KBS2, 2013, 20 episodes
Genres: medical drama
Written by Park Jae-bum
Directed by Ki Min-soo, Kim Jin-woo
Music: Choi Cheol-ho
More information: Wikipédia / HanCinema
Good Doctor:
More Than a Medical Miracle
Behind the title Good Doctor—logical based on the content, yet perhaps not overly attention-grabbing—hides an outstanding, extraordinary drama. It succeeds in creating a superb combination by linking the popular medical genre with stories concerning cognitive developmental disorders. Perhaps the drama's greatest achievement, beyond the experience it provides, is that it likely raises questions in many viewers regarding the story's real-world feasibility: is this really possible? Not being a specialist, I cannot provide an answer. But it is no small feat if the story functions within cinematic reality, and if we carry the emotions it evokes into our surrounding reality.
The protagonist, Park Shi-on (Joo Won), is a young man living with Savant Syndrome, which means he possesses above-average abilities in certain areas while being severely limited in others. Shi-on aspires to be a surgeon; he has already graduated from medical school with excellent results and has been admitted as a resident to the best pediatric clinic in Seoul. The institution is led by Choi Woo-seok (Chun Ho-jin), who has supported Shi-on since childhood and now takes personal responsibility for hiring the boy on a probationary basis, despite resistance to his admission.
Shi-on’s commitment is given a backstory: an aggressive father kept the family in terror, constantly humiliating his younger son, whom he considered disabled. Shi-on was protected against an exclusionary and abusive peer community by his older brother, who died as a result of an accident involving the boys. Thus, Shi-on was placed in an institution at the age of eight, cherishing the scalpel from the medical toy box given to him by his brother.
The head of the clinic's surgery is Kim Do-han (Joo Sang-wook), who struggles with self-reproach due to his own younger brother's death. Since his brother had symptoms similar to Shi-on’s, he projects his inner anger onto the boy. At the same time, he is not only an excellent professional and charismatic leader but also a decent man capable of grappling with his own mistakes and errors.
We meet Shi-on during his journey to his new workplace. The boy, who moves somewhat hesitantly, changes completely when he has to save a child injured in an accident at the airport; he acts with focus and determination. However, upon entering the clinic, his ordeal begins. Despite colleagues perceiving his extraordinary memorization and visualization skills, which place him far above the others in diagnostics, he is sidelined due to severe deficiencies in social interaction.
His first supporter is one of the female surgeons, Cha Yoon-seo (Moon Chae-won), who, looking past the boy's awkwardness, recognizes that in his own unique way, he can provide highly effective emotional support to patients. Consequently, she takes Shi-on under her wing, who constantly learns from her and the sick children alike, striving to understand and master the human interactions considered correct that cause him difficulty. The drama presents this process—not devoid of conflict—along with the shift in his colleagues' attitudes through a series of numerous humorous, improbable, or deeply moving situations.
Meanwhile, the life of the clinic goes on; patients arrive one after another, and we gain deeper insight into the lives of some through Shi-on’s activities. These "stories within the story" not only contribute to sketching Shi-on’s full personality but also serve as general lessons for us. We see the relationships of parents and children, siblings, dreams, and desires fall to pieces as a result of illness; Shi-on is able to provide help in rearranging and redefining these in a simple but extremely effective manner.
In the background of all this, a battle for the future of the clinic takes place, as investors and some of the management see the solution to current operational problems in transforming the institution into one that only provides paid services. Naturally, we wouldn't be in a Korean drama if a bit of personal revenge didn't color this plotline.
Beside Shi-on’s professional struggles, we do not have to miss the romantic love interest either. The drama’s strength is how it guides Shi-on and Yoon-seo’s relationship through various stages. These segments are very thought-provoking because they confront us with the consequences of an approach that, even if filled with the purest intentions, is not sufficiently attentive. It is worth observing how playfully, yet undisguisedly, the series presents the "slip" that occurs in the first stage of the relationship: although perhaps unconsciously, the woman "charitably" acts somewhat superior (one might call it mothering), essentially viewing Shi-on more as a child-like being than an adult, while masculine emotions are normally born within him. It is moving to see the woman realize this, and this makes her emotional uncertainty and self-examination—which eventually leads her to what she truly feels for the boy—believable.
One could elaborate at endless length on the acting performances of the various cast members, particularly regarding the drama between the two male protagonists. The many child actors must be highlighted, each of whom delivers an amazing performance, even when they had to bring the most improbable roles to life. I do not believe we have seen anything in the cinematic world comparable to what Yoo Hae-jung showed in bringing the little Mowgli-like girl to life.
Despite all its color, Good Doctor is ultimately Joo Won’s "tour de force." He crafted Shi-on’s character with incredible meticulousness. His posture and movements are constant yet change depending on the boy's mental state, which fluctuates between great extremes. But portraying breakdowns caused by stress or frustration is no obstacle for Joo Won, just as it isn't for depicting emotional release or humor. Shi-on’s development is clear, and although he cannot entirely shed the symptoms of his disorder, his attractive personality shines through them.
Despite the difficult subject matter and the not-too-cheerful setting of surgery, the entire drama has a relaxed atmosphere. Although we, as viewers, fall from one moving moment to another, the drama evokes these while completely omitting sentimentality or artificial, mood-setting cinematic tools. Perhaps the songs closing the episodes are the only exceptions—they are overflowingly emotional, though the quality of their performance must be acknowledged.
The Peter Pan performance seen at the end of the series, presented to the patients by the hospital staff, is a textbook example of something purely entertaining and infinitely kind breaking out from a tightly-knit cast. Thanks to all of them for it.
I do not believe there is anyone who would not take Shi-on and all twenty episodes of Good Doctor to their heart.
Both the drama and the lead actor received multiple awards. In 2017, the American network ABC created a remake of the series (which expanded with further seasons), and in the following years, Japanese and Turkish versions were also born.
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