Resident Playbook

There is no real goal nor destination. It’s just part of the never ending journey.

Let’s start with: everything was mild, but in the best way possible. We don’t really get any intense thrilling medical cases, the friendship between the leads is not this deep bond, the romance is more in the background, the development of the characters is a slow and not epic process. And yet it worked and it kept me entertained. Somehow how mundane it was became the asset not the flaw.

Residents Playbook did have a rocky beginning - none of the characters were that likeable and if we add a rather simple and slow paced plot, it does not have a typical start that gets you hooked. It does grow on you, a lot. It’s been ages since such long episodes (around 1 hour and 15-20 minutes) seemed this short to me - I did not even know when the time passed and wanted to see more.

One of the aspects I especially enjoyed was the fact the characters did not in fact get a complete 180 change, removing all of their flaws. I Young did not out of the blue start being passionate about her residency. Nam Gyeong was still focused a bit on how people perceive her. Sa Bi did not become an empath and Jae Il was till the end often driven by his emotions. They all improved in a realistic manner, but their personality traits were still there.

What’s more was the more realistic approach to how it looks like working at the hospital. It’s not everyday high tension hard cases. Sometimes half of your day will be dealing with paperwork. And sometimes there will be emergencies. There are great seniors who will teach you, and those that will take credit for your work. In many areas it’s a workplace like any other, and I like how they did not try to either glamorize it nor sensationalize it.

While I loved the slice of life vibe and how slow paced it was, I have to say - with the length of the episodes and the show I got a little bit annoyed with how little closure and focus we’ve got about certain plotlines. It really is like seeing just a part of characters’ lives without much context and background. The drama does not really start on the day one of many relations, and it does not have a specific ending. It’s like meeting a friend you have not seen in quite some time, talking about how their life is going currently, and then never meeting them again, not knowing where they ended up. Which often is the case with more character driven shows - there is no real goal nor destination. It’s just part of the never ending journey.

Even though the romance was not the focus part of the plot, I still loved it a lot (well, most love lines). They were adorable, wholesome and just kept making me smile. The chemistry was really fun and natural between all involved characters.

Surprisingly, while I loved the whole main cast, most of my favorite characters were the supporting ones: Seo Jeong Min, Ryu Jae Hwi, Cha Da Hye to name a few. From the main cast (I cannot believe I’m going to say that, because I had zero hope for that character at first in terms of making me interested) my heart was stolen by Pyo Nam Gyeong.

Acting wise - perfect. The characters truly embodied their roles making them feel like real people, and at some point friends. Watching this show after a hard week at work was truly therapeutic - comrades in overwork and stress.

I know a lot of people viewed the cameos as highlights of the episodes, but for me they were so insignificant in terms of my enjoyment - I just liked the drama a lot as it was, so while the guest appearances were fun, they were for sure not the best part of the show people should look for.

Overall, I would quite honestly not mind a new season for each year of residency. There is so much potential for these characters and their stories. I feel like I both know them so well, but also barely scraped the surface of their journeys.

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Just okay, lacks the heart!

I know people have said this is a different drama, and fans of Hospital Playlist should not expect the same vibes. I agree and disagree. I don't think it's unreasonable for fans of Hospital Playlist to expect that this drama would be as good as Hospital Playlist, especially when from the get-go, they said this was a spin-off of the drama. At the very least, the quality of the drama should at least resemble, no? I'm obviously not saying the plot should've been the same but so far, I feel like this drama is lacking in many ways.

It's not realistic that almost all, if not all, residents are so unaware about BASIC practices like showing empathy to patients, or my favourite, Yi-young holding the scalpel in the wrong direction and hurting a fellow doctor DURING SURGERY, hello????? It's obviously not impossible, but the way it was enacted was too careless.

I wish there was a balance showcasing all residents' growth journey, in a way that does not make them look like they're college students, they're already doctors for crying out loud! The hand-holding is just way too much for such a profession.

My other qualm about this show is the love storyline, to ME - it feels very forced, and frankly, unneeded. The in-laws falling in love trope is not the worst but also, why? LOL. I'm genuinely confused about how we got here - it felt so sudden that Yi-young just started liking and pursuing Do-won? I'm sure they'll likely show us the backstory in later episodes, and he may have liked her first, we'll see. It feels like that has become a key focus of the show - the show is literally called Resident Playbook, LOL. Shouldn't it then balance showcasing all residents' journeys, in a nuanced, meaningful manner??? So far, the other residents characters lack depth, IMO, for a show that was marketed as an ensemble? For instance, I thoroughly enjoy Shin Siah's acting and character so I'd love to learn more about her outside of her seemingly being boy obsessed and her flaws at work. I know GYJ is the main lead so obvi more screen time but I actually wish they let us watch GYJ's character develop first before this love plot. It'd be interesting to watch how her relationship to work evolves, the debt issue (which 6 episodes in has not been properly explained yet but has been presented a major reason why she has to work again), her relationship dynamics with her colleagues, and her internal growth journey, in a deep, meaningful way. I truly feel like this love plot is a distraction because otherwise, the drama plot would be very shallow. I think this is also why there are so many HP cameos, to fill in the gaps in the writing.

There have been a few heartwarming moments, especially with the patients, which I've truly loved, and appreciated, so it's not ALL bad :))

I read reports that there were several re-shoots and I'm also aware that the drama delayed airing because of the doctor strike in SK so may be they got rid of critical scenes that would have made me feel more connected to the cast and the plot, but as is, the storyline feels all over the place and the characters journeys are not compelling enough including the love plot, idk. I'll keep watching and hope things get better.

Edit: Another insight, and this is likely an unpopular opinion - despite GYJ having the majority screen time, her acting in this project felt a bit subpar, in comparison to her most recent projects. I enjoyed her acting in Moving & Death's Game, so maybe it's just this project, or maybe her acting strengths come out more depending on which actors she's working with(?), and obvi the writing. I'm drawing her out because she's the lead in this project, so she should ideally stand out, but I found myself more wowed by Shin Si-ah's acting, who is seemingly a rookie actress - her facial acting was especially quite good, and her acting generally felt more organic. I'll come back after I finish the last 2 episodes!

Final Edit: I wrote a larger part of this review only 6 episodes in, and I was hoping my views would change significantly after the show, but I'm afraid that's not the case. I truly believe there was great potential for this show had they given us well-rounded characters and delivered an actual ensemble cast. The overfocus on the FL's story (debt, unmotivated to work, convenient romance) became boring at some point. The romance plotlines (including the potential one with Jaeil & Sabi, and Namkyung and the intern) were too predictable, and I wish they'd offered us something new and refreshing, even if that meant further exploring the developing camaraderie and conflicts amongst the residents. In fact, I'd argue, the romance with Yiyoung and the anesthesiologist could have been more interesting and convincing. It generally feels like the writers were afraid to take risks so here we are!

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