Doctor Stranger

Title:	Doctor Stranger
Alternate Title(s):	N/A
Genre(s):	Medical Drama, Political Drama
Episodes	20
Network:	SBS
Year Produced:	2014
Available to Watch On:	DramaFever, viki, Hulu, dramafans.org

Summary: Doctor Stranger is an epic tale of true love conquering insurmountable obstacles. Park Hoon (Lee Jong Suk) is abducted as a child in order to force his father, a gifted heart surgeon, to perform surgery on the North Korean leader. The understanding is that they'd be returned to South Korea when the surgery is completed successfully. But a corrupt South Korean politician arranges for their execution instead. The North Korean government fakes the execution and the two become stranded in a foreign country without the means to return home. It is there that Park Hoon meets his first and only love, Song Jae Hee (Jin Se Yeon), and the two grow-up together with dreams of becoming doctors. But Park Hoon is placed into a brutal medical program where he is forced to experiment on living people - often taking their lives in the process. Meanwhile, Song Jae Hee is placed into a labor camp with her father. Fate plays a cruel trick on the star crossed lovers as they struggle to reunite and free themselves from the political machinations of the people that destroyed their lives.

RATING:

♥♥½
Dr. Stranger - Just Strange. 

Recommendation: The first two episodes of this k-drama are thrilling. They move fast and take the audience on a globe trotting adventure through South Korea, North Korea (at least a set that looks like it), and Hungary. It is exciting! I even believed, very briefly, that the prospects for this to be a "k-drama of 2014" were very good. Then, the show fast forwards a few years and permanently relocates to South Korea where it all falls apart. It feels a little bit like a k-drama written by committee: one person wanted it to be a medical drama, someone else wanted it to a suspenseful espionage thriller, and another person wanted an epic romance. Unable to make a decision, they added everything into the series. Perhaps if Dr. Stranger had focused heavily on one or the other the outcome might have been more satisfying. Even the relationship between Park Hoon and Song Jae Hee feels awkward and forced at times, the chemistry lacking. Eventually, I began to wonder if they knew what their characters were doing or thinking: "Am I a spy? Am I a doctor? Do I want to kill you or love you? I don't know!" At the very least, the surgeries were nicely choreographed and tense. I was reasonably sold on Lee Jong Suk and Park Hae Jin as talented surgeons. That's something, I suppose.

"Hello, Earthling. I will now demonstrate my superior skills."

Other Thoughts (And Possible Spoilers): Despite my harsh criticism of the drama overall, I appreciated the performances of the actors. Kang So Ra, in particular, impressed me as Dr. Oh and, if I'm truthful, I was hoping she would snatch Park Hoon away from Song Jae Hee. Lee Jong Suk had much better chemistry with her than his leading lady, Jin Se Yeon.

Speaking of which, Jin Se Yeon isn't terrible in this production but the performance doesn't impress me either. She's had a string of roles that all seem very similar and, if she's smart, she might consider pursuing parts that take her in a really different direction - no historical dramas and no political/espionage thrillers. I would actually love to see her in a lighthearted romantic comedy.

Is frizzy a trendy look now?!

Park Hae Jin does not lack anything in his role as Dr. Han. He plays one of the more interesting characters in this drama and his on-screen rivalry with Lee Jong Suk was first rate. I much preferred the two of them on screen together than most anyone else in the series. Dr. Han is also one of the few characters that has a true "Come to Jesus" moment and evolves appropriately afterwards. It is a nice progression for the character.

Everything else in the series is unremarkable. Unless you count Lee Jong Suk's permed/frizzy hair. It's become a trend of late for male actors to sport a "permed" hairstyle, which is just a nicer way of calling it frizzy. I have yet to see anyone pull it off successfully. And, certainly, if Lee Jong Suk can't make it work - no one can.