This review may contain spoilers
I am so annoyed
(After 2 episodes on Netflix) I plan to continue this drama because I hope it gets less annoying. Right now I just want to scream at everyone. We have medical emergencies happening and all these doctors act like it is nothing important. The time they stand around arguing and throwing pity parties for themselves is unbelievable. In real life all these patients so far would be dead. The idea is fantastic but can we get just a little bit of a sense of urgency please! Done ranting for now. I'll update this as we go I guess!(After 10 episodes on Netflix) Yes, I am still watching this show. What I do like about it is that it raises valid questions about euthanasia. It addresses end of life care. It also raises awareness of CIPA. It vaguely reminds me of the series HOUSE which I also found intriguing. My main issue with this show is the writing. It could have been a 10 with better writers. I found myself thinking if this is an accurate portrayal of Doctors in Korea I hope I never need to see one there! As it is there are only 2 likeable characters one is Doctor Cha and the other is Doctor Lee. Doctor Kang who is the other main character is absolutely awfully written. No matter how hard I try I can't get past my contempt for her. There are some really amazing parts in the series but overall so far there is more bad than good.
Finally finished. The last episode could be skipped entirely. I really wish the writing had been better this could have been an absolutely amazing series.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
After watching dramas for nearly a year now, I finnaly got myself onto a medical drama and it did not dissapoint. As a person who is into science this show was very interesting. When watching the show i really felt connected to the leads becasue they didn't make them over the top to where thier lives are unbelievable. With Cha Yo Han, who was a person living with CIPA it made me realise that there are unfortanate people in the world at at the age of 18 i am very lucky to have what i have which is mild asthma. It almost makes me appreciate life a lot more because there are people who are more unfortunate than me but they are fighting thier hardest.
I really enjoyed watching Kang Shi Young's character develop I reallyt think that Lee Se Young did a really good job player that character. I loved teh chemisty between the two leads as i realised that a romance drama doesn't need to have the usual loads of kissing and things like that. This taught me that love between two people is about understanding one another and respecting eachother.
I really loved the Prosecuter's character because he was dealing with his own personal problems but was also dealing with corrupt medical practises. I like how the relationship between Cha Yo Han and the Prosocuter turns from kinda enemies to a friends and when i saw them in a last episode I wished it happened earlier so we could see thier bromance.
Overall for my first every medical drama I loved what i saw and would reccomend this to anyone looking for something new that isnt the whole mushy love that a lot of dramas do and it shows a sense of reality.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Three Years Later!?!?!?
For the most part, this was a nicely executed drama. The medical part gives you a lot to think about. The romance was slow and depicted realistically. Ji Sung (one of my favorite actors) and Lee Se Young had very good chemistry. I did enjoy watching their relationship develop.I was disappointed in the “3-years later” direction the story took in the last episode. So much time was spent in this drama telling quality stories of each person’s pain or end of life issues. The writer failed to fairly deal with 1) the real struggles Yo Han was facing at the Cleveland clinic and 2) the emotional consequences Yo Han should have faced from So Young. Shutting her out for 3.5 years didn’t protect her. He robbed her of her desire to be by his side (to love him) through the difficulties he was going through. He robbed himself of the healing power of her love and presence during that time. Yo Han was the one who said without pain there is no life. The writer made this honorable, mature, reasonably realistic man out to be a liar. As much Si Young loved him, he gave her every reason not to trust him with her heart after that. I was pretty angry after investing 15.5 hours of a pretty great drama for the last 35 minutes to do this to me! I was going to give this drama a 9.5 but, frankly, the last 35 minutes were an insult to my intelligence not to mention my emotions.
The OST complimented the drama very well. I added Way Back and Look At to my playlist I liked them so much.
I will recommend this drama to anyone who likes medical dramas.
Was this review helpful to you?
Not your usual medical drama
This drama became one of my overall fave dramas and my fave medical drama (even though I'm not so fond of the genre) because it treats a lot of ambiguous topics from many angles.What I found most interesting is how I didn't expect it to be deep. The way it invites the viewer to think about things we usually wouldn't bother ourselves about much unless when we're faced with a similar situation like he meaning of pain, death and most importantly the real purpose of a doctor.
One of the main reasons I kept on watching was Ji Sung as I love his acting and how he brings every role he plays to life by conveying so much emotions but got really hooked.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Underwhelming
This show dealt well with controversial topics - euthanasia, assisted suicide, end of life issues. It is a sensitive topic in Korea, at least at the time the show was made. Often when a show deals with sensitive topics, they tend to become didactic.Plot: fairly good. It did drop the ball on a major subplot - the election of the new CEO of the hospital. From being talked about in almost every episode, it was “resolved” with one brief conversation in the next to last episode. The last episode was just odd. I guess they were trying to wrap up all the characters’ story arcs, but it felt forced and under explicated. For example, Dr. Cha (John) dropped out of contact for 3 years and the reason given was that he was getting healthy. That’s no reason to ghost people who care about him, especially the woman he says he loves.
Characters: Kang Shi Young - she oversteps boundaries all the time, snooping in Dr. Cha’s desk and his computer and following him. This is supposed to endear her to him. I never saw any chemistry between her and Dr. Cha, and found their age gap and professional relationship problematic for a romance.
The rest of the characters were ok, serving as comedic foils or for the FL and ML to react with.
Acting: FL - no matter her emotion, her facial expressions (most of the time) remained the same. She could be sad, happy, irritated - just the same face almost. ML - he was ok, but I’ve seen him do a better job in other dramas.
Not the best drama I’ve watched. For medical shows, I thought Hospital Playlist was better. However, my husband really liked Dr. John.
Was this review helpful to you?
This drama should be entitled: "Ji Sung runs places."
==Breakdown==Background plot - 60%
Romance - 30%
Misc comedy - 10%
Background plot - Good
Romantic chemistry - Excellent
Misc comedy - Good
Production value - Great
Ji Sung runs in every episode. He runs down corridors and hallways; he runs on rooftops and in parking lots; he runs through a prison and a hospital ward. He ran a lot. I ended up skipping ahead every time he started to run because it was-- no lie-- at least 30 minutes of running over the course of 32 episodes.
THAT BEING SAID, this was quite a good show because the *only* scenes I fast-forwarded were those scenes. Ji Sung is absolutely brilliant as Dr. John. I think he's the best Kdrama actor, period. I will watch anything he's in just because he's in it because I know I'll enjoy his parts (at the very least). Lee Se Young is also always brilliant and her soulful performance was no surprise here. Their romantic chemistry was off the charts and it was a delight watching them together, fall in love. Ji Sung has this ability to stare at his co-star like he's a starving puppy and those scenes always give me the feels. I'm so glad I took the time to watch this one.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
This one had me mumbling as I was watching it
Very unpopular opinion here, but it's just my opinion -I love Ji Sung - he is such a talented and charismatic actor. I don't know why I kept putting this one off, but now I wish I had continued to keep it on the back burner.
There was a lot to like about the show:
1) Ji Sung
2) Second couple - they were just so cute
3) The entire pain management team was fun to watch. They had the ability to be serious, but there was a lot of levity from them as well.
4) I loved the fact that the hospital politics was low, and we got more focus on the doctors and the cases they handled.
Now the causes for my mumbling:
1) Lee Se Young as Kang Shi Young. I have liked her acting in other works, but she really bothered me here. This character cried in every episode. She was kind of a stalker toward Dr. John and followed him around a lot. For being a resident, she had an awful lot of free time! And the strange haircut...when they first showed her at the conference from the front, I thought she had a bob haircut and it looked really cute. Then she turned around, and it WAS a bob, just with a lot of long hair underneath it. It was so distracting! Add her wide-eyed staring at Dr. John all the time, I didn't like her at all.
2) The romance. It should have been left out. I love me some romance, but the leads had absolutely no chemistry with one another. I think that this is the first time I've watched supposed romantic scenes and been uncomfortable. They acted like they were acting, and I didn't believe that they liked each other at all.
3) Do medical shows have medical advisors? If so, the advisor for Dr. John must have been on vacation when they were filming.
A woman has had her arm amputated and feels pain - she knew nothing about phantom limb pain?!?! They warn amputees about this. She thinks that he has a fever, and she checks his forehead with her hand. She checks his pulse with her thumbs.
Multiple instances of patients writhing in pain with no medical staff close to them and the side rails are down. She's worried that he's gotten this dreaded disease a few hours after contact when she's already told us the incubation period was 10 days.
They stated that the actress had not signed a DNR form, and then were yelling when he was performing CPR. And can we talk about how fake the CPR looked. Get the disease names right - it's lymphedema, not lymphadenia (maybe a translation error, I'll give a little slack on that.) There is no way they would have hired him back at the same hospital after being in prison. Him not being able to feel pain, there is no way he would have been walking around outside barefooted, at night especially.
4) The last few episodes. He leaves for three years without contact. She CONTINUES to try to reach him (have a little pride, woman!). Come to find out, he's been back for a year and following her around, then he shows up in her face and she just forgives him (she's crying of course).
I had high hopes for this, but the writing took a definite turn in the wrong direction somewhere along the line.
Was this review helpful to you?
“Some wounds cannot be seen, but they still deserve healing.”
Doctor John is an good medical K-drama that focuses more on pain, emotions and medical ethics than typical hospital stories.The drama starts strong with Cha Yo Han, a genius doctor who can diagnose patients quickly but secretly lives with a condition where he cannot feel pain.
The patient cases are emotional and often raise difficult questions about life, suffering and whether keeping someone alive is always the right choice.
The chemistry between Yo Han and Kang Shi Young feels mature and comforting rather than overly dramatic. One of the strongest parts of the show is watching Shi Young slowly understand Yo Han’s loneliness and stand beside him despite his illness.
The drama becomes more emotional after the reveal of Yo Han’s condition and his connection to the euthanasia controversy.
Some episodes in the second half feel slower and the hospital politics become repetitive. The 3-year separation near the ending may frustrate viewers because it feels unnecessary after all the development.
Still, the final reunion gives a satisfying and hopeful closure. Doctor John may not be a perfect medical drama, but its emotional storytelling, strong acting and meaningful themes make it memorable.
Was this review helpful to you?
You should watch this one (YES! )
You would recommend this to others. (YES!)
You could watch this again. (UPTO YOU)
There are some stories that impact you and leave an impression on your mind for a very long time. I would rate this drama as one of them. It leaves you thinking about pain and suffering and makes you pause and look around you to observe those who are suffering amongst you. It gives you an insight.
The topic of Euthanasia is tackled logically. There are so many theories expounded. Some we will accept. Some we won’t. The writers have done some good research on the topic. There are some rare form of illnesses which we are exposed to in each episode.
The thread of romance is beautiful and deep. The way the lead characters understand each other is beautifully portrayed. The supporting cast of doctors are very impressive in their roles. The anti-heroes are aptly placed and make you want to shake them up for not understanding. It makes you cry, it makes you laugh, It makes you empathize. The last 5 episodes take you on a roller coaster ride of emotional upheavals. It is definitely one of the finer dramas which you will watch and never regret. It does get a tear or two out of you (actually more than that). It’s worth watching.
Was this review helpful to you?
I wanted to leave here a piece of my thoughts of this drama. I have to say that when I started watching it I had very high expectations as Ji Sung was the protagonist. Well when I finished it passed over my expectations, it was so insanely great, the story was well written and the dialogues were very good nothing to complex nor simple.
The acting was SPECTACULARLY AWESOME from Ji Sung's part as always but the other junior actors also did an amazing job, Se Yojng the most noted one from my part, she is evolving in such a great actress that those two together just blowed up my mind. It is my favourite drama from all the hundreds that I have seen and such saying that I watched it 6 times in a row.
I really loved.
Also the music or ost were freaking good it stocked on my mind for days my favourite one is Way Back and Pain and Death.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
I RATED IT A 10 AND REALLY DESERVED.
Was this review helpful to you?
Let's talk about pain, death, rare and terminal diseases in a lighter way
This medical drama is intriguing, emotional and sweet.The storyline of the drama is very intriguing because it touched some sensitive topics about deaths and even euthanasia. Also the characters' story is very interesting that you'll find yourself really invested in knowing them more. I also loved that this drama begged to differ from most medical drama that deals with power and position struggle. Instead, they focused on the patient's stories making it truly heartfelt. Although, I admit the plot isn't perfect. There were parts that I felt irrelevant and that wasn't justified but it's minor issue that didn't affect the overall picture that the story is trying to paint.
The cinematography and the way the scenes are executed is really outstanding. I love it whenever the casts are having serious talk that they were being placed in some sort of different dimension to emphasize focus. (My description scks but when you watch it you'll get what I mean)
The casts also made the story more interesting. Everyone has their own attitude and way of portrayal giving variations throughout the series. Also, I can't help but really notice how charismatic JiSung portrayed Dr. YoHan. It was beyond expectations. (I find myself literally gasping for air and also my heart skipped a bit a lot of times because of JiSung. Okay, enough fangirling now.) The female lead, Lee SeYeong is a new face to me but I see that she acted really well. I just felt like her character ShiYeong is too linear that I wasn't able to see more sides to her (I guess I'll try watching her other dramas and see more for myself.) The Pain Management team also had the chemistry together making the story more convincing. The villains have also interesting stories in them and I'm glad that their characters were given depth.
Overall, even though it did not exceeded my expectations, it met most of them and I really had fun watching this medical drama. I also love the OST by the way. I keep singing it in my head. I hope you watch them too and have your pains treated by the Pain Management Department.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Definitely my favourite drama of all time ! I started watch this because of Ji Sung, but in the end, all the casting is so talented, they put emotions on every scene, like reality. The alchemy between the two leads, is growing slowly, making the show more realistic by their sentiments. There is something about Ji Sung's acting that is just like dream, he is so professional and totally immersed in his role, it's so wonderful to watch. I only disliked some little error about medicine's basics like putting ALL your hair under a cotton hat for operation. But in the end, I do not mind that because it's a serie. The plot is very interesting and refreshing so I was not annoyed even for a second while watching this, the waiting for update on episode seemed like eternity lol. I highly recommend you to watch this with tissues because you will surely cry. Was this review helpful to you?
