The Good Bad Mother (2023)

> 우리가 끝내지 못한 그 재판 우리 아들이 끝내로 갑니다.

🐽 The story of prosecutor Kang Ho struggling with amnesia and the traffic accident consequences gives a slight feel of Woo Yeong Woo but on a pig farm. It is darker than I expected and lighter than I thought. The cable TV ratings started on 3.6% on the first episode ending with 12% on the final.

This is a big step for Lee Do Hyun acting-wise. I feel like he always looked held back and reserved in past dramas, and The Good Bad Mother is finally the room for him to flourish. He has to play three different states of one character: shrewd cold attractive prosecutor, confused childish Kang Ho in a wheelchair, and a healthy mother's son in the end after all the challenges he's been through. And Lee Do Hyun does it damn well!

> 내가 망가지면서 하는 복수는 복수가 아니야. 진짜 복수는 복수하려는 이유조차 생각 안 할 만큼 깨끗하게 있고 보란듯이 잘 사는 거야.

🐽 While the criminal storyline is well-waived, the most heartfelt part of the drama is the life in the village and the characters interactions. I couldn't help but rolled on the floor chuckling anytime Sam Shik or the two Woo Byeok secretaries-turned-salad-farmers appeared on screen. (Yoo In Soo needs more recognition, he's hilarious) I also adore the child actors duo of Ye Jin (Kim So Yoo) and Seo Jin (Park Da On). It's never easy to work with kids, especially to get such a sparkling chemistry from 5-6 year-olds.

The ending didn't make me cry neither of sadness nor of happiness, but The Good Bad Mother will remain one of my favorite dramas memorable for its soft humor, attention to details, engaging plot (who killed WHO?!), loveable and energetic characters, and, of course, cute piglets. 🐖

This review first published on Letterboxd. @ Tate Arson🍃 (Yup, that's me! I have no idea how to change the username here)