Dramas_4217

Juggles too much, risks being forgettable

The pilot episodes failed to effectively draw me into the characters & hindered my emotional investment in their journeys. This weak start sets the stage for subsequent disappointments. However, I was able to finish the drama because of my love for Han So-hee.

Notable, was the lack of nuance in Park Seo-jun's portrayal of Tae-sang. Despite the character's complexity, Seo-jun's performance falls short, making it challenging to connect with Tae-sang's internal conflicts about self serving motives and altruism. His comedic moments lacked freshness and the clever wit needed to bring more depth to his character.

The forced and unconvincing romantic plotline between the leads is totally unnecessary & almost childish.

So-hee's acting prowess is evident but is hindered by shortcomings in the script, making her character's journey less compelling.

Lastly, the quality of dialogue was notably subpar & lacked the richness it needed, coupled with the majority of scenes taking place at Onseong Hospital being repetitive and boring, which diminished the overall viewing experience, especially given the historical context of the drama.

Overall, the multiple plot lines could've been better integrated to make the drama seem more cohesive.

I'm skeptical but I hope part 2 of season 1 will renew my interest for season 2.

Edit: I finished all 10 episodes & I'll stick by my initial rating. Now that I have finished the drama, I think I can confidently say the casting for this drama was absolutely OFF. I felt like a lot of people were miscast and that is why this drama does not deliver what it should've - I did not find myself at the edge of the seat, the creature was not scary tbh, the villains were boring and nothing stood out per se. It is what it is.

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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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Everything feels forced

I was really excited to watch *Love Next Door* because it's by the creators of *Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha*, a drama I absolutely adored. So, I was surprised to find myself struggling to get into this one.

Almost every character seems designed to fit into predictable rom-com tropes, making the show feel too manufactured. There are very few moments that feel genuinely authentic. While I really admire Jung Hae-in as an actor, I’m starting to feel like rom-coms might not be his strongest suit—or perhaps it’s the writing in *Love Next Door* that’s failing to showcase his abilities in this genre. I also love So-min, but her characters overuse of bickering and shouting as comedic devices is starting to wear thin.

One scene that unfortunately stood out to me as cringey was when she "discovers" what she wants to do, and Hae-in’s character watches her smile, seemingly realizing he still "loves" her. The moment felt incredibly forced, rather than heartwarming or authentic.

Honestly, everything just feels forced and some scenes are overdramatic for no reason.

I’ll keep watching and hope for improvements, but I’m not feeling too optimistic about it so far, which is a shame.

Edit: I forced myself to finish this drama and wow, what a disappointment. This should have been 10 episodes max, it was too dragged out and boring!

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Wasted chemistry

The foundation for this show is very very weird. When the FL confesses she likes the ML, who was initially wooing her best friend, and gets rejected, the FL forcefully kisses the ML to prove a point?? The ML does the exact same thing later when he's wooing her to prove to her he's committed to wooing her???

The ML's sister has an ANNOYING ass baby voice and is very childish; even though she's never acted before, she is employed to act in the FL's new movie, and because she's a rookie, we're forced to painfully watch her mess up lines 5 million times and her cry as a result of being reprimanded for that. To make things worse, they force a relationship between her & the director of said film in the last episodes and it is such a cringe fest.

The main leads have great chemistry and it's a shame it was wasted on this stupid ass plotline.

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