The Good Bad Mother (2023)

Too depressing for too long for the payoff at the end

The executive summary here is that there was too much sadness and trauma for too long for the final payoff. I don't like series that give you happy only in the last 10 minutes or some such. This series did that

Others have written excellent reviews, as usual, so I'll just put a few points out there to perhaps help folks decide if this is their cup of tea.

The Good
========
- The acting!

Ra Mi Ran is great as the mother, although the role was really annoying to watch.

The twins were, as everyone said, adorable.

Ahn Sun Jin was fantastic, We watched this series because of her, after seeing her in Hospital Playlist.

- The few, and unfortunately only a few, funny moments were done well.

The Not So Good
=============
- As noted, too sad for too long. We needed more of the happy times with Mi-Joo and Kong-Ho after the trauma was (mostly) resolved.

- Not enough Ms. Ahn! She is great and we did not see enough of her in this series.

- Something about Young-soon's mourning was just off. I can't place my finger on it, but that scene just did not work.

- The side characters were too over the top. For a very serious series, they may have wanted some comic relief , but it was often out of place.

Recommendation
==============
This is actually hard to recommend, which really bums me out. But if you are looking to being bummed for the great majority of the series, and need a big dose of sadness, this may be for you

Leia Mais

An Emotional Masterpiece

“There’s a saying, ‘A mother can replace anything in this world. But nothing can replace a mother.'” – Mr. Son

"The Good Bad Mother" is an absolute masterpiece! From the very first episode, this captivating drama leaves a lasting impression. The perfectly balanced pace keeps viewers engaged, with never a dull moment. The meticulous storytelling ensures every scene contributes to the emotional impact.

At its heart is the intricate relationship between a mother and her son. Kangho's character development is a tour de force, showcasing his growth, joys, traumas, and love for drawing. Youngsoon's flawed yet vulnerable portrayal evokes empathy. The well-rounded, relatable characters are a rare feat.

The supporting characters shine individually, contributing to the tapestry of emotions and genres. The exceptional acting immerses you in the story, with special mention given to the adorable twins. Their talent and potential are remarkable.

This show explores the depths of imperfect motherhood, sacrifice, redemption, and the enduring bond between parent and child. It's a triumph in storytelling, acting, and emotional impact. Prepare for a journey of love, forgiveness, and a connection that will stay with you. Bravo to the entire team behind this exceptional drama!

Leia Mais

Never a dull moment

I loved way more about this than I didn't.
The very few gripes are honestly not worth mentioning.
Fabulous cast, many actors/tresses I love, all of whom played their characters so well.
It is quirky at times; the character of
Young-rak's wife is totally off the wall. I loved her! Her outspokenness made for some really funny scenes and, at times, not low level discomfort too.
I so felt for Kang-ho and as his story was revealed, thought him so brave. Lee Do-hyun portrayed him excellently.
There were many scenes that made for a tough watch. How cold, heartless and thoroughly evil some of the characters were.
Those were tempered by opposites, however, and that prevented this drama from becoming overly melodramatic and depressing.
I completely disagreed with the methods of the Mother in question. Yet I still liked her character; she was forced to toughen up, make sacrifices, cope alone, keep going and work her arse off. However, for me that didn't excuse her dictatorial approach toward her son as a child, or actions that bordered on abuse. Nothing can excuse some of the things she did. Yet I still couldn't dislike her.
Her character seemed to mellow through the story and her capacity for forgiveness, on several occasions, I found a bit unbelievable, but given her circumstances at that point, I did get it. She also repeated one of her previous mistakes regarding another character, which disappointed me, but she came through in the end.
Kang-ho's behaviour, I thought was out of synch at times, with what his character's age was supposed to have reverted to, but, I could care less. He had me in bits on numerous occasions.
I also loved Mi-joo. What a great young woman, with real strength of character. She never played the victim and was so tenacious. I really liked the relationship she had with her twins, too.
In fact, all the village women in this drama were tough in their own ways really.
Life wasn't particularly easy or a bed of roses, for any of them.
The men were funny, capable, but rarely the bosses ;)
Sam-sik was a conundrum for me... I loathed, liked, was amused and shocked by him, in turns. Drove me nuts.
The foreign character, Andrea, was weirdly likeable. I wasn't sure at first. The way he spoke was odd at times (and not when he was practicing his Korean), but then I find many of the foreign characters represented in K-dramas to be a bit odd in general. He helped out a lot though and wasn't insignificant. How they interacted together was lovely.
Plenty of suspense and a terrific watch. I never got bored, was pleased with the ending and so enjoyed the actors, who really made the story shine.

Leia Mais

Enjoyable but frustrating watch

I have mixed feelings about this drama. Although I thought the drama was an enjoyable watch, I don't think I was completely satisfied by the story at the end of it. I could not tolerate the mother most of the times esp when she was making such bad parenting decisions, although I know the drama is literally called The good bad mother. Sometimes it was so harsh to even watch those scenes, I would skip it. But other than that, I really enjoyed Kangho and Mijoo's story. Mijoo was my favorite character in the drama, along with the twins.
The acting was top though. Both Lee do hyun and Ra miran did so great.

Leia Mais

Embracing Motherhood, Forgiveness & Redemption

This drama had me hooked from the start and took me on a wild emotional ride.

First off, let's talk about Seo Eun-ji, played by the amazing Lee Ji-eun. She brought so much heart and realness to the character. As a single mom, she faced all kinds of struggles, but her love for her child never wavered. It hit me right in the feels, man. I was rooting for her every step of the way. (and hated her at the same time initially)

The show really dives deep into the ups and downs of motherhood. It shows you the sacrifices moms make and the unbreakable bond they have with their kids. It made me appreciate my own mom even more, you know? It's a reminder of the love and strength that mothers have.

But it's not just about motherhood. "The Good Bad Mother" also tackles forgiveness and personal growth. It's all about second chances and learning to let go of the past. Seeing the characters evolve and find redemption was powerful stuff. It made me think about my own life and the importance of forgiveness in moving forward.

Now, I gotta be real with you, there were a few things that could've been better. Some side characters could've had more depth, and a couple of plot points felt a bit rushed. But you know what? Those things didn't take away from the overall impact of the drama. It still hit me right in the heart, man.

"The Good Bad Mother" is a drama that tugs at your emotions and leaves you reflecting on life. It's a reminder of the power of love, the strength of motherhood, and the possibility of redemption. If you're looking for a heartfelt journey that will have you laughing, crying, and cheering, this is the one for you. Get ready to feel all the feels, my friend.

Leia Mais

Directionless and incredulous show with a psycho mom

The show started out pretty good. Initially, I figured the show would be about a prosecutor on a path of revenge or a path of corruption that took away his father’s life. Either way, both interesting. Then the accident happen which was an unexpected twist that could’ve made things more interesting.

But once Kang-Ho came back home, the story devolved into a bunch of country bumpkins acting like fools. There’s no clear direction and the writers just randomly tossed in every known K-drama cliche such as family car death, major illness and unnecessary misunderstandings. All happening at once! Once country bumpkins take over, we see less and less of two villains who are much more interesting. They’re wasting so much time adding incredulously improbable plot lines during Kang-ho’s “recovery” process, it’s gotten hard to watch. The show constantly switches from comedy to cringy drama trying to make you cry.

What really gets me about this show is how Kang-ho’s mom comes across. I get that she’s had a hard life but she’s an absolute nut job! The way she treats Kang-Ho is way past child abuse and she should be jailed for it.

Speaking of child abuse, how Min-Joo lies to her two kids about their father is a next level psychological abuse. How will they recover from this?

We also cannot forget newly discovered ways to treat quadriplegic people. Starve them so they can use their own hands and then throw them in water so they can start walking. Someone actually wrote this crap.

Who else is so sick and tired of the main character losing her crap every other scene?

Leia Mais

Greatness of motherly love drama

OMG watching ep 10 and don't want it to end!! It is such a good drama depicting how a mother can do anything no matter how life is so tough and hard with a son who behaves like a 7yo after an accident. You can expect to cry, laugh, feeling warm from the village's unconditional help.

I was expecting there's very harsh revenge plot but everything was subtle, the focus is on mother and son's rekindled relationship which is so heartwarming and touching.

Totally worth watching and pls prepare tissues!! Lee Do Hyun's performance is outstanding BUT I think Ra Mi Ran should win a Baeksang!

Leia Mais

Heart wrenching and beautiful drama about how love isn't guaranteed, undermined by tonal whiplash

What does it mean to be a mother?

The Good Bad Mother explores that question through the relationship between mother and son. An untimely accident causes Choi Kang Ho (played by Lee Do Hyun) to become paraplegic and suffer amnesia. His mother, Jin Young Soon (played by Ra Mi Ran), must once again raise her son through the trauma of their past relationship.

Heartfelt and heart wrenching moments shape the drama, as it explores the traumatic past both mother and son hid away from each other. However, interspersed are some of the worst moments of tonal whiplash I can remember in a drama. Neighbours of the family are caricature hillbillies that are often meant to provide comedic relief. Instead, heartfelt and dramatic scenes will immediately cut to an attempt at comedy. A mom is hiding spousal abuse from their kid and neighbours? Well that's alright because the teenaged daughter is pulling the dad's ear to some lighthearted music right after! The first few episodes suffer from this heavily, with the later episodes toning it down, although not outright removing it. While I appreciate the attempt to be funny, almost all of the comedic scenes don't land, and their timing/placement are so terrible that it draws you completely out of the drama.

This drama could have been a masterpiece if not for the forceful nature of it's comedy. Inclusion of some of the most boring tropes also detract from it's messaging, including characters with amnesia, destined lovers, and political corruption. Ra Mi Ran steals the show in this drama, but even her outstanding performance is not enough for me to recommend this drama.

Leia Mais

Drame familial avec comédie et une pointe de thriller en prime

The Good Bad Mother est sincère dans son traitement et fort dans son émotion sous couvert de sa comédie et son sérieux parfois déroutant.

Le cochon prend une grande place dans l'intrigue sur le plan social. On le retrouve sous la forme d'une métaphore, mais aussi d'une énième façon de nous rappeler que nous, êtres humains, avons beaucoup a apprendre des animaux même ceux qui semblent en apparence être les plus sales.

Ra Mi Ran et Lee Do Hyun offrent une performance mémorable et entière dans leurs rôles respectifs.
Ra Mi Ran représente la mère sévère qui passe facilement pour la méchante et mauvaise mère. Lee Do Hyun est un acteur doué qui ne cesse de surprendre. Il prend son rôle avec aisance, du procureur froid à l'adulte retrouvant une âme d'enfant.
L'ensemble du casting est excellent. Si vous êtes habitués aux dramas de ce genre (campagne et petit village), leurs mentalités et comportements ne vous surprendront pas, cela dit ils sont tous très bons. Kim Won Hae est un habitué des rôles secondaires, mais peu importe qui il incarne, il me fait toujours rire au possible.

L'intrigue est intéressante à suivre, car elle n'est pas "trop", mais "assez". Contrairement à d'autres productions qui vont abuser des surprises ou retournements de situations, The Good Bad Mother reste honnête jusqu'au bout et lui donne ce subtile goût de satisfaction.
La romance est mignonne et n'a pas besoin de prendre trop de morceaux dans l'intrigue, elle se suffit - de plus les connecteurs sont bien amenés. On se concentre franchement sur la relation mère/fils. De sa création à son évolution jusqu'à ses prises de conscience et changements.

En bref, c'est un bon drama qui possède une jolie dynamique, de belles scènes et une relation familiale forte avec un casting brillant.

Leia Mais

it had a lot more potential, but it really is a good watch!

just watched tgbm for the insane hype on social media and I have to say I wasn't really disappointed, but I don't think this is such a big title as the people say online... of course it's not a bad drama, but some flaws storywise and plot holes made me question such a high rating to this...

story: for me, this is the weakest part of the drama. I've seen so many people saying that this seemed so slow paced and so long, but in my opinion this drama should have at least 16 episodes to be a better watch. I believe that this drama would move a lot faster with more episodes because this way there would be more room for other happenings rather than just the recover of Kangho (I do know this is the point and the most important part of the drama, but I would never thought he would stay sick until episode 11/12!). this drama also didn't really worked as a drama + comedy show in my opinion... some issues here are way more important than they appear in the episodes, like the abusive household Kangho lived in the childhood! the way he was left with no apparent traumas or resentment seemed quite unrealistic to me. I hope I don't sound sadic(?) with this opinion ? don't get me wrong, but I think Kangho would be a character a lot deeper than he actually was in the drama if he dealed with healing... I know he lived the way he did mostly because of his mother influence, but I was hoping it was better showed in the show.
personally some characters actions are what bothered me the most, like the sudden change of thought Mijoo had about Kangho, or the sudden personality changes Youngsoon had, but beside this I really felt connected with the families, and almost all situations showed made me relate with mine :)

acting: even with the medium development of characters the cast here is fantastic! I really like Lee Dohyun works and think he is such a talented guy. I didn't know the Jin Youngsoon actress before, but now I really am looking forward to see more of her works!! also kudos for the little twins, they are really charismatic and cute :)

music: I really pay attention to the OST in dramas and they really play a very big role for me, but this drama has a lot more dialogues or scenes with instrumentals. the OST only appears few times and shortly, but beside this, I think the songs are great!

rewatch value: I don't usually rewatch shows... so I'm voting in this based if I did lol
even with some issues relating especially to Jin Youngsoon character, I think I would like to rewatch this drama because of the cozy vibes. maybe the flashback episodes, or the ones with family reunions, or the 13th one to have some fun!

overall, I think the good bad mother had a way bigger potential... they had such important themes to explore and I think they could have done a better job script wise :) even so, this is not a bad drama! maybe this is all about my personal expectations and how my personal approach would be related to some parts of the story, so feel free to chat in the comments if you want to!

Leia Mais

too dense for it's own good

the first thing you must be aware of is the intensity of this story. if there was a darkness barometer, 1 being the darkest and 10 the brightest, this show is on 2. it's on 2 because they managed to put some light every now and then. don't watch if you are facing hard time.

2nd: the story is very complex, and the first 4 episodes are like 4 different movies about the same characters having something like a slip of dimension's experience. it's very unsettling. and then things come together and you start to understand what is going on. or do you?

3rd: that's a very good drama. my 8 score is a little harsh, I was taken aback by the darkness of the story, it wasn't what I needed to watch right now, but I liked it nonetheless and found it addictive. so, if you like dark stories, or if you want to watch something more "serious" and less superficial, it's a great choice.
enjoy!

when to watch: this is not a story for relaxation after work. watch it on week-end, with friends.
audience: this is definitely not for under 18 audience. everything is hard and there is a lot of life's complex lessons, even for grown ups. let children enjoy this pearl after they grow old.

Leia Mais