REVIEW: ‘Doctor Cha,’ Episodes 7-8

With the last episode ending with In-ho’s discovery of his daughter’s desire to go to art school and his destroying much of his daughter’s work, Doctor Cha Episodes 7-8 open with the aftermath of this moment and only manage to escalate from there as some of the show’s longest-running plot threads begin to come to a head.

The heartless and cruel way In-ho confronts his daughter about her choice of profession is terrible in general but only becomes even more loathsome when one considers how cowardly he acts in the face of any genuine opposition. His projection of patriarchal dominance rings hollow, as we all know the moment he is in a weaker position he will be reduced to a blabbering coward. That his daughter is able to face her father’s rage with as much composure as she does is a clear indicator of just how much she favors her mother, rather than her snivelling father. And she’s all the better for it.

In stark contrast to In-ho’s pathetic reaction to the situation is how Jeong-suk takes responsibility for the situation in an attempt to deflect her husband’s wrath. Her willingness to put herself between her daughter and her husband is just the latest moment where the show highlights how much better she is than In-ho. Though, when even someone as self-obsessed as In-ho’s mother sees your actions as wrong and objectionable, it’s not hard to look good in comparison.

Even once this opening moment resolves, Doctor Cha Episodes 7-8 don’t give the viewer much time to stabilize their emotions before more hits come to knock them off-balance again. A new patient with some potentially life-altering challenges ahead is struggling to see the point in continuing to fight as his life becomes more difficult for both himself and those around him. This subplot is used skillfully to bring to light both the best and worst of what humanity can be in these situations. What makes this momentary side story truly compelling is how it ends. While the viewer thinks they know how it will play out, the series manages to surprise them. This surprise helps bring weight to the show overall, as it reminds us that no one is immune to failure, even our well-intentioned Jeong-suk.

The back half of this pair of episodes sees the truth about In-ho and Seung-hi’s affair begin to come to light. How this begins is one of the coldest moments of calculated cruelty I have seen on television in a while. How an innocent person in the situation is used for spite is horrible. This torturous moment is only enhanced by how excellently the actor brings the character’s emotions to life as they struggle to reconcile what they have learned with what they knew their world to be mere moments before. This moment of emotional devastation is further amplified by the brilliant choice of setting for the character to have their emotional collapse. It manages to work an everyday situation into the narrative in a way that allows it to become a visual representation of how fast the world is suddenly changing.

Just like how a few tiny pebbles often proceed to a full-blown avalanche, Doctor Cha Episodes 7-8‘s narrative only builds up as this first revelation quickly leads to more and more. How characters respond to the news and whether their focus at the moment is on others or themselves is always telling of their quality. It’s also clever how well the series allows different characters to be pursuing the same ends, even while having strikingly different motives for desiring them.

Doctor Cha Episodes 7-8 is a fantastic pair of episodes that bring tons of drama and excellently crafted narrative development. Its cliffhanger ending has me dying to know how the opening moments of the next episode will play out.

Doctor Cha Episodes 7-8 are streaming now on Netflix, with new episodes airing Saturday and Sunday.