We expected to be bawling our eyes out with “The Good Bad Mother” Episode 3, but that was far from the case. Luckily, we love our melodrama to be more subtle, and that is why the series scores high. This is how Episode 3 plays out.
Spoilers Alert
Why Did Oh Tae Soo Try To Kill Kang Ho?
Chairman Song Woo Byeok is informed about Kang Ho’s accident and rushed to the hospital. We can tell that he is not particularly heartbroken about the tragedy, but he realizes that Oh Tae Soo must have been responsible for this since the vehicle that caused the accident was a burner truck that was found burning in flames a few miles away. In a flashback, we see that this guess is correct. Ha Young had deliberately spiked Kang Ho’s bottle of water, and when she took over the wheels, she purposefully created an excuse to stop the car on the side of the road and step out. When she did that, the car was hit by the truck. This was all planned by Oh Tae Soo, who probably wanted the last traces of his crime removed from the world without anyone being in a position to blackmail him so that he could get Ha Young married as he saw fit to suit his political ambitions. Though Ha Young acts according to her father’s plan, this worsens her panic disorder in the aftermath. She believed that the accident was supposed to kill Kang Ho but knowing that he is still alive scares her.
How Does Young Soon Take Care Of Kang Ho?
Young Soon finds that she is alone in the hospital with Kang Ho, as Ha Young is nowhere to be found, and she has not left a contact number. Kang Ho is in a coma for a while, and Young Soon diligently takes care of him until he wakes up. Her farm back home is being taken care of by the villagers. In the hospital, once Kang Ho wakes up, Young Soon discovers that he is paralyzed from the neck down. Additionally, his mind has reverted to when he was seven years old. The term the people in the drama seem to prefer for this is “stupid.” Young Soon takes him back home but doesn’t tell anyone that he is with her. She tells the villagers that he has gone back to his job. However, her secret is soon discovered when two of her friends, Mrs. Park (Sam Sik’s mother) and Mrs. Jung (Mi Joo’s mother), who come to see her. That is when Young Soon admits that if anyone else had been in Kang Ho’s position, she would have thought that they were living a life worse than death. But now that Kang Ho is there, she is just glad that he is alive but doubts that others might not think like her, which is why she kept it a secret. She is comforted that it is far from the case; however, word soon spreads across the village about Kang Ho’s condition. While it feeds the regular gossip mill, it also brings everyone together in her support, and Young Soon finds herself overwhelmed by that.
Back in the house, Young Soon finds that Kang Ho just won’t eat the food she makes. She cannot understand why that is so. After this continues for many days, Kang Ho faints because of his weakness. That makes Young Soon lose her temper a bit, which is when Kang Ho tells her that he is not eating because he doesn’t want to feel sleepy as he won’t be able to study. Young Soon breaks down in tears as the consequences of her actions hit her, and she is forced to confront the trauma she has inflicted on her son. She promises him that he need not do so anymore and asks him to eat to his heart’s content.
Why Is Kang Ho Being Sent To The Rehab?
Over time, Young Soon discovers that Kang Ho might have the ability to move his hands, though that seems to come and go. She gets an idea from Andrea, a man from Canada trying to learn about pig farms, that tempting Kang Ho with food might motivate him to try and move his hand. She does exactly that. She places a tray full of food in front of him, but she doesn’t feed him. Kang Ho, who is unable to move his hands again, is left hungry and wanting. This continues for a few months until one day, Kang Ho is able to pick up the spoon, driven by pure frustration and hunger. His mother, who had been trying to get him a spot in the rehabilitation center, had just come to know that there was an opening for him. At the end of Episode 3 of “The Good Bad Mother, ” right when Young Soon is about to inform Kang Ho about the opening, she discovers him eating by himself. This means that her trick worked.
Young Soon wanted to send him to the rehabilitation center so that he would be better cared for. There is no doubt that he would be, but some parts of his treatment seem to be connected to his childhood, which only Young Soon knows about. The hospital could never have understood why Kang Ho wouldn’t eat his meals. They would not have tried to use such a “starving” trick on him. Young Soon’s methods are a little unorthodox, but they work. Additionally, this is her chance to get closer to her son, something that she needs to do to make up for all the previous years. Considering these factors, Young Soon might just decide to take care of his treatment herself.
Final Thoughts
We have a hunch that “The Good Bad Mother” is going to be a little boring going forward. It is a hunch that it is not based on any real facts; therefore, if you disagree with us, you would be right. Kang Ho’s character in this episode was mainly passive, but we know that in the upcoming episodes, we will be seeing him revert to his childhood self, and that is going to be funny. We are also a little enamored by Ye Jin and Seo Jin, Mi Joo’s kids. It is evident that Kang Ho is going to be friends with them, so these are developments that we look forward to.
