Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Surprisingly disappointing. Good story though the logic is super off. Terrible character design.
Story Plot [+]It's a very good story - good plot on the ML's life, quite a few of thought-provoking/impressive/inspiring moments, but the character design on the villain side is the worst. It's a story full of clever people who are intentionally unprofessional and prejudiced.
-----------------------------------------
Logic of the story [-]
I don't understand why so many people in the story try to say that a person who can't feel physical pain due to an illness isn't approved to be a doctor as well as put all the blames on the person. This logic comes out so forcefully. The series tries super hard to make this claim valid, but it still feels super off.
I don't understand either why people like the prosecutor take the idea of euthanasia of consent, terminally ill patients as something to be so vengeful toward the doctor who is willing to help the patients. It's to the point that he wants to destroy the doctor's life and career as well as put him into jail even though the action of the doctor complies with the patient's desire. This topic of euthanasia is surely a socially debatable topic. But the opposing side in this series takes this issue very personally to the point of personal grudge and vengeance. It's so extreme without a proper root or cause that would help the viewers to understand and empathize with, thus their actions feel very off. It's like this series has devalued this social issue by portraying the opinions from the opposing side as illogical to the point of absurd and psychopathic. This topic that is worth being discussed has become some nonsense, personal issue of the irrational villains.
-----------------------------------------
Character Design [-]
The first one is the prosecutor who is competent but blindsided and has the habit of rushing to a conclusion. I don't understand his competence at all. These traits of his must prevent him from being clearheaded enough to be able to have an objective analysis on his cases. Not to talk about his vengefulness in destroying an ex-verdict without a proper cause. I don't understand his long-term vengeance towards the ML who has no personal issue with him. He often blames the ML that the ML euthanized his patient to make his own mind feel at ease by not having to see the patient being tortured from the terminal illness, but he also says the ML doesn't have the right to treat patients because ML has an illness that makes him not able to feel pain thus he wouldn't understand patients' pain and just does the scientific experiment on human's bodies due to curiosity via medical treatment. Is this kind of contradictory logic supposed to come from a character who is a competent prosecutor?
The second is the hospital-management-team doctor who openly attacks the ML on all sorts of unreasonable issues no matter how nonsense the issue is to start with. It's like he is clouded by a kind of hatred that doesn't have a cause, either. The ML isn't even a threat to his position. I don't understand his stupidity at all. In reality, all the blames he openly puts on the ML would normally harm himself back as a high-level doctor. It would easily cause people to be skeptical about his qualification in his position that needs objectivity and analytical skills. I don't understand at all how he's in the hospital management team with this kind of intelligence.
The third person is the female villain of the story. She's designed to be an extreme emo. She is a stalker who is vengeful towards a murderer who killed her daughter, but later shifts all the hatred and vengefulness to the ML who put the murderer to death. I understand her upset, but this vengefulness is so offset. I don't understand how it is shifted to the ML and even after the ML was imprisoned for 3 years, she still stalks him and is willing to destroy his career and his life after he was released - all of this because he killed the murderer who had killed her daughter?! I don't understand even more when the prosecutor agrees with this person's perspective (though his son was also killed together with the daughter, his character is positioned to be highly rational.) The prosecutor always believes that he is righteous in what he does, but all his actions contradict what he thinks he is. This female villain and the prosecutor make this series super absurd and drag the overall score of the series down immensely.
With this kind of character design, this story becomes too unreasonable, excessively absurd and overly melodramatic.
-----------------------------------------
Acting [~]
I would say the acting of the ML carries the whole series. I watch this series till the end only because of him and the struggle in his life with his illness and his profession's experience. The FL's acting is off from time to time. I watched her in Red Sleeve before this one and let me say her acting doesn't improve as the years passed. The second ML's character design contradicts itself at the beginning of the story and that contradiction makes me feel off about him for the whole series. The second FL's acting and expression are not good enough to be a second FL. All other supporting roles' actings are just so-so.
By the way, I don't feel any connection in the FL's family at all. They all work at the same hospital, see one another very often, and always have interactions, but these people who are FL's mother, uncle, aunt and sister don't look like they're related at all -- not related to the FL and not to one another. There's zero family relationship among them even when they're in the same scene talking face-to-face to each other.
-----------------------------------------
Was this review helpful to you?
Dr cha is really charismatic and oozes sexiness without trying. he was so much fun to watch. And i cant really think of any other actor that would have fit this role.... his acting was really perfect and he deserves some awards for this.
Se young chased after dr cha first but it wasnt cringey puppy eyed love at all. i really loved her character and cried with her every "tear" of the way (lol).
Her sister was annoying at first but it was understandable why... her character growth was one of the best in the drama.
Their mum the director was quite an interesting character.... she loves her daughters but is very strict with them and doesnt try to over familiarize with them at work. the girls are more comfortable around their dr aunt who is more jovial with them.
Dr Lee is literally a clown.... he made up the comedic part of the show alongside the other two male residents and the nurses in their team. (and i may be tripping but he looks so much like goblin imo)
weird nurse; i had a hard time understanding her transfer of aggression to dr cha..... or her relationship to the prosecutor... were they married or just friends because their kids were victims. As for the prosecutor i m pretty sure stalking dr cha was illegal or something. his redemption was satisfying though.
i could feel all the emotions of all the actors, the stories of the patients really touched me.... especially the CIPA boy. i learnt a couple of medical stuffs lol.
the music was beautiful, even the english pop songs played i the bar were so nice and up to date.
Was this review helpful to you?
So much squandered potential
I wish this had just been a straight up House style diagnostic procedural where the doctors solve a case per episode and that's it. The patient stories and the debates about euthanasia and end of life care were good, the rest of the show was lacking. I hated the relationship between the two leads. Even apart from their DOA romance, I found the leads to be shallow and underwritten characters. This was especially true for the FL. So much staring into space as crappy ballads drone on in the background. The antagonists are potentially interesting but the show doesn't know how to utilize them effectively and they were ultimately just frustratingly inconsistent and two dimensional. The last few episodes are particularly frustrating, sloppily plotted and emotionally unsatisfying.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Overall i rate this drama above average, at least I finished it despite skipping huge chunks of it. I stopped watching k drama since full house in 2004 (I didn't even finish that) and only just picked up again since COVID. Must admit I couldn't finish most of them so anything I can finish watching even with skipping is worth noting. What I like:
The music
The romance
ML acting
What I don't like:
The plot and subplots and all
The characters
Story:
Summary in a few words: forced, illogical and over-dramatic. I generally cant tolerate medical drama (with the exception of Hospital playlist) because of gross inaccuracy in the portrait of healthcare professionals and in medical knowledge. I picked up doctor John because of the high ratings and the topic of euthanasia, which if done right in highlighting both sides, the proponents and opponents of euthanasia, could be explosive. However, this show fails to deliver. I skipped most if not all of the hospital scenes unless involving the main couple romance.
What the ML did is involuntary euthanasia, which is considered murder and illegal in all countries. He deserves jail time and having his license revoked permanently. He does not have the right to end a patient's life without consent under the disguise of relieving pain. Also he has absolutely no respect for patients' wishes. I absolutely hate that kind of doctors who think they know better and willingly violate patients autonomy. The show confuses euthanasia, assisted suicide, assisted dying and DNR etc, hence the whole euthanasia plot is just a mess. The prosecutor and the nurse are obsessed with Cha for no valid reasons, or in other words, the reason the show presents is very forced. They should be charged with harassment. Cha did not kill their kids and the killer dies a painful death, so the grudge is very contrived, particularly for the prosecutor who is supposed to be smart and competent. I'm not even sure if it's legal for him to be involved in Cha's case to begin with. His involvement seems like a blatant conflict of interest to me. They are just batshit crazy for no reason. And I hate that trope in Kdrama, bad guys are bad just because they are bad. The lawyer and the former minister are even more ludicrous. There are plenty of drugs already available for assisted suicide. There's no good reason to develop a new drug to kill yourself with no financial gain. I initially thought it was to get rich but turned out they just want to die themselves. How stupid.
The CIPA/hospital plot is even less convincing. On what ground can't a doctor treat patients because he has an illness especially when it's not contagious and does not hamper his ability to work?????? If so, there wouldn't be any doctors left in this world. Doctors are also human and they can get sick, too. Dismissal based on this is discriminatory and illegal. Plus I can't understand why the hospital executives are so hellbent in getting rid of Cha while he is not even a threat to their positions. It also appears that doctors in this fictional hospital do nothing but running around aimlessly. One patient is tended by several dozens of doctors.
Let's not even get into the medical stuffs because I accept the fact it's a fictional work, there's no need to nitpick the inaccuracy.
The only reason that I kept watching was the romance. I'm a bit lost in the first two episodes why the FL decides to return to work after the encounter with ML other than her love-at-first-sight crush for him. It seems very forced when she has been dwelling on it for 2 years and one encounter somehow was enough to resolve her emotional turmoil and restore her confidence. If she was a as competent doctor as supposed to be, she shouldn't have trusted a stranger whose credibility is questionable. In fact she doesn't even know if he is qualified to give medical advice. I wouldn't if I was her. If her confidence is that low to even take on quack medical advice on the street, she shouldn't have returned to be a doctor. But Ill let it slide because I can see why the two of them are a match and she also redeems herself by taking the lead in the relationship. She is a lost puppy looking for a mentor and he fits the bill. He is aloof and closed off to the world because of his illness so if it wasn't for her forwardness, he would have never taken a move. I can see why her clinginess and ott expression touch a lonely man like him and why he falls for it. Thanks to Jisung' s suberb acting, the ML shows subtle hint of romantic interest in FL from the very beginning and never pretends to not like her, like earlier trope in Kdrama of the 00's (jerk ml has a crush on FL but acts otherwise, the main reason I quit watching years ago). I'm also very glad that there is no love triangle and all of it's banality. Their romance appears to be very accepting, understanding and supportive even without the lovey-dovey, which I absolutely love. The confession scene in the penultimate episode is heart melting, thanks to Jisung's electrifying gaze. However, the finale was disappointing, I still have no idea why they break up, like the writers has nothing better than time lapse to fill the slot. The more convincing logic wouldn't be to be with your loved one and go through difficult time together, would it? Anyway, romance is still the only plot that scores point for this show.
Acting/casts:
As I said earlier, Jisung's top-notch acting skill saves the show. I have never heard of him or watched any of his show before, probably because he debut after I quit kdrama. Although I don't like how the character Dr. Cha is written, the acting is still outstanding. Jisung delivers excellent performance in portraying the character's personality, the struggle and loneliness with his illness. His eyes speak volume. He gives me butterflies just with a tiny lift in the corner of his mouth, not to mention his heart-melting gaze, the perfect blend of care, concerns, gratefulness and sincerity.
As for the FL, I can't comment when her character does nothing but crying. I give her credit for her crying skill 😂
Other characters have so little story to tell for the acting to shine.
Music
I absolutely love the OST, very fitting for the romance.
Rewatch value:
I can watch the confession scene hundreds time. But that's about it .
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Monotonous
Having watched numerous dramas of similar genre, my anticipation for this one was fueled, perhaps in part by the esteemed lead actors. Initially, the drama's start and the introduction of the lead characters showed promise. However, around the 3rd or 4th episodes, it began to lose its charm, particularly as I struggled to reconcile the protagonist's swift release from jail and seamless return to his former practices. While he garnered respect, one would expect a more cautious approach after such an ordeal. Additionally, his battle with a debilitating illness added depth, though the eventual healing allowed both lead characters to continue their work with unwavering dignity. The subtle romance between them served as a welcomed balance amidst the drama's complexities.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Great medical drama with a really disappointing plot element at the end
8/10 is my rating. This is a South Korean medical romantic drama with 32, 22 minute, episodes.When they first meet, Kang Si-young (Lee Se-young) is working as a doctor to inmates but has no confidence as she quit medical school after a tragic accident left her guilt ridden and convinced she is flawed as a doctor. Cha Yo-han (Ji Sung) was a famous pain doctor but a career altering decision landed him in prison for three years. In prison he is known as the man with all the medical answers since the doctors that work in the prison tend to shy away from diagnosis and perform medical triage. Si-young is not sure about this mysterious doctor at first but quickly decides he knows what he is talking about. With just a little mentoring from him, Si-young regains some confidence and decides to return to residency only to discover Dr. Cha was released and reinstated at the same hospital she returned to. As they work closely together he as her professor and mentor and she as the mentee and resident, they find many similarities in the circumstances of the past as well as in their approach to medicine.
spoilers* This had such a great start and was intriguing the whole way through. The ending really ruined it a bit for me. I love both the Male Lead and Female Lead characters. Both are doctors who suffer emotional wounds from patients who were terminal and where they had to make a determination between life and death. Their experience in that regard is what draws them together. They are both brilliant, dedicated doctors who do not play politics but do whatever is best for their patients. Because they are so much alike, it is easy to understand how they would like each other as deeply as they do. The series deeply explored the ethics around euthanasia. Where it fell apart for me was toward the end when they have confessed their love for each other and he disappears from her life for three years. He comes back with some lame excuse about needing to take care of his health but, to me, that is exactly the time when you should be drawing the person you love closer not pushing them away. He watches her from afar for nearly a year when she doesn't even know he is back in South Korea. She is so heart broken during that whole time that it is hard to imagine her ever forgiving him for trampling on her heart. But she does forgive him, and actually quite easily, which made me disappointed in both the male and female lead characters. This is worth the watch but just expect that the ending will sour it a bit as he acts in total disregard to her feelings and she forgives far too easily
Was this review helpful to you?
guys! If you are into angst stuff. This is for you
after watching this, I can't explain how should I say the words to describe it since it has its bad and good side. so let's start.character: the cast was great. the acting was great , the way jisung eyes always looked shiney and beautiful,the way his eyes showed emotions made me fall for him again and again. now female lead was kind of annoying and clingy I know some people won't likey opinion but ok i understand that she is worried for him but like stalking him ( i know it's not stalking but ok she looked like but no hate for actress though) like they made her look really bad.
plot: ok no spoilers so the story is good but why does nurse is annoying and actually every ep has different story and procedure so actually the story is good but ending didn't do justice and their chemistry was fine how did she fall for when did they time for this, anyway the plot is good the sidestory of ml is kind of sad also the fl sister was kind annoying but after sometime she is ok and also the main couple were kind of off and specially fl like ( i can't explain it just watch it) but it's a good drama. and I kinda learned some disease and procedure and it was interesting anyway I will end this review and the total rating of this drama is 7.6
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
“People die when they are forgotten by their loved ones” and euthanasia topic broached
Watched this last Sep and penned some thoughts then. Wasn’t able to do a proper review then due to personal matters. Doing this review now incorporating my own personal experience.Watched this for Ji Sung after watching his stunning performance in The Devil Judge, and was glad I did not miss this drama. So this time as Dr Cha Yo Han instead of Judge Kang Yo Han (Is Yo Han a common name?), Ji Sung charms as both the Head of a hospital’s pain management and treatment center and a CIPA patient (a person diagnosed with Congenital Insensitivity to Pain with Anhidrosis – a rare inherited disease where the patient cannot feel pain and temperature, nor sweat). He was first seen diagnosing and treating inmates while serving time in prison for administering euthanasia on a terminal patient without consent, and then heading a team of doctors at a hospital’s pain management and treatment center. Being a CIPA patient himself where there is no known treatment, he seeks to find treatment for himself and CIPA patients like him.
Besides discussions on medical ethics and professionalism as with most medical dramas, this medical drama also spotlights a variety of rare diseases e.g. CIPA, that are often hard to diagnose, and euthanasia. It broaches the sensitive topic of euthanasia, from the perspectives of the patients (to want to be able to continue living and staying with loved ones vs not being able to have quality life and to end one’s sufferings and not be a burden to loved ones), their loved ones (conflict between hoping earnestly for miracles, and torture of seeing loved ones suffer), and doctors (conflict between saving lives and allowing patients to have quality lives). It is hard pulling off a loved one’s life support system even when the chance of recovery is practically nil..
Some quotable quotes I penned down then, that are especially poignant now, having gone through similar experience:
* People die when they are forgotten by their loved ones.
* The ultimate goals of medicine is to make people happy. And simply reducing pain or prolonging life through medicine does not guarantee people’s happiness.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
The romance burned slowly but hot definitely
I just rewatched this amazing drama and couldn't help to write this review right away because it leaves such a strong impact on me. Beyond the medical conditions that become the main story of this drama, it also teaches us how to face our fears, to love our jobs and family, and how to love someone and accept the love that other people gave, about unconditional love.What I like from this drama is that they didn't rush the love to rise between the couples, but they lay a strong foundation for Dr. Cha & Dr. Kang Shi Young and also Dr. Lee & Dr. Kang Mirae, that it naturally adding up by each episodes. I love how the FL is very straightforward about her feelings. She bravely confessed her feeling first, she talks about her worries, and just how she cares about the ML. You can see that Dr. Cha is quite hesitant to accept her (and his) feelings because of his condition. But he actually shows how much he care through his actions towards KSY. It's a truly definition of 'she fell first but he fell harder'! Kang Shi Young's charm is too strong for you to resist, right, Dr. Cha? :D
Despite the amazing chemistry, I find it quite uncomfortable about the age gap of Dr. Cha and Dr. Min (KSY's mother). I don't have any problems with the cast, but I just wished they can cast someone who's older than Dr. Min. I won't write a comment about the acting, because i think they just nailed it perfectly.
Conclusion:
So.. If you're into slow burn-mature romance, then this drama is definitely a must watch for you! This drama won't provide you with steamy romantic scenes, but it shows through action, words, and EYES. Just by seeing them holding hands and staring to each other is enough to make crawl hahaa. Ah, and the OSTs? It's superrr adicting that i keep replay them. That's it, hope it helpful!
Was this review helpful to you?
Drama about pain management, death and euthanasia
Good drama about a very hard subject : euthanasia (there are some others points but lets face it it is the real subject of the drama).I like the medical drama genre because of all the morality questions they open.. Nothing is never white or black and it is not always to determine what is the good thing to do.
In this particular drama we follow an expert in medical diagnostics so we don't have lots of surgery images as we can have in some other drama (it is more 'easy' to watch.
For the characters, I miss a little bit of something... Relationships could have been more developped and this is the weak point here. The end of story for the main couple is disappointing : I would have agreed for a shorter time but so long.. nahhh
Special mention for the music : I came to this drama because of it.
Was this review helpful to you?
