In Resident Playbook, the latest spin-off of Hospital Playlist, the new obstetrics and gynaecology residents at Yulje Medical Centre begin to find their rhythm after a rocky start. The show shifts its focus from their personal lives to their emotional reactions in the hospital, showcasing both the highs and lows of their new roles. While this change in direction is somewhat refreshing, it also reveals a key issue: the lack of compelling doctors at the forefront of the story, which is a concern for any medical drama.
The central quartet – Oh Yi-young, Pyo Nam-kyung, Um Jae-il, and Kim Sa-bi – are introduced aggressively in the early episodes, but their characterizations feel more like caricatures. As the series progresses, however, these characters become more nuanced. Yi-young, portrayed by Go Youn-jung, emerges as the most developed, with her personal struggles, particularly financial and romantic, taking center stage. Yi-young’s love triangle with fellow residents Goo Do-won and Ham Dong-ho brings some much-needed emotional depth to the story, as she navigates unrequited feelings and the awkwardness of office romance.
However, the focus on Yi-young and the reduced emphasis on the other residents may have been a wise decision, especially as their eccentric traits, like Sa-bi’s nerdy personality and Nam-kyung’s vain tendencies, started to feel more like distractions. While Yi-young’s story provides some narrative drive, the overall cast still lacks the charisma to anchor the series. The other characters, including Nam-kyung and Jae-il, seem less important as the episodes unfold, leaving the show feeling somewhat hollow.
The series is also bogged down by low-stakes medical cases. While there are occasional emotional moments, particularly with pregnant women and miscarriages, many of the cases feel overly sentimental, lacking the tension that made Hospital Playlist so impactful. The dramatic weight is further diluted by unnecessary sound effects and overly sappy moments, such as characters pouring their hearts out to an aborted fetus or a mother urging her daughter to eat properly.
Though Resident Playbook has moments of charm, it struggles with weak character development and a lack of gripping medical storylines. As the final episodes approach, there is hope that the show will pick up the pace and add more substance to its narrative.
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