Since medical dramas are one of my favorites, I’m always looking for the good ones that would keep my attention without me getting bored or drifting off to sleep (which happens quite often nowadays). Good Doctor is one of those few that actually kept me interested for 20 episodes not even once allowing me to get distracted and think about something completely else. I remember how I always planned to watch it, mainly because of Moon Chae Won, but then I always kept delaying it for whatever reason. But when I finally did watch it, I was so amazed by it, it was almost like I was cast under a spell or something.
I still think about Good Doctor as a miracle because it taught me so much – about love, acceptance, friendship and basically just humanity. How important it is to actually remain a human being(!) when it comes to meeting new people, accepting them, helping them, loving them with our without their flaws, issues, struggles, painful past, etc. How many hardships one must go through until they can finally reach their goal. How one’s life can be full of struggles and despair and how important it is to just reach out a helping hand when everyone else wants to turn their back on them. There wasn’t one episode when I didn’t feel touched or excited or happy or all of these at the same time. Man, I was so touched 99% of the time and I was almost always crying. There were so many beautiful and touching scenes that I still end up remembering them just completely out of the blue. The side character’s/children’s own life story, the 2nd lead’s own trauma from the past (props to Joo Sang Wook he portrayed his character well and I loved to hate him in the first half of the drama lol), Park Shi On’s entire journey – it would be too long to count all of them. If I would have to pick only one story/scene I would definitely pick the little girl that was raised among dogs because her own aunt ignored and neglected her existence – the way Shi On treated her and how she at last told him that she loved him was probably the most beautiful, touching and memorable scene I can think of and I’ve been watching kdramas for so long and I’ve seen so many great and amazing ones - but I can't remember one that would beat this.
Good Doctor simply just owns my heart. Because it really did leave an impact on me, and it became my 2nd most favorite kdrama ever. I’ve seen episodes of the American version but I didn’t like it. Of course, it has its own strength but I couldn’t fully immerse myself into the story, not even once, whereas the original version might be flawed here and there but it actually does have a heart and the acting is so great. The child actors were all so talented I was actually surprised how all of them slayed their performance. I loved secondary charactesrs/actors – most of the time I don’t really care about the side characters but here I was actually engaged in each and every one of these characer’s development and story, even the ones I disliked. Moon Chae Won is so so amazing no matter what she’s in, she never ceases to amaze me (plus she has such a warm and nice personality off camera too.)
And Joo Won – this was the first time I actually got to see him in a drama even though I heard of his name many times and after I finished watching this drama I hated myself for not looking him up much earlier. He was so --- I don’t know if I can come up with new adjectives. He’s such a versatile and talented actor. As I’ve spent most of my childhood among children with autism of various grade due to my father’s work, I was completely blown away by Joo Won’s talent and exact portrayal of Shi On. He did very very well and he captured the conflicting emotions and proper mannerism of this character. He actually showed a very nice portrayal of autism with so much respect and care that made me love and respect him even more.
Sure, as said, this drama has flaws, but Good Doctor is that kind of drama that offers so much that I couldn’t care less about those flaws. Again, I loved the character development, the unique story line, the writing, the medical aspect of it (it was AWESOME, really) and I didn’t mind the love line between Shi On and Yoon Seo either, I think it was written and executed well and was timed well.
And overall, I’m just very thankful that I watched Good Doctor, because if I would have to pick one drama that left the most impact on me emotionally, Good Doctor would probably be IT.
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This review may contain spoilers
My expectations have been blown out of the water!
There's no better feeling than starting to watch a kdrama because you feel as if there's nothing else to watch only to have your standard expectations thoroughly exceeded.I don't know the first thing about health care so I'm not really bothered if things aren't accurate to real life. Who watches kdrama for real life anyway? So, that doesn't impact my score.
I think this kdrama is near perfect. Just a couple of tweaks here and there and it would be a 10/10. I suppose my only complaints are that I wish the main couple could've had a tiny bit more screen time and that ost wasn't so cheesy.
I love the slow burn romance, I love the bromance, I love the side characters, I love the storylines and I love the ending (especially the gaksital reference).
What more can I say? Just watch it!
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One major down point I find in this drama is the hospital politics. It felt too detached from the main point of the story and those parts were so boring that it was painful to watch. I'd rather they have a shorter but more concise drama than stick that politics bit in and make it almost torturous to watch.
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A Must Watch Medical Series
GOOD DOCTOR was such a great show. This was the second K-drama I ever watched, back when it first came out and it got me hooked. I found the concept so touching and accepting, although there are some painful parts in it as well. I absolutely love the concept. There should be many more shows like this one. People with differences, limitations or supposed "disabilities" can achieve great things, help others and change the world. In truth, many are not lacking but gifted. This series tried to make a statement that everyone deserves respect and absolute equality, regardless of their differences and/or medical condition. This show was so well done and very intense. The characters were all so well casted as well. An amazing medical drama with a lot of heart. Loved it! I loved the character of Park Si-on.Was this review helpful to you?
Story: I mean I don't see the reason explaining the story so I'll just say what I liked and disliked. At the beginning of the story I was kind of angry because the way people treated Shi On. I basically hated everyone except Shi On. Though as the story goes on, people started liking him and treating him well because they saw how amazing he was as a doctor/surgeon. Though something that I just decided to skip was the negotiation of whether what should happen in the hospital (basically I skipped all the political stuff). Something I really liked about the drama though and what kept me watching it was because of the kids and Shi On. Him interacting with the kids made my heart warm. (Note: though I felt like this drama didn't have to have romance for the mains)
Acting/Cast: JOO WON. OMG THIS GUY. He is amazing at playing his role. I've watched him in Yong Pal but sadly he didn't catch my eye. BUT HIM IN THIS DRAMA. He is now one of my favourite actors. He is so handsome too. Moon Chae Won also did pretty good. I might have to go search her up after this. Some other people that stood out to me was Joo Sang Wook. I hated his character at first but as I kept on watching, he started to warm up. Also I really liked Kim Hyun Soo who played on of the patients. It was fun seeing her on screen with Joo Won.
Music: I didn't really pay attention to the OST so I can't really say anything. :(
Rewatch value: Something like this I think I can only watch once since it's a medical drama but I'll probably watch some short clips on youtube if I'm in the mood
Overall: I recommend you watch this. I had this drama on my list for almost 4 months and I finally picked it up but I felt like this drama gave me a message. Even if people tease you and make fun of you because of your dream, ignore it and keep on going even if it hurts.
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A drama that deserves more love
Watched this following a friend's recommendation, after a disappointing watch of Extraordinary Attorney Woo (EAW), and this certainly deserves more love.Perhaps as a medical drama, the story of the autistic protagonist here is much more realistic than EAW. Through the growth and development of the autistic protagonist, Park Shi On (by Joo Won) to overcome struggles and gain acceptance and recognition from his colleagues, mentors, bosses, patients and their families, with his pure dream to be a good doctor, a good pediatric surgeon, there are also growth and development of the other three main roles, especially his mentor Kim Do Han (by Joo Sang Wook, who also played Jang Gang in Alchemy of Souls).
Plus medical emergencies of adorable kids that are guaranteed to strike a chord and more, and life lessons on dreams and love between siblings, colleagues and lovers.
Be charmed by the performance of Joo Won, Joo Sang Wook, Moon Chae Won and the children (young Park Shi On and the young patients).
Btw, this drama was so good that it had resulted in an American remake and a Japanese remake.
* What is a doctor to you? It’s the last hope. Even if everyone else gives up on a patient, a doctor must take care of the patient until the end.
* Then what is a patient to you? A friend that I must part with. I must treat patients like a friend and make sure they stay healthy even after leaving me, so they never come see me again.
* All doctors who think hard about what makes a good doctor are good doctors. And those people are all good people.
* There’s no qualification in loving someone. Instead.. If you genuinely and unconditionally love someone, you become qualified to care for that person. It’s a qualification only you possess.
* I know you’re sad that you can’t fulfill your dream. But you know what’s good about dreams? That you can have another dream. Just like you dream every night, you can have another dream. You don’t give up on your dreams, you just get new ones. Look. The ball from your first hit. You can make new firsts again. Whatever that is, you have to give that to me too.
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STORY:
The story of the drama is simple yet beautifully written. The story moves forward smoothly and its fun to see every new case bring in a new lesson and new step for out main leads to move forward on. Even though romance is included, I felt that i was not the romance but the overall relationship Shi-on builds with all the members in the hospital, be it a brotherly relationship, a friendly one or a romantic one. I will always remember the story of Good Doctor for its amazing character growth. I could see the growth not only in our leads but also the other characters as the story moved forward. It seemed lie everyone had something to learn and develop. I do wish the romance was a little less abrupt but with the overall story so great, i could overlook it. At the end it just felt like I had seen a child grow into an adult overcoming the things around him and becoming stronger. The Drama does a good job of balancing Comedy, Drama, Character Growth, and almost everything else.
ACTING/CAST:
The entire cast was new to me and I had not watched any of the Actor's drama before. And I must say they surprised me. They all worked excellently and I didn't once feel like they were acting or anything. The emotional scenes moved me so much cause they could express the emotions so well. Especially Joo-won did a very very good job in portraying an autistic person. He just touches your heart with his acting and you keep wanting to see him more.
MUSIC:
The music was also nice and suited the drama well. I don't think they are something I will listen to when not watching the drama, but they complimented the drama well and even touched your heat sometimes.
RE-WATCH VALUE:
To be honest I rarely re-watch dramas unless and until I am in the mood. I don't think I will watch Good Doctor as a whole but maybe I would like o see some snippets and some parts again, especially where Shi-on manages to touch people with his words and actions and also the comic scenes.
OVERALL:
I would totally recommend you to watch this drama especially if you like watching a character grow and become what you have been rooting for him to be. And also the series would really touch your heart and open your mind towards those who are disabled and maybe make you see them in a different light.
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This review may contain spoilers
As a person who is also austistic, I find this show nothing but inspiring to me, even though mines not as bad as Si On's i still empasised with him alot and understood his hardships to its full extent.When I first found out that the ML is someone suffering from austism it sparked my intrest as I also have it. The story of a autistic boy who lost his older brother to then go on to become a doctor is nothing more than inspirational. The first episode was done very well as it got my intrest in the forst 5 mins and then showing off the skills of Si On at the train station put the drama in a very good place at the get go to become a great drama.
I want to talk about Si On's character first. The actor Joo Won did absolutely amazing dipicting and austistic man. I know for a fact he must of spent a lot of time being with and watching people who suffer from autism becasue for him to display it the way he did he must of cared deeply about the character and not of done a half assed job so I want to thank him on that end for being sincere with the character. When we first get introduced to Si On, we see him in a flashback getting bullied for being different which tore my heart but throughoutu the drama he matured into a fine doctor which is able to look after children to save to thier lives. One thing I loved about him was the enormous heart his had, he is literally the kindest Lead I have seen in a kdrama.
With Yoon Soo, I was very exited for her character because I just got off watching 'Innocent Man' which starred Chae Won as the FL in that drama. From the get go I loved how supportive he was of Si On and how she helped him throughout the drama. Normally in dramas, both leads might have a problem with thier lives but in this one Yoon Soo didn't, so all her time in the drama was either in the hospital or helping Si On with his life. One thing which quite annoyed me was when she rejected Si On in a very passive manner saying they are like brother and sister and then wanted to stay as friends which was a bit selfish but I understood her. She then got jelous of Si On's friend ship with Chae Gyeong which gave her the push she needed to realise her feelings.
With the romance between Si On and Yoon Soo, it was well done becasue in other dramas, they usually kiss alot and act all affectionate with eachother but in this the story had to consider Si On's disabilty and how he can't express his feelings well to other people which I fully understand. So having them only kiss once and hold hands a lot was the right choice in this. This was a very slow burner relationship which I had no problems watching becasue they needed to jumped a lot of hurdles to reach a relationship and it was displayed perfectly.
The two supporting leads in this show are probably my favourite i've seen in a drama. First off with Do Han, at first he was obnoxius due to him pushing Si On down all the time but when I founf out the reason why, it made me understand fully becasue he had a younger brother who was disabled who died after he believed he was okay to be independant and that led to his death, so Do Han was only worried about Si On. I loved how they ended having a brotherly relationship in the end which in some ways they are both taking the place of thier brothers. I really like Chae Gyeong as she was also supportive of Si On and didn't have a bias by listeing to his problems and helping him.
Another character I liked was In Hae, I like how she acted as a friend to Si On and a mediator to Si On's and Yoon Soo's relationship. She was also a very strong character who had to face a lot of problems but overcame them with the help of some characters.
The OST in this show was standard and not many really stood out but they did the job.
If your looking for a show which is very different than the normal kdrama, I really reccomend this. It has a very rewarding slow burner relationship and also has the medical aspect which is realy interesting to watch aswell.
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I also thought it is a good idea to put a person who is autistic in the centre of the story. There were however some aspects that were a little too stereotyped for my taste, such as the extreme savant story. On the other hand the struggle in the world of work was quite realistic, at least in terms of the concept/idea.
Medically, some things were a bit cringe-worthy (it’s my job) though they always seem to do that in tv series with a medical / hospital background ;) ;) and I’ve seen worse depictions in tv series!! Maybe I’ll become a medical advisor for tv shows and films in my next life :-)
But then it’s not a documentary - so again, overall, I enjoyed this show!
I watched it a while ago now so not remembering all the details of the story line. I might rewatch it at some stage.
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Best medical drama ever!!!!!
Good Doctor clearly explains discrimination and lack of trust faced by the disabled people, and "how hard they should work for the acceptance". Coming to the series, every episode is unique and you'll not be bored, comedy is off the charts and boy!!! the emotional scenes will make you cry, no matter how many times you watch it. Si on innocence and child like personality will be completely transformed into loving and caring man. Yoon Seo has her own character development, she was not merely there to help shi on, but she also faces difficulties in her professional life. The triangle love story was just forced between Yoon seo, Dr kim do han and shi on and was unnecessary, it is more like waste of the time. There could have been more romantic scenes between shi on and yoon seo, but the one showed in the series is quite convincing, bromance may make up for it. They romance doesn't start till the end of 18 episode and it was rushed, there should have been more episodes, it's a 24 episodes series. But that's what life is 'All the good things must come to an end'. Joo won and Moon chae won chemistry is so good that I want them to be partners in real life. Hopefully, it might come true or at least a new dramas series. In the end of the series everyone is changed into good person and becomes more accepting of Si on, because of his charm. The way si on matures at the end of the series is so adorable and at the end he is the one 'who becomes more understanding and mature in the relationship'. Definitely a must watch series and best medical drama at all time. (Shing shing!!!)Was this review helpful to you?
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