Summary
Doctor Slump gives us the happy ending we were looking for, continuing to be therapeutic for both its characters and its audience.
The thing about healing is that it’s an ongoing process, which is why the ending of Doctor Slump isn’t really an ending. Episode 16 would be better described as a new beginning, the next stage of the journey for Jeong-woo and Ha-neul after learning, together, how to overcome their difficulties, move on, and ready themselves for whatever comes next. Season 1 has been a real delight, and this finale is the icing on the cake.
We mustn’t forget that Jeong-woo proposed at the end of Episode 15, but the show drags Ha-neul’s answer out and so will we. In the meantime, it’s nice to see everyone, even Ba-da, bettering themselves and moving forward here. Many dramas forget the importance of supporting characters and their arcs, but this one hasn’t. It’s worthy of praise.
Ha-neul gets a job opportunity
Something of a spanner is thrown in the works when Ha-neul is offered a great career opportunity abroad. She invites Jeong-woo to a fancy dinner to tell him about this, which he naturally assumes is going to be a response to his proposal, but the more pressing matter has to be dealt with first.
This bit of late drama forces some introspection out of both leads. Ha-neul, ever the careerist, knows an opportunity when she sees one, but Jeong-woo, not quite willing to be separated from Ha-neul, suddenly sees the difficulty in letting go. Through a conversation with Dae-young, he understands the importance of not standing in the way of someone’s dreams and ambitions and supports Ha-neul’s choice to go abroad.
Luckily, someone else is sent in Ha-neul’s place instead. This leads to a bit of confusion and disappointment but, ultimately, a revelation for Ha-neul, who is happy to be staying.
Ha-neul gets over her slump
It has never been a mystery why Doctor Slump is titled that – it’s about people suddenly discovering themselves at their lowest ebb. If you can cast your mind back as far as Episode 1, it was Ha-neul being told by her therapist that she was depressed that really kick-started everything for her.
It’s fitting, then, that it’s the same psychiatrist who triggers the next stage of her journey, through the same test, with the same questions, but this time with radically different results. Through her relationship with Jeong-woo, through the time and conversations and gifts and dates, Ha-neul has healed. She has found herself. She no longer needs the therapy, since she’s no longer in a slump.
How does Doctor Slump Season 1 end?
At the end of Doctor Slump, Jeong-woo opens another, smaller clinic, and offers Jin-seok a job. He knows now to keep work more manageable to spare time for Ha-neul and himself. Being workaholics never got either of them where they wanted to be.
Jeong-woo and Ha-neul sit in the empty clinic and are reminded of how they previously saw a sunrise. They’re inspired to do so again, and it’s against this classically romantic backdrop that they realize how they dragged each other out of their respective slumps. Jeong-woo wants an answer to his proposal, and he gets one. He and Ha-neul get their happy ending, and the epilogue shows photos from their wedding.
What did you think of Doctor Slump Season 1 Episode 16 and the ending? Let us know in the comments.
RELATED:
