*** This review may contain spoilers ***

This Drama struck me as a cross between Extraordinary Attorney Woo for parenting theme, the quality / continuity of the story and Hometown Cha Cha Cha for the entertainment and warmth of the Village People. The story is not episodic like EAW and it's not as romantic, but it is a well written crime drama hidden inside the true story of a domineering mother forcing her will on her loving son. The sub stories demonstrate varying degrees of parenting failure. The Village people were a little quirkier than those in HCCC, especially the one mystery character, but they add a little comedy/charm to the otherwise dark story. I thought the title should more accurately be The Bad Mother. Even Young Soon admits that she never really learned to be a good parent but realizing that you have a flaw is half the battle. Almost halfway through the story I was thinking Kang Ho's actions were a little unrealistic and that I had to suspend my disbelief a bit too much, but it dawned on me that Kang Ho was a product of his environment, Mother. This becomes more obvious as the story progresses, so maybe I was a little slow. LOL.

There were a few twists in the story, but they were not over the top like some other K-Dramas. These twists were later explained by a flashback, where the missing bits get filled in and the character’s raison d'etre became clear. The way the story was woven together, showing the character’s evolution in relation to the other characters and themselves through a blend of action, romance, comedy and drama was truly excellent. The way the story builds to a climax is excellent, it seems a little slow to start, but the ending is worth it. Although this is not a Romance, I really enjoyed the romance, as it did not have any of the cliches and it had a satisfactory ending. There was a love triangle and a breakup, but the leads were 'fated' to be together, no matter how hard the parents tried to keep them apart. It was good to see a FL who knew what she wanted and was faithful to her Mister, although she did have a big investment in the outcome. The romance was also a good source of comedy, mostly at Sam Sik's expense.

I really enjoyed the characters in this drama, and I felt that they had good chemistry. I thought Ra Mi Ran was excellent as the domineering mother who cared deeply for her son but couldn't bring herself to let him lead his own life because of her own trauma and the need to have her son lead a better life than her and her husband. Lee Do Hyun was excellent in both of his roles as the determined prosecutor and as the ***********. I really enjoyed Ahn Eun-Jin as the 'childhood friend', I thought her portrayal as another bad mother and 'friend' was excellent. I have never seen this actress before; i see this is her first lead role in a drama. I digress, but I was really struck by her eyes; I might have to bring myself to watch Hospital Playlist. Yoo In-Soo was great as the hopeless thief, friend, bad son, and comic relief. Gi So-Yoo was priceless as the irreverent brat who was a copy of her mother and brighter than a lot of the adults.