The fun of the ‘Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim 3’ season system

The worldview of Doldam Hospital in 'Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim 3', which is connected to the previous season, is delivering unique fun and emotion.

SBS' Friday-Saturday drama 'Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim 3' is a drama depicting the story of a 'real doctor' that takes place in a shabby local Doldam Hospital. In Season 3, the Doldam Regional Trauma Center, which 'eccentric genius doctor' Kim Sa-bu (played by Han Seok-gyu) has long dreamed of, appears, captivating home theaters with an expanded world view and a more in-depth story.

In particular, as there are not many dramas that have been produced for season 3 in Korea, 'Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim 3' is attracting attention as a unique viewing point unique to seasonal dramas. Characters from the previous season's episodes are connected to Season 3, and characters who were thrown out like rice cakes appear, creating an exciting worldview of 'Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim'. This makes viewers imagine that Doldam Hospital, the background of the play, and the characters are actually somewhere, adding to the fun of watching.

# Relationship between patients and guardians from previous seasons

In the last 6th episode (aired on May 13), Seo Woo-jin (played by Ahn Hyo-seop) attracted attention by continuing his relationship with Season 2 Choi Soon-young's mother. During Season 2, the episode that dealt with the noble death of a paramedic who donated organs to a murder inmate left a deep impression. Season 2 was touching with the story of the mother who lost her daughter and now living as a restaurant owner near Doldam Hospital, as well as the way she spends time with Seo Woo-jin, who has no family, like mother and son. In episode 2 (April 29), the Minister of National Defense, whom Teacher Kim saved in Season 2, appeared and gave Teacher Kim a surprise help in repatriating North Korean defectors, making him happy. Viewers responded, “It’s creepy to connect like this,” and “It brings tears to my eyes to see Choi Soon-young and Dae-won’s mother living well.”

# The Doldamz family, who were thrown away like rice cakes in the previous season, appears

Cha Eun-jae (played by Lee Sung-kyung) grew up in a family where her father, older brother, and older sister were all doctors. In Season 3, Cha Eun-jae's father, Cha Jin-man (played by Lee Kyung-young), appears as the head of the trauma center and Sabu Kim's former rival, creating a conflict structure and drawing the story. Also, in episode 6, Jeong In-soo's (played by Yoon Na-mu) daughter Byeol-i (played by Jo Eun-sol) visited Doldam Hospital and attracted attention. At the time of Season 2, Jung In-soo remained at Doldam Hospital and was a lonely head of the household living away from his family, and would often talk to them on the phone. The reason why Byeol came to Doldam Hospital because she wanted to see her father and the fact that Jeong In-soo was eventually separated from his wife were revealed, creating a feeling of regret.

# Changes in Doldamz’s relationship from the previous season

The changes in Doldamz's relationships each season also add to the fun. Director Park Min-guk (played by Kim Joo-heon), who had a sharp confrontation with Master Kim during Season 2 and played the role of a villain, showed a surprising change in Season 3 by respecting and agreeing with Master Kim to the point of saying, “I respect him.” Viewers responded positively to Park Min-guk's change to become more stoic, saying things like, "Master Kim has become a jerk" and "Park Min-guk has become cute after letting go of his inferiority complex and becoming more gentle." The change in the affectionate title of Master Kim, who calls Doldamz, also added to the fun. The sight of Master Kim occasionally calling him “Woojin-ah” or “Eunjae-ya” showed a stronger relationship between the priest and the priest, creating a heart-warming experience.

With the popularity of Season 3, the entire 'Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim' series is attracting attention. On Wave, Season 3 ranked first in terms of new paid subscriptions in the drama genre for two consecutive weeks. Compared to the week before the release of Season 3, the number of weekly new paid subscriptions for Seasons 1 and 2 increased approximately four-fold in the second week of opening. The viewing time rankings for seasons 1 and 2 within the drama genre also increased significantly, with all seasons landing in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in the first week of May. Season 3 also ranked first on the OTT integrated search and recommendation platform Kino Lights for two consecutive weeks. On Disney+, as of the third week of Season 3 opening, it ranked first in all service regions, including Korea (based on Flix Patrol).

The worldview of Doldam Hospital in 'Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim 3', which adds continuity to the season system down to the details, is becoming another viewing point while watching the drama. The production team said, “We are working hard to provide special fun unique to the ‘Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim’ series. “There will be other fun points that are connected to the previous season.”

‘Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim 3’ airs every Friday at 10 PM and Saturday at 9:50 PM.

Ten Asia Reporter Kim Seo-yoon seogugu@tenasia.co.kr