Brogana Sunfrog

You come for Dr. Kim & S1 cast+ the compelling storyline.

Once more I'm wondering why I watched this when I really don't like hospital genre dramas.[ I blame it on needing a break from an over abundance of historical dramas !]
Other reviewers said that it was better than Season 1 . Well, that may be true , but only id you enjoy a chaotic mess !To me the whole drama had me asking myself: " HOW are these people doctors ?"
The best & most interesting characters are Dr. Kim & the left over cast from Season 1
[though the lead nurse in this season, is too bossy & throws her feelings around like weapons]
While the over arching story IS compelling, I still say ( as with Season 1) there is too much blood and close ups of surgeries. Ridiculously, the blood doesn't stick to innards & the skin looks very fake. How many times must we see & hear blood squirting when they make the incisions ? The only thing the new characters shine at are the chaotic scenes ,so sadly, in all other ways they are lacking . Perky smiley newbie has a bland personality & her romance is just flat line. The male lead is an unappealing brooding ,morose character. The Female lead is annoying .Everything must be her way. Really the Lead's romance is nonsensical & lacking .She does not miss her boyfriend when she is away from him to the point where she Never once texts, or calls.
One of the long term doctors dedication to the hospital didn't seem noble to me as he chose the hospital over his family. It was appalling to me that when he was considering leaving, his colleagues called him a traitor for even considering leaving -as if his family were not important at all !
.There are happy endings for the couples, but don't expect much more than a morsel of warm fuzzies.
Edit this to 13 episodes, shorten the surgery scenes & infuse the (new) characters with some personalities that we can care about & then you might have a drama worth recommending .


*** Heavy Spoiler**
The group of doctors save a dear friend who has a no resuscitation will, and so the poor man has to die all over again some days later, but all is forgiven because the other people get to say goodbye-so THEY are happy (ish)!!

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Forgiveness takes precedence over revenge . Good happy sad balance

The way the story started failed to entice me. I really didn't find episodes 1 & 2 very interesting.
1) Romance happened too quickly
2) toilet emergency/intestinal distress isn't comedy to me
But I started to warm up to the leads in episode 3. What really what cemented my interest was that both leads have really really engaging smiles that light up thier faces & bounce off everything around them. This is one of the few dramas I've seen where forgiveness takes precedence over revenge in the storyline. The inexplicable grace of the lead characters to those who deserve nothing, & the theme of hope against hope lightens up the heavy serious plot line of the entropy of dementia .I can't say that I was 100% sold on the romance, but the leads kisses were definitely convincing .I didn't rate this higher because it puts the viewer "through the wringer" for a few episodes near the end AND for inserting a YEAR long time skip before the relationship resolution (happy ending). That said, overall, this series did a great job of juggling the happy & the sad moments, making it more sweet than bitter. There were some plot holes, but those were overshadowed by it being overwhelmingly enjoyable & entertaining.

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Pointless, so suspend disbelief & don't ask questions or you'll fall into a plot hole

You're going to have to be content to just be satisfied with some good looking guys who sing a few songs. The bonus is that there is time travel involved ! Maybe this really needs to be watched while you're drunk , so that you can just accept what you are given here because any rational question will have you falling into a plot hole . Unfortunately I was not inebriated at the time I watched this, so by the end I was still wondering ; "WHY did they go back in time ?" and "Why did some people forget & others didn't ?" Not to mention the very important; "How DID they get back to the present ????"

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Somber & Maudlin makes you want to empty a fridge full of soju in one sitting

Really disappointing . I kept hoping for things to get better but mostly, I couldn't wait for it to be done. This is Not lighthearted. It's sparse on the fun & if the Warm fuzzies are here, they're hiding. The tone of the first 13 or so episodes is somber, maudlin & just plain depressing. The two leads did well, but the convoluted plot was exhausting-weighed down with too much heavy drama. Second & 3rd leads grated on my nerves as they pined for thier love interests which came across as more obsessive & pointless.
The last 3 episodes are mostly flashbacks explaining things, BUT these are the least depressing episodes, so you do finish on a slight "high", but in a bizarre way [in comparison to ep 1-13] The Ending is happy for most characters,[ but don't expect weddings.]
As it is, Episodes 1-13 (ish) make you want to either fast forward through them or empty a fridge full of soju in one sitting.

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Dramas like this train you to read the end of the story first

let me convince you not to waste your time on this by saying that honestly & truly,
I really, REALLY loved the first 8 or so episodes & then I hated it. The romance was great, the actors totally sold it but then they had to throw in roadblocks that would repeatedly get resolved & then unresolved . Any warm fuzzies that were accumulated will be disintegrated as the pain just goes on & on & on. The people who are mean ratchet it up until this just became a nasty, sad mess. The happy ending is bland and leaves a sour taste . It's heartbreaking that something with so much promise leaves you drained & angry.

If you still aren't convinced that this should be avoided:

Spoilers:
the main couple "marry" & sleep together and then due to parental & other's objections they are not able to be together. The girl leaves so that she wouldn't break up the guy's family.(? !)They stay faithful to each other, but have no contact. She gives birth to a boy & 1-2 years later [!!!] reunite with the guy as his family finally accepts her. [because, like grandkids are the magic that fixes everything] .the secret of the bride story is revealed & all the other young people are happily paired off. You don't get any romance , much less a kiss from the main couple; nothing to reward you for sticking with this tedious drama. It's also implied that once you have a kid the romance is gone - which considering they have been parted for a few years makes you wonder if they simply are "over" each other, so....were they ever in love ?

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Satisfying romance though leads lack chemistry. female lead simpers unattractively throughout

I've watched this 2 times, & really found the female lead unattractive, which is ironic as she is supposed to be a "beauty". Truthfully, Ha Jae-sook was more appealing. Female lead, Han Ye-seul 's facial expressions were limited because the skin on her face was "mummified" tight. Her character simpers through out & it's not cute the way they meant it to be. Male lead : Joo Sang-wook was attractive & his acting was incredible. Sadly, he & female lead lacked chemistry. The first 16 episodes impressively resolved introduced issues that start separating the male & female leads with each episode..... Until Episode 16 anyway. The next 4 episodes are tediously formulaic when it came to keeping the male & female lead apart. The separation plot device they used undermined the strengths of the lead's relationship which was a vital part of the story. Things are resolved in the end and EVERYONE who did the female wrong gets payback ,but the fact that every single person is dealt with was a bit much. We're given a satisfactory romantic ending.
*when I watch again, I will either skip ahead over ep 16-19 or fast forward through them.
but after viewing this a second time, I rated it lower & found it so unappealing that there is no rewatch value

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Fluffy escapism fails to deliver satisfying romance but Cast shines

Silly fluff is lovely escapism that has unexpected depth that you have to look past the fluff to see. They really are "roasting" Jang Keun-suk, playing up the ridiculousness of the "power" of his attractiveness. I really didn't think I would rewatch , but after a year I did & Then again a year later. It's charm is in that it doesn't pretend or try to be more than it is. I liked it 50% more on the 2nd viewing than on the first. I think that Knowing not to expect this to be a real romance set my expectations differently so that I could sit back & enjoy it .
Jang Keun-suk, IU & Lee Jang-woo are well cast & play off each other well. This series does not have an original plot concept & Jang Keun-suk plays a similar character to those he has played in other series but you can forgive all this because of everyone's acting, which is really good. Also, if you are just watching for Jang Keun-suk & Lee Jang-woo, then you will be in heaven as they really woo the camera. I was a bit concerned with the concept of Jang Keun-suk presented as a Giglio (As he is cozy with many women) but he is shown just as a ladies man [not a real giglio] .For the most part even the skin ship is minimal. [He never sleeps with any of the women, & somehow manages to avoid kissing them on the lips]. Annoyingly they throw roadblock into the plot at the last minute [Episode 15]. They should have used that plot device sooner and I felt it was resolved awkwardly & badly. The end is happy but disappointing as they suddenly have skipped ahead a year. The romantic moment that you have been pining for the whole series, fails to appear & we are given a public, chaste resolution ,rather than the passionate one we've been patiently waiting for. still it's a good ending & when my focus wasn't on the romance I enjoyed the stellar cast & thier performances. I will note that upon the 3 time viewing this, I discovered that there was unexpected depth to the male lead's character growth & that everyone evolves in some way is something I missed before.

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The poster lies. More crying than happiness ( so if you need to clear your sinuses...)

Watched because it was free only 8 episodes & thought : "how bad could it be?"
Bad enough that writing a review just extends the unpleasant bad drama aftertaste.
Be warned: The poster/picture of the happy group of friends that they use to promote this drama is not a true depiction of this drama or how it ends .
At first the story seems fine until the character's are shown to be inconceivably relationally dense. Park So-dam's character is selfish, mean, cries, pouts, takes advantage of others, & speaks her mind unapologetically . Somehow the male lead fails to see those qualities as a red flag.
Apparently the opposites attract theory is in play here because Minho's character is adorable & a complete idiot over Park So-dam's character. He addicted to her & allows himself to be mistreated a great deal. [WHY???]
They give you the nonsensical plot point that he's known her for years & yet STILL thinks she's nice & sweet. There is a saying "you accept the love (or lack of) you think you deserve" . His self esteem must be pretty low. He seems to get his happiness from other people being happy but I don't think he actually does get any happiness in the process or in the end as he will continue to self sacrifice to the end, being left with nothing.
It's achingly sad.

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