Mother

Presentation

Korean Title: 마더

Aired in: 2018 (16 episodes)

Channel: tvN

Grade: 10/10

Actors: Lee Bo Young, Lee Hye Young, Go Sung Hee and Heo Yool

For more…

Lee Bo Young:
– I Can Hear Your Voice
– Whisper
– God’s Gift – 14 Days
– When My Love Blooms

Go Sung Hee:
– Kingmaker: The Change of Destiny
– My Holo Love
– Suits
– Diary of a Watchman

Lee Hye Young:
– Lawless Lawyer
– Boys over Flowers
– Can You Hear My Heart

Analysis

Synopsis

​Soo Jin is a cold biology teacher, who doesn’t bound easily with people. One day, she passes by one of her pupil’s house at night, and finds the little girl outside in a trash bag. Recognizing domestic abuse, Soo Jin decides to take Hye Na with her, without telling anyone. They start running away from authorities, while connecting with each other. 

My Opinion (No Spoilers)

Such a strong drama! This Korean remake of the Japanese drama of the same name is beautifully made. The themes are very serious and strong, I cried so much, while watching it; but the lesson is just as strong as the story. 

I really believe that this drama requires more attention  and recognition in Dramaland: the acting skills, the direction and the gravity of the drama are mind-blowing and breathtaking. 

​Analysis (Spoiler Alert)

Motherhood: The drama depicts 3 mother-daughter relationships, each different and peculiar. 

Soo Jin and Hye Na; becoming a mother: Soo Jin (Lee Bo Young) plays this cold and distant woman, passionate with birds and nature. She also happens to be a biology teacher at a primary school. That is where she meets Hye Na (Heo Yool). The little girl, just like Soo Jin, is very distant and doesn’t talk a lot to other kids. She also comes to school with bruises and her personality is really reserved and shy. At first, Soo Jin doesn’t want to connect with anyone, trying to live her life on her own. However, there is really a triggering moment in the drama: when she discovers Hye Na, outside in winter in a trash bag, as if she had been thrown away like garbage by her family. This moment really tore me apart and I think, that’s when Soo Jin realized that she had actually a lot in common with Hye Na, in terms of personality. Especially when it comes to their relationship with their respective mother. 

Moreover, I think that her seeing Hye Na in that state had a strong impact of Soo Jin, who felt the need to rescue her and protect her, as if she was confronted with her old self, who on the contrary didn’t have that chance to be saved. 

At first, Hye Na and Soo Jin maintain a pupil/teacher relationship, but the more episodes we get to see, the closer they actually become. They actually learn to lean on one another and share feelings and pain. Even though the drama doesn’t rely on a lot of verbal words, it is extremely good at conveying emotions and thoughts through gestures and above all silences. 

I found it quite heart-warming to see how Soo Jin and Hye Na manage to bond in their own specific way, watching and studying birds for instance. I also believed that Soo Jin felt this motherly urge to be by Hye Na’s side. 

The emotional bond they form seems to be light and easily breakable; yet, the climax of the drama at the trial proves us wrong. 

Soo Jin and Young Sin (her mother), reconnecting what’s broken: Soo Jin’s relationship with her mother Young Sin (Lee Hye Young) is quite distinctive too. Indeed, they don’t seem to have anything in common and don’t even speak to each other. Throughout episodes, we discover that Soo Jin’s mother is actually sick (she has cancer) and is about to die. Because of that, she is trying her best to reconnect with her daughter and recreate a bond that has long been broken in the past. Soo Jin is a bit reluctant at first but eventually gives in. Moreover, Young Sin, just like Soo Jin with Hye Na, becomes really protective towards her endangered child. Indeed, Soo Jin has sort of kidnapped Hye Na to protect her, therefore, authorities are after her. At some point, the police look for Soo Jin at Young Sin’s, thinking that it is the perfect place to hide. Soo Jin didn’t really tell her family the truth about Hye Na (they think she is adopted or that Soo Jin had her, since they didn’t have any contact for a long time); but this doesn’t prevent Soo Jin’s mother from protecting her, when she realizes what her daughter has done. 

I believe we can draw a parallel here between the two relationships, Soo Jin embodying the pillar of both. There are actually a lot of similarities between the intergenerational trio. First, the coldness between mother/daughter is a very visible aspect. Young Sin was very cold towards Soo Jin, which turned her into a cold person. Hye Na has never been truly loved by her mother, which made her quite distant and shy. Second, there is still an underlying connection between characters, even though they don’t want to admit it. Young Sin loves her daughter and protects her with all her might. Soo Jin considers Hye Na as her child and protects her also with all her might and Hye Na still feels love towards her mother, who thinks of her as a burden. So there is an undeniable red thread between the three of them. They form an actual family (even though peculiar) and develop little by little the kind of feelings proper to a family: love, sacrifice, devotion, protection… Third, Soo Jin and Young Sin finally become mothers. It didn’t seem as if they had an ounce of motherly instinct in them; yet, both women grow up amazingly and we witness this development from solitary wolves to protective mama bears. 

Hye Na and Ja Young (her mother); violence versus love:  The drama illustrates perfectly child abuse and the dire consequences of such a toxic relationship. Ja Young (Go Sung Hee, who plays incredibly well by the way) is not financially stable, mother of a child she doesn’t care about and has an abusive boyfriend, jealous of her daughter. Meaning that he considers that he comes before the little girl. I really loved how realistic the drama was trying to portray domestic abuse; emphasizing the living hell being closed doors, that is not necessarily shown through outside.

I hated the boyfriend, who made fun of Hye Na by belittling and humiliating her; treating her like an animal and turning her mother against her. On the other side, I loved the complexity of Go Sung Hee’s character: she could’ve been a decent mother, had she been alone. Her problem was that she was easily manipulated and influenced by her boyfriend, scared to see him abandon her, like Hye Na’s father did. I think Ja Young was a very pitiful character in the end, because she didn’t have a great life, and was relying on the wrong men, hoping they would get her out of her condition. She didn’t even realize that she was the only one who could do that. Moreover, she resented Hye Na a lot for being born, when she is not the one to blame, and constantly rejected her. 

What really broke my heart, and I think this is very often the case in real life, is that Hye Na loves her mother and was trying her best to make her love her. She was making a lot of efforts to be recognized, appreciated and considered; yet, always pushed away. This really killed me and I so wanted to embrace Hye Na. 

Here, we have to shed light on real child abuse, that is still so common out there. I have actually asked myself several times in the drama, if like Soo Jin I would’ve done the same thing with Hye Na (kidnapping her and leaving with her). Thing is, by doing so, I am convinced that Soo Jin saved Hye Na’s, who would’ve frozen to death outside, just to please her mother. Even though, it is legally punished and questionable, she clearly made the right decision. I also thought about what would’ve happened, if she had just called the police or the social services. In my opinion, Hye Na was in clear danger, and Ja Young could’ve deceived social services somehow; killing Hye Na. 

The most terrifying part is that we, as viewers, can witness domestic abuse. I think it is clearly visible that violence against Hye Na is going crescendo attaining its peak with her thrown outside in the middle of winter. For me, if Hye Na had come back home that time, the next abuse would’ve been the last. That’s why I happened to be so grateful towards Soo Jin, who was the only one willing to do something to save Hye Na. 

Mother highlights the fact that for abused children, sometimes only one person and the right one can save their life. It clearly puts forward the real struggle, problems and consequences of child abuse. On the other side, it is also living proof that you don’t need to be related by blood to consider someone your child. Soo Jin “adopts” Hye Na and takes care of her like her own daughter (this topic is actually quite present in Dramaland with for example The Great Show; When The Weather is Fine…). 

​In overall, motherhood is the central topic in the drama and we get to explore a lot of different combinations of mother/daughter in particular. The drama emphasizes the importance of love and care from a mother to a child, no matter whether or not they share the same blood (the case of Young Sin and her 3 adoptive daughters, and Su Jin with Hye Na). 

The hunt: Aside the tragic directive line of the drama, Soo Jin and Hye Na’s journey adds a lot of suspense. Because Soo Jin technically kidnapped a kid, she is now on the run. She has to escape from the police, taking refuge at her mother’s. What I really appreciated in the drama is that the external actors, such as the police officers or Jin Hong (Lee Jae Yoon) the doctor sense that something is off in this story. Ja Young pleads her daughter’s kidnapper to bring her back, but all the characters feel that her plea sounds fake. The more they investigate or get to know about the story, the weirder it becomes. Soo Jin is not this horrible child kidnapper and Ja Young is not the poor devastated mother. 

I knew that somehow, Soo Jin would be arrested because she committed an offense. However, I really prayed her sentence would be light, if not non-existent, considering the fact that she is not the aggressor but the savior. 

The trial, Hye Na’s awakening: Best trial scene I have seen in my entire life! Soo Jin is arrested at the end and trialed for her crime. She doesn’t say anything to defend herself, because she knows she did wrong and probably deserves to be put into jail. When we think, this unfair judgement is about to come to an end, leaving us frustrated and resentful; the lawyer starts questioning Hye Na. Her testimony is so well-written, mixing the innocence of a child and the gravity of the deeds she relates. Meaning that she emphasizes her love for her mother Ja Young but also unwillingly sheds light on the abuse she has suffered from. This trial is a turning point in Hye Na’s personal development, because she finally realizes that her biological mother doesn’t want what’s best for her, compared to Soo Jin. There is a sort of trigger in her brain, pushing her to testify in favor of the one who protected her: Soo Jin. In terms of analysis, Hye Na becomes less dependent of her mother at that point and we get to see how intelligent she is. She has grown up emotionally and has created a bond with Soo Jin. In that matter, the real mother/daughter connection in that room during the trial is between Soo Jin and Hye Na. 

It is really difficult to explain with words all of the emotions that you can actually feel during that incredible scene, so I would suggest you definitely watch it!

​The resolution: The drama ends on a bright and hopeful note. Su Jin has reconnected with her biological mother; Hye Na has taken the identity she had, while on the run as Yoon Bok and Ja Young is sentenced to 7 years in jail for child abuse. Young Sin’s relationship with her adoptive daughters (she has 3) is even stronger before her death. The most beautiful moment for me was when Hye Na (now Yoon Bok) starts calling Su Jin “Mom”. 

In a nutshell, Mother is the perfect combination between serious life issues and hope that things can change for the better!

P.S.: If you want to cry your heart out, listen to the OST “To You” from Kim Yuna!

P.S.2: Was I the only shipping Soo Jin and Jin Hong’s relationship?

I’m sorry I couldn’t find a proper trailer 😦

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