“The Good Bad Mother” brings satisfaction to the audience.
“The Good Bad Mother” starts with a tragic opening. More than 35 years ago, pig farm owner Choi Hae Sik got married to a hardworking woman Jin Young Soon (Ra Mi Ran). They were living days of joy while expecting their firstborn child when bad things set in.
Kang Ho’s father put many dreams in him and hoped that Kang Ho could achieve greatness. Yet, Choi Hae Sik was tragically killed and his death was faked to be a suicide.
Young Soon was thrown into an ordeal while carrying Kang Ho: to grieve the death of her spouse and raise her son all by herself.
After the death of her husband, Young Soon turned cold and harsh. She forced her son to study and prohibited him from going on picnics with friends. He never had good meals because, as Young Soon said, a full belly would make him fall asleep and lose concentration.
Whatever Kang Ho wanted to do, Young Soon burned it with her own hands. All she wanted was that Kang Ho could become a successful prosecutor so that he would not have to live a dreadful life like her.
It reached a breaking point when Young Soon broke Kang Ho and Lee Mi Joo (Ahn Eun Jin) apart so that the romance would not derail him from success.
In the end, Kang Ho realized his mother’s dream. He became a successful prosecutor and even brought a beautiful girlfriend with a wealthy background back home to introduce to her.
When Young Soon thought her life was changing for the better, Kang Ho broke the news that he would cut ties with her for good so that he could become the son of CEO Song, the same person who murdered his biological father.
Out of the blue, a tragic accident prevented Kang Ho from going through with his plans and did something to his head. He has a mind of a 7-year-old boy and is in need of Young Soon’s care and nurturing.
The rehabilitation process was difficult, but it helped everyone find the things they lost. Young Soon recently found a memory card and learnt that Kang Ho turned cold to avenge his father’s death. Kang Ho got a second chance at receiving motherly love that was absent from his early life. Moreover, Kang Ho and Mi Joo found their way back together and made up for lost time.
“The Good Bad Mother” did a great job building its characters and connecting them with strong logic. The emotions were conveyed in balance and entirety.
Two “shades” run in parallel and contrast with each other. The darker shade resembles Kang Ho’s struggles against the evil forces that ruined his family. The brighter one represents the love, happiness, and playfulness that Kang Ho receives from his mother, Mi Joo, and the twins now that he has the mind of a 7-year-old kid.
The main cast brings about impressive acting performances. Lee Do Hyun stood out the most for switching between a morally grey, troubled prosecutor and a mindless, playful 7-year-old child.
With a stable performance, hopefully “The Good Bad Mother can maintain the momentum until the end.
Source: K14
