The Good Bad Mother 나쁜엄마 [2023]

[40somethingahjumma]

I'm not having a great year with K dramas... my third year saying this. But this one... I really like. Mostly for the performances and the gallows humour because let's face it... it's not hard to see where this is going. The good bad mother and her good bad son. While I'm not a fan of Mother's brand of tough love, I can see where she's coming from but her methods are too over-the-top for me to approve. She's been given a second chance to get it right but she lapses into old habits when things get tough. I think it's in part that she has never really grieved for her husband properly. She's certainly never moved on. Who can blame her? Kang-ho's dad was amazing. (I kept thinking that this guy looked so much like Lee Jae-han from Signal. LOL.) But trying to be both mum and dad to their son brought out the worst and best in her.

 

Without a doubt K dramas do slice-of-life better than anyone else. This one is very charming particularly all the well-written quirky villagers. The lady with what looks like a thousand face masks is a hoot. The stuff that comes out of her unfiltered mouth is usually gold. I haven't seen her without a mask yet. Has that happened yet?

 

What's with Lee Do-hyun and twins? That said, this pair are adorable. His chemistry with Ahn Eun-jin is very cute. He's a really fine actor and wonderful to watch here but he was definitely miscast in The Glory.

 

6 episodes in 2 days. 

 

 

Edited June 6, 2023 by 40somethingahjumma

[mademoiselle]

19 minutes ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

Kang-ho's dad was amazing. (I kept thinking that this guy looked so much like Lee Jae-han from Signal. LOL.)

He is the actor playing Lee Jae Han.

20 minutes ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

Has that happened yet?

Nope, she hasn't revealed her face. I'm guessing the big reveal is in the finale.

[abs-oluteM]

@40somethingahjumma glad you’re catching up on this . The show has a good balance of everything that I like in kdramas. From romance to family to a bit of crime stuff . 
————/

Pre-released for eps 13

 

[40somethingahjumma]

23 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

He is the actor playing Lee Jae Han.

 

I did know that. After mulling over it, I went to look it up because it was bothering me that much. :D

 

_______________

 

It's hard to know what to think about Mother to be honest. Is the show condoning abuse? I have to ask. Because what Mother does to Kang-ho can be interpreted as abuse especially what she does to get him walking. Being ridiculously strict about a child's education is one thing but to mess around with a person with a disability is another. On the one hand her methods seem over-the-top but on the other hand, they seem to work. So it's justified then? Then her neighbour attributes it to God. What is the show saying? If someone can't walk it's because they haven't tried hard enough? Or is this just a miracle? A unique experience brought about by a sheer force of will? Do we excuse her because she's dying? It's troubling to be sure and casts a cloud over what is an enjoyable show for the most part. K dramas are good at tugging at the heartstrings but I can't help feeling manipulated by the extreme depictions of Mother.

 

The kids are such good actors.

[mademoiselle]

Ooopf, the kiss @abs-oluteM and @Chocolate, I think this is your style too 😆

[ktcjdrama]

I stopped at ep.1 for this drama, and now am ready to pick it up... Will be travelling next week, so tell me, is this something I can download and watch on long flight, as in, I won't be sobbing and have the risk of further dehydration, not to mention having to hide my swollen eyes, probably face too?  I can stifle chuckles, but not good in holding back tears, haha...

[abs-oluteM]

I saw some spoilers @mademoiselle . That was a good kiss. There better be a sweet simple wedding cuz they have come too far & gone through so much . The kids need a family. 
 

This is so sweet ! 

 

1 minute ago, ktcjdrama said:

I stopped at ep.1 for this drama, and now am ready to pick it up... Will be travelling next week, so tell me, is this something I can download and watch on long flight, as in, I won't be sobbing and have the risk of further dehydration, not to mention having to hide my swollen eyes, probably face too?  I can stifle chuckles, but not good in holding back tears, haha...

You will cry some tears but it’s also very funny . But I don’t think will get puffy eyes 

[ktcjdrama]

3 minutes ago, abs-oluteM said:

You will cry some tears but it’s also very funny . But I don’t think will get puffy eyes 

I can do a little tearing here and there... and I got spoiled of a kiss!! Hahaha.... Didn't mean to read up the thread, but it's too glaring up there, ha! I've got to quickly catch up then. 

[Tofu]

I avoided this thread all day because it's a training week and I didn't want to be distracted. I can't wait to watch it before I go to bed today! 

 

@40somethingahjumma I did not like the scenes of the mom pushing him into the water either. I'm not a health care professional so I cannot speak to the methods they use, but as someone who is around people with disabilities plus do training for the people who takes care of the people with disabilities, doing something like this is considered maltreatment. 

 

[abs-oluteM]

 

 

pre-released 

[mademoiselle]

@ktcjdrama There are more crying in the latter half of the drama so I think you should be fine. 😆

 

@abs-oluteM Can't believe it's coming to an end tonight! And we will have no Lee Do Hyun until he completes his MS. Or... unless he secretly cameo for Sweet Home. I guess we'll also see him in Seo In Guk's new drama. Hahahaha! 😆

 

WRAP UP!

We finally see the face of the actress with face mask!

Edited June 8, 2023 by mademoiselle

[abs-oluteM]

Some key things that happened.

Spoiler

 

I don’t always agree with Mum’s methods but I did feel sorry that she endured a lot in her lifetime. As I had expected she passed away . 
 

Spoiler

 

Lee DH’s acting here is fab . I will miss him on my screen @mademoiselle

Spoiler

 

This ending made me cry 

Spoiler

 

There was a sweet simple “proposal” for our HoMi couple 😍- just the two of them & the pig !!!

aigooo poor Ye Jin 😂 who lost her “oppa” , finds a new one quickly!

 

We finally see her face !!!!

Spoiler

 

 

[ktcjdrama]

20 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

Can't believe it's coming to an end tonight! And we will have no Lee Do Hyun until he completes his MS. Or... unless he secretly cameo for Sweet Home. I guess we'll also see him in Seo In Guk's new drama. Hahahaha!

It’s finishing tonight? Gosh I am so late, and missed joining the live discussion here.  But better late than never. 
 

I am glad LDH is leaving us with a good drama before missing in action for more than a year. Am looking forward to the drama with SIG, another bias of mine 😍

[mademoiselle]

59 minutes ago, ktcjdrama said:

It’s finishing tonight? Gosh I am so late, and missed joining the live discussion here.  But better late than never. 
 

I am glad LDH is leaving us with a good drama before missing in action for more than a year. Am looking forward to the drama with SIG, another bias of mine 😍

True. Better late a few weeks than years later. Side-eyeing @Tofu re: Moment of 18

Yeah me too. I'm glad he gave me this good drama because I honestly wasn't very taken with his previous 3.

===

 

Posting some really lovely wrapped up photos!

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mademoiselle]

*SPOILER ALERT* - ktcjdrama please avoid.

 

Finale

 

What a lovely and also bittersweet ending. However, very aptly concluded. An end to a new beginning. Kang Ho gave up being a prosecutor and took over the pigs farm, right? Because he told Director Song he's hit a home run and now have to leave the court. Plus the photo with Mi Joo and the donation later. I kinda want him to continue as a prosecutor mainly because he looks so darn handsome in suit (and the hair makes it swoonier)! Pity the court scene is so short because I totally wouldn't mind watching him in a drama playing lawyer/prosecutor. LDH did quite well in there!

 

I do think it was a little too easy to corner Oh Tae Soo like it played out in the court. I would think he's smart enough with his wit which brought himself this far to know not to trust Kang Ho. But anyway, still it was entertaining and the twist at the end was totally unexpected. I mean, I did doubt a little when she jumped but then you kind of just "forget" about it since the show didn't mention further.

 

It has been a pleasure watching Ra Mi Ran and Lee Do Hyun on screen. I hoped this drama got them bonded as much as she did with Jung Hwan (Ryu Jun Yeol) and Jung Bong (Ahn Jae Hong) in R88. Wouldn't mind another reunion on screen after LDH's MS duty. Everything was nicely wrap up between Omma and Kang Ho as well which is great. Her birthday speech and her letter were a tear-jerker.

 

Agree @abs-oluteM , there had been a few scenes from LDH in this episodes I'm totally loving because of the acting and the chemistry between the casts. I needed and wanted to see something like this from him from his previous dramas, and I didn't get that kind of Feels. I'm happy I got it from this, his official last drama before MS). Haha.

 

I LOL-ed at Sam Sik's comment about him watching a JBC drama (on Kang Ho and Mi Joo's passionate kiss). And he and Ye Jin are same-same. Fell for another immediately! That reminds me on whether the adults actually told the twins that Kang Ho is their real biological father, or they just omitted that part (wait for them to be older) and in the mean time just let them think Omma and Kang Ho fell in love. I do think it is the latter because no point telling them so much details which they wouldn't understand at this age. Sigh, I will miss this family. I just want another drama where LDH is a father of twins again.

 

 

BTS

 

 

[Tofu]

Ye Jin is a true oppa lover --- you have to have multiples because when one oppa gets married, you can move on to the next one. 

[ktcjdrama]

I am up to ep.6 now. LDH is great acting as the 7yo CKH. Seeing the mother has a chance to redeem her tough way of raising KH is a relief. Poor KH having such joyless childhood. Am glad to see the flashback of him shortly being in loving relationship with Mijoo. I am guessing he found out about his father’s death and embarking on a revenge pathway that he left Mijoo? 

What a pleasant surprise to see our CP from Alchemy here! Is he just a cameo, or staying until the end? He needs a lead role soon!! And of course, that actor from Happiness, Taxi, who always play the annoying character. Haha... he is so good in the roles that you just love to hate him.

[mademoiselle]

So cute.

Spoiler

 

 

 

[Tofu]

I thought the ending with the villains was a bit anticlimactic, but nevertheless, I'm glad they were punished for their crimes. 

 

I wished we would have seen how Kang Ho and Mi Joo told the twins about their dad. As everyone was pointed out, did they tell the twins that Kang Ho is now their dad or that Kang Ho has always been their dad?  

 

I cried a good amount during the scene with Kang Ho and Omma the night she passed away. I can finally acknowledge Lee Do Hyun as a good actor after watching that scene. Haha! Not that I didn't like him before, but he's only been ok to me. 

 

 

[mademoiselle]

BTS

Looks like the twins like LDH more too in real life.

On 6/11/2023 at 8:31 AM, Tofu said:

I cried a good amount during the scene with Kang Ho and Omma the night she passed away. I can finally acknowledge Lee Do Hyun as a good actor after watching that scene. Haha! Not that I didn't like him before, but he's only been ok to me.

HAHAHA! He's still have room for improvement seeing how people think he didn't suit the role in The Glory (or is it just the age gap thing?) and I'm not WOAH by his character in Melancholia or Youth of May.

Edited June 12, 2023 by mademoiselle

[abs-oluteM]

On 6/11/2023 at 6:31 AM, Tofu said:

wished we would have seen how Kang Ho and Mi Joo told the twins about their dad. As everyone was pointed out, did they tell the twins that Kang Ho is now their dad or that Kang Ho has always been their dad?  

I don't think they told the twins just yet that KH is their biological father. I just think that they told them that MJ and KH are marrying. It will be quite hard for 5 or 6 year old kids to process what went on. SJ had always wanted KH to be their father, so I can see him easily accept it . But I do love how they showed lil Ye Jin finding new "love" so soon. The kids here are just adorable.

 

6 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

HAHAHA! He's still have room for improvement seeing how people think he didn't suit the role in The Glory (or is it just the age gap thing?) and I'm not WOAH by his character in Melancholia or Youth of May.

As you know I didn't watch The Glory for personal reasons.   I think in the other two shows , he was playing very good characters that lacked layers in their writing, so cannot really showcase his talent. Kang Ho is my favorite role of his now.  

 

I love the ending though I agree that they caught the villains too quickly. But I didn't mind as the thing I like most about the show was the relationships between mother and son, and the angsty love story of HoMi couple. I like that in her letter, omma said how she would have done things differently if she was given a second chance at being KH's mum. That part made me cry. Overall, this show despite me not liking the omma's actions , was a good watch. 

[Tofu]

@mademoiselle @abs-oluteM I remember reading it somewhere that LDH's role in Youth of May is considered his best performance. I never watched this so I don't know how true it is. I've only seen LDH in this and 18 Again. I will only watch LDH again if he continues to have twins. LOL!

 

 

[mademoiselle]

13 minutes ago, Tofu said:

@mademoiselle @abs-oluteM I remember reading it somewhere that LDH's role in Youth of May is considered his best performance. I never watched this so I don't know how true it is. I've only seen LDH in this and 18 Again. I will only watch LDH again if he continues to have twins. LOL!

I like his performances in 18 Again, Hotel Del Luna, Beyond Evil, Sweet Home and this drama.

[Tofu]

I forgot he was in Hotel Del Luna! That's actually where I first saw him, but I thought his acting was just ok in that. He made a lasting impression because Hotel Del Luna started because of him...essentially. 

[mademoiselle]

18 hours ago, Tofu said:

I forgot he was in Hotel Del Luna! That's actually where I first saw him, but I thought his acting was just ok in that. He made a lasting impression because Hotel Del Luna started because of him...essentially. 

I like his story in Hotel Del Luna because it was really sad. Loving someone so much that you sacrificed yourself to that extent. You let her misunderstood you and kill you and you followed / watched over her for over 100+ years. It was just awwwww. I think he did well in his scenes too.

 

BTS

 

Edited June 13, 2023 by mademoiselle