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!