elementary school of “Myeongmun” or the Prestigious and thus the four women are competitors having conflicts of interest.

Beginning with the tragic death of teaching nanny Lisa Kim, “Secret Mother” takes the form of a thriller and has no narrator, which marks another difference from “Desperate Housewives.”

Set on a luxury southern Gangnam street, the SBS Saturday primetime drama revolves around two female characters_ Song Yun-ah who plays psychiatrist Kim Yun-jin, and Kim So-yeon as mysterious teaching nanny Lisa Kim.

In the drama, Song has the total package. Born with a silver spoon in her mouth, she has an able, perfect family man as her husband. Her life has been flawless until she lost her daughter Min-ji a year ago. Min-ji was killed after being kidnapped by one of Song's patients who is Lisa's older sister. The death of the little girl tears Song's life apart. Originally the mother of two children spends the year bitterly blaming herself. The flashback of the moment when her little girl was last seen haunts and torments her. Her guilt toward her little daughter causes her to have a pathetic obsession for her now only child.

Lisa, hiding her identity and introducing herself as a Stanford University graduate, becomes a teaching nanny for Song's third grade son. She has a single-minded goal to find her missing sister _ Song's patient. Through a private detective she hires, Kim comes to learn her sister, who worked as a “top 10 percent girl,” slang referring to a high-end prostitute, was last seen at Song's hospital. Her doctor refused to give her mentally sick patient suffering depression and bipolar personality disorder further medical assistance.

Lisa remains suspicious of Song for her possible involvement in her older sister's disappearance and is determined to dig out what happened on the day when her sister was last seen.

The 12th episode of “Secret Mother” which aired Saturday had a 7 percent viewer rating, a reasonably high figure given severe competition among TV series.

The series is realistic and entertaining as it touches on topics that relate to many viewers.

“Secret Mother” gives audiences a sneak peek into the insane education craze, particularly rich citizens' blind financial and mental investment in their children's education. Parents do anything necessary to help their children achieve higher academic performances.

Couples put their children's education ahead of family relationships.

Ji-woo's mom, for example, agrees with her husband to go through a fake divorce to help their son take advantage of perks for children from single parents in the selection of students for the middle school for gifted students. Ji-woo's parents hope their son will enter medical school and for this they are determined to sacrifice all, even their marriage.

The TV show features the old and the new rich, as well as a social climber, showing that the “upper-class” consists of various people, including those who have a past they want to hide.

Chae-rin's mother is a social climber who successfully “laundered” her past of being a high-end prostitute through marriage. She is a gold digger, married to a rich older man owning several buildings, and lives a high-end life through the enormous rental fees he gathers every month from his tenants.

The mother feels mounting pressure after Lisa Kim appears in her neighborhood because Lisa knows her past as her sister worked with her at a high-end bar in the southern port city of Busan.

The characters have their own secrets which Lisa knows and after Lisa's tragic death following her “fall” from the top of a high-rise building, all four of the women are questioned by investigators.

Seo Young-hee, who plays Su-min's mom and a Gangnam native, has her own secret, too. She separated from her husband after he had an affair with her secretary. Seo has no intention to divorce him at the moment as she doesn't want her son to suffer the consequences. One day she finds herself falling in love with the young, good-looking coach of her son's swimming class. Her accidental affair with the young man is spotted by Lisa in the underground parking lot, which makes Seo nervous about Lisa.

Lisa knowing of their secrets makes her vulnerable to crime as the four housewives want to shut her up. The investigators are seeking the truth surrounding Lisa's death by questioning the four housewives regarding their motives to murder the mysterious nanny.