I stumbled upon this because I was looking for more Lee Sung Kyung and this popped up! I remember kind of passing by it and thinking the title was odd but boy am I glad that I watched this! I feel like I'm kind of opposite from people- I didn't watch the first season before this one so I think I can have a more subjective view of this story. It's full of mixed reviews but has a generally high rate and I wholeheartedly agree!

STORY
You really don't need to watch the first season to understand- I just read up on the wiki page about Kim Sabu and I was fine! A lot of people mentioned that the story can be hard to follow because the storytelling is non-linear. It's definitely a little confusing- especially if it's your first time seeing non-linear storytelling, but I think it was very effective. There were some portions that could be improved- such as when Park Min Gook becomes the president- boy that part got a little confusing- but otherwise, I think the non-linear way of telling the story was able to put different scenes together that needed to be seen together. It also creates the feeling of never really knowing what time it is- and I think that's very important. In a hospital, you can lose track of time because of the business of the whole place, and it really portrayed that pretty well and I appreciated it a lot. Some people also mentioned that scenes would cut from emotional to happy scenes, not allowing us time to really digest it- for me I generally had a good view of it. It gives off the feeling of one person's happy moment can be sad for another, and shows the duality of time and emotions. It also helped me not brood for too long. However, there were some times where it would have been more appropriate to leave us with certain emotions. I really liked how people were often left out of the loop though, as it was very realistic- not everyone can know about every single conflict in the hospital at once. I love how they showed us patients' stories and really helped us feel for them. It was a good balance of medical stuff and story- not too much showing off (was pretty realistic) and it humanized everyone- from doctors to patients.

One thing that could have been done better, however, was the climax and the villain. I've heard that the villain was the same from the previous season, but of course for me it didn't make much of a difference- just that I wish that there were higher stakes and more struggle against Chairman Do. However, in general, you can tell that the main conflicts had to do with the personal situations about each doctor and patient. I liked that aspect- though the middle admittedly got a little draggy. I know a lot of people also complained about the pacing and how some conflicts seemed anticlimactic. I appreciated that they didn't drag it out too much though, and conflicts were resolved pretty well. However, it's true that EunJae's could have been explored much better than it was.

In terms of the romance, I can see why people didn't appreciate EunJae and WooJin that much- I personally like that their romance was left to the side so we can see them sort out their own issues at first. Plus, you can tell from those gazes of WooJin's that he's loved her for a while and you can see how EunJae slowly comes to realize that she's falling for him. For me the pacing seemed realistic- yes they weren't a super swoony couple but they needed to put aside their issues first and become mentally strong. That last kiss was a long time coming though. Okay, but of course I loved EunTak and Areum. As well as Kim Sabu- let's face it. We're all here for Kim Sabu.

CAST
Hi everyone was amazing- there's not much else to say here. I really appreciated how AHS has grown as an actor though and can finally handle a male lead role well and has a good script that helps showcase his abilities. Him and LSK are such a pretty couple (I'm still a NamLee shipper though). However, the hands down best acting came from HSK. He completely embodied Kim Sabu and I cannot imagine anyone else as him.

MUSIC
The music was superbly done. It always matched the scenes perfectly, and the main OST Go Away Go Away has been playing on repeat for a while. I love the mood and musicality of it so much!

REWATCH VALUE
The only reason why this isn't a 10 on rewatch is that I'd probably watch it 10 times before only watching certain scenes? It's not timeless but I love it so much to watch it again and again!

THEMES
I love how "romantic" Kim Sabu makes the whole hospital experience. He brings together the patients and doctors, the doctors with each other- even couples! He has the best quotes and really embodies what he teaches. The whole family atmosphere that he has a large hand in creating makes Doldam what it is, and there really is something romantic about his skills.

CONCLUSION
Immediately had withdrawal symptoms. I watched it with my fam, only doing two episodes a day, so for me the general pacing was fairly natural. It really depends on how you watch it. I like how they left the MS though and the trauma center to be built because it sets things up for another season pretty well, though they should think of another main villain if they bring back all the Oddballs (I hope they do esp because I'm watching the first season now) because most of their individual problems have been solved. I loved this series, and it's officially on my favourites!