It’s been a particularly mentally exhausting week as a K-drama watcher following along with the current offerings. A few Wed-Thurs dramas got preempted for elections coverage thereby halving the drama fix, and then Dr. Stranger was the talk of the town in the Mon-Tues slot with its spectacular nose dive in logic, execution, plot, and continued fandom sniping behind-the-scenes. If I didn’t like it so much in the beginning, I would drop this one like a hot potato because it’s hella annoying to deal with fans of one ship continually saying the same complaints over-and-over, attributing every ratings uptick to their ship getting more screen time, and drops to the other ship pulling down the show. If drama viewers leave DS because of the last two episodes, it’s because those two episodes sucked and there is no emotional grip on the central narrative anymore, not because one leading lady got way more screen time than the other. None of the characters make any sense on top of the story making no sense to begin with, and two wrongs together do not make a right.
There are a bajillion more interesting things in this drama than the romance element, which currently remains unequivocally two people who love each other (Jae Hee-Hoon) with nary a love triangle or any semblance of one in sight. Maybe a lopsided three-legged stool, but if I were a fan of Soo Hyun’s character I wouldn’t want her to fall for a guy like Hoon who is single-minded in loving one woman for the greater part of his entire existence. But I wonder if the writer will indeed try to amp up that pointless angle judging by the just released new stills from episode 11 showing Hoon goofing around with Soo Hyun at the hospital. I liked her character a lot early on but if she turns into someone who seeks out Park Hoon for reassurance, support, and guidance all the time because Jae Joon is a dickwad, then she’ll turn into someone as hard to stomach as the opaque Seung Hee/Jae Hee hybrid that feels bipolar and without an understandable purpose. Right now none of the characters are likable so if I was the writer then resurrecting their characters would be the top priority since there is no way to make this insane drama suddenly make sense.
The word on the street is that the production has decided to quickly revise the script for episodes 11-12 this week (hence no previews yet) in order to right a sinking ship. I hope to god it’s not to switch up the OTP because who ends up with Park Hoon is the lamest discussion worthy issue in this drama by far. I want to know definitively who the hell Jae Hee/Seung Hee is? What is the very important plan around PM Jang’s heart surgery? What is Jae Joon’s revenge plan other than convincing Chairman Oh to hand over the hospital to him? What does Park Hoon see for his life beyond living happily ever after with Jae Hee down the road? What does Soo Hyun really want, to be a good surgeon or to run the hospital and develop her talents behind the scenes? Will anyone ever stop Comrade Cha from openly lurking everywhere? When will the President of South Korea get a clue that his PM is plotting behind his back? Will Park Hoon’s MIA mom make her reappearance? Will this drama ever be fun to watch again?
I am really curious, why is nobody recapping Big Man? I watched one episode and was completely hooked. Can’t wait for next week’s episode.
I am also hooked on Big Man. Although it is a thoroughly recycled plot, the execution is excellent.
i like how you tell the problem because its true!!! ep. 11 i’m ready for another tornado.
If they revise the plot and decides that killing Jin Se Yeon’s character for the laughs again then……..I will laugh…….
Well, at least SBS realized that story took the wrong alley, plot wise. I agree with Mrs K on that one & frankly I couldn’t care less about who the puppy will end up with. The show lacks consistency & coherence & Sora being the female lead wouldn’t change anything. I googled the writer & was surprised at the poor CV: How did he get the job? Really,if LJS wasn’t in this show, I would have dropped it too. Now that’s unrequited love for you.
On the list of things wrong with this drama the romance is at the bottom of the list. I really hope the script revisions have to do with explaining SH/JH or at least trying to make the whole surgery thing make some sort of sense.
I really hope so 🙁
LOL…i want answers to all those questions too! Will we get them in the next episodes??? *sigh* that remains to be seen. I really used to look forward to this fast-paced drama, but now, i’m caring less if it’s Monday already or not…but i’m hoping that things will turn around soon…
wise comments Koala unni^^
I think the majority of people who watch this show will still watch it for the romance since that is the biggest espect for them when it comes to dramas. I wanted romance too in the beginning but now I’m just like, “kill the bad guys already!.”
I completely agree that switching up the OTP at this point would hardly do anything, but perhaps just add more inconsistency on top of another inconsistency and will only serve to topple the show down to deepest realm of drama hell. Answers is what the viewers need, so drama better giveth or audience shall taketh their time somewhere else that’s worthwhile. Having said that though, I just cannot help but pity both actors (LJS & JSY) for carrying the burden of the romance of this show, as they’re the only functioning couple left in the show anyway… So pardon me koala but I just needed to get this out of my chest. Long post incoming in 3… 2… 1…
I just want to post here what I’ve posted over at soompi to which I pointed out how the show has done a great disservice to its primary loveline that it has done the near impossible–have its viewers become desensitized to it. To a point that the actors had to be unfairly besmirched when they’ve been doing everything they can to make it work, chemistry or none. I sincerely believe that the public sentiment has been swayed unwittingly by the show to not like the OTP, and ultimately set themselves up to their own failing.
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In any case, as far as romance goes I’m truly disappointed with how the show has handled their OTP’s loveline. They have just about permanently damaged what could have been a great romance set-up, now they’re stuck into redoing the script which I largely suspect is because all of a sudden the OTP became marginalized, to a point, that not even a kiss could resuscitate the flat lining romance. Subsequently, resulting to the drop in the ratings, among many other things, which they have done to their own detriment.
The set-up of Hoon’s and Jaehee’s love in itself isn’t faulty, but the writers have made a crucial mistake by purposely hurting themselves when they suddenly cut off Hoon’s and Jaehee’s romance and throwing Jaehee into the bridge without even giving the decency of fleshing her out. Then Seunghee comes along, and the show continued to deter her development by keeping her identity under the wraps. They have created a scenario where the audience becomes reluctant and confused whether they should root for Seunghee or not, and this continued for like what, 7 episodes? There is a detachment to their romance because the show has sabotaged itself by dousing it with cold water before it could even grow hot. They were mistaken if they expected that the first 2 episodes would have been enough to carry that narrative, especially when they kept interjecting it with convoluted spy plot in between, which only further confused the audience. What could have been dedicated as a buildup leading to the climax of Jaehee’s kiss-reveal by episode 9, the show wasted it all towards muddling Seunghee’s intentions instead. Hence, by the time the reveal and kiss happened, it just fell flat. It was supposed to be a high point which culminates what could have been a romantic build up in the previous episodes, instead, the show just laid the kiss like it was some random encounter. It’s like that awkward moment of prematurely going into climax before you’ve even made penetration. I could hardly even call it as a pay-off because I was too busy figuring out if it’s Jaehee or not, I was like: “She kissed him! So she’s Jaehee after all, oh wait, she disappeared? It was just a dream? Oh it was real!” Without even realizing, they already kissed, and instead of me being drawn and immersed to the emotions of the kiss, I’m left dangling because show just kept teasing me like the deplorable harlot that it was. Until. The. Very. Last. Scene.
Seriously, show.
agree, they messed up the loveline…i’ve stopped watching it
I wish the drama would show the progress in Soo Hyun’s character as well as Hoon’s. I would love to see these two character’s journey leading them to each other. Really, i like the chemistry between the actors playing these 2 characters. As for the chemistry between the actors playing hoon and jae hee…well,pfft.
So please, writers of this show, heat my plea! 😀
*hear
Stopped watching 3 episodes ago, no sense to this drama….hope it gets better for those of you who continue to support it…..
Good job on stopped watching cause its just a waste of time. The story is a mess and not consistent. And now the story become Hoon & Soohyun love story. No more the beautiful first love story from the first two episode. I regret watching this show. Should’ve dropped it since episode 3, since Soohyun appear cause thats the start of this storu become a mess..
I’m not a fan of any of two leading females. I expected more storylines focused on the romance development between Hoon and Jaehee as most of the synopsis implied everywhere. Instead, a lot of screen time had been given to Soo Hyun and her cute interaction with Hoon. I’m not against the character of Soo Hyun in the drama. Whoever plays the role is really a good actress. Nevertheless, the disproportionate screen time allotted to two female leads is very confusing. There’re no signs whatsoever to hint Hoon’s attraction to Soo Hyun in reciprocation to her affection. It still looks like one-sided love and it’s annoying to a point that I’m really tired of her appearance on the screen. It’s just too much for a 2nd female lead if she is. If her role is designed to be the heroine instead and to be paired up with Hoon at the end, then the writer should have certain convincing plot development in that direction at this point not just showing her face more than Jaehee on the screen. Otherwise, please give back appropriate scree time to the supposed female lead who deserves it. No offense to the fans of Seo Hyun though.
For me, all the actors and actresses have been doing good jobs interpreting their roles. It’s the writer and PD’s faults to mislead the audience if they unwisely drive the drama into train wreck. I hope DS will not end up like Mirae’s Choice which left the viewers in confusion and dissatisfaction.
if not for kang sora surprise acting/LJS in the drama. would have give up on this drama by now.
JSY and her lifless emotion really trun me off.
If not for JSY and her great fans, I would have long given up this cumbersome show together with piss-poor fans that hounds it. I just want to enjoy watching, not be annoyed by people who continues to whine incoherent flak.
That was gets me with Kdramas. Fans become more involved in an OTP couple more than the show itself which in most cases leads to a shows decline. This drama was set up on the premise of Hoon & Jae Hee’s connection in North Korea and how it affects and transpires their lives in S.Korea well at least Hoon’s life in S.Korea because at the moment we have no idea what is going on in the Jae Hee/ Seung Hee plot.
This show has so many interesting storylines that I feel it will be a complete waste if you concentrate on an OTP relationship. There are other characters that need to be more developed and one of them that needs a serious uplift is Soo Hyun. What is her purpose? Why is she a pivotal character? She started out as a strong female but now it seems they are downgrading her to a pitiful, self doubting, and weak female. At the beginning of the show I saw her as a strong presence if they were going to make them an OTP but now she seems frail in comparison to someone like Hoon who has gone through some crazy as Hell stuff in his life.
I truly can’t stand when writers decide to change the direction of a show because fans want it another way as far as an OTP. I hope the revisions have to deal with the story line.
I only watched the first 2 episodes of this and have been meaning to go back to it but it seems that it isn’t worth it now.I will probably wait till the finale airs to see whether it improved or not.
If the writer decides to change the OTP then the last 10 episodes are completely and absolutely POINTLESS. What’s the point of the Budapest scene anyway? What’s the point of PH spending all of his time searching for JH? Just remember the true OTP and the OTP born for fan service. Even reply 1997 is better than DS! At least they stuck with Nareki from the very beginning even though most people were on the Chilbong ship. *sigh*
@unholy.. what is there to watch about her? all she does is show the same lifeless face on screen.
What is there not to watch about her? I like her smiling face personally. I like her as Jaehee and feel detached to her Seunghee persona. I’ve personally started watching DS primarily because of her, as I was impressed by her previous work on Inspiring Generation. Despite her less than magnificent acting skills, I feel comfortable just watching her in general, because I think that she’s genuinely a happy person. That, and as I’ve interacted with her fans, I found that they are the better lot of whom I’ve mingled with for awhile. It made me appreciate her more because I see good people support her. Sometimes, it’s the little things, you know, which makes people like other people.
Despite my like for her, I still dove onto DS because I did like the adventurous take it had to venturing to mostly unknown territory with its (over)ambitious blending of genres. I liked the spy set-up, the possibilities with Hoon and Jaehee’s romance, and less about the medical stuff. I continued watching it expecting to see a good script so that JSY can have a proper breakout and display more of what made me liker her the previously. She’s got charm as a cheerful and spunky character, less so as trying to be cold and mysterious. Unfortunately, that’s just so happens to be Seunghee’s MO.
In any case, regardless of how talented an actor is, I’ve never dropped a drama because of it. I especially don’t throw relentless venom just to express how dissatisfied I am with their acting either. Because you know what? Repeating the same thing over and over again doesn’t magically made them better. That, and also I realized that spouting the same thing over and over, just serves to spoil other people who do appreciate the said actor. My goal is not to annoy people. If I have to criticize an actor, I do so constructively. I don’t make it a point to strip the actor naked with continuous belittling words. I don’t derive joy nor pleasure in doing so.
Why keep giving attention to an actor that you don’t like anyway? You’re just reminding yourself all the wrong things which annoys you in the first place. It’s a masochistic tendency which have always baffled me.
Huh? idk why some JSY fans are so bitter that people say she is a shitty actress. It might just be because, guess what, they think SHE IS. If people aren`t supposed to say she`s a terrible actress, then what? Are only positive comments about people allowed now? I logged in just to comment for this, I am quite sure Koala herself has had repeated criticism for what she doesn`t like before.
That said, this drama is a mess. I have to laugh at how stupid it all is. and how disappointed poor JSY must be that ditching her previous drama to work on what looked like a surefire hit, did not work so well after all.
and I feel bad for her fans too. I get how hearing every netizen around call out her awful acting might make some defensive, but really, it didn`t stop until the drama became as bad as her lol.
Sorry to say but i’m one of the people who can’t stand jae hee/seung hee character.. so as long as the story isn’t always involved her, it’ll be better imo.
Hate to hear hoon always screaming “jae hee” all the time.
I kinda like eps 11, and i hope the story will always like that. Not to focus about jae hee, but focus for hoon itself and the medical issue.
Im hooked to this drama, im waiting for each and evry episode….i want to see what will happen to pm’s surgery and what will happen to hoon and jae hee, maybe it will soo hyun and hoon? Cant wait for the next episode….
Firstly, I am so glad to find a place where people can objectively analyse plot and narration of the drama rather than blindly defend one or another pairing.
I fell in love how Hoon loved Jae hee , I loved how he stepped to the path of his father. But now it all gone crazy. He can’t defend neither her nor himself. Showing off himself like a passionate doctor then with a smile throws away his doctor gown. The only romance we saw was in first 2 eps. There’s no romance, no action, no conspiracy it all gone. Hoon runs in the hospital like a kid having kindda comic scenes with Soohyun same surgery scenes nothing fantastic suitable for a genius doctor as hoon was introduced to us. Al the doctors in the hospital know nothing and hoon is the only one to perform ordinary surgeries instead of them. Ridiculous. And what happened to his everlasting love because of shippers they will turn it to Hoon Soohyun? And then it could be yet another woman? Absurd