Doctor Stranger (2014)

As I finished the last episode, I rolled my eyes. Are they kidding me? The main plot is about politics and a law suit. OK. I can buy into that premise. I have seen worse story lines. The beginning seemed so promising. I was drawn into the story and characters. Somewhere in the middle the writer lost me. I have seen a number of unbelievable dramas that still kept me wondering what was going to happen next. Doctor Stranger became obviously predictable and unbelievable. <<<SPOILERISH How many people can get shot (some multiple times) and not die? SPOILERISH>>> There is also very little character development. I HATED THE ENDING.

Jin Se Yeon has got to be one of the worst actresses ever. I could have cared less about what happened to her character, Song Jae Hee. She was a detriment to the entire drama.

Lee Jong Suk did a good job as Park Hoon. He was the only one with character development. I'm not sure if that is due to the writing or if he is just that good of an actor. Park Hae Jin as Han Jae Joon and Kang So Ra as Oh Soo Hyun also did a good job with what little they were given to work with. The other actors were fine.

The music was ok.

I won't ever rewatch this.

I don't recommend this unless you just watch it for the actors and not the story.

Leggi di Più

I have mixed emotions of this drama. The first 2nd episodes were very exciting and arresting. I think the scenes are unexceptional. But after when they left Budapest (my country's capital city ^^) the story started to became more difficult. It's OK. I felt sometimes that I will understand everything what happened. But there are some factors what I don't understand, for example: what was Cha Jin Soo's function at the end, how get to know Park Hoon and Chang Yi each other? Or how has Han Jae Joon doctorial and long robe all at once because in my country if you want to be a doctor or a lawyer you must to get 501 points of 500 :D OK, it's all one. BUT the last episode was illogical! I don't want shoot the joke.

Lee Jong Suk is still a handsome and good actor for me :D I like his mimicry and his playful side. I wish that every doctor became a Park Hoon ;)
(And when Jae Hee/Seung Hee said "Hoonah" was funny :D)
Let's see Jin Se Yeon's character, Song Jae Hee/Han Seung Hee. I liked more her when she lived in North-Korea. She was kind, smily there. But when Han Seung Hee appeared...hmm...I didn't like her so much. Her voice annoyed me and she never said nothing classified thing to Park Hoon or someone else. I didn't understand her judgements. (I think Jae Hee/Seung Hee didn't like the Park Hoon-Oh Soo Hyun's moments :D)
Kang So Ra's character was my favourite. It was matching to her (not such as Dream high 2). She was very human and nice.
Han Jae Joon (Park Hae Jin)...I don't know...He is the person who has doctorial and long robe diploma too :DDD Han Jae Joon had pain from earlier but I didn't interested in his character so much.

It would be a good story so I'm sorry the mistakes. The music was fantastic! Listen Stranger from Boby Kim! :) I think I won't see more doctorial drama because of the surgical episodes :D
This series worth a try. Maybe you will like it :)

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First of all I found the plot really interesting. It was my first time watching a drama which takes place in North-Korea. I found it really exciting as there was a lot of action, but at the same time there was a worrying and tragic atmosphere that I look for in dramas: for example, the moment when Hoon and his father are about to be killed by north-korean soldiers, or thoses moments when Hoon was struggling with the surgeries he was forced to do, his father's death, his separations with Jae Hee. From the very beginning till Jae Hee and Hoon's separation in Budapest I didn't get bored at all, not even once. I couldn't wait to watch the next episodes!
I kept watching the drama everyday but sometimes (even often) I couldn't understand what was happening, and I was asking myself lots of questions, for example: Why was Hoon living in South-Korea, how did he get there? What did exactly happen to Jae Hee during these two years without him? How did Cha Jin Soo do to find her? Why were the politicians still there after the Budapest scene? (I read other reviews and we were all wondering about the same things XD) From my point of view, there were too much people in this drama like the protagonists, politicians, doctors, and second roles (like Bora that I found useless) which caused our lack of comprehension. I mean if the story is originally about doctors so why are there politicians to create a fuss? The story around Jang Seok Joo was pissing me off.
But I didn't stop and even found the drama fascinating, as the surgeries looked real, I was really disgusted.. There is also the fact that I LOVED Park Hoon's love for Jae Hee and her love for him. I think their story is very touching, if only love could be that strong in real life *o* (Sorry for those who love Soo Hyun and Hoon's "couple" , I even didn't like Soo Hyun's character, I found her pitiful....sorry :v) I really liked the fact that any of them betrayed the other for another girl/guy. I really loved their scenes (Hooni and Jae Hee) together, but even if they end up together in the end I wasn't really satisfied with the drama's end because it's too fast (from my point of view) and difficult to understand. I mean why did Jae Hee fly to china??!! I also enjoyed some second roles like Han Jae Joon's surgery team (Dr.Keum, Moon, and Kim Chi Gyu) I forgot to tell about Hoon's mother. I found her scenes with Hoon very cute bla bla bla, but why isn't she with him in the end? That's why I found her role a bit useless, I still even don't unsdersatand what happens to her in the final episode...
To sum up I really liked this drama even if I'm still struggling to fully understand some scenes and if I'm a bit disappointed by the end I was very pleased with the OST, I always pay a close attention to the music and I'm glad to say that I wasn't disappointed. I think this drama is worth watching at least once in a lifetime :p

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Started off very good, ended up weakly crawling on the ground.

The whole idea of the North Korean conspiracy made me really interested in this drama. In the beginning I was pretty excited, I couldn't wait to see new episodes. But then around episode 8 it got so boring and predictable that I had to skip many parts so I wouldn't drop this drama in the middle of the series.

Because around the 8th episode, everything starts to be focused on this whole "let's compete to see who's a better doctor!" shiet. And then, it begins to be a typical med drama with some "yeah it's an evil conspiracy" moments. Seriously, it looks like they spent the whole budget on shooting a few episodes overseas and later on they couldn't afford to hire good script writers. Oh well.

Jae Hee's an annoying character that doesn't know what she really wants, whether she wants to be with Hun or not. And they both need to stop with their "I need to sacrifice myself so the other can stay alive" shiet. At some point I was hoping for one of them to die already. Or them both. Because they're too overdramatic.

Su Hyeon is that character who reads too much into things and ends up being delulu about Hun liking her. Oh, and she's just a perfect girlfriend.

Seriously, Jae Jun is the only character I liked. Yes, he's insane. And yes, he's unpredictable, but that's what makes him an interesting character. Although I was really disappointed with him at the end when he decided not to do something regarding Su Hyeon's father. Such a pity.

Oh yes, I also liked Cha Jin Su. No, correction. I loved this character. Why is that it's mostly the evil ones who are the most bearable characters? Though if I were him, I wouldn't let the main couple mess with me this much and I'd just simply shoot down one of them.

As for the ending... Jesus Christ, seriously I don't think I ever laughed that hard while watching a drama, this was a first. So I'm not even gonna get started on it.

Overall, it's a good drama for those who don't mind it when a good plot gets screwed up in the middle of the series.

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This drama was absolutely amazing! It's actually what made me a Kdrama addict!

Story: The story itself was so amazing. Seriously, it had everything! Drama, romance, a little bit of comedy, sadness, the whole package! It even taught me loads of stuff about doctors and hospitall-y stuff haha

Acting/Cast: THE CAST WERE GREAT!! Seriously, the acting was amazing. Especially Lee Jong Suk, he really gave this drama life. There were times that the main girl really just had the same facial expression, and I do think the second female lead was a better candidate for the main role but tbh, both girls were amazing!

Music: The music just made me so emotional. The OST's are great!

Rewatch value: The only reason it isn't a ten is because i don't think i could go through the heart breaking scenes again! And the ending was a bit so-so but i'm still planning on rewatching sometime soon!

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Doctor stranger have many different aspect between politics, surgery and love. At first I was a little afraid of how they can put theses genders together without doing "too much" But I was entertained by the story really quickly !
Lee Jong Suk is just perfect, his acting is great as is the acting of Park HaeJin and Kang Sora ! The only character who deceive me is the one played by Shin Se Yeon... I don't know if it is because of the acting of the way the writers did their character but she didn't appeal to me like most others actress in others drama !

If I have to select criter to watch this dramas:

-The story: from the start to the end they have a great story line with many different genre who show us as much politics scene than medical. But at the same time, it is staying light and funny thanks to Dr Hoon and the love story isn't taking to much place either !

-The actors: Park HaeJin and Lee Jong Suk together is a definitely something to see, and Sora is great to like all the supporting actor !


The music is not bad but not any song "amazed" me to the point that I can remember it so I can say that the music stayed basic even if it was not bad !

I really loved this drama so I can only recommend him greatly ! Even more if like me you really like the principal actors ! They wll not deceive you in that one for sure !

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Great Start; Awful End

Plot-wise, it had a pretty solid start. The gruesome politics really sucked me in. The way it changed and affected the lives of the ml and the people surrounding him was really gripping to watch. But mid-way through, the storyline took a completely different take. It felt very wishy-washy. The whole competition thing was way overdone. I enjoyed the surgical scenes but the contest part could have been limited to the first one itself, or max to max, best out of three. It got very repetitive, and was no longer interesting enough.

As for the characters, I liked pretty much all of them. The cast did a very good job at portraying them, especially LJS. His role as Park Hoon, the goofy doctor with a tragic past really made me feel for him. I laughed with him, cried for him and was sometimes even really upset with him. The only exception was the fl. Her acting was so flat and on top of that, her character was so two-dimensional without any development whatsoever. I feel like instead of making her an individual with a personality of her own, the writers turned her into a plot device just so that the ml could have a goal.

The romance pretty much sucked for me. Now, I love this genre, in fact, it's practically my favourite, but I just couldn't feel anything for the leads. The romance felt so forced, like you're holding hands and kissing just for the sake of it, without any real feelings involved. I felt like logically speaking, I should have been supporting the fl to get together with the ml, after all, they had so much of history and stuff. And the ml couldn't possibly forget her, like they deserved to be together. But on the other hand, he had so much chemistry with the 2nd female lead (something I didn't see a sliver of with the fl). I couldn't stop myself from supporting her. Her acting and character development were also top notch. The major reason I got the second-lead syndrome was the fl's acting and character, which like I mentioned above were so flat. I was even rooting for the hyung girl more than the fl.

And the ending, don't even get me started on that. It wasn't particularly bad, but it wasn't satisfactory either. Overall, the show was too stretched out. Would have been much better if it was wrapped up within 12-15 episodes.

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It might come a time where you realise you wasted all of your time watching a seriously pointless series.
I started this series initially cuz of Lee Long who had great acting abilities in I hear your voice.
The story started good and was packed with action and suspense. But, I don't know what exactly they were trying to do when they made the story so freaking ambiguous, with so many holes that you couln't even sympathize with the characters.
I wasted the first 10 episodes trying to understand where the heck all this was going... I really hoped the writers were really trolling me after one point. I rarely drop a series but I didn't manage to finish the last 2 episodes, I skipped to the end. To realise how stupid I was for ever continuing for so long trying to find the point. NONE , don't waste your time.
The only thing that can be mentioned is the acting abilities of the 2 male leads, which towards the end didnt even realise just why the heck they were even acting anymore. Oh, and music was good.
I wish I could put the story minus 10 but it doesnt let me ;_;
However, I want to say that this drama did give me a lesson: Always read the reviews before starting something.
The most satisfactory thing for me would be if all 4 main characters dropped dead in the end and made it a tragedy. It would give me some compensation for all the misery this show has put me to while watching it.

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Like other reviewers, I agree this drama started off so strong and then went so wrong. The first few episodes were interesting, they kept you on the edge of your seat. Then suddenly you're thrown into what feels like a totally different show that is just...boring. It's supposed to be a medical drama but it mostly seems to focus on what is, frankly, Hoon's creepy OBSESSION with Jae Hee. Yes, he was -obsessed- and it was unhealthy. I was disappointed that every episode was either "boring love triangle" or "lets do another competition that nobody will win."

I would not recommend this drama to anyone. The story is messy, it's uninteresting, and it's repetitive. The only high score I put was on acting, because the cast did a fantastic job with the story - just a shame the story was awful. If it wasn't for such a good cast I would have dropped this drama in a heartbeat (no pun intended)

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I want my money and time back.. This was a total waste of my time. The lead female actress killed my vibe with a dull knife. Her acting was the most irritating one ever and i saw "When a man's i love".

The story lost meaning after episode 4, then we went through the whole process of shipping what would be an awesome couple just to end it on some foolish nonsensical note. Am i mad...the hell i am. The writers and casting directors need serious psychiatric evaluation.

I should have listened to my gut and dropped it when i had the chance. I held on for hope...... well that was a bust UGH

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A hot mess.

I'm all for having preferences and respecting other's opinions but the fact this has a 7.9 just baffles me. And the fans are STILL insisting it deserves a higher rating and the only reason why some people rated it low is bc their endgame didn't happen smh.

Regardless of whom ended up with whom, it was a mess. I remember watching it when it was airing on cable but decided to rewatch it after seeing the high rating. . Trust me, the writing was so bad that by episode 12, I could care less about any one of them and this had my boy Park Haejin in it. So it isn't about rating it low bc my endgame didn't happen like some people are saying.

It is genuinely a hot mess of a story that never decided what it wanted to be. An action-thriller? A serious medical drama? A melodrama? A romcom? I rooted for Kang Sora's heiress and Park Haejin's shady genius to be together anyway so I'm pretty unbiased when it comes to the "who is the female lead?" debacle. I could care less about that.

Logic and reason do not apply to Doctor Stranger which works in some romcoms but again, this was trying so hard to be a serious action/medical drama that the inconsistencies eventually tore away at anything good it had going on. It honestly deserves a lower rating but some people enjoyed the eye candy, I guess.

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