I remember it was a great drama
The Good Doctor is my first Kdrama. I watched it many years ago so my memory is a little hazy. The show is about a newly graduated doctor with Savant Autism and it takes place in a children's hospital. The setting of the Children's hospital is perfect for this drama because the interactions with the doctors and the patients is so heart-warming and heartbreaking at times.As well as drama about the main character and other medical staff, we see drama about the board running the hospital. One of the best things about The Good Doctor is that not only does the main character learn a lot and change for the better but most people he comes across change as well. From memory the acting was very good, especially the two leads and the children were adorable.
I can see why this drama has a Japanese, Chinese and American remake, my Dad has seen the American version and I tried unsuccessfully to get him to watch the Korean version, oh well I didn't see the American version. I don't remember the music
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I also love love love how despite the rather serious concepts Good Doctor deals with, it never becomes an angsty melodrama. It was always lighthearted and funny, though it had enough intense moments to keep the momentum going. I feel like the writer could have delved further into some issues and left others out but really that would of only polished an already shining story. The plot isn't perfect but I enjoyed it for what it was and I will always look back on this drama fondly.
Just a final note to look out for: the ending has a super great cameo. ESPECIALLY if you are familiar with Joo Won's other dramas. So. Fantastic.
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American series vs original Korean Drama
i have watched American series Good Doctor while it aired, i completed S1 and was waiting for S2 and forgot about it, (never ending seasons are the problem with American series). i loved the the S1. then i came across Korean drama and i was curious so i watched it, so let me compare bothAmerican series stayed true to Korean in many ways. U will find many similar scenes. Korean drama is as good as American if you are wondering. But also both are different in their own ways. Let's discuss that. When I was watching Korean version I got the feeling that I was watching the original. Because this one was grounded like all the originals while American version ramped it up a bit but in a good way thats why we liked it. American doctor was portrayed as next level genius and we are sure he wouldn't make mistakes or mess up so we are relaxed. In Korean version he still is has same strengths but he is still a rookie doctor who just started his career, so u can't be as relaxed in this, u will be rooting for him as he grows to be a good doctor. Which brings us to the theme who do u call a good doctor, that's what Korean version is based on it has a clear setup which the American version is missing because it is taking a long deture to fish out more seasons they are doing it in a good way so keep watching it. But it misses an important character (Kim Do Han) and conflict & acceptances which the Korean has. So watch the Korean version to know what the idea behind the series was.
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Not a regular medical drama
It's not until the end that the answer to the question, 'Who is a good doctor?' is answered, and for a reason. Nobody at Sungwon University Hospital knows or is capable of answering it and it shows. We're thrust into the life of Park Si On, an autistic genius, as soon as the curtains open and go on the journey with him as he tries to make a name and place for himself at the hospital. The journey is as tough as it gets in the beginning and for a long part of the first half we are left fuming and sad at the state of affairs. Each of the incidents however, contribute to the growth curve of Si On and help establish the other characters well. Some can be easily slotted into good and bad while some waver in the middle. Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, a lot of Si On's teammates don't come around easily. It's interesting to see the best pediatric surgeons in the country, those who reduce the sufferings of children, talk to them and give them courage before their surgeries, give Si On, who literally a kid among adults, a lot of crap for things he may or may not have done. The surprising lack of compassion from them is astonishing. Anything that went wrong ought to have been because of him and the FL is not exempt from this. They each have their own, often petty, reasons for disapproving him and it's difficult to watch those scenes unfold. Though his disability is not mocked, it sure is pointed out whenever possible. This could have been a realistic look at how differently abled patients are seen in the society but it's obvious that the reasons are purely selfish.We know that eventually, these characters are not going to stay in their assigned places and will move to other squares to pave the way for a happy ending for everyone. That's where things go south. The change in the characters' opinions, doesn't come about smoothly. It doesn't originate from some begrudgingly developing respect and admiration for Si On's unpolished skills or intelligence. It's as if all the characters woke up one day after half the show was over and decided to give Si On a chance, when he has already been proving himself from episode 1! Things don't go well after that either. Romance is poorly handled. I ended up skipping a lot of their scenes. The FL, Yoon Su, at no point of time stands up for Si On and for a long time, only has to shout at him, "for his own benefit". Same goes for Do Han, though he gets better than Yoon Su in the end. Do Han and Yoon Su, Si On and Chae Kyung, honestly have more chemistry as partners. Still, Do Han and Chae Kyung's much older relationship has more to offer than the budding one of the two main leads. I was never convinced that they could work. The situations of Do Han and Si On are cleverly placed to be more than mentor and mentee (anything more would be a spoiler) but their relationship development was weak. The other characters' arcs and the patients' arcs are done well. Subplots and side plots are all good. Chae Kyung, Wo Il gyu and the Paeds department chief have the best growth after Si On. Han Jin Wook is another well written character.
The hospital politics were frankly not necessary and a lot of actors just got wasted on that side plot. The show could have been made even without those. A special mention here, though, to Kang Hyeon Tae's character, that was given the necessary credibility by Kwak Do Won's demure performance as the struggling middleman. All actors essayed their roles well, but the stars undoubtedly are the kids and Joo Won as Si On, who has completely morphed himself into an autistic individual. Moon Chae Won could have done with a better written role that didn't need her to react the same way always but at least, the repeated expressions don't frustrate you. Joo Sang Wook does well, but could have skipped delivering his dialogues in an almost monotone.
Cinematography and music suit the atmosphere. Medical scenes are not as well handled as those from other dramas are. There is more discussion than action but considering that Good Doctor aired in 2013, I have to say they did a pretty decent job. There were not many cases that required a transplant and that automatically lifts up medical dramas for me because contrary to what is shown, in reality, that is not how things work. Transplant surgeries alone do not and cannot sustain a hospital. The last episode just seemed like one big filler but none of the other cases/episodes are so that is a plus.
I watched this show in 1.5x speed and still felt it dragging at times. So I won't be in any hurry to rewatch this. The show wants to tell us who a good doctor is and develops that concept over 20 episodes. By the end, everyone at Sungwon Hospital has understood the meaning and we feel to have come a full circle. This drama is an excellent attempt to show that differently abled doesn't necessarily mean lacking. For trying to portray and understand Autism, which even in 2021 is not well understood, this drama is worth a watch. Good Doctor is good. It could have been better but at least it doesn't disappoint the viewers. Watch it!
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A Mixed Bag
This series should rightly be acknowledged for tackling the subject of autism at a time when it was still pretty much a ‘hidden’ neurodivergence. Another plus is that the story is heartwarming, there is a decent character journey and the autistic ML is more than a two-dimensional portrayal.However, that’s where the positives end. The patients’ stories are often tone deaf in their attempt to portray sentimentality. At times it seemed like they were doing their best approximation of ‘feel good’ stories that inevitably came across as clunky and clumsy. On their portrayal of autism, I can only speak as a non-autistic person and my perspective of this show is through the lens of a neurotypical person. So I am sure there are things that I cannot say subjectively whether they are portrayed well or not.
Still, I think it’s safe to say that the views of autism in this show both sociologically and medically were questionable to say the least. The science just wasn’t science-ing and even the ‘progressive’ views that were supposed to serve as the righteous ‘voice of the show’ made me cringe to know that there was a time that this was the ‘academic’ view of autism in Korea (I’m assuming the creators of this series researched Korean academia regarding autism, but I might be giving them too much credit).
What stuck out to me the most, was the notion that autism could be cured. The excessive use of the words ‘normal’, ‘stupid’, ‘crazy’, ‘mentally weak’ etc, coming from a show representing the medical profession was quite jarring. Surely, even ten years ago Korean doctors weren’t this inept in their understanding of autism, the behaviours associated with autism and whether it was something that could just go away. I expected this from the general public as they are less knowledgeable. If these misinformation were mainly being voiced by the characters that were not doctors, I could understand but the prejudice and pseudoscience was coming mostly from the ‘doctors’. I can just imagine well meaning Korean viewers, with very little knowledge of autism, watching this show in 2013 thinking they were actually learning something and gaining an understanding of autism.
Whether that was more damaging than the positives of having autism representation at the time of this release, is something I cannot say either way. But it’s a good question to ask. Of course, portrayals of people with autism have come leaps and bounds since this series was aired. Extraordinary Attorney Woo and Move To Heaven are two such examples.
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In regards to this show.... Its a good show but I kind of zoned out by ep 15.... good one to watch when nothing else to do. :)
The acting was quite okay.... nothing special to talk about...the story-line is unique and genuine.
If you have ever watched US hospital-centric shows.... this show does not really stand out that much though.
But overall a good enough show to spend some time and enjoy..... although there are some obvious cringe-worthy characters and scenes here and there :)
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Accepting People For Who They Are!
I’ve now seen three series with autistic characters being the subject. “It’s Okay to Not Be Okay” was the first with Oh Jung Se giving an absolutely riveting performance! The second was “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” with the incomparable Eu Bin Park. And ironically, despite this series coming out before all of them, I finally watched this one with Joo Won also giving a tremendous performance. However, that being said, “Good Doctor” is easily my least favorite of the three.Dr. Park Shi-On is an autistic young man who aspires to become a pediatric surgeon. Growing up with a sadistically brutal father who beat him relentlessly due to his disability, he’s eventually raised by the loving Dr. Choi who is the director of Sungwon Hospital. Dr. Choi hopes to help Dr. Park fulfill his dream; a dream he made after watching his older brother die in an accident in a mine.
Dr. Park has many obstacles to overcome, not the least of which are prejudice and discrimination, not only among his own colleagues but among parents too. Because of his persistence, he doesn’t give up and finds solace it the little souls of the pediatric ward who really don’t see him as anything other than a person. A slightly strange person, perhaps, but as a person nonetheless. Such is having the eyes of a child and seeing the world that way. Guilt, shame, and prejudice are all learned behaviors.
The first seven or eight episodes are tough to wade through as we see Dr. Park taking constant verbal abuse, especially from his mentor and superior, Dr. Kim Do Han and his chief assistant, Dr. Cha Yoon Su. Dr. Kim goes so far as to punch Dr. Park after a surgery. What is ironic is that Dr. Kim had a younger brother with autism, and yet he openly abuses Dr. Park without apology. If you truly think that abusive teaching methods are the best way to teach anyone, then you have no idea just how primitive and ignorant your beliefs are. Dr. Cha—in some ways—is even worse. She rebukes him with, “Stop acting like a kid!” She also physically hits him a number of times, but her even bigger “crime” is treating Dr. Park like he’s broken.
Dr. Kim justifies his treatment of Dr. Park with a strange question to Dr. Cha: “Would you rather have a great doctor who makes poor decisions or an average doctor who makes great decisions?” His point is that he wants Dr. Park to be the latter. However, his ignorance clouds his judgment as he clearly overlooks the third option to that question: Why not a great doctor who makes great decisions? That is what he should inspire Dr. Park to be. There is absolutely no justification for abuse. None. As an ESL teacher who has spent most of his career in Asian countries, I know that this isn’t something that has been completely expunged. Many teachers and even parents still firmly believe that abuse is necessary. They may not call it “abuse” but abuse it is.
Dr. Kim slowly begins to take to Dr. Park. However, during one particularly disturbing scene, Dr. Park is being beaten up by two bullies. Dr. Kim sees what is happening. He gets out of his car and walks to help Dr. Park. Walks. Not run. That was more disturbing than watching Dr. Park getting assaulted which showed just how little Dr. Kim thinks of Dr. Park.
Toward the last five episodes or so, it becomes clear that Dr. Cha is starting to develop feelings for Dr. Park, despite Dr. Park being rejected early on when he shares how he feels with her. However, Dr. Cha makes one big mistake when she goes out a blind date and finds that Dr. Park isn’t upset about it. Anyone who truly thinks that jealousy equals love doesn’t know love at all. Jealousy has absolutely nothing to do with love. Jealousy is about ego, power, fear, and control—things that love can never be. In many ways, Dr. Park proves himself to be far wiser and more mature than Dr. Cha, who frankly, has a lot of growing up to do.
The medical episodes regarding the pediatric patients were the most intriguing part of the series to me. I loved how Dr. Park could empathize and relate to them, using his own child-like purity. The surgeries were fairly well done, despite some serious flaws (such as doctors contaminating each other by touching each other in the OR which happened several times!)
However, the relationships weren’t quite as compelling to me. Dr. Park’s father is just a drunken, abusive tyrant, and it was disturbing to see how Dr. Park’s mother wilts around him, proving herself to be a very weak woman. The actor playing Dr. Park’s father was a bit too over-the-top for my taste. Barking and spewing nonsense in virtually every scene quickly became tiresome.
Quite frankly, the relationship between Dr. Cha and Dr. Park that develops toward the end of the series just didn’t feel organic or real enough. Moon Chae Won is a very good actress, but she almost seemed lost in how to make Dr. Cha actually develop romantic and loving feelings toward Dr. Park. She never says, “I like you” or even “I love you.” She only ever talks about how uncomfortable she is with Dr. Park possibly dating someone else (again, a sign of jealousy and possession; not love at all). “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” the romantic angle worked because the ML accepted and loved her for who she was; he never wanted her to change. We don’t get that same feeling from Dr. Cha who is constantly trying to get Dr. Park to change who he is. And anyone should know that whenever you enter a relationship with the hope of changing the other person, the relationship is ultimately doomed to fail. Relationships are always about the possibility of changing yourself, not the other person.
Initially, Dr. Cha obviously has a crush on Dr. Kim. It’s both sad and disturbing that she would find Dr. Kim even remotely appealing after his blatant abusive behavior toward Dr. Park. It certainly doesn’t speak well about her taste in men at all, Dr. Park notwithstanding.
We have a political power struggle doing on at the hospital which works somewhat well. In many ways, however, it just didn’t add much to the story, which should have kept its focus on Dr. Park.
In Jae was one of my favorite characters of the series; a young teenager who’s desperately in need of an intestinal transplant and her sister who is doing everything she can to raise enough money to pay for it. I loved In Jae’s interactions with Dr. Park. She clearly has a crush on him, and it’s sweet how she tries to help him navigate the minefield of “first love” when she finds out that the object of his affections is Dr. Cha.
Performances are largely very well done, with the notable exception of Jung Ho Geun (Dr. Park’s father). Standouts to me are Joo Won (Dr. Park), Kim Hyun Soo (In Jae), and Kwak Do Won (Mr. Kang), who plays the deputy director of the hospital with a calm, calculating demeanor which I found refreshing.
This medical drama also has the worst defibrillation scenes I've ever seen! The victims don't react or jump because the doctor removes the paddles during defibrillation! Sad that they couldn't even do those scenes right.
All in all, the series is good, but overall, it fell short for me, especially in some of its depictions of autistic people (which I found far more appealing in the other two series mentioned). I understand that they wanted to show how hard it would be for Dr. Park, but I found some of the scenes to be overkill and even more troubling how people continued to treat him as a broken man who needs to be fixed. If the moral of the series had been to treat people as they are and to accept their differences no matter what, then perhaps this series may have been far more inspiring than it truly was.
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Amazing - Could have been higher, if there were less episodes
Good Doctor, despite the nature of 'good' in the title - is actually an amazing drama that includes perhaps the best acting given by a ML that I have ever seen. While all the acting was superb, the ML was on another level. The story itself was really interesting, although at parts seemed a little stagnant and was drawn out perhaps a little too long. I would have given a higher rating possibly if they fit all the story into a couple of episodes less than the 20 created. OST was superb and was fitting with the drama involved.While this a great watch, if you are new to watching medical dramas, I would recommend something with a little more action first. If you've watched medical dramas before though I think you will be able to ease into the story better. For something created in 2013, I have to admit, what a trendsetter! In the end I did really enjoy this, acting and story especially.
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Un drama medico con una marcia in più.
Mi piacciono i drami medici e questo visto il successo del rifacimento americano e tutti quelli fatti un po' da per tutto mi incuriosiva,volevo vedere il principio di tutto.Un drama medico ma questo oltre a casi nedici di ogni tipo,relazioni medico paziente etc ha una marcia in più con questo tirocinante medico autistico che rende tutto più interessante. L'attore è stato fantastico ad interpretare questo ruolo tanto complesso e con tante sfaccettature,che dal "ritardato" con abilità fantastiche è diventato un adorabile e molto amato e stimato dottore.E ovviamente e questo che rende questo drama così accattivante.Mi è piaciuto anche che alla fine ce l'amore per lui nonostante tutto e anche per altre coppie.Ho detestato il padre di lui ? ma bravo l'attore.
Tutti bravi e bellissimo drama che prima di buttarsi sui vari adattamenti sarebbe bello vedere.
Lo consiglio a chi ama in genere!
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Excellent authentic Drama
This was wonderful. I watched the Canadian /US version first which was well done especially by the young man Shaun, who was excellent, but it wasn't a patch on the original South Korean Version. The South Korean Drama was Authentic, Heart Warming, Natural and Beautiful. , in contrast with the North American one which was Superficial, Showy, Fast and somewhat Heartless. It was well acted but the characters were what you would exect from the land of exceptionalism.I am so pleased that I tuned into this version. The Acting was fabulous and the story was Superb. The Male and Female leads were great as was their Head Doctor, I dread to think what the Americans will do to Crash Landing on You, which is a Classic that should not be touched. South Korean and Chinese Dramas leave Hollywood for dead. I am so happy that I discovered them,
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El autismo no es una enfermedad
Si hay algo que quizá nunca le podré perdonar a Good Doctor es que a lo largo de todo el drama se hablara del autismo como una enfermedad. (Ojo: un drama médico hablando del espectro autista como una enfermedad). No lo decía la sociedad sino los mismos médicos donde Park Shi Ohn se desenvolvía. No lo decían sus enemigos, sino también sus aliados. Y no fue sólo una vez sino varias veces. Eso me dejó de piedra. Hay un límite para la ficción y aquí era buena idea ponerlo.El veterano doctor que también fungía como su tutor no debería ir por la vida diciendo que Shi Ohn "se aliviará". ¿Aliviarse de qué exactamente? No hay 'cura' para el autismo ni mucho menos para el mal llamado Síndrome del Savant, porque no hay ninguna enfermedad para curar. Este pequeñísimo dato, carecería de importancia si esto no fuera visto por cientos de miles de personas que van por ahí estigmatizando el autismo y quienes lo tienen.
Aun así, Good Doctor no es un drama malo. Flaquea, como sucede muchas veces, allá por la mitad. Las cosas se vuelven un tanto redundantes, porque la trama, en sí, no es compleja y carece de profundidad. Más allá de enseñarnos cómo este peculiar médico intenta con tenacidad y perseverancia mantenerse fiel a sus sueños, no hay mucho más para mostrar. Sin embargo, tampoco es aburrido.
Vale la pena de ver más que nada por el esfuerzo que hacen sus compañeros y superiores en aceptarlo tan y como es, a sabiendas de que será un proceso largo que necesitará grandes dosis de paciencia y otras tantas toneladas de tolerancia.
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L O V E was spelled in intangible ways in this drama, mostly by the wise and compassionate hospital’s Director and ever loving hyung. It is seconded by the fellow, chief resident, senior nurse and long time young patient. The story showed the condition of human hearts when it sees a fellow human heart packaged in a different way, whether you are blood related or just another passerby on the street. I particularly liked how the drama slowly showed Dr. Park Shi On learn the gray areas in life, those that didn’t quite fit in the things he studied or memorized. Initially, he only knew about the good and the bad but he eventually learned about responsibility as well, sometimes in the hardest of ways. Not only did the series showed how his amazing brain figured out solutions to the crises of anatomical structures but it also showed how he threaded through the things of the heart that he could not quite understand. It was very encouraging to see how he didn’t give up, no matter how heart wrenching the situation was. He honestly admitted his fears and is forthright that he is “still different from others”, no pretence that we so often see around us daily, I think a combination of all these made him the loving hero in the eyes of the people around him, those who care to look I should add. In desperate times, the Asst Director’s words resonated with me , “we choose our hope”, in whatever form or shape that may be. For Park Si On, it was hyung and his rabbit.
Needless to say that Joo Won’s acting has made me believe that he was anything but autistic, just beautiful. He most definitely deserved the the award he received for this performance , bravo! His young counterpart was brilliant, I don’t know how this kid can have such a grasp of the character to portray it so flawlessly! I have nothing bad to say about the supporting cast although the FL acting on the first episode was on the overacting side I thought, made me almost drop the show but Joo Won saved it. Love how the chief surgeon portrayed his prickly facade but warm underneath role and Chief Go’s comedic touch hit the mark at the right times,
I did not like the romance part, the timeline (3 months) was too short to have a solid base for the relationship, it made the series unnecessarily longer. I really had to drag myself to watch those episodes, a lot of hits on my forward button. I didn’t really care about the political plot and not much love to the pretty manager character either. Music was so so.
Will I recommend it? Yes, yes, yes!
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