This review may contain spoilers
Resident Playbook. Resident. Singular. No heart and lacks the camaraderie that made HP successful
I'm a fan of Hospital Playlist 1 & 2, and what the original excelled in—besides the fantastic chemistry among the cast—was showing that the doctors had lives outside of work. The characters had external interests (priesthood, camping, eating out together, and of course, singing in a band). It also explored their relationships with parents, siblings, and children. All of these qualities made Hospital Playlist charming.
In Resident Playbook, we don't see any of that. We see 90% of the residents' lives in the hospital. They're constantly tired, complaining, lacking in personality, and bad at their jobs.
Maybe the title Resident Playbook is intentional—Resident, singular—as in it's only Oh I-yeong's playbook (Go Youn-jung's character) that will be the focus and not the other residents. At first, I understood her reluctance to return to her career and why she wasn't as proactive as the rest of her cohort. But later, her bored attitude and sloppy mistakes became grating at best and unprofessional at worst.
Normally, when rookie doctors are portrayed as bored, aloof, or cold, there’s a reason to excuse their behavior—namely, that they're such phenomenal doctors that their skill alone compensates for their attitude. Oh I-yeong is not a phenomenal doctor. She's barely even a good one. It’s just that the writers made the rest of the cast so utterly incompetent that Oh I-yeong emerges as “better” by comparison.
What seemed out of character was how she displayed more energy trying to get her in-law/supervisor's attention than in caring for patients. This isn’t a female lead you want to root for. The romance is unnecessary, and—speaking personally—I found neither the FL nor ML attractive or charismatic enough to be invested in their romantic lives.
As for the other residents: Pyo Nam-gyeong (Shin Shi-ah) always seemed flustered around patients and spent nearly half the series texting her ex-boyfriend, as if she had no self-worth. I expected more from Kim Sa-bi (Han Ye-ji), especially since they gave her the Choi Song-hwa look (bob cut and circular glasses), but most of her screen time was spent being petulant and clinging to her high school/college glory years.
Even the supporting cast (other doctors and upper-level residents) lacked charm and constantly seemed tired of their jobs or annoyed when the inexperienced doctors asked questions. This is such a departure from Hospital Playlist where even the residents there weren't flat, 1D characters
The two characters I did like were the senior female doctor, Seo Jeong-min, and the male resident, Um Jae-il, because they both have traits that feel true to the Hospital Playlist universe—genuinely caring for their patients. Jeong-min is fair and direct. Jae-il can be a bit too enthusiastic, but he puts his heart into his work.
In Resident Playbook, we don't see any of that. We see 90% of the residents' lives in the hospital. They're constantly tired, complaining, lacking in personality, and bad at their jobs.
Maybe the title Resident Playbook is intentional—Resident, singular—as in it's only Oh I-yeong's playbook (Go Youn-jung's character) that will be the focus and not the other residents. At first, I understood her reluctance to return to her career and why she wasn't as proactive as the rest of her cohort. But later, her bored attitude and sloppy mistakes became grating at best and unprofessional at worst.
Normally, when rookie doctors are portrayed as bored, aloof, or cold, there’s a reason to excuse their behavior—namely, that they're such phenomenal doctors that their skill alone compensates for their attitude. Oh I-yeong is not a phenomenal doctor. She's barely even a good one. It’s just that the writers made the rest of the cast so utterly incompetent that Oh I-yeong emerges as “better” by comparison.
What seemed out of character was how she displayed more energy trying to get her in-law/supervisor's attention than in caring for patients. This isn’t a female lead you want to root for. The romance is unnecessary, and—speaking personally—I found neither the FL nor ML attractive or charismatic enough to be invested in their romantic lives.
As for the other residents: Pyo Nam-gyeong (Shin Shi-ah) always seemed flustered around patients and spent nearly half the series texting her ex-boyfriend, as if she had no self-worth. I expected more from Kim Sa-bi (Han Ye-ji), especially since they gave her the Choi Song-hwa look (bob cut and circular glasses), but most of her screen time was spent being petulant and clinging to her high school/college glory years.
Even the supporting cast (other doctors and upper-level residents) lacked charm and constantly seemed tired of their jobs or annoyed when the inexperienced doctors asked questions. This is such a departure from Hospital Playlist where even the residents there weren't flat, 1D characters
The two characters I did like were the senior female doctor, Seo Jeong-min, and the male resident, Um Jae-il, because they both have traits that feel true to the Hospital Playlist universe—genuinely caring for their patients. Jeong-min is fair and direct. Jae-il can be a bit too enthusiastic, but he puts his heart into his work.
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