Bullet Point Review: Doctors

• In one of the initial episodes of Doctors, Kim Rae Won's character, Ji Hong states that, "The feelings associated with like and dislike are produced by the amygdaloid nucelus in the cerebrum. The amygdaloid nucelus is also responsible for fight or flight response and aggressive behavior. Falling in love causes people to become more simultaneously more combative."; in other words, falling in love is the matter of the brain and not of the heart, and our doctors here are neurologists, physically tending to matter of the brain, and at the same time battling what their heart desires.
  
• The premise is strong, the characters are fun but something still felt amiss in Doctors. There is a lack of direction in the plot - Is it about Hye Jung getting her revenge?, Is it about Ji Hong helping Hye Jung's with her insecurities?, Or is it a love triangle between Ji Hong, Hye Jung, Yoon Do and Seo Woo? - there are bits and pieces of all this, but never one main focus that could steer the drama forward, and create some anticipation for the future episodes.
• Many medical cases come and go, but not many hold interest, and neither do they become an instrument through which the characters relationship grows or deteriorates or even become a reflection of the (similar) problems they seem to be facing. This causes an odd disconnect in the story, making us feel like the hospital and the doctors don't co-exist together.
• Park Shin Hye is the star here. She is rough, tough, bold, and can she kick some ass in those black leather pants. It was fresh to see a female character who is strong, independent and then worries about losing that independence when she gets close to Ji Hong. In a small scene, Ji Hong asks her if she will be willing to operate on her friend, to which she confesses that she is scared, and hence she won't. Such scenes don't make her a hero, but rather more human.
• Hye Jung's relationship with Ji Hong is what stands strong throughout the show. It is rare to see a relationship blossom beyond the acknowledgement of two people's feelings in a drama, yet here we see them fight, argue, talk about their problems and encourage and stand by each other. That being said, Ji Hong is one of the best K-dramas lead characters till date. It would be wrong to tell that he doesn't have any flaws, but that's the way the show treats him. He isn't possessive nor demanding, but gentle, smart kind and understanding. He is a loving son, always supports Hye Jung, and acts like her sounding board at times of distress, and tries to talk sense into her hatred driven goals.
• The same though can't be said for Lee Sung Kyung's Seo Woo and Yoon Gyun Sang's Yoon Do, whose character don't develop after a certain point. Lee Sung Kyung tries earnestly to make us sympathise with Seo Woo, but she is given so little that it is to no effect. Both characters were introduced to create some tension and drama between the lead couple, but get reduced to much smaller roles, only appearing when the plot finds it convenient. Even characters like In Joo seem to appear with a purpose, but fail to do anything concrete to the story line.
• Hye Jung's fight sequences, and Seo Woo's expectation to inherit her father's company - a small but significant change to female characters especially when such arcs are generally given to a male character.