Asa child, a man and his father are kidnapped and brought to North Korea. The man grows up to become a genius surgeon. When he is finally able to return to South Korea, he begins working at a hospital. He's desperate to save the woman he left behind in North Korea.
Imagine wanting to be with your lover, but in order to do so, you have to compete in medical surgeries to score points to be a lead doctor in a VIP surgery that involves a conspiracy between North and South Korea. This is not makjang, and certainly not an average medical romance story, but rather a mix of genres to keep everything balanced. Everyone gets to have a taste of something, and I am going to ignore the collective groan I just heard at that point.
The unintentional humor at play is another plus for this drama. For instance, the protagonist fleeing on a motorcycle is cornered by enemies between a staircase and a car in a narrow alley. It is impossible to escape, but this is fiction, so the hero rides straight at the evil guy standing on top of the stairs, and boom! The bike sweeps across the antagonist, in addition to partially hitting him in the process, and continues its onward journey with the lead. Actually, people call this suspension of disbelief or plot armor, but if it does not involve throwing the phone or pulling the hair in frustration, it definitely gets a brownie point.
Speaking of coupling, I know that the majority disliked the character pairings, but the core of the plot was built on a strong foundation of love, and to break it would mean undoing the entire plot progression and making the entire drama a joke. In hindsight, the quick resolution in the finale episodes does raise the question of whether that was the case. Nope! The couple earned it. The easy way out does not nullify the obstacles in the journey.
All those who have not watched Doctor Stranger yet have the added advantage of going into the show with the end pairings in mind. This leaves a lot of room to observe the consistency in the writing, which we complain about a lot, but never fully comprehend because we watch dramas while wearing our hearts on our sleeves.
While I remain unconvinced, I'm sooo glad that you shared your positive thoughts about this drama. It certainly gave me another perspective to consider which was rather fun. I do agree with you about the hot male leads and the awesome Kang So Ra. And I did find quite a bit of humor amidst all the craziness. Lee Jong Suk was so entertaining as the title character. I mean, even his hair joined in on the fun!
I was disappointed when they changed his frizzy hair to a straight hair. Actually on second thought, dramas have their characters nonchalanty change their hair in the later half, but this drama gave a good reason for it. Maybe I am reading too much between the lines than was intended by the PD/writer, but I was convinced.
This proves that there really is an audience for every drama ?. I am definitely one of those left with PTSD from this show but I can still endorse your first point - the MLs were the reason I stuck with the show! Lee Jong-seok was great and I can only be grateful that the show introduced me to Park Hae-jin.
If you go to
You'll see it got a well-earned "F" rating
(If you are new here and weren't aware of those rating pages, do yourself a favor and look there before you leap into any oldies)
Oh I remember reading the first link years back! Loved their 'Odds and Ends' series. I still cackled at Jin Se-yeon needing to run faster ?. I've seen the ratings page but sorting by High to Low makes you miss these gems!
I love your links! Thanks for sharing them. Its fun to go over what others think about many dramas I have watched. Loved Javabeans and Girlfriday too. They are the culprits responsible for my HUGE love of Kdramas!
I laughed harder at this post than I do at most dramas (The ones trying to be funny, that is). Absolutely marvelous, @emsel. I don't know that I'm going to take the bait, but I suuuure thought about it ???
Do you also remember the scene where Cha Jin Soo shoots at the ML in the hospital and then the drama goes on like nothing happened? People weren't running around screaming, no cops were called, even the leads weren't that terrified ?? There were a lot of funny stuff happening.
I am watching old dramas for the first time now due uninteresting crop of current kdramas, so I watched "City Hunter" few months before it and thought the first two episodes were inspired by it. Ironically, I dropped City Hunter because it was too boring, but stuck to this "bad" drama.
The start is mind blowing with amazing cast, but I drop the drama. I keep telling myself, It is Kang Haneul and Ha Jiwon!!
but the story *sigh* .. at least Doctor Strange sometimes makes me curious of what happen next, even though I end up disappointed.
Thanks @emsel for being brave enough to mention a drama it was always going to be hard to sell. I watched this in my early K drama watching days but it had too much drama for my delicate self so dropped it quite early.
This is brilliant @emsel! HAs to be said, I think there's a "desperation" algorithm at Netflix - shows no-one is watching keep coming up on people's "Recommended for you" lists. Dr Stranger is always on my list and I've always ignored it due to Beanie loathing. But now, just maybe, I will give it a go, armed with the attitude you prescribe. You sold it well :)
Sometime ago, beanies in fanwall mentioned a weird problem of receiving emails on DB notification which was linked to comments from this drama. No one had, in recent times, commented on the recaps for this drama and it was "strange". I guess this drama and beanies are supposed to be destined together and that's why you got Netflix recommendations :P
She was only somewhat tolerable in GRAND PRINCE, but I attribute it to YSY chemistry magic. Otherwise I avoid her like a plague. And that one Daesang nomination... joke of the century, still can't believe it actually happened. Were jury collectively high or what?
Medical procedurals are always an exciting option to binge-watch, and the bestmedical K-dramas put a unique South Korean spin that sets them apart from their US counterparts. K-dramas come in all genres that have fans enthralled from comedy, romance, and even medical dramas. Medical K-dramas still cover a broad range of genres, such as those in the world of psychiatry or veterinary or historical and supernatural, within their given storylines. These K-dramas have some romance, riveting thrills, the supernatural, and even laugh-out-loud comedy.
There are plenty of gasping and holding-your-breath thrills in the best medical K-dramas, as they often entail life-or-death situations both in the ER and the rest of the hospital. Whether a surgeon or psychiatrist, medical K-dramas can explore a variety of different procedural avenues. Romantic storylines in K-dramas are always a bonus feature, but not necessarily a requirement to make the list of best medical K-dramas. These medical K-dramas are considered some of the best to have premiered in South Korea and are beloved by international fans as well.
While it didn't win any accolades, A Poem a Day is a must-watch K-drama due to its relatable characters, emotionally charged episodes, and intriguing love triangle plot. It is also nice to see a medical drama highlight the support staff who are so vital to ensuring things run smoothly yet don't often get the spotlight in shows like this.
Cross is one of the most intriguing medical K-dramas as it introduces an exciting thriller element into the story. The show focuses on the career of a doctor named Kang In-Kyu (Go Kyung Pyo), a brilliant first-year resident doctor who has excelled in his young career so far. However, his dedication is revealed to have a secret motivation as Kang wants to use his position as a doctor to fulfill his plan to avenge his murdered father.
D-Day is an intense medical K-Drama with a twist as it was also tagged with a natural disaster storyline. Surgeon Lee Hae-Sung and orthopedic resident, Jung Ddol-Mi are faced with a monumental challenge. Both doctors are stuck in Seoul after a sinkhole appears in the city following an earthquake. The sinkhole causes the city to be blocked off as there's no electricity, water, or the ability to call for help. As doctors, Hae-Sung and Ddol-Mi work together to treat patients and those wounded.
There is a certain over-the-top aspect to the show that feels similar to a lot of natural disaster movies as the show attempts to be a notable entry into that genre. However, the best aspects of the show are dealing with the medical emergencies that arise in such a situation. Seeing doctors as the heroes of a disaster is a refreshing take on this kind of story.
What is great about the medical K-drama genre is that they are not afraid to mix in some other genre elements, such as Live Up To Your Name combining a medical drama and a time travel adventure. Dr. Heo Im (Kim Nam-Gil) is an acupuncture specialist from the Joseon Era of Korea who caters to the poor. When he fails to treat the king, he is pursued for treason only to find himself transported to modern-day Seoul where he meets cardiothoracic surgeon Choi Yeon-kyung (Kim Ah-joong).
The wild premise sets up a very interesting approach to a medical show as it is a fish-out-of-water story of Heo attempting to understand modern medicine and getting taught by Choi. The two approach medicine from very different perspectives, which creates an unlikely partnership for them in an odd couple who can teach each other a lot.
Fans of the Canadian medical drama Saving Hope may find a lot to like in the similar medical K-drama Ghost Doctor with its fantasy twist. Dr. Cha Young-min (Rain) is a highly skilled surgeon who finds himself in a coma. His spirit is able to leave his body and join forces with another less experienced surgeon, Go Seung-tak (Kim Burn). While the latter has extensive medical knowledge he has a great fear of blood and clumsy practical skills.
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