Dr. Romantic

It wasn't bad, but such is the way with 20-episode series; they’re too long. The genius doctor character was a nice refresher, as was the setting of a dingy hospital somewhere outside of Seoul. The doctors for the most part didn't disappoint, either; and they were doctors, they really treated patients, they had their moments of power struggles, but eventually they got over it. Of course then there was the element that spoiled a great doctor drama for me, and the power struggle was back, the superiority and the treating of patients was out the window. That's why I'm glad for a genius doctor who stuck to the wall and tried to treat rather than plot. It made the series more bearable, even though it was filled with such typical series ballast. I also found some perfect scenes in it, and every now and then someone overdid themselves and played it above expectations. Those were the moments that made me think that it was worth watching more, that it wasn't just a typical Korean series set in a hospital. But those moments were rather rare. Too bad. I guess the series offered me unreasonable expectations. I'm still waiting for an Asian medical series that's more like ER. This was close to my concept at times. Lots of healing, lots of talk, romance in spurts, interesting characters, great tone of voice by that master Kim, overlong, vapidly used clichés. There are a lot of procedures and diagnostics, so if you’re someone who likes "treatment", this series might be to your liking. (22/01/2017)