You know this Bitch’s rule: if you don’t want spoilers, don’t read my blog.
Things I disliked:
Let’s get this out of the way.
1. Cha Eun Jae
I didn’t watch Season 2 but I’ll take a stab at guessing her role back then. She helped the introvert Seo Woo Jin (Ahn Hyo Seop’s character) come out of his shell, didn’t she?
She raised my hackles when she reminded me of a stock character in movies called the MPDG. (No, that’s not one of the sixteen personality types in that Myers-Briggs test). MPDG stands for Manic Pixie Dream Girl.
Tvtropes.org describes the MPDG as follows:
She’s stunningly attractive, energetic, high on life, full of wacky quirks and idiosyncrasies (generally including childlike playfulness), often with a touch of wild hair dye. She’s inexplicably obsessed with our stuffed-shirt hero, on whom she will focus her kuh-razy antics until he learns to live freely and love madly.
source: tvtropes.org
My unfavorable opinion of her was crystallized in the first scene when she was bellyaching about driving at night in rough terrain.
CEJ: You know there are three things I never do after sundown. One of them is driving at night. Does this make any sense right now? I don’t even driv eon an eight-lane road in Seoul at nighttime. But at this time of night, And on a bumpy unpaved road at that? (hitting a bump) Gosh! My goodness!
I wanted to tell her, “Just shut up and drive.” Was she this yappy last season when there was a medical emergency?
Then, upon finding Master Kim, the first thing that she did was to nag him.
CEJ: Gosh! Master Kim! Were you here the whole time? Why didn’t you answer your phone? Do you know how many times I called you? (panting)
How narcissistic was she to make this about her?
Dr. Kim: Hey. I’m on my precious vacation. Don’t you know that?
CEJ: Of course. I do! But it’s a gunshot would patient.
There! Instead of scolding him for not answering the phone, she should have immediately briefed him on the medical emergency that required her to seek him out. Besides, she was only a subordinate. She wasn’t in the position to question him why he wasn’t picking up his phone.
CEJ: (continuing) We got an emergency call from the Coast Guard. For now, Dr. Seo Woojin, Insu, and Euntak went to the site. But the patient seems to be in bad shape.
Ugh. Why couldn’t she be calm and collected like Dr. Seo Woojin and nurse practitioner Euntak? I hope she calms down in the future.
2. Cha Jin Man, EunJae’s dad
Two things about his existence in the plot. I get that there has to be a villain in the drama but….
a. It bothered me that Eunjae (EJ) and Dr. Seo WooJin (WJ) have been dating for quite some time but EunJae hasn’t reveal the the identity of her father.
(Or has she? Not having watched Season 2, I don’t know if this was Cha Jin Man’s first appearance on the show.)
I think if you’re in a relationship serious enough to move in together, you should have exchanged some information about family members like their names, occupations, and residences, It’s weird that you’re sharing bodily fluids with the guy/gal, but you still don’t know diddly-squat about his/her parents and siblings.
b. I think the cliffhanger in Episode 2 is rather uninspired.
CJM: I’m calling about the position at Doldam Trauma Center that you offered. I have a condition if you want me to work there.
Dir. Park: Yes. What is it?
CJM: Boo Yongju. I want you to remove him from the Trauma Center. The Trauma Center without Boo Younju then I’ll consider it.
Really? Who does he think he is to make such a demand? Now I get where EJ’s narcissism came from. Like father, like daughter.
c. the gratuitous naked torso scene of Ahn Hyo Seop
We’ve seen his torso in “Lovers of the Red Sky.” Wasn’t this scene in Episode 2?
From kateknowsdramas’ tumblr
So I wasn’t surprised that we saw it again. His fans didn’t have to wait because the naked scene was in Episode 1.
His contract must still include a clause on nudity/semi-nudity for fan service.
BTW, where’s Kim MinJae’s naked torso?
Things that I liked:
1. catwalk of Ahn Hyo Seop and Kim MinJae
Ahn Hyo Seop’s hair reminded me of a shampoo commercial. Pantene??
2. The story arc of the Defense Minister Ryu Woongil
His name was mentioned in the beginning of Episode 1 when WooJin and EunJae got off the helicopter. Dr. Kim and his team saved his life.
At the end of Episode 2, the Defense Minister repaid the favor when he rescued Dr Kim’s North Korean patients from repatriation, and granted them entry to South Korea.
One good deed deserves another.
3. The medic applying to Doldam Trauma Center
I’m sure he’ll have an interesting background story. I look forward to watching. I just hope, however, that he won’t turn psycho like in “Uncanny Counter.”
The evil spirit in “Uncanny Counter.”
source: overly-dramatic.com
4. Dr. Kim’s romantic idealism
I get why Dr Kim/Dr. Boo YongJoo is considered a romantic.
Here’s his romantic speech in Episode 1.
Kim: Even on the battlefield, it’s human nature to treat the injured, No matter what side they are from. Moreover, these people risked their lives to come down south to survive. Also, they’re civilians. Tacking on all that political situation nonsense to this…isn’t that foul play?
Assistant: You should watch what you’re saying.
Kim: I’m just saying that we should stick to our jobs! Captain. You and I both work our butts off day and night so we can save people’s lives. Then we should save the man’s life first. The political situation is for the politicians to deal with. Isn’t that right? Isn’t it?
Here’s his romantic speech in Episode 2.
WooJin: Those people…was it really right for us to send them back? Was there no way for us to protect them?
Kim: (sighs) Woojin, it’s enough that we did what we could. Oftentimes, between ethics and reality, what is right and what the solution is, is hard to balance. It’s just better for us to do our best as doctors. Okay?
Of course, he stepped in and called in a favor. Hence, Minister Woongil texted him back, “Since I granted you this favor, I no longer owe you anything.”
5. So, what does it mean to be Dr. Romantic?
If you watched Season 1 and/or 2, feel free to share your opinion.
But here’s what I gleaned from watching these first two episodes of Season 3.
a. A romantic hero is a genius. In books, a romantic character is someone distinguished and exceptional.
Episode 2 began with a montage of applicants
Also, Director of the hospital admitted to Dr. Cha that he was in awe of Dr. Kim.
Park: This is the reason why I stay at Doldam Hospital. Master Kim is a different person when he’s in the operating room. When he’s in his zone, there’s nothing I can think of. I only have respect for him.
b. A romantic hero makes and follows his own moral code. He doesn’t adhere to strict rules and formal procedures. Instead, he relies on his experience, judgment and conviction to discern the right thing to do.
That’s why Dr. Kim was adamant that his patients be operated upon to save their lives.
c. A romantic hero enjoys a quiet, contemplative life. He doesn’t mind a solitary existence and enjoys his own company.
Dr. Kim pursues quiet hobbies like night-fishing and hiking (wasn’t he hiking in the forest in Season 1, Ep 1?).
Also, in Episode 1, WooJin found him standing in the hallway, lost in thought.
In Episode 2, WooJin walked on him again, contemplating the surgical rooms.
d. Lastly, a romantic hero must have dark past life to brood about.
Like, who’s this?
I’m sure I missed other elements of being Dr. Romantic. But I’m pacing myself since I still 14 more episodes to go.
😂😂😂😂 I am delighted that you harbour the same opinion of Cha EunJae as I did when she appeared in S2. I couldn’t stand her character. She was a lot worse…because she was a surgical resident…cardio thoracic mind you…and she was desperate to stay there. But here’s the thing, she knew full well that she was one to feel queasy during surgeries. So…in her desperation to not be “found out”, she opted to take sedatives to calm the queasiness. Problem was, the sedatives would calm her nerves but it meant that she would nod off during surgeries? How is that even a plausible scenario? Picture this. Patient has chest wide open. She’s assisting. She nods off. Oops… the instrument she’s holding slips…I just couldn’t stand her whining. It was all about her. What happened to duty of care? What happened to her conscience as a doctor to “do no harm”? 🙄🤷🏻♀️. Instead of opting to choose a career (non surgical) that is less of a risk to the patient in her care, she harps on about how hard she worked to get to where she was? And she refused to even contemplate changing careers. How selfish can you be?
I only stayed for some of the S2 eps for dimple couple. Kim MinJae and the cute ER doctor with a bob haircut. I didn’t make it to the end.
Kalimera @Packmule3!
I want to watch this, but I haven’t finished S2 yet. So, I cannot watch this ongoing at the moment!
I really like Kim Sabu. ❤️
the lady in the last picture i think was Kim Sabu’s old flame (played by Kim Hye-soo). she appeared on a special episode in season 1, so that makes season 1 a total of 21 episodes instead of 20.
@Cleopatra,
I began watching Season 1 but was turned off by that heat-of-moment mouth attack in the first episode. To be honest, I was already mentally straining myself to watch the episode since
a. I never found the female lead actress attractive (her jaw looks out of sort with her cheekbones) and
b. Yoo Yoon Seok’s good image was overshadowed by Dr Maggot’s face from Hospital Playlist.
So when that kiss happened, it was the last straw that broke the camel’s back — or this packmule’s resolve.
Look, if I got to play tonsil-hockey with a colleague every time there was a stressful situation at work, then I’d be the weariest whore in the office. 😒 Watching two horny doctors cope with the emotional fall-out from their temporary insanity just wasn’t my cup of tea.
As for Season 2, I may watch it if I can’t follow Season 3. So far, the personalities of the characters are easy to understand because they follow a trope.
Ahhh…thanks @GMPL. Did the episode show how the relationship ended?
How do I watch this on Disney+ I have the app but there is minimum Asian content. Do I need a VPN? I Think Disney deliberately y gives Americans very .title in the way of international content unless it is Spanish language. I 5hink they’re making a b8g mistake.
@OAL, I watched it on Dramacool. As usual, Disney+ (North America) won’t have it available on its platform till after the kdrama is finished in South Korea. Tell us if using the VPN will do the trick.
S1 and 2 are on Netflix (but not S3). I know because hubby binged it not long ago.
@nrllee,
Netflix (North America) doesn’t have S1 and S2. But Viki does.
Re. Cha EunJae
😂 Interesting that we both didn’t warm up to her character. Is it because we’re boomers?
She sounded self-absorbed.
There was one scene in Ep 2 where she also nicked a vein. The lights suddenly turned off in the whole hospital wing, so her knife slipped or something. Dr Kim quickly reassured her that it’d be okay. I guess he remembered her past accident and didn’t want her to lose confidence?? I don’t know…
I also think that the screenwriter has this tendency to glorify a surgeon who can “feel” his way through the veins and/or internal body organs of a surgical patient. That is, a genius surgeon is someone who has a preternatural sense of touch that he doesn’t need to rely on his sense of sight to perform an operation.
I feel you, packmule3 😂 i was hoping eunjae and the actress proved me wrong in s3 but that 1st ep, drove me to sleep. I picked it up again the next day by skipping the rom-com and excluding her from my view 😂. Eunjae reminded me of maggot when she tried to reprimand the young resident on the ship.
I am sorry you feel turned off by s1ep1.😅 if it gives any solace, kdj x ysj changed their hairstyles after that i.e. 5 years time jump. 😁😁 HP kinda lamely copycat plots/characteristics of RDTK i.e. prof secret relationship with a fellow doctor rings a bell? 😂 If you watched the whole s1 you will notice the similarity even from ep1. But to me, RDTK 1 remains the superior medical drama than HP 1 and 2 combined. It’s the messages in rdtk1 that made it an all time favorite medical drama for me. 😁
S1 is full of high adrenaline stuff, screaming and such… even for kim sabu. He has turned a lot softer now in s3. S1 is the root to Dr. Romantic series. Where three main characters found each other and the learning & understanding of one’s principles began. A lot of questions being thrown to KSB as KDJ tried to find his right path(?)/understanding as a doctor. In contrast to S2, KSB went out to scout for talents, as in S3. Hmm, I think that yys returning to s3 might be more than just one ep. They probably will end the series with all casts from s1 to s3. There is even a hint of the possibility that ksb’s gf might make an appearance as well. They showed her picture in ep. 2 of s3.
Kim hye soo as ksb gf. They did not really break up, just drifted apart due to their respinsibility as a doctor, different path. She went to join Doctors Beyond Borders. He went to US. This seemingly used for kang dong ju and yoon seo jeong as well. In s2, it was briefly mentioned kdj was stationed at an island as part of his military duty and ysj went to US. He was supposedly to end his duty in 2022, and her pasport expires in 2023. Yys is sure to return in s3. Not sure about Seo Hyun Jin, the actress who played ysj. She was the lead female in You are my spring drama.
The new villain of s3 and his upcoming conflict is kinda predictable. I am ok with the medical cases except for dad did not approve my bf plot🙄. Cliché.
The reason I stayed with rdtk 1 is because its minimal romance plot, and more of the medical cases, the surgeries. Hope we dont get too cheesy rom in s3. 😁
Looking forward to the building collapsed episode next!
@packmule3 the fact that we’re boomers may have something to do with it 😂. I would’ve counselled her to pick another specialty. That was more suited to her obvious inadequacies. The drama showed how she “persevered” and “conquered” her fears but I found it hard to believe. The fact that she kept saying she deserved the spot because she worked so hard for it just rubbed me up the wrong way. Not once did she consider the dangers she posed to the patient. 🙄.
No she didn’t have a past accident that I remember but she did fall asleep (due to being drugged up with sedatives) during surgeries as a resident. The scenario I put up was a hypothetical. Or at least I think so. I didn’t watch a lot of her scenes in S2 because I couldn’t stand her self absorbed ranting. 😂
Boomers unite. I must say I also stopped watching S1 after that kiss in Ep1 (too fast, too rough, not my kind of romance). I only continued at a later date after someone told me the drama improved once it got to Doldam.
Right, nrllee.. I was turned off by shj’s character and story initially too🤭… it was mt first watch of her project and she was not in my good book then😅. There was also a lot of screaming going on 😂… it took me a few more ep and a rewatch to warm up to her and the whole arguments between YSJ X KDJ X KSB. As acknowledged by the guys, the actress is really good in her acting, to the point that both guys were put on guard and it resulted in three of them giving their very best performance. It was disappointing when HP did not utilise the skills that YYS learnt and prepared for his previous medical works. Only RDTK allows him to fully practise those skills. In the end, he no longer needs a hand double for the surgery scenes and did it himself, and has also become KSB’s hand double.
I think RDTK 1 may take a while to digest for new viewers. Like nrllee said, it does get better along the way 😊
To answer packmule3 on Dr. Romantic, Kim Sa Bu, you nailed the introduction of ksb from S1. 🎉🎉 He is all a to d.
His dark past is not his gf. It was his inability to safe a young medical student diagnosed with cancer who he regarded as his new student. At that time, like kdj, he was living a life tempted by what fame and money were offering him. It was until later that he realised he was used by others who took advantange of his skills via ghost operations i.e. using his name as lead surgeon but the operations were done by others and charged high fees for it.
If you still remember SongHwa from HP, whom was deemed as the wiser of the 99ers. This is where I said the imitations are obvious, at least to me who watched rdtk1 first, before HP. KSB habit is making handrip coffee in his room listening to the cassette given by his late student. A madonna song, brooding. He likes to hike as well, where he met and saved ysj. Another solitude activity. And fishing. SongHwa? 🤭
The harsh reality and lessons he learnt while working at Geosan once upon a time opened his eyes, changed him. He was really tough towards kdj and ysj in S1. Even Do In Beom bore his wrath. He may be tough, but he has good reasons. To him, that is him teaching his romantic principles of life, of being a doctor to his juniors. I think he got all these during all his brooding sessions 😂
“Don’t give up asking questions about why we live and what we live for. The moment you give up on that, the romance in life ends.” Kim Sa Bu.😊
Just wanted to stop by and say a big THANK YOU for opening this thread @Packmule3! Really appreciate it!
I haven’t watched episodes 1-2 since between work/volunteering and hosting an exchange student from the States recently there has been a lot going on. Hopefully I’ll be able to watch episodes 1-2 this week before the next episodes air.
Thank you to everyone who sent me encouragement and your blessings. Our company’s musicals finished in April and many people were touched. I still listen to the musical songs on YouTube sometimes since they are so uplifting and powerful.
Have a great day friends!
Kalimera @Packmule3,
As @miracle23 commented above, I have watched Dr. Romantic Season 1 first and then HP. So, I enjoyed it without having anything in mind. I am currently in Episode 10 of the second season, that’s why I want to finish it and then start Season 3.
Still, I enjoy all the interactions and the way Kim Sabu influence everyone to become better doctors and consequently better persons.
P.S. I am also watching Dr. Romantic Season 2 on Netflix.
Hi everyone 😃. Finally a post for RDTK in this blog!
Just wanna say that I love this medical drama so much and I deem it the best med drama! The way they show those surgery scenes is what made me love it! I can’t find beautifully shot surgery scenes in other med dramas at all.
Since I initially watched this drama thinking it’s a romantic love drama, I’d like to declare that the romance plotline of S2 is better than S1. I skipped all the romantic scenes between the lovers in S1. Whereas in S2, the couple is from academic rivals to lovers, they helped each other since med school, they got each other’s back and the romantic plotline in S2 is easier to digest. Well, good thing RDTK is all about a different, better kind of romance. All the lovey-dovey scenes are just a fraction of the overall drama. This is another reason why this med drama is the best!!!
I would also like to defend CEJ a little bit. She sure is stock up, but it’s all because of her family and general upbringing.
One time, she listed her numerous reasons on quitting med school. But the con of quitting for her is that she would make her mother sad. They’re a family of doctors after all.
(Fun fact: Her list of pros and cons of quitting is what made Woojin stay in med school despite his financial difficulties.)
All the pressure of having her dad being a renowned doctor, her brother being another dr in the family, and her mom for pushing her to become like them, she studied so hard and became a top med student and eventually the top CS resident and fellow among her peers.
Yes it’s unfortunate that she dosed off during surgeries pre-Doldam and Kim Sabu intervention as a result of the extreme pressure to be the best, but it is easier said than done to just quit being a doctor after putting so much effort all those years. And it’s all to please her family, especially her mom.
But despite that, she came to love being a doctor, that’s why she took that medicine because she wants to practice what she painstakingly studied.
Thanks to Kim Sabu and Doldam, Eunjae finally stood her ground. She was able to solve her dosing off problems. And she stood up against her mom. When Woojin discovered a malpractice done by EJ’s brother, her mother beg EJ to beg WJ to brush it off and make it as if nothing wrong happened. Yet, EJ choose to be by WJ’s side and made her brother admit and apologise to his malpractice.
EJ’s brother ended up having his license suspended for a year. This is when the Cha family at odds for the first time. And it’s because EJ chose to support WJ. But EJ still treasure her family and wants to reconcile with them. That’s why it’s difficult for EJ to introduce WJ to her family as her lover.
I guess after 3 years, it’s kind of frustrating that they haven’t come out to society as a couple. It’s also questionable that WJ haven’t seen EJ’s dad even before his appearance in the trauma center, at least he should’ve known what EJ’s father looks like. And now WJ and Cha Jin Man are at odds not only personally but also professionally. EJ again needs to stand up and deal with this problem.
If anything, I hate the Cha family. But not everyone would go no contact to their families. Asian family values and all. I guess the Cha family dynamic and how they change as they spent more time in Doldam is one of the things to look out for in S3.
Thanks to Kim Sabu and Doldam, Eunjae finally stood her ground. She was able to solve her dosing off problems. And she stood up against her mom. When Woojin discovered a malpractice done by EJ’s brother, her mother beg EJ to beg WJ to brush it off and make it as if nothing wrong happened. Yet, EJ choose to be by WJ’s side and made her brother admit and apologise to his malpractice.
EJ’s brother ended up having his license suspended for a year. This is when the Cha family at odds for the first time. And it’s because EJ chose to support WJ. But EJ still treasure her family and wants to reconcile with them. That’s why it’s difficult for EJ to introduce WJ to her family as her lover.
I guess after 3 years, it’s kind of frustrating that they haven’t come out to society as a couple. It’s also questionable that WJ haven’t seen EJ’s dad even before his appearance in the trauma center, at least he should’ve known what EJ’s father looks like. And now WJ and Cha Jin Man are at odds not only personally but also professionally. EJ again needs to stand up and deal with this problem.
If anything, I hate the Cha family. But not everyone would go no contact to their families. Asian family values and all. I guess the Cha family dynamic and how they change as they spent more time in Doldam is one of the things to look out for in S3. I believe the Cha father-daughter duo will change for the better. That is how Doldam’s romance is about
Thanks to Kim Sabu and Doldam, Eunjae finally stood her ground. She was able to solve her dosing off problems. And she stood up against her mom. When Woojin discovered a malpractice done by EJ’s brother, her mother beg EJ to beg WJ to brush it off and make it as if nothing wrong happened. Yet, EJ choose to be by WJ’s side and made her brother admit and apologise to his malpractice.
EJ’s brother ended up having his license suspended for a year. This is when the Cha family at odds for the first time. And it’s because EJ chose to support WJ. But EJ still treasure her family and wants to reconcile with them. That’s why it’s difficult for EJ to introduce WJ to her family as her lover.
I guess after 3 years, it’s kind of frustrating that they haven’t come out to society as a couple. It’s also questionable that WJ haven’t seen EJ’s dad even before his appearance in the trauma center, at least he should’ve known what EJ’s father looks like. And now WJ and Cha Jin Man are at odds not only personally but also professionally. EJ again needs to stand up and deal with this problem.
If anything, I hate the Cha family. But not everyone would go no contact to their families. Asian family values and all. I guess the Cha family dynamic and how they change as they spent more time in Doldam is one of the things to look out for in S3. I believe the Cha father-daughter duo will change for the better. That is how Doldam’s romance is about.
(*Pardon me for submitting this comment several times. There’s a problem with internet connection in my end. Sorry)
I am putting RDTK 3 on the back burner till 10 June…. I tried, I really did… 😮💨 But I fell asleep twice now while watching…. and it did not help that upon a sudden woke up, probably due to the screaming, I saw EC dad throwing tantrums in his scrub… 🤦🏻♀️ went straight back to sleep. 😂
I will return on 10th June. 🤭🤭🤭 Till then KSB~