Dr. Romantic Season 3 Episode 13

Kang Dong Joo returns

(1) His return in Season 3 of Doctor Romantic had been hyped about for many episodes in this season and it is not surprising given the roles he had played:
a) Yoo Yeon Seok plays the character Kang Dong Joo in Season 1. He is Doctor Kim Sa Bu's 3rd disciple.
b) Yoo Yeon Seok also plays Jeong Won aka Andrea in Hospital Playlist.
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(2) More than just the excitement based on a well-received actor/character, Kang Dong Joo's role in Season 3 finally give viewers a clue into a question which the last 12 episodes of Season 3 had been probing:

"Is Doctor Kim's philosophy as a doctor (as compared to the beliefs adopted by other successful doctors in the series) the "correct" one to follow?"

i) **Prof Cha Jin Man repeatedly reminded Dr Kim that he is teaching his students the wrong things and leading them to lawsuits, their injuries (if not deaths); and Doctor Kim himself have shown us how he pondered deep about the questions/claims from Prof Cha.
ii) **Dr Seo Woo Jin got himself injured and might never be able to use his left hand as well as he did before.
iii) **Dr Cha Eun Jae was questioned by her father, whom she deeply respect, on her ways as a doctor.

**Note: nothing right or wrong about all these, just stating some possible examples of what Season 3 have been doing to reflect the doubts our dearest Doctor Kim Sa Bu had been showing us in Season 3.


*****SPOILERS AHEAD*****

Kang Dong Joo gave us the following thought-provoking statements, after Seo Woo Jin tried to justify Cha Eun Jae's actions as "[1:03:49] We are just doing what Master Kim taught us to do":

[A] Do you know why the parrotbill dies while chasing the stork? It's not because it cannot keep up with the strides. It's because the parrotbill loses its way while trying to chase the stork. The moment it loses its way, everything is over.

[B] The only person who can be like Master Kim is Master Kim himself. Don't hurry after him trying to keep up with his pace. You might lose something else and not just your hand next time.

[C] Do you know what? Master Kim might represent what our approach should be. But you cannot be our goal. If you do, we will never be able to succeed.


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(3) Kang Dong Joo continues to refer to Jung In Soo (by Yoon Na Moo) as "Senior In-Soo", as in Season 1, showing his respect to the senior who have always looked after him when he was still immature. And honestly, Jung In Soo is such a wonderful and kind character we all learn to liked since Season 1.


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(4a) When the Trauma Center was up and does not seem to be working very efficiently under Prof Cha, viewers often question:

i) Why can't it be the ER in one place for efficient triage?

ii) Why is there a need for a new building connected to an existing Doldam hospital with a Head that Dr Kim deems he himself should not be?iii) Why separate the limited staff into 2 groups?

Viewers had been annoyed with Prof Cha not simply because he seems jealous of the favorite character (Dr Kim Sa Bu) and hold different philosophy from the favorite character.
Many viewers do appreciate that Prof Cha defends the doctors' profession and the stresses doctors face.
However, Prof Cha did not seem involved in the operation of the Trauma Centre at all.
Things were all over the place in the Trauma Centre despite the Center getting the most experienced staff from Doldam. The haphazard operations of the Trauma Center (in the last few episodes of S3) led to the Congresswoman's son's death and trauma and stress faced by ER Doctor Jung In Soo.

(4b) Kang Dong Joo is addressing all these questions by bringing in proper order and processes, so that the Trauma Center was not build for nothing and could really save trauma patients. (Re: Order is important in the medical setting, as reflected by the use of medical traige, different medical departments, etc.)

Note: Cha Eun Jae raising her voice at a senior doctor openly, whom Dr Kim brought in as the leader of the Trauma Center, is simply rude and arrogant, especially by Korean standards.
[57:33] The fact that she lost her cool in the operation room and the stress she is felt (after not following the rules/processes set up for the Hospital and Trauma Center to operate efficiently) tells us that the writers are telling us she is wrong - she is showing that she thinks she has higher moral values than Kang Dong Joo.

On a plot note: It is recognized that Cha Eun Jae and Seo Woo Jin's uneasiness around Kang Dong Joo was used to make the plot not too "simple minded".
In other words, if everything simply goes perfectly with the on-boarding of Kang Dong Joo, the story might be too boring for viewers and this can lead to other kinds of criticism regardless of many viewers' anticipation for the return of Kang Dong Joo.
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(5) Kang Dong Joo and Seo Woo Jin performing an operation together was amazing to see. Their coordination and speed, silent rapport, is what we always love in the operation room in the Doctor Romantic Series.
[55:30] Liked how Seo Woo Jin was impressed by Kang Dong Joo's capabilities and speed in the operation room, which reminded him of Doctor Kim. It was really nice to watch the more junior disciple supporting the senior disciple of Doctor Kim Sa Bu because Doctor Kim never want to be the one and only doctor saving lives. Throughout the series, Doctor Kim had shown us how he recognizes the efforts of younger doctors and tries to teach them to be a better/skilled doctor to save more lives.

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(6) Nurse Park Eun Tak (by Kim Min Jae) again shows us that nurses are very important medical staff in the hospital and not secondary to the doctors.
[57:44] Eun Tak supported and helped Cha Eun Jae get back her usual coolness and get her back onto her feet. This was a constant message Dr Kim tried to remind us throughout the seasons so that people have more respect for the nurses. It was very subtlety displayed through Nurse Park Eun Tak, just like how Head Nurse Oh Myung Shim always was a great support to Dr Kim and the other doctors in the 3 seasons.

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