White Castle (2023)

The Four Musketeers of Emergency Medicine

Wang Yang Ming and Liu Fei are two newly graduated doctors who compete for one full time position at the prestigious An Kang Hospital. Liu Fei is taken under the wing of even-tempered and careful Dr. Zu while Wang Yang Ming is shoved at the curmudgeonly Dr. Lu, who is minutes away from quitting for a much better paying private hospital job. Under the tutelage of these mentors, Wang Yang Ming and Liu Fei grow their skills, learn to overcome hospital politics, and become top emergency room doctors.

My favorite character is Dr. Lu Yi (Louis). He's both an old grouch, extremely dedicated doctor, and the comedian of the group. His character growth really stems from empathy. He starts off as a brash, highly skilled but hard to get along with doctor with a massive chip on his shoulder for not getting promoted, to an understanding, confident man who is willing to sacrifice his career but not his morals for those he cares about. Wang Yang Ming and him make a dynamic duo, but Lu Yi always felt realistic while Wang Yang Ming felt a little too idealistic. All four main characters and the supporting characters were all solid, thought Dr. Guan (Big Boss Guan) is worth a particular shout-out. She was an teacher and manager to the four, giving life lessons and pushing at the right times to make these four better.

This drama could have cut down 10 episodes, as it started dragging around Ep 26. They inflated the story by adding three side romances and varying degrees of drama. My biggest criticism is that Meng Jiaoyang, Dr Bao, and Wang Huan didn't become their own strong characters - they just helped push the storyline forward and became enablers to the men in their lives. I would cut most of the romance because the medical drama and brotherhood between the four main characters really didn't need it to sustain interest in the story. The medical cases themselves also became less interesting in the second half of the drama.

Overall, one of the best medical dramas I've seen since With You (2020). Highly recommend for a pleasant mix of lighthearted comedy, drama, and brotherhood.

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