Clínica do Dr. Park (2022)

Will ‘ Dr Park’s Clinic’ Treat Your Expectations?

TVING originals have long been held in regard by critics and viewers alike for slick cinematography and shots. However, ‘ Dr Park’s Clinic’ was an odd anomaly. The series’ shaky camera shots and editing presented the series as surprisingly mediocre for a TVNING original; a low-budget sitcom which whilst heartwarming in necessary parts, often struggled to truly deliver the last laugh.

Adapted from former doctor Jang Bong-Soo’s popular webcomic, the series revolved around Doctor Park Won Jang ( Lee Seo-jin); a seemingly third-rate doctor who has just opened his first medical clinic.

Despite constantly worrying about his recent onset of alopecia and his wife Sa Mo-Rim’s ( Ra Mi-Ran) overspending , Doctor Park’s dreams of becoming an affluent doctor are soon scuppered when his patient numbers begin to dwindle. Determined to turn things around, Doctor Park decides to do his utmost to save his clinic, even if it means unintentionally making things worse along the way…

Perhaps one notable thing to comment about the series is that ‘ Dr Park’s Clinic’ is a fairly lighthearted series for the most part. Whilst the series does delve into some darker and angst-ridden subject areas at times ( especially by the latter-half), screenwriter and director Seo Joon Bin was able to uplift the mood of the series with regards to one of the drama’s most questionable presences; the comic relief.

Admittedly it isn’t out of the question for a comedy series to experiment and diversify between different formats. This can often allow a series to reiterate satire, offer angst-free respite or even play around with wry comedy.

However one of the most apparent faults with screenwriter Joon Bin’s style is attempting miserably to strike a balance between being a jovial sitcom (fourth wall-breaking and comical setups ) and a more bittersweet , satirical brand of comedy ( particularly with its jokes surrounding capitalism, brands, medical condition and South-Korean work and social culture) but ended up doing both formats a disservice.

Admittedly ‘ Dr Park’s Clinic’ did attempt to offer viewers some emotional punches- a revelation from Dr.Park’s “tragic” past, several angst-ridden moments as well as a surprisingly uplifting and crisp ending along the way were specifically placed to evoke a twinge of sympathy and pity for viewers. Nevertheless, heartfelt moments were admittedly less impactful in the the long-term memory of viewers who will likely forget these moments after completing the series.

Lee Seo-jin ( ‘ Damo’, ‘ Yi San’ and ‘ Marriage Contract’) starred as main lead Park Won Jang, whilst costar Ra Mi-Ran ( ‘ The Himalayas’ ’, ‘ The Avengers Social Club’ and Black Dog ‘ ) played Won Jang’s wife and main female lead Sa Mo-Rim. Respectfully whilst both main leads’ performances could across as somewhat corny in parts, Ra and Lee offered solid performances throughout, with Ra Mi-Ran notably adding a surprisingly endearing charm to her onscreen persona.

The supporting cast offered decent performances. Whilst there were admittedly some strained deliverances of dialogue and acting, the supporting cast were able to offer some surprising charm during other moments in the drama.

In particular, the supporting cast included Cha Chung Hwa ( ‘ Harmony’, ‘ Black’ and ‘ Pawn’) as witty head nurse Choi Mi Young, Shin Eun Jung ( ‘East of Eden’, ‘ Faith’ and ‘ Navillera’) starring as angelic-faced yet acerbic- tongued Dr. Sun Woo Soo Jin , Kim Kwang Gyu ( ‘ Friend’, ‘ Scent Of A Woman’ and ‘ I Can Hear Your Voice’) playing mixed coffee-enthusiast , obstetrician and gynecologist Ji Min-Ji, Jung Hyung-Suk ( ‘ A Mystery Of The Cube’, ‘ The Banker’ and screenwriter and director for ‘ The Land of Seonghye’) as director of the urology department, whilst Seo Bum Jun ( ‘ Nevertheless’, ‘ Rookie Cops’) played the head nurse’s son and Joo Woo Yeon as well as child actor Kim Kang Hoon ( ‘ Mr Sunshine’, ‘ When The Camellia Blooms’ and ‘ Racket Boys’) took on the roles as Park’s two sons.
Due to the short length of the series, ‘ Dr Park’s Clinic’ is able to maintain a pacy speed throughout its duration. Naturally, the expedited narrative pacing did create a double-edged sword; fast-pacing helping to deescalate potentially tedious setups and scenarios, whilst sadly rarely giving opportunities and time to explore its odd array of characters and potentially tour de force moments either.

The cinematography of the series is notably a mixture of amateurish and surprisingly basic shots, as well as some insightful glimpses into the lives of our main characters. Whilst simplicity isn’t always necessarily bad per say, it could sometimes reduce opportunities in order to explore the intuitive shots or boast slick and unobstructed editing and cutting. The OST is also notably faintly memorable for viewers; helpful for promoting emotive moments and tones, but rarely delivering an impactful presence either.

Uplifting, lighthearted and melodramatic in parts, ‘ Dr Park’s Clinic’ is specifically what it says on the tin: a social comedy about a mediocre clinic with an array of eccentric characters being introduced onto the scene. The acting performances are decent enough but the deliverance of comic relief is admittedly variable. Perhaps the comical exchanges will generate a few laughs for audiences, whilst others may be dissatisfied by the generic setups and comical elements along the way. Overall, ‘ Dr Park’s Clinic’ is a decent binge-watch; watchable but lacking a certain memorable edge also.

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More than a Sitcom

Not your usual Kdrama Star Doctor Story (no spoiler)
An internal medicine doctor who decides to open his own clinic in his 40s in order to get his family a comfortable life. The story involves Park’s daily life’s ups and downs and his desperation about how to survive as clinic isn’t much different from any other form of self employed business. The life which seems to be colourful, successful outside but carries a formidable weight beneath.

Cast & Acting - for me the best part of the drama was its casting. Well Ra mi-ran and Cha chung-hwa are quite known for their comedic presence but what surprised me was Lee seo-jin taking the lead. The reason i think i got to enjoy this drama more was majorly because of Lee seo-jin’s portrayal, not even single act felt awkward, specially the 4th episode is pure gold. He was exceptional as Park won-jang and i can’t imagine anyone else doing that role with such a grace. Other supports also fitted well with the story, every ensemble was picked really thoughtfully and i really commend the director for choosing such a quintessential ensemble.

Overall - Dr. Park’s clinic made headlines since it’s poster release and if someone who has read the webtoon and watched the kdrama they need to admit that the drama surpasses in terms of quality than former (as someone who read the webtoon along with drama). The webtoon writer is an ex-doctor and now a full time webtoon writer who basically wrote his own story, struggles, experiences that could resonate with other doctors in korea and that was probably the reason it was so famous among the medicos and later even got adapted as a drama. The drama brilliantly brings life out of the webtoon from episode 1 as it’s a sitcom some people might feel little awkward but when you reach episode 4 you start to develop fondness towards Park’s family, friends and colleges. They make you smile, laugh, sympathise and sometime even get you teary, specially the wholesome moments between family, friends and patients. Even though it’s an originally webtoon it showcased some of the serious issues faced by doctors in such a lighthearted way. The last 2-3 episodes whereas felt weak in comparison to initial episodes, those episodes could have been worked on more as for the plot otherwise they nicely wrapped the show with 12 episodes with a beautiful ending video. I might be biased but i would have been happier if they increased the number of episodes and included every part of webtoon like the backstory, it would have been much better but still no major complaints.

As someone who started this drama purely as an experiment not even knowing it’s a sitcom, it came as a surprise and was a wonderful journey of 12eps. Even though it’s a futile hope but i hope for a season2 from tving.

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