REVIEW: ‘Doctor Cha,’ Episodes 11-12

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With the full measure of her husband’s infidelity revealed to her, Jeong-suk’s mental state had hit a new low. But with the unlikely support of Jeon So-ra, she managed to get through another day. But even as the tension in her personal life feels like it couldn’t get worse, Doctor Cha Episodes 11-12 bring a whole new stress to the family when Jung-min makes a mistake that costs a patient their life.

A lot happens in this week’s entries as several plots come to a head, but the one I have to talk about first is the continuing drama between Seo I-rang and Choi Eun-seo. After their confrontation at school put Eun-seo’s arm in a cast, her options for college look to dwindle. With her dominant hand out of commission, taking the necessary steps to get into art school on time looked grim. Of course, Eun-seo blames I-rang for all of her woes.

While this is unsurprising, as Doctor Cha Episodes 11-12 spread the facts of the event to several other characters, I find it funny how Eun-seo’s blameless victim status is never called into question by any of the other characters. After all, she was the one that cruelly tricked I-rang into discovering her father’s secret family purely for her own satisfaction. While this doesn’t outrightly excuse I-rang’s actions, acting like Eun-seo had no hand in these events coming about feels ridiculous. I feel like a bit of karma may be at work here.

But while the struggles of children play a large role in Doctor Cha Episodes 11-12, it is, of course, the struggles of the parents that take center stage as Jeong-suk finally brings In-ho and Seung-hi into the same room to get into where things go from here. Seeing Jeong-suk finally have enough and call out the situation was so rewarding. Despite the pain present within the character throughout the moment, I couldn’t help but feel like cheering. Seeing her finally stand up and call out the manipulative bull crap that has been going on for years was a fantastic moment. It shows how far she has come from the woman who rolled over for everyone to whom we were first introduced when the show began.

While the second half of this week’s stories continue to explore the developments surrounding the above-mentioned plots, it also wraps up another side story in an emotionally powerful way. Yoo Ji-seon, the young mother who recently brought her baby to term despite the concerns of the resident doctors, comes back to visit her child before she is also discharged from the hospital. While visiting, an accidental run-in with Jeong-suk reveals the woman is suffering from abdominal issues, and the doctor insists Ji-seon get looked at.

What follows is an unfortunate series of events that leads to a horrible outcome. Exhaustion, personal struggles, and a simple mistake come together to form a tragedy. The way these events impact all involved is heartbreaking. It reminds us just how demanding the medical field is, and despite how crucial it is for doctors to be present at their work sites to deal with the overwhelming demands society has for their talents, they need to take proper care of themselves and step away when they need to.

Doctor Cha Episodes 11-12 bring two powerful episodes that continue to explore both the core narrative as well as the struggles of being a doctor in general. With only a handful of episodes to go, the series has begun gearing up for what looks like a fantastic sprint to the finish line.

Doctor Cha Episodes 11-12 are streaming now on Netflix, with new episodes airing Saturday and Sunday.