Doctor Lawyer

Boring , flat drama ruined by main leads rescued by the second lead Shing Song Rok

If it wasn't for Shin Song Rok's presence in this drama (Jayden) I would have dropped it from fourth episode
he was the only character that got me interested to know his story ,, this drama is most draggy boring cold Law drama I've ever watched ,, it didn't met the Law /court requirements nor the medical drama requirements
for Ji Sop's long history of good dramas this one is his biggest failure ,, why he acted his role that way ?? why was he that cold and flat in the most important and emotional scenes ? He didn't even cried for his dead mother's corpse
and the female lead don't get me started on how freezing cold her performance was ,, she was like a talking doll even when she cried I felt it so cringy
Again if it wasn't for Jayden or the second lead Shin song rok this drama would have been dead from fourth episode ,, he was the one who carried this drama on his shoulder ,, his way of expressing all the character's emotions towards the leads forced me to continue watching ,, I wanted to know what was his story ,, was he bad ? was he good ? why he's taking revenge path more than the male lead himself ? ,, How smart and cunning is he ??
Why Jayden is playing all these tricks ?? what was his ultimate goal ?
all that was the reason for me to stay and I didn't care one second about male lead's revenge because he was playing by the rules every thing was legal and he was saving the bad guys and working with them most of the time as they didn't do anything wrong to him ,, How could he ?? I wondered a lot how could someone gunning for revenge work with the people who killed his own mother and nearly killed also did them favors sometimes because he was the good guy and a doctor what the hell ??
It got political at one point and there were so many villains and bad people more than good ones so it got so draggy but it picked up the pace at last four episodes again and Jayden's motives became so obvious and his secret was going to be revealed so it got much more interesting at the last four episodes and just skip through the leads nonsense they don't matter at this point
.. the ending was Meh and I'm not happy about What happened to Jayden at the ending but it's okey didn't expect much from this drama anyway

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I'll say it - Jayden should have been the lead

What constitutes a good revenge drama: suspense, an intriguing lead, and of course, great revenge.

Doctor Lawyer lacks in all these categories and only makes up for it with the acting of Shin Sung Rok aka Jayden Lee.

The story of a good revenge drama depends on a fast paced and totally lead controlled narrative, but Han Yi Han, the lead here seems to depend upon the actions of others rather than his own to exact revenge. Even when the revenge is served, it feels like a let down when compared to other such dramas.

The acting doesn't help much either, with the other two leads delivering some of their scenes in the stoniest way possible.

The ending was no better, and I don't think the final arc of any character was satisfying enough. Just fell extremely flat.

Admittedly, this is not totally terrible, and has some absolutely brilliant moments too, but in retrospect, the drama could've been a tad better based off of the premise.

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My first review ever because OMG, the dumbest lawyer ever!!!!

Story: 9/10
The overall story (not the delivery) is really interesting. This is the 2nd reason why I watched this, even though it only has an 8.0 overall rating here in MDL.

Acting/Cast:5/10
Cast: 8/10
Acting: 5/10
My first reason why I watch this drama is because of So Ji Sub, I love him in Oh My Venus and The Master's Sun, BUT his acting here was a letdown. He has the same expression the whole time. The scrunching of his eyebrows is always there even when he is happy, sad, or angry. Why?

Music: 4/10
I do not remember any of the music, maybe because I was frustrated the whole time I am watching the drama.

Rewatch value: 2/10
I will never watch this again because I know every time I read this title I will always remember my frustration at episode 4.

I do not understand the reasoning behind the writer when he/she wrote the character of Han Yi Han. The character was supposed to be a man with a brilliant mind who was able to become a lawyer. But why was HYH so dumb????? I mean, he is a lawyer, and he was the first lawyer I saw who signed a document without reading it thoroughly; he just took what Michael Young said as true and did not confirm it by reading the whole document in episode 4. I wanted to drop the drama at that time, but I really like this type of story, so I wanted to see the end of it, so I just clenched my fist and grind my teeth every time there is a scene that infuriates or frustrates me. Also, he wants to do revenge, but how he is doing it makes me so angry; I mean, the conviction or the delivery is not that satisfying! And that really frustrates me because So Ji Sub's acting here is subpar (sorry to all his hardcore fans). He has the same expression all the time.

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Teacher Mechanic Accountant Pilot

You know they began to run out of ideas when they start to merge professions. It makes me wonder what might come next, but the entire law genre had plateaued, and coming up with new unexplored ideas got only more difficult. The entire hearts swapping operation at the beginning of the drama was flawed and didn't make any sense. Instead of giving us a cohesive storyline, we were left with this mishmash of abandoned subplots and forced plot turns that were hard to sell. You may expect a lot of highly implausible scenarios and you gonna nod your head and just accept it. Neither of the main leads brought any appealing character or performance making it difficult to empathize with their struggles or connect with their motivations.

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Frustrated by a Plot Hole in Episode 2 but It was Good

I was enjoying but Episode 2 hit a snag. The main lead faces false surgery accusations, yet the show conveniently ignores what happened to the surgery recording. Did it disappear into thin air? No explanation. Realism matters, even in dramas. A simple line about the footage getting corrupted would've sufficed. I’m pretending that it’s just a live feed, not a recording and watching the show now. Annoying gap, hoping they patch it up in future episodes.

Continued after 2nd episode it was good but not that good. Some series make me drop in the middle but this was watchable. Sometimes I felt that the main leads could have been smarter. I don’t know how the law works on recording the surgery I continued watching considering that it’s was just a live feed.

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The redeeming plot point? Shin sung rok as Jayden Lee

This drama was okay. Again, suffers a bit from way too long and this must be stuffed with random unnecessary plot points, and has a touch of over dramatics once we entered the second half, but decent, solid.

The female lead in my opinion didn’t suit the role well. Though she showed a great emotion in her role, I do feel like she always looked rather blank, but she was enjoyable.

So ji Sub’s character Han Yihan was predictable, Jack of all trades. We never really got to see inside him (here I am comparing him to the other characters) and he totally loses to…. Jayden Lee, played by Shjn Sung Rok.

I can’t stress how I enjoy every single one of Shin Sung Rok’s acting roles. He is simply phenomenal, a larger than life personality if it is demanded by the plot. His acting is seriously something I love. I rely want to see him in more. He brings a much needed touch of lightness to this drama, and a little bit of crazy. I love it. I also thoroughly enjoyed most of Kim Tae Gyum’s character, Michael and hope to see him in other productions. However, I do feel like the way they handled Jayden as a character was… iffy towards the end.

Yuna was a pleasant surprise. She was more enjoyable to watch than I originally thought.


Overall. Decent drama held together by Shin Sung Rok.

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Not Good Enough

Korean Drama '' Doctor Lawyer '' is a medical and law drama.

The story has some interesting parts, but it focuses solely on the main criminal case and gets boring after a while. Sure, the characters were interesting, at first at least, but the drama didn't have enough cases to at least lift the load off and add some interesting notes to the main plot. Also, the medical drama didn't blend that well with the law drama, and it often felt like the story didn't know which direction to follow and where to focus.

At least, the romance was left on paper and there were some emotional scenes added to the mix. Also, there were some twists that were unexpected.

Finally, the performances were enjoyable by everyone in the cast.

So, overall, four out of ten.

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Cold delivery and predictable ending

I will start by saying this: Shin Sung Rok as Jayden Lee carried the whole drama from the beginning to the end. So Ji Sub did a decent job. However, his delivery felt too cold and emotionless most of the time. While his expressions showed a little of his character, the tone and delivery of his line were the same throughout the whole series and in the end, it started to be annoying. I couldn't connect at all with a character that was adamant about taking down a medical center and its chairman but didn't show much character.

The FL was annoying. For a prosecutor, she felt too emotional and overly dramatic with constantly spilling the ML's plans to the enemy and then was surprised when the enemy was a step ahead. The romance between her and So Ji Sub (the ML) was so little that it wouldn't make a difference if there was no romance at all. It also seemed absolutely unnecessary for the plot to continue their romance (or non-existent romance) after the five-year-jump.

Overall, the show felt overly dramatic, especially the entrances to the courtroom. The finale was kind of predictable. The ML's and FL's acting (So Ji Sub and Im Soo Hyang) was average compared to other actors like Shin Sung Rok, Lee Kyung Young, Kim Tae Gyum and Woo Hyun Joo.

The drama is decent. Not too great and mind-blowing but not boring either.

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Nice blend though!?

Wasn’t really excited for the drama bcs of the title which clearly indicated a blended profession and I’m honestly bored of it due to the recent developments even though Ji Sub is one of my faves. I started it regardless, expecting something decent out of it, which it is to to some extent but with no eye-catching development and with typical element, I found myself struggling post the interval yet somehow managed to finish, with no overall feeling.

Developed by Kim Ho-jun and produced by Celltrion Entertainment & Mongjakso, Doctor Lawyer (닥터 로이어) is a medico-legal thriller drama, marking So Ji Sub’s comeback to the screen. Written by Jang Hong-cheo and directed by Lee Yong-seok, the drama was originally broadcasted on MBC TV and internationally distributed by Disney+.

The drama keeps at centre, Han Yi Han (So Ji Sub), a lawyer who was a doctor 5 years back and lost his license following a major malpractice, which he think was a conspiracy to oust him from the hospital. With the intention to bring those matter to surface, he starts working from the root by legally assisting other medical malpractice cases in the courtroom. Joins him Prosecutor Geum Seok Young (Im Soo Hyang) who lost her brother in the same case and is eager to do anything in order to reveal the truth.

Jyaden Lee (Shin Sung Rok) is a master lobbyist and investor at an American company Honor Hands and Im Yoo Na (Lee Joo Bin) is the youngest director in Banseok Foundation. Lee Kyung Young (Goo Jin Ki) is the Director of Banseokwon Hospital and his son Lee Dong Ha (Goo Hyung Sung) is a cardio-thoracic surgeon. Other familiar faces in major roles are: Choi Jae Young, Choi Deok Moon, Kang Kyung Hoon, Nam Myung Ryul, Park Joon Hyuk, Jo Hyun Shik and Kim Ho Jung.

Plot development is moderately fine, not good or not bad, simply mediocre. The pilot episode and its furtherance in the next were not appealing to me; the premise and the background didn’t excite, ngl. But I was still expecting it to get better, and admittedly, it did to some extent, however, it continued to feel bland. Okay but I was also intrigued by Jayden Lee’s appearance in the show and whenever he came to the screen, I was excited; he’s a fabulous actor anyways.
The first short-term and the following elaborate legal battle were both executed well but after that it felt dragged and they were only blabbering inside the courtroom. There are multiple cardio OT scenes and the cases didn’t feel any exaggerated though the surgeries were not jaw-dropping or something. The mystery part was good for me, despite being more than a lil suspenseful it did keep up the questions for a quite a time (my rough assumption proved right though). The show became boring for the last 6 episodes and there was nothing left for to look forward to but I managed to finish with 1.5x. Honestly, I got no hard feelings about the ending or the overall quality of the show.

I don’t know much about Jang Hong Chul jakka-nim except for the fact that his previous and first work was an underrated gem though its 3 years old now. I think the writer took a fair span of time to to create this calculative and thoughtful piece with a new kinda blend but the theme and core concept of the story could have been better utilized, in terms of both screenwriting and representation. I would have loved to see the motivating muse of Yi Han that made him a lawyer or the process itself, even so as a flashback narration, if not an episode long showcase.

I have watched only one drama by Lee Young Seok PDnim which happens to be his previous work and it was good but despite of the genre difference, if I compare them, this one was lacking in many aspects. The direction is not particularly to blame but the team could have attempted a positive compromise with the writer. The editing and set up were all fine, nothing eye-catching, except for few revelations and on-the-edge moments.

So Ji Sub’s acting was as amazing as always but this drama couldn’t make it upto his skills. Han Yi Yan was definitely an idealistic man with miraculous capabilities though he also seeked help from others but to tell that Jisub justified the role would be like underestimating his skills. Regardless, I hope he gets back to the track soon.
Im Soo Hyang why? Why doesn’t she get good offers these days? Despite her features in not so extraordinary dramas in old times, in my eyes she had been acing her powerful characters. And now, she picks up these lousy and poorly written female characters who only act like the side kick for the ML or a script that itself is a disaster.
Shin Sung Rok’S entry had me in awe bcs I had almost forgotten about his presence in the drama. Him as Jayden won hearts which was clear from the response he got but I personally think the character and his skills could have been better utilized and had some more exposure.
Lee Joo bin also went beyond what was expected of her; firstly I didn’t think she’ll be of any importance but then I was wrong and she also put good efforts in carrying out what she was offered. I am honestly impressed.
Goo Jin ki is definitely one of the best antagonist of recent times which he was able to present again through the drama but for someone who has been closely following him, the character didn’t feel any new to me, it’s the same as few of his recent dramas and so I wasn’t paying any particular attention towards him.

There are a total of 4 OSTs
# “Freedom” by Lee Chang Sub (BtoB)
# “An Unfamiliar Day” by Chen (EXO)
# “Fight On” by Yoo Hwe Seung (N. Flying)
# “My Shadow” by Yi Ra On

Final Remarks… Well, that was a barely decent watch and as it reflects in my review throughout, again, I have no hard feelings about this one and would not really think of ot when someone asks me for recommendations. You can watch If you are a Jisub oppa admirer or are looking for something light.

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Medical Justice

Doctor Lawyer is a suspenseful medical and legal thriller that merges the medical world of cardiothoracic surgery and courtroom atmospherics, against the backdrop of South Korean governmental and chaebol (conglomerate) politics. The screenplay leverages heavily on a revenge-justice narrative that features alternate approaches towards avenging perceived grievances and wrongdoings committed by multiple parties. Despite not being mentioned in the tags, there are certain elements of melodrama that lean towards the spectacular and somewhat amusing rather than the outright overdramatic and toxic angst. Expect an infusion of some romance and love triangle (primarily with supporting characters), a little bit of physical action but a whole lot of thrilling sequences particularly revolving around the surgical theatres and the courtroom proceedings.

Directed by Lee Yong Seok (Haechi, The Village: Achiara's Secret) and Lee Dong Hyun, based on the original screenplay by Jang Hong Chul (Class of Lies), this MBC production is streamed internationally via Disney+. It tells the story of a brilliant thoracic surgeon who loses everything and everyone overnight as a result of powerful forces at play which leads to his reinvention as a defence attorney some 5 years later, hence the title of the drama, to seek vengeance.

This is So Ji Sub’s first drama project since his wedding in 2020, with My Secret Terrius being his last TV drama that aired 4 years prior. The soundtrack features 4 songs, with Chen’s evocative ballad and outro theme An Unfamiliar Day being my personal favourite. Full listing as follows:

Freedom by Lee Chang Seop (BTOB)
An Unfamiliar Day by Chen (EXO)
Fight On by Yoo Hoe-seung (N.Flying)
My Shadow by Leeraon

What I Liked

Fresh from completing Lee Joon Gi’s Again My Life, which ended right before Doctor Lawyer began, there are similarities to be drawn between the two productions. Both are revenge-justice driven legal dramas where the primary antagonist is played by the same actor, Lee Kyung Young, in a near-identical capacity with a pervading aura of invincibility and villainy. Where the two differ is that the latter is a much more compelling, suspenseful and multifaceted drama, in my humble opinion.

This drama is made much more compelling and serious without the presence of mis-placed humour or rigorous attempts at comic relief. The antagonists (inclusive of the primary, supporting and “hidden” ones) maintain several layers of grey throughout which augment the complexities of the characterisation and add depth to the overall schemes and machinations of the various plotlines that make up the overarching story. The main characters, particularly the ML himself, exude an immense likeability factor that’s based on a fleshed out backstory while the absence of any distracting or forced “romantic complications” all contribute to the brisk and eventful storytelling.

Speaking of the storytelling approach, there are hardly any slow or boring moments in the show which consistently delivers exciting cliffhangers in many episodes and surprising twists and reveals towards the business end. These aspects certainly keep things interesting and engaging for the viewers indeed. Although certain plot devices and developments are neither completely unforeseeable nor exceptionally innovative, there is certainly no denying the entertainment value therein. I would also add that at least the cliffhangers are not faked or sensationalised to induce contrived red herrings merely to spike interest (and annoy) viewers.

Aside from my enjoyment of revenge-themed stories, medical and legal dramas are amongst my favourite genres, especially the all-action fast paced variety. This drama has all of the above in equal measure and presented in a low-key edge-of-the-seat style that evokes a certain measure of excitement. The frantic dramatisation of the surgical procedures are particular highlights for me, which are aided by the quality production values that infuse no small amount of realism into these scenes. As a medical genre, this drama is right up there in terms of top notch delivery.

So Ji Sub is a huge pulling factor that attracts me to this drama, coupled with the fact that I had never seen one where the lead actor plays 2 distinctly contrasting professions i.e. a surgeon and a lawyer. As the ML Han Yi Han, So Ji Sub does a fantastic job of blending all the emotions of an aggrieved victim of circumstances and drawing strength from them to exact his plan for revenge, as well as the juxtaposition between a mild mannered, naive pushover and an assertive, confident man on a mission. His portrayal may not be the absolute best and, at times, does feel somewhat subdued but his experience and charisma ultimately provide an aura of respectability and touch of class to the role.

Shin Sung Rok is literally the wild card of the cast, playing the effervescent and slightly manic American-Korean investor with a murky past, Jayden Lee. Think of his character as a more toned down version of the Riddler or even Joker himself (from DC’s Batman). I suspect he had as much fun assuming this role as I had witnessing his controlled histrionics. His interpretation of the character gives the drama a raw edge that allows it to expand beyond the usual scope of revenge themes and injects a bit of fun into the proceedings as well.

My third time seeing Lee Kyung Young this year, after his appearances in Again My Life and Why Her. His portrayal here is reminiscent of his performance as Cho Tae Seob in AML but I do feel that his character of Goo Jin Ki is better written without being as overly superpowered and linear as the former. The antagonistic Goo Hyun Sung is depicted by Lee Dong Ha, another actor who was previously seen in a similarly villainous capacity this year in From Now On, Showtime! Some actors just fit the villain profile perfectly, as is the case with him, but again I do feel the characterisation here is less one-dimensional and has a more evolutionary trajectory to his character arc.

Of the ladies in the cast, Im Soo Hyang who plays the FL Geum Seok Young feels more a supporting role than a main character. That said, even with the diminished spotlight and initial annoyance of her character’s narrow minded stubbornness, she conveyed her emotions very well and shared a convincing professional working relationship with the ML without being hindered by romantic tensions being shoehorned into their dynamic, despite their past history together.

What Could’ve Been Better

As much as I appreciate a positive outcome with complete closure of all threads, I do wish for a slightly different trajectory particularly pertaining to the overarching arc. That said, it's more of a personal preference rather than a fatal flaw of the screenplay. The ending is still good but could've been given a bit more depth and satisfaction, in my opinion.

Lee Joo Bin who plays Im Yoo Na has an interesting side story that focuses on the “love triangle” between her and Jayden Lee as well as Goo Hyun Sung. I’m generally glad that the drama stays focused on the revenge-justice theme instead of being sidetracked but the interactions between this subset of characters are actually rather fun to watch. It could potentially have a spin-off of its own because each character possesses enough backstory to be fleshed out given the burden that they carry resulting from their turbulent past.

The few individual legal cases that are showcased, all of which tie in to the main plotline, actually come across as quite intriguing in their own right. More of those would have been very welcome especially to highlight the details of lesser known medical conditions and the associated malpractice that had exacerbated those circumstances. As a consequence, the legal battles perhaps are not afforded more attention that they truly deserve.

Final Thoughts

Doctor Lawyer is an engaging revenge-driven drama that provides sufficient entertainment value through multiple twists and turns to sustain the 16-episode length of the production. It isn’t groundbreaking content but the smartly-written screenplay that seamlessly blends medical intricacies with legal proficiencies as well as having So Ji Sub as the main lead is certainly worth checking out.

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Watch for the character Jayden Lee

I can honestly say I enjoyed the start and the end of the series the most. The show slows down a bit towards the middle albeit I won't say that it's bad but at didn't excite me during those times and I was not eagerly awaiting the next episode.

Basic plot summary:
Han Yihan is a cardiothoracic surgeon and an exceptional one at that. Unfortunately for him, the head of the hospital uses him for his son's ghost doctor secretly when he is in trouble in the operating room. One day a patient that Han Yihan operated on tragically dies the next morning due to questionable circumstances. The hospital decides to place the entire blame on Yihan under the accusation of medical negligence. With no one on his side and no proof, he is forced to accept blame and his medical license is revoked. 4 years later he emerges as a lawyer who specialises in medical malpractice. This is where our story truly begins.

Review:
The plot has a very strong start but the story might seem a little cliche as revenge dramas go. But, the true hero of the story is this mysterious character by the name of Jayden Lee who adds unpredictability and spice into the show. Where Han Yihan's seriousness and lack of charisma can lead to detachment from the character and the female lead (prosecutor) leaves much to be desired, Jayden brings drama and suspense. No one really knows or understands his motives. Is he a good guy? Is he pretending? And it is also because of him and the dilemma that he adds that you feel more supportive towards Han Yihan.

There is no real romance in this drama from the main leads but Jayden and the second female lead, Im Yoona, have a fun chemistry. Add some jealousy to the mix.

I won't give away the finale but the last two episodes, in my opinion, were edge of the seat entertaining. And that is part of the reason why I am willing to give this show a 9. Shows like these deserve an ending on a high note.

I don't usually comment on the OST, but Freedom is a nice exciting track. I enjoyed it. Didn't listen to the others.

Regarding rewatch value, I would probably speed watch the show or select some of the major episodes to watch. It's not that high on my priority list. Then again there has only been one revenge drama I've seen twice and that is Taxi Driver which I love and there aren't many shows I would actually watch as of now. I would still recommend Doctor Lawyer at least once for Jayden Lee.

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Love Jayden Character

I watched this series for Shin Sung Rok. He always takes a role that suit him well. I trusted him and started to watch Doctor Lawyer. At first, this drama has a good concept. It mixed the law and medical drama. Unfortunately, the plot is more focused in political things. It's still fun but the drama seems like loose the basic concept.

What I like :
- I like Jayden Lee. His first appearance was in the third episode. His average screen time was only 20-30 minutes. However, he was really standout. I was really waiting whenever he showed up. He had a mysterious motive and really hard for me to read what is on his mind. Is he bad or good? Also, he had good chemistry with all characters, such as Im Yoona, Yihan, his enemy and his assistant. Moreover, he smiled a lot. I love his smile.
- My favorite scene is when Yihan operated his patient. The heart and blood was really looked like a real one.
- I like the OST from Chen.

What I don't like :
- The plot. It had some fun story in episode 4, 8 and 15. But, it also had some episode that give me a headache when the plot focus in political or business things. About the ending, I don't know why the writer needed to end the drama like that. It feels like they need 1 more episode to end the drama. The writer seems like to forgot the story of supporting character.

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