The Good Bad Mother

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Synopsis

Jin Young Soon runs a pig farm and raises her son alone after her husband’s death. Now all grown up, Choi Kang Ho is a prosecutor, but his relationship with his mother is estranged. One day, he gets into an accident. He goes back to being a child and to his hometown under his mother’s care.

My Opinion (No Spoiler)

What a beautiful drama! The Good Bad Mother is the perfect mix between heart- wrenching moments and lighthearted comedy scenes. All actors/actresses are credible and capable of conveying a myriad of emotions. On top of that, the plot is amazingly written with a good amount of romance and action following a red thread from the get-go: the mother-son relationship. Many scenes are relatable in a sense that all characters behave in a certain way that is understandable and justified. I literally felt empathetic towards all of them, though I didn’t always condone their actions. But isn’t it how life works? To me The Good Bad Mother is an ode to motherhood that has the capacity to depict real life situations with so much sincerity that it can only move your heart (even hearts made of stone)! As if motherly love were not enough, you also get enough romance between the leads. There’s literally nothing to criticize with this drama. I just recommend you watch it right away!

Analysis

• Motherhood, the centerpiece of the drama
  Jin Young Soon and Choi Kang Ho
  Lee Mi Joo and her twins
  Jung Geum Ja and Lee Mi Joo
  Park Sung Ae and Bang Sam Sik
• Other parent-children relationships
• The village and its community
• Farming
• Kang Ho’s disability
• The romance
• Taking down injustice
• Acting performance

Motherhood, the centerpiece of the drama: The drama focuses on a red thread which is the mother-son relationship between Young Soon and Kang Ho. The plot puts at the center motherhood and tackles the topic through a variety of configurations. Despite the differences, all relationships converge towards the same point: The love of the mothers for their children. Whether it’d be with simple daily gestures or through great actions, all of these women consider their kids as their treasure who require their protection. Even if it means pushing them into a corner sometimes. The Good Bad Mother is an ode to motherhood that deserves its self-explanatory title.

Jin Young Soon and Choi Kang Ho: Jin Young Soon (Ra Mi Ran) has led quite the difficult life. First, she became an orphan early on in life after the death of both her parents. She then found love in the person of Choi Hae Sik (Cho Jin Woong). They quickly got married and pregnant. Unfortunately, Hae Sik was murdered after a dispute with a corrupt CEO over his farm and land. Pregnant Young Soon lost everything and had to start from scratch in Jou-Ri Village. Though she was rejected by her neighbors at first, she managed to tie strong bonds with them over the years. Having lived terrible moments and knowing how unfair the world is for the powerless – especially after losing her farm in a criminal fire incident – Young Soon has promised herself she would make her son someone important and powerful, so he could fend for himself. She become obsessed with his grades, as she wished to make him a prosecutor. This led to a series of misunderstandings between mother and son. Choi Kang Ho (Lee Do Hyun) spent his entire childhood and adolescence obeying his mother, imprisoned in a cage he could not escape. He would not be allowed to eat more than a certain amount of food, could not go out and enjoy his free time like any other ordinary kid, and was put under a lot of pressure. This ill-treatment resulted in an estranged relationship between mother and son that seems hard to mend at the beginning of the drama.

To be honest, I sometimes had issues accepting Young Soon’s behavior. I understood that she was traumatized by the events she went through and didn’t want her son to suffer from such things either. However, the way she demonstrated her love and affection were wrong to me. She trained and pushed her son to the limit thinking it was for his own good. Though the result was positive, the means to satisfy the end are arguable. Even when Choi Kang Ho has his accident, she continues to push him to make him speak, walk and become the man he used to be. Some scenes were heartbreaking such as when she throws a disabled Kang Ho into the water, so he would swim and learn how to use his legs again. All in all, Jin Young Soon is probably the most complex character of the drama. She would do anything in her power to protect Kang Ho because he’s all that she has left in the world. But the way she does it is definitely questionable. The only thing I could think of while watching her is that she was really desperate to make her son better. However, that despair transpired brutally in her actions. Thankfully, Choi Kang Ho is an intelligent man. As a child, he had already seen how much his mother suffered from the loss of his father. He accepted her authoritarian education because he knew what she had in mind. Moreover, he was conscious that becoming a prosecutor would also serve his goal: Punish those who wronged his parents. At the end of the drama, Choi Kang Ho reveals that his estranged relationship with his mother was a decoy to get closer to his enemies and avenge himself. The end of the drama is nothing but bittersweet and beautiful. Both Young Soon and Kang Ho ask for forgiveness to the other. Young Soon dies of cancer, free of her past. While lying on her bed, Kang Ho sings her a lullaby. In her last breath she whispers ‘I’m happy’ putting an end to a long cycle of pain and suffering.

Lee Mi Joo and her twins: At the beginning of the drama, Lee Mi Joo (Ahn Eun Jin) is the single mother of twins, Lee Ye Jin (Ki So Yu) and Lee Seo Jin (Park Da On), currently raised by their grandmother. Their father is supposedly working in the US. Though both aged 5, the kids are fully aware that something’s off about their mother’s relationship with their said father. But Lee Mi Joo never admitted it. Instead, she takes on the role of both parents and treats her babies as treasures. To shield them from the truth, she’s willing to deceive and lie to her own mother and to them. However, this doesn’t change the fact that her children are always her priority. This was the case 5 years ago when she found out she was pregnant and now. It turns out that the real father is Choi Kang Ho, who unfortunately broke up with Mi Joo before even knowing she was carrying their twins. Even if she ended up along, Mi Joo refused to get an abortion. She trusted her love in Kang Ho and chose to take care of her kids. Her hard work and perseverance are rewarded at the end, after she confesses to Kang Ho that he’s the real father of Seo Jin and Ye Jin. At last, they can become the happy family they deserve to be.

Jung Geum Ja and Lee Mi Joo: Just like Mi Joo with her kids, Jung Geum Ja (Kang Mal Geum) considers Mi Joo’s happiness as her priority. Indeed, she lost her husband early on and chose to devote herself to her daughter. That’s why, she accepted her grandchildren with open arms and never interrogated Mi Joo about the father’s identity. Even if she sometimes bumped heads with Mi Joo, she always gave in and let her make her own decisions. In the end of the drama, Mi Joo has a genuine conversation with her mother on the phone during which she thanks her for everything she’s done. She also tells her she’s an amazing mother and wish to act like her towards her own children. She’s her motherly role model. This simple but authentic discussion brought tears in my eyes.

Park Sung Ae and Bang Sam Sik: Park Sung Ae (Seo Yi Sook) has really been through a lot because of her reckless son Bang Sam Sik (Yoo In Soo). Arrested several times, he went to jail for theft. On top of that, Sam Sik has always managed to put himself and his parents in difficult situations by either stealing or getting himself into debts. Anyone else would have given up on this gentle, but clumsy soul. However, Sung Ae is more than resilient and would do anything for Sam Sik. As a mother, she can’t stand to see him get into trouble and goes to huge lengths to rescue him all the time. A real proof of the love she has for her son.

Other parent-children relationships: If the relationships of the village families are full of love, it’s definitely not the case for other characters. Oh Tae Soo (Jung Woong In) for instance treats his daughter Oh Ha Young (Hong Bi Ra) as a pawn he can use or dispose of easily. That’s exactly what happens when Tae Soo forces Ha Young to drug Kang Ho, so he would die in a so-called car accident. I really felt empathetic towards Ha Young at some point in the drama. She’s been manipulated and deceived by her own father. It was also obvious she felt guilty about what she had done to Kang Ho. Hence her slow descent into hell (taking pills, going to a psychiatric hospital…). Unfortunately, Oh Tae Soo only wants to satisfy his personal agenda and ambitions. So, everything that stands on his way has to be eliminated, children included. Hence the murder of his secretary/mistress Hwang Soo Hyun (Ki Eun Se) who got pregnant with his son. To protect his reputation as a politician, he chose to have both of them killed. Oh Ha Young eventually repents herself at the end by standing witness against her father, while the latter’s crimes are uncovered and punished.

Another fake parent-children relationship is that formed by CEO Song Woo Byeok (Choi Moo Sung) and Choi Kang Ho. When the prosecutor decides to join hands with the corrupt CEO, he becomes his ‘adopted son’. This is an ironic twist, as Song Woo Byeok murdered Kang Ho’s father; and Kang Ho himself is using this relationship as a means to get his revenge.

The village and its community: Although the village inhabitants started by rejecting Young Soon when she first arrived, they ended up embracing her warmly. Each woman turned into a friend and support when things were hard for Young Soon. I really appreciated to see the solidarity and camaraderie that are typical to villages in dramas. It’s a very specific microcosm which is hard to be a part of, but that proves to be tightly bound when one of the members is in need of help. Each neighbor has its own eccentric ways: The lady with the masks who is the daughter of a famous yakuza for example, or the failed singer/artist who shows he has a heart somewhere, or even the new farmers who pretend they grow lettuce as a cover (they are the CEO’s men keeping an eye on Kang Ho). The drama displays this bond at Young Soon’s funeral. While mourning, Kang Ho receives a call on his mother’s phone. Her ringtone says ‘I’m happy’, a sentence that Kang Ho starts singing in loving memory of his mother, quickly followed by the rest of the community. No matter what happens, you can be sure that your neighbors have your back.

Farming: One of the main themes of the drama is of course farming, more specifically pig farming. Jin Young Soon owns a pig farm and treats her animals like her kids. Through this character, we get to see more of this agricultural world that was unknown to me to be perfectly honest. Though we only get some glimpses here and there, I really appreciated how they blended the presence of pigs – and the farm – into the general framework of the story. Here are some examples:
– Young Soon and her husband’s demise started because of their pig farm
– Young Soon referred several times to how clean pigs are, but are often considered dirty because they are forced to live in dirty places. This is a good comparison with the world we live in. You are clean and pure at first, but if you are surrounded by corrupt people, you are more inclined to become one of them.
– Choi Kang Ho managed to get his memory back when his farm is set on fire (again)
– The piglet is the only survivor the bloodbath when the pig flu forces authorities to slaughter all animals. The piglet may be weak, like 7-year old Kang Ho in his wheelchair, but he’s a fighter.
– The piglet also happens to be reunite Mi Joo and Kang Ho, when it chooses to run away.
– It also becomes the ring-bearer when Kang Ho proposes to Mi Joo in the last episode.
– The farm is the link between Young Soon and Kang Ho. It represents his mother, her hard work and is a legacy for Kang Ho and his family. It is also a symbol of fresh start because Kang Ho quits as a prosecutor and takes over the pig farm.

Kang Ho’s disability: Motherhood, farming, but also disability are at the heart of the story. When Kang Ho suffers from his accident, his return is quite difficult. He’s first in a coma, but what comes after proves to be even harder. He can’t move his legs, and has forgotten how to speak at the very beginning. He refuses to eat due to the traumatic memories stuck in his 7-year old brain when his mother would prohibit him from finishing his meal (so he wouldn’t fall asleep during study time). By re-learning how to speak and how to walk, Choi Kang Ho portrays the fight of many people who need to live this difficult journey in the real world. His physical state is also a second chance for Young Soon to raise her son all over again the way she would’ve, had she not been so focused on making him powerful. It’s somehow a way to redeem herself and create good memories with her son before she dies.

The romance: There is no doubt Kang Ho and Mi Joo were meant to be together. They were born at the same place, the same day, at the same time. They grew up together and fell in love in high school. Choi Kang Ho even sacrificed his CSAT to rush to the hospital with Mi Joo after her motorbike accident. They spent years together as a couple, living together and supporting each other through their respective studies. The love and trust they have for each other is truly heartwarming and beautiful. Even after the break-up, Mi Joo keeps her faith in Kang Ho. I believe the most beautiful narrative of the drama is how 7-year old Kang Ho falls in love again with Mi Joo. Even after the accident, and after forgetting their common past, he’s still drawn to her. As if fate had brought them back together. The numerous symbols of their love are too cute to get over: The pinky with nail polish, the square root to say I love you on Kang Ho’s tie…

Taking down injustice: It seems as if Choi Kang Ho had but one mission as a prosecutor throughout his life: Arrest and punish Choi Tae Soo and Song Woo Byeok. It may have taken him years to do so, but he eventually fulfilled his mission in the last episode by leading an epic trial against these two devils. Now that his goal is completed, Kang Ho can move on to a new life.

Acting performance: I don’t think I need to go into too much details on this part. The acting performance is simply top-notch! Lee Do Hyun, Ra Mi Ran and Ahn Eun Jin are particular excellent in their role. Yoo In Soo is also quite the bridge between the melodramatic atmosphere embodied by the trio and the comedic vibe. This drama will make you cry, then laugh, then probably do both at the same time.