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Healer: Episode 4

Healer continues to hit all the right buttons for me—there’s fun, humor, style, cuteness, and a touch of longing. So far the show has done a great job balancing the parts we care about with the necessary evils—you know, the politicians, the media bigwigs, the news-related stuff—and being careful not to lose sight of entertainment in favor of dry exposition. This is not a thing every show knows how to do well, so it’s much appreciated when one does, because it’s one way to really streamline the slower/rougher edges of a show, allowing it to fly right through the fun parts. Never take that for granted!

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Monni – “하얀 어깨” (White shoulder) [ Download ]

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EPISODE 4 RECAP

Jung-hoo gets a groggy start to his morning, settling down with more terrible instant food and leftovers (be still, my artery-clogged heart). He casts a suspicious look around before taking a bite, expecting ajumma to cut in—and of course, the instant he does finally take a bite, Min-ja hacks into his system with her trademark cackle. You’ll never beat her, Healer-ya!

She wonders what he’s doing up in daylight given that he lives his life nocturnally, and sniffs at the idea that he’s going to work at Someday News, the internet paper. She gives him a long lecture outlining all the ways in which it’s a bad idea to show himself in public, urging him to stay hidden until the murder case gets shelved.

Jung-hoo ignores her as he gets ready for his day, and says that Young-shin is definitely serious bait, and he’s taken note of the fish swimming around her. He means Moon-ho, having spotted him twice in Young-shin’s orbit, and the question now is whether he’s the guy who killed Go Sung-chul and framed him for it, or whether there’s someone even bigger backing him. He gives himself three days in which to come up with a lead.

Min-ja barrages him with instructions: Don’t let his true personality show, don’t cause ripples, just say yes to everything.

Of course, easier said than done, especially when Jung-hoo is given the instruction to write sixty news articles a day. Granted, there’s no expectation of quality, and it’s mostly a mindless keyword-driven process to create clickbait: Take the list of top ten search terms and write six posts per term (“Just take other articles and reuse their content”), using the most provocative terms possible.

Young-shin pesters her editor relentlessly about publishing her story about Yeon-hee’s forced prostitution, asking if he’s scared to print such a strong accusation. Jung-hoo sidles into the office fiddling with the copier to eavesdrop, while Editor Jang retorts that if anything the story is too weak. The victim isn’t a star, and she didn’t even commit suicide. Nobody’ll care.

Young-shin gets in a few licks about how Editor Jang should be ashamed of himself before he pulls rank, forcing her to pull back and try another tack. Angling for sympathy, she says that she hasn’t been able to sleep a wink with Yeon-hee crashing in her room, and if he could just print the story and give them a reason to take it to the police, it’ll kick things into motion and she could find a way to send Yeon-hee away.

Editor Jang tells her she can’t go around printing an assemblyman’s name and pulls her away by the ear like an errant child, telling her to focus on training the newbie. Brimming with indignation, Young-shin warns Jung-hoo to stand aside, then lets out her frustrations on the poor copy machine.

Moon-ho arrives at the secret meeting his brother organized with media bigwigs, and is divested of his phone because they’re taking precautions that the conversation won’t be recorded or leaked. Does this mean they’re gonna be extra-evil today?

Moon-ho is welcomed warmly into the fold, and while he responds in all the right ways, I dig the steely edge that’s visible just underneath the charm. He asks plainly why they wanted to see him, and they cut to the chase: They want him to act as “our” representative in politics. They’ve decided he’s the perfect choice, as he’s a star whose stalwart reputation appeals to the younger generation. (Of course, they don’t want him for his strong convictions; they just find it convenient as a tool to use for their purposes.)

Moon-ho asks them to clarify exactly who they mean by this general “us,” and they all have a hearty laugh like it’s a joke; they basically want one of their own representing the media elite’s interests in politics. While you could argue that the rich and powerful media controllers don’t need a lot more help, I suppose power breeds thirst for more power.

The first order of business: They instruct Moon-ho to help a politician campaign for the upcoming mayoral election. The man is Assemblyman Kim, otherwise known as Yeon-hee’s sponsor. One media honcho assures Moon-ho to trust in them, and in return they’ll propel him right to the top.

Moon-ho mostly keeps his mouth shut, but his eyes turn icy as he listens to them plan. He shoots his brother a hard look, but Moon-shik just raises a toast.

On to the police cyber crimes team, led by the sharp Investigator Yoon. Looking into the recent activity of the dead Go Sung-chul, he comes upon that subway stoppage, which coincides with gaps in CCTV footage—it must have been hacked. Investigator Yoon identifies the thugs who’d swarmed the station as Double S employees, and deduces that they and the Healer were there for the same thing.

Digging through cell phone footage shot by a bystander, Investigator Yoon spots the moment when Go Sung-chul and the Healer jump from the car, with the Double S guards in pursuit.

His sidekick asks whether the police station is safe from hacking, and Investigator Yoon replies with a smile that they’re safe from outside hack jobs… but inside jobs are another question.

Cut to: Ajumma Min-ja receiving the very same footage he’d just watched. Hm, interesting. What’s the inside connection?

But judging from how Min-ja curses Yoon for being a “damnably hard-working bastard” and wonders when he’ll retire already, perhaps he’s not exactly on her team. But he’s definitely acquainted with her and her ways.

We catch up to messenger Dae-yong at a kind of rave-type martial-arts obstacle course, which gives her a chance to show off some of her high-flying moves. (Actress Tae-mi is a taekwondo athlete, so the stunts must be all her.) She answers a call from Min-ja (whom she calls “Boss”), who instructs her to find the Healer, who’s turned off his tracking signal again.

Min-ja knows that he hates having anyone on his tail, but she’s nervous and wants Dae-yong to keep an eye on him. She directs Dae-yong to start by looking close to Young-shin, which is easy enough since Jung-hoo slipped a tracking bug onto her earlier.

Dae-yong finds her having dinner with the Someday News team, well into a bottle of soju and still trying to wear down her boss. She asks Editor Jang about that old newspaper job he got fired from, supposing it was for writing an article he was told not to write, and appealing to his dormant sense of righteousness. She calls his life a tragedy and lays it on thick, ignoring her co-workers’ attempts to keep the liquor out of her hands. She gets huffy heaing that Jung-hoo will be late joining them, as he’s off on an errand first.

We find Jung-hoo on the bus, looking at his framed photograph of the 1980 Five. His gaze lingers on the man on the far left—his father. His mother’s voice rings in his ears as she explains that Jung-hoo resembles his father, and that she struggled following his death.

A flashback takes us to Jung-hoo’s childhood: His mother cooks him a nice dinner and urges him to eat, but Jung-hoo can’t, given the packed bags by the door. He asks where she’s going and if he can go too, but Mom says she’s going far away and probably won’t be back. Obeying his mother’s instructions, Jung-hoo eats with tears running down his face.

Jung-hoo arrives outside an apartment building, and warmly greets a woman he calls Mom. Huh, well now I’m wildly curious to know how this relationship came back around after she left him. But he seems to harbor no ill will and asks after her family—her son, now a high schooler, and her new husband.

Jung-hoo pulls out the old photograph and asks Mom about his father and his friends. She never knew them very well, but she identifies the two in the center as reporters who were married (Young-shin’s parents). He asks if she still has anything of his father’s, and she says she’ll look.

It’s nice to see that Jung-hoo does have some relationships in this world, and he’s obviously got a warm heart. Mom asks why he orders this dessert all the time when he’s always scooping the best part (the sweet beans) to her, and he says it’s because she likes them.

Jung-hoo arrives at the restaurant as Young-shin is leaving dinner—or rather, being dragged out by her sunbae because she’s drunk. Immediately hunching over, he scurries to them and offers to take her home. She’s so drunk that Editor Jang has ordered that she be taken straight home—lest she cause trouble—and put to bed. Well now, you mean taking her to bed are his explicit orders? Aye-aye.

Spying Dae-yong keeps at a safe distance, watching as Jung-hoo hails a cab and Young-shin regales strangers with rambling talk about dinosaur brains.

She’s singing by the time Jung-hoo brings her home, and Dad eyes Jung-hoo mighty suspiciously. She blabbers on about those sad tiny dinosaur brains and has to be dragged up to her room by Yeon-hee.

That leaves Jung-hoo alone to face two disapproving fatherly types, with Dad and Pickpocket Ajusshi glaring at him sternly. Hee. He stammers an introduction and launches into a pity story about living far away and the buses not running and the expensive taxi fare he paid while listening to nonsense about dinosaurs, asking them to let him stay the night.

Dad and Ajusshi suppose that he spends every day closely with Young-shin, and as soon as he says yes, they each grab an arm. Taken aback, Jung-hoo yelps nervously as they proceed to drag him into Dad’s office.

Young-shin continues her dinosaur brain talk with Yeon-hee, insisting on going through the whole spiel about the three stages of human brain development. The dinosaur stage is the early development part that’s about survival, while the mammal stage in adolescence brings emotional development. It’s the third and last stage that sets humans apart from animals.

This all has a point, albeit a super roundabout one, and Young-shin marches (tipsily) to her computer and declares, “Let’s make trouble! Something only a human can make.” LOL, her editor should have known better than to think merely putting her to bed would save her from troublemaking—not in the age of wifi and web publishing.

Meanwhile, downstairs the two dads lock Jung-hoo inside the office and preface their talk by saying that it had better stay a secret from Young-shin. Gulp. They advance on him slowly and state that they have a three-part “favor” to ask of him: First, keep Young-shin from drinking, though that’ll be tricky because of her fast fingers. Dad: “When she starts with the dinosaur talk, that’s a warning sign.” She doesn’t get drunk often, but every time she does, she causes “large-scale trouble.”

Second, don’t let her open cans—she’s prone to cutting herself. And most of all, never, ever let her go to the scene of violence. Dad starts to fumble for words as he explains her having an “accident” when she was young, and the trauma can trigger fits of suffocation. The dads crowd him menacingly and emphasize their “favor” while Jung-hoo fidgets nervously.

Upstairs, Young-shin starts writing the story, warning Yeon-hee that she’ll be going after this hard. She goes so far as to identify the assemblyman by initial and party affiliation, but Yeon-hee balks, wanting him exposed fully. Young-shin says that naming the accused would force her to name the accuser, but Yeon-hee doesn’t care about her own privacy.

Young-shin resists, saying that her approach is a kamikaze one where both parties die. That’s not good enough for her—she wants the assemblyman to go down, and Yeon-hee to survive. That’s the right way to do it.

Still, there are plenty of details in there to point to the right guy (since he’s named as a Seoul mayoral candidate). When Young-shin finishes the story, she reminds herself of the difference between dinosaurs and humans, musters the nerve, hits publish.

From across the way, Dae-yong takes up a stakeout post to observe Jung-hoo. And seeing two young ladies in the house, she grumbles, “Why are there so many women?!” Just as she reaches for her phone to call Min-ja, it’s snatched out of her hand.

Dae-yong launches into reflexive attack mode, but her kicks get sidestepped easily by Jung-hoo, who’s caught on to her. Instead of tracking him, he orders her to watch Moon-ho and report to him. Ha, when she asks blankly who he is, Jung-hoo scoffs at her ignorance of the news star like a know-it-all, as though he hadn’t totally asked the same thing the other day.

She tries to protest but he leaves her midsentence, making a flashy exit by leaping off the ledge, down to the ground, and back up to Young-shin’s place in a deft series of acrobatic maneuvers.

A dream. This time it’s Young-shin’s, and she’s back in childhood to a time spent cowering in a closet as a man approaches ominously, dragging a metal pole. The door flings open, childhood Young-shin freezes in fear, and adult Young-shin bolts up in bed, waking from the nightmare.

Jung-hoo slips back inside just in time to feign sleep on the couch as Dad passes through. Then Young-shin staggers out of her bedroom half-asleep and claims his spot on the sofa, leaving him on the ground protesting ineffectually. He prods her, reminding her that she can’t sleep with anybody next to her (“Hello, I’m next to you…”), but she doesn’t stir. Instead she just grabs hold of his arm in her fitful sleep.

Jung-hoo’s mother goes through a box of old things and smiles at old photographs dating to her married days with Jung-hoo’s father. In a flashback, we drop in on a housewarming party for her family, with Young-shin’s parents in attendance, as well as Moon-shik and Teenage Moon-ho. The parents chuckle in amusement when they find young Ji-an and Jung-hoo asleep together, her holding firmly onto his arm.

In the morning when Dad steps into the living room, he makes a reflexive grab for the first piece of furniture with which to club Jung-hoo over the head. But he pauses at the sight of Young-shin sleeping peacefully next to Jung-hoo, still hanging onto his arm. Just like old times.

The phones are ringing off the hook at the Someday News office, thanks to Young-shin’s overnight scoop. Editor Jang frantically scrambles for a solution, wanting to take down the article, although his senior reporter points out that they’ve hit the top of the search results and have a tremendous amount of traffic.

HA, Young-shin cowers under the table in the conference room, now that sobriety has returned her sense of fear. Jung-hoo tries to urge her out but she hides herself, not wanting to step into the line of fire while her editor is raging.

Over at ABS, Min-jae rightly suspects that Moon-ho would be a bad person to have covering this Assemblyman sex scandal story and decides to put him on another story preemptively. She orders his hoobae, Jong-soo, to do whatever it takes to keep his attention distracted away from this item.

Min-jae finds Moon-ho to assign a story, but he’s awfully sharp to the irregularity of her particular request. Jong-soo cracks under the pressure and Moon-ho snatches his tablet, which is open to the Assemblyman Kim story.

Blood firing immediately, Moon-ho makes expert deductions and asks where the story originated. And when he looks for the byline, he recognizes that name.

Moon-shik fields an emergency meeting with Assemblyman Kim and President Hwang (the pimp), assuring him that he’ll take care of the source and that things will die down soon. He helps the assemblyman save face by calling it a clear case of politically motivated slander, and the assemblyman plays the part of the victim.

Moon-shik points out that President Hwang is the weaker link, and Hwang assures him that he’ll take this secret with him to the grave. For now, they have to find that problematic missing woman, and they suspect that the reporter is harboring her. Moon-shik orders the Double S leader to bring the woman in, and to “quiet the reporter—using whatever methods you need.”

Jung-hoo helps Young-shin slip out of the newsroom by distracting the others as she duck-walks her way out. She almost runs right into a stranger’s legs, and one look at his face has her stunned speechless.

It’s her hero, Moon-ho, and she stutters in awe and calls herself a fan. There’s a lovely, sad look on his face as he takes her hand and requests a chat.

She’s still in a state of shock later that evening as she walks home, recalling their conversation, but it’s not because of awe. Rather, Moon-ho had requested that she let him handle the story because it’s too big for her to take on alone—and while that’s true, she takes that the other way and scoffs that he became a star by ripping off stories from junior reporters.

Moon-ho had warned that she doesn’t know how much of a dangerous situation she set off, but Young-shin fixates more on the way he talked to her (in banmal) and huffs at his presumptuousness. What a traitor, she scoffs.

Just then, Jung-hoo notices the dark van parked across the way and the gangster-like fellows watching from inside. He gets on his in-ear comm to ajumma straightaway, and she hacks into the CCTV feed to recognize the SS folks. She orders Jung-hoo to make a break for it—especially with his bare faced exposed.

Jung-hoo takes stock of the situation, noting the gang that’s on their tail, and the one that’s cut off their path from the front. Young-shin doesn’t catch on until she’s literally surrounded, but one mention of Yeon-hee’s name is enough to apprise her of the situation.

Young-shin leans back to murmur a message to Jung-hoo: “I’ll grab onto them, so you run away. Go and get the police.”

He’s certainly surprised, and Young-shin steps forward to say she doesn’t know any Yeon-hee. The lead gangster slams her head into a wall, but Jung-hoo acts fast to cradle her head before impact.

That interference makes him a target, and gangsters grab him and start throwing punches. Hilarilously, Jung-hoo dodges the blows but yelps loudly, “Ow! That hurts!” and pretends to suffer the hits. Young-shin can’t bear to see him beaten and jumps in, agreeing to show them to Yeon-hee, and the guys grab her and leave Jung-hoo whimpering in fake-pain.

Jung-hoo dusts himself off and reconnects with Min-ja, who has called the police and instructs him to remove himself from the situation. Jung-hoo looks back at the way Young-shin was taken but begins walking in the other direction… yet words ring in his ears—about her childhood trauma, and how she can’t breathe when it strikes, and how she’d once contemplated killing herself to stop the pain.

Young-shin’s symptoms are already kicking in, and she falls to the ground gasping hard. Her vision starts to blur, and the last thing she sees is the arrival of an intruder, who jumps in to fight off the gangsters.

Jung-hoo leaps into the fray, easily knocking men down and keeping them at bay as he collects Young-shin, depositing her safely to the side with her head covered while he returns to the fight. He does literal gymnastics on the scaffolding and knocks down more baddies, while Young-shin looks up to catch a glimpse of his hidden face.

 
COMMENTS

And the fun continues! I’m really digging the tone of this show, and the quick pacing that never lingers too long on the wrong things. This show knows what it is, and has struck a nicely brisk pace that balances its various facets in an entertaining, efficient way. I like that we’re given enough clues about the past to begin the speculation process, without being so dense as to be cryptic or so open as to be obvious. The flashbacks are well-done, and while there are a number of them, they’re well-crafted to show us exactly what we need to know without being confusing or overwhelming.

I do find the past ties connecting Young-shin, Jung-hoo, and Moon-ho to be a little neat, but I’m going to keep an open mind about it. If it were a pure romance drama that mirrored a childhood love triangle in the present, I’d be groaning pretty hard right about now. But I do have a lot of faith in this writer to do more with this than romance (in fact, I’m thinking that romance will be a secondary thread of the past timeline, not the primary one) and the trio’s childhood connection is part of the premise, rather than the resolution. As they say, a writer can get people into a fix using coincidence, but you’d better not solve a fix with coincidence. So in that way, I’m willing to go with the everyone-is-connected idea as a central issue.

I’m surprised at how much I’m liking this main pairing, because admittedly it does seem rather obvious, doesn’t it? I suppose it’s yet more proof that it’s more important to execute in a credible way than to come up with a new idea, because if I believe in these characters, then it doesn’t matter that other people in other stories have fallen in love in similar ways. Because what matters is that these people work—and they really do, for me.

What’s the best part of the Young-shin and Jung-hoo relationship is that it works for me on all of its levels, not just the primary one—I’m there with the curious Healer being drawn in to the bubbly weirdo heroine, and I’m also there with the goofy reporter Bong-soo tagging along with his cocky sunbae (and cowering before her father figures, which makes me laugh out loud), and I’m also there with the two damaged kids who hide their childhood traumas behind more polished adult facades. If all their sides continue to develop credibly, I’m going to be so all over this OTP like you don’t even know. Wheeee!

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Thank you so much for the recap! I so loved this ep. and I am falling deeper in love with this drama. I am loving how so far, the writer manages (in the episodes) to balance the comedy, the thriller-mystery, the action, and by the end of ep.4, I think Healer/JH/PBS is starting to be moved by CYS and her story. I thought I was reading into it too much, when in ep.2, Healer abruptly stopped the recording of CYS trying to save Yeon-hee. Looking at the things he seemed to think about (or remember) at the end of the episode (4), I got the feeling that I might have been right: I think that JH was moved when CYS was talking about her life, up until when she was adopted by her lawyer dad. There was just something about his demeanor, and the way he abruptly stopped the recording (and ajumma asking him why he had stopped).

I feel that in this ep., I could start to see how JH is starting to be affected by CYS and her life story. And Karen, JH does look miserable when he is eating at his house, so I guess being alone does make him feel lonely. He is not admitting it, not even to himself. There is something (even) in the way he drags his feet, when he goes to his couch, sad panda (or sad puppy as some soompiers call him). I loved the comedy in this ep., CYS being drunk, JH acting as PBS, with her dad and at work, him spending the night at her place, and I SO LOVED it when she grabbed his arm, to sleep more comfortably. That was an “awww” moment for me.

So would it be considered makjang, the fact that they knew each other as children, but they don’t remember it? I didn’t expect that, though it would make sense, since his dad was one of the 5 people on the picture. I am glad his mom is still alive, and that he gets along with her, because I had assumed that she had died as well, and that JH was alone in the world. I loved how they were eating that dessert together. I also totally love her dad (and his friend who works in the café), and how protective they are of her. The scene in her dad’s office was precious, especially the part where JH turned towards the wall, as is he could escape CYS’s dad. JCW is really playing PBS to a T. During the fight scene, I kept hoping that ajumma would call the police or something. I was glad to see that Healer came to the rescue. I know this is a drama (so we have to roll with it), however, where did he get his Healer clothes from? B/c he certainly didn’t go home, right?

Another favorite moment of mine, was when MH went to see CYS: the look on her face, the stuttering, the emotions on MH’s face, that was so well done,a dn so good. And the 3 people in the world who are connected by past events didn’t even know how important they would be to each other. For once, CYS was speechless.

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I've said this before, but...Ivoire, how can you write so much so quickly.

I thought that your connections to makjang were interesting. I'm scared because I just don't want Healer to forever ditch its action roots and turn super soppy.

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@ Fyri, Hello~

I usually take notes when I watch dramas, so I will know or remember what moved me, and the questions I might have (as well as what I found interesting). It's a little like taking a class for me, and so far, I have really learned a lot after every drama I have watched. My notes very often help me write my thoughts/comments when I post the first time (when I post my initial thoughts, that is).

About this, "I thought that your connections to makjang were interesting. I’m scared because I just don’t want Healer to forever ditch its action roots and turn super soppy."
You know, about my connections to makjang, I actually wasn't sure, which was why I asked, and I am glad JB clarified that for us. I too hope that Healer will continue to have many action scenes throughout the drama, because I am really enjoying them, and JCW looks very slick, when he does do them (and so do the stunt people doing the harder ones). This drama has a serious tone to it (at times), because of some of its subject matters, and though I appreciate that, and I am curious about that part of (Korea's) history (so I want to know more), I am hoping that writer Song Ji-na will be able to maintain the balance this drama has had so far.

I find the scenes (in the episodes) to be moving in a fluid way, though I will admit that ep.1 was confusing to me. Now that I know a little bit more about our characters, I can appreciate ep.1 (and how it was done), better. I also hope that the writer (and the director) will be able to maintain the comedy and the humor, as well as the touching/moving scenes in the drama. Those scenes make it easy for me (or easier) to take in the harsher and more painful discoveries we are/will be making, as the drama unfolds. Even if the drama becomes melodramatic and sad (at times), I believe that there might be a way that the different genres could be balanced.

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Ji Chang wook, where have you been all my life?! Geez, am so glad that he got to "work" in the office so we could see more of that gorgeous face sans hi tech glasses or hoody. More close ups, please, chebal.

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Healer is not makjang. Regardless of story tropes used, makjang requires a tonal quality that Healer is not going for.

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Good to know. :)

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I am so freaking in LOVE with this awesome pairing to the point of wanting to ship them in real life. They have such great chemistry and I so like Healers double life and how YS is going to unravel his secret.

And did you guys see him snickering everytime she was saying those things to reporter MH? Like he was totally in the clouds because MH was not was she thought him to be. Jealous Healer?

Now I want their first kiss, and please let it be with nerdy Healer first and then with hottie Healer ;).

This drama needs more recognition cuz its the best one airing so far.

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I just love the way u put "nerdy healer & hottie healer"...kinda imagine it right away..haha

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@ JB,
Thank you for clarifying that for me. I guess I am still not very good at detecting what might be makjang, and what might not be. Hopefully, the more dramas I watch, the better I will become at knowing the difference.

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thumbs up for you Ivoire! you have the same thoughts as mine! ;)

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@ Rania, Hi~

Thank you for the compliment. Interesting and kind of funny that we have thought about some of the same things when it comes to this episode. I think that for me, one of the many reasons why I am falling in love with this drama, is because I am getting to like the characters (and I love some of them), as I get to know them better. I also deeply appreciate that the writer makes every character shine. From Yeon-hee, to Lawyer Dad and the Cafe ajussi(s), to Min-jae, to messenger girl, to Ajumma, etc... I know our 3 leads are important, and I do enjoy seeing them on the screen, however I also love seeing the other characters, as they tie in well into the story we are being told (at least so far).

I also love watching the action scenes, and I replay them when I watch the drama. I really love the OST, the songs with lyrics, and the BM as well. There is a blues song (sounds like US blues) that has been played a few times, and I remember it being played when PBS/JH/Healer was being introduced to CYS. That instrumental piece is really soulful, and goes well with the scenes it has been used in. I wonder who plays it. Those are my favorite songs so far in the drama: "Eternal Love," the instrumental piece (kind of Jazz-y a little bit) played at the beginning of the episodes, and that Blues song I mentioned. I also did like the song CYS and her dad sang in ep.2 (and I LOVED Healer's reaction to their dancing).

One of my favorite scenes was when CYS went to sleep in the living room, and PBS/Healer couldn't wake her up. There was a way she grabbed on to his arm, somewhat desperate (look at her face when she does it), and a longing in how she did it. I LOVED that it left PBS somewhat confused, and a little lost yet, he did not take his arm away from her. That arm was like her "security blanket," and I don't know what his thought process must have been (what made him decide to go along), however, I just LOVE that he let her be. As a beanie said, it was as if her body recognized him (as a safe person to be around).

I also really liked (and I have said this in my earlier comment), how Healer planned on leaving at the end of the ep., and yet he remembered what he knew about CYS. And that was a very good thing, because by the time he got to her, she was not in good shape at all. I LOVED that he put that jacket on her, so she would not see the violence, and become more anxious and feel ill. to be honest, I am really LOVING how the writer (and the director and the actors/actresses) are balancing the main parts of the plot (the past), with the little moments (like Healer covering CYS's head during the fight, Healer and CYS falling asleep together, etc...) because to me, those little moments actually matter. Knowing why those things are done, make them more precious. As you can see, I am really not difficult to please, when it comes to dramas :-)

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@ Rania, Part 2:

Having rewatched the drama, I also love CYS's boss, the director. He is like a male version of a very dramatic ajumma. I really love him, LOL. He is SO dramatic, but in a funny way, with his voice, his body language, everything. That actor is doing a really good job! And he is very entertaining. And CYS eating her boss's lunch, was very funny. I have some questions:

1--There is an added path on the wall, which seems to lead to Myung-hee's bedroom. It is long and it looks a little bit like a path you would see on a conveyor belt in airports. It is on the side of Myung-hee and KMS's house. I have been wondering, is that pathway for her wheelchair, because you usually don't see pathways like that attached to a house (It looks built and attached to the side of the house). What do you think?

2--I was also wondering, (in ep.3), CYS's boss said that Healer brought in more than 300,000won/yearly in ads revenue. Was the boss talking about what he hoped Healer would bring in, or was he talking about Healer's past performances somewhere else (with the hope that Healer would do the same for Someday News)? I hope my question makes sense, because that scene confused me.

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Chill,people, it's just a kdrama, sit back , relax and enjoy the show. No need to dissect everything single scenario. But hey, you gotta do your own thing. So ok, just saying.

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Hello Jourdan,

I think that for some of us, our idea of relaxing and enjoying the show is by dissecting every single scenario. We are soooo into it that we want to understand every single second of the episode, and see what makes sense and what might not. To each his/her own, I guess. So we are actually "chilling," but in a different way. And for those who do not want to think too deeply about the episodes, we think that is OK too. There are many ways to experience a drama, and I personally don't think that one way is better than another. It just depends on the individual.

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Hi Ivoire.
I was also confused by what CYS's boss said about the Healer/Bong Soo. I think he was talking about the Healer's past performances, which was made up/faked??

I'm personally not a fan of this show's action scenes. The Healer uses too much wasted movement with unnecessary flips. The action scenes are given some extra flair, but they don't seemed to be well done IMO. I don't think this director is that good with action. I have to admit that the scene that took place in the men's restroom in episode 2 was really cool though.

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Hello united,

Out of curiosity, were you on the Liar Game recaps' comments? your screen name looks familiar to me, as I feel that I remember you from there.

You know, about that scene with the boss, I really feel that it was not clear. I am waiting to see a different translation, because it is not right, if it was originally written in that way. Things could have been clarified with one more word or two, explaining that his resume showed that he was very successful in his last job, bringing in very good ads revenues (and I am sure his resume is fake, since as ajumma pointed out, he is usually not out during the daytime, unless he has an assignment, is what I am assuming). I am glad to know that you were confused by that scene as well. I wonder if something got lost in translation.

RE: action scenes, thank you so much for your feedback. I am not well versed in those, so I usually just appreciate what I see in movies and dramas. Could you please give me an example of a movie or of a drama where the action scenes were well done? That might help me see the difference. Did you see City Hunter? If so, did you think that the action scenes were well done there? And also, what did you mean here please, "The action scenes are given some extra flair, but they don’t seemed to be well done IMO?"

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Some of what people see in an action scene is cultural, and some is more universal. It is all a matter of whether you believe in them. For instance, I'm only gradually getting used to the wire work in Kdrama. You have a lot of people in what are otherwise supposed to be "realistic" scenes flying through the air in ways that are physically impossible, and, even worse, in what are obviously wire shots.

On the other hand, in American shoot-'em-ups, you have the alleged super-skilled hero surviving scene after scene only because hundreds of rounds of machine gun fire somehow hit everywhere around him but keep missing his well-oiled body.

Most fights in real life only last a couple of punches, shots, or stabs. A fight like that in a drama would be un-dramatic. What you looking for, usually, is a fight that is elegant and dramatic to watch, but doesn't look like anyone is holding back or wasting motion.

The fights in the Jason Bourne movies are first rate, by that standard. They use a Filipino martial arts style that focuses on high speed, simple moves that get the fight resolved fast. It looks deadly and suits the style of the director, as well.

Another director would use a different style. Jackie Chan uses a good bit of his choreography for comic effect, but he paces it rapidly so the opposition isn't standing around watching him do schtick, but instead getting comically frustrated trying to keep up with him. It's worked pretty well for Jackie.

Ulitimately, if you believe it, it works.

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@Ivoire: Yeah. I commented often on the Liar Game recaps.

"If you believe it, it works." Great line. One's experience and knowledge with action scenes determines how one enjoys them. My experience with lots of action movies/dramas has shaped my personal preference for them and what I think is believable. I like action that is efficient and strategic. If characters are going to do crazy flips and fly in the air, then I need some explanation for them. For example, a show is set in the future and humans can replace their bodies with prosthetic parts, which allow them to do the unbelievable.

The Healer's action scenes sometimes make me laugh. It hasn't convinced me that this drama world can allow such actions. The flips and other things just seem like they've been obviously added to to make it more dramatic. Also, they don't seem to be executed well. Maybe, it has poor wire work?
I prefer the action in City Hunter. To me, its camera work and choreography just looked better. Also, the main characters wasted very little movement and time during his fights, except for the occasional jumping leg kick. I wasn't completely convinced by Lee Min Ho in those scenes though.

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@ Quiet Thought,

Thank you for taking the time to actually explain what happens during actions scenes, and the difference between them. I remember that when City Hunter was airing, people (viewers either on viki.com or here on DB), mentioned that his actions scenes, (or some of them) were the Filipino Martial arts kind of action scenes. I think I remember reading that the team for CH had used a Filipino Director (at least for the action scenes). It was definitely some thing along those lines, that people had said.

I have not watched the Jason Bourne movies (yet), so I guess I will have to check them out, to better appreciate what you explained. I learned some things reading your post, so thanks again! It's hard for me to visualize something, when I feel that I no frame of reference.

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@ united,

So I was right about seeing your screen name on the LG recaps, OK.
Thank you for explaining, that actually helped. Please read my comment to Quiet Thought. Since you were not completely convinced (or convinced at all) by LMH's action scenes, could you please give me the name of an actor who in your opinion has done his action scenes well (and in what drama or movie)? I am now curious about that...

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I'm a huge of fan of Jackie Chan. Whenever I see a character use an object in a creative way(City Hunter and even the Healer), I'm reminded of Jackie Chan. I'd recommend seeing his famous ladder scene in First Strike and the legendary Drunken Master movies. The scenes are not all that realistic, but I know its Jackie Chan who is doing the stunts.

I don't think Korea has done that great with action. If I have to pick someone, it would be Jang Hyuk, who is my favorite male actor. He's very athletic and known to be an action expert. I thought he did a decent job in Iris 2 and Chuno. Lee Byung Hun and Jung Woo Sung are also actors that are good with action roles.

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@ united,

I was wondering, has the Healer used an object (in a creative way) to fight? I can't remember. I do remember CH and the spoon in the kitchen scene, but I am blanking on the Healer using an object, in the 4 episodes we have seen so far. I also remember CH fighting with the document he had taken from the bad guy, outside of Kim Nana's apartment (that was a tool he used as well), and CH fighting with a bottle of water in a latter episode as well.

I will make a note of the Jackie Chan movies you have recommended. I have only seen Jackie Chan in the movie "Rush Hour," which might not be the best movie to see Jackie Chan's best fighting moves, I am assuming? (And I also realize that I could be wrong, of course).

About Jang Hyuk, I haven't watched any of his dramas yet, only a few episodes of Fated to Love You, and I could see in that drama that he was very fit. I also read somewhere that his wife is some kind of fitness instructor, or something along those lines. I can't remember for what sport at the moment, however I got the feeling that she must also be very fit, and into that lifestyle. I am therefore not surprised that JH would be fit as well. I think his wife might have been his instructor (and that was how he met her, maybe?)

I haven't seen Lee Byung Hun and Jung Woo Sung in dramas or movies (yet), at least not entirely. I have only seen a few episodes of Iris, and of Padam Padam, though I do know that LBH and JWS are A-list actors. My sister loves Iris however, and she has been recommending it to me. Another drama that is on my never-ending list of dramas to watch. Thank you for your recommendations, they are duly noted.

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@Ivoire,

I thought I remembered seeing the Healer use a piece of clothing in one of this fight scenes.

I thought the Rush Hour movies were entertaining, but you need to watch his Hong Kong produced films in order to truly appreciate his martial arts/action.

I don't know much about Jang Hyuk's wife, but he's well known for his action roles. For a while, he was considered to be an action actor typecast. It was somewhat surprising that he was casted in a comedy role for Fated to Love You. I heard that Jang Hyuk has some martial arts background. Also, I heard that he even trained some of his fellow actors for Iris 2.

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@ united,

About this, "I thought I remembered seeing the Healer use a piece of clothing in one of this fight scenes."
You know, you might be right. I think he might have used one of the thugs' jacket to fight, and THEN he put it on CYS, so she would not see the fight, since her dad said that she should not see violence. I remembered the jacket, but at the time I wrote my response to you, I only remembered the part where Healer protected CYS's eyes.

About this, "I thought the Rush Hour movies were entertaining, but you need to watch his Hong Kong produced films in order to truly appreciate his martial arts/action," duly noted as well. Thank you!

About Jang Hyuk's wife, I think I read some of it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jang_Hyuk#Personal_life
I don't remember where I read the rest, though I do remember reading it, since that info stayed with me. I thought this was impressive, " Also, I heard that he even trained some of his fellow actors for Iris 2."

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@ Quiet Thought

"...in American shoot-‘em-ups, you have the alleged super-skilled hero surviving scene after scene only because hundreds of rounds of machine gun fire somehow hit everywhere around him but keep missing his well-oiled body."

Isn't that the truth? Basically it's become a standard action cliché. Action movies that deviate from this trope and break the mold by trying something new are more memorable and appealing to me.

"The fights in the Jason Bourne movies are first rate, by that standard."

I totally agree with you, hence my love for the Jason Bourne movies. :)

@ united

"If I have to pick someone, it would be Jang Hyuk...I thought he did a decent job in Iris 2 and Chuno. Lee Byung-Hun and Jung Woo-Sung are also actors that are good with action roles."

I agree with your picks. Iris (I) was my very 1st kdrama. Watching Lee Byung-Hun's action scenes in Iris (I), is what led me to venture down the rabbit hole into the world of kdramas. The 2nd Iris spin-off Athena: Goddess of War with Jung Woo-Sung was fair to middling. As the 3rd sequel in the Iris franchise, Iris II was disappointing and ended up crashing and burning figuratively and literally. The most memorable and positive take away from Iris II — Jang Hyuk and his action scenes.

@ Ivoire

You've missed out big time. Hopefully in 2015 you can watch The Bourne Trilogy: The Bourne Identity (2002), The Bourne Supremacy (2004), and The Bourne Ultimatum (2007).

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Ohmygod it's here! As the subs for this drama currently take forever before being posted, I am seriously grateful for Dramabeans, and to you, JB, for lightning fast recaps! Thank you very much! Im off tor read first! Be back in comments section later.

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O. M. G. I am in LOVE with this show!! I think it's a little more quirkier than City hunter, but all the more, LOVE IT!! Thanks so much Javabeans!!

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This is so exciting!!

After strings of unbearable dramas, I am so glad to have found two fun dramas by the end of the year (Pinnocchio and Healer) *happy dance*

Now if only the subs come out sooner...

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Funny things, i watch dramas about reporters from Monday to Thursday (Healer and Pinocchio) ;)

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Love the show, but especially the OTP. If things continue as they are, they may be my favourite OTP in a long time.

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Whether as Seo Jung Hoo or Park Bong Soo, Ji Chang Wook jjang!!
He seems real and relatable to me!

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I agree, and I feel the same.

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From one who does not speak a word of Korean, a big fat THANK YOU for the fast recap, JB. Very fast. :-D

And now the agonising wait for the subs continue... :-(

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Interesting...Park Min Young was cute in S...Scandal, and sweet in City Hunter, but really unbearably awful in The New Leaf. I was worried for her and her career.
Now in Healer, with the right role, writing, and directing, she is quite charming.

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Indeed, she blends in so well with her character.

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Yes she does...

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The picture of YS and JH as little kids was so completely adorable.

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That picture made me melt... I loved how they slept without a care in the world, and how peaceful CYS looked in the morning. Maybe that was why Dad stopped himself from waking them up, and from hitting PBS. I also loved how comfortable PBS looked (with CYS), while they were sleeping. I loved both sleeping scenes.

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It's here! I've been waiting all day for your recap (and subs, of course). No kidding. It makes my day.

The OTP is insanely shippable. I adore them so much. That, coupled with a nicely-paced romantic plot (nothing too fast!) interwoven with the main plot and backstory makes for a very nice drama.

That's it. Consider me hooked! Healer, why are you doing this to me? Indeed this show is pushing all the right buttons thus far.

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Week by week.. episode by episode im so fallin love with Healer esp for OTP. Jjangggg! Thanks for your recap XD

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Young!Jung Hoo is played by the kid who was in Triangle, as young! Jaejoon (I forgot his character's name).

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THIS SHOW. THIS EFFIN' SHOW. I seriously swore off dramas this 2014 because K-entertainment as a whole is kinda wobbly and a bit depressing this year (save a few good ones), but I changed my mind and decided that I need a bit of eye candy to satisfy me for Christmas Break, then poof Ji Chang Wook came in, then I said okay, why not watch Healer.
I ventured out into this one and just when I tried to put one foot in the water, it grabbed me and pulled me in and now I'm drowning in a puddle of "Where-are-my-subssss?" "Screencap-that-JCW-bae" "Damn-cute-otp" "OOH-LOVIN-THIS-PLOT"
Seriously, I can go all technical and whatnot but I'm just full of fangirl feels right now for this show's potential, the awesome concept and plot, the quirky and interesting characters, the acting, the fun fast pace.
It's funny how not expecting anything about a drama can really make it so much better. I constantly get surprised about what's happening, thinking, "Oh, so it can be that good!"
I hope it stays good because I, I mean, we, faithful dramawatchers, don't deserve another disappointing drama this year.

THANK YOU FOR THE SUPERFAST RECAPS JB! Happy Holidays to everyone!

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I mean swore off getting into dramas for the remaining few months of the year after being tortured by disappointing ones

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Literally lol'ed at your post. I've been having similar reactions while watching the show. Especially the screenshot part. Never gets old, haha! I swear JCW's face is just begging to be screen captured every. single. time. (Did the same in EK.) Ugh, why is he so distractingly gorgeous? OTP may be a bit tropey (Lois Lane/Clark Kent fanfare; lonely guy/energetic girl) but I love them all the same. They feel... how do I describe it? Fresh. As for the plot, it's good that right now I have no idea where it will lead, except for the fact that it's certainly intriguing. It was a nice move not to reveal the entire back story earlier in, which gives the viewers a lot to think about and look forward to.

Yeaaah so what I wanna say is, let's fangirl together because Healer is so goo-ooo-oood~

(Pardon me, I've got a few screws loose today. It's the effect of having a brand new drama that makes me positively giddy.)

It's such an awesome feeling to watch a drama that delivers! And enjoyable at the same time.

Happy holidays to you as well!

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He is such a beautiful man! I've been going back to old Empress Ki clips so I can admire his good looks.

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OMG LITERALLY SAME REACTION TO HEALER *high five*

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Who is this Healer guy? The actor, I mean. That was my first reaction after seeing screencaps of him and while reading the recaps, and then all I know is that I've finished marathoning all four episodes (recaps, not the show), and wanting for more! The story got me hooked, but Ji Chang-wook is so damn hot! And I suppose, from the recaps & comments here, he's a good actor, right? Off to meet Mr. Google...

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Oh, believe me, Ji Chang Wook is a great actor (and a very passionate one too, to boot). In fact, he's one of the best 20-something actors out there, imho. I even think he's criminally underrated. The guy can BRING IT ON. Not sure if you're into long sageuks, but if you want to get a glimpse of his acting chops, try checking out Empress Ki. He was at his A game right there (and looking mighty fine in his emperor get-up!) Wasn't entirely fond of the sloppy writing they gave to his character, but JCW's performance as Emperor Ta Hwan left such a deep impression on me. Needless to say, I was an instant fan.

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Okay, done with my little research on JCW! So Empress Ki, huh? Honestly, sageuks wew never my cup of tea, especially long ones, but after reading so many positive reviews and comments about this guy's acting, and Empress Ki, I think I'll give it a try. That is, AFTER I check out Sons of Sol Pharmacy, Smile Donghae, and Bachelor's Vegetable Store. Oh, did I forget Warrior Baek Dong Soo? LOL I have so much catching up to do...Talk about fangirling already...and I have only watched a PART of one episode of Healer. Thanks, Omomo for the tip!

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Dont bother with watching bachelors vegetable store (sorry if I butchered the title). He made the drama watchable. I was like this is the worst storyline ever but, this actor is daebak.

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Check out Secret Love it's a short mini drama (only two hours long) - he co-star's with Kara Gyuri. It's a nice one if you like seeing JCW as a lead.

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~@pastmidnite

Oh yes, how could I forget about that one? Thanks for the reminder ~@Catz! You should definitely check that one out to see JCW in all savvy Guardian Angel glory. Loved him in there. Plus, it's a nice, short, sweet, and well-made mini-drama to satisfy your need for fluff, if you're looking for one. Look it up on Youtube (KARA Secret Love Drama Episode Park Gyuri), it already comes with English subs so you're all set. :)

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@ Omomo~

I 1st saw JCW in "Smile Dong Hae," however I didn't watch Empress Ki (I have never finished a long sageuk, so I didn't bother starting). I can see that he is a passionate actor, and I saw him in an interview when he was in "Smile Dong Hae," (so that was 3 or 4 years ago). One of his female co-star talked the whole time he was supposed to talk, and he just stood there, smiling. I appreciated at the time that he wasn't even trying to get some attention to himself. If he got to talk fine, if he didn't, he seemed equally fine as well.

At one point, they asked him if he was in good shape, and that actress (she was the 2nd female lead) jumped in to say that "Oh yes, He was!" When the interviewer asked her how she knew, she said, "you can see the shape of his torso through his shirts. He definitely has some nice and defined muscles." So, she had not seen him 1/2 naked (I don't think there is a need for that in daily dramas. So far, I have not seen actors undressing in dailies, but I could be wrong), but she had obviously been paying attention to his body, checking him out. Her reaction was so funny though, because she was basically like, "Oh please, just look at him. You can tell through his clothes that he has a nice body," (which he did). And she said it with assurance (like she was an authority on it), and that's what was so funny.

During that interview, he was just so well mannered, smiling the whole time, while his 2 female co-stars kept answering all the questions. The 2nd female lead was funny (her name is Park Jung Ah, she is an actress and a singer). I think he got to say one or two things during that whole interview. That was funny and interesting to watch. Also, thank you for your recommendation regarding Empress Ki. It has been duly noted. I hope JCW will get more recognition, as time goes by. It's so great to witness his growth as an actor, and like you, I do think that he IS underrated (among the 20 something actors). Hopefully, that will change.

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I've pretty much watched all of his interviews (the ones with subs, at least) dating back to 2009, even for the dramas that I haven't seen, like Smile Donghae. But I don't think I've come across that particular interview yet. Thanks for the heads up! I'll try looking for it.

The thing I've noticed the most about JCW is he's really quiet during interviews, and would only talk once he's asked. He rarely ever butts in when someone's saying something, which I think is so endearing. And respectful. I agree with what you said that he's fine with not drawing attention to himself. (On the other hand, as for variety shows, which he only appeared on once so far: he was sooo cute in Running Man! So clueless, like a lost puppy.)

I haven't known JCW for long (discovered him in Empress Ki mere months ago) but I feel like I've done enough research about him to last a lifetime. Hahaha. Yes, I would like to see him achieve more recognition because he deserves it (although he's pretty content with what he has now, which is admirable).

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@ Omomo,

I saw this particular interview on TV (KBS World), back in 2010, or in 2011. It was through an entertainment program called "entertainment Weekly," and I actually watched it on TV. So it is possible that that particular interview did not make on YT, however, please feel free to look it up. Some of the cast members of Smile Dong Hae were interviewed at the times (so not just JCW, and his 2 female co-stars).

About this, "The thing I’ve noticed the most about JCW is he’s really quiet during interviews, and would only talk once he’s asked. He rarely ever butts in when someone’s saying something, which I think is so endearing. And respectful."
I am glad you said that, because that was the feeling I got at the time. You also do what I do, when I watch interviews: I watch the body language of the person, and I try to guess what s/he might be like in real life, based on what I see and hear. And after watching a few interviews (or some interviews), one can get a sense of what a person might be like. And so far, I have been right about what I sensed, when I have done that.

JCW looking like a lost puppy is a sight I TOTALLY love, so I might have to look for that RM ep., though I really don't understand the concept of RM, and what the games are supposed to mean, so I have stopped trying to watch it. Do you remember what ep. that was, that he was in, please?

So you watched Empress Ki, do you like sagueuks? I find them interesting. I don't know that I could commit to a 50 ep. sagueuk though. The 20-24 ep. ones work best for me (for now), and I have watched a few.

About this, "Yes, I would like to see him achieve more recognition because he deserves it (although he’s pretty content with what he has now, which is admirable)."
You know, to be honest, the sense of humility and respect I see in Korean celebrities are some of the traits I appreciate. I am sure not all of them feel that humble or respectful in real life, and they probably do it because it would look bad to not behave that way. Still, I prefer it to how US stars can be. It is something that I personally appreciate, because it is also valued in my culture, and in the way that I was raised. So when a celebrity does not seek attention, I am always impressed, because they are celebrities, they are supposed to seek attention, right? Stay relevant, in the limelight? I am sure glad not all are that way.

I also think that there are so many ways to stay relevant or be in the news. Doing good deeds is one of them for me. When the lights are off, or when one dies, one will be remembered for what one has done, and wouldn't it be better to be remember for good things and good deeds than for sex scandals or mismanagement of finances (or stealing, or drugs, etc...)? As usual, that's just my 2 cents. I also think that it serves JCW well to be the way he is. I mean, people sure do notice it. Look at us for example, we are gushing and saying how positively impressed we...

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Sorry Omomo,

My comment was truncated, because of its length. Here is Part 2:

I also think that there are so many ways to stay relevant or be in the news. Doing good deeds is one of them for me. When the lights are off, or when one dies, one will be remembered for what one has done, and wouldn't it be better to be remember for good things and good deeds than for sex scandals or mismanagement of finances (or stealing, or drugs, etc...)? As usual, that's just my 2 cents. I also think that it serves JCW well to be the way he is. I mean, people sure do notice it. Look at us for example, we are gushing and saying how positively impressed we are, with some of those traits he has. Like I said, it is a good thing.

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Thank you, I will look that one up. :)

RM 211 and 212. These two were actually the first RM episodes that I've ever watched (for JCW of course lol). Hmm, the cast interactions and game mechanics may come off as confusing if you're not familiar with it. (Although I gradually got to know them as I watched more episodes just for the kicks.) But I would actually recommend 211/212 as a good as standalone since I pretty much got the gist of what was happening even though I had no background info of RM whatsoever prior to watching. (Oh, you have to watch it, just to see Chang Wook call out to his mommy while riding that rollercoaster. Priceless. <3)

Yes, that's exactly why I prefer the Korean entertainment industry much more than Hollywood (never my cup of tea). They have this sense of prevalent humility/respect going on with them, which I appreciate. (Of course, there are exceptions but at least we don't get to see outright slander and scandal after scandal like we see in Hollywood.)

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@ Omomo,

You are very welcomed! I will make a note to watch RM 211 and 212. Like we have said earlier, there is not enough time in the day, and so I have given up on checking out many of the variety shows I would actually like to check out, and I have dropped the few I used to watch. I watch sometimes (on KBS World and other Korean TV stations we get where I live), if I can do something while watching like folding clothes, etc... And to be honest, RM lost me quickly, when I tried to watch it. Though I would say seeing JCW cry for his mommy sounds priceless :-) I can understand him, I don't like rollercoasters either.

About your 2nd paragraph, I totally agree about all that you said :-)

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@ Omomo,
I made a mistake. I said, "You are very welcomed!" instead of "You are very welcome!"

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indeed. He was totally daebak in EMpress Ki. that's why i came to watch 1st ep of Healer. and now, im totally loving healer :)

ji chang wook is an awesome actor. he played many different characters, including the antagonist one. i forgot what drama it was, but it was something related to piano or else.. even the drama itself wasn't good but i liked his acting as an antagonist.

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Five fingers? I remember reading this title (or something like it) somewhere while doing my little research lol

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Thanks for the recap javabeans! I must say that I enjoy watching this drama more than pinocchio,that drama got too much coincidences,well this drama too, but then maybe I'm being biased now,aigoo... I just hope healer will be good until the end,writer-nim,jaebal.

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I feel exactly the same way! While I like both dramas, the coincidences in Pinocchio are kind of off putting. I'm not as crazily excited about that drama as I am for this one. There's just something about Healer that hits me in the right spot. Hope it keeps up its momentum, but for now I just can't help rewatching the episodes over and over again.

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Did anyone else get the Lois and Clark vibe from this drama... The glasses,geekiness, secret identity and the superpower strength... hahah

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Thank you so much, Javabeans, for the recaps for this drama!

I am loving the drama and your recaps are what I look for first!

Thanks so much!!

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So in love with this show! I was super excited about it last week and am really confident in the writers ability to flesh out the characters and the storyline as this show continues.

I love the OTP just as much as everyone else. It definitely is obvious, but they are so cute together, and Healer as Bong-soo is so entertaining because he's the complete opposite of the slick, polished, ultra-cool Healer.

And Choi Yong-shin is on her way to becoming a great heroine. I love her mix of idealism and realism. She wants to be the kind of journalist that can change the world for the better, but at the same time she is incredible aware of her own fears and limitations. But with a little bit of Dutch Courage she manages to push through her fear and submit that article anyway. Park Min Young is so winning in this role.

Can't wait for next week, I'm going to be so addicted to this drama.

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@ Emmy,

I loved everything that you said. So well said... These stood out for me,"Healer as Bong-soo is so entertaining because he’s the complete opposite of the slick, polished, ultra-cool Healer." And this too, "She wants to be the kind of journalist that can change the world for the better, but at the same time she is incredible aware of her own fears and limitations."

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I am wondering what will happen next? We all noticed that Moon Ho is tracking Healer and that he has some info about him in that box under the table. So I am quite curious if he knows already who Healer is or how he looks like? And if he didn't find that out yet if he is going to be the first one to find it out or his badass brother? What choice he is going to make, to help Healer or not? I guess he will be in the similar position as his brother, having a one-sided love affection. The question is what will he do about it! This drama is so addictive! I am already hooked!!! :D

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@ Bojana, Hi~

From watching the drama so far, I didn't get the impression that Moon Ho was tracking Healer thus far. He knows of him (Healer), since he said in ep.1 that he had thought of hiring Healer to steal the document that Ko Sung-chul had. He also remembers (I think) Seo Jung Hoo (Healer's real name) since he knew him when he was a child (SJH), however I don't get the impression that he has made the connection yet between Healer and SJH. I think and feel that at the moment, Moon-ho is still very focused on CYS. He might be thinking that PBS is just her colleague.

I really liked the questions you asked.

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I hope the ratings for this drama will improve. It definitely deserves higher ratings..

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Is it not doing well? I'm always so oblivious to ratings. I suppose it's up against some stiff competition.

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Yeah.. well.. (according to naver) ep 1: 7,8% ; ep 2 7,9% ; ep 3: 7,2% and ep 4 7,4%
Pride and Prejudice had 9,9% last tuesday, which makes Healer number 2 (if you only look at dramas). But according to other sites, Healer has never been ranked within the top 20 daily shows.

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GAWD THAT MAIN PAIRING. *squealing some more after hours of earlier squealing*

I love that they have revealed that SJH still has a living kin, much more so his mother, and how that revelation just opened a whole new can of worms and questions about his past and why his present is how it is now.

Also, I love the brief flashbacks and snippets of background we get for each character, letting us know and understand them more by way of their past, but still keeping us in the dark from all the mysteries shrouding them, and thus, effectively making us clamor for the next installments.

Im really intrigued to know why CYS cannot sleep with someone next to her, and why she treats her room as her special place. Im sure it's connected to her past, and Im itching to know the reason, and hoping they give it early in the drama.

Also, maybe this is just me over-reading into things, but Im really curious about CYS's dragon brain talk, and why it comes out whenever she's drunk. Sure, it can be just a drinking habit, but Im really sensing that there's an underlying reason to this.

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@ hawoojinruinedme,
Loved reading your thoughts, and after rewatching epis.3 and 4 today, I am squealing with you :-) They are SO adorable, and I love how CYS just took charge of PBS, after reading him wrong (though his persona would lend itself to what she said, methinks).

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This show is very fun. The OTP is a wonderful match and character and actor and chemistry. What a rare find.

Javabeans, thanks for the recaps and (very off topic) how is your back? I have been wondering for weeks but keep forgetting to ask during OT.

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YS holding JH arm while sleeping the way she did when they were younger was such a awwwwwwwwwww moment for me. Chang wook oppa Fighting.
P.S I love u (Ji Chang wook)

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God! I am really loving this show, it's rapidly becoming one of my favorites. Hope that the ratings for this drama pick up, it's so good.

It uses old concepts but in a way that is refreshing and doesn't feel tired, so the viewer feels like they're watching something entirely new. And the action scenes, deabak! I'm genuinely excited for this show. Honestly can't wait for next week!

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Thanks for the recap! I had to hold off until I watched with subs, but reading your reaction is always a treat.

I'm very on board with the OTP as well as just loving the main trio plus the father and the ahjumma. Thumbs up for acting. I also really hope they find a way to keep this kind of tone all the way through - an interesting balance of fun and intense action.

Random thoughts:

- I crack up every time I see him wearing his Adidas sandals in his apartment. Those were such a staple of guys when I was in high school...about a decade ago.

- I loved him trying to fake out the ahjumma's phone calls when he was going to eat

- Also cracked up at her telling him that for him it was *not* wearing glasses that was a disguise....so true

- I was definitely surprised Jung-hoo's mom was still alive, and also that he was so kind with her. Makes it more surprising that he'd really want to o to an island and completely cut himself off.

- Him having lighting quick reflexes and catching the falling coffee cup in the reporters lounge when young-shin dropped it was even more superman/clark kent-y of him

- I was surprised they used Beast's "Shock" during dae-young's (fight?) scene...I also think that scene was so pointless but oh well

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@4D

Accurate and great insight and listing of significant scenes from the drama! ;)

I totally agree!!

Well done!! ;)

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@ 4D, great insight! Thank you!

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I really like this show so far, and I'll be really happy if the ratings are good so that my baby Ji Chang Wook gets more and better roles. He's so pretty I'll watch him in anything, but it's a lot less painful when he's in something good. Keep it up, Healer!

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QUICK QUESTION!

Does anybody know the name of the song/instrumental that plays when an action-filled scene is playing, or when Healer is fighting off bad dudes? I mean it's such a romantic instrumental for such an action-packed scene.

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Hi Danielle. The only OST song I've been able to find is "Eternal Love" by a Danish group called Michael Learns to Rock.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0MgqWQJzdo

Not sure if it's all action scenes, but it is with the fight at the end of this episode.

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@revlow

Thank you for the information! You are right! It is from Michael Learns to Rock. Song title 'Eternal Love' from the Healer OST.

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Hi Danielle,

I could be wrong, however I think you might be referring to the instrumental song that is also played at the beginning of the episodes. The same piece is played in some of the fight scenes, and yes, "Eternal Love" is also sometimes played in some of the fight scenes, like it was played at the end of this ep. (when the Double SS thugs encircled them, and Healer came back and fought them).

I have been really curious about the same instrumental song (if I guessed correctly the song you are asking about), and a few others on Soompi, Healer's thread have been asking about that song as well, saying that they love it. So far, I have not been able to find it. I literally had that song in my head ALL of last week, I couldn't get it out. It is a great song, one that I hope will be on the OST CD, because now, I am certain that I want to buy Healer's OST CD, whenever it becomes available.

I am glad to see that someone else likes that instrumental piece. I was going to mention it in my post.

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Hi Ivoire. Thanks. I was wondering if I had the right answer, since what I found wasn't an instrumental. I appreciate the info. I'll keep an eye out for anything on that song.

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Hi revlow,

You are very welcome! You know, I rewatched ep.3 today, and you can hear that song when Healer is in Myung-hee's bedroom, when he finds/sees the same picture he has at his place. That song starts playing again. If you are curious about the song I am talking about, you can hear it in that scene. It is also played in other scenes (like the opening scene, as I said), and in other places, I just can't remember right now.

That song had such an effect on me, I kept having it in my head last week. And now that I have rewatched ep.3 & 4, that instrumental is in my head again. I very often replay some of the scenes, just so I can listen to that song. I wish I knew how I could isolate a song (from a scene), and save it, or download it, so that could tie me over, until that instrumental piece is released (I hope it will be, because not all instrumental pieces make it on the OST, from my experience).

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It just cracks me up listening to how the actors pronounce, or rather mispronounce, the word 'Healer' sounding like 'hiller'...

Just like 'City Hunter' was mispronounced as 'Shitty Hunter'..

Hahahaha...

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I think its more of Heelor lols

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Hehehe...yeah, you're right! 'Heelor'

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They were using korean transcription of the names, that's why. That's not mispronouncing, more to...Konglish?

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this show has just sucked me in!

My wishlist for Healer

-no keeping secrets from each other till the last episode-spill secrets fast and have these two cuties on the same investigative team
-no noble idiocy
-no misunderstanding or forced trust issues
-and a confession of love full of feels - if i have to watch this show end with he OTP smiling across meadows/streets/airports or in this case island (?) and then "the end" i will throw something

Pretty please?!

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Between Pinnochio and Healer (ok and Misaeng as well of cuz) dramaland feels alive again! As the two former ones are both going into 2015 I hope thats a sign of good things to come, what a horrible drama year it's been :(

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healer as a show

What I didn't like

1) i don't like the fact they are interconnected

2) missing/dead child turn alive (this is so repetitive i can't even swallow it anymore) hate this plot to the max. The same in man of honour

3) she recklessly emailed the story

4) he has a family( danger)- not mysterious

5) why did kim min ho brother assigned healer instead of ds guard?? and now he assigned the d s guard? why did he framed healer is it because he knew who behind all this? but why he felt threatened by healer but not d s guard? now to think back he exposed himself to the leader of d s guard. make no sense at all. so contradict.why is healer is framed? This is a major plot but poorly executed I can't even..

6) At the end of ep 4, he is afraid that she will be has her symptoms of short breath but aren't what he did later fight with the guys will make her become more serious? should he at least go back and pretend to be bong soo and escorted and help her all the way for her to breath and release her fear.

7) The City Hunter risqué.

This is pure illogical and so cheesy. It should be executed and written more well to let flow more naturally.

What I like

1) The acting especially YTJ and the veterans.
2) Park Min Young here is soo adorable and full of charms.
3) The premise exclude the makjang elements and the poor executions

Well, that's it for on. For me its fun and funny but I still hold my liking and want to see

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Thank you!

Guys, you have no idea how happy I am that this show is awesome. As soon as it was announced, I was so intrigued by it because I just didn't know what to expect of it and, over time, it became the drama I looked forward to the most these past few months. So I'm just stoked that it's not only meeting my expectations, but also exceeding me on some as well:

1. Our three leads. I was fully expecting to love Yoo Ji-tae and Ji Chang-wook, and to like Park Min-young (because I always just 'like' her, nothing more, nothing less). But I LOVE her here and no it's not just her character, it's what she's doing with her. It's been a good year for actresses finding their 'it-characters' and exceeding expectations (Lee Yeon-hee, Park Shin-hye).

Anyway, it feels great to love all the characters together and apart and then when you add Ahjumma and the PMY's surrogate family? LOVE. I'm so invested.

2. Our OTP. OMG, I love this development so freakin' much. I love the bumbling Park Bong-soo trailing around his hot-headed sunbae. I just...can't wait to see how their relationship develops from here. Because with her witnessing Jung-hoo's heroic moves, just after his alias Bong-soo couldn't even throw a punch...I'd say we have a chance of Jung-hoo being jealous of himself in the future. A part of me thinks it would be even funnier if she actually did fall for Bong-soo though...because then Healer might get jealous over the fact that his bumbling version won out. That probably won't happen though haha.

AHHH but there's so many possibilities for how this relationship will go in the future and I can't wait! And I especially can't wait to see her reaction to the fact that the bumbling hoobae she's been taking for granted, is actually the elusive Healer she's been looking for all along.

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Hi Chandler,

I really loved reading your thoughts. I can feel your enthusiasm all the way over here, and I share it. I loved this, "So I’m just stoked that it’s not only meeting my expectations, but also exceeding me on some as well." Like you, I would actually love to see CYS fall for PBS, instead of Healer (or fall more for PBS), as she appreciates that the shy and bumbling hoobae tried to protect her, and looks out for her. That would be an awesome reversal of what we would normally get. And I am saying that because I would also like to see how PBS would handle it, Hahaha... Do you remember how he reacted when the other girl at the office openly flirted with him? That was so funny!

As some beanies have said, this show has so much potential, I am just hoping it lives up to it.

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Ahhh this episode was all kinds of awesome!! I think I'm in love! What a kick ass of an episode! Many thanks for the recaps, Javabeans. x

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Cute show. Am I the only one getting Lois and Clark parallels from it? Clark (without glasses) saves Lois. It was funny, when he put the nerdy glasses on, ready to go out pretending he is a rookie journalist (just like Superman), and ahjumma says to him, "No-glasses is YOUR concept of disguise."

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Loving the story and the OTP so far.Hope it will continue to develop the relationship of the characters in a refreshing way and won't get cliched.

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Thanks javabeans!

This show has started off looking like a winner. Why do I say this so cautiously? Because I was bitten by My Secret Hotel, the greatest disappointment of my kdrama viewing year.

May Healer live up to its wonderful potential, minimise the coincidences, allow us viewers to revel in the development of the relationships and guess at the plot and just enjoy ourselves!!!

My favourite character - Ahjumma!!! I wanna be like her. Have her super computers be able to hack into everything in a blink and even have cute frizzy pony tails (mine are as long but lack the bushiness and thus the cuteness). But I'm gonna use those skills to hack into all kdrama PDs computers and insist they read dramabeans and that they know not only what the Korean viewers want, but what makes for good drama that is appreciated around the world!!! *maniacal laugh*

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Hello GB,
How are you? I sent you an email, btw. I really liked your post. I wish your wish in your 3rd # could come true, giving us, international viewers of Kdramas, a little of a say in what we would like to see happen in Kdramas... So you are all caught up on Healer now?

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@ Ivoire
Yup, finally caught up. However if I don't get the subbed episodes soon enough, I may not do much commenting or may just comment based on unsubbed show and recaps. *Sigh*

I kept thinking I should go check email but didn't get round to it. Thanks! Will read ya soon! :)

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@ GB,

FYI, the email is b/c I had been thinking of you, I still have not answered your emails from a while ago*hides in shame* Please forgive me.

RE: the subs, that is the problem with watching Healer. On viki.com for example, there are only 91 volunteers who do the subtitles for this drama, and I am sure that not all of them are subbing from Korean to English, since viki.com also has subbers for other languages. So I can only imagine how many people are volunteering, to sub from Korean to English, which might not be that many, to start with. And that fact does make it hard to comment here, that is very true.

About this, "I kept thinking I should go check email but didn’t get round to it. Thanks! Will read ya soon!" Please take your time. I just thought I would let you know :-)

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@ Ivoire
Answered your email! I know it will take some time for you to reply. It does not matter since it's up to us and there's enough stress as it is.

It's a long wait until Mon-Tue for the next episodes!!!

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@ GB,

Oh thank you! I saw that (your email). About this, " It does not matter since it’s up to us and there’s enough stress as it is." Thanks, I appreciate that, and YES about the stress :-(

I am good at waiting though, so I am OK waiting for the next episodes (though I am curious about how the plot will continue to unfold). In the meantime, I can think about the drama, and comment on it (and read other's comments as well). I find myself smiling or laughing at some of the funny scenes, like CYS being drunk, walking in the streets (she was really funny), and PBS trying to hold on to her. I also come back to that image of Healer and CYS sleeping together, I loved it.

I really love CYS's boss, he is so dramatic, but in a funny and endearing way. To me, He is like a male version of a very dramatic ajumma. I love watching him, that actor is really good. I also love Pickpocket ahjussi (sp?), he makes me smile, and I love how he (and the others) care about CYS. They are like proud and protective papas :-)

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@ Ivoire
"proud and protective papas" intimidating Jung Hoo so that he scrunched himself against the wall of books - so cute ... yeah, almost like a dad and 'mum' and yet with overtones of protective thugs, who are loyal to their boss (CYS).

Almost time (5 hours from now) for the raw/subbed version of Ep 5 to be up!!!

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Hello everyone,
Not sure if I asked this already, I was wondering why all the comments don't show up. I am new so I apologize if this is a known thing. I see it shows "84 comments from the Beanut Gallery" but only 37.1.1 are able to be viewed. Am I missing a certain process that allows me to read all comments. I really am enjoying this drama, storyline and characters. So reading everyone's opinions about it make it more enjoyable. Thanks for the recap.

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@ Eibhlin , Hello back at you :-)

I am not sure that you are missing some comments, to be honest. "84 (or whatever # of comments shown) comments from the Beanut Gallery," means that there are 84 comments TOTAL, meaning, comments that were initially made, and the ADDED responses to those comments. So, at times, those conversations go back and forth, so you won't get "comment #84" by the end of the page, because maybe "Comment #5 had a long discussion (like 10 or 15 comments shared between two or more beanies).
That can happen, depending on the topic, and depending on how many people join in the discussion. I hope I made sense, and that this helped. Go and look at the comments again, and you might see what I meant.

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oh my god.

it would be more pleasurable to read the comments in here if people would STAY ON TOPIC and not rewrite War and Peace.

start up your own blog if you insist on dissecting the script and the characters line by line.

or take it offline. please don't hijack the dramabeans site for your long-winded posts about nothing that have to do with Healer

where's cherkell when all this is going on? her bias is KILLING IT in this show!!

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Ok, clearly you didn't take the time to actually read many of the posts above because each and every post has to do with Healer. Sure, some people got off on long-winded tangents, but all of them at least had something to do with Healer.

Also getting on people for "dissecting the script and the characters line by line" - fine, you might not enjoy that, but some people do and dramabeans is actually a place where people like to have the freedom to discuss their favorite dramas airing. I guess I just don't get your claim that some commenters are "hijacking" the dramabeans site with posts that have nothing to do with Healer....when all of them actually have a lot to do with Healer.

I personally find it more pleasurable to read comments when there aren't people discouraging discourse, but that's just me.

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The greatness of dramabeans and sites like this is that the community is responsive and full of ideas. Any thing from a show, especially one like Healer, with so much to wonder about, can lead to fantastic conversations and sharings, with much to discover from each other. It's part of our human make-up that we pass on and share so much over time and space, not just now with Internet but even from milllennia ago. It is to be encouraged and enjoyed. Cheers!

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@ Chandler and GB, PART 1:

Thank you so much for your supportive comments. I truly appreciate them. As one of the people who "(does not) STAY ON TOPIC and who rewrites War and Peace, who insists on dissecting the script and the characters line by line, who hijacks the dramabeans site for my long-winded posts about nothing that have to do with Healer,"
I would consider it a compliment, if I were the writer, the director of this drama (or of any drama), if I were the actors/actresses, crew, staff and producers involved with this drama to know that there are people outside of Korea, who do not even speak or understand Korean, who take the time to pay attention to every line spoken in each ep., and who pay attention to every scene, wondering if that scene will be referred to later on, and wondering how significant that scene might be.

I would consider it a compliment, because that would tell me that those who do that want to be engaged in the drama, they are so sucked into it, that they want to give their full attention to it. And when the episode has aired, and they have watched it, they so want to talk about it, they go on, and on, and on, until there is nothing more to say or add (or until they naturally run out of things to say). As a writer, who probably does my writing alone, and who (at times) might struggle with how to write, or how to stay true to the characters (or whatever issues writers and people involved in making dramas struggle with), I would feel SO encouraged to know that there are some people out there (some of them far away from me), who care so much about what I produce, and about how the scenes are created. Knowing that would encourage me to keep up the good work I am trying to do. Yes, those people do not pay me, they do not pay for the commercials aired so those episodes can air on TV stations like KBS World and others, or on streaming sites, yet I would appreciate their patience to sit though those (commercials) so they can watch their dramas.

It would tell me that they care (A LOT) about the characters, and the world I am creating for them. Knowing that they dissect my drama (s) post after post, would tell me that they keep on thinking about my drama (s) way after it has been aired, and who knows, they might be affected by my words, by my characters, by the work and effort those involved in the drama put in. Isn't that a great compliment?

And I agree with @ Chandler, that most (a big majority of them) of the posts have to do with either Healer, or the actors/actresses involved in the drama, the plot, etc... Yes, I do go in a tangent at times, however, what I am talking about is still related to dramas, to acting, to the actors/actresses in the drama, and to topics along those lines. An attentive read to my posts would show that, I think.

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@ Chandler and GB, PART 2:

This, "I personally find it more pleasurable to read comments when there aren’t people discouraging discourse, but that’s just me."
I feel the same way. I am not a writer, and I don't write recaps for this blog. I do appreciate however the work the recappers do, and how they then give us food for thought, and allow us to take even deeper the points they have made, or share thoughts and things we have noticed in the episodes that they might not have noticed, might not have thought about, or simply did not mention because then their posts would have gone on for pages. If I had a blog, I would appreciate that some of my readers want to be so engaged, and I would be curious about what they have to say.

I have learned so much by reading others' comments, by asking questions, and by having those back and forth discussions. I have also been told that my comments have given food for thought to some. And when I am not interested in a particular comment, or in a topic being discussed, I simply scroll down, and ignore that particular conversation. I never tell people what they should comment about, or how they should do it. I believe that it takes all kinds, to make a world, or a community, and so I try to let people be, unless I really have something to say, and even so, I try to be courteous or polite.

About this, "The greatness of dramabeans and sites like this is that the community is responsive and full of ideas." So very true! And everything you said in your post GB was so well said, thank you! I couldn't have said it better.

And because some of us have "fantastic conversations and sharings," we HAVE actually taken it offline, and have gotten to know each other better. Some of us have become friends on FB, and I know some beanies who have actually met. I am one of those. I actually went to a HUGE Kpop concert (22,000 people attended) 2 years ago, and a beanie drove a long distance to come and pick me up. I also met other beanies that day. I would not have had such a great time that day (and a great experience), if it were not for DB where we originally connected, and had ensuing conversations.

I do understand that not everyone might ultimately seek the kind of experience I just mentioned, and that is OK. Some just want to watch a drama, and say a few lines about it. That is their preference, and it is welcomed as well. For those like Chandler and GB who enjoy and encourage ALL kinds of interactions and sharings, I humbly say THANK YOU!

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Hi Ivoire,
Thank you back to you! And ... friend, you are most welcome! :)

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@ GB,

Awwww, you just made my day, calling me "friend :-) " *Feeling very honored :-) *

You know, I found myself thinking about the comments above I wrote today, and I realized that even though I am not Korean, I participate in sharing the Korean culture. We had a 19 year old au-pair living with us last year, and she used to make disparaging comments when she 1st found out that I watched Kdramas ("what are those?" she would ask). So one day, she came into my room, and we watched ep.8 of YFAS together.

Well... She fell in love with KSH, and watched the whole drama. Then she watched Dream High on my recommendation, and watching that drama, she fell in love (also) with Taecyon (sp?), the singer-actor, and she proceeded to watch his dramas as well (and she has since then liked [A LOT of] other Korean actors and singers. She started to teach herself Korean, and because she had learned Chinese when she lived in France, she learned the Korean alphabet in two days (Hangul), and from then on, she started to write things, like my name, long sentences, etc... Oh, and she also got into Kpop, she LOVES 2pm.

Well, she is now back in Europe, and she emailed me yesterday, because there is a Korean store near her university. She was elated, and she had to tell someone (OMG,OMG, OMG, was how her email started). She told me that she would make Kimchi fried rice the same evening, and that she had already spoken to the people in the store, about the kinds of products they had. The funny thing is, I could feel her excitement through her email, and I totally understood how she felt. She is now very interested in Korea, and she would like to go there one day.

This all started because of Kdramas, and however I experience them, I find it interesting that I enjoy sharing what they have done for me, and what I have learned about the culture (so far), with whoever is willing to listen and talk. And I have many topics I can discuss (I am not an expert, but we can have a conversation about some topics), because my love of Kdramas, and my love of dissecting them, has lead me to watch other Korean TV programs, and participate in Korean activities where I live. So for me, this goes further than just talking (at length) about kdramas. And I have a feeling that I am not the only one :-)

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Hi Ivoire
I'm glad I came back here to check for new posts. So glad that you saw me call you 'friend', which you are.

After reading comments in db, I've also come to realise that this community goes beyond just watching, writing and lurking. I've yet to meet kdrama lovers in my part of the world, although there are many kpop fans. It would be nice to get together with other like-minded people to just be kdrama crazy together once in a while.

Kdramas have done for us what TV shows from the US, UK and other parts of the world have done. We've been exposed to many cultures and places and grown to care for parts of the world we've never set foot on. This is as it should be. Remember the "frog in the well" saying? Dramas, media and entertainment/news take away the walls of the well and help us leap out to view a wider world and appreciate it more. Cheers!

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Healer is a worth-watching drama ! It makes me want to rewatch a few times for each episode. All cast are awesome!

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I thought the part where they replayed the scene of the children sleeping after Dad found YS and JH sleeping was a bit of an overkill...

It's as if the show is just throwing the fact in our faces when we could have easily derived at the truth even without that blunt comparison. Seems a bit clumsy to me, to be honest.

But other than that, I'm still loving the show!

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Not sure if anyone watched Newsroom? I think Healer = Newsroom + City Hunter

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Hi Chloe,
Is Newsroom a US TV series (or a movie)? (Or a European one?) It doesn't sound like the title of a Kdrama. I was just curious.

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Hi Ivoire,
I'm talking about the US TV series. the relationship between Moon Ho and the news chief Min jae is exactly the same as the news reporter and his chief in Newsroom :) The entire set-up is very similar too, with the reporter being popular, and occasionally going rogue with his desire to report real news rather than whatever's politically correct.

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@Chloe

I totally agree with you. This is definitely a lot like Newsroom and City Hunter combined.

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@ Chloe,
Oh OK! Thanks for the info. Is it a good series? Would you recommend it? Moon-ho and news chief Min-jae also dated, though she is now his boss. Is that the case in Newsroom as well? (I am just curious).
I have read (somewhere) that in entertainment, countries do at times copy each other's plots, or premises (for movies or TV series). Sounds like that's the case of some of Newsroom set-up and Healer (at least as far as MH and MJ are concerned).

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What is the song when bong soo carried his sunbae to the taxi ?

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The actor playing Minjae looks so much like Jung HyeYoung.. I would love to see her back in such roles, not the unnie/mom type she's been doing recently.

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I just wanted to add that Beast's Shock was playing in the background :) and the drama is really good! ^_^

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LOL @Growing Beautifully, I've been tracking your comments during your re-run of Healer - I take it you haven't reached this episode yet? Either way, thought I'd pop by and say hi!

Have fun marathoning the entire run!!

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Here comes the first vote

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🎣This is the episode that hooked me.

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same goes for meeee

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He took drunk young shin home in a TAXI!!!!!!!! no piggyback I can never forget this !!!

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LOL
Good catch Fantasy, how gentleman-like of Bong-Sookie!

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Holy crap this dramas good - ji chang wook tho~~ ? DAYUM SON.

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