How do we punish someone who achieves good things through vile methods? It reminds me of the dilemma that Dr. And, Ma found Dong-goo's mother so he wouldn't be alone when his guardian, Madame Oh, dies from a terminal disease. The kids banded together against Ma's crazy punishments during this episode, supporting each other when they got into trouble. But at the same time, kids coming together and seeing past each others' faults and shortcomings is something that people really do need to learn. I want to see the well-intentioned Ma fall because good intentions do not make a good solution. That is what makes this show a mixed bag of tricks for me. Although Ma may be well-intentioned, her methods were not right and should not be repeated. I'm inclined to agree with the parents: they want Ma ousted. Could the children's feelings include a bit of Stockholm's Syndrome-esque symptoms? They have trouble deciding between whether or not punishing her for the torture is right, or letting her go because the outcome of the torture was good.

But they also see that the way she did it was wrong. Ma has united her class and reconnected them with her parents. The kids see that she has done good for them. When questioned by the investigator, they are hesitant to tell the truth and Ma in trouble. This episode also explores the effects of Ma's teaching on the kids. The positive messages are overwhelmed by Ma's extreme pedagogical methods. I asked this before: is the outcome worth it? The investigator from the school board doesn't think so. While Ma is, in the end, helping the kids, she is hurting them in order to help them. It makes the overall message of the show a mixed one. But then she proceeded to break them down again. During those moments, Ma genuinely seemed to enjoy the happiness of the children. We've seen glimpses of humanity in Ma that become more frequent as the drama has progressed.

Queen of the classroom