[First Impression (Ep1-)] I didn't really plan to watch this because who really wants to watch a series about a philandering spouse. Admittedly, it was Dr. Roy Kim's character that made me start this and Dr. Cha's loveliness that made me stay.
→ Ep3. When Dr. Roy just comes out and asks when she's going to get a divorce. We're all thinking the exact thing right then! (~34:00)
→ Ep4. Since no one knows who Jung Sook is married to at the hospital, when she's asked about her husband, she says he's dead. (~1:00) Dr. Roy's snort of laughter here.
When Jung Sook gives some motherly attention to her son at work, but his superior mistakes it as harassment. (~19:20) And this is after said superior has screamed at her for screwing up.
→ Ep5. The slap to Sung Hee's face – when a generous donor (10B won) thanks Jung Sook for her work. (~55:40)
→ Ep6. Dr. Roy doing aegyo and calling Jung Sook noona. (~40:00)
→ Ep7. When Jung Sook finds out who her son is dating. (~31:00)
→ Ep8. When In Ho tells Dr. Roy to not tell his wife the truth... and his response. (~43:00)
→ Ep9. The infamous cake scene. (~6:15) The ridiculous ladle scene. (~49:35)
→ Ep10. An open convertible in the rain. (~59:00)
→ Ep11. Jung Sook tells off Sung Hee. (~14:00) Rawwwwr!
→ Ep12. The men boys fighting in the hospital. Later, Jung Sook finally asks for a divorce (~56:00)
→ Ep13. The way In Ho shoves Dr. Roy out of the way to sit right next to his MIL. (~53:30)
→ Ep14. In So hiding behind the tree when the truth is revealed in a very public manner. (~4:00)
→ Ep15. When Jung Sook and Sung Hee have a final conversation. (~52:30)
[Ending] Happily living one's life. [See ending spoilers in review.]
[Review & Rating]
Cha Jung Sook is someone you want to root for. She’s a housewife, who is clearly bright but stayed home to raise two children, while her doctor husband, Seo In Ho was the breadwinner. Oh, and she also took care of her very demanding high-maintenance widowed MIL, who doesn’t do a single thing at home. For the most part, her son and daughter, Seo Jeong Min and Seo Yi Rang are decent human beings. Reality hits her in the face, very hard, when her husband wavers on donating his liver as her life is truly at stake. He says no and it’s an eye-opener for her. This motivates her to have a second leash on life – as she becomes a medical resident at the same hospital that Seo In Ho is at.
The bottom falls out entirely when everyone knows about her husband’s affair with his first love, Choi Sung Hee, a fellow doctor, who is brilliant on her own, and they have a “secret” daughter, Choi Eun Seo, who is the same age as Seo Yi Rang. The love child purposely befriended the legitimate daughter as she wanted revenge for being born into the “wrong” family. Yi Rang struggles to existence of her half-sister, while Eun Seo deals with the fallout of her own actions.
Jeong Min who has followed his father's footsteps and become a doctor, loses all respect for him for his indiscretions. He has a love interest of his own, and it’s an interesting one as you don’t really like her at first. But then she grows on you, as she slowly loses some of her defensiveness over time.
During all of this, Cha Jung Sook has struck up a friendship with her doctor, Dr. Roy Kim, and it’s wonderful to see how much support and encouragement they give each other. She truly finds herself as a competent and caring doctor, a mother, and a friend. However, Dr. Roy has also quietly fallen in love with her.
Eventually, Seo In Ho tries to win her back. But it’s too late as Cha Jung Sook is done with him and asks for a divorce, repeatedly. Cha Jung Sook carries herself and in life with grace, kindness and compassion. And so she lives her life and handles nearly every road block with remarkable aplomb.
Calling this a medical series is using that term pretty loosely here. In the earlier eps, they had a few medical cases, and I wish they would’ve included more cases and reeled back a bit on the personal lives of Choi Sung Hee, Roy Kim, etc. It’s a simple series with quite a bit of heart. An easy watch – if you can handle the two sides of Seo In Ho – as he’s truly the comic relief in this. So easy hate him, which makes it even easier to laugh at his expense. Amidst the chaos, there are so many short (and long) conversations about life, and the supporting cast is generally lovely as well.
When the divorce finally happens, Seo In Ho has been “abandoned” by both women. While it seems that we should pity him – why should we? He’s clearly in the wrong and shouldn’t have a grand redemption arc with a beautiful bow tie ending. In the end, he climbs up the ranks at the hospital but there’s no one there with him anymore. At least he learns to become a better parent to his son and both daughters, which includes acknowledging Eun Seo as his daughter.
From early on, it was clear that Cha Jung Sook didn’t need a “love interest” to be at peace with her life. So it was truly no surprise when she rejected Dr. Roy, and she even suggests that he find someone better suited than her. Many are upset as they see it was a “colossal waste” of a great character like Dr. Roy. On the flip side, are we truly wanting to perpetuate the message that women must have a love interest to be happy with their lives? Must she accept him because he has deep affection for her? She lives on as she makes her own happiness.
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