[Mar 2 & 3] “Doctor Slump” Episodes 11 & 12: Ratings & Recap

JTBC’s “Doctor Slump” also experienced a decrease in its ratings for its 9th episode. The drama had a 5.7 percent average rating nationwide, lower than its previous episode. It increased its ratings to an average of 6.6% in episode 10, as it entered its final 2 weeks of airing.

“Doctor Slump” episodes 11 & 12: Recap, review

The romance of Ha-neul and Jung-woo~

This show seems to be heading toward the infamous third-act slump, and I’m tempted to abandon ship before the characters I’ve grown to love turn sour. I’ve witnessed this scenario too often, but perhaps, just perhaps, my intuition is mistaken.

Let me begin with the positive aspects of the episodes, namely, the romance between Ha-neul and Jung-woo. Our sweethearts relish the newness of their relationship and all the benefits that come with it, such as changing their phone names and chatting until dawn. Ha-neul even spends the night at Jung-woo’s place, but only for a snack — nothing more, of course.

They agree to hide their relationship at work since Ha-neul’s job might not last. Regarding her family, Ha-neul is willing to tell them until Mom catches Jung-woo in bed with her, but she covers her face and acts as if nothing happened. Luckily, Mom isn't naive (or uptight for that matter). She thinks her daughter’s lying is unnecessary since she already likes their relationship — in fact, she was rooting for them before they realized their feelings for each other! So, she invites Jung-woo to her birthday party, and their pretense is over as soon as it starts.

At work, their relationship is still a secret, but I doubt this will continue for long, given how our envious leads behave. A few miscommunications (adoring coworkers, a final egg roll, and bus troubles) lead to their first argument, but this is resolved quickly after one honest conversation. And our couple resumes their fun of sneaking around for some privacy.

As Jung-woo becomes closer to Ha-neul’s family — even joining her uncle and brother for a drink without her — he also opens up a bit about his own family. Unlike hers, his parents, who are cardiologists, only cared about themselves, so he learned from a young age that he could never win their love and sought it elsewhere. Before Ha-neul entered his life, his only friend was Kyung-min, but even before their recent rift, Jung-woo confesses that he always sensed something wrong with him.

He tells Ha-neul that he almost died the night he passed the medical exam and vaguely recalls Kyung-min spiking his drink. At the time, he doubted his memory, but even now, Jung-woo prefers to forget the incident than reopen old wounds. He tells Ha-neul that he’s happy, so she lets it go, hoping that their current joy remains intact.

The field trip and the flashback

With their first salaries, Ha-neul surprises Jung-woo with a rare book on the history of plastic surgery and a cute surgical cap, and Jung-woo takes her on her first field trip, which includes shopping, kimbap, and a museum visit. He also arranged a photo shoot, and they rented uniforms to take pictures of the trips she missed out on. While high school Jung-woo would have scoffed at the idea of dating Ha-neul, the present-day version wants nothing else.

Since every field trip needs friends, Jung-woo asked Hong-ran to come along, and she brings Dae-young with her — the two of them have become closer lately after supporting each other with parenting. As they barbecue meat, the conversation turns to friendships, and Hong-ran says that she befriended Ha-neul first because she respected her independence. They ask the boys about their story, and after some reluctance, Dae-young starts a flashback.

Back in 2013, Dae-young considered Jung-woo as his friend, junior, and hyung (not by age, but by spirit). He thanks Jung-woo for helping him achieve his current success, and their past becomes a background for PPL scenes. However, their friendship fell apart when Dae-young tumbled down the stairs — a result of a misplaced bag and a clumsy pat on the back — and their lives changed. Jung-woo took Dae-young’s place on a volunteer trip, which made him a star. And after a trivial quarrel, the two friends ended up in a pillow fight at the office.

Dae-young reflects on their ruined friendship and finally confesses to Jung-woo that he was going through a divorce and envied his career. They both say sorry for harboring resentment for so long, and they change the subject to Kyung-min. Dae-young wonders if Kyung-min is a drug user since he saw him with some powder medicine, but Jung-woo believes he is not, though this explains some things about his brush with death.

Is Kyung-min involved in Jung-woo’s medical accident?

As the leads investigate their deceitful former mentor, we find out that Kyung-min is being blackmailed by Jung-woo’s old anesthesiologist about a 7th hidden camera he installed. Meanwhile, Ha-neul does some detective work on her own and finds out that his in-law’s pharmaceutical company is connected to Macau — where Jung-woo’s victim lived — and may be part of a plan to rig stock prices. Ha-neul’s suspicions are confirmed when she recalls seeing the company’s VP at Jung-woo’s trial and watches CCTV footage of Kyung-min following Jung-woo the night he moved to the rooftop.

All the evidence suggests something sinister, so Ha-neul confronts Kyung-min. She prefers to talk to him in public, but she agrees to talk in his car because of the delicate nature of their conversation. She exposes his poor dissertation and presents all her discoveries, ending with the main question: is he involved in Jung-woo’s medical accident? Kyung-min looks at her, scared, and in his panic, he drives towards incoming traffic. He manages to avoid a collision, but when they both relax, another truck hits them.

Review

I didn’t see the Truck of Doom coming, and I’m not happy about it. It seems like a plot device to create external tension when the show should be focusing more on the characters’ internal struggles and goals. After the way the show handled Jung-woo’s case in episode 7, I expected it to concentrate on the inner turmoil of the leads. 

While it was clear that the case wasn’t closed from a story perspective, I was impressed with how the writer defied expectations by showing the hardship it caused to Jung-woo instead of his victory. There’s a possibility that the writer could also be using this traffic accident cliché to twist it around, but at this stage in the story, some of the more persistent flaws make me doubt the future direction of the show.

As many have noted, the show is far from perfect. There’s a lot of dubious medical decisions, conveniently eavesdropped conversations, etc. 

Kyung-min’s story doesn't interest me at all. He could have been an intriguing villain and a great contrast to the main characters, but he seems flat and dull. He appears to be a selfish man who exploits others for his own benefit, and I guess he has always felt some envy and insecurity towards the richer and smarter Jung-woo and Ha-neuls of this world.

However, I still like the show because I watch it every week for Ha-neul and Jung-woo. The show has a relaxed vibe that feels like a warm hug, and I think this week had a lot of sweet moments between the main couple. It was fun to see them thrilled about their new relationship, and I love how they both share the same joyful energy. 

The silly jealousy at the start was a bit too much since Ha-neul was the one who set those rules in the first place, but as usual, the show handled it quickly by making the characters talk to each other. It just shows that most conflicts can be solved through honest conversations, and luckily, our leads are learning how to communicate and be open with each other.

My favorite moments of our leads were how they used their first paychecks to buy each other gifts. Ha-neul’s book and scrub cap was hilarious but also considerate because it showed her sensible side along with her geeky one. It’s even better by Jung-woo’s reaction because he mocks her for being too studious but indulges her every time because seeing her happy makes him happy. 

Jung-woo’s gift was also a reflection of his character and how he always tries to give Ha-neul experiences through acts of service. It was not about the monetary value of his gift but the small details from packing kimbap (a field trip staple) to staying up with friends.

These 2 episodes were like the quiet before the storm, and while the looming issue may be related to Kyung-min, I think the bigger message is about ignoring reality and neglecting one’s health (not only physical but also emotional). Because the characters were so happy, they basically hid their heads in the sand, hoping that their issues would vanish. 

However, as we saw at the end of episode 12, the problem that Kyung-min creates won’t just go away if ignored. So for our characters to truly heal, they also need to face the root problem. It’s easy to get carried away by the moment and think everything is fine, but happiness takes time and work. 

While love is wonderful, in some cases, it can also make things more difficult. However, if Ha-neul and Jung-woo keep building their relationship on trust and communication, I want to hope that they’ll be able to help each other get better rather than hurt each other.

(Source: naver.com (1), naver.com (2))