What does it mean to be a parent and to do right by your children? Multiple custody cases this week offer insight into the complexities of being a parent and how children can become collateral damage in a divorce. Now that our ace attorney faces her own custody battle, she finds herself in the unenviable position of seeing it all firsthand. However, being forced to examine her own parenting gives her a new perspective and offers a chance for a stronger relationship with her daughter if she’s willing to put in the effort.
EPISODES 6-7
We start off the week with two custody cases on opposite ends of the spectrum. While Eun-kyung and Ji-sang fight to be the primary parent with custody, another set of parents fight to foist custody on the other. Yuri, and the judge, are aghast at these two parents enumerating their own faults to free themselves from raising their children. But when Eun-kyung and Yuri take the mother on as a client, we see it’s not that simple.
This case presents a nuanced look at motherhood, and parenthood in general, and the difficulty of having your individual identity replaced with that of “parent.” We have an unsupported, depressed mother with no family and a husband who barely seems to acknowledge he has children – she’s not unloving, but motherhood is an unwanted burden she’s unequipped to carry.
Surprisingly, we do get a happyish ending to the case with the parents both stepping up once they’re divorced. As the father gets custody and cares for his children for the first time, he learns to be a real father. Meanwhile, the mother has the time and space to prioritize her mental health and reclaim her sense of self, which makes her a better mother.
One thing I appreciate about this show is that it doesn’t take the simple route of establishing villains and heroes in every relationship. People and relationships are messy, and while in some cases there are villains, most of the time, no one’s hands are clean. It’s all a matter of degrees.
Yuri still struggles with all the ambiguity, possibly due to how clear-cut her own parents’ divorce case was. Her father cheated and later married a greedy woman without scruples, unabashedly abandoning Yuri and her mother. Yuri sees the world in black and white, and she holds a grudge. She even got her father and mistress fired by protesting at their work about their affair. Now, her greedy stepmom is coming to collect.
She shows up at Yuri’s work to meet with Eun-kyung… who was her and Yuri’s father’s lawyer all those years ago. The woman brings a document, claiming it’s her late husband’s will bequeathing the house to her – she wants Yuri and her mother ousted. She then makes the mistake of trying to threaten Eun-kyung into firing Yuri.
Instead, Eun-kyung secretly visits Yuri’s mom and helps her push back against the stepmom who has been blackmailing Yuri’s mom. She and Yuri’s mom may never be able to fully understand each other, but Eun-kyung now knows what it’s like to be cheated on and want to protect her daughter amid a messy divorce.
When Eun-kyung does a legal takedown of the stepmom and tells her to get lost, she calls Yuri in as a witness. Yuri is touched by the show of loyalty – and thrilled to see her stepmom thrown out – and surprises Eun-kyung by thanking her for getting her dad to divorce her mom. She never wanted her mom to be stuck in a marriage that made her unhappy.
I like that we get a gender flip in Jae-hee’s custody case with Eun-kyung in the stereotypical father position as a breadwinner who thought providing for her child financially was enough. Now, she’s not so sure, and she might pay a high price for her absence at home. Jae-hee is old enough to have a say in who she wants to live with, so custody rides on what she tells the court investigators. Eun-kyung knows Jae-hee has a closer relationship with her father – it wouldn’t be surprising for Jae-hee to pick him.
Jae-hee is almost too mature and self-sufficient for her age, keeping her pain inside while appearing stoic. What truly breaks Eun-kyung’s heart is when she sees how much her absence has hurt Jae-hee who feels abandoned. She assumes Eun-kyung doesn’t want custody of her since she’s never been around anyway or been interested in being a good mom. Oof.
Thankfully, Jae-hee does open up to someone: Yuri. Jae-hee is observant enough to put together that her father cheated with Sara (who she’s close to and treats like an aunt), leaving her conflicted. Yuri shares her own history with a cheating father and divorced parents, encouraging Jae-hee to think only of herself right now rather than fearing hurting one of her parents by choosing the other.
The silver lining is that, like in the earlier custody case, all this has made Eun-kyung step up and be more present for Jae-hee. She makes her breakfast every morning, sends her classmates snacks, and comes home a bit earlier to chat with her. It’s amazing how just showing up makes such a difference to Jae-hee who lights up around her mom for the first time. It might be late, but they’re finally building a relationship.
I’m conflicted about the custody situation because while Ji-sang is clearly in the wrong as a husband and has shown less than stellar personal character, even Eun-kyung doesn’t deny he’s been the primary parent for Jae-hee. From what we’ve seen, Jae-hee is more comfortable with him, relies on him more, and feels more loved by him. The fact that Jae-hee assumed her mother wouldn’t even want her speaks volumes. If Eun-kyung wants to start being the primary parent, she needs to earn Jae-hee’s trust and show this newfound interest in her daughter’s life is here to stay.
I’d also be concerned about Sara’s role in Jae-hee’s life, but it’s clear that won’t be a problem. Sara’s dreams come crumbling down around her when she gets fired for violating the company’s policies due to her relationship with Ji-sang. Then, she’s stunned when Ji-sang has no plans to let her live with him and Jae-hee if he gets custody. When she cries and berates him for only caring about Jae-hee, he breaks up with her on the spot. The cold way he treats her, even telling her to “know her place,” is enough to almost make you feel sorry for Sara.
I’d love to say that’s the last we’ll see of her, but we end the week on a dramatic revelation: Sara is pregnant. I imagine there’s no getting rid of her now. This is going to be so messy. She seems like the type to think she can use a baby to cajole Ji-sang into staying, as if he’s not currently divorcing the mother of his first child. He’s shown his true colors and made it clear he does not view Sara as a true partner, so why she would even want him still is a mystery to me.
If she indeed does try to hold onto him, I think it’ll be less about him and more about winning, especially if it means one upping Eun-kyung. Sara strangely seems to view Eun-kyung as competition, despite not even being a lawyer. She’s clearly jealous of Eun-kyung’s success, skill, and the level of respect she’s earned. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s why she involved herself with Ji-sang in the first place. Maybe she’ll surprise me and choose not to use her future child as a weapon, but based on her actions thus far, I’m not holding my breath.