Dr. Romantic 3 (2023)

Doldam squad is back! I mean both the cast and the crew!!

Dr. Romantic is probably one of the very few series that keeps going consistently in all its seasons and even betters itself. S2 confirmed it and S3 is looking to cement my opinion.

The stage is all set and all the players are on board. That includes Director Park Min Guk who is now on Kim Sabu's team. And what a cute pair they make! with Director Park following Dr. Kim around like a puppy, discussing the hospital with him, taking his advice, respecting his decisions, nagging and whining at him. It feels so wholesome. As if S2 ended yesterday. And that applies to all characters. They don their character skins like they never changed out of them and played other roles.

Two new doctors join Doldam this season- Jang Dong Hwa (Lee Shin Young) and Lee Seon Wung (Lee Hong Nae). They have interesting traits and their arcs look promising.

Another aspect that continues from the previous season is the character dynamics. Woo Jin's reverence and affection towards Kim Sabu, the two playful romances between Woo Jin and Eun Jae and Ah- Reum and Eun Tak, the friendship of Nurse Oh, Dr. Nam and Gi Tae, the camaraderie among In Soo, Bae Mun Jung, Woo Jin and Eun Tak, are all preserved. Mr. Koo makes an appearance too!

The theme song, background score, the medical accuracy and the nostalgic shots of the Doldam Hospital are other things you can see.

I have mixed feelings about the actor who plays the antagonist but keeping those aside, he seems well written, almost as well as Director Park from S2, while also baring some uncanny similarities. He has the motive and means to be a formidable opponent and his story is something to watch out for. Though I wonder if I'd be any more sympathetic later.

As always, ratings may fluctuate as the episodes go on but I doubt the rating would change. Even if it does, I'd say it would be an upward change.

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Questionable morals

What I love about this series the most is my reason for rating it rather low this time.
I love the complexity of the characters and the morals portrayed I don't always agree with. In s1 for example I thought Master Kim was a bit too harsh. As an older doctor, a mentor, he didn't do a good job teaching his pupils. But his character grew, and it was wonderful to watch. In s2 he appeared much softer and was less harsh. I thought his character development was done pretty nicely.
Now, at s3, I again have some issues with how certain events are portrayed. This time it's not about Master Kim, it's about a 17 years old boy who died, because a doctor forgot to check on him. The grieving mother is now the villain, and I must ask: Is there a cheaper and more tasteless way to create a villain? You can do this in a superhero movie, but not in a hospital drama series.
Let me elaborate this case a bit more. A 17 year old boy got in a car accident. He looked fine. Dr. Jung forgot to check on him. He died. We as viewers are now supposed to cry with Dr. Jung, because he made a mistake and is suffering because of this. The whole event was done to show us how overworked the doctors are, how they do their best and aren't perfect. Dr. Cha stepped in and scolded (!) the grieving mother, telling her, other patients were more important than her son, and the hospital did nothing wrong. In fact, that was a lie, because Dr. Jung forgot about the patient, and the moment he died, he was just stitching up some leg of another patient.
Again, think about the mother. The congress woman loses her 17 years old son, because they forgot to check on him. This was for sure the worst day of her life. Can you imagine the sorrow, the desperation, the anger? She lost her child! But nope, we were meant to sympathize with the doctors and to applaud Dr. Cha's speech, which was unnecessarily harsh. If you think, I'm exaggerating, then just look at comments of viewers that say "I hate the congress woman! Kim Sabu fighting!" Not wanting to finance the hospital is of course wrong, but what they did to this mother is unforgivable. Not to mention that Cha Eun Jae was the one who tried to reanimate the boy, didn't succeed, and minutes later we saw her talk with Woo Jin about her love life. The whole event had no visible impact on her. Incredible. In the same episode we also saw Ah Reum cry and break almost down, because she lost a patient that was so old, he could have died a decade ago. Tell me about the morals in this series!
If I had witnessed such an unfortunate event of a young boy losing his life too early, I would have other things in my mind than my silly love life. It seems the love stroy between Eun Jae and Woo Jin is pretty popular, that just tells me that some silly housewives are boosting the ratings, because this love is so childish, immature and boring that I have to skip their scenes. I don't want to lose too much brain cells.
Back to the boy: What happened? He was in a car accident, but seemed fine. Did he have internal bleeding? Why no autopsy? Again: WHY NO AUTOPSY? It makes no sense and is a very big writing mistake. With an autopsy they could have identified the reason for his death, and even rule out that Dr. Jang was at fault, because perhaps they couldn't have saved him anyways?
Honestly, this whole plot made me drop the series. I only came back weeks after.
Talking about the rest: Cha Eun Jae is not a likable character, which is okay. But Master Kim being so soft and nice to her is a bit irritating. Woo Jin is too dependent on Mater Kim, and even though people are gushing over the actor, most likely because he is very attractive, his acting could be better. There is something so lethargic about this character. Since I haven't seen the actor in anything else, I'm not sure if it's the actor's fault or just the character.
Last but not least: The romance between Ah Reum and Eun Tak is also a candidate for skipping scenes. We aren't in Kindergarten anymore, are we? Still the characters have a nice screen presence, and I'm not mad at them. Dr. Romantic was always a bit cheesy and "romantic". Most characters are pretty weird. That's the charm of the series.
The return of Dr. Kang made me love this series a lot more, because of the emotional tension and psychological complexity it brought back. But seeing people hating on him and rooting for Cha Eun Jae just shows me that some viewers apparently lack any common sense and emotional intelligence or are just as childish as her.
In general, this season was very irritating. It was also intense, and if not for that terrible plot with the 17 years old boy, I would give it 9 out of 10 stars, maybe even 9,5. But now I can't bring myself to rate this higher than a solid 7.
Btw, the two new doctors aren't likable at all. Not everyone can be an important genius, so it's realistic that those two will be just part of the stuff. They made one of them the comic relief, which is okay. At the beginning I seriously had no idea what they were even trying to do with them, they both lack skills and charm.
Woo Jin and Dr. Kim are carrying this series like they did in the last season. The psychological issues and the tension are making this series worth watching, the characters itself are hard to love. Well, with the exception of Kim Sabu, nurse Oh, Nam Do and the hospital manager. Seriously, those four are the highlight for me.
Sigh.

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The best of the 3

If you’ve watched all 3 seasons, I think you’d appreciate this season the most.

The first one was kinda boring to me. Maybe because they had to lay the groundwork for the storyline? S2 was intense but S3 was the best. Not because of the actors, but because each episode had very interesting cases- very outrageous cases; just like Grey’s Anatomy! Things like forest fires, a tree branch stuck in the abdomen, building collapsing and on-site medical rescue etc.. so kudos to the writers for being very “American” in a sense. The pace is fast so I liked it. Minus the sleeping around with each other kind of antics.

If you’re looking for romance per se, it’s not so evident here. Just a hint here and there but it’s not the main focus. What I didn’t particularly fancy was how in every season, it’s the same ol ’ trope of higher uppers trying to disdain Master Kim and take over or close down Doldam Hospital. If there is a S4, I hope the writers come up with a different and new plot.

If you like medical dramas, this is a definite watch. Enjoy!

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Creative - I am in love

Yes, we have another nonbeliever. They say an arrogant person considers himself perfect; this is the chief harm of arrogance. It interferes with a person's main task in life - becoming a better person—the difference between Kim Sabu and Cha Jin Man (I'm already tired of him, and we are just getting started) and anyone else that goes up against him. I missed everyone, and it's good to see them all back, but Im Won Hee is the best—I love him. It's so good to see him here again. I loved how Cha Eun Jae grew into herself in the second season despite all her challenges, especially regarding Seo Woo Jin. And this season doesn't look any different except that they would have to face them together. I hope their love is strong enough to withstand it all.

I love that there is always something new to learn from this drama. Acknowledgment, appreciation, recognition, and acceptance that's all anyone wants in what they do, how they do it, and where they do it, whether they are a doctor, a lawyer, a prosecutor, a plumber, or a janitor. It's the one thing we all have in common. Appreciation has the amazing habit of bringing more reasons to be grateful, do better, and be better. It's what Eun Jae wanted from her father and what Jang Dong Hwa needed to hear from Seo Woo Jin as his mentor to be confident in his choices.

I so appreciate this drama for how it tackles the social, medical, personal, and professional issues that arise as doctors work hard to save patients in a world where the main concern is who takes responsibility for a doctor's oath to do whatever it takes to save a patient's life -- that a Kim Sabu is an anomaly to squash rather than the benchmark to strive for and emulate. I can only imagine how hard it must be to become a doctor; the schooling, training, residence, sacrifices, yelling, humiliation, and hurtful words residents and fellows are subjected to, and it's why I understand the many Jang Dong Hwa's out there.

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Great until not

The first few episodes were action-packed and seemed like a great sequel to the series. Some parts of the middle episodes seem to be triggering because a bunch of drama was caused by some people's carelessness. The productiion quality was still very top notch nevertheless. However, the plot in the last few episodes was disappointing. The reappearance of season one's protagonist was unappealing. I also didn't like that guy anyhow. For two episodes, you were left thinking what's going on with the plot.

The female lead also started revolting against that new head of the trauma centre but her acting was lame. I didn't even bother watching the last two episodes.

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Great but lacking

Season 1 set a high bar for this series with its captivating storyline and performances. When Season 2 came around, I didn't expect it to surpass the first season, but the new cast delivered an exceptional performance. With such high hopes, Season 3 left me quite disappointed.

The characters, particularly Woojin and Eun Jae, felt underdeveloped. Yang Ho Jun's character seemed to lack depth, making him feel like a plot device to make others shine. Cha Jin Man's character was built up for 12 episodes, only to be abruptly dropped, replaced by Kang Dong Joo.

While Kang Dong Joo's return was nostalgic, the series took a downturn after his reappearance. Eun Jae's spoiled and problematic behavior was evident, but her disrespect toward Kang Dong Joo was a bit much. Woojin struggled to separate his personal and professional life, and Tryna's defense of her girlfriend felt out of place.

The boycott scene didn't contribute much to the story, and it highlighted the characters' irresponsibility as medical professionals. Overall, Season 3 falls short of its predecessors and lacks the captivating storytelling and character development that made the earlier seasons so engaging.

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"it's not other people's views of you that make you. it's your own views that make you."

doctor romantic is back with season 3 after 3 years. before that, it is amazing how season 2 cast members can all be back without saying anything... just for season 3. not going to lie, this is the series that i am into the most and here are my reviews!

it is a good watch as it highlights the struggles of being a doctor. medical malpractice that should not happen, doctors that are overworked that results in being distant with their family members. this season focuses a lot on the doctors which are different from from the previous seasons, focusing on the patients.

euntak's past was touched on and we get to see what exactly happened to euntak that made him came to doldam. we get to see more jung insoo.

however with the writing, the first few episodes were great, then it fall flat in the middle and got picked back up. i had some initial complaints such as cha jinman was not needed because there was kang dongju that preach about the same thing. with cha jinman (especially the actor), it was a hard watch and results in a loose end, him.

i was also disappointed on how they wrote cha eunjae. it would be nice to give her more meaningful scenes than crying and fitting into the stereotype of female are the emotional type. i think it would be nice if you have gotten a situation where everyone is worried of her instead of putting woojin into dangerous situation again and again. + i think they lacked exposure for cha eunjae. what does she feel after the collapse? did she talk to woojin about it?

another one was the dimple couple. they had only 1 minute screentime each episode and after the cold war, it was euntak staring at areum. like dude, stop staring, she isn't superwoman, she doesn't know what you're thinking. and they really dragged to the last episode to get back together (which i didn't mind hehe, as long as they are happy!)

overall, it was a comforting and stressful watch that i really enjoy it. you learn a lot from this drama! there are potential of season 4 which i am waiting for! doldam, please come back to me T-T

ost - 10/10
here are some of my fav tracks
track 2 - i will stay with you by gummy
track 4 - still you by seungkwan (svt)
track 7 - more than yesterday by seo dahyun (tripleS)
track 10 - thank you for the memories by doldam

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A great doctor series

I was a fan of this series since the first season back in 2016. It was a wild experience. I've never watch a chaotic but addicting drama like this before. The story had holes here and there but somehow, I didn't mind it, in fact, it just made me got even more interested in it. The magnificent acting of all the actors and actresses had me hooked to the drama tight, getting excited and waited for the next episode every weekend. There were so many things I found healing for me while watching this, so many wise words said by Kim Sabu, Woojin and other characters, I found all of those words so fun and healing to me. I was able to get myself to another level of thinking and became more mature. There were so many quick decision making in the whole series and some leads to good while some don't. It's wise and realstic enough for a drama.

While I hope to get another season for this series, it's also fine if it ends here with season 3. Season 3 was a great finale just like season 2 or even better than season 2 since we get to see the Trauma centre operated with so many talented doctors, so many cast from the first to the second season was able to reunion and reunited in this season. I was plenty happy and satisfied with season 3.

Last, I hope everyone who worked on this project, no matter who you are, will always be healthy and happy. Special thanks to all the actors and actresses who did a fantastic job bringing all those characters to life. Thank you so much for bringing me so much joy with this 16 episode drama. It was always a fun weekend with Dr. Romantic 3 for the last 8 weeks. I had a great time with all 3 seasons.

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favorito

Meu coração fica quente só de pensar no hospital Doldam. Gosto muito dos personagens, parece que são minha família. Sem dúvidas minha temporada favorita. Conheci Dr Romantic em 2021 quando estava procurando por trabalho da SungKyung, e acho que foi minha melhor descoberta possível, a personagem dela mora no meu coração. Tive alguns problemas de Daddy issues assistindo meu querido Kim Sabu, tenho dependência emocional nele. Acho que eu poderia ficar horas falando sobre como esse drama mudou a tragetoria da minha vida, fiquei dias pensando em fazer medicina 😭. Mal terminei de assistir e já estava morrendo de saudades. Gostei muito dos casos, prendeu minha atenção do começo ao fim. Aguardando ansiosa pela 4° temporada, espero que seja tão emocionante quanto.

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Watched it on air but put on hold after episode 13

Nov. 28, 2024

Whoa, I finally finished Dr Romantic Kim 3 after almost 1.5 years of putting it on hold.

The season 3 started with a blast and it was amazing. The hospital genre definitely has its limit as it can make or break the plot progression. Given how the past 2 seasons unfolded. I must say that the latter half of season 3 put me unease as I slowly fell out of hook with the plot hence why I put it on hold.

Maybe its due to the fact that the first two season were a solid 10 for me. But this one, I just could not say the same. I think that they juggled way too many things at times per episode like the trauma centre, the doldam hospital, all of the political / corporate functions and power trip. I think that maybe the 16 episodes were too short of a time frame for them to execute all the stories.

Needless to say, I am very much looking forward to the season 4 of Dr Romantic Kim. I sure hope for that one they are able to execute it more precisely and smoothly like how they did in the first two seasons.

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