Doctor Slump (2024)
Grade: B-
16 episodes, 1 hr each
Viewing Platform: Netflix
Nam Ha-neul and Yeo Jeong-woo were rivals in high school, with dreams and talent to go far in the medical field one day. However, almost 20 years later, each of them has experienced major setbacks in their careers and personal lives. Ha-neul is diagnosed with depression and suddenly quits her job at a prestigious hospital in Seoul - she has severe burnout, but the mistreatment of her professor and an older peer stealing her dissertation work is the last straw. Jeong-woo is embroiled in a medical scandal and has PTSD from it, as a patient of his dies on the operating table under mysterious circumstances, and all his friends abandon him. Will the two rivals actually find comfort in each other, all these years later? And will justice finally be served for those who have taken advantage of the two bright doctors?
*Good production value, nice music, decent plot - it's all fairly grounded in reality, though. I was hoping for a traditional Kdrama trope when the mom lies and says Ha-neul is dating Jeong-woo - but they do NOT play along with the mom's deception! With the show including characters in therapy, the conclusion is not that people will be happy, but that they'll come to accept and be strong enough to deal with life's miseries. Then there was the love interests - the male lead has a fun, cute character, but I was actually more interested in the secondary male & female characters' love story. Overall, I could have used more drama; not bad, but not a favorite. Good enough for a first watch.*
