Dr. Slump Review: Rest and Romance Are The K-Drama Doctor's Orders
- Jun 11
- 8 min read
Updated: Jun 26
Two former academic rivals reunite by chance in adulthood after taking major L's both professionally and personally, and work together to pull themselves out of their slump in pursuit of W's.
Title: | Dr. Slump |
Platform: | Netflix, TVING |
Release Date | Jan 27, 2024 |
Genre: | Rom Com, Medical |
MDL Rating: | |
Parental Guidance Rating: | TV-14: Minor violence and blood, short snippets of medical procedures shown, fade to black scene in ep 15, substances (drinking), and minor language |
Staring: | Park Hyung Sik as Yeo Jeong U (Male Lead/ML) Park Shin Hye as Nam Ha Neul (Female Lead/FL) Yoon Bak as Bin Dae Yeong (Second Male Lead/2ML) Gong Sung Ha as Lee Hong Ran(Second Female Lead/2FL) |
Cast:
Left to Right: Park Hyung Sik (Happiness, Strong Woman), Park Shin Hye (Judge From Hell), Yoon Bak (Cinderella at 2am), and Gong Sung Ha (Siren's Kiss)
Synopsis: Nam Ha Neul is almost hit by a car while crossing the road, which is just fine by her. Worn down by her colleague's bullying, an exhaustive work schedule, and a lack of happiness, Ha Neul kicks her boss in the shins and quits her job. Turns out she is not as fine as she thought she was. Meanwhile, her former high school rival ,Yeo Jeong U, isn't faring much better. Freshly accused of medical negligence and facing a major lawsuit, Jeong U downsizes and the two find themselves neighbors in slumpville. Literally. Jeong U moves into the apartment above Ha Neul, and the former rivals bond and work together to pull themselves out of their slump era and, inadvertently, find themselves entering their dating era. Aww.
_____________Beware Mateys: There be Spoilers ahead!_______________
Dr. Slump is a mild attempt at the exploration of depression, packaged in a traditional K-drama rom com. Yeo Jeong U (ML) is a successful plastic surgeon who loses everything after he is framed for malpractice. He suffers from PTSD and the show doesn't explicitly state this, but it seems he has clinical adjustment disorder with depressed mood (look at me, arm chair diagnosing my k-drama characters. send help). Essentially, he's dealing with the reaction of the body and mind to the extreme negative transition that affected all areas of his life, causing short term symptoms. Nam Ha Neul's (FL) condition is a bit trickier, and again, it is not stated outright. She is diagnosed with deppresion but what does that mean extactly? Her symptoms fit the bill of Occupational Depression or Major Depressive Disorder. The two leads have very different conditions, but both find themselves in the slump season of their lives with symptoms outside of their control.
I didn't have strong feelings about the drama overall. The romance was adorkable and I'm glad the show touched on depression, but I wish it went deeper. Depression isn't just a blanket diagnosis; it's an umbrella term and there is a spectrum of diagnoses that fall under it. The ambiguity could be seen with the FL's fam's treatment of her-- they didn't know how to deal with it or how to understand it fully because it was never specifically described. I couldn't help but think of the scene in Avengers when Bruce Banner falls from the ceiling and an unsuspecting janitor, not sure of what he's dealing with, oversimplifies what he's seeing by simply stating that Bruce Banner "has a condition". It would have been nice to understand exactly what the FL was dealing with, but five gold stars to the writers for the
lack of performative "depression peril" for the sake of drama. Both leads did a good job portraying their characters struggles but it never blew me away.
I would say this drama was more committed to exploring slumps in life, rather than depression. I do commend the show for skimming the surface of a very difficult topic that most people still don't understand as a true medical condition, and I'm glad the leads were shown as hard working people who truly wanted to get well. Slumps and depression often go hand in hand and I couldn't help but think of words from my favorite doctor:
"When you're in a Slump, you're not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done." - Dr. Suess
Rivals to Friends to Lovers
I thought the two leads were so cute, which according to MDL, is a hot take. These two cutie patooties were adorable academic rivals in high school, constantly trying to one up each other to become the no. 1 student. Their high school scenes were my favorite and, early on, it was easy to see that they're just different sides of the same coin. When they reunite later on, I loved how they empathized with each other without judgment and with full trust. The FL knew knew the ML's character and had faith that he was innocent, while the ML knew the FL hadn't failed in life. Their friendship budded into romance in a believable way and it was so fun to watch the relationship newbie FL express her feelings.
I thought the pair had believable chemistry-- it wasn't simmering, but given the subject of the story, that might have felt distasteful lol. I have to say, I was surprised with the decision to have the FL fall back into her overworking ways because the ML always struggled with being put on the back burner by his parents in favor of their work, and the partner he chose is the same. Don't get me wrong, I'm not one to to critique a woman in the workplace and I hope the FL smashes all the glass ceilings... but considering the story dealt with the FL's burnout contributing to her depression, I kinda hoped it would show her prioritizing herself and her family over her career in a K-Drama tied with a bow kind of way.
It's Okay to Stay Down When You're Down
One of the messages I loved in Dr. Slump is that it's okay to stay down when you're down. In the early episodes of the show Ha Neul's (FL's) mother tries to get her "back out there", hoping the recovery of her job would make the her bounce back. Luckily, the FL's mother soon realized this was not the case after the FL had a (valid) crash out about her need to rest. Resting isn't quitting, and that's something society is slow to learn, especially in the realm of mental health. If you have an injured leg, it's acceptable to be on bedrest, and if you have an injured mind, you should allow it to rest it as well.
Accepting That Slumps Are Apart of Life
I also lurved the message that recovery isn't always about becoming happier, but about accepting your "fortune". Resilience is the hard work that will protect you and throughout the drama, both leads find ways to cope with misfortunes, and even though they rectified the wrongs done to them, they still had to heal their scars. By finding a new connection with their friends, family, and each other, they found support systems to lean on in times of crisis. The moving abroad storyline felt tagged on towards the end, but it was the final test for the leads to apply what they learned and it drove home the point that the two worked hard to build resilience which will protect them in times of disappointment.
“What does better mean? Does that mean they’ll become happy?” “No. They’ll accept their misfortunes. ‘I can become miserable again, but that’s okay’, ‘Should misfortunes come, I have the strength to endure them’. That’s what they believe.” -Conversation with the Psychiatrist in episode 16
There's an old saying: Luck is the train that hasn't hit you yet, and it's true to life. It didn't matter how privileged the ML was or how smart the FL was, bad luck found them as it will find us all, but taking care of ourselves can help us from falling into a slump when it hits.
"I'm sorry to say so but, sadly, it's true. That Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you." -Dr. Suess
The Mafia Be Popping Out of The Ground Like Daisies
Why? Why did the malpractice case have to be some elaborate pharmaceutical/mafia thing? I wish they kept this storyline more grounded and in touch with what actual doctors might experience. It would have been interesting to see a more nuanced malpractice case where even the audience doesn't know if the ML is at fault. Min Gyeong Min was a lurking "villain" throughout, but the connection to him and the conspiracy could have been tighter. Shoutout to the FL's mom who reassured the ML that it is okay to wait before being able to forgive. Gyeong Min had some nice moments and circumstances were against him, but I would feel salty too lol.
The Side Characters and The Characters Who Should Have Stayed on The Side
Bin Dae Yeong (2ML) and Lee Hong Ran (2FL) were so cute. I was happy with the way their story developed and concluded. It felt grounded and realistic and man did they do the leads dirty with their game of telephone. Nam Ba Da (FL's Brother) drove me up a wall. No, thank you sir.
Jang Hye Jin (Kong Wol Seon) did a great job as the FL's mother and it was heartwarming seeing her come to terms with her daughter's condition after her initial denial. Her determination to ease the FL's pain and understand her was nicely done.
The FL's uncle was also a fun character and I'm glad he got his girl in the end.
Love Cures All-- Except Clinical Depression
A "slump" is defined as "to fall or sink suddenly", and for our FL, that's not the case. It's been a long time coming. In flashbacks, we see that the FL carried around a mental load the size of a mountain and it culminates when she is almost hit by a truck, and doesn't even care.
I can't decide how I feel about the drama's portrayal of depression. The FL was able to overcome her deppression by getting in touch with her inner child, leaving her job, seeking a psychiatrist, and taking medication. I'm so glad the writers didn't make the relationship the solution, but instead had the ML be her support system with the FL seeking help independently. As we know there is no kiss by a prince that can wake a girl from her depressive spell, but in the land of television it happens far too often. So kudos to the show for depicting the critical role that resting and seeking professional help plays in recovery, but I must say there were slight shades of love cures all. Again, I was glad the drama portrays the FL hesitating to be in a relationship because she doesn't know if she's "better", acknowledging her condition as something separate and independent of the relationship, but it was all a little too done and dusted for me at the end. The show acknoledges that there is a potential of a relapse when hard times return but the FL got back on her feet maybe a little bit too quick.
Final Doctor's Note
In conclusion, the drama excelled in the early portrayal of the characters and developed a realistic and cheesy romance, but had too light a hand when it came to mental health. That being said, I loved the message of the drama: There will inevitably be slumps in life but you can overcome them. Dr. Slump and Dr. Suess had the same idea:
“And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)” - Dr. Suess
Shout out to my favorite line: " I disgraced my family when I accidentally fell and kissed you"
RBTS Overall Rating: 7.5 | ||
Story: | 7.5 | The romance was cute but some family elements were a little annoying and I didn't need the elaborate plot against the ML. |
Acting: | 7.5 | No complaints for the most part, but no one blew me away. The ML actor was weaker here than he usually is. |
Production Quality: | 8 | No complaints but no laurels. |
Ending: | 8 | Wrapped up well but the will they/won't they get married storyline wasn't necessary |
Enjoyability: | 7 | I was never hooked, but I enjoyed! |
Trailer:
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