K-Drama Review: ‘Doctor Lawyer’ A Great Combination Between Medical and Legal Drama

Edited by Hwang Hong Sun
Translated by Eungee Joh

Doctor Lawyer made headlines as So Ji Sub‘s first drama comeback project about four years since My Secret Terrius. The drama is about a genius surgeon who loses everything due to a rigged surgery and him returning five years later as a medical malpractice lawyer to get revenge. The show effectively used its medical and legal elements and successfully grabbed viewers’ attention with its first four episodes.

If you look at Doctor Lawyer‘s posters or ending thumbnails, you can see Han Yi Han, the main character, as a doctor and a lawyer. The reason he chose the jobs and the gaps between the two are very important for the story, and So Ji Sub’s acting also focuses on this.

Doctor Han Yi Han leads the entire narrative for the first two episodes. He is the best at what he does and is even seen sacrificing himself for the greater good. So Ji Sub naturally portrayed Han Yi Han’s pure-heartedness and passion in the first two episodes and made viewers feel for the character. Thanks to this, viewers get to really feel his pain when he loses everything due to the incident. But don’t you worry. In the third episode, Han Yi Han returns as a lawyer, signaling full-fledged revenge.

Lawyer Han Yi Han is 180 degrees different from when he was a doctor. He plots his revenge step by step in a relaxed and calculating manner, and the actor’s natural charisma adds more strength to the character. As such, almost everything in Doctor Lawyer depends on the lead actor, and up until the fourth episode, his very presence makes viewers want to watch more regardless of his profession. His portrayal of a good and kind-hearted doctor and a calm and vengeful lawyer perfectly adheres to the story.

The show incorporates legal and medical elements since the main character was a doctor and is currently a lawyer. Although it is difficult to fully portray the art of both genres, the work properly places the essence of each genre throughout its story and effectively keeps its tension. The first two episodes mainly deal with the medical genre by captivating viewers with realistic operating scenes and Han Yi Han’s mesmerizing surgical skills. When a patient’s life is at stake, So Ji Su is seen shouting to his team members, and his firm determination to save lives has kept many viewers on the edge of their seats.

Doctor Lawyer pulled the elements of legal dramas that are exciting enough to keep fans invested. Han Yi Han, who returned as a lawyer five years after the incident, defends his old colleague named Park Ki Tae. Although situations are not looking good for Ki Tae, Yi Han turns the table by proving that his friend had not committed medical malpractice with his eloquent speech. The drama is expected to tell a story of him delivering his revenge by digging into various cases that Yi Han had covered up at Banseok Hospital. While doing so, it is most likely to deal with medical accident disputes in depth from both medical and legal perspectives and bring out social messages within the work.

So Ji Sub’s unmissable presence lights up the drama, but there is one more person who stands out from the series. We’re talking about Shin Sung Rok, who plays Jayden Lee, an investor and lobbyist at Banseok Hospital. The fact that this character’s personality and intent are still veiled arouses curiosity. On the outside, he seems like a self-serving man who is working hand in glove with Banseok Hospital. However, on the inside, he seems to be finding the organization’s flaws so he can break ties with them. It also seems like he has a secret that will significantly influence the others.

Shin Sung Rok uniquely portrays the complexity of this mysterious figure, Jayden Lee. It seems like he is up to something, but his gentle attitude makes us completely fall for him. For instance, in the fourth episode, Jayden offers a strategic alliance to Han, who was about to officially go against Banseok Hospital, and reverses the situation in his favor. Leaving viewers wondering about what his motives are, Shin Sung Rok is keeping viewers tuned in to the show with his character’s mysterious charm and ambition.

Doctor Lawyer has only aired its first four episodes, but it’s already creating some breath-holding moments with many cliffhangers and twists and turns. The temporary alliance between Han Yi Han and Jayden Lee and the dirty schemes plotted by Koo Jin Ki (played by Lee Kyung Young), the head of Banseok Hospital, create immersive conflicts in each episode. On top of that, prosecutor Seok Young (Im Soo Hyang), who lost her younger brother during the surgery conducted by Han Yi Han, is also playing a crucial role in driving the story forward.

The drama will be tackling sensitive social issues in each episode through its main story centering on medical malpractices. Although there is an old saying that says, “If you run after two hares, you will catch neither,” Doctor Lawyer successfully integrated both genres and created a compelling set of stories. It’s worth waiting a week to see the next episode; we hope this momentum will continue until the very end. (7/10)

Editor Hwang Hong Sun: A Korean movie buff who wishes that the warm messages in good works will warm up this world at least by one degree Fahrenheit.