Doctor Cha Jung Sook (2023)

This Show Didn’t Give What Needed To Be Gave

Overall, I would say that is show was meh. Sometimes the worst a show can be is meh because you can see the potential that the show had to be better.

When I first read the sypnosis, I thought that the show would focus more on the liberation of the main character but instead the show dragged out the divorce and drama throughout the entire series and it kept running in circles over and over again. The show I feel was a little too surface level to me. I feel like they could have gone more in depth when it came to certain storylines. After awhile, it felt like they really didn’t know where to take the show.

None of the characters really resonated with me either. These are not characters that will stick with me or frankly that I will remember because the material given to them just didn’t call for it.

The standout performances for me were the main character, Cha Jung Sook played by Uhm Jung Hwa and her mother, Oh Deok Rye played by Kim Mi Kyung.

The characters of the husband, his mistress, and the mother in law were all horrid people to me and my feelings didn’t change by the end of the show either. In reality, I think my feelings of dislike got even worse to be honest. I guess you could say that since they made me dislike their characters so much that they were doing their jobs well though lol

I felt bad for Dr. Roy because he seemed like a great man for Dr. Jung Sook. He was a good foil to her horrible husband. But, besides his adoption backstory, I feel like they still could have done more with his character.

By the time I got to the last two episodes, I was over it. This show didn’t have enough “meat on the bones” if that makes sense and as a viewer it makes me sad to see.

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Um começo interessante, mas o restante foi por água abaixo!

O drama começou instigante, principalmente por apresentar uma história um tanto incomum , mas ao longo dele é possível ver uma péssima progressão.
Certos episódios não acrescentam nada a trama, apenas servem para tornar a história mais e mais arrastada. Foi como andar em círculos e sentir que jamais se chegaria a um fim.
Não bastando os problemas de progressão, quando chegamos ao final da trama, apenas há uma sensação de vazio advinda principalmente de uma resolução imediata de todos os problemas sem transmitir um real impacto na história, este que poderia ser construído ao longo dos episódios.
Certamente, essa sensação no final é fruto de uma história mal elaborada, portanto, um roteiro pessimamente construído, que necessitou ao longo de seus 16 episódios, criar diversos obstáculos repetitivos e incoerentes para os personagens não progredirem.

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To alls their own.

Everything I have to say about this drama should be taken with a grain of salt.

It wasn't great, it wasn't horrible, it was just ok. In the beginning I believed that the storyline of Doctor Cha would be amazing; a FL realizing her worth in a loveless and disrespectful marriage. But as the chaos and drama ensued and became a part of her work life, it became rather boring. I looked forward every weekend to watching Doctor Cha, but after around the 12th episode mark I started to question how the show would finish with all the obstacles and illnesses that kept arising during the last stretch of episodes. Too much was occurring for me to honestly say that this shows story line was fluid.

I adored Doctor Cha and understood that her actions in relation to her marriage was in response to the marriage standard and stereotypes Korea has, and even after finishing the show I support her decisions. But the ending felt rushed, a 3 year time skip? The half sisters tension filled relationship, the mistress and In-Ho still being in good standing? I wasn't upset, But I wasn't happy either. The ending of this show just felt.. solemn. Which, when you think about Doctor Cha's goal, is a good thing.

I think this is one of those dramas where you watch it for the first time and feel the rollercoaster of emotions, praising how good of a reset it is to your emotions but to do it again? It's not worth the turmoil.

Instead of a rom-com it really should have been a slice of life drama. Regardless, I'm glad she didn't end up with anyone and at the end of the day, Cha's happiness is all that matters. She's found her peace in life and holds her values high.

Overall I think this show rates a 7.5, coming for a seasoned watcher of all genres.

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Disappointing ending, boring that Dr Cha didn't marry Dr Roy who waited for her so long. Sad ending!

Happy that even the actor Min woo-hyuk who plays the role of Dr Roy kim had an interview and talked about his thoughts of the ending and what happened to his character. He said "I hate the ending so much, I didn't want to film it"

I didn't like the end. It was boring and so sad. Dr Cha shouldn't reject Dr Roy since he was so true and wanted to marry her. He waited and suffered a lot. Feel bad for him.

But her cheater husband made her so tired that she will never start a new relationship. It's disappointing!

The drama should show us less of her cheater husband and more of Dr Roy and Dr. Cha.

If I knew that Dr Roy wouldn't end up with Dr Cha I wouldn't have watched this drama.

This drama gave a lot of screen time to the cheater husband. Very boring! I wanted to see more of Dr Roy because he was a good human being who always hoped Dr Cha to marry him...disappointing ending!

This drama is more about the cheater husband and the mistress than Dr Cha and Dr Ray. Very very boring!!!

Another a very boring thing is that the divorce dragged for too long, she got divorced on the last episode.


Happy that even the actor Min woo-hyuk who plays the role of Dr Roy kim had an interview and talked about his thoughts of the ending and what happened to his character. He said "I hate the ending so much, I didn't want to film it"

Conclusion: This drama started good but had a very bad and boring ending!

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Scored well until it started kicking own goals.

As the famous football quote says: this is a game of two halves and it’s not over until it’s over.

This perennially loved theme has always found an audience, from “Shirley Valentine” onwards; the dutiful, middle-aged woman waking up from the self-imposed drudgery and finding she has no-one to blame but herself, then kicking over the traces and fighting back.

In the first half, it takes some standard comedy tropes and situations and gives them a refreshing twist. It’s not outstanding in any way, there’s no spectacular cinematography, or deep, complex characterisations, or an innovative script or striking editing, yet the first half ticks every box as a great, enjoyable watch. It’s funny without being obvious, observant without being self-conscious, clever without being pretentious. It’s a great all-round show that slides seamlessly from comedy to drama to melo and back again, maintaining exactly the right degree to remain balanced and credible.

Then after half time, the team comes back and who knows what happened in the locker rooms in those fifteen minutes? Because things start to go pear shaped during the obligatory away-from-home scenes in episodes 9 & 10 after which they pretty well fall apart in episode 11 and continue on kicking own goals from there.

The plot really got pushed way beyond its limits. It went hunting for bottomless pits to fall into and whenever it couldn’t find one wheeled in an excavator and dug it out until, by the end, the pitch looked like a opal mine site at Coober Pedy. The overblown comedy and melo burrowed deeper and deeper until the whole thing pretty much collapsed into a sink hole.

The team managed to scramble up to the surface again for the last twenty minutes, but by that time, it really was all over.

There was absolutely no real need to keep upping the ante, there was already plenty to work with in the relationships laid down at the start. But everyone was literally dragged through the operating room for emergency surgery that singularly failed to revive a show gasping for air.

Having said that, in amongst all the manufactured chaos were some nice performances.

Although Uhm Jung Hwa gives a convincing performance as the unconfident and self-doubting Dr Cha, I feel she was somewhat overshadowed by Kim Byung Chul as her scheming husband, who has fantastic comic timing and plays in to all the “total bastard husband” expectations that you may have. Another actor who stood out for me was Song Ji Ho who beautifully captured the conflicted son.

What my rating means: 7+ A watchable drama, but nothing exceptional. Good enough to qualify for the race, but finished with the pack. The sort of thing that promises more than it delivers.

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Not too bad ;)

Hmm.. some mixed reviews here. It started off quite interesting, some slapstick humour, some unexpected twists in the plots but somehow ended up to be a normal typical kdrama with lots of melancholic soppy scenes.

There will be some characters you will just hate: for me they were Seung Hi aka the mistress and the Dr Cha’s MIL!! For seung hi- she was in the US for 15 years? Couldn’t she just forget about In-Ho and find another man of her own? She wanted a father figure to her daughter and he was the best choice? Sheesh… and how she was just adamant until almost the end got me all riled up. The MIL was just trash. Used her daughter-in-law, but didn’t want to let her son save her; used her to evade taxes and treated her like a slave cleaning and cooking.

It’s not a romance drama, so don’t expect anything of that sort. Many didn’t like the ending as they wanted Dr Cha to get together with Dr Roy; but in all reality I also couldn’t see that happening. The ending is definitely a realistic and good one imo. The last few episodes were a bit of a drag- the mother being ill and all… became too soppy and boring.

Should you watch it? Yes I think so.. but I did ff quite a bit as well ;)

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Entertaining, yet underwhelming ending

In short, this drama looked promising at the start and was entertaining, but the ending felt unsatisfying. The acting was good, engaging and believable, especially the main leads. Some parts were amusing while other parts were frustrating or sad.

The biggest concern is that there isn't a clear premise or moral stance. Not sure what was the point writers were trying to make- that cheaters stay powerful and victims are obliged to forgive quickly? A story like this ought to give the message that adultery/cheating is never okay by showing the cheaters getting their asses kicked and suffering serious consequences, and the victim becoming more and more empowered. But here they whitewashed the adulterers and gave them happy endings where they both became more powerful in their careers, when it should have been the opposite. Meanwhile the victims, the FL & all the kids, got unsatisfying endings, they weren't thriving in every way, which should've been the case since that will give hope to viewers who have similar circumstances in life, and it will make the moral stance clear.

In the beginning, FL was being controlled by the cheaters, and by the end the scales should have tipped, but that didn't happen and she continued to be the recipient of their selfish demands. And one of FL's grievances was that she had never been loved & cherished by a man in her life, therefore it's necessary for her ending to show that being fulfilled with her being treated right by 2nd ML or another guy, she doesn't need to be dating him but it should be shown. Her ex, the ML was the cause of all the problems, so he should be given proper retribution for his poor choices, but he didn't suffer as much and instead he continued to reign over everyone as the patriarchal authority figure, as usual.

Overall I guess this drama felt unsatisfying because the characters didn't change much inside, the story makes you expect character arcs and some ass kicking but nah didn't happen, and it's a bit of a waste of potential 'cause it had all the materials to be so much better.

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Infuriating, but good

First, I'm often annoyed by reviews that don't recognize that this IS normal life and normal behavior for many women, especially in the Korean culture, where many women are raised from childhood to accept a particular role in life, mainly: wife, mother, caregiver, til death. If you want a powerhouse woman who kicks arse and takes names, stay away from dramas that depict real life scenarios, even ones that ruffle your feathers. And, for goodness sakes, stop ruining dramas for everyone else. They're called DRAMAS, people, they're supposed to push the envelope, border on insane, break our hearts, or leave us jumping for joy, and maybe even give us new ways of thinking, doing, and feeling.

Dr. Cha is a strong woman that survived a very harsh and broken marriage to stand on her own two feet and create a good life for herself. If one has ever been through a breakup, it's not something you do easily and it's definitely something you can go back and forth over. If I don't get agitated, frustrated, or downright angry watching a drama of this nature, it wouldn't be worth my time. The reason kdrama has become an international success is because of their cultural content. Yes, I wanted to strangle the husband and pimp slap the mistress, yes, I wanted to shake Dr. Cha... THAT'S the way we are supposed to feel, that's what makes it good, not the opposite.

The only thing missing was the romantic ending with fine Dr. Kimberly, but even that is understandable, since Dr. Cha's character is a very conservative woman who sees dating/marrying a younger man as untraditional. Just the fact that she overcame so much and came out whole is the biggest takeaway from this drama, and something everyone can and should root for.

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well balanced show. definitely worth watching.

when i saw the description and the trailer i quickly jumped onto the 1st episode and i was so engrossed into it that I didn't even realise i finished watching 2 episodes already.

the storyline is going good so far. the actors are doing a great job, each of them suit their roles soo well esp the husband and mother-in-law, expressions on point. the writers are doing so well making a good balance between comedy, tragedy and the end of episode cliffhangers. THE COMIC TIMING IS ??. there are few scenes i re-watched over 5 times cuz they're just that funny.

if you're looking for a fun show with a good storyline, please DO WATCH. it's not just a fun show either every episode has small messages teaching us how much respect a mother and housewife deserves but is much neglected by society becuz "that's what women are born for" motto which is going on for too long.

"listen to everyone but at the end do what your heart tells you to!!” i really love have FL doesn't take in anyone's sh*t and knows her worth. she wants to prove that you can start your career at 50 or at 20 it's the skill and determination that matters.

TOTALLY WORTH WATCHING!!!

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Story: smooth 9/10 | writing: 6/10 | Plot: classic, naive | Casting: 10/10 | OST: meuh

4 reasons why this K-drama is a hit:
1- It’s a breath of fresh air! With so many heavily plotted K-dramas out there ( revenge, injustice, melodramas, to much violence & action), it’s nice to have something lighthearted, with a good balance of drama to watch.
2- The cast is amazing! Even with some hiccups in the writing, they still manage to shine.
3- The plot is naive, simple, delightful, and oh so charming! It’s like a warm hug on a cold day.
4- And let’s not forget the queen herself, Uhm Jung Hwa! She’s simply amazing.

My review:
Story: smooth 9/10
writing: 6/10 could've been better
Plot: classic, naive
Acting: Entertaining
Casting: 10/10
OST: meh !! The drama had a lot going for it, but one area where it fell short for me was the OST. None of the songs really resonated with me or left a lasting impression after the show.

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Don't watch it if you don't want to be frustrated ?

Series started in strong note and ended in very shabby way and more like husband priority. For first 8 episode one track and next 8 episode one track.
The story felt so stuffed with scene to elevate rather a necessity.
Spoiler
First half you will hate the husband character
Then the write tried a lot to sympathise the character in Last three episodes and it felt really stupid they should have divorced he is toxic in eleven.
Show gave frustration in last episode stupidity and character forgetting what happened in previous episode because one single montage ? it so cringe
I wish it is better show.

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