Here’s the synopsis from mydramalist.
Yoo Se Poong’s legendary abilities as a physician are well-known in the royal palace. Nonetheless, he was expelled from the royal court when his involvement in a conspiracy against the royal family came to light. He moves and begins work in the strange, but, beautiful, Gyesu Village.
There he meets Kye Ji Han, Sorak Village’s grumpy old doctor with the heart of gold. Upon the encounter with Yoo Se Poong, Kye Ji Han is motivated to transform the young doctor into one who heals hearts.
Another resident of the village is Seo Eun Woo, who hails from a noble family and has keen observational skills and deep empathy. Now a widow, she mirrors the stories of the heartbroken. She feels wronged by her sudden marriage and is about to become an unwilling wife who stays virtuous to a deceased husband.
I don’t use mydramalist. But if you, try to ignore the ratings of mydramalist. This one already received a rating of 6 from 1 viewer even BEFORE the show’s premiere.
Here’s what I wrote about it in “What Are We Watching in Aug 2022” thread.
It’s a genius Royal Physician who gets kicked out from the royal court because of some conspiracy.
Pros:
a. It has Kim MinJae (Dali and the Cocky Prince).
b. It’s only 12 episodes long!
c. It believe it’s a romcom. I expect a happy ending.
d. It starts today, Monday, August 1.
e. It’s on Viki. I already have subscription. I don’t have to sign up for Disney+.
Cons:
a. Then, again, it’s on Viki. Subs will take longer.
b. Dunno actress.
I’ll date this drama a couple of times to see if I like it.
If I don’t like it, I’m stepping back.
No fuss, no muss.
I have a soft spot for Minjae too. But I will try this once I catch up with my other 2 kdramas.
I saw that Dali and The Cocky Prince is in Netflix and I’ve been meaning to watch that too. 🙂
Watched Ep1&2…let’s just say I am not for or against it? Feeling rather ambivalent. Plot moves fast. Has me thinking of Bossam (because of the plight of the widow) but the story and characters are not as polished. It’s only 12eps so I am willing to keep watching for a few more eps. Just because it’s taken over the time slot for Link and Kim MinJae is Yeo JinGoo’s doppelgänger and more than once I think, “how can they look so alike?” 😂.
Grandma 👵 gets on my nerves though? She has dementia but must she flit about like a child? My grandpa had dementia and he didn’t behave like that at all. 🤔. I find it hard to take her seriously.
I watched the opening scene yesterday: when he saved the maid with acupuncture then was ordered to go attend the CP. I stopped after that.
Kim MinJae looks like Yeo JinGoo? 🤔
To me, YJG looks gullible and harmless. Kim MinJae, because I’ve seen him in Goblin and The Great Temptation (or Tempted), is more conniving. I like both their vocal timbre, though. They sound like a cello.
https://www.kpopmap.com/celeb-lookalike-kim-minjae-and-yeo-jingoo/
@packmule3 Heartily agree about their voices. Mellow. I have always thought they look alike. But now that you mentioned it, I can see what you mean about MJ looking more conniving and JG more naive.
The drama seems to be delving into “psychiatric” treatment Joseon style (Poong is limited in being able to treat medical issues because of his PTSD using acupuncture needles), a lot of the characters have mental issues.
Grandma – dementia
Little Boy – autistic (?)
FL – depression/suicidal
I didn’t know you could treat mental issues with acupuncture, @nrllee. What other treatment options were available back then?
@packmule3 I meant he was limited in his ability as a physician. He couldn’t use acupuncture needles because of a past incident. Therefore there’s only so much he could do as a physician (he could dispense herbal concoctions etc but couldn’t use the acupuncture needles to cure/heal patients). So I guess he instead used what he knew about medicine and turned to treating patients with mental issues? Which wouldn’t require him to use needles? That seems to be the trajectory this drama is headed. Hence the title of the drama – Poong the Joseon Psychiatrist?
Thanks, @nrllee. I’ll catch up later. The sight of the king’s face with boils wasn’t exactly breakfast fare. 🤪
@packmule3 No worries. Take your time. You have a lot on your plate.
It seems this show is bringing us yet another autistic character. Amnesia and prosopagnosia (face blindness) are so yesterday: autism is in!
There’s lots of tell-don’t-show in the first two episodes, which is a weakness in the writing, but it at least lets the plot move ahead quickly. Even though the writing of this show is not polished, it does seem that Writernim has a generally positive worldview: that all people have worth, and deserve empathy.
This show is another treatment of Hero’s Journey. The protagonist has been cast out of the only home he’s ever known, and must make his way using his wits in an unfamiliar world, learning lessons as he encounters people and situations. We heard the new king say he did what he could to spare the life of his childhood friend (schoolmate) so he could eventually uncover the truth behind the deaths of their fathers (King Hyun, Minister of Personnel Yoo Hoo-Myung). That is forewarning that after the protagonist has been transformed by his journey, he’ll return home to face his greatest challenge: right his world, or die trying. His success or failure will depend on how well he learns the lessons of his journey, and how well he employs them when the need is great.
Many, if not most, viewers will watch this because of Kim Min Jae. I’ve liked watching KMJ’s acting in previous shows, but I’m looking forward to seeing Kim Sang Kyung flesh out his role as the village doctor. He recently did an excellent job playing the father/coach in Racket Boys, so I’m happily anticipating another nuanced characterization.
Good that you have joined us. I feel that too @welmaris 😂. I am only guessing the little boy has autism. I agree the story doesn’t seem to be particularly riveting. That’s why I am ambivalent. It’s not a huge mental/emotional stretch for me to watch it. And seeing it’s a succinct 12eps, I am just jogging along and hope I make it to the end.
I don’t know if others are still watching this drama. I don’t think we need additional threads for this if BoD viewership is light.
For those who are watching, I thought I’d point out that Episodes 5 & 6 depicted a psychiatric condition (SPOILER) formerly known as Munchausen syndrome by proxy, but now called facetious disorder imposed on another.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/factitious-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20356028