Cartoon cliches
Series writers, directors, and other such craftsmen are masters of misdirection. In THE TRAUMA CODE, we’re encouraged to focus, indeed obsess, about Baek Kang-hyeok, the series’ enigmatic, superman doctor, while all manner of insanity is swept under the rug.
What kind of insanity? The buffoonish behavior of a certain hysterical hospital administrator who screams, yells, and bloviates while bodies are piling up in the corridors. The fact that said hospital has such a skeletal staff that minimally trained people are recruited to do serious surgery whenever the head dude isn’t around. The constant catastrophizing as our hero theatrically attends to one patient after another–once under a hail of bullets, once while clinging precariously to the side of a cliff. Each time the viewers are assured that the patient’s chances are slim to none–but somehow they all pull through. (Well, almost all.)
I know. This is standard fare for a medical drama, especially one based on a webtoon. And, I have to admit, it’s done smoothly and almost (but not quite) convincingly here.
What kind of insanity? The buffoonish behavior of a certain hysterical hospital administrator who screams, yells, and bloviates while bodies are piling up in the corridors. The fact that said hospital has such a skeletal staff that minimally trained people are recruited to do serious surgery whenever the head dude isn’t around. The constant catastrophizing as our hero theatrically attends to one patient after another–once under a hail of bullets, once while clinging precariously to the side of a cliff. Each time the viewers are assured that the patient’s chances are slim to none–but somehow they all pull through. (Well, almost all.)
I know. This is standard fare for a medical drama, especially one based on a webtoon. And, I have to admit, it’s done smoothly and almost (but not quite) convincingly here.
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