The Good Bad Mother (2023)

Heartwarming but also confusing

I’ll keep this review shortish but I just finished this show after dropping it midway through when it was airing.

Overall the first 60% of this show (8 episodes) is incredibly weak to the point you could literally watch episodes 1 and 2 then skip everything else until episode 9 and it would honestly improve the show. It starts of with one of the best first episodes I’ve seen in a K-Drama, pulling at your heartstrings and setting the tone for the show but then soon after the vibe completely switches and it feels like it’s a comedy all of a sudden.

There’s no meaningful plot or character development in the first half and while the plot finally gets going after episode 9 the character development does not. They did a good job showing how Kang Ho’s mom abused him growing up, something I’m sure a lot of kids can relate to, but then she does the same when he’s disabled which okay, fair enough maybe there will be a redemp….nevermind there isn’t. Both Young Soon and Kang Ho never truly have a heart to heart to reconcile the abuse which he was receiving pretty much until the end, the show even attempts to justify it as if throwing a disabled person into water every day isn’t horrifying. The trauma and mental health issues don’t get resolved and instead they move onto the “she’s terminally ill” plot to garner sympathy.

As the show went on the villagers grew on me but they were so bad the first half, random plots where they “turn” against her and some side conflicts which were so unnecessary to the actual story. This is a large part of why the first half sucked.

I think the tough part for me with this show is the title likes to imply that the mom is deeply flawed, and while they do show these flaws they try to justify them or downplay them which is where the huge issue arises. The more interesting part for me was the criminal aspect of the drama as well as Mijoo and Kang Ho’s interactions and relationship. Up until the horrible court scene at the end they actually wrote a better crime plot than 99% of crime dramas.

I gave this show a 7.5 for picking up strong in the last several episodes which is honestly the opposite of your average K-Drama. It could have been greatly improved by taking a more serious tone, similar to My Mister perhaps, and having more character development for the mother.

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Such a great drama!

This drama is really a masterpiece, especially because of Lee Do Hyun’s brilliant and convincing acting. I loved every single episode. There are a lot of flashbacks in this drama, but they really help to understand the characters’ choices and behavior.
The story is pretty interesting and it mainly focuses on the mother and her son and their relationship. The side characters are also quite funny and often function as a kind of comic relief in tense situations. I have to point out the two twins here, they’re really adorable.

Once again, Lee Do Hyun. I was completely captivated by the portrayal of Kangho. I’ve watched quite a lot of dramas, but his acting stands out.
The sad thing is that I will never experience the excitement of watching this drama for the first time again. But there will be many rewatch sessions :)
I absolutely recommend this drama!

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Wonderful

The Good Bad Mother is one of those rare dramas that captures your heart right from the very start and doesn’t let it go till the final credits are rolling around before your eyes. It virtually covers every emotion, humour, joy, grief, horror and finally deep satisfaction until you feel like you’ve been on a roller coaster but you loved it that much you want to get back on and go through it all over again. It’s a true work of art and everyone involved put their heart and soul into making it the remarkable production that it is. I can’t recommend it more highly so do yourself a favour and watch it 10/10 ♥️💫♥️

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1 ano e meio...

Demorei um ano e meio para finalmente começar a assistir a um dorama incrível. Não me arrependo nem por um segundo, mas confesso que gostaria de tê-lo descoberto antes.

O que torna essa história tão especial é que ela vai muito além do romance. É um mix envolvente de drama, ação, suspense e outros gêneros, todos perfeitamente entrelaçados para criar uma trama única e emocionante.

1. História
Sinto uma felicidade genuína ao encontrar um drama que se desvia do típico romance bobo e previsível. Gosto de histórias que retratam a realidade dos relacionamentos: não apenas os momentos de amor, felicidade e paixão, mas também as dores da tristeza, raiva e decepção. E foi exatamente isso que encontrei nessa trama — uma narrativa que aborda essas nuances não apenas nos relacionamentos românticos, mas também nas dinâmicas familiares e de amizade.

A história da mãe, que projeta sua sede de justiça e vingança na vida do filho, é um dos pontos centrais dessa obra. Essa busca desenfreada, guiada por suas próprias feridas e emoções, culmina em decepções e ressentimentos profundos. Sua atitude, por mais compreensível que seja em seu contexto, acaba corroendo o relacionamento mais precioso do drama: o vínculo entre mãe e filho. Esse é o verdadeiro cerne da história — o sentimento de pertencimento, de ter uma família e, ao mesmo tempo, perder isso devido a escolhas mal direcionadas.

Vi muitos espectadores comentarem que não seriam capazes de perdoar a mãe pelos seus atos, e é fácil entender essa perspectiva. Contudo, a trama faz um trabalho magnífico ao explorar temas como redenção e perdão, mostrando que, mesmo nas circunstâncias mais difíceis, esses sentimentos podem surgir e transformar vidas. É uma história poderosa que nos faz refletir sobre os desafios e as complexidades das relações humanas.

O perdão, nesta história, foi muito mais do que um simples ato de desculpar. Ele se tornou um instrumento de cura, capaz de alcançar e tratar feridas profundas e duradouras, enraizadas na alma daqueles que carregaram o peso do sofrimento. Foi um processo transformador, que não apenas reconciliou os personagens, mas também lhes deu a oportunidade de recomeçar, livres das dores e mágoas que os aprisionavam.

2. Atuação
Impecável. Não há nada que eu possa criticar ou sequer questionar. Cada ator entregou uma performance tão convincente que fui capaz de sentir, em cada cena, todas as emoções transmitidas: felicidade, tristeza, raiva, decepção e tantas outras. O que mais me marcou foi a intensidade com que a dor e a tristeza foram expressas, muitas vezes apenas pelo olhar. Isso me emocionou profundamente em inúmeras cenas, reforçando o quanto esse drama se tornou especial para mim.

Eu também não consigo deixar de pensar na mãe de Kang Ho e no quanto desejei que ela tivesse mais tempo para aproveitar a vida após receber o perdão de seu filho. Para ela, acredito que esse momento representava tudo o que mais importava. A jornada dessa personagem foi linda e dolorosa ao mesmo tempo: sua luta para entender os erros cometidos na criação de Kang Ho, perceber como suas projeções e expectativas acabaram levando a um desfecho terrível — vamos admitir, foi devastador. Contudo, acompanhar sua busca por redenção, seu processo de autocompreensão e o caminho até o perdão foi simplesmente emocionante e inesquecível.

Acredito que esse drama merecia mais — pelo menos 16 episódios. Ter mais tempo para explorar aquela linda família que se formou teria sido incrível. Gostaria de ter visto o desenvolvimento da relação entre pai e filhos, o cotidiano deles casados, vivendo juntos em Joo-ri, construindo uma vida plena e significativa.

Assistir a essa história me levou a reflexões profundas. Ela retrata, de forma clara e impactante, como o arrependimento pode ser necessário para enfrentarmos nossos erros e os desafios que nos cercam. A jornada de Kang Ho e sua mãe foi um exemplo poderoso disso, mostrando que, através do arrependimento, é possível encontrar clareza para seguir em frente.

O drama também reforça a importância do perdão como um caminho para alcançar felicidade e paz de espírito. Mesmo quando sentimentos como raiva e decepção nos fazem hesitar em conceder esse perdão a quem nos feriu, no fim, é algo que pode valer muito a pena. Pelo menos, é nisso que eu acredito — e espero.

Enfim, uma lição linda de se assistir. Impecável!
Brasil, Rio de Janeiro. Às 22:28.

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To be a good mother is not that easy....

I really liked the storyline of this drama. It made me reconsider my relationshipp with my own mother, it made me think about how much we children often forget about all the sacrifices our parents made for us... In today 's world, it is really not easy to raise a child, to give him proper eductaion not just instruction.
Parents are not perfect, they were not born parents, they learn along the way, they make mistakes, everybody makes mistakes, most important we need to acknowledge our mistakes and ask for forgiveness.

I loved the courage of the mother, the warmth of the villagers, the unconditionnal love between two lovers....
And last take home message, at least for me, to archieve revenge is not an easy task, are we really ready to deceive or leave behind our loved ones just to archieve justice? was it worth it? maybe yes, or maybe no.....

I actually struggled to finish this drama, i got bored somehow in the middle and i had to forced myself to finish it, they were also some unecessary characters that could have easily been taken out without it affecting the drama, hence the 8/10.

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showing affection towards all living beings...

This show has a well written psychological foundation and covers many situations from every day problems to huge tragic events. The actors are fantastic and the storyline is well balanced between heartfelt episodes and action. The characters are convincingly developed. But what I really missed was the fulfilment of the trailer and the mother's description of humans treating animals in a bad way: if she has this strong intuition, why does she not make it possible for her pigs to roam outside? Is this a metaphor of her not liberating herself from societal constraints? How is it possible that she feels with them, even comparing humans and pigs, and not taking into consideration their situation where they can't even walk around? This I did not understand. I find here interesting aspects of critizicing urban lifestyles while maintaining so called traditional (industrial) behaviour.

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impactante e transformador

the good bad mother além de prometer uma história ótima (e nos entregar algo ainda melhor), nos promove reflexões sobre a vida, sociedade e amigos, sobre as nossas relações cotidianas, sobre a beleza de ser grato e viver no aqui e agora, de sermos mais flexíveis, ouvir mais, amar mais, perdoar mais, lidar com nosso passado e com nossas responsabilidades perante os outros, é sobre escolher agir de forma justa e valorosa.
atuações aqui são de altíssimo nível, em todos os núcleos, desde os mais dramáticos até os mais pastelões.
músicas? marcantes, emocionantes e necessárias.
tudo nesse dorama é excelente, tem um 10 garantido comigo!
se recomendo? tanto que não sei nem o que você está fazendo parado aí sem começar a assistir essa preciosidade!

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Wholesome

This drama was amazing, I really enjoyed it from beginning to the end. Although the story can be predicted at time.
Disclaimer: I’m mainly focusing on Kang Hong and his mother but there are also lot of other interesting characters, relationship, and events.

Story:
"The Good Bad Mother (2023)" is a heartwarming drama that delves into the complex dynamics of a family, exploring the relationships between the main characters and the challenges they face. At its core, it highlights the transformative power of love and the pursuit of redemption.

Cast:
Main Lead (ML) - Choi Kang Ho: A very complex character who is initially seen as cold and ruthless character, and holds a lot of resentment towards his mother but is kind, empathy, and hardworking man who is devoted to his family (parents) and wants to take revenge. He carries a burden from his past and struggles to reconcile with his mother's actions.
Main Lead (FL) - Lee Mi Joo: A compassionate and understanding woman who supports ML through thick and thin. She stands as a pillar of strength for Kang ho.
ML's Mother - Jin Young Soon: A flawed and complicated character who is haunted by the death of her husband and being powerless. Hence, she is forced to be very struck with her son. However, She seeks forgiveness and redemption but struggles to make amends.

Two Adorable Kids - Lee Ye Jin and Lee Seo Jin: ML and FL's children, who bring joy, innocence, and confidence to the show dynamic.
The rest of the character were also great and unique in their own ways. All of them were truly relatable characters. The good and bad mother was focus on all of the family in the show

Ending:
As the series progresses, the audience witnesses the transformative journeys of the characters.
Young Soon embarks on a path of self-reflection and seeks to make amends for her past actions (being super strict). Through her persistent efforts, she begins to repair her relationship with her son and becomes a source of support and guidance for him.

The drama concludes with a hopeful note, highlighting the power of forgiveness and the strength of familial bonds. It has a profound message about the complexities of motherhood, the capacity for growth, and the enduring power of love.

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A mother can be a good, and a bad one.

From it’s beginning till the end, this drama never disappoints until the end! I love how this drama is all known to kdrama fans and I never regretted to watch this first other than the ongoing kdramas that has no similarities with the story of the good bad mother. Also, from the name itself I do agree that Kang Ho’s mother, Young Soo might not be that perfect mother the same as my own mother. A mother can be a good and at the same time a bad mother but in different ways and it’s aspects to consider. Including of how for me as a kdrama fan, it was a better way to start this drama and this might be one of my favorite comforting kdramas I’ve watched, including summer strike, TFTW, and others :’). I might take longer to take note with regards to this drama, because I would consider this as one of the greatest masterpieces and so far confirming as one of the best mother-son/daughter relationships. I’ll go with the plot/story and the cast/characters.


STORY/PLOT
The story starts off with A single mother, Jin Young Soon who owns a pig farm in a small village who raised his only son, Choi Kang Ho. After her husband’s death due to fighting for justice with regards to their traumatic past from burning their old piggery farm from an well-known suspect during the 1980’s, her mother lose hope from her husband and disciplined his son Kang Ho while growing up and gaining his power as he graduated as a top student and one of the prosecutors in the court. As he turned a cold-hearted prosecutor, he and his mother discover slowly their past as Kang Ho dive deeper with his connections from his clients that are high positioned leaders in a company and challenged to politics and power. With an unexpected accident came from him, he returns from his hometown. On the other hand, Kang Ho’s childhood friend and schoolmate Mi Joo who was known from a soft hearted, kind a strong sense of justice, also reconnected with Kang Ho from his recent accident, unfolding the secret both has. Kang Ho goes back, slowly recovers until he slowly remembers everything he has been through, including his past relationships from his old village he grew up, with her mother taking care of him and together as both and their friendly neighbors fight and supported one another, making a strong relationship with each and one of them. My tears are worth it actually :’))

Phew, this was so long to type a note from the story to be explained further for the sake of my future self to rewatch this wonderfully made series!! I love the story, the flow of the story was well made, including the great character developments that the writer also added. I also liked the cliffhangs of the few episodes that made me think twice of watching the next series asap! No flaws to begin with, great chemistry from the cast and their friendship-relationships that connects their way of living each and every one of them with many purposes. A good 14-episode kdrama series, with no unnecessary flaws and plot holes, just loved the drama so much with less explanations!!


CAST/CHARACTERS
First and foremost, I really love their casting so much!! It’s that I have less things to say but to summarize their great acting skills, I do believe most of them has great potential to discover and enter different leading roles that can help their careers to be well recognized!! A big thanks to the casts, whether leading and supporting casts who did their best they can and leaving me with tears till the end :’) Not ending my note here, but I’ll thanked the most recognized actors and actresses who shined so much from their roles itself. Also, never forgetti the two gurads even if their mission was leading them to despair, they were on Kang Ho's side :'>

Starting off, Ra Mi ran as Jin Young Soon also known from the title itself, the Good Bad Mother. I love her so much from her role!! My very first kdrama encounter from this drama and her acting feels surreal!! She has potential as well to be part of the different type of roles in her future projects! Less thing to say to her since it’s my first time seeing her. But with her character, she’s kinda disappointing, but at the same time as a hardworking and a single mother, we cannot blame a mother’s love for her only son :’) Rooting for her future endeavors and her future kdrama projects she would be casted soon! Might dive in to her past kdramas!!

With Lee Do Hyun as Choi Kang Ho, the prosecutor. I really love how we was part from the casting. I cannot believe that he also did well with this drama and love the way he acts from his chosen project, which is this including his character. Well known from his big roles from The Glory 1 and 2, Youth of May and 18 again. My very first encounter was from the drama Clean with Passion for Now and Hotel del Luna (I cannot remember which one I saw him from his role but so far, these both are). He was proving himself with so much potential! From supporting roles from both kdramas until becoming his few well known leading roles, he can be anything!! Hoping I could see him more with villain roles. His character is sweet and loving, also Kang Ho never disappoints from the beginning. All In all, he was a promising actor and ever since youth of May, I already added him as one of my favorite actors. Rooting for him!!

Ahn Eun Jin as Lee Mi Joo the soft-hearted childhood friend turned lover of Kang Ho. Ever since my first encounter from a kdrama series The One and Only, from that role itself I already could see so much improvement and knowing that she was a good actress from portraying her character with her emotions. She was also one of my favorite actresses as well. Mi Joo was a loving character that she never disappoints from the beginning until the end of the story :’) But I also felt bad that she had a hard time recovering her deepest pain from Kang Ho :< Rooting for her especially how I wish she could enter different role this time :’)

Last but not the least, the funniest friend and enemy of Kang Ho, Bang Sam Sik portrayed by Yoo In Soo. Ever since my first kdrama from him from at eighteen, all of us are dead as the villain zombie and AOS 1 and 2 from his well-recognized characters from the last 2 kdramas I saw from him, he was really good as well. But I do hope I could see a role like from Lee Do Hyun itself but he was really improving!! His character also was a good but a mean one from Kang Ho until he was protecting and saving them from danger haha. To conclude his short comment from this drama, really love his roles that I have watched including this, and hoping he could show more of his emotions to his future roles. Rooting for him as well! (ESPECIALLY UNCANNY COUNTER 2 AS A LEADING ROLE! 😊 )

Overall, this was a good watch!! Very recommended to beginners who wanted a comforting kdrama to watch, really great for time kill and binge-watching! Also depending of my decision in the future, rewatching can be optional since there are a lot of things happened that surprised me as well. This is the end of the note, one of the greatest masterpiece that everyone should watch a good mother-son relationship!! <33

Rooting for the casts future drama projects to come! One, two, three… Piggy!!!

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AMAZING :)!

I loved everything of this K-drama from the story to the acting of every character (actor) to the music and OMG the PLOT TWISTS, they just left me stunned and I was amazed how the story and the characters devolved even better than I would ever imagined. Everything made sense, every of my questions where answered and revealed not too late and not too soon it was just perfectly connected and placed throughout the series and just made me more and more excited to watch the next episode and what would come with it, what would happen next and so on. It made me ponder and reflect on myself since I personally think it fits my life and thoughts very much. I‘m so happy I got the chance to have watched this series since it comforted me quite much and amazed me in every way. There wasn’t a scene for me that I couldn’t have understand, it‘s just SATISFYING. I know some like the opportunity for an open ending as to think of ways how it could have ended but this series gives us clues of how it will continue and even without them each individual is so strongly portrayed that we wouldn’t have needed them but it verifies our thoughts on it of how it’s going to turn out and we can still think of other opportunities of it’s following events. It has an amazing build-up from start to end and I’m also glad it wasn’t too short (I think 14 Episodes is very nicely and compact for the duration of it’s story). It had everything in it for me personally and I would say that they didn’t leave out any important aspects and also didn’t add too many unnecessary information for us either. I also search up the K-Drama with its casts and crew members after I’m done watching. Just gets better by seeing bts (behind the scenes) and I was even more overjoyed of how talented actors I know from other series too (wich I recently found out), have participated in this K-drama. Even after watching it I still listen to the ost (original sound tracks) of this series since I always feel better by hearing it and vibe to it. There’s so much much much… more that I could have said but I think it’s enough already ^^ so yeah, if I could’ve given it more than 10 than it would’ve definitely be much more OVER 10 <3!! A big recommendation from me :)) and a big thanks of make it this far. Lots of love to the whole cast and crew members and the K-drama itself FROM ME OFC (of course) ;) and to readers too :>

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이따 만나 !

I have very little to say. I think everyone said everything already. And it is not overrated.

The last korean drama before this that was so impactful and as good as this one was Extraordinary Attorney Woo. And we are always grateful for great dramas.

Just a little note to say that to me, Ra Mi Ran’s performance is not praised enough and never will. People have no idea how hard it is to play her character. To me she was more a main character than Lee Do Hyun in a way (even if we are not here to compare) I think she deserves so much !

이따 만나 !

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Best from My List so far: Perfect Blend of Sadness, Comedy, Revenge, and Romance – No Cringe!

I thoroughly enjoyed the show; it had me in tears. A perfect blend of comedy, sentiment, sadness, revenge, and romance that wasn't too cringy (I usually avoid romance series). The emotion from the mother-son relationship was great. I'm not an experienced reviewer, and I've seen some negative reviews. However, from my perspective, this series stood out as the best from my list. There may be better versions like this, but for me, it was the best among the series I've watched.

I don't usually review; I rarely review the series that I didn't like and don't review the ones I like, just rate them. However, this series got my emotions triggered so much that it made me to write a review.

I'm searching for similar series, and I haven't had much luck finding ones that are similar to this. If anyone reading this has recommendations for similar series with a focus on parental love or related themes, please share your suggestions.

Don't spend time wondering whether to watch it or not-it's a definite yes. This series is exceptionally good, and it's one of the best I've seen in a long time.

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