Currently Watching: Romantic Doctor, Teacher Kim 2

It's been three years and one of the most popular Korean medical dramas - Romantic Doctor, Teacher Kim, finally got a second season! It's true that sometimes second seasons are not needed, and some of them fall short compared to the original. But Romantic Doctor, Teacher Kim 2 has the same unique charm we fell in love within the first season. With the lack of good medical dramas, this one is what we've been all waiting for, where the medical aspects still shine among the other genres. In this article, we, Minarii & Kate, will tell you the reasons why you should not miss this amazing drama!

     NOTE:  For now, it looks like it's not necessary to watch the first season to be able to understand the plot of the 2nd, but it would make it more logical and would be a good explanation for a lot of relationships in it. Not to mention, the first season is a simply amazing drama that is worth watching! 

     WARNING: The article might contain spoilers for episode 1-4!     

I N T R O D U C T I O N:

SYNOPSIS: Troubled with the lack of surgeons in Doldam hospital, Dr. Boo Yong Joo - known as Master Kim (Han Suk Kyu) decides to recruit the most fitting candidates himself. By a stroke of luck, he meets Seo Woo Jin (Ahn Hyo Seop), a second-year general surgery fellow, who has exceptional skills but a cynical personality, and Cha Eun Jae (Lee Sung Kyung), a hardworking and brilliant second-year cardiac surgery fellow who is incapable of assisting during the surgeries. EPISODES: 16 (1h 10min) GENRES: Medical, Romance, Drama, Melodrama SCREENWRITER: Kang Eun Kyung DIRECTOR: Yoo In Shik NETWORK: SBS

R E A S O N S  TO  W A T C H: 

  Moral dilemma: is a hospital a public good or a business?  In the drama we see a clash of two perspectives: should a hospital be run like any other business and focused on making profit, by Do Yoon Wan (Choi Jin Ho), or should hospital and doctors working in it always put the patient's well-being first, by Dr. Boo Yong Joo. We can observe the power struggle of these two characters, as they try to prove the other wrong. We follow the consequences of their actions and how it affects them and people around them. 

Do Yoon Wan was the villain in the first season too. Even though I admit that it was slightly disappointing to see him being the one causing problems again, it shows that people don't easily change and it's not so simple to become a better person. Do Yoon Wan has strong ideals and doesn't want to admit his wrongdoings. That's why the dynamics between him and Master Kim are so enjoyable to watch!

  Journey to self-redemption and discovery.    Both of the main characters are placed in a tough life situation, and we set on a journey with them, as they grow to become better human beings and great doctors. Cha Eun Jae is a brilliant cardiac surgery fellow with determination to become better every day, yet she struggles every time she takes part in a surgery. We learn that she has nausea every time she takes part in a surgery, which, if not solved, will ruin her career as a surgeon. Fear of admitting to her problems leads to her putting patients in danger, as she passes out or runs out of the room in the middle of performing medical treatment.

Seo Woo Jin was once an honest and dedicated general surgeon, but because of his righteous mind and strong sense of morality, he became a whistle-blower in the old hospital he worked. He brought to light the unethical behaviour of his colleague and in the end lost his position of a general surgeon. Struggling financially, he became a cynical person who is willing to sell his skills for a high enough price. As we watch the show, we observe how he slowly finds his old self while fighting for his patients. 

With the help of Master Kim and Doldam Hospital, both Eun Jae and Woo Jin are slowly changing. They struggle to find the right path, but the fact that they are growing as people in front of our eyes makes the drama very meaningful. And it's honestly very relatable, we all lose the right path sometimes. 

   Strong and complex main characters.     Just like in the previous season, all the main characters have their own unique charm, and none of them feels unnecessary. 

Cha Eun Jae is not the best female lead out there if we have to be honest. She's obnoxious and acts childishly at times. It's the type of character which the viewers can easily find annoying. She constantly makes mistakes, but she doesn't realize what she's doing wrong. Or she does realize it but doesn't admit it. As we mentioned above, she puts her patients in danger all the time, and it pretty much seems as if she doesn't care. And the most frightening thing is that no one pays attention to her problem. However, some of her scenes are quite funny. We are hoping for a good character development because honestly, her situation right now is so unrealistic. No matter how the writer is gonna explain it, you can't convince me that she became a doctor when she obviously can barely stand seeing blood, and a brilliant doctor as Master Kim decided to bring her to Doldam? :o 

Seo Woo Jin is a strong male lead and very skilled doctor who we can't help but adore. It's been only four episodes, but we can already see what kind of person he really is. Even though he tries to put his humanity on hold to fix his financial problems, he is still not willing to endanger anyone around him because of the choices he makes. His strong morality and sense of duty as a doctor is being tested by the tight spot he found himself in.

Teacher Kim is back with his brilliant mind and skilful hands, always saving the day and being ready with a snarky remark when one of the bad guys starts to think they are important. For people who might not have seen the first season, he probably seems like an overconfident, self-centered person, but we hope that you will slowly see how much of an amazing human being he is as we progress further into the drama. 

   Supporting characters with individuality.    This drama does an amazing job with giving the supporting characters some freedom from the main ones since they have interesting stories of their own too. 

Yoon Ah Reum (So Joo Yeon) is by far our favourite supporting character in the drama. She has an amazing observation and deduction skills, which are introduced in an entertaining way (it does not take long for her to figure out all the relationships between the Doldam staff). She is also an honest and hardworking person, taking great care of her patients. We can also see that she might have some interesting interaction with Park Eun Tak (Kim Min Jae) in later episodes. 

Oh Myung Shim (Jin Kyung) - the head nurse in Doldam Hospital, has a strong personality and she is the right hand of Master Kim. Just like Jang Gi Tae, she tries her best to protect the hospital at all costs. She's also the person that Master Kim trusts the most.

Jang Gi Tae (Im Won Hee) Among all the good Samaritans that are willing to help anyone and everyone, no matter how badly the Doldam hospital may suffer, he is the only one who tries to keep the good name and got the business side running. He tries to keep the trouble away and clean the mess that may occur with the actions Teacher Kim, at times, takes.

   Nice and not intrusive romance.    The romance between Eun Jae and Woo Jin is not the main focus so far, which is nice since we are watching a medical drama. There are more romantic scenes than there were in season one, but we still don't know what will happen later. Maybe they will focus more on their romantic relationship as the drama progresses. Eun Jae and Woo Jin's scenes are sweet, and the romance has the potential to develop nicely in the future. There obviously is some tension between our main characters and we are slowly discovering what is the story behind it.

    Stellar performances by the actors.    Ahn Hyeo Seop is exceptionally brilliant as Seo Woo Jin and I didn't expect to see him performing that well. He has always been a good actor, but he is on a completely different level here. Lee Sung Kyung is quite decent as Cha Eun Jae, and she is definitely doing a better job than she did in her previous dramas. Well, she can do better, though. That said, it's questionable if it's her acting or the way her character was written that is not convincing us so far. Han Suk Kyu is an amazing actor, and no one can portray Master Kim as well as he does. He is honestly perfect for this role.

F I N A L    T H O U G H T S:

Overall, Romantic Doctor, Teacher Kim 2 is a delightful drama with a nice story, strong and endearing characters, brilliant acting and a very well-written plot. You can fall in love with it even if you are not a fan of medical dramas.

    If you are watching Romantic Doctor 2:     What do you think about the drama so far? Who is your favourite character and is there a character you don't like? 

    If you are not watching Romantic Doctor 2:     Do you plan to? And did this article help you decide?

I don't own any of the images and gifs used in this article — credit to the respective owners.

THANK YOU FOR READING! - @ Minarii & @ Kate ♡