Good Doctor; 20 episode KTV drama from the late summer of 2013.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
Story: An autistic young child named Shi Ohn is orphaned and partially raised by a doctor at an early age. This doctor soon realizes Shi Ohn's autism allows him to absorb and retain all sorts of medical knowledge that a normal person couldn't. Shi Ohn is encouraged to learn and study everything he can until he grows to adulthood, wherein he's given an internship at a children's hospital to see if he can put his extraordinary mind to use in real world practice.
Unfortunately, the autism that makes Shi Ohn so knowledgeable in the first place, also makes it difficult for him to communicate with people and grasp the nuances of social interaction in an imperfect society. He can't express his emotions properly, has trouble understanding his own feelings, and can't comprehend why people act and do the things they do (much less understand lies, jokes, ulterior motives, etc). Since he's both incredibly book smart and socially awkward, he's as equally resented as he is feared by his contemporaries; his genius might be able to solve problems they cannot, but he also might do something incredibly stupid that would put lives and careers at risk. Thus, a tentative relationship is born between Shi Ohn and everyone that now surrounds him to see if he can begin to fit in to society and be of help to the hospital and its patients.
This is a little bit of an unusual show for a K-drama. It's more of a straight forward drama about the growth of an autistic man, and those around him, more than anything else. It does retain many familiar elements of this genre; there's some melodrama, antagonists, character growth, a little humor, and somewhat of a romantic angle, but if you're looking for some juicy or outrageous or angst ridden makjang drama, this ain't the show for you.
Joo Won is the star of the show in his portrayal of Shi Ohn. This could not have been an easy part to play, but Joo Won is up to the task and remarkably believable throughout. He's got all the autistic mannerisms and ticks down pat, but more impressive is the way he's able to convey his emotions in such an effective manner without breaking character. He has to deal with a lot; being bullied, reconciling with his estranged parents, sorting out his first feelings of love, living on his own, making friends, handling disappointment, and overcoming his disability, all while he's trying to prove himself as a capable doctor and basically just get by in life. Joo Won really drives this show with his performance, and the more things progress, the more you can almost sense what he's thinking & feeling without him even uttering a word. Nicely done, Joo Won!
Joo Sang Wook & Moon Chae Won fill the other 2 most prominent parts; Joo Sang Wook plays the head doc in charge of the children's ward, and Moon Chae Won plays the prominent young female doc in the wing. Both of them were quite efficient at portraying opposite ends of the spectrum that help Shi Ohn in their own way. He's demanding and won't approve of Shi Ohn until he's satisfied, and she's kindly and supportive of Shi Ohn at almost every turn. The rest of the cast is rounded out by some hospital trustee/upper management types, the kids in the sick ward, and the rest of interns & docs & nurses; they were all effective enough in their roles portraying an antagonist or benefactor or side story character or what have you.
Writing, direction, and production were solid. The story is relatively well told, and it does make its way from start to finish rather well without ever getting too bogged down. And, of course, it all looks great on screen; this is modern day HD KTV after all, so that's almost a given with any show that's provided at least a modest budget.
If I have any complaints to level against this show, it would be the attempt to (SPOILERS) incorporate a love angle between Moon Chae Won's character and Shi Ohn; this show probably would have better off without that aspect, and, instead just stuck to its overall motif of overcoming adversity and character growth. I suppose I could complain some about some of the annoying young hospital kids, and the standard drive by method of giving short shrift to various medical terms & disorders, but young kids usually can't act very well anyway, and, you can't expect the writers & cast to be experts in the medical field when considering the inherent time constraints involved with airing these shows.
Summary: It isn't going to work for everybody, but I must admit that I quite enjoyed this show for the most part. The story is better than decent, there are several good performances (Joo Won, in particular, is outstanding), and, I thought everything was fairly well executed overall. It's ultimately a fairly sweet K-drama tale about a disadvantaged man coping with life, and, the realization that he's not really any better or worse at accomplishing this than any "normal person" trying to do the same. I actually found this to be a somewhat unique & rather heartwarming show (and, I'm saying this as a jaded, long-time viewer of KTV melodramas).
Bottom Line: Well Recommended! 8 out of 10 stars on the KTV Drama Scale!
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