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The Good Bad Mother

나쁜엄마 ‧ Drama ‧ 2023
Completed
Hony__
0 people found this review helpful
Dec 30, 2024
14 of 14 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 9.5

A serie that will stick in your head

This serie is one of the best ones i have ever watched! The story, writing, acting was all top gear!
It will take you to the high heights and the lows lowest. And the plot twist will make it extra good!
Make sure you take a box of tissues, cause some scene’s will take your soul away.
I highly recommend this by a hundred !
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Completed
Sweet_Angyl
0 people found this review helpful
Sep 1, 2026
14 of 14 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

A beautiful and meaningful watch. Highly recommended!

This drama is such a beautiful mix of emotions—heartbreaking, funny, heartwarming, and ultimately hopeful. I really loved the story of Kang-ho and his mother because it shows that even when love gets complicated and mistakes are made, there is always a chance for healing and forgiveness.

Lee Do-hyun and Ra Mi-ran were absolutely amazing. Their mother-son relationship felt so real, and their performances made the emotional moments hit even harder. I also loved the village characters because they brought so much warmth and humor to the story.

What I loved most is the message about second chances, family, forgiveness, and finding happiness after painful experiences.
Definitely one of those K-dramas that makes you laugh, cry, and appreciate the people you love.

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Completed
sunny4ever
0 people found this review helpful
Nov 18, 2023
14 of 14 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 9.0

The “Good” Bad Mother or The Good “Bad” Mother. Life has its turns.

The word has been out for a little while, that The Good Bad Mother is a super hit. I will just add my voice in affirmation. This drama is a must see, especially for parents trying hard to master this parenting thing, and having to listen to their children tell them that they are not getting it right. You become “the bad mother” in their eyes of misunderstanding. Anyone with kids knows that children never see the real you, the real parent, while they are growing up. Children just misunderstand the protective you, the parent who tries hard to sanitize their world. And yes, at times as parents we can be overbearing and we don’t get it right. This drama gives you the prospective from both points of view and how both parent and child are forced to recognize each other, through a shared misfortune. The “Good” Bad Mother is appropriately titled.

The Story

The Good Bad Mother is about the struggles of a mother to raise her child on a family run pig farm, after the murder of her husband. It is a story of a mother’s revenge on the perpetrators of the death of her husband, as she recognizes that power brings results. Therefore, she strictly raises her child to be powerful, so that he can be the one who gets justice. She becomes The Good “Bad” Mother.

Nonetheless, her son faces adversity, because of a car wreck which leaves him with the intelligence of a seven year old child. She is left to start all over again raising her son. Through this adversity, both parent and child come to recognize the full intentions of the other. The story is well intended, but at times the story becomes predictable, even following illogical paths. That is a writer’s issue. However, this will in no way take away from two of the most outstanding acting performances of the year for 2023 for the mother and son.

Note: In the drama series Extraordinary Attorney Woo, we got Whale Moments. Be on the lookout for our cute Pig Moments in this drama series.

Quote: “Pigs use to roam free, keeping clean bathing in mud. People started to lock up in tiny pigsties. The pig could not bathe in mud anymore, so they began to rub their bodies in their own excrement. That is how they grew dirtier and more aggressive. However, what is really sad is that pigs cannot lift their heads, so they live their entire life staring at the ground. There is only one way for a pig to look up at the sky and that is to fall down”. The “Good” Bad Mother.

Acting Corner

The Mother—Ra Mi Ran (Black Dog) is outstanding as the misunderstood mother, whose sole aim is to protect her child. It would be no surprise to me if she gets a nomination for a Baeksang Arts Award (Korean Oscar) for 2023 for Best Leading Actress in a Drama Series.

The Son—Lee Do Hyun (The Glory) is the son who balks at the tiresome drilling of his mother, as she tries to produce a powerful man. After the accident, this powerful intelligent man is reduced to the mind of a seven year old. This character has super range, from acting as a seven year old to assuming the power behind revenge. Lee Do Hyun gives another outstanding performance. Again, it would not surprise me if Lee Do Hyun gets a nomination for a Baeksang Arts Award (Korean Oscar) for 2023 for Best Leading Actor in a Drama Series.

The Love Interest—Ahn Eun Jin has become an A-List Actress. I picked her up in her early years in the drama series ‘More Than Friends’, recognizing this acting potential. Ahn Eun Jin has two super hits in 2023 in The Good Bad Mother and My Dearest. Her star is being planted in the sidewalk.

The Good Friend and Second Lead— Ahn Eun Jin (Alchemy of Souls, The Uncanny Encounter Season 2) is the scene stealer, with his big personality. Ahn Eun Jin is a rising star.

Be prepared to have a solidly fixed smile on your face, because of the two outstanding child actors, Park Da On and Ki So Yu. The whole acting posse is stellar

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Completed
Kairi of the Sky
0 people found this review helpful
Nov 11, 2025
14 of 14 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.5

That's what mother can do for their kids.

A heartwarming story of a mother and son who are haunted by the past, affecting their life views and resulting in misunderstanding and heartbreak.

This drama shows that no matter what, a mother will always be with their son. Through ups and downs. As usual, great job for all the characters. The characters, both the leads and those around them, have excelled in their roles.

I also love the romance part of the story. Mi Joo is a wonderful woman, and Kang Ho, played by Lee Do Hyun, always smashes the character he plays. He was such a great actor.

Overall, you will cry, laugh, and everything in between. What a good watch indeed.

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Completed
usefulness
0 people found this review helpful
Sep 10, 2024
14 of 14 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers

watch free

best kdrama in the world and make me important for mother that why they lear how mother is very important in the whole because she know all the pain and the bad or good for son Or dauther mother is the best character in this story because in the last day they find the bad and the good future for his son so all rhw people are going to be very good person and make me smile and make sure you have to be very good mother is a great day they are going to be very good mother is a great day they are going through some reason I mei to get a chance to get a free to be very much I mei bhi nhi wy y y y y u y y y u

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Completed
Nicholas
0 people found this review helpful
Aug 24, 2023
14 of 14 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 8.0

Emotional Damage!!!!

So we should get better Mother's Day gifts for our mothers. That's why I learned. I like the shows that have more action and less emotions, but this show was really good. I only watched it because the actor on it was on The Glory of which I also thought was amazing.

Whoever wrote the show, however, was lifting a concept for a show based on another movie with Harrison Ford called "Regarding Henry". Still they expanded on it so well that it really became its own show.

The show was a little slow, at times, but worth watching.
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Completed
Simply A
0 people found this review helpful
Jan 7, 2025
14 of 14 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.0
This review may contain spoilers

Motherhood is complicated

Finished. I see a lot of mom haters, but I loved the mom. Motherhood doesn't come with an instructional manual. It's hard in the best of times and she went through 2 major traumatic events so I understood her anxiety. Every parent becomes overly anxious about anything. Sending them to school, letting someone else drive them around, hanging out with friends, etc. Because anything can happen and unfortunately everyday something terrible does happen to children.

She definitely needed therapy, but let's be real. She was a poor single mom living in a village and poured everything into her son in hopes he could escape poverty and being worthless in the eyes of those in power. Probably no money for expensive therapy. Her growth from episode 1 to 14 was enjoyable to watch. As a mother, I related to her fears of losing him and drive to want to see her child do better. I understood her frustrations. As adults, we have the experience of what the world can do. We want to protect and prepare and push our children so they don't struggle. Often times, it comes out all wrong and we do damage, but like she said, it's our first time being a mom and no one on this planet does it perfectly.

That being said, I am not saying her abuse of him was valid. I GET why she was pushing him to move his hands and legs. She needed him to be able to live without her. She definitely went about it in all the wrong ways. The river/creek parts were hard to watch because who does that? And not only was he temporarily physically disabled, he reverted back to him being 7 years old. So she thought throwing her 7 year old minded disabled child into the river would motivate him to swim to shore. We then see her studying water therapy and it starts to work, but the intro to it was awful.

I loved all of the characters. Every single one of them. The twins were so adorable, the mask lady who was savage every time she was on screen, and the friendship of the mothers who also brought it more motherhood struggles. The mother of the kid who didn't do well in school and got into criminal trouble. It's hard to watch other children thriving (in your eyes) and then your kid is just lazy. That mother didn't see that Kang Ho was jealous of the freedom of other kids that got to play sports and goof off.

All in all, I enjoyed this so much. I didn't think I would, but this is truly a hidden gem.

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Completed
Drama_Girl
0 people found this review helpful
Aug 23, 2026
14 of 14 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0

So many emotions in one drama

It is an incredibly moving and heart-touching drama.
While there is a tiny romantic storyline, it is definitely not the main focus. The true heart of the series is the complex relationship between the mother and her son—a dynamic that was initially very painful to watch.
There were so many episodes that literally brought me to tears. But the beauty of this show is that as the story unfolds and you understand the reasons behind the mother's actions and their circumstances, everything makes complete, profound sense.
The actors give absolutely outstanding performances. Their acting is so convincing and powerful that it was extremely hard for me to step away from the screen, and I found myself staying up late into the night just to watch one more episode. The plot is surprising, captivating, and deeply layered. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a powerful, high-quality drama that really hits hard

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Completed
hehehaha
0 people found this review helpful
Aug 22, 2023
14 of 14 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

ONE OF THE BEST SHOWS OUT THERE

This show was something that was just too good for all the people watching it. From the story, to the excellent acting, this show was just so perfect. This is not a show that is focused on romance. People actually need to come out of the romance tropes. Not everything needs to revolve around romance. This show had romance in the perfect amount, enough to add to the story without taking over.
The actors were so perfectly casted and they improved on the already really good script. Especially the mother. OH MY GOD. She is so natural at what she does. At times, you could see her and you could feel the character's pain so much through her. And all the people really were too good. I was bawling my eyes out so many times in every episode. I cried, I laughed and I got angry too. Life is unfair to so many people and sometimes you cannot help but feel anger at the unjustness of life.
I cannot even describe properly what this show was. I was so speechless when the show ended. I loved it to another level. I don't even watch that many shows but I saw a video about this show somewhere and I knew I had to watch it. PLEASE GIVE IT A WATCH. I don't care how freaking sad this show was at times, but everyone needs to see the amazing acting of the entire cast and the extra freaking amazing storyline.
I have read some reviews about how this show had such less romance, but the show wasn't about romance at all? I don't know who told them that this was a show with romance as the main plot because it really is not. This is a show about a mother's struggle and her relationship with her son. This show is about how despite struggling herself, she wanted the best for her son. She made mistakes because it was her first time being a mother, no matter how crazy that sounds. At the end of the day, she wanted the best for her son. This show is about how a son loves his mother so selflessly that he forgot to care about himself at times. This show is about how a son understood his mother and where she was coming from when she was not being very nice to him. Tbh, she was struggling herself and she was doing her best.
Even if you don't like the starting episodes for some reason, just have patience and keep watching. You will love this show. Every single episode, you will love it.
I will fight for this show forever😭🤌🏻
People, if you only want romance in your shows, skip this show because this show has so much more than romance. There are plenty of shows to quench your thirst of romance shows lol

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Completed
Ecstrip
0 people found this review helpful
Jun 10, 2023
14 of 14 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0

Good drama with mothers love

It was really a good drama acting, mother sentiment and children’s cute acting everything was wholesome especially villagers were like a family I enjoyed till last episode it’s just that feel bit sad about ending do they really have to do that? It was totally like a Indian movie drama where hero doesn’t remember his past and children’s without father and mother sentiment for so nothing special I always find these kind of stories but still it was good in Korean too but I expected even more where cool stuff like badass female lead character and male lead could have been done more when he regained his memories like cool stuff you know like in Vencenzo drama we need such scripts but still actors nailed their part I watched it because of main leads and children well still didn’t disappointed me over all happy with the drama I hope next drama for male lead should get more extend version of cool guy and mother acting was next level no words for that beauty I felt crying at last episode due to mother sentiment well thumbs up for the team all the best

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Completed
Catepr
0 people found this review helpful
Jul 20, 2026
14 of 14 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.5

This is the BEST ensemble cast!

This show has some very heartbreaking elements for sure. The cast is absolutely brilliant. And for no other reason, it’s a must watch. The mother is amazing. The village people, and the way they come together so beautiful to watch. This is a story about Love, worry, endurance, and heartbreak for sure. It’s one of the best shows. I’ve watched. The story definitely plays out in a good versus evil manner. I did not expect some of the twists as the story unfolded, which made me ‘’must watch’ thr next episode! great seriers!
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Completed
nazkisaa
0 people found this review helpful
Feb 25, 2024
14 of 14 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

Happy, sad, emotional are all in this drama

I don't know what else to say but this K-drama is awesome, in terms of story, actors, ost, everything is perfect.
The story a man losing his memory/returning like a 7 year old child until he regains his memory, going through really tough times.
and stories of romance, family, affection, all presented very well, especially the story between mother and child which really brings tears to my eyes. You have to watch this and guaranteed you won't regret it😍🥹
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  • Score: 8.9 (scored by 52,121 users)
  • Ranked: #115
  • Popularity: #147
  • Watchers: 97,487

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