Doctor Slump

A drama to be seen without biases or high expectations

This was a nice drama to watch, a plot that merges comedy and more serious parts. I found a lot of food for thought but the funny scenes made the drama enjoyable and not too heavy or boring.
By the way, talking about the balance between funny and serious parts, PHS acting reminds me a lot of Jim Carrey and his versatile talent.
What bothered me were the too many drinking scenes (I don't think that drinking so much alchool is suggested when dealing with depression and taking drugs) and the fact that a lot of subjects where brought up without really focusing on one or the other remaining on a shallow level.
Lastly...the sub-plot of the friend betrayal was really unecessary.

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A healing drama ruined by too many clichés

I was excited to see PSH and PHS act together in a medical drama too about burnout, but I was dissatisfied, disappointed, and unentertained. Overall, the drama had a slow story and pace that matched the MC's wish to take a break and refresh and her unsteady mental health. But it got boring often and was a bit of a chore to finish this. Side couple was a bit more interesting than the main couple though, shoutout to the single parents. The romance-couple moments were very cliché which was sad to see in a progressive story about directly confronting burnout and depression. I just feel like the cliché events could have taken a different and more realistic route. Comedy was a bit forced. It was a fine story but rather uneventful and unmemorable besides the two top-actor leads. ML's story wasn't spotlighted equally either so it felt rushed. It was kinda weird to see some of the guys in the drama wearing high school uniforms too.

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great telling of mental health mixed with silliness

i loved the portrayal of mental health here compared to other shows that mention it. in doctor slump, at least they acknowledge that depression and anxiety are ongoing struggles, even ptsd. it’s not something you overcome within a few episodes and some heartfelt and inspiring speeches. and the two main leads helping each other though the worst of it was a nice touch 🥹

i loved jeongwoo’s silliness and puppy attitude, even when he’s going through touch times—very accurate depiction of someone who could be struggling with mental health. it doesn’t always look like gloom and sadness.

also haneul’s struggles as a woman in a male-dominated field leading to her breaking point was very important, and i’m glad they didn’t shy away from it, and even made a good friend the bad guy even if he wasn’t inherently bad.

overall enjoyable, wonderful family and cast, and relatable asf 😭💔💗 thank god jeongwoo didn’t reconcile with his parents LMAO frick that. 🤠

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A consistent drama

Doctor Slump has a good start focusing on what hustle culture and burnout does to the mental health of a professional who is used to be outstanding and has found a wall they can't pass by. I found this storyline, regarding Park Shin Hye's character, the most engaging and I think she delivered a really solid portrayal of a person living with a depression diagnosis and going totally under the radar. We usually wonder how people get to a certain point in life and if her character hadn't been able to ask for help, one would have to wonder if her story might have been different.

On the other hand, Park Hyun Shik's character takes a more conventional arc that we are used to see in this kind of dramas: the hot shot doctor who finds himself abandoned by everyone, except this story finds way to give us glimpses at this life and how utterly lonely it has been. Almost alienated and finding a difficult time to make real connections. His downfall, I think, it's a blessing in disguise because he finds himself with the possibility of exploring other ways to form lasting relationships.

The two main characters are the perfect fold of each other and their arc together it's very endearing to watch. Going from childhood rivals, to comrades in sadness, friends and finally falling in love with each other. They have seen themselves and the other in their worst and find a way to hold up each other, only like a true friend can. And that's why they are so darn cute to watch.

There are other characters dealing with certain social status and mental health issues but theirs are never properly developed until the last minute, which is a shame because it would have given one particular character a much more nuanced story.

This is when I have to admit the story fizzles a little when it moves away from its original premise and goes into other genres that, sure, made for an interesting watch but ultimately fell flat.

Nevertheless, Doctor Slump manages to maintain the viewer entertained for its entire run thanks to the great chemistry between all the characters.

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Great Heartwarming and Healing Rom-Com

The premise of this show is annoyingly relates to me: someone who has been pressured all their live to achieve all of the expectations set by others. Then when they fail, everyone just run and leave them without any shoulder to lean. After we fail we may become hesitant: "if I choose this next, will I become happy?" But life is all about choices. We are bound to go through sadness and happiness. If you can't take it no more, just quit, does not matter what other people think. Thanks to this show to again raising mental health awareness. The story is not just good, but also heartwarming and healing-some. It shows that even you are a successful person, doesn't always mean that you will be happy. We should know that the "perfect life" that we picture in other people may not be really perfect, or we maybe will not fit in that kind of life! Yes there is a lot of misunderstandings in the relationship, but thanks to the writer that the characters always trying to resolve everything rather than putting everything into more convoluted tensions. The sudden breakup is not neccessary, but I think this can be forgiven since the both are not in a good mental state. Comedies seem to be in the right place. I also really like the narrative style. It somewhat shows that everyone has overcome their pains already.

Park Shin-Hye again does an excellent job. However, I really feel bad to the character of Jeong-Woo. His personality is too childish to his age, and he mostly overreacts at everything. Annoyingly, his appearance also looks somewhat much younger than other lead characters, even though they are all should be nearly in the same age. He looks as young as Ba-Da. On the other hand, Nam Ba-Da character is a bit cringe. At first I thought he just jealous with his more successful sister's job, but he is a total asshole. He is heartless and keeps trash talking even when he knows that everyone around him is hurting and in a depression. I always thought that the background for killing someone as "I want them to feel the same pain" is a dumb reason. Especially in this show when Kyu-Min is a doctor with such knowledge, power and money, it will be more reasonable for him to try killing Jeong-Woo in more vicious ways. Even "making him feel worse pain than me" will seems better and more reasonable.

This show most likely has already prepared to end at 12. The premises after their reconciliation are most likely a filler. The pace is slow and the level of importance does not similar with first half of the show. The second lead couple does not get a fair treatment. They get less screentime during the first half, and suddenly increase just when the writer needs some fillers. It neither bad nor destroying though, but it is quite noticable that they intent to add something to fulfill the episode number requirements. They should instead write about Ha-Neul backstory. She was a cheerful person prior to her father's death, but the writer never shows the turning point or why she chose to live an ambitious-autonomous studying life. I was going to mad when they want to send Ha-Neul abroad in the last episode but thankfully it is a twist.

To me, this is a good healing rom-com. I don't really understand why people rarely mention this show when it comes to best K-Dramas of 2024, it's better than some of the shows that they usually mention! You will learn a lot through this show, especially about giving your shoulder to someone struggling and most importantly, FIGHTING!!

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A captivating drama with resilience and hope.

I started watching this drama hoping to break out of a slump I was going through. While it was interesting, it didn’t fully meet my expectations. Having already seen many of Park Hyung-sik’s works and Park Shin-hye in The Heirs, I was drawn to this show. The story starts off well, with humor and engaging moments, but takes a strange turn around the 8th episode, which made it drag for me. I even debated whether to continue or drop it and ended up putting it on hold for three days. It was a YouTube reel from an upcoming episode that convinced me to keep going, and thankfully, things picked up significantly from episode 12 onward.

The portrayal of the doctors' struggles was, ironically, a bit of a slump to watch. However, the initial episodes were enjoyable, especially with the school rivalry and relatable workplace dynamics through Ha Neul’s character. Up to episode 7, the storyline felt solid with its focus on the leads’ careers, school flashbacks, and the family dynamic of the female lead. Ha Neul’s mom, portrayed with exceptional skill, was a standout. Her reaction to her daughter’s resignation was realistic and relatable, echoing a situation from Eomma Chingu Adil, where Bae Seok Ryu’s mother reacts similarly when her daughter leaves a prestigious job to follow her passion. The way Ha Neul’s mom evolved after understanding her daughter’s struggles was beautifully done. Her character captured the essence of a mother’s unconditional love and concern, especially during moments when she could do little but offer support in her own way—like googling ways to help her daughter recover after an accident. This scene perfectly encapsulated a mother’s innocent and sincere love.

Ha Neul’s brother added a refreshing touch to the show. His humorous presence and subtle character development, especially after his sister’s accident, were commendable. His growth and commitment to supporting her were heartwarming.

As for the leads, their relationship had a certain disconnect that’s hard to pinpoint. Their chemistry was fine but occasionally became frustrating, which thankfully improved by the end. The growth of their relationship from episode 7 or 8 to episode 16 showed significant progress, becoming healthier and more supportive.

The drama addresses workplace issues such as stress and bullying quite well, though I wish Ha Neul’s depression had been resolved sooner. The male lead’s career storyline introduced a crime-thriller aspect, which extended over much of the show but was executed effectively.

Overall, it’s a good drama that may have moments where you feel the urge to fast-forward, especially during scenes that overly emphasize mental health discussions. Despite this, it’s a story with charming leads from contrasting backgrounds who face career challenges and personal lows, only to find hope and resilience. It teaches that endings can be new beginnings and reminds us that life’s toughest moments are temporary.

I'd like to end this review with this meaningful quote I read somewhere : “One year from now, this won’t even matter.” No matter what you’re facing, remember that this too shall pass. This drama is a comforting watch, especially if you’re going through a tough patch.

Hwaiting!!

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Yay!, OK, Meh, and Boo

My theory, based on doctors I have known: medical students spend so much time in school and internships that they miss normal adult social interactions, and consequently suffer from arrested emotional development. I submit "Doctor Slump" as a case study. The maturity of the main characters wasn't what one would expect of people their age.

This series suffers from trying to be too many things: drama, romance, and comedy; the first two worked well, if inconsistently, but the third came off as juvenile and misplaced. Whether the attempted comedy was a script choice or a directing choice, it was so off pitch and over-acted that it made me want to throw things at my TV, and is primarily why I didn't rate the show higher.

A couple of things I found baffling:
1) Ha Neul's wardrobe seemed chosen to have her fade into the wallpaper - neutral on neutral. For a while I thought it was a visual reflection of the character and would perk up as her personality evolved, but nope, stayed boring and unflattering throughout.
2) How did these characters last 16 episodes without dying of cirrhosis? I'm honestly worried about the health of the script writer if she thinks this level of consumption is normal or healthy.

On the pro side: based on my personal experience, the script's treatment of depression, its manifestations, effects, and recovery hit all the right notes, particularly in presenting Ha Neul's unresolved anger from the violence and mistreatment at work as manifesting as helplessness, defeat, and demoralization. The development of her character and behavioral responses during treatment was also realistic and well handled. The development and clarity of Yeo Jeong Woo's character was a little more murky to me, but I did like that solving his business problem didn't magically solve his personal problems.

In contrast to other viewers, I thought the story was sluggish in the beginning but really picked up in the last eight episodes. The plot lines and character arcs set up in the first half of the series began playing out and resolving and that was a lot more satisfying for me than the build up. I also liked that we finally got to see a more holistic picture of Nam Ha Neul after eight episodes of more than I ever wanted to know about Yeo Jeong Woo.

I loved the gradual reveal of the family dynamics and IMO the characters were perfectly cast. Park Shin Hye is compelling in everything she does, Jang Hye Jin was the perfect Mom for this story, Yoon Sang Hyeon really grew on me as the series progressed, and I want Hyun Bong Sik's Tae Seon as my real life uncle and Kong Seong Ha's Lee Hong Ran as my real life best friend.

I won't rewatch it, but I mostly enjoyed it the first time around.

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Enjoyable

Park Shin-Hye's return to the screen in this captivating Kdrama is nothing short of a triumphant comeback. Paired alongside the esteemed Park Hyun-sik, the chemistry between the two actors is palpable, adding depth and authenticity to the storyline. With just two episodes in, it's evident that this series has the potential to etch its name in the annals of Kdrama history as one of the finest. For those on the fence about giving it a chance, fear not; the magnetic performances and engrossing plot make it a must-watch. So, without further hesitation, dive into this mesmerizing tale and witness the magic unfold!

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