Summary
Doctor Slump continues to move at an unusual pace, surmounting problems quickly to shift focus back to the healing process of the leads.
Doctor Slump continues to move at a relatively surprising clip for a K-Drama. Season 1 did away with the legal subplot much earlier than expected, and after driving the obligatory wedge between the leads in Episode 8, they found their way back to one another in Episode 9. This unusually rapid pace is, of course, a good thing, exemplified by Episode 10 being as warm and engaging as ever while also repositioning the leads’ internal traumas and issues as the focus, rather than cheap obstacles getting in the way of their relationship.
If you recall at the end of the previous episode, Ha-neul had arrived in the surgery room as Jeong-woo’s anaesthesiologist to help him manage the PTSD symptoms which are preventing him from performing his duties. And, predictably enough, with Ha-neul’s presence, he’s able to get through the surgery, although he remains unconvinced that he should be working in his present state.
Of course, this is hard for Jeong-woo, as it was for Ha-neul. Both have always defined themselves by their aptitude, both in school and professionally, as a flashback montage highlights. Who are they without their jobs? Increasingly, who are they without each other?
An Unexpected Reunion
This point is reiterated when the two of them bump into their high school teacher and go out for lunch with him, where he fondly recalls the two of them fighting for the top spot and pushing themselves to dangerous extremes for success. Ha-neul used to eat raw chillis to keep herself awake, and Jeong-woo got them banned from school to protect her.
But this idea of selflessly helping someone is still a bit alien to Jeong-woo, as it was to Ha-neul when he wasn’t going to take the job for her benefit. He’s mostly just confused that she is suddenly helping him out after breaking up with him for reasons he still doesn’t entirely understand.
Jeong-woo Confronts Kyung-min
I say not “entirely”, since he got an incline in the previous episode, and has more clarity here when he hears Hong-ran on the phone reacting to the extent of everything that transpired between Ha-neul and Kyung-min. Needless to say, Jeong-woo doesn’t take this well and socks Kyung-min out of anger. He also apologizes to Ha-neul and they have a little moment.
Ha-neul believes that she can only heal if she helps Jeong-woo heal. Jeong-woo wanted to become strong so that she didn’t perceive him as weak. Both have made silly decisions for the sake of the other, not focusing on addressing their issues properly.
This is also true, weirdly enough, of their old teacher, who visited the hospital to get a lump checked out, got distracted by the chatter of Jeong-woo’s PTSD, and didn’t follow through. Ha-neul wants Jeong-woo to perform the surgery to remove the lump, which he does, and the teacher is fine. Dae-yeong throws a party for Jeong-woo and Ha-neul, and the latter has a nice moment with Hong-ran now she has learned the extent of what Ha-neul has been going through.
How does Doctor Slump Season 1, Episode 10 end?
So, Ha-neul and Jeong-woo have made amends, they now both work together, and they’re on much better terms. Jeong-woo has an understanding of why Ha-neul left the hospital in the first place, and hopefully, his regret about not being able to help her at the time will encourage both of them to be more open about their problems and feelings in the future. Teamwork makes the dream work, after all.
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