This is a series involving a mother who begins to realize that her “Tiger Mom” philosophy is not the way to be an effective, loving parent and that being “strong” doesn’t mean being abusive. I’ve encountered many “tiger moms” in my job as an ESL teacher, having worked in Korea, China, and Taiwan. The most abusive parents I have ever encountered are tiger moms and the moms of the West who treat their children with indifference. Both are forms of child abuse. Believe it or not, there are worse forms of abuse than just physical.

Unfortunately, in the case of tiger moms, these are parents who demand total, complete control. They will claim that it’s being a good, loving parent when nothing could be further from the truth. These are parents who map out their children's lives and deprive them of the ability to decide anything for themselves. In short, these are parents who live vicariously through their children. They use their children to feel better about themselves. Under such parents, children rarely have the chance to even be children.

Jin Young Soon is a widowed pig farmer whose son, Kang Ho, is born shortly after her husband’s death. She immediately decides that her son should become so powerful that nobody can hurt him. She already decides that he will be a prosecutor. He is forced to study at all hours, can only eat a certain amount of food because he might get sleepy and be unable to study, and he’s never able to go on class trips. When he breaks any of these rules, he’s soundly beaten to the point of severe bruising. When he uses some time to draw, his mother tears it up. When he plays on his computer, she throws the computer into the fire. Yes, at this point, she is a truly horrible mother. Such abusive tactics are born out of fear not love.

This series throws us a series of curveballs that might be challenging to predict, which is another reason why the writing is so taut and expertly written. Kang Ho in a final outburst to his mother, decides to leave her and find a way to increase his power by marrying Oh Tae Soo’s daughter and being adopted by Song Woo Byeok as his son—the local crime boss who is also Kang Ho’s father’s murderer. Of course, nothing is as it appears to be. The viewer is left to wonder if Kang Ho has really grown up so resentful of his mother that he is willing to consort with these horrific people. Oh Tae Soo was the prosecutor who swept Kang Ho’s father’s case under the rug and now has aspirations to become Korea’s new president.

We find out later down the road that everything was a ploy in an attempt to bring down Song Woo Byeok and Oh Tae Soo, except that it backfired and nearly cost Kang Ho his life. After his attempted murder, Kang Ho’s mind is reduced to that of a child, and his memories are lost. Now back with his mother, they are both given a second chance. Kang Ho’s chance is to recover and hopefully be able to finish what he started as well as mend the bridges he’s burned. For Jin Young Soon, it’s a chance to maybe be a better mother than she was before. Much of it is a bit of trial and error as Jin Young Soon still has much to learn about how to be a good parent. She still resorts to abusive tactics, but down the road, she finally realizes how her abusive methods have hurt Kang Ho as well as others around him.

Jin Young Soon and Kang Ho live in a small, remote farming village made up of some of the quirkiest and most delightful characters you’re ever likely to encounter! Son Yong Rak (Kim Won Hae) is the village head, and this actor has a true gift for comedy. Having seen him in several other series, I smiled as soon as I saw him because I know how good he is! He’s married to a very odd, woman who is always wearing a facial mask and has a knack for saying things at the worst times.

Jung Gum Ja (Kang Mal Geum) is Jin Young Soon’s best friend and ironically has a daughter (Mi Joo) who was born at the same time as Kang Ho. Mi Joo is Kang Ho’s love interest, and it’s very heartbreaking how he leaves her in order to pursue his goal of taking down Song Woo Byeok and Oh Tae Soo, because he believes it’s too dangerous for her, but of course, he doesn’t tell her that. Little does Kang Ho realize that Mi Joo’s twins, Ye Jin and Seo Jin are, in fact, his children. This was one of the few parts of the story that wasn’t a surprise. By the way, Gi So Yoo (Ye Jin) and Park Da On (Seo Jin) are delightful little performers! What talent these two have! I enjoyed their scenes together so much, and I was amazed at how good they are!

Lastly, we have Sam Sik, who is the dimwitted son of Jin Young Soon’s neighbors. He falls in with bad crowds, gets thrown into jail, and ends up indebted to a loan shark. He’s also in love with Mi Joo, even though she has absolutely no feelings for him at all. Yoo In Soo does a fantastic job playing the funny but not very bright Sam Sik who is always in some kind of trouble. However, his heart is usually in the right place which makes him likable despite his obvious flaws.

Performances are outstanding across the board—in addition to the great performances already mentioned above—Ra Mi Ran (Jin Young Soon) is incredible, but frankly, Lee Do Hyun gives us a mesmerizing performance as Kang Ho, especially during his depiction of Kang Ho with a childlike mind. Lee Do Hyun deserves every accolade.

The series is an endearing story about the mother/son relationship, on the one hand, but it’s also a fantastic thriller as well, as we are left to wonder after the first episode, how the despicable Song Woo Byeok and Oh Tae Soo will finally be brought to justice. We also learn why Kang Ho is such a great prosecutor as he devises a perfect plan to trap them both. Kang Ho’s biggest mistake at the outset of the series is that he tries to do everything himself. The second time around, he knows that he can’t tangle with these two criminals alone. He needs help, and he gets it. And perhaps, that is one of the essences of the series: everyone needs help, even mothers as Jin Young Soon also realizes that Kang Ho’s recovery wasn’t just due to her efforts but to everyone in the village who helped.

We have a heartfelt ending in which Jin Young Soon finally succumbs to her stomach cancer, and she leaves a beautiful letter for Kang Ho, apologizing for being such a horrible mother and declaring that she will do better next time. Her last wish is to be his mother again in another life.

As children, it’s often a painful realization to know that parents aren’t perfect. There is no manual or book to help. They make mistakes. A good parent admits to their mistakes and helps their children to understand that. The best parent is one who provides their child with the freedom to be who they want to be, as well as help them create and cultivate the tools and wisdom to make the best choices for themselves. But then again, children obviously make mistakes too, and parents have to learn to be understanding and compassionate as well as to let them know: I’m always here for you if you need me.

This is a beautiful series that confirms that there is nothing so precious or comparable to a mother’s love. Make sure to let your mothers know how much you love and appreciate them.