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The Good Bad Mother

나쁜엄마 ‧ Drama ‧ 2023
Completed
aomirai
0 people found this review helpful
Jan 13, 2025
14 of 14 episodes seen
Completed 5
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers

masterpiece.

If I had to choose one scene that would make me feel deeply regretful towards my mother, it would definitely be this one.

Kang-ho's distance from his mother, the fact that he stays away from her to protect her, and his decision to become a prosecutor just to make her happy throughout his life, all of these things resonate deeply and touch the heart.

When his mother seeks refuge in her son, who suddenly becomes a little child again, and when she wants to make him strong again, it evokes feelings so deep that words can't even describe...

I hope one day I can break free from the distance between my mother and me, just like Kang-ho did. The day will come when I can hug her, right?

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Completed
Anikensche
0 people found this review helpful
Jul 5, 2024
14 of 14 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

Such a great drama!

This drama is really a masterpiece, especially because of Lee Do Hyun’s brilliant and convincing acting. I loved every single episode. There are a lot of flashbacks in this drama, but they really help to understand the characters’ choices and behavior.
The story is pretty interesting and it mainly focuses on the mother and her son and their relationship. The side characters are also quite funny and often function as a kind of comic relief in tense situations. I have to point out the two twins here, they’re really adorable.

Once again, Lee Do Hyun. I was completely captivated by the portrayal of Kangho. I’ve watched quite a lot of dramas, but his acting stands out.
The sad thing is that I will never experience the excitement of watching this drama for the first time again. But there will be many rewatch sessions :)
I absolutely recommend this drama!

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Completed
vicki
0 people found this review helpful
Jun 1, 2025
14 of 14 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 10

The Good Bad Mother – A Bittersweet Masterpiece

I remember when this drama first came out. I was immediately curious about Lee Do Hyun's new drama. But I also knew it was about a difficult mother-son relationship, and I just couldn’t bring myself to watch it back then. For two years, this drama stayed on my watchlist, waiting for the right moment. I finally watched it and I’m so glad I did.

I’m giving The Good Bad Mother a full 10/10. In my non-expert opinion, this is a beautifully written, emotionally rich drama, elevated by phenomenal acting. Lee Do Hyun continues to prove himself with every role, and this performance absolutely cements him as one of my favorite actors. His ability to portray both physical and emotional pain, vulnerability, and resilience was just stunning.

This drama is deeply bittersweet. It broke my heart, and I cried so much watching it—but it’s not just a sad story. As the title suggests, The Good Bad Mother is about contradictions: the good and bad within people, within life, within love. It’s about regret and redemption, sacrifice and healing. While the focus is on a mother’s complicated love, it reaches far beyond that—it’s about life itself, in all its harshness and beauty.

What struck me is how the story balances this devastation with warmth and humor. The townspeople’s antics, their quirks and loyalty, provide the kind of comedic relief that doesn’t undermine the drama but supports it. It reminded me a lot of Reply 1988— in how it highlights the power of community. Watching this show made me mourn the fact that many people today don’t have that kind of tight-knit, supportive village in their lives.

I can’t speak to how accurate the portrayal of disability was—at times, it did feel a little idealized or unrealistic—but I appreciated the way the show didn’t shy away from showing how devastating and isolating that experience could be. The early episodes especially hit hard.

And then there’s the romance. I wasn’t expecting it, and I’m still not over it. It was subtle, painful, and incredibly beautiful—another layer of emotional weight I wasn’t prepared for.

There were so many great lines and moments about life that I wish I had written down. I probably will go back and rewatch just to catch them again.

And finally, the acting. The acting. Every single person delivered—from Ra Mi-ran as the fierce, flawed mother, to Lee Do Hyun's jaw-dropping transformation. I was completely blown away.

💔❤️

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Completed
Mickeylife
0 people found this review helpful
Sep 27, 2024
14 of 14 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 8.0

Emphasis on the words GOOD BAD in the title

I know many people don’t like the show because of the mother, but just as the title suggests she is a good bad mother. Her reasoning behind her actions and decisions are good but her approach is wrong. I believe if you watch the show all the way through you will like it.

I say this because I was going to rate it a 7 but after finishing in it went up to a 9.5 for me.
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Completed
Jillyj
0 people found this review helpful
Nov 17, 2024
14 of 14 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

Wish i could score higher

OMG, this, was brilliant , loved every second of it the cast were all amazing especially to two little ones playing Yi jin and seo jin. I laughed and cried so much through this , it was just perfect in every way , it made me want to actually live in their village, everyone needs to watch this series ❤️
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Completed
frola9704
0 people found this review helpful
Mar 31, 2024
14 of 14 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 9.0

The Truth is in the Title

The Title tells you what you need to know. The Mother here is both Good and Bad in many ways and at different times. Her Husband was brutally murdered while she was still pregnant with her first and only son. In her mind, she has one and only one really important job. She must raise a son who is extremely well educated and can go on to aspire to an important and powerful job, in spite of living in the countryside on a pig farm. As he grows into his teen years, she allows him almost no free time or fun time, because he must study. She does not let him spend time drawing, even if it his favorite pastime, because it will not lead to a position of power in which he can deal with the people and their ilk who killed her Husband and his Father, who he has never met. She doesn't allow him to go on a field trip, and when he fills out the form, giving the reason why he can't go, he writes down "Bad Mom". He goes on to become a Prosecutor with a rather cold demeanor. His is involved in a traffic accident, has a head injury, loses his memories and reverts back to the mentality of a 7 year old. She is his sole caretaker and has moved to a new village where she has a pig farm. Initially, the villagers decide they don't like her because the farm is "smelly" though in truth, it is pretty pristine. She is determined to bring her son back to "normal". He does physical therapy to help him escape his wheelchair, for instance. But when she finds that she has a death sentence disease, she becomes even more powerfully determined that her son's condition will improve so that he can care for himself when she is gone. She does some horrible and shocking things to him to prove he can leave the chair behind. She is not abusive because she doesn't love him, but because she loves him too much, and is terrified what will happen to him when she is gone. He has a friend who was born in the same place on the same day that he was, and they fall in love, but she leaves the area, saying she is going to the US. She leaves twins in her mother's care. He befriends the twins, and in his 7-year-old state, loves to play with them. More happens - but I will let you find that out for yourself. This is not really an unhappy story and is filled with love and goodness. He manages to recover quite a bit from his injuries, and he really loves his mother. On her Bad days, when she was desperate to make him self-sufficient, she was "Bad". On good days, when she cared for him in her Loving way, she was Good. She was both.
The bottom line is that I loved this show, even though it brought me to tears more than once. Lee Do Hyun was exceptional as the son, and Ra Mi Ran played the loving Mother with the desperate and abusive actions with love, strength and determination. The twins were outstanding! I don't know where in the world the Koreans find children with this kind of ability. His girlfriend , who reappears, was perfect and all of the rest of the cast were outstanding as well. Even the pigs did a good job, with one of them having a little bigger role. I recommend this show with no reservations at all. It is outstanding and a "must watch" in my opinion.

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Dropped 4/14
XingBack
2 people found this review helpful
Aug 5, 2024
4 of 14 episodes seen
Dropped 0
Overall 2.0
Story 1.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 3.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
By ep4 there are many things I don’t like
The past, either the romance or the revenge and everything related to the 2 villains, skiiippp

The villagers are dumb, and now I’m realizing annoying mask girl is an older woman? And his wife? Or are there 2? Still I hate useless plot moves like that, like who the heck would wear a mask 24/7, it literally dries in 10mins🤡
So basically this is one big drag on something that should’ve been a movie
If those are his kids that’s even worse
The mom is just evil yelling at someone who doesn’t remember it worse is mentally 6

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Completed
Siddusilk063
0 people found this review helpful
Jan 26, 2024
14 of 14 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers

WORTH THE WATCH

I saw some reviews stating though they could relate to the characters and their situations, they still wouldn't condone the most hers actions. I'd like to say welcome to the real world, non woke one. Which you might not know anything about because of the snowflake environment you have been bought up in. I don't think it's the wrong environment, but just a different one. Almost every Asian household is like this. Parents are ambitious therefore the children are too. She understood the assignment she was given in life and made her best effort to make it a reality. For God sake the left over food from his plate was her food for that time. You're thinking she still made him eat less, she could have told him that they are short of food. I'm thinking she didn't want her child to know the bad situation they are in. She didn't want him to blame anyone (like his father or fate) for being in such shitty conditions. She wanted him to just concentrate on his goal and leave everything else to her. That is just Pure Love. Though she did it a different way doesn't make it wrong. Just makes it different. LOVE THE SERIES. DEFINITELY RECOMMEND TO WATCH.

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Completed
SuchismitaTripathy
0 people found this review helpful
Jun 29, 2023
14 of 14 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 5.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 4.5

Rollercoster of emotions

The drama had the potential to be the drama of the year but somewhere the story failed to maintain the momentum towards the end.
It's a great slice of life drama about the relationship of a mother and her son and it's more than beautifully depicted. The story has amazing acting and is definitely one of Ra Mi Ran's personal best.
But.... There are some dramas that start off with an explosive story, amazing pictography and beautiful and poetic narratives that somehow take you up in the sky but with two episodes remaining, you know all that momentum needs atleast 4 or 5 episodes more. That was the anxiety that i went through which is why i was dissappointed.
I don't regret watching this because it gave me a lot of positivity and courage but at the same time, it left me wanting more.

Will i watch it again? No.
Will i recommend it to anyone? Hell yeah. It's a good watch and the chemistry between Lee Do Hyun and Ra Mi Ran is quite heart-warming.

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Ongoing 6/14
Laura_????
0 people found this review helpful
Jan 25, 2026
6 of 14 episodes seen
Ongoing 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0

The good bad mother

A mother will always be a mother no matter how bad her kids do or done ..but a man who wrongs a good woman that stands by him through good and bad and then he abandoning her to her luck after he doing all good he is a d******** and karma is a bitch.
I said what I said. 🤷‍♀️
🤷‍♀️

































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Completed
Link
3 people found this review helpful
Jun 10, 2023
14 of 14 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 7.0

Drame familial, comédie et thriller...

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.

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Completed
Adess
2 people found this review helpful
Dec 11, 2025
14 of 14 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 8.0
This review may contain spoilers

Il m’a fallu une vie pour commencer… et deux épisodes pour m’attacher...

J’ai longtemps repoussé "The Good Bad Mother". Le titre me donnait l’impression d’un mélodrame un peu lourd et j’avais zéro envie de me lancer là-dedans... mais sa note super élevée m’a titillée… alors j’ai fini par céder. Et franchement... Je suis tellement contente d’avoir appuyé sur play 🫶🏻.

Le drama raconte l’histoire de Young Soon, une mère éleveuse de porcs au caractère dur, inflexible, qui a élevé son fils Kang Ho comme un petit soldat pour qu’il ait la vie qu’elle n’a jamais eue. Il finit par devenir procureur, s’éloigne d’elle… jusqu’au jour où un accident bouleverse tout et les force à réapprendre à être mère et fils. C’est un drama qui parle de famille, de pardon, de reconstruction, avec une douceur que je n’avais pas du tout anticipée ✨.

Ce qui m’a vraiment retournée, ce sont les personnages. Young Soon m'a parut d’abord dure comme la pierre, presque brutale, mais plus tu avances, plus tu comprends que tout vient d’une peur viscérale, d’une vie trop lourde qui l’a tordue sans jamais la casser 😭. Au milieu de tout ça, Kang Ho… oh là là. Il a une douceur enfouie, des cicatrices d’enfance, il a eu cette façon de me toucher le cœur sans en faire trop… j’ai passé mon temps entre sourire et gorge nouée avec lui 🥹.

Heureusement il y a des personnages comme Mi Joo, qui vient poser un peu de lumière dans tout ça. Elle a cette douceur tranquille, ce calme qui rééquilibre tout. Sam Sik aussi, le meilleur ami un peu paumé mais tellement loyal, celui qui m'a fait rire et soupirer dans la même scène 😅. Et toute la communauté du village aussi… bruyante, imparfaite, mais incroyablement attachante. Chaque scène avec eux faisait du bien. tout comme les jumeaux… quelle lumière 🌞. Ce n'est pas juste du "cute" gratuit, ils existent vraiment dans l’histoire, et ils apportent chaleur et spontanéité, j'ai trouvé que ça rendais le tout tellement vivant.

Concernant la romance entre Kang Ho et Mi Joo, ce n’est pas au centre du drama, mais quelle douceur... C’est la petite respiration au milieu du tumulte que l'on suit en filigrane tout au long des episodes. C'est une tendresse qui ne vole la vedette à personne mais qui fait du bien 🪄🫰🏻. Et puis il y a aussi toute l’intrigue avec les magouilles, les vieilles rancœurs, les tentatives d’assassinat… ça ajoute cette petit tension continue sans jamais casser pour autant la vibe émotion. J'ai trouve que c’était un petit pimenté 🌶️ parfaitement dosé.

Et alors… la revanche de Kang Ho... J’ai adoré !!! Ce n’est pas une revanche brute, ce n’est pas de la haine explosive... c’est une justice posée, maîtrisée, implacable. Le procès, la manière dont tout se remet enfin à sa place… j'ai trouvé ça puissamment apaisant 😮‍💨🔥. La mort de son père, la vie qu’on leur a volée, à eux comme aux autres victimes… tout ce chemin-là trouve enfin un sens. C’est propre, c’est juste, ça clôture la boucle comme il faut 👌🏻.

Ensuite, même si la mort de Young Soon n’était pas une surprise, la façon dont le drama la traite… quelle classe. Pas de chantage émotionnel, pas de violons forcés, juste de la douceur, de l’humanité, et une vraie lumière 🥺✨. J'ai trouvé le final apaisant, tendre, comme si tout ce qu’on avait traversé avec eux trouvait enfin un endroit pour respirer.

Franchement, aucun regret. J’ai mis mille ans avant de me lancer, mais j’ai adoré du début à la fin, et je comprend pourquoi sa note est si élevée ❤️✌🏻

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The Good Bad Mother poster

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  • Score: 8.9 (scored by 52,121 users)
  • Ranked: #115
  • Popularity: #147
  • Watchers: 97,487

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