REVIEW: ‘Doctor Cha,’ Episodes 13-14

With Jeung-suk informing In-ho of her intentions to divorce him at the end of the last episode, Doctor Cha Episodes 13-14 sees the situation continue to escalate as In-ho struggles to accept the consequences of his actions. Meanwhile, Jeung-suk’s mom sees her long-running health issues intensify as she is forced to seek further medical care.

I remember overhearing a discussion between my mother and sister once when I was young. My mother had discovered my sister had done something wrong and my sister was profusely apologizing, saying how sorry she was. My mother’s only reply to her was, “Your only sorry because you got caught.” I had never really thought about the whys of people apologizing before that moment. Saying you’re sorry is just something you always did. But how sorry can someone truly be if every indication says that they would’ve continued doing the bad thing if they had never been caught? Is the person truly sorry for their actions? Or are they simply sorry they got caught?

As you may have surmised, these previous musings are brought on by the actions of In-ho throughout Doctor Cha Episodes 13-14. With Jeong-suk’s desire for a divorce officially made known to him, the character could’ve graciously acknowledged why she would feel the way she does and accepted. But that wouldn’t be the In-ho we’ve all come to know and hate now, would it? Rather than go graciously, In-ho proceeds to make repeated random, clumsy gestures that anyone would be able to see will not only fail to win Jeung-suk back but frustrate her all the more. After all, if he truly cared for what she wanted, he’d simply agree to the divorce.

While In-ho behaves akin to a petulant child who is being justly punished for the wrongs he has done, his children show far more maturity when the newest development in their parents’ situation is revealed to them. Jung-min and I-rang’s response to the news showcases just how much both characters have grown over the past 12 episodes. They’ve come a long way from the pair who whined and complained about their mother not being there to wait on them. Their growth highlights the best a person can do to support and care about the needs of another, which only shines brighter when held up to the poor example set by their father.

Drawn into the messy proceeding are Jeung-suk’s mother and her failing health. With her long-running pains only growing worse, she is eventually forced to be admitted to the hospital for further tests. She is soon drawn into In-ho’s flailing attempts to appease his wife, as she is showered with attention and aid from her son-in-law. Not wanting to upset her mother during this critical time, Jeung-suk decides to hide her decision to divorce In-ho from her. Further complicating the issue is the news that Seung-hee has been put in charge of her treatment.

How Doctor Cha Episodes 13-14 utilizes this rapidly evolving scenario in a number of ways is clever, skillful, and surprisingly balanced. How it progresses the medical side of the story, while drawing in numerous character arcs, along with the primary plot, allows it to feel meaningful for Jeung-suk’s mom, as well as the show entire. This also puts a nice bow on the last of the long-running subplots of the series before the last two episodes drop, letting the show hone in its remaining time it has on what’s really important to it.

With the closing moments of episode 14 bringing a startling revelation to Jeung-suk, the show is primed to go into its final pair of episodes on a dramatic high note. Despite being confident in assuming that the remaining plotlines will play out in broad strokes, the series has been so enjoyable that there’s little doubt that, even if predictable, it will be as engaging as it’s been since the start.

Doctor Cha Episodes 13-14 are streaming now on Netflix, with new episodes airing Saturday and Sunday.