This review may contain spoilers
My Biggest Gripe was the open ended ending (leaving it open for a potential second season)
My Rating is 9/10
This was a solid medical romance K-drama with strong slice-of-life elements. I enjoyed the remote island setting, which added a fresh, grounded feel compared to typical hospital dramas. It offered plenty of insight into the daily challenges and rewards of doctors and medical staff in isolated areas, along with a unique military/public service twist that brought in interesting dynamics and conflicts. The blend of medical cases, community interactions, and romance worked well as a feel-good watch with heart and humor. I’d recommend it to fans of medical dramas and romantic comedies who want something relaxing yet meaningful. It’s enjoyable enough that I wouldn’t mind a rewatch, though I probably wouldn’t seek it out immediately—it was satisfying for its length.
Spoilers
Main girl (nurse Yook Ha-ri) frustrated me several times with how she treated the main guy (doctor Do Ji-ui). She could be quite mean or pushy toward the men in her life. Early on she told him to pretty much give the patients what they wanted then, when he did that, she was angry with him for it. Every time she was angry with him she would go off with second guy (doctor Hyun Chi-yeon). She did it again when she got angry with him for not encouraging her grandmother to pursue potentially life extending clinical trial treatment. She stayed angry with him about that for a bit even telling him to leave her alone while grieving her grandmother’s death. Which he did. But then she once again was acting flirty with the second guy (doctor Hyun Chi-yeon) in front of him despite their budding relationship. That felt unnecessarily hurtful and inconsistent. I also found her anger over the grandmother situation extremely unreasonable. As a nurse, she should understand that Doctor Do, as her grandmother’s doctor, had to respect the patient’s wishes and privacy. Her reaction came across as overly emotional and unfair, bordering on mean. From reading reviews I noticed other viewers noted the prickly early dynamics and occasional rudeness among characters.
Dr. Do's ex, Lee Hwa-young was particularly toxic. She was the source of so much of his psychological trauma. Broke up with him when they experienced such a shattering tragedy. Basically told him they should never be happy. Then, comes back years later, clearly hoping to get him back and when he doesn't want to leave the Island decides to try to paint him as a crazy mental patient "for his own good." I was like dude, you seriously dodged a bullet on that one. And, thankfully the series did not paint her as a sympathetic or noble character.
The other nurse (Nurse Eom Jeong-seon) who fell for the Korean medicine doctor (Yong Joo-cheon) was another character I struggled with. I had a hard time seeing the appeal or why he was drawn to her at times. The bee incident felt ridiculous and unprofessional—she came off as throwing a fit in a way that endangered others. Multiple times she said mean things about his wealthy background. It was clear she had a chip on her shoulder about it and brought it up frequently. Then, when she got pregnant, she wanted to keep it entirely to herself and not tell him immediately which was deeply hurtful. Two people create a baby, and the other parent deserves to know right away, in my opinion. Her general meanness toward him over his wealthy background also felt over-the-top; he can’t help his upbringing any more than someone from a poor one can. I didn’t hate their couple, but these elements made it hard to fully root for them. Other recaps highlight similar frustrations with her secrecy and their rocky reconciliation after the ectopic pregnancy loss.
On the positive side, the islanders’ reactions, especially early on with the insurance/prescription frustrations, felt very realistic. The guy who got so mad about it illustrated perfectly how patient pressures can wear down doctors—I appreciated how the show portrayed that tension and its potential to “ruin a good doctor.” Balance in everything. It is true the patient likely knows a lot of things about their body a doctor wouldn't know but, at the same time doctors understand things about the patient that they learned through experience and intense medical study. But this show displayed the importance of that dynamic relationship well. Bullying a doctor to just do what they wanted often put the patients underlying conditions and long term health at risk.
I loved that Dr. Do did not cave to political pressure. His primary concern was his patients and the community. It took courage and a strong ethical and moral core to stand up to the corrupt politician and expose him.
I was disappointed that neither lead found a way to stay on the island long-term, as they seemed so integral to the community. The ending, with their relationship feeling solid but them heading in separate directions (him to a prison medical post, her pursuing hospital work on the mainland), leaned into long-distance territory, which rarely works out seamlessly in dramas or real life. It felt like a setup for a potential second season rather than a fully closed story. There was no emotional moment where they discussed parting and how they would handle the distance or anything like that. Not in any meaningful way.
The ending, which opened up this whole new story line about being a doctor for a prison, was unsatisfying. It was a soft ending. Which frustrated me because it deviates from the classic K-drama strength of complete, self-contained 16 episode seasons with satisfying resolutions. They have now reduced it to twelve episode on many of the streaming platforms and are leaving more open endings to decide if they want to do another season. Platforms seem to be pushing open-ended formats only for possible sequels and profit, which risks undermining what made the format so beloved. Many viewers share this sentiment about the bittersweet, slightly open feel and the leads’ separation. I wouldn’t have minded a prison setting arc if Season 2 was ready, but the wait and potential need to rewatch dampens the experience. A lot of second seasons may not get good viewership as that does not model what the typical drama fan does or likes.
Overall, the character growth, healing themes, and community warmth carried it, but the female leads’ behaviors and the ending held it back from a perfect score for me. Still a 9/10 watch because the writing was good, the cases were interesting and the friendships and romances were heartfelt and believable.
This was a solid medical romance K-drama with strong slice-of-life elements. I enjoyed the remote island setting, which added a fresh, grounded feel compared to typical hospital dramas. It offered plenty of insight into the daily challenges and rewards of doctors and medical staff in isolated areas, along with a unique military/public service twist that brought in interesting dynamics and conflicts. The blend of medical cases, community interactions, and romance worked well as a feel-good watch with heart and humor. I’d recommend it to fans of medical dramas and romantic comedies who want something relaxing yet meaningful. It’s enjoyable enough that I wouldn’t mind a rewatch, though I probably wouldn’t seek it out immediately—it was satisfying for its length.
Spoilers
Main girl (nurse Yook Ha-ri) frustrated me several times with how she treated the main guy (doctor Do Ji-ui). She could be quite mean or pushy toward the men in her life. Early on she told him to pretty much give the patients what they wanted then, when he did that, she was angry with him for it. Every time she was angry with him she would go off with second guy (doctor Hyun Chi-yeon). She did it again when she got angry with him for not encouraging her grandmother to pursue potentially life extending clinical trial treatment. She stayed angry with him about that for a bit even telling him to leave her alone while grieving her grandmother’s death. Which he did. But then she once again was acting flirty with the second guy (doctor Hyun Chi-yeon) in front of him despite their budding relationship. That felt unnecessarily hurtful and inconsistent. I also found her anger over the grandmother situation extremely unreasonable. As a nurse, she should understand that Doctor Do, as her grandmother’s doctor, had to respect the patient’s wishes and privacy. Her reaction came across as overly emotional and unfair, bordering on mean. From reading reviews I noticed other viewers noted the prickly early dynamics and occasional rudeness among characters.
Dr. Do's ex, Lee Hwa-young was particularly toxic. She was the source of so much of his psychological trauma. Broke up with him when they experienced such a shattering tragedy. Basically told him they should never be happy. Then, comes back years later, clearly hoping to get him back and when he doesn't want to leave the Island decides to try to paint him as a crazy mental patient "for his own good." I was like dude, you seriously dodged a bullet on that one. And, thankfully the series did not paint her as a sympathetic or noble character.
The other nurse (Nurse Eom Jeong-seon) who fell for the Korean medicine doctor (Yong Joo-cheon) was another character I struggled with. I had a hard time seeing the appeal or why he was drawn to her at times. The bee incident felt ridiculous and unprofessional—she came off as throwing a fit in a way that endangered others. Multiple times she said mean things about his wealthy background. It was clear she had a chip on her shoulder about it and brought it up frequently. Then, when she got pregnant, she wanted to keep it entirely to herself and not tell him immediately which was deeply hurtful. Two people create a baby, and the other parent deserves to know right away, in my opinion. Her general meanness toward him over his wealthy background also felt over-the-top; he can’t help his upbringing any more than someone from a poor one can. I didn’t hate their couple, but these elements made it hard to fully root for them. Other recaps highlight similar frustrations with her secrecy and their rocky reconciliation after the ectopic pregnancy loss.
On the positive side, the islanders’ reactions, especially early on with the insurance/prescription frustrations, felt very realistic. The guy who got so mad about it illustrated perfectly how patient pressures can wear down doctors—I appreciated how the show portrayed that tension and its potential to “ruin a good doctor.” Balance in everything. It is true the patient likely knows a lot of things about their body a doctor wouldn't know but, at the same time doctors understand things about the patient that they learned through experience and intense medical study. But this show displayed the importance of that dynamic relationship well. Bullying a doctor to just do what they wanted often put the patients underlying conditions and long term health at risk.
I loved that Dr. Do did not cave to political pressure. His primary concern was his patients and the community. It took courage and a strong ethical and moral core to stand up to the corrupt politician and expose him.
I was disappointed that neither lead found a way to stay on the island long-term, as they seemed so integral to the community. The ending, with their relationship feeling solid but them heading in separate directions (him to a prison medical post, her pursuing hospital work on the mainland), leaned into long-distance territory, which rarely works out seamlessly in dramas or real life. It felt like a setup for a potential second season rather than a fully closed story. There was no emotional moment where they discussed parting and how they would handle the distance or anything like that. Not in any meaningful way.
The ending, which opened up this whole new story line about being a doctor for a prison, was unsatisfying. It was a soft ending. Which frustrated me because it deviates from the classic K-drama strength of complete, self-contained 16 episode seasons with satisfying resolutions. They have now reduced it to twelve episode on many of the streaming platforms and are leaving more open endings to decide if they want to do another season. Platforms seem to be pushing open-ended formats only for possible sequels and profit, which risks undermining what made the format so beloved. Many viewers share this sentiment about the bittersweet, slightly open feel and the leads’ separation. I wouldn’t have minded a prison setting arc if Season 2 was ready, but the wait and potential need to rewatch dampens the experience. A lot of second seasons may not get good viewership as that does not model what the typical drama fan does or likes.
Overall, the character growth, healing themes, and community warmth carried it, but the female leads’ behaviors and the ending held it back from a perfect score for me. Still a 9/10 watch because the writing was good, the cases were interesting and the friendships and romances were heartfelt and believable.
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