This review may contain spoilers
A public health doctor with chronic island trauma faces an acute island heart-flutter alert.
If you don't have time to read the whole thing, skip to the end where the conclusions are :)
Doctor on the Edge introduces us to Do Ji-eui, a plastic surgeon working at a university hospital. To fulfill his mandatory military service, he quits the hospital and becomes a public health doctor. He wants to avoid being stationed on an island, due to the trauma he feels towards islands and the sea. Unfortunately for Do Ji-eui, he is assigned to the remote island village of Pyeongdongdo, a notorious island that every public health doctor would prefer to avoid. There he meets nurse Yuk Ha Ri, who works in the Pyeongdongdo public health department. She used to work at a university hospital, but for some reason, she moved to Pyeongdongdo and now works as a nurse. She is passionate about her work and cares deeply for her patients, but she also harbors a secret.
As a public health doctor in the remote island village of Pyeongdongdo, Do Ji-eui helps the island's inhabitants and learns from them—people full of stories and unique personalities.
This drama presents a very common premise: the typical city protagonist who ends up in a small town and gets involved with one of its inhabitants. But this drama did it differently (at least in the first half). I must say I started watching it without expectations and didn't think I'd like it, because I honestly didn't like Lee Jae-wook's acting. But it changed my mind. I started it because I didn't know what to watch, but from the first episode, I was hooked, and I realized it wasn't what I expected. I watched all four available episodes back-to-back, and I must say I enjoyed them. I loved how it blended small-town situations with medical situations. Then came the week of episodes five and six, and I have to say my rating dropped from a 9 to an 8.5, but I still liked it. Then, in the second half, it seemed like the drama I started watching was replaced by another. I would have liked them to have kept the same pace, but they introduced elements from a romantic comedy. In the second half, tragic events began to unfold, abandoning the comedy that had initially captivated me. It seemed like the writer had something against the other protagonist, as something was constantly happening to him or he was being blamed for something. Another issue was that I felt the protagonists' relationship wasn't explored, or they didn't spend enough time together, because they would argue or drift apart, and their romantic moments would be interrupted, which was disappointing. Overall, I'd give the story a 7.5. /10
It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't what I initially expected, though it still kept me engaged.
The series uses typical small-town characters. I liked the medical team, although Dr. Chi-yeon irritated me at times. I was saddened by the death of Ha-ri's grandmother; these kinds of scenes always affect me, and this one was no exception, especially the scene with the painting.
Here is my analysis of the main characters:
Do Ji-eui (Lee Jae-wook): A former plastic surgeon at a university hospital became a public health doctor in Pyeongdong. Haunted by a deep trauma related to the sea, he gradually overcomes his aversion to island life through his work caring for the local residents.
To be honest, I had never seen a drama starring Lee Jae-wook and avoided the dramas he starred in because his acting didn't appeal to me, but I must say I was surprised. He portrayed a doctor perfectly, and the kindness he showed to his patients was so striking that I think I underestimated him.
Yuk Ha-ri (Shin Ye-eun): A nurse who transferred from a university hospital to a public health center. Beneath her kind exterior, she hides a secret past and begins to falter after meeting Ji-ui, who shares similar wounds.
Just like with Lee Jae-wook, I'd never seen a drama with Shin Ye-eun before, but I must say she did a good job as well. She portrayed a nurse who is kind to her patients. Something that bothered me was how they tried to make her seem selfish at times, since her personality was fine. Although I understand it, given that she suffered the loss of the person she loved most, she still shouldn't have blamed Ji-eui.
Overall, I give the acting a 9.5/10.
I found the soundtrack good and relaxing. Among my favorite songs are "This Is How Love Begins," "What If," and "Love Electric," so I give it an 8/10.
Would I watch it again? Probably not, since the first part disappointed me a lot, and it didn't make me want to watch it again like other dramas have, so I give it a 7.5/10.
NOTE: I was expecting a different ending scene, like everyone reunited or showing how their lives had gone, but oh well. One thing I liked was that at the end of each episode they included different quotes from the episode. Other dramas should do this too.
In short, Doctor on the Edge is one of those rural town dramas that unfolds in a fierce way. It shows us the doctors on remote islands and their struggles and dedication to the series. It mixes romantic comedy in the first few episodes but ends up including the typical sad second part, which is a shame because this could easily have been a 9/10 for me, but in the end I give it an 8/10.
THANKS FOR READING
Doctor on the Edge introduces us to Do Ji-eui, a plastic surgeon working at a university hospital. To fulfill his mandatory military service, he quits the hospital and becomes a public health doctor. He wants to avoid being stationed on an island, due to the trauma he feels towards islands and the sea. Unfortunately for Do Ji-eui, he is assigned to the remote island village of Pyeongdongdo, a notorious island that every public health doctor would prefer to avoid. There he meets nurse Yuk Ha Ri, who works in the Pyeongdongdo public health department. She used to work at a university hospital, but for some reason, she moved to Pyeongdongdo and now works as a nurse. She is passionate about her work and cares deeply for her patients, but she also harbors a secret.
As a public health doctor in the remote island village of Pyeongdongdo, Do Ji-eui helps the island's inhabitants and learns from them—people full of stories and unique personalities.
This drama presents a very common premise: the typical city protagonist who ends up in a small town and gets involved with one of its inhabitants. But this drama did it differently (at least in the first half). I must say I started watching it without expectations and didn't think I'd like it, because I honestly didn't like Lee Jae-wook's acting. But it changed my mind. I started it because I didn't know what to watch, but from the first episode, I was hooked, and I realized it wasn't what I expected. I watched all four available episodes back-to-back, and I must say I enjoyed them. I loved how it blended small-town situations with medical situations. Then came the week of episodes five and six, and I have to say my rating dropped from a 9 to an 8.5, but I still liked it. Then, in the second half, it seemed like the drama I started watching was replaced by another. I would have liked them to have kept the same pace, but they introduced elements from a romantic comedy. In the second half, tragic events began to unfold, abandoning the comedy that had initially captivated me. It seemed like the writer had something against the other protagonist, as something was constantly happening to him or he was being blamed for something. Another issue was that I felt the protagonists' relationship wasn't explored, or they didn't spend enough time together, because they would argue or drift apart, and their romantic moments would be interrupted, which was disappointing. Overall, I'd give the story a 7.5. /10
It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't what I initially expected, though it still kept me engaged.
The series uses typical small-town characters. I liked the medical team, although Dr. Chi-yeon irritated me at times. I was saddened by the death of Ha-ri's grandmother; these kinds of scenes always affect me, and this one was no exception, especially the scene with the painting.
Here is my analysis of the main characters:
Do Ji-eui (Lee Jae-wook): A former plastic surgeon at a university hospital became a public health doctor in Pyeongdong. Haunted by a deep trauma related to the sea, he gradually overcomes his aversion to island life through his work caring for the local residents.
To be honest, I had never seen a drama starring Lee Jae-wook and avoided the dramas he starred in because his acting didn't appeal to me, but I must say I was surprised. He portrayed a doctor perfectly, and the kindness he showed to his patients was so striking that I think I underestimated him.
Yuk Ha-ri (Shin Ye-eun): A nurse who transferred from a university hospital to a public health center. Beneath her kind exterior, she hides a secret past and begins to falter after meeting Ji-ui, who shares similar wounds.
Just like with Lee Jae-wook, I'd never seen a drama with Shin Ye-eun before, but I must say she did a good job as well. She portrayed a nurse who is kind to her patients. Something that bothered me was how they tried to make her seem selfish at times, since her personality was fine. Although I understand it, given that she suffered the loss of the person she loved most, she still shouldn't have blamed Ji-eui.
Overall, I give the acting a 9.5/10.
I found the soundtrack good and relaxing. Among my favorite songs are "This Is How Love Begins," "What If," and "Love Electric," so I give it an 8/10.
Would I watch it again? Probably not, since the first part disappointed me a lot, and it didn't make me want to watch it again like other dramas have, so I give it a 7.5/10.
NOTE: I was expecting a different ending scene, like everyone reunited or showing how their lives had gone, but oh well. One thing I liked was that at the end of each episode they included different quotes from the episode. Other dramas should do this too.
In short, Doctor on the Edge is one of those rural town dramas that unfolds in a fierce way. It shows us the doctors on remote islands and their struggles and dedication to the series. It mixes romantic comedy in the first few episodes but ends up including the typical sad second part, which is a shame because this could easily have been a 9/10 for me, but in the end I give it an 8/10.
THANKS FOR READING
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