K-DRAMA REVIEW: “Doctor Slump” Delivers Sweet and Consoling Salve When You’re Feeling Down

March 18, 2024
K-DRAMA RECAPS/K-DRAMA REVIEWS

Our healing tale has come to an end. It has been quite a journey for our leads to overcome their pain and get their much-deserved happy ending.

While life will continue to be unpredictable, they are now strong enough to deal with it.

Bunny S. watches Doctor Slump on Netflix

Episode Recaps: 01 & 02 | 03 & 04 | 05 & 06 | 07 & 08 | 09 & 10 | 11 & 12 | 13 & 14 | Finale Week + Series Review |

Doctor Slump Final Week Recap

After some hilarious back and forth, and Jeong-woo almost buying a whole jewelry shop for Ha-neul, including a bridal tiara, we finally get our much-awaited proposal scene. Hilariously enough, neither Jeong-woo nor Ha-neul considered marriage at first. Instead, Jeong-woo wanted to give Hae-in a gift while also not minding her taking it as a proposal while she just suggested they be lovers as close as family.

One hurdle remains in their way though. Ha-neul has to go on a training abroad for six months. Acting as a supportive boyfriend, Jeong-woo pretends to be cool about it before Ha-neul and then pouts all night over how much he will miss her.

With some advice from Dae-yeong, Jeong-woo realizes the training is Ha-neul’s dream and some things shouldn’t be put off. Hence, he helps her muster up the courage to accept the offer. Cue: a hilarious scene of Ha-neul and Jeong-woo hugging each other and crying over being apart.

As luck would have it, another doctor was chosen to go on the training. Which means Ha-neul won’t go anywhere and will stay by Jeong-woo’s side. The upside of this sequence is highlighting Ha-neul’s character growth. Though Ha-neul knew it wouldn’t change anything, she still expressed her feelings and spoke her mind before her boss.

Rather than blaming herself and thinking she is lacking, Ha-neul handles the situation with a new mindset. Unexpected events always happen. And while we can take a moment to feel sad, we shouldn’t let it ruin our lives.

Jeong-woo is experiencing a new beginning as well. With some help from Dae-yeong, he musters up the courage to re-open his own practice. It might not be as flashy as Dae-yeong imagined but it is worth celebrating. Instead of dwelling on the fancy lifestyle he had in the past, Jeong-woo will continue to work hard.

With the theme of new beginnings and fresh mindsets, we end this beautiful drama with Ha-neul and Jeong-woo going once again to watch the sunrise. And this time they get to watch it. When we see them off, they are in peace, enjoying the precious things they have in life and ready to face whatever life throws at them. As long as they have each other, they can overcome anything.

Doctor Slump Series Quick Recap

Arch-rivals in high school meet again at the lowest parts of their life, where they find comfort in each other, fall in love, and begin their beautiful healing journey.

Doctor Slump Series Highlights

Relatable Characters elevated by the outstanding performance of the Two Parks

What happens when two characters well-written on paper fall into the right hands? We get a fascinating tale that remains with us even after it concludes its run. Our Two Parks understood their assignment and gave us the best version of Ha-neul and Jeong-woo we could ask for without exaggeration or downplay.

Park Shin Hye as Ha-neul made me empathize with her pain and root for her happiness. When portraying a character diagnosed with depression, things can easily go awry. But instead, we got a realistic depiction here. One moment Ha-neul is excited about her first date with Jeong-woo and then a turbulent wave of emotions hits her after hearing the one who destroyed her life is shamelessly enjoying his life. That is how messy depression is.

Ha-neul had impressive character development throughout the drama. From suppressing her emotions to breaking down in tears before her doctor and letting all the pent-up pain out. The girl who couldn’t stand up for herself and had her boss push her around gained the strength to not only stand up for herself but also to support those around her.

Be it comforting Jeong-woo when he had a hard time because of Kyung-min, standing up to the PR team when they wanted to use Jeong-woo to promote the hospital, and getting Jeong-woo’s old friends to apologize to him. Ha-neul had Jeong-woo’s back.

Park Hyung Sik effortlessly balanced the humorous and downcast sides of Jeong-woo. Most of the show’s humor fell on Jeong-woo. Yet the scene of Jeong-woo sitting silently on a bench after his innocence was proven, pondering why he had to go through all this, speaks volumes about his pain.

Also, it broke my heart watching Jeong-woo cry his heart out holding the suit Kyung-min bought him after Kyung-min’s death. Jeong-woo was torn between the old days when Kyung-min was the only one he could rely on and the betrayal he felt after learning the truth. He could neither forgive Kyung-min nor erase those days from his mind and heart.

The lonely boy who had no one by his side has now got a family who dotes on him no matter what. He no longer has to push himself to get his parents’ approval. And his self-worth isn’t determined by success and titles anymore.

As a romantic partner, Jeong-woo was a walking green flag. Gently asking to hold Ha-neul’s hand, saying he was the one dying to go out with her, rushing over to the rooftop after she drunk messages him, punching Kyung-min in his shameless face after learning the truth, taking Ha-neul on a field trip and worrying to death when she was unconscious, and finally supporting Ha-neul’s dream even if it means they will be apart. Jeong-woo has set the bar too high and now I can only hope to meet a real-life Jeong-woo.

A sweet enemies to lovers tale

Even during their high school days, Jeong-woo and Ha-neul cared for each other. Ha-neul’s note might have taken some time to make its way into Jeong-woo’s hands, yet she was worried about him after he fainted from exhaustion. Likewise, Jeong-woo couldn’t bring himself to see Ha-neul in pain and lied to stop her from pushing herself too hard, eating those spicy peppers. Also, he lent Ha-neul his notes and carried her backpack when she hurt her wrists.

When they met again, the magic happened. Getting drunk, hugging each other, and regretting it the next day, going to the seaside together, deciding to be friends, getting childishly jealous, being each other’s haven, showing up whenever the one needed support, seeking therapy together, and working together as a team.

Even the way they express their feelings couldn’t be more unique. (Ha-neul calling Jeong-woo an organism she would never fall for. Jeong-woo resembling Ha-neul as a medication easing his anxiety and the kidney bean he planted. Jeong-woo describing being with Ha-neul as eating bracken and chocolate or candy in a salt pond.)

Thoughtful and well-crafted dialogues

Jeong-woo and Ha-neul’s primary love language was comforting each other. And what made it more mesmerizing is that there were no grand gestures or going out of one’s way. Just staying by each other’s side and saying things the other one needs to hear the most. Even their voiceovers and inner thoughts hit hard.

This extended to the rest of the characters as well. Ha-neul’s conversation with her mother after the flopped blind date had me in tears. Not to mention how she comforted Jeong-woo when he was in pain because of Kyung-min and called him family. It is a pity that I can’t quote every single line that touched my heart, but I will settle by re-watching these heart-melting scenes every time I feel down.

Emphasizing the importance of seeking therapy

We can really appreciate the drama’s depiction of the mental conditions Jeong-woo and Ha-neul were going through. There is no romanticizing or making light of those conditions while also highlighting the importance of having someone to lean on while going through hard moments. Falling in love doesn’t mean Ha-neul and Jeong-woo are cured. but who says we have to go through healing alone? Shared joy is a double joy. Shared sorrow is half a sorrow.

Doctor Slump Series Musings

Healing dramas are tricky. It can either dwell in darkness without giving us a proper closure or take the easy way out without exploring the hard feelings properly. Here, we got a gratifying balance between light and heavy moments. Which extended throughout the drama run, breaking the tradition of how things turn too dark in the latter part.

One scene Jeong-woo was feeling desperate. And then, he gained hope after Ha-neul showed up with new evidence. Ha-neul was questioning everything about her life, only to find Jeong-woo rushing over to comfort her. We see Ha-neul breaking into tears after her conversation with her mother. And then we get a childish Jeong-woo kicking the air in his bed.

A breakup scene amidst heavy rain to break our hearts, and then a tender kiss and some workplace secret dating shenanigans to make us swoon. Ha-neul getting into a horrible accident and then Jeong-woo feeding her himself. Jeong-woo crying his heart out and then deciding to follow his heart and let time heal his pain.

One main strength that could go either way in this drama for viewers was its pacing. Notably, the series never rushed things or dragged things out, just the right pacing. You see, when someone is facing a slump, they don’t miraculously get better. It takes time. But with support from our loved ones and persistence, we can get back on our feet.

It has been a while since I got to enjoy a finale week without having to worry about a last-minute twist thrown in. Instead, the drama wrapped up the tension in the penultimate week so we can get to spend a whole week following our leads as they revel in their much-deserved happiness. I have to admit the drama almost got me with the overseas training but it was wrapped up well and even emphasized the character growth our leads went through.

The drama promised us healing and it more than delivered on that front. And with such an amazing finale week, I am more than willing to cover my eyes from any downsides (the limited screen time Dae-yeong and Hong-ran had) and return for a watch whenever it felt hard to go on.

Photos and Videos: JTBC Drama

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Bunny Sonaki

I am Bunny. Just like you, I am smitten with Kdramas and look forward to watching every Kdrama out there, but is that dream ever possible since they keep showering us with new dramas every day? For me, Kdramas are my comfort zone and a warm hug that makes it possible to face up to whatever life throws my way.

  1. Minnie

    March 20, 2024 at 1:06 am

    “Share joy is double the joy. Shared sorrow is half the sorrow.”
    Wow! You covered everything so beautifully! Doctor Slump was a joy to watch.

    1. Bunny S.

      March 20, 2024 at 10:02 am

      Thank you for your kind words.

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