The Good Bad mother apparently is just called The Bad Mother in Korean so if you use that as a guide you won’t be taking as many sharp intakes when you see outrageous emotionally abusive and neglectful parenting. The acting of the main characters and the twins is exceptional and kept me coming back week after week.

This a mixed genre drama with a strong revenge storyline, a ‘village people can be annoying in terms of their fair weather friendship and prejudiced approach to new comers’, a sweet romance with some tragic elements. I am not sure I would call it a healing drama but it does have a happy, we tried to tie up the loose ends, ending.

I enjoyed the drama but I didn’t like a lot of the characters. Unlike in other dramas, I was not actively irritated or upset by the characters. I would give it 8/10 for the story because I don’t willing watch revenge dramas and the mum’s behaviour didn’t redeem itself enough for me. I would give 10/10 for the actors playing the Mum, the male and female leads and the twins.

As someone who watched the first third in full, skipped through most of the middle third and watched the final third a little more fully:

Pros:
- The cast & the acting! (highkey the saving grace for this drama)
- The character of Mijoo and the twin kids are the BEST characters, all their scenes were brilliant
- The humour landed sometimes, especially if it involved Lee Dohyun & the twins
- Lion the pig is really cute
- Maybe an unpopular opinion but I kind of liked the whack face mask lady

Cons:
- Lukewarm (and dare I say, unnecessary) revenge plot that just curls up and whimpers at the end
- Displays of very BAD parenting that sometimes seemed like it was being condoned by the show? (it really tests how much you can handle without wanting to throw your laptop at a wall)
- Scriptwriter(s) had it out against pigs for some reason
- Script also couldn't make it's mind up about what tone it was trying to go for/balance tones well
- Waste of potential with Yoo In-soo: I love him but his character was just ??? at best and frustrating at worse. BUT in saying that, I liked the comedic elements with his character in the second half of the show.

Would I recommend? Honestly not really UNLESS you just want to watch a good cast doing some good acting/are fans of Ra Mi-ran and Lee Do-hyun. But be ready to put up with a lot of other frustrating things in the course of that. I didn't hate it per se but it was just a big 'meh' at the end for me, hence the ambivalent final recommendation!

I liked the drama most of the time. I thought the portrayals of these characters were done really well. I think the show was best when it focused on the relationships between Kang Ho, Young Soon, Mi Joo, and the twins.

I think the relationship between Young Soon & Kang Ho is complicated to say the least. Technically, Young Soon's actions could be classified as abusive but I think her motivation is clear. It's an "ends justify the means" type of situation with their characters.

The supporting characters fulfill the "quirky" local color to varying results.

The villians are very powerful and can often feel out of place when they show up.

If you came in for a healing trauma, then run away quickly, as it is a trap. Other than some phenomenal acting of the veteran Ra Mi-ran and the talented Lee Do-hyun and the rest of the characters, the scenes including the Fl and the twins, the drama is frustrating and somewhat traumatizing.

I saw a sterling review on Insta, got intrigued by Lee Do Hyun and decided to give it a watch. What worked for me:
Mijoo and the twins: They walk away with the best part of this show. Whenever the twins appear, they hog the screen. Eun jin is exceptional as Mijoo. She played her character arc so well, and looked convincing no matter who she was at a given moment, whether it was a high schooler, supportive devoted lover, an exasperated friend, a betrayed woman, or a young single Mom, she aced it.
Ra Min Ran: She gave her heart and soul to a very difficult role. It was very hard to like or empathise with her even though she was the protagonist, and I have a strong feeling that she didn't agree with what she was required to do on screen as a Mom and worked towards making sure her character wasn't truly forgiven by those who watched her, even though everyone waxed eloquent about her in the end.
Friendship of the women: I loved the intricate relationships of the women, and how they grow with each other. None of them are perfect. They are selfish, they are loud, they are jealous, they are kind, they are generous, they are pillars of unwavering support for each other. Loved that.
Kissing scene: Hell ya. That was a good realistic one and I hope if they must have it, they might as well get it right. This one did.
The stooges: They were hilarious and I loved them. Park Cheon definitely stood out. Watch out for this kid. He is a looker and can act. I would love to see where he goes in the next 10 years.

What did not work:

Lee Do Hyun: I might be of the unpopular opinion, but Lee Do hyun's inconsistent potrayal of Kang Ho was a let down. There were some scenes he aced. And others he glossed over. The most disappointing one was his 'come back' scene. There was literally no change in his demeanour, so much so that he had to spell it out so the audience could understand he was 'back'. 'I now remember everything'....because he didn't look any different from when he was in his retro memories, even though his get up was different. He went from being a 7 year old to having the memories of a High schooler, yet he kept behaving like the seven year old. This is where an actor can make a difference to a script and inspire a director to do better. However, he aced the comic scenes, and also the ones where he pushes back against the abuse of his Mom, or his absolutely adorable scenes with the twins (my heart!!). Also, while he is a great kisser, and the romance was super cute, it was mostly carried by Mijoo's yearning and her intensity when they were together. Romance does not look to be Do Hyun's strength. He was strictly efficient. His cool sauve Prosecutor bits were the shiniest ones.

The revenge story: What a waste of all the bad guys in the series. Choppy, poorly laid out, badly paced, whimpy nonsensical end (what stopped them from piggy backing with each other and take Kang down again?)

The villager tropes: They were downright...

Only have seen the first 2 so far. Hmmm.... face mask lady makes the most gringy comments, love it. The replies are mostly - why do you say those things!! Her face skin must be the smoothest in the world. Wondering if Kang Ho has an over-arching plan of revenge, however, he does some vicious things which has me wondering. Mi-Joo is a doll. Loved her in HosPlay also. I look forward to her character growing and coming back into the picture. The bad guys are good and tying themselves tighter. I'm at the point of the accident. By the way.... couldn't one of Young-Soon's so-called friends let her know the tag was still attached to her clothes. The contract signing was vicious.