minj99
Near flawless execution of the age-old Korean drama formula
I was hesitant to watch Doctor John for two main reasons: the medical genre and the actor Ji Sung, but the positive online comments and strong viewership ratings made me reconsider. I am delighted to report that this drama is well-worth a watch. Doctor John tastefully navigates the familiar kdrama plot line and accurately nails each and every emotional delivery, leaving viewers connecting and empathizing just like our main leads.
Story:
Although the pace and structure of the story follows the familiar formula, there is just enough flavor and twist to keep viewers engaged throughout the plot. Doctor John also balances this with a healthy dose of foreshadowing while not making the plot boring and obvious. I’m not very familiar with the Screenwriter (Kim Jiwoon), but the director (Jo Soowon) has an impressive resume of tightly directed stories.
This brings me to my first hesitation with Doctor John, the hospital setting. My favorite “medical” drama is Romantic Doctor, Teacher Kim, and that drama relies less on medical complications than Doctor John. The cases in Doctor John are more severe and less believable to me, but when I do buy into the story, the cases are surprising charming. On top of this, Doctor John does not lack in connecting the patient cases to the leads’ lives, which is the strength of RDTK. Though it requires some imagination and suspension of disbelief, the medical plot of Doctor John is engaging, contrary to my expectations.
The other major component of the story is the character designs. On the surface, the designs pretty much cover all the different types of characters we expect in kdrama, and that means that viewers can relate to and root for many characters for varying reasons. I think that’s a key of why kdrama is popular with global audiences, so I can’t knock Doctor John for sticking to stereotypical character designs.
Overall, Doctor John encapsulates the things we love about Korean dramas, suspenseful cliffhangers, loveable characters, and awkward product placement (PPL). After Doctor John, I am less hesitant to watch another Korean medical drama.
Acting:
My second major hesitation for not watching this drama is Ji Sung, and that’s because of how poorly I rated him in Kill Me, Heal Me. I cannot agree with the prevailing sentiment on KMHM. However, Ji Sung outperforms my misconception and cleanly executed his role, and I can now confidently use Ji Sung as an example of an actor that meets “Main Role” expectations, especially amidst the crop of rookie actors of the past few years.
I want to clear up a small point about the “Strong Female Lead” tag; the female lead actually cries a lot. She cries because her strength is empathy (react how you will). I just wish that she could convey her “empathy” in more ways than crying. In a similar vein, many of the supporting actors only play their stereotypical characters when I would have liked to see more risk-taking acting. The caveat is that the director has shown a tendency to do this to side characters based on his past works.
Still, I found the acting in Doctor John above expectations and look forward to all the actors’ next works. Specifically, Ji Sung’s performance convinced me to go back and watch Familiar Wife, another drama I put off due to his involvement.
Music:
2019 has been an amazing year for drama OSTs, but the music of Doctor John rates average at best. In some ways, the music is an accurate representation of the drama as a whole. There is a well-planned mix of music that is carefully crafted to fit various scenes. The music always adds and does not detract from what is happening on screen. However, it does not stand out on its own and leaves no lasting impact when the scene ends.
Rewatch Value:
The only drawback to such a well executed drama is that it executed the standard kdrama formula, which is relatively safe. It is as if this drama was conceived from a focus group of veteran drama watchers listing the things that they enjoy, and the result is a mashup of ideas that are all a little too familiar. I’m sure more dramas will continue to attempt the same, and I will continue to watch them, instead of circling back and rewatching Doctor John. I can only imagine how amazing this drama could have been had it executed a more risky and daring concept.
Story:
Although the pace and structure of the story follows the familiar formula, there is just enough flavor and twist to keep viewers engaged throughout the plot. Doctor John also balances this with a healthy dose of foreshadowing while not making the plot boring and obvious. I’m not very familiar with the Screenwriter (Kim Jiwoon), but the director (Jo Soowon) has an impressive resume of tightly directed stories.
This brings me to my first hesitation with Doctor John, the hospital setting. My favorite “medical” drama is Romantic Doctor, Teacher Kim, and that drama relies less on medical complications than Doctor John. The cases in Doctor John are more severe and less believable to me, but when I do buy into the story, the cases are surprising charming. On top of this, Doctor John does not lack in connecting the patient cases to the leads’ lives, which is the strength of RDTK. Though it requires some imagination and suspension of disbelief, the medical plot of Doctor John is engaging, contrary to my expectations.
The other major component of the story is the character designs. On the surface, the designs pretty much cover all the different types of characters we expect in kdrama, and that means that viewers can relate to and root for many characters for varying reasons. I think that’s a key of why kdrama is popular with global audiences, so I can’t knock Doctor John for sticking to stereotypical character designs.
Overall, Doctor John encapsulates the things we love about Korean dramas, suspenseful cliffhangers, loveable characters, and awkward product placement (PPL). After Doctor John, I am less hesitant to watch another Korean medical drama.
Acting:
My second major hesitation for not watching this drama is Ji Sung, and that’s because of how poorly I rated him in Kill Me, Heal Me. I cannot agree with the prevailing sentiment on KMHM. However, Ji Sung outperforms my misconception and cleanly executed his role, and I can now confidently use Ji Sung as an example of an actor that meets “Main Role” expectations, especially amidst the crop of rookie actors of the past few years.
I want to clear up a small point about the “Strong Female Lead” tag; the female lead actually cries a lot. She cries because her strength is empathy (react how you will). I just wish that she could convey her “empathy” in more ways than crying. In a similar vein, many of the supporting actors only play their stereotypical characters when I would have liked to see more risk-taking acting. The caveat is that the director has shown a tendency to do this to side characters based on his past works.
Still, I found the acting in Doctor John above expectations and look forward to all the actors’ next works. Specifically, Ji Sung’s performance convinced me to go back and watch Familiar Wife, another drama I put off due to his involvement.
Music:
2019 has been an amazing year for drama OSTs, but the music of Doctor John rates average at best. In some ways, the music is an accurate representation of the drama as a whole. There is a well-planned mix of music that is carefully crafted to fit various scenes. The music always adds and does not detract from what is happening on screen. However, it does not stand out on its own and leaves no lasting impact when the scene ends.
Rewatch Value:
The only drawback to such a well executed drama is that it executed the standard kdrama formula, which is relatively safe. It is as if this drama was conceived from a focus group of veteran drama watchers listing the things that they enjoy, and the result is a mashup of ideas that are all a little too familiar. I’m sure more dramas will continue to attempt the same, and I will continue to watch them, instead of circling back and rewatching Doctor John. I can only imagine how amazing this drama could have been had it executed a more risky and daring concept.
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