Good Doctor is about a man with Savant Syndrome who is a brilliant surgeon, but has the emotional development of a child. He struggles to succeed as a doctor and fit in with his co-workers in the pediatric department.
Good Doctor is a very heartwarming drama that highlights one man’s road to achieve his dream. It touches upon some complex issues that tug at the heart. At the same, the drama never feels to heavy and adds in some humor to compliment the story.
Joo Won was fantastic as Park Shi On. Shi On has always struggled to fit in, but after tragically losing his older brother as a child, he has been determined to succeed. While he is very awkward socially, he is smarter than most doctors because of his ability.
Joo Won really encompassed this character by portraying the unique mannerisms common with Autism and Savant Syndrome. He was fully believable in the role. If you’ve seen some of Joo Won’s other roles, you will know that he has quite an amazing acting range which is very much on display here.
Moon Chae Won was great as Cha Yoon Seo. She’s a sweet and kind woman with a warm heart. She’s one of the first to help Shi On and sort of take him under her wing. It’s easy to like Yoon Seo, and it was great to watch her professional and personal journey.
Kim Do Han is a very stern man who is initially very opposed to Shi On working at the hospital. I found his gruff personality difficult to warm up too. But as he eventually lets down some of his walls, we do get to see what’s underneath. His character then slowly becomes much more appealing.
There are plenty of wonderful supporting characters that populate the hospital including fellow resident Jin Wook (Kim Young Kwang), the Director (Chun Ho Jin), patient In Hae (Kim Hyun Soo), and many more. They all form the family that is part of our pediatric team at the hospital.
The patients at the hospital have very engaging and heartfelt stories. There are so many little moments that make you ponder the meaning of life and relationships. Good Doctor did extremely well as creating an enjoyable world of characters.
Shi On and Yoon Seo are bit different from the usual couple. They begin their relationship with Yoon Seo looking out for Shi On as a sort of protector and mentor. But in many ways it was that of an adult and a child.
Things are complicated when Shi On develops feelings for Yoon Seo, but she does not reciprocate them in the same way. But their friendship continues to grow, and Shi On continues to mature. This allows Yoon Seo to finally be able to see him as a man.
The drama then explores the complexity of Yoon Seo’s feelings for Shi On as well as what a romantic relationship would mean for them as well as those around them. I thought the drama handled the relationship very well with a slow, natural progression as well as effectively communicating that both people were fully aware and able to commit to a relationship. And with that said, I found Shi On and Yoon Seo to be a very adorable couple.
The drama definitely had some negatives for me though. Of course, I generally don’t care for medical dramas as a whole. I’m very selective whenever I choose one to watch. And Good Doctor had most of the things I dislike about medical dramas.
As to be expected, there are plenty of surgery scenes which I never care for. There are lots of hospital politics too which I find incredibly boring. The series also has a more episodic feel with new patients to treat each episode. That’s always common in the medical genre, and it makes it more difficult for me to get really invested.
But there is an overarching story which mostly consists of Shi On’s personal journey. We watch him come against adversity while also growing as a person on his journey to become a surgeon. He has a lot to overcome between his disability, hostility from those around him, and a lot of trauma from his childhood involving his brother and parents.
It was easy to root for Shi On, and the drama brought his story to life well. I felt his growing pains as well as celebrated his triumphs. And being able to connect with Shi On helped me to connect with his patients and their individual stories. There are plenty of heartwarming moments as well as some deep thoughts to reflect on throughout the drama.
Good Doctor was an overall enjoyable watch. It’s a great drama in the medical genre with likable characters that you root for and emotionally engaging stories of patients. It was a wonderful story of one man’s journey to beat the odds and achieve his dream with the support of those around him.
My Rating: 7/10
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