MaryMeKpop

It’s been a while but I am baaaack! The status of K-dramaland has been so interesting to me the past few years and it hasn’t been the smoothest experience for me. In between having a really busy K-drama schedule where I have one new episode a day each week to not watching any dramas for a certain amount of time, it’s been challenging to maintain a consistent K-drama schedule. After finishing ‘Castaway Diva’ and ‘Daily Dose of Sunshine’ last year, I took a break. And now I’m back to post my thoughts on two currently airing dramas: ‘Flex X Cop’ and ‘Doctor Slump.’

Flex X Cop

I remember being intrigued by the pairing of Ahn Bo-hyun and Park Ji-hyun when news of this drama first came out. I’m a fan of both actors so I liked that there was potential in putting them together in a show as the leads. When the first two episodes came out, I wasn’t in a rush to start it even though I knew that I wanted to eventually get around to it. And then one day, I wanted to put something on in the background so I decided to play ‘Flex X Cop.’ And sure enough, it’s a drama that I’m now hooked onto. It’s the thing I look forward to on Fridays and Saturdays.

‘Flex X Cop’ stars Ahn Bo-hyun who plays Jin Yi-soo, the son of a chaebol family who partners with Lee Gang-hyun’s detective team to solve murders and crimes. Park Ji-hyun plays Lee Gang-hyun, the female team leader of the violent crime unit at her police department. With Yi-soo and her two male co-workers, the quartet work together in solving crimes and they realize that their odd but exciting connection works much better and efficiently than they anticipated in getting the job done.

It didn’t take long for me to like ‘Flex X Cop’ because I enjoyed how easy of a watch it was. I love team-oriented dramas and shows so this one was definitely up my alley. Ahn Bo-hyun’s portrayal as the quirky, silly, and confident Jin Yi-soo is amazing. I’ve seen Ahn Bo-hyun in a few of his other projects including ‘Itaewon Class’ and ‘See You in My 19th Life’ but I think ‘Flex X Cop’ has to definitely be my favorite of his so far. I love how Ahn Bo-hyun’s character is so free-spirited and relaxed and weird in this drama and Ahn Bo-hyun sells it in such a convincing way. He can be sort of dorky and unconventional with his methods and strategies and the way that he goes about doing things sometimes which causes him to butt heads with Gang-hyun. But in the end, it works and he contributes to each case in his own way.

And it’s how different Yi-soo and Gang-hyun are from each other that also makes them so fun to watch. They couldn’t be more opposite and different but this works in their favor. They have this strange relationship but the chemistry is there and they work well together to effectively do their jobs. It’s fun watching Yi-soo collaborate with the detective team to solve murder mysteries and chase after the bad guys and in the process, validate himself as the son of a chaebol family and detective. But in between all of this, I’m also glad that the drama gave Gang-hyun her time in the spotlight and that we received the opportunity to learn more about her and her parents. In episode 6, there was a specific mission where Gang-hyun’s father was involved in a dangerous situation and it was absolutely moving seeing Gang-hyun spend time with her father after they concluded the mission successfully. I enjoy watching parental relationships in dramas in general, so Gang-hyun’s story with her father – who lost his job due to an unfortunate situation and misunderstanding – is touching. Gang-hyun works hard for herself and her family but especially for her father who she wants to bring honor to and wants to rightfully clear up his name.

‘Flex X Cop’ seems pretty standard with every two episodes featuring a specific incident and our team coming in to solve the case. But it wasn’t truly until the end of episode 6 that the drama fully settled in and conveyed to us viewers what its primary focus was on. At the end of this episode, another murder occurred and we watched as our 4-member team all arrived at the building of the incident together. They’re called to the crime scene, and just like they successfully did with the previous cases, will be relied on to work together to get down to the bottom of the truth. It’s so refreshing to see crime and action based dramas like ‘Flex X Cop’ that takes a team-oriented approach in solving the mysteries. All that’s left is the romance part and I will absolutely be squealing like a fool when that moment arrives – hopefully sooner than later.

Doctor Slump

It’s hard and rare for me to turn down a drama with Park Hyung-sik in it so I had to tune into his latest drama ‘Doctor Slump’ and give it a try. Park Hyung-sik plays Yeo Jeong-woo, a plastic surgeon who experiences difficulties after an unfortunate and tragic incident at his clinic. Jeong-woo’s high school enemy is Nam Ha-neul (Park Shin-hye) who quits her job as an anesthesiologist due to burnout as well as abuse by her medical professor. Ha-neul and Jeong-woo run into each other again in the present and find comfort and solace with each other while overcoming the slumps in their respective lives.

I’m not as excited about ‘Doctor Slump’ as I am with ‘Flex X Cop’ but I do find it impressive how the drama manages to keep me engaged. ‘Doctor Slump’ is a rom-com where we watch Jeong-woo and Ha-neul navigate this difficult time in their lives with each other and we watch as they drink together and eat together and keep each other company. And I’ll admit – I felt as if the drama didn’t have a whole lot going for it in the beginning. You watched as the duo constantly talked about drinking together or going out together and while it was adorable watching the two grow close after hating each other’s guts back in high school, I also wondered what else the drama had up its sleeves. What else was the drama going to introduce to us? What did the drama plan on doing for the second half? What other sub-plots or stories was ‘Doctor Slump’ going to bring up? And after having finished the 8 episodes that are out so far, I admittedly like what the drama has done. The drama has been primarily romance-focused and while I would also like to see more of Jeong-woo and Ha-neul’s individual stories and lives, I’m reminded that this drama is supposed to be about the two being there for each other. It’s supposed to center around their relationship and how they grow and develop together and overcome this difficult phase in their lives. The drama does a wonderful job at highlighting the beauty in their relationship and showing us how Jeong-woo and Ha-neul have been able to get through these tough moments in their lives by having each other. They found themselves in situations that no one else understood or empathized with so they served as each other’s rocks and pillars of support.

In the process of focusing on the romance and Jeong-woo’s individual story with his trial, I felt as if Ha-neul’s story has sort of been an afterthought. The drama hasn’t completely neglected her character but it does feel second place to everything else going on in the drama which is a bit unfortunate. I liked what the drama had shown so far with Ha-neul’s journey with depression and watching her navigate her emotions and feelings about her journey. I especially loved the brief glimpse we got of Ha-neul revealing the truth about her depression to her mom and the way that Ha-neul’s Mom navigated that situation. Her daughter was extremely smart and successful both in high school and professionally that she couldn’t fathom that her daughter was depressed. For Ha-neul’s mom, how could Ha-neul be depressed after all that she had sacrificed for her daughter? Why was her daughter depressed? That’s not the Ha-neul that she thought she knew. But the truth was that Ha-neul was going through a difficult time with her career and she had had enough. It was touching and beautiful to watch Ha-neul’s Mom care for Ha-neul and support her daughter. I wished it was something that the drama spent more time on given the layers and complexity of the situation and the messages surrounding mental health as well as parental expectations.

‘Doctor Slump’ is not perfect by any means and it did feel a bit redundant at times throughout but I’m looking forward to seeing what the drama has in store with the remaining 8 episodes. Jeong-woo’s trial has been solved and Jeong-woo and Ha-neul are now officially in a relationship. Along with the romance, here’s to hoping that the drama will re-focus on Ha-neul’s story in the second half.