Summary
A fantastic episode that builds vital context for the final few episodes.
We recap the Netflix K-Drama series The Good Bad Mother Season 1 Episode 9, which contains spoilers.
Although primarily set in the past and centered around things we already knew had occurred, episode nine of The Good Bad Mother was seamlessly exciting. The small details and revelations of Kang-ho’s (Lee Do-hyun) true intentions made a massive impact, as did Young-soon’s (Ra Mi-ran) bold actions at the chapter’s end.
The Good Bad Mother Season 1 Episode 9 Recap
As news spreads around Jou-ri Village of Ha-young’s engagement to the heir of Dosang Group, Kang-ho recalls the password to his memory card, unlocking what Young-soon believes are diary entries.
First up is from the prosecutor’s time studying law at SNU, where the hardships of doing what his mother desires catch up to him.
What happens when Kang-ho begins to look into his father’s death?
In particular, Kang-ho is disillusioned when his mother orders him to “beg” a lazy student he fought with, who allegedly had his grades fabricated, so he can still take the bar exam. Then, moving forward, the prosecutor became fixated on those involved in his father’s trial, especially the life of Oh Tae-soo.
After some time and his graduation, we see Kang-ho managed to get hold of his father’s trial record. “I’m sure the beginning of my mother and my twisted fate can be found in this,” the prosecutor narrates.
In a conversation with Mi-joo, Kang-ho appeared to confirm to himself that Kwak Sang-cheol, a fire prevention investigator and witness for his father, must’ve been “threatened or bribed” to end up actually going against Hae-sik during legal proceedings.
So he tracked the man down, who apologized for his testimony wrongdoings before opening up about the “danger” felt from Woo-byeok’s warnings.
Between scenes showing Kang-ho rejecting Mi-joo’s request to attend his appointment ceremony and the prosecutor accepting his legal gown entirely alone, we see Young-soon repeatedly trash her son’s attempts at drawing and his artistic achievements.
This, it’s made clear, was rather uncharacteristic, given the pig farmer once told Sang-cheol she wanted to raise “a painter.”
How did Kang-ho react to the abnormalities in Hae-sik’s death records?
Following this, Kang-ho officially collected the investigation record for his father’s alleged suicide. The prosecutor subsequently discovered the abnormalities in the pictures taken of Hae-sik, including how the autopsy photos seem to include previously missing, essential indicators of struggle.
From then on, Kang-ho set about confirming his father’s suicide was staged. To do so, he left his relationship with Mi-joo despite his love for her, preferring she’d “forget” him and be happy than knowing his plan to take down Tae-soo and Woo-byeok.
While planting the seeds for his relationship with Ha-young, Kang-ho got involved in the case of Mi-jeong’s death, which was pinned on the innocent Jung Jong-gu.
Here, the prosecutor did little to save the defendant initially, favoring the acquittal of Woo-byeok’s grandson instead, so he could get closer to the man who murdered his father. In the background, however, Kang-ho continued to fight for justice.
What did Kang-ho do with Soo-hyun?
Next, Kang-ho took a risk. To gain leverage on Tae-soo, he used Soo-hyun’s illegitimate child with the assemblyman against him, which also gave Woo-byeok ammunition against his former business partner. That, and as we already know, the prosecutor began his plan to marry Ha-young.
After safely seeing Soo-hyun and her child off to the Philippines (and staging her fake death), the day of Kang-ho’s accident, where he was set to officially become Woo-byeok’s child, arrives.
According to the prosecutor’s diary, this whole adoption and wedding scheme was put in place to “avenge” the life of Young-soon that the likes of Tae-soo “utterly destroyed.”
What was Kang-ho’s true plan?
“I will now become Song Woo-byeok’s son and Oh Tae-soo’s son-in-law to destroy everything they have ever built,” Kang-ho narrates, explaining he only cut himself off from Young-soon to shield her from pain.
Returning to the present, Young-soon asks her son to cease taking action now but quickly begins to worry. “You have to stop everything,” the pig farmer imperatively says, following an emotional embrace with Kang-ho, one relating to the fear he must have felt taking solo revenge.
The Good Bad Mother Season 1 Episode 9 Ending Explained
As Sam-sik steals a luxury handbag from his parents to pay off his debts, Young-soon sets fire to all of Kang-ho’s documents. From this point, she wants her son to take “true revenge,” meaning she wishes he’d forget his reasoning for vengeance and live “a good life” instead.
The episode ends with the burning of Kang-ho’s memory card and an ominous cut to a look at Soo-hyun.
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