In The Good Bad Mother, a woman gets a second chance to witness her son’s childhood and make things right when an accident leaves him with a mind of a child. All episodes are now streaming on Netflix.
Story
Young-soon and her husband, Hae-sik, live a happy life. When Young-soon is pregnant, Hae-sik gets involved in a court case with powerful people, which results in his death.
After her husband’s death, Young-soon leaves behind her old life and moves to a small village to start afresh. There, she gives birth to her son, Kang-ho, and befriends the villagers.
Young-soon is determined to make her son a powerful man in order to prevent him from meeting the same fate as his father. However, while doing that, she ends up snatching away the joys of childhood from him.
Kang-ho grows up to be a powerful man but not the kind of man who helps the needy. In fact, he works with and turns out to be like the people who killed his father, and Young-soon yearns for his affection the way he used to yearn for hers when he was a child.
However, Young-soon gets a chance to rectify her past mistakes when Kang-ho gets into an accident and goes back to being a seven-year-old. Young-soon can now give her son a happy childhood, but Kang-ho’s past makes it hard for them to lead a happy life.
Performances
Ra Mi-ran will make the audience love, hate, and pity Young-soon all at once. She brings out the best and the worst in Young-soon as per the requirement of the script. The audience will get to see her best performance when she breaks down in the doctor’s office; a scene that will stay with them long after the episode is over.
Then there is Lee Do-hyun, who switches between the roles of a seven-year-old and a grown-up man with such ease that it leaves the audience questioning if it is even the same actor. His expressions, dialogue delivery, and body language change entirely when Kang-ho loses his memories.
Ahn Eun-jin, who plays Mi-joo, and Yoo In-soo, who plays Sam-sik, certainly make the show better. While Mi-joo truly seems like a ray of sunshine in Kang-ho’s life, Sam-sik is the fool who never fails to bring much-needed comic relief.
One simply cannot discuss the performances in the show without mentioning Park Da-on and Ki So-yu, the child actors who play Mi-joo’s children. The two actors are so impressive that, at times, they even outshine the adults. The show would not be the same without their charm and wit.
Positives
The show’s plot is quite unique. It is not a simple story by any means but a story that deals with themes like parenting, motherhood, and ambition that outweighs morality.
The show is also about second chances. While Young-soon changes, her development takes time. She realizes that her love was misplaced, but that does not happen overnight; it takes her time to recognize all her flaws and change.
There is a close-knit village community with different kinds of people in the show. While all these characters are entertaining in their own way, it is also heartwarming to see them come together to support each other like a family, even though they fight at times and their relationships are not devoid of envy.
While Young-soon and Kang-ho are complex characters whose actions are influenced by their past, most of the villagers are as good as people can be, but they also have their own flaws, which makes them more human, relatable, and likable.
The show has a bit of everything, and it does not take the audience more than two episodes to know that and get invested in the story. There is a revenge plot, there is romance, there is drama, and there is intrigue, but it is all balanced well.
Negatives
Most of the show revolves around Kang-ho’s recovery and Young-soon’s development, and while that is not dragged out, it does not leave the show with enough space for Kang-ho’s revenge. The show has fourteen episodes, and yet the revenge part seems rushed.
Kang-ho’s revenge is anticlimactic. The show spends a long time establishing how powerful men like Chairman Song and Assemblyman Oh are, but it does not take Kang-ho more than two episodes and an overdramatic court scene to take them down.
Even Kang-ho and Mi-joo’s reconciliation is a bit underwhelming. Years of heartbreak is forgiven and forgotten in an instant once the truth comes out, and they are able to restart their story as if there had been no pause at all.
While minor characters like Mr. So and Mr. Cha make the show entertaining, others like Baek Hoon-ah seem to serve no real purpose. Baek Hoon-ah briefly creates new problems for Young-soon, but once that is over, his presence and his story seem pointless.
Verdict
The show is not perfect, but it will still make you laugh and cry with the characters. In fact, at times, it will keep you guessing what comes next. With its unique plot and complex characters, The Good Bad Mother will win your heart.
Also Read: The Good Bad Mother season 1 finale recap, review & ending explained
