THE SHORT VERDICT:

In a nutshell, I’d say that Show is two main things.

One, it works as an educational, illuminating PSA, aiming to help everyone who watches, to come to a better understanding of the struggles that many people face, with regard to mental health.

Two, Show is, at the same time, a tender, compassionate representation of all the patients who have mental health struggles, thereby showing them that they are seen, and they are not alone, and that there is hope.

Poignant, tender, and important.

THE LONG VERDICT:

Honestly, Show didn’t turn out to be what I’d been expecting, based on the title, but – I do like what Show turned out to be, possibly more than I might have liked it, if it had turned out to be what I’d been originally expecting.

Based on the title, I’d expected Show to be more breezy, and feel-good; I mean, that’s what the phrase “daily dose of sunshine” conjured up in my head.

Show isn’t at all breezy, and at first, I was a little taken aback by that.

However, I do think that Show is more meaningful and thoughtful than I’d originally imagined it would be, and I ended up appreciating that a great deal.

So.. best to go in with an open mind, I think.

OST ALBUM: FOR YOUR LISTENING PLEASURE

Here’s a playlist of Show’s OST, in case you’d like to listen to it while you read the review.

I have to confess that I didn’t really notice the OST, while watching.

While this does mean that I have no favorites in the OST, and nothing really stuck with me, it also means that the OST was not distracting in any way, and added to my watch in a way that didn’t call attention to itself, but to the scenes that it was scoring.

That’s not a bad thing at all, I’d say.

HOW I’M APPROACHING THIS REVIEW

First I’ll talk about how to manage your expectations going into this one, and what viewing lens would be most helpful.

After that, I talk about what I liked, and what I liked less, in a pretty macro sort of fashion, followed by a section where I’ll put the spotlight on selected patient cases, then selected characters and relationships.

Of course, I also spend some time talking about my thoughts on the ending.

If you’re interested in my blow-by-blow reactions, &/or in all the various Patreon members’ comments during the course of our watch, you might like to check out my episode notes on Patreon here.

MANAGING EXPECTATIONS / THE VIEWING LENS

Here are a few things that I think would be helpful to keep in mind, to maximize your enjoyment of your watch:

1. It’s best not to rush this one

Of course, you might differ on this, but I personally didn’t find Show to be of the bingeable variety.

Sometimes, I watched certain episodes in separate sittings, because I found certain arcs harder to watch, and also because I often found myself needing some time to process what Show was saying.

So it’s not like Show is serving up very graphically horrible things; it’s not that at all.

I just feel like Show is working with a very important and delicate topic, and that, if I really want to get the most out of my viewing experience, then I shouldn’t rush it; I should allow the thoughts and reactions time to come.

I don’t know that there’s been another kdrama that’s attempted to explore the topic of mental illness; at least, not in this way, and given what we know, that mental illness has mostly been a taboo subject in Korea, it feels like Show’s trying to do an important work here.

2. Some of the patient cases might hit close to home

There are patient cases showcased in each episode, and some of these might be extra relatable for you, as a viewer.

This might sound intimidating, but Show handles them all with a compassionate, gentle  and hopeful touch, so it might be worth your while, to push through any discomfort you experience.

Trigger warnings: self-harm, suicide and suicide-adjacent themes

3. This is not primarily a romance

I felt that I should put this out there, because many of us have come to expect kdramas to be romance-centric.

There is some romance in this, but it is not Show’s main focus; rather, it’s a supporting arc that is part of a bigger story – that of our female lead’s personal journey.

Adjusting your expectations around that, helps.

STUFF I LIKED

The story balance

Show is somewhat episodic, with various patient cases taking turns to take centerstage, from episode to episode.

At the same time, I also appreciate that we have an overarching stories with our main characters, to tie everything together, instead of just going from case to case, from episode to episode.

I felt that Show balanced these elements nicely, all the way to the end.

Show is thought-provoking

I really appreciate that the way Show presents it, it’s easy to see that anyone can find themselves vulnerable to mental illness; that it could afflict even people who appear to have perfect, privileged lives, on the surface.

As Show delves into each patient’s case history, and takes us through the various contributing factors, I found it thought-provoking to consider how I may have come across similar situations, in my own life.

For example, I found it thought-provoking to consider how other people’s behavior can trigger mental illness in someone, whether that behavior was well-meaning or ill.

It also helped me to reframe my past experiences with people who had behaved in what I had perceived to be an unreasonable or unpleasant manner.

Perhaps they had been struggling with mental illness in some form, and that had manifested in their words and actions?

I don’t know for sure, of course, but this did give me food for thought, and a new sense of perspective and compassion.

At the same time, I really appreciate that Show helps to shine the spotlight on how mental illness can affect anyone.

Many of the cases were ones that I could imagine happening around me.

In this sense, Show was much more relatable than I’d originally expected.

Show is illuminating

I found that, the deeper I got into my watch, the more I felt like Show was sharpening my ability to empathize, as it took me into experiences that I hadn’t really thought about before, and allowed me to live them vicariously.

I feel like I learned quite a bit about various psychiatric illnesses, and what it’s like for the people who suffer from these. Like, what it’s like to suffer from a panic attack, for example.

In turn, this increased my understanding of what people with mental health issues struggle with, and thus increased my ability to empathize with them.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E3-4. I thought the focus in episode 3, on people who suffer from panic disorder, was very apt, because I do get the impression that a lot of people experience panic attacks.

For this reason, I feel like this focus was especially useful, because even though panic attacks are common enough that most people are aware of it as a thing, as Show points out, unless you’ve experienced one yourself, it’s hard to understand what the patient goes through.

I thought the way Show dramatizes the panic attacks was very helpful in giving us a glimpse of what it might be like, for someone going through a panic attack.

Just watching Yu Chan experience those panic attacks while at work, was quite stressful. I can only imagine how stressful it would be, to actually be in Yu Chan’s shoes.

The irony, of course, is that Yu Chan had clearly been the go-to golden boy of the department – maybe even the company – with everyone turning to him for help, and depending on him for results.

I’m sure many of us have envied people like Yu Chan, who excel at their studies, and go to top-tier universities, and then get hired by prestigious companies, and manage to impress everyone at work.

It’s a sobering thought, that it’s not at all as glamorous as one might imagine it to be, and, even worse, in Yu Chan’s case, can even lead to serious mental health issues.

It’s easy to think that people in Yu Chan’s position have unlocked the door to a high-flying, charmed life, but the reality is, someone in this position is exposed to a great deal of stress.

And while it’s true that anyone can be vulnerable to mental disorders, I’m sure that sustained exposure to high levels of stress can’t be helpful.

That scene, where Yu Chan’s panic attack is portrayed as him struggling to stay afloat in a rising tide of water, and then struggling to find a way out, as the water rises over his head, before he finally loses consciousness from being unable to breathe, is so affecting.

This is, of course, only a shadow of what actually experiencing a panic attack is like, but it does give me a deeper understanding of what it could be like, and that, in turn, enables me to have more sympathy for those who struggle with panic attacks.

[END SPOILER]

Show’s inclusive focus on caregivers

I really appreciate that besides shining the spotlight on the patients themselves, Show also gives time and space to the caregivers in the equation.

From parents and guardians, to the nurses themselves, Show is very inclusive in exploring what it’s like for these individuals, as they work hard to help the people in their lives, who suffer from psychiatric illness.

I found this to be very valuable, because caregivers are the ones giving the most, but are also the ones who go unnoticed the most.

[SPOILER ALERT]

Seung Jae the trainee nurse

E3-4. We’ve already seen that Da Eun has some struggles with her mental health, but this still felt like a point freshly reiterated, with the trainee nurse, Seung Jae (Yoo In Soo), turning out to suffer from panic disorder.

Because Seung Jae is introduced as a new character, it’s easy to see why everyone would be quick to peg him as a slacker, with the way he keeps asking to be excused, for varying reasons.

But, due to how the camera focus on Seung Jae’s facial expressions alerts us to the fact that there’s something not quite right with him, we are able to see how the average person might easily dismiss someone else as being lazy or problematic, when they’re actually suffering from a mental illness.

And somehow, because Seung Jae’s the nurse in this equation, the expectation is that he should be understanding of the patients, and be quick and eager to learn, and respond, and just generally be useful and helpful.

The reality, however, is that Seung Jae’s suffering on the inside, to the extent that he literally finds it suffocating to be in his own skin.

I really felt sorry for him, for being so stressed out so much of the time, and I’m glad that our empathetic, observant Da Eun notices his struggle, and reaches out to help him.

The ones who are left behind

E7-8. I think it was an interesting and clever choice, for Show to choose these two cases, to highlight the struggles of those who are left behind after their loved one commits suicide.

In Seo Wan’s (Noh Jae Won) case, it’s his family and caregivers who are left behind, who need to deal with the devastation of his loss.

In Jun Gi’s case, he is the one who’d been left behind, after losing his wife to suicide, after they’d lost their baby to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

Oof. I can’t even begin to imagine how overwhelming and devastating that loss must have been, first for Jun Gi and his wife, when their baby had died, and then for Jun Gi, when his wife had died shortly afterwards.

It’s just too much grief for one person to handle, and, compounded with the guilt that Jun Gi was dealing with, after his wife’s death, I can see why he might have developed depression and psychosis, as a result.

The scene that hit me the hardest, was when Jun Gi’s given the chance to say what’s upon his heart, to his late wife, at the group therapy session.

It’s so clear to see, that he’d felt just as lost as she’d felt, after the death of their baby, and hadn’t known what to do or say, to help her.

Honestly, he’d basically been as in need of help as she, since he was also grieving the loss of their baby.

And yet, he’s so guilt-ridden now, for not having said or done the right things to help her; that he’d told himself that the right thing to do, was give her time and space to grieve.

That must have hit him so hard, to realize that the actions that he’d chosen, had actually hurt her rather than helped her.

But how can we blame him, honestly? How was he to know, right? Especially since he was a grieving, hurting party too? It’s honestly so heartbreaking. 😭

I’m comforted though, that he gets help here, now, at the hospital, and is being supported to get the closure that he needs, in order to find strength for the way forward.

In Seo Wan’s case, I really feel for his parents, especially when they cry so helplessly at the loss of their son.

I’m glad that Head Nurse Song is so empathetic and sensitive, with the way she simply sits with Seo Wan’s father, without saying anything at all.

Honestly, sometimes just knowing someone’s there with you and for you, can make all the difference in the world, yes?

I also feel for all our doctors and nurses, who push themselves to take things in stride, even though they’re not actually ok.

It’s clearly a pragmatic sort of approach, because how could the hospital continue to operate, if all the caregivers are incapacitated by grief?

I thought it was such a poignant point that Show makes, that doctors and nurses aren’t actually desensitized to death; that they need to come to terms with it too, with every patient that they lose.

They just appear to be ok, because they’re burying their emotions in order to keep functioning, for the sake of other patients.

[END SPOILER]

The vicarious experience that Show provides

I’ve made mention of this already, earlier in this review, but I wanted to mention it again here, because this particular vicarious experience was deeper than the others, at least for me.

Also, I think this also reinforces the thing where we often think that “stuff” can happen to other people, but it wouldn’t happen to us; that we can’t be the ones who need that kind of help.

I thought Show handled this arc very thoughtfully.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E9-10. All this time, we’ve been seeing the psychiatric patient’s perspective from Da Eun’s position, as a nurse taking care of them.

I honestly did feel empathy for the patients, while viewing them from Da Eun’s perspective as a nurse, but it feels like a whole level up, now that Da Eun herself becomes a warded psychiatric patient.

Because, as Da Eun discovers, it’s one thing to care for psychiatric patients, and a whole other thing, to be one yourself.

As it turns out, it feels completely different to be the one administering the medicine and checks, and encouraging patients to like themselves, and being the one receiving the medicine and checks, and being encouraged to like herself.

Suddenly, the degree of frustration that she might have felt as a nurse caring for uncooperative patients feels dwarfed in comparison to the frustration she feels as a patient being told to do things that she feels literally incapable of doing – like liking herself.

And now, we see that Da Eun’s doing some of the exact things that she’d worked to prevent her patients from doing, like pretending to swallow her pills, and then disposing of those same pills in secret, when no one else is looking.

She just can’t see herself as a psychiatric patient that’s in need of such care, and feels deeply frustrated that everyone doesn’t seem to believe her, or see her the way she sees herself.

The deep irony, of course, is that this is exactly how her patients must have felt, when they’d been frustrated, and had hidden their pills after pretending to swallow them.

Additionally, Da Eun’s frustrated that she’s being treated like a patient, like everyone else, when she’s an actual psychiatric nurse.

This must be very similar the frustration that other patients feel; that their outside identities as lawyers and managers are stripped away in the ward; that in the ward, they are nothing more than just psychiatric patients.

That saying is so true, isn’t it – “You can’t really understand another person’s experience until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.”

It was eye-opening to see Da Eun regain the memories that she’d blocked out.

All this time, I’d thought that the entirety of the road incident, had been that Da Eun had walked into traffic, and then not budged, in the face of that oncoming truck.

But in reality, she’d actually willfully and aggressively walked into traffic after that point, like she hoped to be run over.

Eep. That was troubling to watch, even more so than the original scene that we’d been shown.

I’m glad that Da Eun manages to recover the memory of it, even though it’s not a pleasant thing to remember, because this is the point from which her recovery finally takes off.

We see Da Eun go from denial, to acceptance, to being proactive about her treatment, and it’s heartening to see her improve.

[END SPOILER]

The helpful tools

I’m just a layman with no psychiatric expertise, of course, but I personally thought that the various tools that Show highlights, in the various courses of treatment, was useful.

Not only are we made more aware of the tools that can be used to help someone on their mental health journey, we might also decide to adopt some of these tools for our own mental wellbeing.

[SPOILER ALERT]

The compliments diary is one key thing that really stood out to me.

I do think that most of us are our own harshest critics, and that we should be kinder to ourselves.

The compliments diary feels like something that we could all benefit from; that we’d all be a little happier, if we’d take the time to appreciate, acknowledge and love ourselves more. 🥲

The other key thing that stood out to me, was practicing how to honor our own likes, dislikes and preferences, especially if we’ve habitually put other people’s likes and preferences over our own.

[END SPOILER]

STUFF I LIKED LESS

Lest you get the impression that Show is perfect, I thought I should mention a couple of things that I didn’t enjoy so much.

They’re not deal-breakers, certainly; I actually considered whether to mention these at all, because they really are quite minor, in the grand scheme of things.

So just for the record, here they are.

Show’s sense of humor – sometimes

There were a few occasions (not many though!) when Show intended something for funny, that I did not find funny.

Certain arcs

There were certain arcs that I didn’t enjoy so much, like the introduction of the loveline between Deul Re and Yeo Hwan (Lee Yi Dam and Chang Ryul).

I’ll talk a bit more about this later in this review.

SPOTLIGHT ON PATIENT CASES

There are more patient cases than I feel is practical to include in this review, so I’m just selecting the two that I found most affecting personally.

For the record, I thought there was value in all the patient cases highlighted.

[SPOILER ALERT]

Episode 5: working moms

Episode 5 focuses on how hard it is to be a mom, particularly a working mom, and it’s really sobering to see that moms can be put under so much stress, that they can literally start to lose their minds.

When the episode started, I’d assumed that we’d been looking into the mental health of the daughter who was getting bullied, because that’s a horrible thing to experience, for sure, but Show surprised me by pointing to the fact that Mom, listed as Joo Young, is actually the one whose mental health is in a fragile state, so much so that she has memory lapses.

Dramas have shown us many times, how hard it is to be a working mom, because everyone expects you to be everything; you’re expected to work like you’re not a parent, but you’re also expected to parent as if you don’t work.

And to make it so much harder, everyone – well, society in general – seems to see all the parenting stuff as the mother’s responsibility.

But you take time away from work to fulfill those responsibilities, you’re seen as a liability; someone who isn’t dependable.

I do think that this is the first drama I’ve come across, though, that examines what this can do to a woman’s mental health.

Yes, not every working mom ends up with a mental disorder, but it’s very sobering to see that it’s not that uncommon, and that you can slip into a very compromised, vulnerable state quite easily, if you’re not paying attention to yourself – which most working moms aren’t.

I thought it was narratively clever – and very poignant – to show us that caregivers like nurses aren’t immune to this, with both Nurse Park and Joo Young (Lee Sang Hee and Kim Yeo Jin) feeling very similar stresses from being working moms.

Neither of them has any room to breathe, it feels like, because everyone’s always depending on them for everything, both at home and at work.

It’s so tough, and it’s so real, which is also why it’s so sobering.

I honestly found it quite stressful to watch our two mothers deal with all the various moving parts in their lives, and I found Nurse Park’s story particularly affecting, because we see her struggle in the moment, whereas Joo Young’s already progressed to a point where she needs medical help.

It’s so hard for Nurse Park, because there are so many demands at work, and so many patients with real emergencies, that she feels that it’s impossible to step away from it, and yet, the demands at home are very real, and her children really do need her too.

It’s a really tough place to be in, and I found my heart really going out to her. 💔

That scene, where, at the end of an especially grueling day, she calls her mom, hoping to confirm that Mom would be able to help with the kids the next day, only to realize that Mom can’t come, and she will have another monster of a tough day the following day, is so affecting.

The way Nurse Park tries to be stoic and continue to take care of her household chores, but can’t stop the tears from leaking from her eyes, is so heart-pinching. I wished that I could reach into my screen and give her a hug and tell her that she’s doing more than anyone could reasonably wish for. 🥺

I do love that Show gives her that moment, when Joo Young momentarily sees her younger self in Nurse Park, and tells her everything that she wished her younger self could have heard.

“Don’t push too much. It’s gonna be hard. You’ll give everything, but you’ll still be so hard on yourself, for what you couldn’t do. The guilt will eat at you. It’s just so much to carry.

You won’t realize you’re starting to wither away. Your life will be covered in yellow marks. You might not notice the bad signs to catch your attention. You’ll turn a blind eye to your happiness… for your child’s happiness.

You see… how can you make way for her joy if you haven’t made way for yours?”

Gosh, I legit teared up at this scene; it’s such a beautiful, mutually healing moment.

I felt so glad for the release this gave Joo Young, and the comfort and encouragement that this gave Nurse Park. 🥲

I was so glad to see Nurse Park take this advice to heart, and promptly organize a self-care day for both her and her mom, where they leave all their responsibilities behind, and just focus on resting.

Episode 6: Seo Wan

We spend episode 6 on Seo Wan’s arc, and I found this story a difficult one to watch, because I realize that I’ve grown fond of Seo Wan, over the past few episodes.

He’s always been so sweetly cheerful and encouraging towards Da Eun, that it’s really hard to see him struggle, this episode.

It’s such a irony, that as Seo Wan gets better with treatment, he actually becomes more depressed.

Gone is the happy, carefree Seo Wan, and in his place is a troubled, withdrawn Seo Wan.

It’s so poignant to see the difference in how he perceives himself in his imaginary world – as a strong fighter and hero – versus how he sees himself in the real world – as a failure and loser. 💔

I feel like the saddest thing about Seo Wan’s situation, is that he genuinely believes that there’s no other way for him to move forward in life, but to pass the civil service exam.

How stressed out must he have been, and how desperately must he have wanted to escape his life, that he’d literally get lost in the imaginary world of a game.

And yet, when we see that he’s welcome and praised in the game world, and is able to do well, I can see why he’d be more drawn to the game world, than the real world, where he keeps failing the exam, year after year.

From there, it’s not hard to see how Seo Wan might have gotten lost in that game world on a long-term basis.

It’s also not hard to see how daunting it is, for Seo Wan to contemplate re-entering the real world.

It’s all good in concept, until you come face to face with it for real, isn’t it – and we can totally see Seo Wan struggling to come to terms with his reality, after his lunch with his friends.

I can understand that the futility of his limbo situation hits him so hard, that he would go so far as to fake a relapse, in order to hide in the hospital.

I’m sure the hospital feels like a safe haven, compared to going home and going back out into the world.

I have conflicting feelings about Da Eun bringing up Seo Wan’s ruse to Head Nurse Song, because on the one hand, Da Eun’s just doing her job, and if anything, it’s the doctor who should be blamed, for discharging Seo Wan before he was ready for the big step of returning to reality.

On the other hand, one can’t help but wonder if Seo Wan might have had a better chance of survival, if he’d been given more time at the hospital, and if it might have been better for Da Eun to have kept his secret for a while.

On hindsight, it really does seem like Seo Wan had decided that suicide was his way out, and that’s likely why he seemed brighter and more cheerful, at his last visit to the hospital.

He’d probably felt a sense of relief, because he could see a way out of his situation, whereas before, he’d likely felt trapped with no way out.

I’m gutted that we end up losing Seo Wan; he was such a tender soul. 😭

[END SPOILER]

SPOTLIGHT ON CHARACTERS & RELATIONSHIPS

Park Bo Young as Da Eun

I’ve grown so accustomed to seeing Park Bo Young in cute, aegyo-tastic roles, that it was very surprising to me, to meet Da Eun, as a character.

She’s much more quiet, withdrawn and reserved than I’d first anticipated.

But, I really appreciate that Park Bo Young fleshes her out really well, and brings her to life in a manner where I can believe that Da Eun is a real person, with real struggles.

As with all the other personal journeys in this drama world, Da Eun’s personal journey is far from neat, so here are just a collection of thoughts, as I observed Da Eun’s journey.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E1-2. The thing that strikes me right away, is that Da Eun isn’t anything like the cheery, aegyo-tastic characters that I’ve come to associate with Park Bo Young.

Instead, she’s rather introverted and withdrawn, and it doesn’t take long to see that she’s hiding the fact that she’s really not ok.

I feel like that’s something that many people would be able to identify with, y’know, that whole concerted effort to show an “I’m ok” face to the world, while hiding all the real struggles on the inside.

And, as we go through the two episodes, I find that – so far, anyway – there’s a point of similarity between each patient, and Da Eun’s own struggles.

Like when we see Oh Ri Na (Jung Woon Sun) struggle to be her own person in the face of her mom’s suffocating brand of motherly concern, it’s not hard to see that Da Eun’s had similar experiences with her own mother (Hwang Young Hee) – just not to the same extent.

The way Da Eun’s mom insists on making the mugwort rice cakes for Da Eun to take to work with her, to share with her colleagues, even though Da Eun says that she doesn’t want to, is very likely just a small sampling of how Mom tends to assert her own opinion as the one that’s more “right” for Da Eun.

It’s clear that both mothers mean well, but in both cases, they end up overriding what their daughters really feel and want, and that’s just not healthy, in the long run.

Additionally, we see that Da Eun’s self esteem has taken a beating over time.

As one example, we see it in the flashback with her ex-tutor, now-colleague, Yeo Hwan, who’d talked down to her and basically treated her like she was slow and dumb.

He’d done it when he’d tutored her, and even now, in the present, he still does it, when she asks if she can ask him a few questions.

On top of that, there’s the thing where Da Eun overhears her previous supervisor talking to Head Nurse Song (Lee Jung Eun), and basically saying that Da Eun was a burden on everyone because she was always falling behind.

That wasn’t meant for Da Eun’s ears, certainly, but it definitely is another hit to Da Eun’s already rather fragile self esteem, and I really felt for Da Eun, as she tries to clean up the mess on the floor from bumping into someone else’s meal tray, while trying not to let them see her face.

What Da Eun says in voiceover is very true; sometimes, it just takes one incident like this, to cut us to the soul.

And we see that, after this incident, Da Eun’s social anxiety becomes more acute, and her mental health, that much more fragile.

Da Eun’s social anxiety really isn’t that different from what we saw Sun Sik (Jo Dal Hwan) experience, and that really makes my heart go out to her.

The thing is, it seems that Da Eun’s not actually slow on the uptake, or dumb in any way; she’s just a lot more empathetic with her patients than many of her colleagues.

And because she takes the time to try to help her patients in a more personalized manner, her colleagues get impatient because this means that she’s not fulfilling other duties in that time, and therefore they need to pick up the slack for her.

I felt really bad for Da Eun, when she gets scolded by Nurse Park, for wanting to go back to the hospital in the middle of the department gathering, so that she can help Kim Sun Sik find a place at a new hospital.

I’m so glad that Head Nurse Song speaks up for Da Eun, with Nurse Park, and points out that they’d all been like Da Eun, once upon a time, and that Da Eun’s heart is actually in the right place.

And yes, I’m totally with Head Nurse Song on this, that it’s more important to help the patient, than being a tactful colleague.

I was so glad to see that Da Eun’s various colleagues all separately make their way back to the hospital, to help her out.

And, it really was heartwarming to see them all enjoying the mugwort rice cakes, because this really is an encouragement and assurance to Da Eun, who’s been feeling very awkward and insecure about those rice cakes.

E7-8. Da Eun is arguably hit the hardest by Seo Wan’s death, out of all the various caregivers who knew him, but chooses to keep working, for the sake of the other patients, and the other members of her team.

But, as we see in episode 8, time does not actually heal her grief.

In fact, neither giving it time, nor creating a regular schedule, which are the things that Professor Lim (Kim Jong Tae) and Head Nurse Song suggest, actually do anything to help Da Eun, except to mask the pain, and provide a distraction for Da Eun, where she focuses on something other than the pain.

It honestly feels like beneath the mask, her emotional wounds are just festering, because they’re being neglected. 😔

It’s rather surprising, isn’t it, that even caregivers who specialize in psychiatry, can be misguided in how to deal with grief?

I can only imagine how hard it must be for Da Eun to keep on going, even though she’s emotionally disturbed on the inside.

Especially when she has to deal with that patient with Borderline Personality Disorder, who has that meltdown while putting her entire focus on Da Eun.

That’s hard enough for anyone to deal with, and it must be so many times harder for Da Eun, who’s struggling to deal with her grief and guilt over Seo Wan’s death.

It was really hard to watch Da Eun eventually come crashing down, and sink into depression.

Much like how Jun Gi (Kim Dae Geon) hadn’t known how to help his wife after the death of their baby, the people around Da Eun don’t know how to help her now, in her depression.

Mom just keeps doing her best to get Da Eun to eat, while Yu Chan tries to get Da Eun to take in some fresh air, even if it means doing so forcibly, by carrying her out of bed and taking her out of her house.

Which, as we hear from Yeo Hwan, just don’t help, when it comes to people suffering from depression.

I do think that Show does a helpful job of peeling back what it’s like, for patients with depression.

I’ve never suffered from clinical depression, so it was quite an eye-opener for me to watch that scene of Da Eun sinking into the ground like she was walking on quicksand, and be completely unable to extricate herself.

Yeo Hwan’s explanation, that demanding that someone pick up a spoon, when they are simply unable to, is a form of violence, is helpful too.

I think that these are all useful things that Show is giving us, to help us be in a better position to understand and help those around us.

And, as with the other conditions that Show has brought up, depression and PTSD really are very common ailments as well.

We don’t know yet the details of the treatment, which I’m sure Show will get to, in our next set of episodes, but it does seem that the first step forward, is acknowledgment.

Da Eun’s mom refuses to acknowledge that Da Eun might be suffering from depression and need medical help – and that almost leads to what would have been a horrific accident, with Da Eun walking into traffic like that.

I’m so relieved that Da Eun and Mom are ok, and I do believe that this will serve as a wake-up call for Mom, such that she would be better positioned to help Da Eun get help.

E9-10. Additionally, there’s the struggle that Da Eun goes through, when it comes to the topic of her returning to work.

It’s so real and relatable, the way her fears get the better of her.

The concerns that she has, feel so reasonable; it sounds logical, that there might be some issues with her taking care of other psychiatric patients, when she herself is a psychiatric patient.

With her hectic work schedule, it sounds quite possible, that she might be unable to take her medication on time – and then that begs the question of how that would affect her condition, and her ability to care for the patients assigned to her.

I can see why she’d worry about being a burden to her colleagues.

Plus, there’s also the stigma around mental illness, which not everyone would be immune to, even though her workplace is a hospital where most people would be more well-informed than the average person.

[END SPOILER]

Yeon Woo Jin as Go Yoon

I have to say, I really grew to like Go Yoon as a character, after getting past the initial Intended Funny that Show used, in introducing his character.

Although Go Yoon is listed as a main character, I actually see him in a more supportive sort of space – but in a key way, if that makes sense.

He’s not the one experiencing the psychiatric challenges, but he’s very involved in providing help, moral support and encouragement.

Additionally, I would say that he’s an important foil for these other characters, narratively speaking, which is why I would still consider him a key character, even though I also see him in a supportive space, if that makes sense.

Generally speaking, I just really liked what a kind person Go Yoon is.

As a doctor, and as a friend, and also as a potential boyfriend, Go Yoon is consistently kind, thoughtful and compassionate, and I just like him a lot.

I will talk a bit more about him in the section where I give his connection with Da Eun the spotlight, but for now, here is a platonic example of when I found Go Yoon very sweet.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E3-4. I was rather tickled by how Go Yoon takes Yu Chan to ride that swan paddle boat, because, as Yu Chan protests, it does look a little odd, that the two of them are paddling that boat together, when it’s usually families or dating couples that frequent those rides.

But, I really do appreciate Go Yoon’s reason for choosing the paddle boat – because it offers complete privacy, and Yu Chan needn’t worry that someone else might be able to overhear their conversation.

Aw. That’s thoughtful of Go Yoon, to think of creating a safe space for Yu Chan. 🥲

[END SPOILER]

Jang Dong Yoon as Yu Chan

I like Jang Dong Yoon as an actor, and was pleased to see him on my screen, in this show.

Originally, I’d imagined that his character, Yu Chan, would the second male lead involved in a love triangle of sorts, with Da Eun and Go Yoon, but Show gives Yu Chan an interesting personal arc all his own, and I really appreciated that.

[SPOILER ALERT]

I’ve already mentioned it earlier in this review, but I found it very illuminating to see Yu Chan’s journey, where he went from being a star employee to whom everyone turned for help, to a chicken delivery guy, because all the stress and exhaustion had led to him developing panic disorder.

Yu Chan’s arc really gave me food for thought, because I’ve always envied high-flyer star employees like him, and this was a very thought-provoking look at the other side of the coin; the dark side, if you will.

I also appreciate that Show demonstrates how hard it is for Yu Chan to make his way back into the corporate world, while still offering us hope, that it is achievable.

[END SPOILER]

Da Eun and Go Yoon

Unlike a typical romance-centric story, the loveline between Da Eun and Go Yoon doesn’t take up a great deal of screen time, in the grand scheme of things.

I was very fine with this, however, because I didn’t have any expectation that Da Eun had to find romantic love, by the time we reached the finish line of our story.

It was clear to me, that Show’s primary focus, was Da Eun’s personal journey, and I figured that if romantic love was something that Da Eun wanted, then I was fine with it – but if wasn’t something she wanted, that I was fine with it too.

Overall, I liked Show’s treatment of this loveline, which I’ll talk more about in this next spoiler section, as well as in my thoughts on the ending.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E3-4. I have no problem with the idea of Go Yoon liking Da Eun.

As we’ve seen, the two of them have some important things in common, like the way they are empathetic towards others, and have hearts that are keen to help.

That parallel of them each helping someone to get to the point of being ready to receive psychiatric treatment was very effective in bringing that out, I thought.

At this point, I don’t get the sense that Da Eun actually feels any romantic feelings for Go Yoon, but I also don’t get the sense that she wouldn’t consider the possibility.

I feel like there are possibilities between them, and I honestly think they’d potentially make a cute couple.

I don’t have strong feelings about whom Da Eun chooses to date, as long as she’s happy about her choice.

E5-6. In contrast to Yu Chan’s hesitancy, Go Yoon’s willing to take the risk required and wear his heart on his sleeve, in owning his feelings for Da Eun.

Yes, it’s cute and dorky of him to keep pretending to run into her at the bus stop, but when she figures out that he was waiting for her and asks him why, he doesn’t shy away from it, and tells her directly that it was because he missed her.

I definitely found that sweet and melty. 🥰

I still don’t get the impression that Da Eun has developed romantic feelings for Go Yoon, but it also doesn’t seem like she minds, that he misses her when he doesn’t see her, so I’m thinking that Go Yoon maybe has a chance to win Da Eun’s heart.

E9-10. I feel for Go Yoon, because as much as he cares about Da Eun, it’s not his place to get involved, and it must be hard for him to sit on the sidelines, wondering how Da Eun’s doing, but feeling helpless to do anything to help her during this difficult time.

I can understand why Da Eun wouldn’t want to see him.

After all, she’s deeply embarrassed about being a psychiatric patient, and he’s someone who’s expressed his romantic intentions towards her. It’s natural for her to back away from connecting with him, because she doesn’t want him to see her like this.

I’m glad, though, that Go Yoon chooses to keep liking her, even though she’s telling him to never appear before her again.

I mean, yes, he’s all upset bluster about it, but the point is that he refuses to unlike her, just because she says so, and I do find that stubborn loyalty quite appealing.

It kinda feels like he refuses to unlike her, just because she doesn’t like herself, in a way.

[END SPOILER]

Da Eun and Yu Chan

Without getting into spoilers, I’ll just say that I appreciated the longstanding friendship and bond between Da Eun and Yu Chan.

Even when each of them is having their own struggles, they care about the other person in a big way, and I found that quite sweet.

I also appreciate that Show takes care to evolve their relationship, over the course of our story.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E5-6. In terms of our love triangle, I feel bad for Yu Chan for the futility of his one-sided love, because, as he realizes, this pair of episodes, he doesn’t actually have the courage to tell Da Eun how he feels.

All that talk about timing, had been excuses that he’d been hiding behind, so that he didn’t have to examine his cowardice, in the face of his feelings.

Aw. I feel for him, because it’s true that he’d be taking a risk, in telling Da Eun that he likes her, and that can be a scary thing.

Layered on top of that, is Yu Chan’s insecurities around his mental state and relative lack of achievements, especially when he compares himself to Go Yoon, so I can understand why he might hold himself back.

E9-10. I appreciate that we see Yu Chan learning a better way to interact with and help Da Eun.

Now, he’s learned that useless advice is unhelpful and destructive to Da Eun, and he’s making a conscious effort to focus on things that would actually help Da Eun.

His effort to watch dramas, so that he can describe the plot to Da Eun, and keep her curious and interested enough to want to keep living, if only to know what happens next, is so poignant, I feel.

It might feel like a small thing, but it’s true that this could be a big thing, for the patient listening, and in fact, might be the thing that’s keeping them going.

I also really appreciate that Yu Chan gathers his courage to apologize to Da Eun, even though it’s an awkward and delicate topic.

E10. As we close out episode 10, I really appreciate that Yu Chan chooses to take steps towards a new beginning, for both his sake and Da Eun’s.

I feel like this is really the best way for him to help her – by showing her that she can take steps to a new beginning too, just like him. 🥲

[END SPOILER]

Special mention:

Deul Re and Yeo Hwan

I’ve alluded to this earlier, but the loveline btween Yeo Hwan and Deul Re was not my favorite thing.

In fact, in the beginning, I’d thought it felt shoehorned in, and quite unnatural.

However, I concede that this relationship does become quite sweet, by the time we reach the end of our story.

Deul Re likes Yeo Hwan more than I’d first imagined, and Yeo Hwan turns out to be a much more thoughtful, caring boyfriend, than I’d first imagined as well.

Not bad, after all.

THEMES / IDEAS [SPOILERS]

The idea of the wounded healer

E1-2. I find it interesting that, despite her own struggles with mental health and social anxiety, Da Eun’s able to give Go Yoon so much comfort with her presence, that he loses the urge to crack his knuckles, in her company.

I do really appreciate this idea of the wounded healer, because it’s true that we don’t have to be in perfect shape ourselves, in order to help the people around us.

This seems true for Jang Dong Yoon’s character, Yu Chan, too.

All through these two episodes, Yu Chan’s appeared to be confident and healthy and normal, and he’s the one taking care of Da Eun, as she struggles.

At the end of episode 2, though, we see Yu Chan basically having a panic attack, and it becomes clear that he’s far from being as ok as he appears.

I guess at the end of the day, none of us is perfectly, 100% ok, are we – but that doesn’t mean that we can’t get better, and it also doesn’t mean that we can’t help other people too, along the way.

I do like that this is the direction that Show is taking, and I’m looking forward to see what else Show has in store for us.

The idea of a loss of – and search for – self

I appreciate Da Eun’s voiceover near the end of episode 4, where she says that the reason people fall ill, is because of loss, whether of something precious, or of themselves, and the thing that they all need, is a sense of hope.

It feels quite perfect, that Ha Ram’s (Kwon Han Sol) arc wraps up with her making a new deposit in her bank account, and thereby creating a new beginning for herself.

This is her, taking steps to create hope for herself, with a little help from Da Eun.

Beautiful. ❤️

THOUGHTS ON THE ENDING [SPOILERS]

As I fully expected of Show, we get a finale that is consistent with the rest of Show’s tone, where Show emphasizes that mental health is a continuing journey, while still giving us an overall sense of hope.

Generally, I do think that Show handles it well, but at the same time, I did think that certain details were a little simplistic and therefore took away from the believability of Show’s hopeful message.

For example, I appreciate that Yu Chan manages to fight through his anxiety at his new job, and make a stand that he needs to leave on time, in order to take care of himself.

However, it’s completely unrealistic to me, that a boss who’d just told him to work harder, when Yu Chan approached him to talk about his panic disorder, would do a 180, and actively encourage Yu Chan (and everyone else) to leave the office on time.

This honestly takes away from Show’s hopeful message, that you can choose to take care of yourself, while remaining an active member of society, because it now lands as unbelievable, rather than possible.

I think it would’ve worked better if Yu Chan’s boss hadn’t been made out to be such a dismissive unsympathetic sort in the first place.

Or, it could’ve also worked well, if Yu Chan had decided that the corporate life isn’t for him, and chosen something that made him happier, while still making use of his skills and talents.

I found Show’s handling of Da Eun’s return to work better, because in the end, the hospital makes a stand, and supports her right to work, and so, the protesting parents  and guardians have to either accept it, or find a different hospital for their family members.

And, I also found it relatively more believable, that the parents and guardians would have a change of heart, once they were confronted with the fact that the way they were discriminating against Da Eun, was the exact way their own children and family members would be, or have been, discriminated against, by others.

I did love the detail, that it as Go Yoon who put himself out there, and ambushed the Hospital Director, in order to bring Da Eun’s case before him, and get the Director’s personal involvement and support.

Aw. That’s really sweet.

In fact, I have to say I found Go Yoon’s devotion very sweet, particularly since there was a stretch where Da Eun was pushing him away.

He didn’t let that stop him from liking her, and kept watching out for her, while being considerate of her, and then was simply so happy, when she realized that she missed him too.

I hadn’t been so sure that we’d get an OTP out of this story, since this was more about personal journey than anything else, but I must say, I like that Go Yoon manages to win Da Eun’s heart in the end, and that he makes her feel happy, secure and appreciated.

I also liked the detail, that Da Eun and Deul Re actually affected and influenced each other, without realizing.

So often, we envy someone else for their skill or talent, and don’t realize that others might envy us, for our skill or talent.

Also, I feel that this plot point, helps to bring out the idea that there are two main facets to being a good nurse; the skill that Deul Re has, as well as the emotional strength to keep picking oneself up, that Da Eun has.

I did like the idea that Deul Re realized that she had never been happy as a nurse, and made the choice to follow her heart, for once.

However, I have to say that I found all the scenes of the cruise crew to be pretty stagey and therefore rather cringey.

I have to say, I’d imagined that Show could’ve done better with that.

That said, I appreciate that Yeo Hwan values Deul Re’s personal growth and healing more than he does his own happiness at being around Deul Re, and supports her decision to join the cruise crew.

He’s definitely turned into a better boyfriend than I’d originally imagined.

I also appreciate that Deul Re’s departure from the Psychiatric Unit, brings us the arrival of Seung Jae, the trainee nurse from before, who’s now ready to formally join the unit.

Not only does it support that whole idea that everything’s a journey, and we are always constantly moving through seasons in life, it also emphasizes the idea that your life doesn’t have to stop, because you have a psychiatric condition.

And, I do like Show’s angle on this, that because nurses like Da Eun (and now Seung Jae) know what it’s like to be a patient, they naturally have more empathy and understanding for their patients.

And last but not least, I like Show’s final message to us:

That we are all always on the border between normal and abnormal, but that as the seasons pass, we keep progressing. And that through it all, there are steps that we can take, to take care of ourselves.

THE FINAL VERDICT:

Poignant and sometimes painfully realistic, but also, tender and hopeful. Very worthwhile.

FINAL GRADE: A-

TRAILER:

PATREON UPDATE!

The next drama I’ll be covering on Patreon, in place of Daily Dose of Sunshine, is Perfect Marriage Revenge [Korea]. I’ve taken an initial look at Perfect Marriage Revenge and I’m happy to say that I’m really enjoying it a lot, so far.

You can check out my E1-2 notes on Perfect Marriage Revenge on Patreon here.

Here’s an overview of what I’m covering on Patreon right now (Tier benefits are cumulative)!

Foundation Tier (US$1): Entertainment tidbits + the first set notes of all shows covered on Patreon (that’s 2 episodes for kdramas and 4 episodes for cdramas)

+ Bonus show (all tiers): I Know I Love You [China]

Early Access (US$5): +The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract [Korea]

Early Access Plus (US$10): +Perfect Marriage Revenge [Korea]

VIP (US$15): +Marry My Husband [Korea]