Review notes were previously posted on Letterboxd, on a private list with watched K-dramas. I deleted the list so will publish the notes here.
Mother (2018)
Watched 3 - 9 July 2022 — 16 episodes (YOUTUBE)
*I was pleasantly surprised at first that there seemed to be a romantic interest for our female lead Lee Bo-young and I like the actor Lee Jae-yoon and his sweet character. But eventually it was unrequited love on his part and Lee Bo-young was basically just very grateful to him. It still leaves me fantasising about a possible happy ending for them in the far future.
*I was a bit stupefied how the child Heo Yool was left alone so many times when she and Lee Bo-young were supposed to be on the run, and how she was also exposed to so many people. I realised the child went missing in a small village and that her face hadn’t been shown to the public and the media, so I guess it wasn’t that unbelievable she could move around freely in Seoul without being recognised. Still, Lee Bo-young wasn’t very careful for someone who had abducted a child and I didn’t really understand why she didn’t take better precautions in order not to get caught.
*Ultimately it was a very compelling and emotional watch and I cried a LOT!!! I also hadn’t expected it to be so suspenseful. I have to say that the last two episodes dragged a bit, with the suspense gone and focusing on Lee Bo-young’s family and her sisters (I especially liked the journalist sister) and how Lee Bo-young and Heo Yool were reunited again.
*Lee Bo-young and Heo Yool are fantastic! That little girl is such a good actress and her character is so wise and grown-up for her age. And I think Lee Bo-young is the most beautiful Korean actress I have seen so far, next to Son Ye-jin. They have a similar beauty and even cry in the same way.
*Special mention goes to Lee Bo-young’s mothers, her birth mother (Nam Gi-ae) and adoptive mother (Lee Hye-young). They are great characters and the actresses give passionate performances.