Early Access: Doctor Slump E1-2 (Patreon)

E1-2. You guys. I approached this one with a bit of caution, since reactions have been kinda mixed, with some folks finding this one kinda meh, while others are loving it right away.

Two episodes in, I'm happy to report that this one is working for me, right out of the gate - and very well too. 🤩

I am really digging this premise, and I am also really digging the Park-Park pairing; I think both Park Hyung Sik and Park Shin Hye are pitch perfect, in these roles. 🤩

I hadn't been super sure of the setting of our story, and since many down-and-out, healing stories have been taking place in hometowns and seaside locales of late, I'd imagined that somehow our leads would wind up in the same small town, where both of them would go through the healing necessary to their wholeness and wellbeing.

And so, I found it a rather refreshing surprise, that our story appears to take place in Seoul, and that our down-and-out pair, actually wind up in each other's orbits, without actually having to leave the big city.

It's kind of a reverse refreshing thing, in a way? Since most dramas take their characters out of the city, for a fresh start. 😁

Similar to stories like Marry My Husband, Show needs to do the initial, not-so-pleasant setup, where not-so-nice things happen to our main pair, in order to get them to the point where they find themselves in their respective slumps.

I do appreciate that the not-great stuff gets over and done with reasonably quickly, so that even though some bits are harder to watch, it does feel like we're getting through it fast enough, that I don't feel like Show it torturing me. 😅

For example, I actually paused the table death scene midway, because I found it stressful to watch, for some reason.

I'm not sure why that is, since I've made it through all 3 seasons of Dr. Romantic without problems; maybe it's because I know that it's going to be bad, and completely throw Jeong Woo's career and life off the rails? Like, I'm flinching in advance, for him? 😅

This seems like a pretty good time to talk about Jeong Woo as a character.

Unlike Trent, I don't find Jeong Woo unlikable or annoying, even during the high school flashbacks - so far, anyway?

Even though Jeong Woo does seem a little clueless and obtuse at times, particularly to other people's needs and feelings, I don't detect any kind of malice in him.

Rather, it just seems to me like he's someone who's lived a charmed life, where everything good has come to him with very little effort, and it doesn't seem to occur to him, that life could be any other way.

He's used to being first in class, he's used to being praised by others, he's used to having his friends fawn over him and support him, and he has no idea what the other side of the fence is like - at this point in our story, anyway.

In contrast, Ha Neul is an intense go-getter who pushes herself really, really, REALLY hard, in order to reach for her goals.

I know it's mostly for hyperbole, but the way Ha Neul downs instant coffee sachets neat, without water, really boggled my mind. I kept wondering about the state of her kidneys, particularly since Show mentions that the reason she doesn't add water to the instant coffee, is so that she doesn't have to waste time peeing.

Yikes. That's a recipe for health issues, isn't it?

And so, in pretty classic kdrama fashion, we have a pair of leads who are quite opposite, in the way they live their lives and achieve excellence.

To be honest, I'm stressed out just watching Ha Neul live her life, so if I had to choose just one lifestyle between these two, I'd pick Jeong Woo's more laidback approach to life. Just in principle, y'know? Not that I actually want to be Jeong Woo or anything. 😅

Of course, it's true that Jeong Woo's competitive streak gets awakened once he smells the competition coming from Ha Neul, and it's also true that he responds by doing some annoying things, but I found it more funny than irritating, which I credit to Park Hyung Sik's delivery, and Show's comic sort of tone, with this.

Additionally, I feel that a manhwa lens basically helps all of these more OTT elements to land more smoothly.

Honestly, I found Jeong Woo's fall from grace rather difficult to watch, because even though it's not the same thing, it pokes in the region of the nerve that's raw from losing Lee Sun Kyun to suicide not so long ago - thanks to a fall from grace that had some similar repercussions.

The way Jeong Woo has to sell everything to pay off his debts, largely incurred because of penalties for breach of contract, and still ends up billions in debt, and the way his so-called friends turn on him, leaving him feeling rejected and lonely, pushes on that raw nerve, for me. 💔

Perhaps that's why I feel a good amount of sympathy for Jeong Woo.

He's in this situation, not because of a crime that he'd committed; rather, it looks like somebody's out to get him, and there's nothing that he can do or say, to prove his innocence, at this point.

Right now, his anesthesiologist looks the most suspicious, with his stoic, deadpan expression, but that could very well be a red herring, since it is admittedly unusual for a show to reveal this early, who the bad guy is.

I could buy, though, that perhaps Jeong Woo's unknowingly done something that got him on Saboteur's bad side, and this is why Saboteur's gone to such lengths, to take him down.

Quick shout-out to Yoon Park, for leaning into the losery-ness of his character, Dae Young, whom I have a feeling will turn out to be helpful to Jeong Woo, as Jeong Woo works to figure out a way forward, in his life.

I find Dae Young quite amusing so far, with how he's doing so poorly in his own practice, and being so openly snooty about Jeong Woo's previous internet success, but then being so concerned and worried about Jeong Woo, in private.

It's almost like Dae Young's secretly in love with Jeong Woo or something. 😁

As for Ha Neul, I found it hard to see her being bullied so relentlessly by her professor.

Ugh. As if it isn't bad enough that he's incompetent, and using her to cover up that incompetence, he has to badger and bully her too? Watching him curse and swear at her, and even kick her, made me SO MAD. Grrrr. 🤬

It's little wonder that Ha Neul ends up suffering from depression. 🥺

It's understandable that Ha Neul goes into denial about the depression at first.

After all, she's been an overachiever all her life; this would likely register in her brain as a sign of failure.

I'm glad, though, that it doesn't take very long, for Ha Neul to come around to the fact that her mental health is at risk, and that she does need to do something about it.

(Off topic, but I found it rather trippy to see Lee Seung Joon as her friendly psychiatrist, after recently seeing him play such a violent, dark character in Castaway Diva. 😅 Guy has range, for sure!)

That scene where Ha Neul fights back against her abusive professor, and tells it to him straight - with a kick in the shins, no less, just like he'd kicked her - was so darn satisfying to watch.

It felt like a fist-pumping sort of moment, when she basically decides that her health is not worth this drivel, and fights back without thinking to leave a bridge intact, which might allow her to get her job back.

No, she is all in on this, and that is quite glorious, honestly.

She does not care if she doesn't get her job back, or ever gets to work in the medical field henceforth; she just will not allow her professor to abuse her like this.

Glorious, and YESSS, for self-preservation and self-care! 🤩

Even though it's Ha Neul's first instinct to keep her resignation from her mom (Jang Hye Jin! 🤩), I appreciate that Show doesn't allow this to actually happen, because this allows us to avoid a whole bunch of nobly idiotic possibilities, where Ha Neul would (hypothetically) jump through hoops to prevent Mom from finding out the truth.

Instead, we have Mom overhearing it right away, and we also have Ha Neul telling Mom the truth right away too, that she's suffering from depression, and that work is a place where she gets scolded and abused all day.

I feel for Ha Neul, that the way Mom responds, it's like Mom expects her to just keep her nose to the grind despite any and all abuse, never mind that she's suffering from depression, but I can understand why Mom would automatically go into denial.

Show's managed to demonstrate just how proud Mom has always been, of Ha Neul, and how it's one of Mom's joys in life, to brag about her daughter.

Ha Neul quitting like this is the direct opposite of what Mom's dreams for her, and I can see why Mom might need some time coming to terms with it.

I'm glad that by the time we get to the end of episode 2, Mom's reaching out and expressing her support and love, which is exactly what Ha Neul needs. 🥲

As for the connection between Ha Neul and Jeong Woo, I like this setup, where he's the new tenant of her family's rooftop apartment, and that's why they find themselves in each other's orbits in such a definitive manner.

It makes total sense to me that Jeong Woo would attempt to move out, based on pride alone, but soon comes around to the idea that he really has no choice but to stay.

So far, I find the bickering tone between Ha Neul and Jeong Woo in that comfortable space, where I don't find it too much, or too little.

That bit of sardonic tension between them feels more childish than anything else, and it's obviously a pride thing on both sides, rather than an actual dislike or contempt for each other.

And, I appreciate that we see each of them soften towards the other, in varying degrees.

First, I appreciate that Ha Neul doesn't demand that Jeong Woo move out - at least, until he brashly offers to, heh.

But when he takes it back and says that he'll be staying, she accepts it without complaint, and she even states matter-of-factly that she believes that he's being accused of something that he didn't do.

That's so important for Jeong Woo to hear, and she's the only one who's saying that to him, right now. 🥲

Second, I appreciate how Jeong Woo tries to be nice to Ha Neul, once he realizes that she's suffering from depression, and has been having a terrible time at work, and now is having a hard time with Mom, after quitting her terrible job.

I very much enjoyed the drunk scene; I find that Ha Neul and Jeong Woo are both cute drunks. 😁

Aside from the Cute, I also appreciate how the barriers are all down, and that they're having honest conversation, powered by soju.

That bit, where Ha Neul talks about delayed gratification has gotten her nowhere, was really poignant, I thought.

I mean, just imagine delaying gratification your entire life, only to have everything fall apart under your feet, so that all the gratification that you'd thought you'd experience eventually, is all gone too.

That's sad. 🥺

I also appreciate how Jeong Woo confides in Ha Neul, that he's been unreasonably afraid of men in black suits, because he's worried that someone would sic thugs on him.

This feels like a big deal for him to share this secret, since Jeong Woo had legit tried to move away, out of wanting to keep his pride intact in front of Ha Neul.

I found the forehead flicking scene pretty funny - these two are pretty great at physical comedy 🤩 - and then I love how this whole scene changes gears so suddenly, when Ha Neul gets that text from Mom and starts bawling.

I love that Jeong Woo starts bawling right with there, in solidarity, and I love even more, that they end up crying their hearts out, while hugging each other for dear life.

It's adorable and poignant, at the same time.

Adorable because these two drunks are just too cute, and poignant, because the comfort they feel in each other's presence, is so real. 🥲

Just two episodes in, I find myself very much looking forward to watching this bond grow stronger, in spite of their pride and their reservations. 🥰

Next episode notes will be out on: Wed, 21 Feb 2024!

* This show will be covered on the VVIP Early Access (US$20) tier *