This review may contain spoilers
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!
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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