The Good Bad Mother (Season 1), Episodes 3 & 4: The third and fourth episodes of The Good Bad Mother (Season 1) are characterized by heavy melodrama. The storyline progresses by showing the deepening relationship between Kang-ho and his mother, Young-soon.
As Kang-ho relives his childhood experiences with less trauma and more affection, the audience is prepared for the devastating crash that is inevitably coming as the plot thickens.
Furthermore, we are introduced to the story arc of Kang-ho and Mi-joo’s relationship, and we hope they will receive the ending they deserve.
The Good Bad Mother (Season 1), Episodes 3 & 4 Recap:
Episode 3
Episode 3 of The Good Bad Mothers begins right after Kang-ho’s accident. The scene shows Young-soon visiting her son at the hospital. As she sees him hooked up to machines and tubes that keep him stable after the crash, she becomes emotional. She cries hysterically, pleading with the nurse to do everything she can to help her son recover.
The doctor informs Young-soon that they could pull Kang-ho back from the brink of danger, but he suffered a spinal cord injury in the accident. Even when he regains consciousness, it will take time for him to return to his normal self.
As she waits by her son’s side, Young-soon reflects on all the times she prevented Kang-ho from overeating so he could concentrate on his studies. She remembers the moments when she saw him enjoying food like any other boy his age, and now she regrets not letting him indulge more in those simple pleasures.
Heartbroken by what happened to her son, Young-soon is determined to see Kang-ho recover quickly. Meanwhile, Woo-byeok discovers that Kang-ho has been in an accident and rushes to the hospital to see him. He wonders why the young prosecutor did not forge his mother’s signature instead of meeting her.
Woo-byeok also asks about the driver who hit the car. His assistant informs him that the driver has not been identified yet, but they have determined that the truck involved in the accident was a burner vehicle. Someone had destroyed it to remove any evidence.
Tae-soo visits his daughter at the hospital, where she is recovering from the accident. He comforts her, praising her for a job well done. However, we soon learn that Ha-young had put something in the water bottle Kang-ho drank before leaving him alone in the car. It becomes clear that everything was pre-planned. Ha-young is scared and worried about what might happen to Kang-ho. Tae-soo promises her that he will take care of everything in the coming days.
Meanwhile, Woo-byeok begins to suspect Tae-soo’s involvement in Kang-ho’s accident and calls him to clear his suspicions. He instructs his assistant to investigate the matter thoroughly to determine whether Tae-soo had anything to do with the crash.
At the same time, we see Young-soon asking the village chief to take care of her pigs so that she can focus more on her son’s recovery. In the next scene, we see Kang-ho being transferred to a general ward where his mother is burdened with caring for him daily. She tries to call his fiance, but there is no answer. Meanwhile, Mi-joo becomes aware that someone has been following her. She confronts the person and discovers that it is Sam-sik.
Mi-joo brings Sam-sik to her place, where he opens up about his past mistakes and regrets. Before leaving, he gives her a small gift and promises to win her back. However, their conversation ends bitter when he asks if she still has feelings for someone else.
How does Young-soon help her son recover?
Young-soon diligently cares for her son, and the show jumps ahead one month. One day, Kang-ho finally wakes up. While his mother is overjoyed to see him awake, Kang-ho is confused and disoriented. The doctor informs Young-soon that Kang-ho suffers from amnesia and can only remember his childhood. However, with proper care, there is hope that he can walk again. Young-soon takes Kang-ho to her home, where men appointed by Woo-byeok closely watch them.
In the following sequence, we see Young-soon tells her neighbors that Kang-ho is still in Seoul, even though he is with her at home. When she returns home after thanking her neighbors for their help, she struggles to make Kang-ho eat food. Eventually, her neighbors find out about Kang-ho, which makes Young-soon sad about his accident. However, she is still grateful that her son is still alive. Soon, everyone in the village learns about Kang-ho’s situation. As rumors about her son begin to spread in the town, Young-soon vows to her deceased husband that she will raise their son again.
Young-soon does everything she can to assist her son, including attempting to feed him and pleading with every deity she can think of for help. However, feeding Kang-ho becomes more difficult, and he becomes uncooperative with his mother. Despite this, Young-soon remains optimistic and spends the following day going through a box of Kang-ho’s childhood belongings to learn more about him. She creates a toy from his favorite items, but Kang-ho unexpectedly stops reacting to her efforts.
Is Young-soon able to find a place for Kang-ho in the rehabilitation center?
Out of fear, Young-soon reaches out to the doctor, who explains that those with paralysis often experience phases of grief and loss. Concerned about her son’s well-being, she tries to feed him forcefully. But Kang-ho tells her that he won’t be able to study if he eats until he’s full. Hearing this, Young-soon breaks down before him and apologizes for her earlier actions.
After being encouraged by his mother, Kang-ho begins to eat. Meanwhile, Woo-byeok learns that the truck driver has committed suicide, and Tae-soo has ordered his men to erase all evidence of his involvement with the Woobyeok Group. On the other hand, Ha-young is highly fragile and vulnerable, realizing what she has done, and is slowly consumed by guilt.
Back in the village, Kang-ho is fascinated with his old action figures. At the same time, we see his mother learn that the rehabilitation center is at full capacity and cannot admit him as a patient. Simultaneously, Kang-ho desperately clings to his toy robot, driven by his cherished memories. When Young-soon returns to the room and finds the robot lying on the floor, the two reenact the event from the beginning. Kang-ho encounters difficulties but remains persistent in putting in his best efforts.
The following day, Mi-joo receives distressing news that her nail salon is in danger, possibly due to her friend’s involvement. Meanwhile, in the village, Young-soon reverts to tough love with Kang-ho, withholding food from him and potentially causing him more emotional harm. Despite this, Kang-ho begins physical therapy and makes progress with his mother’s assistance with small movements. Eventually, a spot becomes available at the rehabilitation center, but when Young-soon returns to the room, she discovers that Kang-ho is eating alone. The episode ends on that note, with Young-soon rejoicing about her son’s new achievement.
Episode 4
The beginning of episode 4 of The Good Bad Mother shows Young-soon saying goodbye to some of her pigs. Meanwhile, Kang-ho is having a great time with the twins, Ye-jin and Seo-jin. However, during their playful tact, Kang-ho gets tipped over in his wheelchair. Later we see that Kang-ho’s mother explains how it was not right and their risky behavior could lead to more trouble than they already are dealing with. Kang-ho’s childlike behavior is amusing and sweet; even Young-soon can’t resist his charm.
Later on, Young-soon talks to Kang-ho about his mental and physical age. Young-soon reminds her mentally seven-year-old son that, unlike most people, he has been given the unique opportunity to relive his childhood and make changes. She reassures him that he is not foolish and, therefore, there is no reason for him to feel sad or frustrated.
On the other hand, Mi-joo learns that her colleague is not trustworthy and has run away to Los Angeles after stealing from her. She needs to figure out how to handle the situation and even considers taking money from her children’s bank account. However, she recalls her encounter with Kang-ho several years ago when he was a student and working part-time at a local eatery. She remembers her promise to him to strive for success and asks him to quit his job and focus on his studies.
Their love story blossoms as they stay together, and as time passes, Kang-ho passes the bar exam. On the night of his achievement, he expresses his desire to spend a happy life with Mi-joo. However, in the present, Mi-joo is sad and cries about the life they could have had together. Meanwhile, Kang-ho undergoes another round of physical therapy and experiences a panic attack. His mother, Young-soon, comforts him when he finally finds her and reassures him that she will never leave his side.
What happens between Woo-byeok and Tae-soo?
On the other hand, Tae-soo’s deed puts him in a ton of danger after truck driver Gu-man commits suicide and sends a suicide note to his wife. Woo-byeok takes all these receipts to Tae-soo to threaten him, even telling him he knows about Ha-young’s involvement. Tae-soo reminds Woo-byeok about Choi Hae-sik and that Kang-ho came to Ha-young to get to Tae-soo since he knows who killed his father and is out for vengeance.
Woo-byeok is entirely ignorant about who Hae-sik is and who got him killed. When Tae-soo tells him everything, he is stunned at the sudden disclosure, but then we see him revealing the truth. He knew about Kang-ho from the beginning and never tried to hide anything from him. Woo-byeok made him do some of his dirtiest work, so he did a background check and made sure to check on his character before letting him enter his inner circle. He then shares that he doesn’t care about the boy because Kang-ho is equally at fault after working with him. He wants to use his talent to get what he wants from him.
The Good Bad Mother (Season 1), Episodes 4 Ending, Explained:
What does Young-soon learn about Kang-ho’s life in Seoul?
Next, we see Young-soon heading to Seoul to clear her son’s apartment. While cleaning, she is shocked when she discovers the hidden things behind a painting. At her son’s office, she is further amazed to meet people who hate her son very much. She even fights with a man’s mother, Kang-ho, who had been wrongly sent to jail.
Despite Young-soon’s hesitation to believe negative things about her son, she eventually understands the situation. On the other hand, Kang-ho subconsciously recalls small details from his past life and spends the rest of the day playing with the twins. Young-soon realizes her son doesn’t lead an honest life as a prosecutor when she finds gold bars among his possessions. She returns home and gets furious at Kang-ho, who is confused by her repeated questioning of why he lived such a cruel life. Kang-ho doesn’t understand anything and starts crying, breaking his mother’s heart as she blames herself for everything.
We then see, Young-soon telling the story of pigs (from the first episode), as she explains the animal relationship with human lives. The mother and son duo apologize and comfort one another. On the other hand, we see Mi-joo loses her job due to her creditors and confides in Sam-sik, who promises to pay off her debts once he becomes successful. Back in the village, Kang-ho feels adventurous one day and decides to go out to find Ye-jin’s ball. Although he doesn’t see the ball, he enjoys exploring the village.
Kang-ho’s mother becomes increasingly anxious at nightfall and cannot reach her son’s phone. Meanwhile, a clueless Kang-ho finally finds Ye-jin’s ball and goes to their house to return it. Episode 4 of The Good Bad Mother (Season 1) comes to an end when Kang-ho is shocked to see Mi-joo at the twin’s house.
