The Good Bad Mother (나쁜엄마) is a Korean comedy-drama slice-of-life TV series directed by Shim Na-yeon, written by Bae Se-young and stars Ra Mi-ran, Lee Do-hyun, Ahn Eun-jin and Yoo In-soo in main roles. The series is all set to release on JTBC and Netflix (in select regions) and will take over JTBC’s Wed-Thurs 10:30 PM timeslot previously occupied by Interest of Love.
The Good Bad Mother episode 7 has a runtime of 64 minutes.
The slice-of-life series follows Young-soon and her son Kang-ho who share a tumultuous relationship with each other thanks to her strict parenting when he was a child. Now an adult, Kang-ho is a cold-hearted prosecutor who chooses to keep his distance from her mother and lives in the city. However, when a tragedy strikes, Kang-ho is forced to return home to the village, wherein he finds a new lease on life and rebuilds his relationship with his mother as well as with his childhood friend Mi-joo.
– The Good Bad Mother Episode 7 Review Contains Spoilers –
TW: Suicide
The Good Bad Mother Episode 7 Recap
Young-soon starts off The Good Bad Mother episode 7 looking scared and stressed after the heartbreaking diagnosis from last week. As she looks over her pig who just gave birth, Woo-byeok (through Ji-suk) buys Sung-ae’s cornfield in order to move there soon.
Later that day, Young-soon is worried sick about her son and wonders how she can make Kang-ho better as soon as possible. She is overcome with emotions as she starts to get her affairs in order and tells her husband that she refuses to die. He goes to meet the local doctor, who advises her to hire a trustworthy farm manager in case something happens to her and Kang-ho’s ailment continues. The doctor’s words fill Young-soon with hope, and she starts making further plans for Kang-ho to be able to live independently.
However, Young-soon’s changing attitude bothers Kang-ho, who realises that something is wrong with her mother. But Young-soon’s sudden sunny mood leaves him confused. Afterwards, Young-soon teaches her son to curse after some kids try to bully him. Not only that, she starts to teach him everything that he will need after her passing, not to be taken advantage of and keep the farm running.
On the other hand, Mi-joo is excited to start her nail salon once more, while Sam-sik gets a good beating from his debt collectors. They come across each other in the end and, of course, act like kids once more, with Sam-sik constantly hitting on Mi-joo and asking her whether she still likes Kang-ho. However, Mi-joo has other important things to think about – especially handling her kids.
Soon, though, Young-soon’s health starts to deteriorate, which Kang-ho is completely oblivious about. However, she doesn’t let her illness stop her from preparing Kang-ho to take the pig farm over. On the other hand, Sam-sik becomes suspicious of the men who bought his land and eventually thus invites the two of them out for drinks in order to get to know them deeper, much to Ji-suk’s disdain. Either way, on their way back home, Young-soon is heartbroken to find flyers and hoardings outside the farm, asking the farm to be thrown out of the village.
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Having had enough Hoon-ah’s antics, Young-soon gives him a piece of her mind and tells him that the farm will not be going anywhere and that her son and his descendants will continue to run it for generations after she dies. Hoon-ah was unprepared for Young-soon’s rage and is forced to run off with his tail between his legs.
However, as if things couldn’t get any worse, the villagers are devastated to find civil servants culling all cattle in the village following the law. Everyone in the village is stumped and left wondering what the family will do now while, at the farm, Kang-ho desperately asks his mother to do something about the pigs. The death of the pigs brings back horrible memories for Young-soon, who seems to be at the end of her rope. It’s devastating to watch the family breaking down, and anyone who learns about the pigs is equally heartbroken.
Anyway, Ji-suk takes this opportunity to look through Kang-ho’s house while they are busy with the farm. Elsewhere, Tae-soo fixes Ha-young’s marriage.
The next day, after having enough of the trauma, Young-soon prepares to end her life which Mi-joo learns about and rushes to stop. Sitting at her husband’s grave, Young-soon is almost ready to give up, but Kang-ho’s innocence brings her back to reality and gives her hope – she still has something to fight for. They come back home and are greeted by Mi-joo and Sam-sik. A fearful Mi-joo spots the herbicide in her hand and takes it away from her, both coming to a mutual understanding that Young-soon is not allowed to take such a drastic step.
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In the midst of this emotional turmoil, Sam-sik continues with his naive and delusional rants, proving to be the single, albeit annoying, star in a sea of heartbreak and devastation.
The next day, Seo-jin, Ye-jin, Mi-joo, Sam-sik and Kang-ho go out to the public baths together. While the kids are out having fun, Young-soon gets their rehabilitation as well as her will, in order in a rather morose conversation with her lawyer. Elsewhere, Woo-byeok learns that Kang-ho was the one who has been exposing him and his company dressed as a woman.
At the public bath, Tae-soo’s speech on the TV triggers a memory for Kang-ho, who remembers a conversation that he had had with the politician. Afterwards, Young-soon and Kang-ho go to a rehabilitation centre and make plans for them to take care of Kang-ho – which means that he will have to live there from then on. While delivering this news, a confused Kang-ho asks his mother whether she is leaving him to live somewhere nice alone.
The Good Bad Mother Episode 7 Ending
He starts to plead with her to take him with her and that he will be good from then on out. Unable to tell him the truth, Young-soon leaves him at the centre, crying and asking for her to come back. As she goes back home and attempts to end her life, Kang-ho runs away from the facility back home. Just as he reaches home after wheeling himself for literal kilometres on end, he comes in just in time to see his mother struggling, having just attempted to end her life.
In the heat of the moment, Kang-ho stands up in order to save his mother.
The Good Bad Mother Episode 7 Review
I am sorry but Ra Mi-ran and Lee Do-hyun should just get an award of some sort for their performances in this series. This is by far the most devastating episode yet, and the two actors deliver their performances just right, so much so that you won’t be able to look away. Their performances and a whole host of crap might even push series regulars to sob for a majority of the runtime in this episode.
There are not a lot of fun moments in The Good Bad Mother Episode 7, if any. Some are delivered by Sam-sik and Ji-suk, but they are very limited and don’t drone on at all. Sam-sik’s incessant nagging gets a bit annoying and creepy after a bit as well.
However, these aren’t even a speck in the episode – this episode is all about Young-soon and Kang-ho’s relationship, and it absolutely delivers. There’s not a moment where your heart won’t break for the characters.
The Good Bad Mother is streaming on Netflix.
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