Doctor Slump (2024)

Success Doesn't Always Bring Happiness

The final episode, the final edit--What a healthy Kdrama, and what a nice ending. "What is better? Does it mean they'll become happy?" "They'll accept their misfortunes. I can become miserable again, but that's okay. Should misfortunes come I have the strength to endure them." All in all this was a drama about accepting that life isn't perfect, people are not perfect, we can do everything right and still our lives can fall apart, and also that work environments can sometimes be the detriment of even the most accomplished people. Life isn't about putting forth the most perfect image. It's about finding your happiness, your center, your balance, and then finding the strength to endure what comes your way. I like in the end that Jeong Woo chose substance over flashiness in starting his own practice again. I like that Ha Neul could confidently handle the denial of job responsibilities, and that she found the strength to speak what she was feeling in a professional way. Both the ML and FL took us on a journey of debunking erroneous beliefs about success and happiness, and in the end showed us what was truly important....our relationships with family, friends, and each other.
Well done to Baek Sun Woo, the screenwriter for this engaging and important drama!! Equally well done to the cast and production crew!! This is a keeper, and a drama I will revisit again.

After 10 episodes--I came back to update the review as I am over halfway through this series. Amongst the usual stereotypical rom com Kdrama plot lines, there lies the reality of healing from trauma. This Kdrama shows how very hard it is to come back to normal when your life has been turned upside down, and also how hard it is to overcome panic, anxiety, sadness, and depression. In one episode Ha Neul begins to panic with the happiness she feels in this new relationship. She doesn't trust that these happy feelings will not just end up with tragedy and heartbreak as that has been her experience. She also faces how little she trusts people around her, including Jeong Woo. This is a very relatable series. I've been part of a cut-throat profession and been stabbed in the back by colleagues whom I trusted, and been faced with the decision to keep opening my life to people, or just wall myself off. Failed relationships also leave their mark. This drama shows how two people who at first are overcome with their traumatic experiences, work through the realization that because of these experiences are different people now, and have to find a new way to keeping engaging with life, their professions, their family, and each other. I like that this drama is showing that recovery from mental illness is not instant, you don't just get over it. Instead, it's a process, a day-by-day way of learning how to live again. Some of drama is typical, some of it is boring, but with the bigger message, I'm finding this is really a good story.

After 2 episodes--This is taking a look at the very real impact ambition has on mental health. The two main characters are the star pupils of their high school. What comes with being the top student is not only the pressure of one's own expectations and ambition, but having to live up to the expectations of everyone around you. Being the top at anything also seems to carry with it the idea that that top person is perfect in all things. Not only is this not true, but the reality is that carrying the pressure to constantly be perfect, and at the top in all things, often leads to burn out and depression. If by chance one does make it to the top, it takes next to nothing for you to fall and fail, even if it isn't your fault. The story begins with the two leads established in their careers and are both experiencing a low point. We get to see in both the mental toll competition, ambition, and drive does to them, and also how very fickle the world around them is when faced with these low points in their professional lives . Luckily they have each other. The race to the top is brutal, but so is the fall from the top where you find out who your true friends really are. That's where our two main leads are in the first two episodes.

It has the makings of a really good story. So far it's been excellent. I hope it continues. The soundtrack also seems to be really good.

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Another unnecessary mystery

Out of all the dramas recently that randomly inserted a mystery/thriller subplot (Cheer Up, Crash Course in Romance), I think this one disappointed me the most. I loved the premise of reunited rivals, and the theme of mental health is one that always tugs at the heartstrings without fail.

Instead, I feel like this drama used the mystery as a plot device instead of learning how to develop its characters by themselves, and the mystery itself turned out to be underwhelming anyways. Instead of both our main characters having to deal with life just going wrong sometimes, there was a villain to blame. Everything became a very cliche drama plot, particularly that one already-very-memed trope that I can’t believe they did in 2024.

In terms of the slice-of-life and humor aspect…it worked until it didn’t. I’m actually not a huge fan of this type of “goofy” humor anyways, but at the start it actually worked in the drama’s favor by not treating depression like a life-ending, horrible thing. Over time however, it started feeling like the drama gave up on serious moments in order to have humor.

As the drama progressed, however, it became pretty clear that they didn’t know how to move the plot forwards in organic ways. It became super repetitive with the characters drinking every episode (and yes social media has already called out the fact that they’re not supposed to be drinking while on medication!), and side characters constantly leaking information by accident. Both just feel like really lazy ways to get the characters to talk.

Now — the romance. This is what I was looking forward to the most, but it wasn’t really written in an interesting way. There’s a sort of tension that rivals-to-lovers promises, but with Haneul and Jeongwoo it all felt too easy. Aside from a few reminiscing scenes, the fact that they were rivals ended up having little impact on the plot or their romance.

Even with so much focus on the mystery, it still felt pretty underwhelming. The motivations are weak, there’s no tension in it, it ends really early, leaving you wondering what the rest of the drama is even going to be about.

In terms of the mental health theme, I also just think it ended up not being very deep. There were some well-written moments where it talked about burnout, the stigma of antidepressants, parental expectations, or toxic workplace culture, but the drama never took it one step further and gave it the seriousness it deserved. There were moments where toxic positivity was treated as a funny moment instead of describing its dangers, for example, or how the FL’s brother was a bum and it was mostly played for laughs when it really just felt frustrating since the family theme could have been fleshed out more.

Overall, I know our leads our top-notch actors, though this drama doesn’t really show it. The comfort vibes are like, three-quarters of the way there — it could’ve been helped out by much, much better writing.

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