Daily Dose of Sunshine is one of those shows that sneaks up on you with the title. It doesn’t sound threatening. It sounds like a cozy kind of k-drama where the nurse falls in love with the doctor and their journey is the core of the story. By the end of episode 1, I understood that I was completely wrong as I tried the tears off my face.
The show does have romance and it does have cozy moments. But at the heart of it, it’s a love letter to those dealing with mental health issues from the perspective of a new nurse joining a mental health ward and the people she meets along the way. And I’ve put together five reasons why you should be watching one of the best shows on Netflix of the year.
1. Park Bo-young’s character Da-eun
Central to Daily Dose of Sunshine is nurse Da-eun. She’s moving from one department to another to try and find where she belongs. And what’s most important about her is that she doesn’t give up being the kind, caring, and silly person she is just because other people expect her to. She quickly falls into a rhythm in her new ward and the care and compassion that she gives to the patients is monumental to the struggles that she will face herself, proving that no one does this alone.
2. The respect they put on mental health’s name
As a Latina, I grew up not talking about mental health issues. And as a consumer of Hollywood TV shows and movies, often mental health issues are painted in terrifying ways that even scared me from seeking mental health help. But Daily Dose of Sunshine makes mental health less scary. It makes it something that can happen to anyone. And with proper care, time, and love from those closest to you, you can get better. Basically, the show makes me feel like mental health issues aren’t the end of the world. And that representation can be game-changing for those going through similar issues.
3. The way that mental health conditions are brought to life
I have never seen mental health issues personified like Daily Dose of Sunshine has. Too often stories like this focus on the people taking care of the people who have mental health issues. Instead, this show focuses on the medical staff and the people with mental health issues and how they perceive the world. Sometimes their pain or trauma is bright and wondrous. And other times it’s overwhelming and they feel like you’re literally drowning. There’s even a moment where patient season self has a great warrior battling dragons. And it gives a fresh perspective on how there is no one way to look at mental health issues or to understand them.
4. It doesn’t shy away from how mental health hits nursing staff
A lot of times when we have medical shows, I feel like they don’t take the time to fully compartmentalize how much their patients affect them. In this show, we see how treating these patients with mental health issues opens up pathways for the staff to understand issues they themselves might be having. And just because they are having these issues doesn’t mean that they can’t take care of their patients. It just means that they have a different understanding that is actually helpful in the long run. They understand them and are given the space to grieve or work through the happy feelings that come with working in a mental ward.
5. The impactful side journeys
As much as I love Dae-un’s journey and the focus is show has on patients with mental health issues, I also have to mention that this show does a really good job at giving everyone a moment to shine. One nurse is dealing with finally liberating herself from a narcissistic parent. Another is dealing with the pressures of being a working mother. And then another character is dealing with denial when it comes to their own mental health issues. Everyone matters and it creates a complex tapestry that enriches the story overall as they fall in love, deal with the complexities of work, and just make it through the day like we’re all doing. No one does it alone.
Daily Dose of Sunshine season 1 is now available on Netflix.
