Doctor Slump

The show that wanted to be deep, but tripped over its own punchlines

A show about success, failure, and mental illness—except the mental illness part was mostly sidelined for comedy.

Disclaimer: This review is 100% my opinion — I’m not here to hate, just to share my thoughts! Also, SPOILERS AHEAD, so proceed with caution if you haven’t watched yet. Watch it, come back and let’s see if you agree. Let’s keep the discussion respectful and fun! 💕

The Good
The Side Couple That Saved Me
Honestly, Hong Ran and Dae Yeong carried this show. Their dynamic kept me going through a lot of it and I don’t know if I would’ve made it through the show without them.

Mental Illness Done Right (Mostly)
Jeong Woo’s portrayal of PTSD was done really well. It felt authentic, uncomfortable in the right ways, and was portrayed with strong emotional depth. Ha Neul’s depression arc was also meaningful—though I have a few mixed thoughts on how it played out (we’ll get to that below).

The Rivalry That Was Pure Entertainment
Was their academic rivalry necessary for the plot? No. Was it ridiculously petty and fun to watch? Absolutely. Their competitive antics provided a nice little break from the heavier stuff, and honestly, I appreciated those moments more than I expected.


The Bad
An Obnoxious Amount of Drinking
This show was 90% drinking, and honestly? Why?
I won’t get into the drinking-on-meds situation since that’s been thoroughly dragged elsewhere (lol), but beyond that, it was just too much. The drinking rarely added to the story and eventually felt like filler—like they didn’t know what else to do with a scene, so they tossed in a soju bottle and called it a day. It started off funny but quickly veered into “okay, we get it” territory.

Her Depression Arc Could Have Been Way Stronger
I saw a lot of comments praising Ha Neul’s portrayal of depression, but honestly? I kind of disagree.
While they acknowledged her struggle, the show never fully explored the real depth of depression: things like exhaustion, hopelessness, isolation, difficulty even getting out of bed. They leaned so hard into the comedy that the entire theme of mental illness got pushed to the side.
Sure, Ha Neul had moments where she talked about her struggles, but that was pretty much it. She mostly seemed fine throughout the series—and while I get that depression isn’t always visible, this is a drama.
And then there’s the psychiatrist situation. So she gets taken off meds and told she doesn’t need therapy anymore because she “feels better”? That didn’t sit right. Depression doesn’t magically disappear when your circumstances improve or you start dating someone. It comes in waves and doesn’t always align with external “success.” This show made it seem like all you need is a good man and a less toxic job and voilà, you’re cured.
For a show that marketed itself around two doctors leaning on each other through mental health struggles, it didn’t seem all that interested in actually exploring that theme beyond surface level.

They Should Have Stayed Just Friends
As much as the show wanted us to believe they had chemistry, their interactions screamed friend zone more than romance. The writers should have adjusted the story to make them feel like actual romantic leads instead of just throwing them together because, well… lead characters must date, I guess.

Bada Deserved Actual Development
Bada was basically the “useless younger brother” label personified. Why?
He was treated like the sibling who was always lesser, always the disappointment, and always overlooked. Imagine if he and Ha Neul had a real argument about it. Then, a proper reconciliation where they talked through it, shifting his mindset from “I’ll always be behind her” to “I have my own strengths”.
Instead, we got a guilt-ridden monologue about being a burden, and then nothing. Every side character ended up revolving around Ha Neul, as if their only functions were to orbit her, “fix themselves” for her sake, or support her growth.

His Parents Should Have Stayed a Mystery
There’s nothing more obvious than randomly added storylines, and this show had a lot of them, including the barely-there, cold parents reveal. While Jeong Woo’s mom made sense in relation to Kyung Min’s grudge, her distant, emotionally unavailable persona never actually affected Jeong Woo. Like, when he came in second place, his reaction was shock when it should’ve been fear or something tied to his childhood. Instead, they just tossed the emotionally distant parent subplot into the mix without really doing anything with it. (Sigh)

Kyung Min Deserved a Different Ending
His ending? Disappointing. Instead of facing real consequences or reconciling with Jeong Woo, he just… died.
He had moments where he genuinely cared for Jeong Woo—he was there at his graduation, he had their shared history, and yet? The writers didn’t give him the chance to actually make amends before his death. They had no problem adding drunk scenes every episode and dragging them out, yet they were so quick to wrap up the storyline that actually mattered to the plot…?


The Ending Was a Mess
I’ve said this before, but let me say it louder: the ending made no sense. The therapist tells Ha Neul she’s healed, but how? When did we ever see her actually build coping mechanisms or face her depression head-on? All we saw was her vibe better because she got a boyfriend and a new job. What happens when life gets hard again? What happens if they break up? Instead of making it seem like they were each other’s only saving grace, they should have learned real ways to cope together.
Depression doesn’t just vanish when things start looking up—and especially not when your coping method is “have fun with your new man.” The way they handled mental illness felt more like a plot tool for romance rather than something they actually wanted to explore. Don’t centre your plot around two doctors (hello??) dealing with mental health and then make them behave like they know nothing about it.
Why is the woman who reads dissertations for fun not reading a single one on depression? Why are two literal doctors drinking heavily on meds and making wildly irresponsible decisions like they’re in college? It just didn’t line up.


Final Thoughts
I feel like I’ve made my stance pretty clear throughout, but here’s the nice little bow on top. This show was disappointing, to say the least. It started off promising and had me intrigued with its setup, the trauma, the mystery. But it went downhill fast. I originally rated this a 6/10, but honestly? No clue why I was feeling so generous. Maybe I had emotions back then that I just don’t have now.
The biggest issue? This drama wanted to be a comedy so badly that it completely sidelined its serious themes for cheap laughs. Worse, it forgot that its characters were supposed to be doctors. So things that might be a bit more understandable for the average person made zero sense when professionals were making the same bad choices. I guess it was my fault for expecting this to be a drama highlighting the struggles of success and mental illness. But hey, that’s exactly how they marketed it. Lesson learned: next time, I won’t believe the trailer or any overly promising descriptions.

~~~

What were your thoughts on this drama? Did you enjoy it like a lot of people or did you agree with some of the points I mentioned??

This didn’t even include everything 😂😂. But I still hope you got what I meant.

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This was boring

Overall this Kdrama was so boring to me. Not only did I feel like the FL and ML lacked chemistry but the plot felt like they were stretching out the main idea. I feel like this drama would've worked better as a 10-12 episode show in comparison to the 16 episodes that it is. I want to talk about the main couple. I had so much hope for these actors because I genuinely think they are very talented but the over reactions felt disingenuous to who their characters are and really took me out of the drama. I am a lover of cheesy dramatic love like Park Hyung Sik typically does but it was too much in this drama. I really didn't love the dynamic where they are fully dependent on each other for their mental health and would've liked to see more growth between both characters that I feel like overall this Kdrama lacked. The plot really annoyed me I wish it wasn't wrapped up so quickly but I really hated how Min Gyeong Min's character was dealt with. I would've liked to have seen Yeo Jeong U dealing with more of the trauma from Min Gyeong Min with MGM. They did do a lot of things well especially with the mental health focus. However I would've loved to see maybe less push for medication as one of the only ways to deal with mental health because that doesn't work for a lot of people. I think that could've made an interesting plot point with one of the characters. I found it especially difficult to get through the last 6 episodes of this drama overall and was looking forward to finishing it in a negative way.

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The stupid idea about insisting to reach ep 16
Which made the drama boring, repetitive and lame towards the end

It was v.good till ep 09 but predictable from the beginning which I disliked a lot
Then ok till 11 then lame and boring towards the end

Although it was romcom
But many times it failed to deliver me the romantic atmosphere

I liked the second leads a lot

The make up for both main leads was extremely bad appears them too old and too exhausted as if they were both sick

This just one time watch drama not a drama i can keep to rewatch every now and then

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Feel good romcom with more fun elements than trauma - watch it

Executive Summary
Lots of fun. Watch it!

There are some pretty bad reviews out there and obviously this is not everyone’s cup of tea. But I don’t get how this could be rated so low even if you prefer something different.

There is trauma that is needed to set up the whole story, but unlike in some Asian dramas it is, IMHO, just a setup, and the bulk of the story is the growing relationship and romance between the leads.

The main couple was so much fun, and despite their past traumas were actually pretty darn positive in their interactions and lives. Even when they were not getting along (in the beginning) it was more funny than mean-spirited.

I also like the secondary characters who all did a great job. The second couple was just as adorable as the main couple. Loved them, too!

I was tempted to give it a 10 since there was basically nothing that I did not like about this series, but I’ll try to hold back 10s for series that truly blow me away :-).

The Good
@ Very cute lead couple that played the parts well and had great chemistry and expressions, IMHO
@ Great secondary characters that also nailed their roles
@ More than the usual 10 minutes of happiness that all comes at the end. We have lots of nice happy wrap-up in the last couple of episodes
@ The male lead was fun, not just an unsocial, sullen guy, unlike lots of Asian dramas. Yay!
@ Interesting story setup
@ Very positive message and encouragement to wrap things up. Some might think it is a tad over the top, but hey, we need more positivity in our lives!

The Sub-Optimal
@ Really not much
@ Yeah, in some ways the bad stuff that was important setup was a bit over the top, but it didn’t really detract from the show

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I waited a long time for Park Shin Hye to return and her return was super disappointing.

I waited a long time for Park Shin Hye to return and her return was super disappointing.

At first the plot seems to be about the existential crises that their job has left them with but they seem to leave all that aside for a high school romance, it doesn't make sense to me.

He's so cheesy you can't see him, his performances are so cringy. The characters are adults, they have adult lives but they still behave like teenagers.

The secondary story of the friends seemed much better to me, the formation of a new couple that already has children was super nice to see.

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Everything and nothing

I’m usually not writing reviews, but this this is the first drama that I decided to watch until the end, even though it started to be boring much earlier.

“-“:
- Yes, the drama had good introduction to the topic of depression. But as a person with depression, I was kinda LOL when it ended with the fact that they both went for help, got the pills and that’s it 😂🙉 Thank you, but that’s not how it works, especially with all the things they went through

- Storyline - the mystery was cool, but it was resolved so quickly that I just got bored later. The part of forgiveness was raised through so many episodes and cliche enough, they took it seriously only when it was life-death situation. Also, I feel like, because they had too many episodes to fill in, they were putting some random fillers, and fillers are fine but half of this drama felt like a filler episode

- Acting was not bad, but somehow the main couple irritated hell out of me. Rest of characters were funny, but not felt too much. Main was just… unbearable at few points

“+”:
- The beginning was good, it caught my attention very quickly which is not common, but like I said, I wish it could lasted longer

- As mentioned - topic of depression was introduced quite well

- Characters besides the main couple - I enjoyed their interactions very much, they were cute and funny

In the end, I wish they would make it 8 or maximum of 12 episodes - I do believe it would feel much better this way. I feel the story was dragged too much and I was just getting bored and irritated with it. It had good potential, but it was lost along the way.

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Doctor Slump is a RomCom to start right now.

Are you enjoying the RomCom Doctor Slump, in spite of its serious message about Clinical Depression? Are not Park Shin Hye and Park Hyung Sik a perfect match for this Drama?

Doctor Slump 2024 ‧ Medical Mystery RomCom

Quote: “It was once said in a movie . . . that failure and defeat meant different things. Anyone can fail, but defeat was an utter fiasco usually found in legends. I was defeated”. Male Lead explains his bout with depression and his life in general.

All those who have been waiting for Park Hyung Sik (Hwarang) to give a performance like his iconic performance in Strong Girl Nam Soon, you might want to check out Doctor Slump. Firstly, since his character starts off in High School, Park Hyun Sik is back to his skinny-K-Pop days. Secondly, Park Hyung sik’s roots are firmly planted in comedy, therefore, the RomCom Medical Mystery Doctor Slump plays to his strong suit. With the combination of Park Shin Hye playing the straight guy to Park Hyung sik’s funny guy, I see a hit for me with Doctor Slump. The drama series is not all fun and play though. Serious issues, like depression among Doctors, are addressed as well. There is great chemistry between the ML and FL and the series also takes a sobering look into the world of gapjil, or workplace violence and bullying. When you are the top in your class and you hit rock bottom, the failure seems ever so greater.

Quote: “During these hard times, if you have someone who could comfort you, would it help you to get better?” Female Lead.

Doctor Slump is quaint and cute and is a go from me. Laughter is the best medicine for what ails you. I laughed a lot with the Korean Drama Doctor Slump, in spite of the heavy noteworthy message about controlling depression.

Actors Corner

Both actors (Park Shin Hye and Park Hyung Sik) can be both serious and/or comedic actors, even with the same character. They both have the acting tools to pull it off. Both have such great acting ranges too. Doctor Slump is a great vehicle to showcase the acting strengths and talents of these two acting powerhouses.

As a particular acting strength, Park Shin Hye talks with her eyes. Whole sentences are embellished and punctuated by her eye expressions. Look for what she is saying with her eyes. Mommy is back. Park Shin Hye has carved her acting lane in Korean Drama since her early teens.

As an actor, Park Hyung Sik uses expressive hand movements, body shapes and levels, and voice changes to add entertainment value to his acting. This enhances the viewer experience. Park Hyung Sik must have a very comedic voice in his head. Please pay attention to his hand movements and body shapes which creates his own sign language. This is his acting signature.

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doctor slump is good but not bad

the both leads are sooo cute 🥺 their acting is so good 😊 and story tipical ost s very good 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜I don't know how to say but I very enjoy the kdrama .male lead is so good in comic timeing and full family of female lead is soo funny 🤣 .and last but not the least the second male and female leads their also so good .

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