‘The Good Bad Mother’ Is A Fairy Tale About Second Chances

The Good Bad Mother starts out like a happy folk tale about a village piggery, where pigs romp freely, seem generally adorable and are unjustly accused of being dirty creatures. The anatomy of pigs prevents them from looking up at the sky, a voiceover tells viewers, unless they slip and fall, finding themselves facing upward. And while a slip up might be a bad thing, it’s also an opportunity to see the sky.

As in any folk or fairy tale there are villains. In this case they are gangsters who threaten the happiness of Young-soon, played by Ra Mi-ran, and Hae-sik, her husband. Hae-sik, played by Cho Jin-woong, is a happy-go-lucky pig farmer very much in love with Young-soon. These characters are content with their humble life and excited about the baby they are expecting.

Unfortunately, tragedy awaits and being poor and powerless Young Soon has no choice but to accept her difficult destiny. She is determined that her son’s life will be different. She will make sure her child, Kang-ho, does not grow up to be poor, weak or powerless. Kang-ho, played by Lee Do-hyun, must grow up to be a prosecutor and to that end he must study constantly, foregoing most of life’s simple pleasures. When everyone else gets to go to the school picnic he must hit the books.

Kang-ho achieves the goal his mother sets out for him. He does become a prosecutor, successfully winning cases, but he’s emotionally stunted and prioritizes some questionable connections over actually seeking justice. One of those is a corrupt prosecutor played by Jung Woong-in. Kang-ho is successful but bitter and blames his mother for her priorities. You’re a bad mother, he tells her, when she asks him to prioritize his education over a friend’s wellbeing.

Although he’s following the path his mother wanted for him, Kang-ho is definitely headed in the wrong direction. Fortunately, fate intervenes. It was a tragedy that altered the course of his life before his birth and it takes another tragedy to set the course of his life in the right direction. As a result both Kang-ho and his mother will be forced to set new priorities.

The village that Young Soon lives in is populated by a host of quirky characters played by some tried-and-true actors who look like they are having a lot of fun getting into their roles. The cast includes k-drama favorites Kim Won-hae, Seo Yi-sook and Jang Won-young.

Kang-ho and Mi-jo, a girl in the same village, were born on the same day and were friends until their paths diverged. Mi-jo, played by Ahn Eun-jin, has always been brave, challenging even the smallest injustice. When tragedy strikes, she may be just the friend he needs. Sam-sik, another friend, played by Yoo In-soo, may have some issues with these friends spending time together.

Award-winning actress Ra Mi-ran can be seen in the films Coming Back Home and Honest Candidate and the dramas Bossam: Steal The Fate, The Miracle We Met, Melting Me Softly and Come Back Mister. Lee Do-hyun recently appeared in the popular dramas The Glory, Melancholia, Youth of May and Sweet Home.

The Good Bad Mother airs on Netflix.