This review may contain spoilers
After finding out that the writer of Stranger and also the Male Lead in Stranger were going to be in this drama, plus the addition to Lee Dong Wook who I know is a very good actor. I knew I was into a very good drama just from all those factors alone. When starting the show I thought it was just going to be about Jin Woo fighting against injustice ( Which you could say it was ), but infact this story was about many things; the power struggle between the doctors and Hwajeong, the relationships between the characters and also the mental health of others. This wasn't my first drama for alot of the actors in this drama so I knew what to expect with the actors and also the writing since it's made by a trustworthy writer. Every character in this show had a play in the story no matter how big it was.
With the Main character in my eyes, Jin Woo. He basically represents the set of people who are not in a high position and who are also vunerable to people high on the ladder and shows us what to do. I really liked his character in this story because he wasn't overly cocky nor too much of a push over. His relationships throughout the show were fun to watch and I liked to see how they developed throughout the drama. His relationship with his brother was truly beautiful in my opinion it's how all relationships with brothers should be. The last scene between the brothers honestly nearly made me cry because how touching it was because Seon Woo really like the ocean so to just see them having fun was nice to see. Jin Woo romance in this was also cute to watch although it's not the main focus, it gave both us and Jin Woo a breather from all the politics happening in the hospital, I really like the actor who play Seo Hyun which was Jin Woo's love intrest and I've seen her in only one past drama so I will definatly watch more of her stuff. Also the imaginary Seon Woo which Jin Woo made in his head was also quite sad to see because even though it's Seon Woo on the outside, everything he said was just what Jin Woo was thinking even if he didn't say it outloud or in his head, Seon Woo basically told him. I also like how he confided in Seo Hyun about the Seon Woo in his head and she accepted it and asked to meet him so that probably removed a huge weight of his chest.
Now with the second Main character with was Goo Seung Hyo, I actually really liked his character, one reason was because I got to see a didfferent side of teh actor who played Hwang Si Mok in Stranger who was a pretty 2D charater due to him not feeling emotions. Seung Hyo was basically the proxy antogonist in this show, I say proxy because he begins to changed ever soo slightly due to the introduction of Lee No Eul in which was the first person he became intrested in. He acted all tough all tough and acted like nothing affected him but on the inside he is actually soft and care about things and that's what No Eul saw in him and that's why she started to like him. I'll admit at first I wasn't a fan of thier ship because I felt bad for Seon Woo but as time went on I started to like the ship ( Only took me 16 episodes to realise that and I wished I liked it from the start).
The OST in the show was quite standard as nothing particually stood out to me but I did enjoy it as it added to the scenes.
Overall I really enjoyed this drama as it was a nice switch up from the Romace Drama which I allways watch as Romance is my favourite genre. This show and Stranger made me appreciate non-romance center based plots and I will definetly watch more of shows like these where they focus more on the world building rather than the Relationship between the two leads.
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The plot of stranger is typical. There's so many kdrama about corrupted prosecutor while the story of life is new in kdramaland because it tackle the situation of the doctors and the management of the hospital.
Stranger-ordinary plot but good development
Life-something new but lack of development
LIKE:
1.JO SEUNG WOO is enough to watch this drama
2.there's no good or bad just a selfish human being
3.Moon so ri and Yoo jae myung are the seasoning of the drama
4.the plot is really fresh to watch
DISLIKE:
1.Lee Dong wook character. Hehe..
2.Won jin-A character started with a strong personality but ended with a dependent character.
3.lack of story development and conclusion
IT'S BETTER IF:
1.more focus about the problem of the hospital than to their personal life
2.more fundamental issue of the hospital and doctors
3.more solid conclusion of what the story want to give to the audiences.
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More Drama Than There Really Is
The one thing that sticks out is how every small thing is a big thing in this drama. Administration and doctors are many times at odds with each other because admin oversees the money making aspect of healthcare while doctors just want to treat their patients to the best of their ability.. This sometimes leads to disagreements on how a hospital is run because it may curtail the way a doctor works. In this drama, however, this daily minutiae is life and death--and that isn't quite believable. Add a suspicious death and that raises the stakes, except maybe it was more of a red herring.We spend episode upon episode watching the ML walk all over the hospital eavesdropping and inserting himself here and there. You don't get a sense of the characters because there is little backstory on them except for the main leads. I found myself caring little about the characters, but kept watching. At about episode 13, the drama got better. All of the sudden the writing seemed to improve and we finally started seeing a warmth that was missing in the first part of this 16 episode drama.
I enjoyed the ending much more than the beginning because it had very little to do with the happenings at the hospital. Perhaps if the focus had been more on the people rather than the hospital bureaucracy, I might have enjoyed it more. Bureaucracy doesn't make for a good drama. People do. Seems like they figured it out in the end.
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This review may contain spoilers
what story?
there is no story here, it feels like some weird slice of life that tries to pretend to be something moreok, pros
+medical part well done
+inner hospital politics well done, at least according to my mother, who is a doctor
+the acting from Cho Seung Woo and his character, Gu Sung Hyo, was awesome
+some other actors did quite well too
+the soundtrack was sometimes great, sometimes too in your face, sometimes too absent, but overall did its job
cons
-no story, countless side plots that don't account to anything
-LDW and LKH both outside their element, their acting was off and unconvincing
-not to mention the story of both brothers was awfully cringe, stretched out, and felt like it came from a different drama
-awful romance for main lead, too
-no tension, the antagonist conglomerate can't even threaten anyone properly and the the main villain has charisma of angry chihuahua
-preachy and moralizing tone
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I’m often drawn to stories that explore contemporary social issues, especially when those topics include the abuse of power and classism. At the heart of this drama is a power struggle in a hospital between ambitious doctors, many of whom believe ethics shouldn’t be conditional, and a new president with capitalist values. The relationship between both camps is hampered by a difference in values which becomes the running theme of a storyline that sees interests and ideals regularly collide.
One of the more memorable lines in the series which encapsulates this difference is delivered in an exchange between Dr Ye Jin Woo and President Go. In the scene the doctor berates his boss for his apathy, telling him that “hospitals…aren’t the equivalent of expensive sports cars, they aren’t places regular people can’t dream of entering.” I’m not normally a huge fan of medical dramas, but the characters in this series captured my attention. And held it.
I enjoyed the maturity of the storytelling because it’s character driven and doesn’t rely on erecting facile binaries between characters that eclipse their authenticity.
Jo Seung Woo as President Go is particularly memorable for his perfectly understated yet captivating performance. His character arc in the course of the 16 episodes is compelling, (as are his beautiful eyes) particularly as he begins to feel the influence of the doctors’ principled stance and disenchanted with the demands of the corporation he serves. His interactions with Dr Lee No Eul reveal his humanity but also the challenges that come with the position he occupies.
The relationship between Dr Ye Jin Woo and his paraplegic younger brother, Ye Sun-Woo, is the core of this drama and a heart-warming testament to just how wonderful it is to have a supportive sibling in your life. Ye Sun Woo’s determination to challenge the well-intended, but nonetheless annoying, infantalization of his disability is admirable. I enjoyed watching him fight for his independence as his grappled with facing an unresolved childhood trauma.
This drama series exemplifies why I enjoy Korean dramas so much. The acting is so seamless and realistic that it feels more like a feature film than a drama series. Its examination of how prioritising capitalist values can come at the expense of the ethical parts of running a business was totally captivating.
Life is DEFINITELY worth watching.
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Medical drama that is more like a political mystery
This one is a slow burner with a interesting plot that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The way the character where written was amazing. Slowly you will be entangled in their lives and know things about them. There amazing everyday scenes where they talked as actual humans even if they where talking about big matters. Characters weren't actually evil, just gray, because there is evil and good in every one of us.My only issue with this one was that I think it took many episodes for me to actually trust characters. I didn't really feel strongly about the characters until like episode 4 or so. Like it was hard to get into the mindset of one character.
+ extra points for showing how mentally ill people and paralyzed people can still live a successful normal life (= normalizing it)
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THE NAIL THAT STICKS OUT IS BOUND TO GET HAMMERED DOWN
Watching this drama was the equivalent of walking along a very thin length of tightrope over churning waters while balancing a fragile egg in a spoon in one hand. When I completed the first episode, I knew that there would be no looking back after this.There was a certain surgical precision to Life. Intense moments that explored corporate politics and the dark underbelly of the healthcare system were delivered with all the exactness of a knife against flesh, all the while remaining clean precise. There was a nice balance, too, between moments of sadness and happiness. Dark waters and clear skies. Life and death. All integral parts of a working hospital, and all part of why this drama was just so damn good.
The study of corruption within the healthcare system and how bureaucracies operate within hospitals was probably one of my favorite aspects of the show. In fact, I almost wish we got to see more of this but I am still satisfied with how the show was wrapped up! This show is primarily dialogue-driven, so there isn't a lot of action scenes, but I personally found the conflict between management and the doctors just as thrilling as any action sequence. I also really enjoyed how some scenes explored the technical side of what it's like working in a hospital and the kinds of experiences that employees working in different departments go through. It really shows all different kinds of aspects of hospital life.
Another thing that I thought was really well-done was the casting of the main roles and the acting! The veteran actors really did carry the show. I especially enjoyed watching Lee Dong Wook, Jo Seung Woo, and Moon So Ri at work. They did a spectacular job!
And finally, the characters and the relationships between characters were. So. Freaking. Good!!! All the characters were dynamic and interesting to watch - I never got bored for a single second when the focus shifted from one character to another. The relationships, too, were extremely organic and a lot of them had such great chemistry with each other as well. I didn't think the romance was overdone at all and it added such a nice touch to the overall story.
I suppose my only complaint is that I wish we could have gotten to see Dr. Ye and Mr. Gu butt heads more, seeing as if I thought they would have more of a rivalry between them, but I still really like how the show left things between them. I also wish the ending hadn't been left so open-ended, but I still liked the overall feeling of hope it left within me as I was watching those final moments, and I'm sure I had such a goofy grin plastered on my face by the time the final credits were rolling.
Overall, I do not think this is your typical hospital drama, but I still consider it a masterpiece.
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pros
1. high quality drama. one of those well crafted series that rivals some of Hollywood's finest shows
2. great tension build up. most writers suffer from filler syndrome but this one had enough juicy topics to keep the thrill rolling
3. great character build up as well especially with Cho Seung Woo's character, I love how each episode kept on shedding layers of his personality
4. Yum hye ran. I always love characters with sense of humor especially in a serious drama like this. just when things start to feel dull we can always rely on her to give us a good laugh
5. I liked the equal amount of exposure shown between work and their personal stories although I much prefer watching their lives outside of the hospital
6. there's no clear villain in this series, which I love. as the show progress, you will find yourself siding with different characters because all of them have valid reasons for what they're fighting for. I truly believe that the true antagonist here is the people's greed for power/authority
7. this had one of the few best endings in a drama I've seen so far
8. that underwater scene was purely magical it got me in a trance. it was heartbreaking but beautiful as well that it got me teared up
cons
1. the business politics bored me TBH especially when they're talking about numbers and other technical stuffs (which happened a lot throughout the series)
2. I'm all for melodrama and melancholia but a lot of times I felt like the writer tried way too hard to milk some tears out of the viewers
3. I don't like how Lee Kyu hyung's character was portrayed in the show. he doesn't need to be looked down on. it's one thing to get pitied on because of having a physical incapability but the guy has serious self pity issues as well. I wished the writer made him look strong and confident, that would've sent a much better message to everyone like him
4. I'm not gonna lie, although I'd complimented the great tension build up of the show, somehow the second half of the series felt dragged and became too seemingly slow for an already slow-paced drama
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If you're looking for a drama that shows
"The co-relation b/w the medical and corporate sector "
How they both work and merge . How dirty is it actually . How it's exploited .
What role the doctors play in this and how's the situation .Then this is it .
Rarely do I see such dramas . It's really serious at times .
This drama was excellent , but it had it's ups and downs .
The first episode was just boring and wasn't even needed .
It got paced after that nicely but again was hollow after episode 7 or 8 I think .
The problem this drama had was character development .
While this was the drama's strength but it ended up being it's biggest flaw .
The writer tried so hard to give equal screenplay to everyone in this drama ,
I mean every character had it's own importance , their own perspective was shown .
Every single character out there .
The problem lies in the fact that the mid plot was hollow and the writer tried to cover it up which I feel was absurd .
She wrote a good start and a good end but the mid part was just jumping from serious to casual romance and what not .
But then it diverted ,
In simple terms it lost it's depth and tried to regain it in the ending episodes .
But anyway , the writers tried to make it seem as realistic as possible which is a good thing .
The plot is open I mean it's unpredictable in a sense that it takes the realistic approach so well that you'll be surprised how normal things are .
People are people after all .
How we judge them and how they really are .
Acting wise all of them were awesome .
Specially our Lead Jo Seung Woo(Mr.Goo) . He's a real star and after watching him in 3 dramas now he's done till now .
He's the best Korean actor at the moment . Just phenomenal .
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One of the very best!
This drama was awesome. The script was clever, profound and gripping and raising a multitude of issues! Corporate greed vs. human lives is one, but it touches on so much more. Work ethics, personal ethics, ideals versus reality, viable compromise, ways to survive without losing one's humanity. Friendship, sacrifice, brotherly love, personal dignity, trust. Even mental illness as a coping mechanism.I don't know why and how, but on reading the synopsis one might think that the subject matter is dry and potentially boring, but in reality it's more gripping than a wild West adventure and you can't wait to see how it's going to unfold. There's never a dull moment, or a slackening of pace, even in the introspective moments with interior monologue which are possibly the weakest, but still play their role.
The two (three? four?) love stories are organic to the plot, they are not an afterthought, and they even help the plot go forward and the characters evolve.
The characters are all flawed, there isn't one perfectly "good guy" without any weaknesses, there isn't one bad guy (except for one) that doesn't have a good side to him/her. Every character richly detailed and developed with plenty of nuance. Even the chauffeur or a nurse we only see occasionally, all characters have been taken care of. This is so rare in k-drama.
The direction brought every detail of this masterful script to life, with the help of a group of extremely talented actors, each and every one of them on top of his/her game, down to the last role.
A special mention goes to the main lead - who is Cho Seung Woo, not Lee Dong Wook. He really makes the difference in this drama, shining bright.
It's not a drama to watch in a leisurely, distracted way while doing something else, or when you're sleepy. Maybe also not if you are under 18. I think that I wouldn't have enjoyed it when I was a teenager, but then today's teenagers might be different. It does require concentration, because so much is going on all the time. But you'll be amply rewarded for your attention, it's so enjoyable! And yes, it does have a happy ending - or as happy as possible, which will leave you smiling and satisfied.
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Too ambitious but...
Nothing new, the usual human lives vs profit in medical dramas. Actually, it was less medical and more like a business drama in a hospital setting. Something was strange about filmography. The color palette doesn't seem to be consistent sometimes. The soundtrack at times can be too loud and in your face.I wasn't interested in the brothers' storyline, it felt out of place compared to what's going on in the drama. His brother took everything from him, his past and future potential relationships, even his sanity. His existent in the story really bothered me. I wish the drama had stuck to the hospital stuff only. I get they were trying to give the ML as much character as possible but that could have been done through his actions rather than his background. The drama tries to diversify itself even more by including a few brief romances but they also felt misplaced. The ending was a small tiny win for the hospital but the cycle continues....
That's the thing, it's too ambitious and tries to do it all at once by expanding and stretching its corners but eventually it fails.
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This review may contain spoilers
Slow but worth it. Just do it for the characters.
It wasn’t supposed to be drama for me. I had it on my list for a very long time but always postponed it choosing something different. I was just not in a mood for a medical drama so I’ve always found reason not to watch it. Firstly I’ve put it on my list because Lee Dong Wook was in it. Yes, I choose dramas based on who plays in it, sue me. But it seemed to not be enough. Until…Yes, until I’ve figured out that Cho Seung Woo plays there as well, which totally bought me at this point. I have soft spot for this man and I watch everything with him since I’ve seen him in Sisyphus, what can I do.
Do you know when they teach you not to judge a book by it’s cover? I’ve did exactly that. I’ve just assumed that this is medical drama and I don’t want to have anything to do with it. I don’t know where this comes from, but medical series usually just bore me to death. That’s partially the reason I’ve still haven’t watch Hospital Playlist, even though everyone praises it for how good it is. But not for me. I think it’s just because I’ve watched so many episodes of Dr. House and ER in my time that I’ve just reached my limit for medical series.
But we’re getting off topic here.
So my first impression was wrong, this is not medical drama. I swear, you can count on one hand how many times action is actually patient related. There was even one scene when during doctors meeting one of them admitted that it was a long time since they’ve discussed patients health. Because it all comes down to politics. Hospital politics, but still. And the power play between doctors and new hospital director is very strong here. Usually is one against the other but soon we see that the sides are not really that obvious. The border between them changes often, we see character that was one on one side is suddenly on the other.
At first I was really not sure about this drama. I’ve found it pretty slow, with not interesting characters. But suddenly, character development occurred and oh my, it was a ride. The characters we thought were obvious, suddenly turned out to be absolutely not as we thought they were. And the crown example is Goo Seung Hyo (played by Cho Seung Woo), new hospital director. At the beginning he seems like a 100% bad guy, the one that comes to your hospital and wants only profits and good results. Corporate head that doesn’t get that doctors are here to save lives not sell supplements and make the quarterly plans. But soon we discover that his behaviour is not really that sided. We discover that the doctors are not su pure either. And when covering of patients deaths come to the public attention, more humane face of Goo Seung Hyo is visible. He may be a corporate head, but making the hospital profitable also means working according to the rules. So what’s happening with Seung Hyo is true character development. Our attitude towards him changes not because he has a sudden change of heart (although at one point it partially happens) but because we get to know him better. He behaves the same but now we know his motivations a little bit. We know his soft spot for animals and weird living situation with his parents (luckily explained later, but still pretty weird). He has an asshole of a boss but wants to do something good for the hospital, but is bound by corporate rules. I think that even Cho Seung Woo said (although I really don’t remember in which interview) something like Goo Seung Hyo is big for little ones, and small for the big ones. And I totally agree, he knows who to fight and who to bow to. The problem arises when it’s the one person he needs to do both to. He kind of finds himself between the rock and a hard place.
The thing is that Seung Hyo turns out not to be the worst that happened to the hospital and we’ll soon find out what really is.
What I also really loved about this drama is how subtle romantic motives are here. They may as well not be here and we wouldn’t notice but they make a nice breather from all of this political games. Plus you really hope something good finally happens to the main characters.
But I have to admit, the pace of the plot here is really slow. And you can feel it, the drama is not action packed, for most of the times, there’s no action at all. But if you like political drama, with a lot of suspense that might be something for you.
I’ve admired characters and how they were portrayed. I mean, with cast like this, I wouldn’t expect anything less than that, but we really have bunch of great and well known actors here. Like just to get some examples, Lee Kyu Hyun, playing Ye Sun Woo was just amazing in his role, the character himself was pretty complex but I think that actor just did a great job. And Yoo Jae Myung, playing Joo Kyung Moon, I mean I expect only the best from this man, after his roles in Iteawon Class and Stanger, just to name a few, but he always somehow manages to surprise me with his portrayal of the character.
So to wrap it up somehow. This is a slow drama with great characters so if you’re into that stuff, you’ll certainly like this one.
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