Hello, Mom (2020)

Waste of a good premise

There was so much potential here in the form of a dead mother who comes back to look after her family and friends, and the meaning she finds and helps to bring back to the lives of the living. However, the story just went nowhere and some of the characters who could have helped it along were either forgotten after their intro, or just spent the show wandering around without purpose.

Kim Tae Hee as our main lead Cha Yu Ri does a great job portraying a grieving mom who gets the chance to return to the land of the living. She is energetic and lovely in this role. The cute little Seo Woo Jin who plays her daughter Seo Woo is just the most adorable little thing too. And Shin Dong Mi is brilliant as Yu Ri's best gal friend Hyun Jung, who supports her through it all. She was actually the best part of the show. Her support and longing for her friend was so palpable.

The show could have been fantastic had the side stories of the ghosts been fleshed out. A few of them ask Yu Ri to help them with unfinished business. These opportunities could have pushed the show to new levels. Instead, their stories are introduced and then promptly forgotten. I was also hoping the fun and spirited shaman played by Yoon Sa Bong would have a real part of the story as well. Unfortunately her potential was lost too. Furthermore, important living characters just kind of wander around. Yu Ri's husband played by Lee Kyu Hyung, doesn't do much to actually show his depression or thoughts. It's a missed opportunity. And his new wife played by the gorgeous Go Bo Gyeol also doesn't do much, but has some time to express herself later in the show.

With the mess of a story and frustrating lack of follow through, you'd think the show would have little impact on the viewer. Fortunately, it's still able to tug some heartstrings, mostly through monologues and flashbacks about Yu Ri's life and family so it's a decent cry if you're looking for one (if you can get over the other frustrations).

Unfortunately, this show just isn't worth the time.

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ever since the drama started I thought this would be better as a movie. sure they had a good plot, what will you do if you get a 2nd chance?
as a mom, as a daughter, as a sister, as a wife and as a friend. what will you do when your position is taken? how will the people react to that?

well, it didn't need 16eps, and they knew it that's why they added the side ghosts. and at the end of the day they served no purpose but to drag the eps.
sure they gave them a little sentimental value, but if they took them out, this could've been done in 4eps max.

I didn't have any problems with seo woo being played by a boy, but woojinie felt a little too mischievous and smart for a quite girl that was "behind" other kids. woojinie was too adorable and playful ;)

I think my favorite part was the unexpected sismance between Yu Ri, Min Jung and Hyun Jun. tbh if that didn't exist, my rating would've been lower.
also, they had a couple of sweet heartbreaking moments between the main dynamics, so that was nice as well

the ost was nice enough, and I never rewatch stuff ;)

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Hi Bye Mama! is a drama that I found to be fine, an 8. It's a delicate and touching story about a mother wanting to see her daughter, and just revisiting old friends and families to say goodbye for 49 days. It touches on a wide variety of subjects, and overall, it was a fine drama to watch. It was not perfect however, so there are some obvious flaws I have with this drama.

- It can be a bit fuzzy, and has moments of being just absolutely unnecessary. There are also pockets of random stories of characters woven inside the drama, which may be considered good for the depth of characters. However. they just break up the already choppy continuation of the plot line of this drama, so I was kinda annoyed by this fact.

- Moving on, I found the crying scenes in this drama to be a bit excessive. It drowned out quite some time, and while it was sad at first. They kept pushing it, which I thought was a bit excessive.

- Finally, the timing and flow of events were spaced out in quite an uneven way. It just seemed to be very strangely spaced out, as I really didn't get why some events didn't come quicker, which is because of unnecessary filler moments that eat up the time. The ending was also predictable, which I get was kinda obvious. They should have at least outlined the last episode in a better manner, like with a more conclusive and satisfying epilogue.

- Overall, the acting of this cast was great. They gave solid performances, and I have no complaints. If anything, the crying scenes are a bit much, but that's all the qualms I have.

- The music, it was atmospheric and incredible. I loved it as the music blended with the scenes it was woven into. It was great, and I enjoy listening to it.

- All in all, Hi Bye Mama! is a show that I found to be good, but not great. It had plenty of flaws, but overall, it was still a fine show that I didn't regret watching. I wouldn't exactly say that I would personally re-watch this show, but I know that many would consider that a possibility. Hi Bye Mama! had an incredible cast, and the music was fine as well. I would say that for anyone who likes the genre of unresolved problems, returning from the dead, and revisiting friends and loved ones would love this show! I recommend this show to anyone interested, and wish you all to be safe!

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SHIT ???

The bigest shit I've ever watched. That "daddy" is the worst character I've ever seen, he's a complete dump. He comes to work, sits under his desk and pretends to do something, but when he gets home he's so tired and he's not going to do anything. And THAT CHILD must have been some kind of special needs child, because she didn't understand anything that was going on around her and she was doing some kind of shit. and when she hid in the freezer, I was defeated. She always does the most stupid things and lives in her own starnge world. The mother is also a bit out of it, just going on and on about her child and how she's not the greatest. I won't even comment on the ghosts, because they were horrible and made my blood boil. All in all I wasted 8 hours of my life watching this stupid family :)

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Overly sentimental

This was way too melodramatic and gushy for me.
Started off not bad at all, with Mama of the title and the ghosts she hangs out with, at the columbarium her ashes reside in, providing some light hearted and touching moments.
They are kept in line (with difficulty) by a no nonsense Shaman, Ms Mi Dong. There are no real vengeful inhabitants, most stay to watch over family, or because they have unfinished issues.
I found these characters and their stories the best part of the drama.
Once Cha Yu Ri inexplicably comes back to life, the story started to quickly nosedive.
It's a while since I've found a lead character as selfish and hopeless as her.
She's belligerent towards many other spirits, even though she's now in a position where she could help them.
She had been fixated on her daughter from the moment she passed and when she returns to the living, it transpires that being around her all that time came at a price.
She inserts herself into the toddler's life, with no care about her husband or his current wife, let alone the little girl. At this point, she has no idea how she came back, or whether it's permanent.
Instead of being extremely careful, she is eventually found out. On learning that she has 49 days on earth, after which she will leave again if she cannot resume her pre-death place on earth, she still carries on regardless and keeps it from everyone.
The emotional scars her death left on her widowed husband are deeper than the ocean, but she still spends most of the time concentrating on herself, whilst what I felt was using her daughter as an excuse.
The expectations she raises in her parental family, husband and best friend, cause so much more hurt and pain, it's infuriating.
Characters take ages delivering slow and overly paused dialogue, not answering questions, not saying what they should, and there is a LOT of wailing and beating of chests.
This story could have been so much more. The main character could, on being discovered, have come clean and used her time on earth well, instead of achieving very little until the last couple of episodes.
Instead of feeling sad for her, I was relieved when it was all over.
Definitely not one I would watch again, as I struggled to finish it first time around. So disappointing. If you like mushy, sentimental, melodramatic shows, however, you'll love it! (Not judging; each to their own.)

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I like how the drama started being really light and fun at first, it was what made me hooked with the show. Yuri's relationship with the ghosts in the crematorium, and her meeting Gang Hwa after being a human again was entertaining. Even their friends have unique personalities that were enjoyable to watch. But then it progresses into the more heavy issues such as the meaning of life, death, love, and loss. Because it was a sudden death, everyone she left behind had many regrets and was struggling to live their lives normally but is still visibly suffering from her loss.

In my opinion, everything was perfect plot-wise, the last few episodes were real tearjerkers. My only concern was the utilization of the other side characters. The ghosts were there because they have unresolved stories and couldn't leave their loved ones behind, but then suddenly in the middle of the show their stories were suddenly cut off, rushed, and messily written. The plot from then on became solely focused on Yuri, her hiding the truth and Ganghwa finding it out. Aslo what happened to Jang Pil Seung's interest toward Yuri that was first shown on the character chart?

Acting-wise, Lee Kyu Hyung only proved to us once again how versatile of an actor he is! The way he portrayed pain, loss, longing, and suffering was on point. I am glad the casting directors chose him for this role because I dont think anyone could pull it off as well as him. Also his chemistry with Lee Tae Hee was amazing! I think this was also by far Lee Tae Hee's best work, maybe because she already has children of her own, but she was able to depict the role of a mother who loved her child dearly well.

Overall, this drama may have its own minor flaws, but despite that, it really made a deep impression in me. I cried a lot because it made realize my actions. Me being a mean daughter to my parents who I know loves me despite the way I am, I wonder if I was able to show them how much I love them, despite not being able to express it well?
Hi Bye, Mama is a true wake up call for us who are busy with our daily lives, we run and worry towards the future so much that we sometimes forget to thank and appreciate all those we love. It reminded me to treasure each moment with our loved ones before its too late, to appreciate life and living as a gift, and to not do anything we would regret.

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Plothole on plothole.

As someone said in another review "Unfortunately, in retrospect, the drama overexploited the main story and, in the end, it felt like nothing really happened, just the main plot and nothing else". The main plot being "Yu Ri is back to life."

There's SO many plotholes and fillers.
- Having side ghost story is not uncommun but it's the first time I found them rushed and just there for the sake of being there. I found Kang Bin's story incomplete, same for Mi Dong who could have been an amazing side story imo ?
- I don't understand why they insisted on the whole ghost's favors thing for AGES when it was forgotten just after ?
- Guk Bong ...was there. But for what ? Nothing, he added nothing and he disappeared as fast as he appeared
- Min Jeong's character was so..empty ? It was so weird. She became emotionally capable in the last four episodes. + What is she doing all day ? She has a maid, a pick up helper, yet doesn't work nor go out. She's super "busy" for someone who has nothing to do except maybe go at the lawyer's office in the first episodes ? SeoWoo was ALWAYS alone. How come it took three nosy mothers for her to understand that SeoWoo wasn't talking ?
- The 4 last eps were crying. "I'm sorry" "No don't be" "There's nothing to do" on repeat.

I never saw a drama with SO much potential getting ruined like this. It's really like they focused on YuRi back to life and like nothing else mattered anymore. They tried adding bonus plot point but forgot about them seconds after.

I was really disappointed tbh. The actors are really a gem, but it's so so poorly written. (+ I don't even remember any of the OST)

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This drama died with plenty of regrets

This drama definitely had potential (my beloved Lee Kyu-hyung plays the sad dad!) which ended up being squandered in its entirety. And the score I gave is reflective of the enormous disappointment I suffered.
I can be petty like that.
Also, I would not recommend this drama to anyone except for Lee Kyu-hyung fans (who will get the chance to see his dimples in every episode).

The story is a quirky one and starts in medias res. I was truly invested because I love discovering things little by little and, above all, I love wacky supernatural plots.
The dead coming back to the living world after time and life went on beyond them is entirely fascinating to explore as a concept (one of my favorite shows is the French drama Les Revenants). I think it is one of those what-ifs we have entertained collectively since the beginning of human experience and a fantasy that confronts us with deep reflections on death, relationships and society. Therefore, I always have great expectations when a story takes up such themes.

Despite this promising start, I feel like the writer never really committed to any of the concepts they introduced.
The trauma, grief and the bereavement we are invited to delve into seem underdeveloped, left unresolved (in my opinion May I Help You does a better job on the subject). One might argue that for most of us the loss of a loved one, in particular a traumatic and sudden loss, stays an unresolved matter for life.
Still, I watch drama to escape the harsh reality and lose myself in impossibility and parallel universes of perfectly finite stories! And I would have loved to see the characters really explore the implications of the absurdity they are facing and grow their relationships beyond the state we find them in. Instead we are constantly bombarded with new arcs, fillers and one too many emotional scenes.
That is why I felt that the pacing was off and I was bored the majority of the episodes.

I am deeply supportive of mixed tones (I am a fan of dramedy and cry laughing all the time), but there were too many failed funny-cute moments in this and, at times, it was a bit awkward.

The ghost characters in the columbarium are funny and Kim Tae-hee is brilliant in her role and gives her character a natural charm that will win everyone over. Lee Kyu-Hyung is equally strong in his portrayal and I especially liked the adorable kid dressed as a girl (genius actor Seo Woo-jin that made me his eternal admirer with Young Lady and Gentleman).
All the characters cry very convincingly throughout, yet the writing was too weak to really amount to anything of depth and value.


Female Empowerment Score 3/5 Oh Min-Jung is a really sad character in the beginning with her tepid marriage and pseudo-motherhood but the last episode implies that it gets better and she won't be striving to fit in someone else's life. Plus points for the comradery between mothers.

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Romanticization of tragedy

As an artist and creator, I understand just how life can already be filled with enough sadness. We lose loved ones, we age, and face a multitude of other misfortunes. Therefore, I believe it's our responsibility as creators to craft stories that make life more interesting. I would not romanticize the premature end of a life, dramatizing it to an unbearable extent for over 17 hours, for those who dedicated their time to engage with my work.
Having said that, the show has many aspects to be appreciated. The actors' performances were flawless, and they are the reason behind my positive review.

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Interesting premise and strong start marred by uneven finish.

For the first 10 episodes this drama had me completely enamored. It wasn’t at all what I expected. The trailer features mostly Kim Tae Hee in the most comical elements of the show and barely hints at the melodrama and heartache that makes up the lion’s share of the story. Unlike most shows I choose to watch, I went into this one cold. I didn’t read any of the reviews beforehand. I’ve been on a Kim Tae Hee kick recently, and I wanted to see her in her first role since taking time off to start her family. For 10 to 12 episodes I was all in, then what had been a strong start fell apart nearly completely.

The premise is an interesting one. A young, first-time mother dies suddenly, then remains on earth as a ghost that inhabits the lives of the family and friends she left behind, helplessly watching them struggle with life without her. At first, her ghostly interaction with the world is played for comedic effect but as the story unfolds, we see how heartbreaking it is for her to watch the unbearable grief her sudden death caused for those she left behind, and the mood shifts from comedy to melodrama. In one of the more poignant moments, we learn that instead of being jealous of the woman who took her place, Yu Ri (Kim Tae Hee) is actually grateful that her husband and daughter now have someone as kind as Min Jung to take care of them.

This is fertile ground for exploring life, love, loss, gratitude, and regret, and the best parts of the story take full advantage of it. But somewhere around episode 11 or 12, things begin to feel repetitive. Plot lines that seemed full of promise—like Yu Ri’s promise to do one favor for each ghost—get abandoned, while others, like the character Guk Bong get introduced and dropped for no apparent reason. And there are tears. Lots and lots of tears and “I’m sorry” and more tears from nearly every character. (In hindsight I wonder how the script read on paper because in scene after scene, each character’s line seemed to consist of “I’m sorry [then cry].”) It wasn’t enough to save this drama, but the ship gets righted during the final episode, and the story comes to a more or less satisfying conclusion.

The cast is mostly terrific and the chemistry between them good as well. The exception was Lee Kyu Hyung as the widow Jo Gang Hwa. I didn’t think he had much chemistry with anyone other than Kim Tae Hee. Granted, the script called for him to mostly grieve and cry and 70% of his lines were “I’m sorry”, so I’m not sure how much of the problem was his or the script’s. Nevertheless, it was hard to buy into the love story between Gang Hwa and his second wife Min Jung. The only thing we had to go on was Yu Ri telling us repeatedly that even though no one else could tell that he loved her, she could.

This isn’t a bad drama, and it is worth a watch—especially for fans of Kim Tae Hee like I am. It is simply an OK drama that could have been much better. What started out so full of promise and could have been a very good 10- or 12-episode drama was stretched past the breaking point, ruining an interesting idea and mostly stellar performances by a very good cast.

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I fell in love with this drama for many things, but mainly because it made me value this life so much, and it made me rethink the way I’m treating those around me.

It ended with two questions from Yu Ri... Were you happy in this life time? And Did you make others feel happy around you? For most of us, we always think about the former, but rarely about the latter. This show made me realize how your death, and how people react to your death definitely says a lot about the way you lived your life.

Realizations aside, this story was well written. I’m always a sucker for these kind of episodes, where epilogues exist and characters do voice overs to introduce the episode and end the episode with a certain theme. These kind of dramas definitely give me a sign that the writer planned this drama well, and that It’s really worth something. And this drama definitely was worth something.

The acting was definitely top notch. There was a lot of crying that felt natural, and even humor on the side. New found respect for these actors since they were able to pull off situations that don’t really happen much in real life. Wow.

My favorite part about the whole thing was the fact that there was no antagonist. It’s simply about death, its initial and lingering effects, and how life continues to turn despite one leaving permanently. It also shows us that in our own lives, maybe, there really are no antagonists, rather only people who play different roles in our lives.

Overall, I really enjoyed watching this. It wasn’t fast paced and there were no cliche twists. Only life and death, and family.

P.s. was a bit sad for the few happy family moments between yu ri, seo woo and gang hwa. But i guess that was necessary for the plot to be effective. However, I had such a soft spot for this couple. My favorite scene of this entire sceries was when they pulled off the “what if you never died, what could have been our tomorrow?” Epilogue. This made me cry a lot.

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The Message That The Drama Wants To Send.

It was the third drama of Kim Tae-hee that I watched. The first one that I watched was IRIS and the second one was Yong Pal. But out of all the three drama what i liked the best is Hi Bye Mama. It is because of the story line. I have watched a lot of dramas in the same genre but this one was the only drama that became my favourite at once. It has great message that the actors and actresses want to share to the world. In this drama the child actor Seo Woo-Jin did a great job of playing the role Seo Woo which is a very great job by such a small child. It is not an easy job to play a role of a mother but here Kim Tae-Hee did an awesome job. This drama is a very heart touching one which will definitely make you cry. As per me this drama is a best drama because of all the actors. actresses and staffs hard work. People who are new to K-Drama must definitely watch this drama atleast once .

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