Doctor Cha (2023)

June 11, 2023

Our Take: A heartfelt lesson in self-prioritization and self-realization.

The Premise

Cha Jung Sook (Uhm Jung Hwa) is married to Seo In Ho (Kim Byung Chul), a chief surgeon at the Gusan University Hospital. For the past 20 years, she has been a full-time housewife and mother. 

While Jung Sook is a thoughtful and caring mother and wife catering to her family's every need, her family is selfish and unappreciative of her. For the past decade, she has been sleeping in a separate bedroom from her husband, who is having an affair with his colleague, Choi Sung Hee (Myung Se Bin). Her mother-in-law, Kwak Ae Shim (Park Joon Geum), is exasperating and constantly makes unreasonable demands of her. Her son, Seo Jeong Min (Song Ji Ho), is a first-year medical student, while her daughter, Seo Yi Rang (Lee Seo Yeon), is a senior in high school preparing to apply for medical school.  

One day, as Jung Sook is shopping at a department store, she suddenly collapses. When she wakes up in the ER, she learns she needs a liver transplant. The only match in her family is In Ho, but he's uncertain if he wants to donate part of his liver to her. Her mother-in-law is also adamant that Jung Sook find another donor. The person who ends up doing the surgery is Roy Kim (Min Woo Hyuk), a handsome surgeon who takes an interest in Jung Sook following a chance encounter. 

Before becoming a housewife, Cha Jung Sook was pursuing a career as a doctor and doing her residency. After narrowly surviving her liver transplant, she decides to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor and returns as a first-year resident despite her family's objections and concerns. 

Doctor Cha's Resilience

In East Asian culture, women are often raised to accept specific roles in life, namely wife, mother, and caregiver. Cha Jung Sook's journey defies tradition as she paves her own path while balancing her career and family. 

Despite being highly educated, she gave up her residency at a young age to raise her children due to her husband's resistance to sharing household duties. However, now that her children are grown up, Jung Sook sees this as an opportunity to rekindle her career. Initially, she is met with heavy resistance from her family, especially her husband. But even without their support, she marches forward with confidence and determination. 

Her strength and resilience are refreshing to watch as she tackles being a first-year resident as a middle-aged woman with limited work experience. In her pursuit of independence and empowerment, she provides a role model for others who want to do the same. 

Growing Pains

Cha Jung Sook faces her fair share of challenges and setbacks throughout the show. However, instead of being discouraged and returning to her place of comfort when her seemingly perfect life gets shattered, she takes on each obstacle with grit and tenacity. With each hurdle she overcomes, she gets closer to realizing her self-worth.

Her husband, Doctor Seo, is a brilliant surgeon but also a liar and cheater. He constantly puts Jung Sook down and disrespects her. From the first episode, it's clear that In Ho no longer loves her yet does not want a divorce because he depends on her. However, when confronted with the prospect of losing his wife, he admits to his wrongdoings and makes a last-ditch attempt to win her back. 

Coming from a privileged family, Choi Sung Hee has always had it all. But, even after In Ho breaks up with her for Doctor Cha, she can't let go of her first love, leading them to have an affair. When faced with the repercussions of her decision, initially, Doctor Choi is adamant about her innocence. However, after seeing all the damage from her affair on her self-worth, her daughter, and Jung Sook's family, she has a change of heart. 

Over time, Roy Kim becomes Doctor Cha's confidant and friend in need. He is a gentleman who cares for her and helps her learn to love herself. Without his presence, Jung Sook would not have had the courage to continue her path as a doctor and stand up to her family's entitlement. He also becomes a wake-up call for In Ho, who otherwise would have discarded Jung Sook without knowing her worth. 

Having been pampered by their mother their whole lives, Jeong Min and Yi Rang rely heavily on Doctor Cha for everything. Initially, they don't understand why their mother wants to become a doctor. But, over time, they become sympathetic to her situation. As they learn to reciprocate their mother's love and support and become a pillar of strength for her, they also become more confident in the paths they are going down. 

A Controversial Ending

On her road to happiness, Doctor Cha's journey for self-actualization comes full circle. While many viewers were rooting for her to end up with Roy Kim, she ultimately chooses herself. Roy is a great catch and always looks out for Jung Sook's happiness, but she doesn't need a hero. She needs time to heal and prioritize herself. Because Jung Sook devoted most of her life to being a mother and wife, she lost her identity while pleasing everyone else. It took a near-death experience for her to restart her life in her late 40s. 

If she chose to be with Doctor Roy, she would likely have gone down the same path as before. Roy Kim is young, so it's not unreasonable to assume that he may want to start his own family and have children, which is not what Jung Sook wants. Instead, Doctor Cha finally achieves her dream of becoming a doctor and helping those in need. By the end, it's clear that she is at peace with who she is and has forgiven In Ho, Sung Hee, and her mother-in-law. 

While the show was always about Doctor Cha exploring her identity rather than who she would end up with, Roy Kim's character arc ends on a flat note. After getting rejected, he later begins dating someone else, and his relationship with Doctor Cha turns into a purely doctor-patient relationship. Given that he was willing to give part of his liver to Jung Sook, the way their relationship ends and his character's development are lackluster. 

Another point of contention is the lack of real consequences for Seo In Ho and Choi Sung Hee. In Ho becomes the head of Gusan University Hospital while Sung Hee establishes a private clinic. Considering everything they did to Jung Sook, it's disappointing that they don't face many repercussions for their actions. However, the writers' decision for them to break up gives them proper redemption arcs and allows them to close this chapter of their life and move forward. 

Final Thoughts

Doctor Cha shows that women can choose themselves first and that their lives do not always have to revolve around their family or love life. Their lives can be purely about themselves, and that's perfectly okay. Even without a partner, in the end, Cha Jung Sook is surrounded by people who love her and is living a life that is true to herself.