This review may contain spoilers
Spin-offs suffer from sequel syndromes too
This is my first review, but I have been a faithful guest user on mydramalist for many years now.
I was looking forward to Resident Playbook considering that I quite enjoyed both seasons of Hospital Playlist. Unfortunately, this spin-off didn't quite live up to my expectations. Comparing it to Hospital Playlist would be unfair, yet I can't help but wish that it had some of the elements that made Hospital Playlist such an enjoyable watch. Sadly like most sequels (or in this case a spin-off) the X factor was completely missing.
This drama fell short on just the overall story itself - it could be that as it is centered on the OB-GYN unit in the hospital, the patients all revolved around expectant mothers or women who suffered from gynaecological problems. There was not much room to maneuver within the story itself because of the focus. Having said that, I felt like I didn't have enough time to get to know the patients or the doctors either despite this focus. There was no heart in the cases and I felt little connection to the residents. The humour in the show was forgettable and the cameos from the Hospital Playlist cast barely made sense to me. Of course I enjoyed seeing them, but they kept showing up randomly for a few seconds here and there like they were shoved into plot rather than included into it.
The cast was wasted in my opinion on a script that really could have been better. I adore Go Youn Jung and I always enjoy her acting, yet here I could not make head or tail of her character. Was she supposed to come off as reluctant and aloof, or as a robotic android? Her face was so devoid of emotions that I had trouble believing any emotion she did portray.
I could not understand why Kim Sa Bi was written as such an annoying character; any growth she showed always took five steps backwards because she would do something disrespectful or horrid. I found myself fast forwarding past her scenes towards the end because I just could not be interested. My favourite residents were Pyo Nam Kyung and Um Jae-il, who showed the most growth and character development. I liked watching them become better versions of themselves.
The rest of the cast seemed to just be predictable: The demanding and dominating professors, the angelic nurses, the villainous senior doctor, and of course the green flag resident chief. I have been turned off Korean content lately and this was my first K-drama in a while. As soon as one of the professors started shouting at a resident, I reminded myself why I dislike K-dramas so much. I can't stand the abuse that is always present no matter what the content of the drama is. Korean dramas are watched globally and I have to say they are gaining a lot of success by marketing how toxic and awful they are as a society.
Overall, Resident Playbook is a forgettable watch for me sadly despite the few moments that I found alright.
Spoiler below:
The one thing I admired about the writing is how they tackled Oh Joo Young's IVF journey. Her decision to not continue and to learn to love herself and the life she has was such a nice thing to see. Too often women are shamed for not prioritising motherhood and it was really wholesome to see her make a decision to prioritise herself.
I was looking forward to Resident Playbook considering that I quite enjoyed both seasons of Hospital Playlist. Unfortunately, this spin-off didn't quite live up to my expectations. Comparing it to Hospital Playlist would be unfair, yet I can't help but wish that it had some of the elements that made Hospital Playlist such an enjoyable watch. Sadly like most sequels (or in this case a spin-off) the X factor was completely missing.
This drama fell short on just the overall story itself - it could be that as it is centered on the OB-GYN unit in the hospital, the patients all revolved around expectant mothers or women who suffered from gynaecological problems. There was not much room to maneuver within the story itself because of the focus. Having said that, I felt like I didn't have enough time to get to know the patients or the doctors either despite this focus. There was no heart in the cases and I felt little connection to the residents. The humour in the show was forgettable and the cameos from the Hospital Playlist cast barely made sense to me. Of course I enjoyed seeing them, but they kept showing up randomly for a few seconds here and there like they were shoved into plot rather than included into it.
The cast was wasted in my opinion on a script that really could have been better. I adore Go Youn Jung and I always enjoy her acting, yet here I could not make head or tail of her character. Was she supposed to come off as reluctant and aloof, or as a robotic android? Her face was so devoid of emotions that I had trouble believing any emotion she did portray.
I could not understand why Kim Sa Bi was written as such an annoying character; any growth she showed always took five steps backwards because she would do something disrespectful or horrid. I found myself fast forwarding past her scenes towards the end because I just could not be interested. My favourite residents were Pyo Nam Kyung and Um Jae-il, who showed the most growth and character development. I liked watching them become better versions of themselves.
The rest of the cast seemed to just be predictable: The demanding and dominating professors, the angelic nurses, the villainous senior doctor, and of course the green flag resident chief. I have been turned off Korean content lately and this was my first K-drama in a while. As soon as one of the professors started shouting at a resident, I reminded myself why I dislike K-dramas so much. I can't stand the abuse that is always present no matter what the content of the drama is. Korean dramas are watched globally and I have to say they are gaining a lot of success by marketing how toxic and awful they are as a society.
Overall, Resident Playbook is a forgettable watch for me sadly despite the few moments that I found alright.
Spoiler below:
The one thing I admired about the writing is how they tackled Oh Joo Young's IVF journey. Her decision to not continue and to learn to love herself and the life she has was such a nice thing to see. Too often women are shamed for not prioritising motherhood and it was really wholesome to see her make a decision to prioritise herself.
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