Birthcare Center (2020)

drama of the year❣

what I love about this is how layered the characters are;

Oh Hyun Jin was a total dream 21st century career boss lady, she was in control and composed but as she entered the the mysterious momhood everything changed for her, she wasn't as confident, she didn't know anything and she was scared which just proves, being "smart" doesn't make you a natural know it all

Jo Eun Jung was the opposite, she was a stay at home mom who took pride in her "natural" and vast knowledge of momhooness, but behind the curtains she was just as clueless and scared as the rest

Lee Roo Da seemed like an arrogant and immature person who didn't love her kid, but she was just someone who had a different approach on motherhood, and she didn't want to do things because "other's do it"

Choi Hye Sook is still a mystery but behind her controlling aura she just wants what's best for the moms. she was a dream boss and mentor, she was stern but compassionate, old fashioned but accepting

glue stick! my precious glue stick is an acting genius! (and the directors did a great job capturing him), his facial expressions were always a delight

Kim Do Yoon is the most precious husband and father! they were the most inspiring healthiest couple I've seen in dramaland. I wonder how big their age gap was xD they were also the best example of a noona romance ;D


the drama has a great sense of humor, I've not laughed like that for a long time, especially 1st ep made laugh until I cried xD
on the other hand they deal with alot of realistic postpartum worries and issues, new moms (and dads) deal with alot of new emotions and experiences, plus the surrounding people's expectations and "advice" can become really suffocating.
you can't produce enough milk? you're a bad mom
you want to work again? you're a bad mom
you gained weight? you're a bad woman
you're not magically happy? you're a bad human
you feel tired from feeding your kid every 3 hours? you're a disgrace...

on the other hand the husband kinda doesn't experience those 1st hand, so he's happy, not tired and tries to encourage his wife or tell her about his day while she can barely hold her own emotions together and he starts thinking he's a burden..


the drama stayed true to it's premier, it dealt with alot of worries and burdens surrounding a new mom while also keeping a well timed sense of humor that never failed to make me laugh until I cried. I'll miss this drama dearly! I really wish s2 happens soon and I wish they keep the same cast, they could all have triplets for all I care, I want them back! TT__TT

the ost was also beautiful and elegant, the setting, the writing, the acting, the directing, everything was perfect❤

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Amongst all the dramas of 2020, Birthcare Centre is a breath of fresh air. Short enough to binge in a weekend with powerful performances by every single actor in the show, its wacky enough to not take too seriously (which you already might've figured out given its setting in a plush rich people post natal recuperation centre and high school-esque social hierarchy) yet serious and heartfelt enough to genuinely convey important issues plaguing new mothers that rarely get talked about.

PROS:
-Hilarious mix of different genres: you have romance, comedy, drama, thriller, horror, historical/mythological etc. There are so many different elements of everything you love from various genres that its a treat to watch them all come together and create a mess (in a good way, for the most part...)

-Strong performances and diverse characters. You have your sanctimonious prick mothers, your 'screw authority' mothers, your 'we're not in Kansas anymore' confused as hell mothers and so much more, all played wonderfully by their respective actors. I'm dying to know how they fare!

-Relationship building: I loved how they portrayed relationships (both romantic and platonic) in this TV show in a realistic way. I especially love how they handled the 'will they, wont they' romance side plot of one of the mothers in the centre and dealt with it keeping in mind her personality and life. I hate it when dramas pull a 360 on a character's personality just to ensure a happy ending, but I think her ending turned out happy in her own way.

-Ending for the mothers- all ended very nicely and some, honestly, even abnormally. By the end, our main character got a happy ending that SHE wanted to get as a woman and didn't endlessly sacrifice herself for her child.

-And that is my final pro: the message that mothers dont have to endlessly sacrifice for their child to be a good mother.

Now...CONS (oh boy):

- Every mother shown in this drama has a significant other raising their child with them which is far from realistic. I was quite annoyed, to be honest, because this drama wanted to show "different kinds of mothers" but eventually ditched that in favor of cutesy romance (which is... fine, but done all the time).

-(I cant believe I'm writing this) Too much time spent on breastfeeding: uhh, okay, I'm not a mom (I'm in my early twenties y'all I need to graduate college) but I do understanding that the decision between breastfeeding or formula is super important. Totes, I get it. But to spend 3 episodes...oohing and ahhing over it...yeah, excessive as hell. Especially when there are other equally barely talked about topics that are addressed towards the end of the drama like post partum depression that need more screentime. Which brings me to...

-I really, REALLY wish they spent more time on post partum depression. If breastfeeding is the golden eldest child of this show, post partum depression is the neglected and pitiful stepchild that no one pays attention to. They relegated discourse about the problem to literally the last 15 minutes of one episode and then poof, almost nothing in the next.

- There was such a mish mash of genres that it was everything and nothing at the same time. It didn't know what it wanted to be and after a point became annoying.

- They barely did anything to redeem sanctimonious prick mother. She may be actually a very nice person, but I think the writer forgot that this is a very low-stakes drama about a bunch of mothers set in a birthcare centre: way she talks down and demeans any mother who doesn't go above and beyond for her child like she does, she can almost be considered an antagonist because of the direct opposition she poses to the main character. You have to actively try to get the viewers to understand her motives and see where she is coming from- you have to create a complex character without providing convenient outs and excuses like "husband bad".

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