Primarily a dialogue drama that is relatively slow-paced. I wouldn't recommend it for viewers who are impatient and want a lighthearted watch. The show focuses on business, politics, and societal issues in South Korea. Having lived in Korea, Life is so real that it hurts sometimes. If you liked Stranger, chances are you will love Life.
Following her first megahit drama, Stranger, writer Lee Soo Yeon brings us a refreshing drama that touches on societal problems while bringing to question how one's life should be lived and valued. This drama is entirely business, political and psychological, with surprisingly minimal medical scenes despite taking place within a university hospital. Unlike Stranger, there is moderate romance involved but it is definitely woven into the story without ruining the dark bureaucratic atmosphere. Moreover, rather than focusing on mysterious deaths (which is the opening scene), Life depicts the struggles of just your average-day life from numerous different perspectives.
I tend to stay away from medical dramas where nothing much really happens besides some overreaction with a patient dying and the heroes coming to say the day. Medical dramas are boring to me. But Life is completely different and kept me captivated the entire ride without a single moment of boredom. You know when you have snacks to eat when you watch a show, and by the time the drama ends you ate it all without realizing? Well when I watched Life, all my snacks were left untouched because I had to give the drama my undivided attention.
What makes one Life one of the best dramas I have ever seen is how they portray a certain situation or community problem from angles. Most dramas have a clear villain, a clear hero protagonist who will save the day, and the thin line between good and evil is easily distinguishable. Life shines all characters in a favorable and negative light at the exact same time. In the beginning, from one perspective, it's easy to characterize a person as "bad" for reasons such as "greedy" or "heartless." But then when you look at it from their perspective, there is no true right decision or wrong decision. Life really makes you confused and hating a character yet understanding and loving the same character at the same time. And I'm not talking about the bullshit kdrama "oh this handsome serial killer was neglected as a child so it's totally understandable for him to torture and murder people" type of understanding.
The beginning of Life starts out slow, especially in the first episode. But the beginning episodes lay out the political and business foundation that the rest of the story will revolve around. It's important to really comprehend what the problem at hand is in the beginning or else the characters and the ending will be pretty damn confusing. The story is brilliantly written and all the mysteries are woven together with little to no plot-holes left behind. The characters are well-drawn out, and the complexity of each person's position brings to light the different pains people have in their daily lives. Even if you're not a doctor, I think the daily struggles that these doctors have generalize to everyone who feels like life can be hard and distressing at times. The ending of the drama... Oh my god the ending. It's one of the best endings I have ever seen.
If you want to get pretentiously deep, Life does debate a lot of moral themes. Some themes I observed were:
What makes one person's life more meaningful or successful than another persons?
What makes one person a "good" person, and another a "bad person." What's the criteria of judgement?
Should all people be treated equal? Or should discretion based on circumstances rule (individual bias good or bad)?
Legality or Morality? Should we follow all procedures by the law or use our own moral judgement?
What's more important, the discovery of the truth or resolution of conflict?
Acting was phenomenal 10/10. I must say, the cast was one of the most stacked casts I have ever seen.
Yes, Lee Dong Wook was a bit underwhelming, but that's okay. I think he played his character well (his character wasn't a charismatic character, not much he can do).
Cho Seung Woo is a phenomenal actor and I felt like was clearly the main character of Life over Lee Dong Wook. I personally don't think Korean actors are the best at acting, but Cho Seung Woo is just brilliant. His acting in Life may very well have exceeded his acting in Stranger which is saying something!
It's time for Yoo Jae Myung to get a main character role. He has proven his brilliant acting again and again.
Lee Kyu Hyung takes on such interesting roles in all his dramas (Haerong in Prison Playbook) and Life was no different. You'll love him in this drama. He actually plays two characters, you'll see what I mean.
The rest of the cast, Moon So Ri, Cheon Ho Jin, Moon Sung Geun... just stacked I tell you. The acting matched the loftly quality of the drama.
Honestly the worst thing about this drama was the music, and the music was pretty good too. Just nothing that stood out that much to me other than that obnoxious loud "epic" boom soundtrack when the end of the episode draws near. I suppose Han Dong Geun's OST 1 "Home" was really good but it never really played during the show. Now that I think of it, because this drama was mostly a dialogue show, there wasn't as much music that played between scenes compared to other kdramas.
This is one of the rare dramas where I give the re-watch value a 10/10 because the mysterious death isn't the important point in this drama. It's about problems in society (particularly in the bureaucratic Korean society) and how different people, given their different positions, have different perspectives on how to solve the problem. In the process, how people view themselves as right and good, while viewing others with different opinions as wrong and bad. I think a lot can be learned about psychologically or at least thought about by watching Life. I think this drama would be just as interesting the second time around. It was a complex drama for sure, so watching it again would also clarify a lot of things for me.
Masterpiece! Thank you to everyone who produced this enlightening drama!
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1This review may contain spoilers
Reasons why you need to drop everything and watch Life right now:
▪︎The baddest of bad, the ultimate, Jo Seung Woo▪︎JSW's character here is one of the best drama characters I have seen in a long long while. He is such a legend. His acting is nuanced to the core. His character is the very much competent, cutthroat, focused, driven CEO who demands respect and time and time again proves himself to be worthy of the authority he has. Often he seems quite vicious and a corporate slave through and through as he spoke to the economist in me and tried his best to maximize his profits no. matter. what. And he is hella good at what he does too which basically means he is the resident bad guy.
Everybody hates him as they are powerless to do a thing against him. But under that slick suave bastard exterior, he is compassionate, fair, intelligent, caring and has a heart of gold. Ofcourse that doesn't give way to noble idiocy on his part and just because he can beautifully balance his humane and cunning side, it doesn't mean he isn't a force to be reckoned with.
The drama tried desperately to promote Lee Dong Wook as the main male lead but while he has his moments Life is Gyu Seung Ho's playground. It's his show through and through and I loved him so incredibly much that I can't even explain it.
▪︎Bromance & Friendship▪︎
Half of the show revolves around Lee Dong Wook and his brother and their bond is so adorable, sweet and heartbreaking that it gives you all the feels. But other than that brotherhood the drama is filled with relationships, loyalty, camaraderie and friendship between characters which is so endearing and treasured in such a hostile and brutal environment.
▪︎The tension▪︎
Oof. Like all 3 of Lee Soo Yeon's dramas, there's a lot of politics, philosophical questions and moral debates in this one too. It's less medical and more focused on the power struggle between the doctors and the management. And so I understand why people think it to be slow paced with heavy dialogues but goddamnit for me it was so engaging that I was hung on every word that came out of a character's mouth. I was completely attuned to them, focused and on the edge of my seat. It holds the same gravity and feeling of importance that Stranger 1& 2 had and the epic soudtrack just enhances it.
▪︎The romance▪︎
While not the main focus, it's woven so effortlessly and gorgeously in the storyline and just goes to enhance the personalities of the characters and make them more lovable. I am also extremely happy that my ship sailed hehe.
▪︎The FEELS▪︎
The show appeals to both your mind and your heart. While there is intelligent writing to satisfy the analytical part of your brain with a lot of mental workout there's also enough emotion for you to form a personal connection with the characters. I cried so much and surprisingly every time at small subtle moments, actions and interactions that weren't even tragic or done solely for some big emotional impact. There are no deaths or tragic birth secrets or white trucks of doom or other cheesy bullshit, there are just some extremely real, flawed and well developed characters that you hurt when they hurt and you are happy when they are happy.
▪︎Badass Women▪︎
You know me. You know if the female characters suck, no matter how awesome the male leads are, I am ready to fight. Thankfully all the females in this show are strong, some kick more ass than others but overall they are all extremely likeable.
The only reason I didn't give this show a 10 (tho it was a very very close shot) is because I expected more of the ending. It's very typical of Lee Soo Yeon. Her dramas always progress in such a grim way that you are expecting the worst to happen but then she comes in and hands you a bouquet of flowers with half of them missing.
Which saves your heart from breaking but it's also a bit lacklustre. Parts of it are uncharacteristically idealistic but then parts are extremely realistic as she doesn't try to solve every issue and leaves it up to the audience. It's a little frustrating and makes me not give her a full 10 but that also means I don't dare dock more than half a point 'cause these endings are still very much infused with warmth, hope and love.
It's definitely one of the best dramas out there. The cast is the same in all of her three shows so you know they are extremely gelled in with the writer and the acting is great across the board.
A must watch. Even more so for fans of Stranger 'cause there is a cameo in the last episode that will blow your socks away. ;)
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This drama was on my radar ever since I heard about it after Stranger. Writer Lee Soo Yeon and Cho Seung Woo together could not go wrong! And I was right. This drama is excellent because it managed to get the point across and question our society despite being and extremely difficult topic to tackle without inducing snores. . Where else can you make a drama that questions nature of medical services, politics, capitalism and society's treatment of person with physical disabilities and still make it interesting! That has to count for effort but it delivers excellence with writing, acting and direction. The relationship between the Ye brothers is to watch out for. The story that Ye brothers carry is just heartwarming. The treatment of Ye sun Woo by his brother and those in his circle is the something that needs to be seen. Its eye opening and uncomfortable to watch but it deserves the empathy it gets. Also, not to be forgotten this drama is heavier on romance than Stranger. But considering it was nonexistent in Stranger, I guess the writer threw us a bone that I gladly chewed. The ending is nicely and realistically tied up without going overboard that dramas usually go for.
Overall, the story may not be for everyone but if you enjoy a charcater driven story, this one is for you. What can be a boring story about politics is made alive with nuanced characters with shadows of past in driving their story of growth.
The Characters
Mr. Gu as a character was one of the best characters that I have seen in Kdramas. He is a brilliant as President of Sangook University Hospital, who as an audience you try to dislike because of the nature of his job compared to the doctors, but he is rational and humane. He is a corporate slave who tries to do what is right and questions the doctors on their God Complex while delivering profits to the Corporate Overlord using the hospital. It sounds complex because he is complex yet highly admirable.
The doctors are varying shades of grey characters. The almost white as his coat character is Dr Joo who is what we think an ideal doctor and human should be. He works to save lives and steps in when needed.
The one character that is also brilliantly written Dr Oh se-Hwa. It is rare to find a female character that is badass in a no nonsense way. She is self centered and ambitious and when she goes head to head with Mr.Gu or anyone trying to undermine her...Boy! Beware.
The Acting
The acting carried the show just as much as the writing. Given to lesser actors, the characters would have come across as stoic and impossible to read.
Cho Seung Woo is brilliant as his character. It was possible to read his inner thoughts in any situation with just a few muscle movements on his face. He is one actor who delivers excellence in subtlety that is expected of the character and then some more.
Lee Kyu Hyung as Dr. Ye Sun Woo was just as amazing as he is in previous works. His emotions were so raw at times. He carried the character like a skin.
Yoo Jae Myung As Dr Joo...Just give that man a leading role already. Nuff said.
Lee Dong Wook as Dr Ye Jin woo is underwhelming and the weakest link. Considering he is the main lead, its slightly disappointing. His acting seems green compared to the rest of the cast who never made me doubt their existence as the characters themselves. He got overshadowed by the acting chops of rest of the cast.
One of the things that turned out to be a pet peeve of mine is his comedy. He does stoic well enough but the understated comedy that is required to lighten the dark tones of the drama is just not for him. His face contorts and somersaults and basically goes overboard to convey the comedy which is just cringy to watch. Its the only reason to not give the entire cast a 10.
Soundtrack is as good as it gets for political medical thrillers in that, it is minimal but appropriate use to convey the suspense factor.
Rewatch Value is good when you are feeling philosophical. I can watch it again just to admire the writing and acting.
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The pace is also nice it settles you in to enjoy the well written drama .. lee dong wook is a sight to behold in that white coat .. for anyone wondering weather to watch it or not you definetly should without paying attention to the rating you will be surprised and enjoy it alot normally i never write reviews but the rating made me do it
P.s if anyone hasnt noticed the rating for this drama has pissed me off
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The things I liked about the show was firstly the very realistic plot in a medical drama. Being a medical student myself, it is very difficult to be able to identify with medical dramas in general because there are a lot of inaccuracies and overreactions. But this drama has stayed as close as possible to real life situations in a hospital and the struggles and dilemmas of the medical profession have been portrayed wonderfully. A very important and burning question of privatisation of healthcare has been dealt with in an interesting and realistic way. Another good thing was that they have revealed good and bad people on both sides which is exactly how it works in the world. Nothing is all black or white. That is why it seems so relatable.
However there are some things I did not like in the story plot and this is very important because I haven't found mention of this in any if the reviews. The brother of the lead is paraplegic and his story has been shown in a very depressing light. There is too much pity and sympathy from every person around him as well as a lot of self pity. One one hand it is shown he has worked very hard to overcome his challenges and on the other he is shown to be mentally completely limited by his disability. It doesn't ring true for the character.
Secondly, being a doctor myself, I found it extremely objectionable that both the doctors whose story was focussed on fell in love with people outside their profession. In one scene, LDW's character tells his mother that there is no one in the hospital to date.. all the girls are like Lee No Eul(his best friend for last 15 years) who is a pretty amazing woman actually.
However, notwithstanding a few things I didn't like in the plot, overall it is a good show. Initially it is a little slow paced but after 2 or 3 episodes, interest soon kicks in. Soundtrack is nothing special. The best thing was the acting of the cast. All have done an impeccable job.
Rewatch value is very less. Why would someone want to watch such a heavy drama twice. The most important thing about this is the story, which you will know in one watch itself. However it is a great drama for a one time watch. I came only for my favourite actor but I wasn't disappointed. Stream it.
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Dr Ye Ji Woo is our main representative for the doctors and President Go Seung Hyo is the representative for the business, mangerial side. President Go is a fascinating character. He has little medical experience, he doesn't believe Doctors deserve their god complex mindset and thus, he contrasts instantly with Dr Ye and his co-workers. At first look, President Go is our main villian but he is a very complex character who only wants to do the best he can for the job he was tasked to do. And that is to make money. His role is to make the hospital profitable. That rubs everyone the wrong way and he gets blamed for a lot of the darkside activities that take place throughout the series but as we get to know Go and how he truly interacts with the people around him, Dr Lee No Eul, we begin seeing that he's not a bad guy at all. President Go constantly walks that line, the shades of grey and it's so compelling to see that journey. Dr Ye just wants to care for his patiens and fights against the monetization, naturally, but there is a hidden surface with him as well. The relationship between the Ye brothers is a prevalent story throughout the series. Dr Ye's guilt for his brother's condition, Sun Woo's constant feeling that he's a burden on his brother. But their love for each other is one of the best things about the series. And that's just the tip of the iceburg, there is so much depth in the story of Life. All six of our main characters are just as important and pivitol to the plot and so much. Our side characters are just as rich and add a ton to the story. The mystery behind Director Lee's death, Dr Seon Woo Chang losing his will for the industry due to the harsh nature of his job (having to ask greving parents for organ donors), Reporter Choi's struggle against media suppression. There is huge amounts of plot. If you want detailed plot from start to finish, Life is perfect. You don't have to worry about lack of progression or filler episodes with this drama.
The acting more than matches the rich plot. Jo Seung Woo steals the show with his maginificent performance as President Go. The character is subtle and constantly toes the line between antagonist and most rootable character of the drama and that's thanks to Seung Woo. Honestly, he was sublime. This would be a career performance for 90% of the actors in the industry and it would be for Jo Seung Woo as well if not for Stranger (1 & 2). Lee Dong Wook is less strong on his own but his interactions with Lee Kyu Hyung, Won Jin Ah and Jo Seung Woo more than hold up its weight. He and Lee Kyu Hyung's character really felt like brothers to me and was a great emotional release outside of the tension in the rest of the series. Won Jin Ah and Jo Seung Woo have a low key romantic tension and while it's not the main story, you get invested in it just as much. Moon So Ri (as Dr Oh Se Hwa) and Yoo Jae Myung ( as Joo Kyung Moon) were brilliant with their veterean roles. They had lesser roles compared to the other four main leads but they were just as strong in their acting and performance. Moon So Ri is a big favourite of mine and I'm glad that she was able to shine in a larger project like this.
I've droaned on longer than I like so all I can say is just watch Life. It's an excellent series.
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If you expect a full on medical drama or if you don't like heavy toned dramas with themes like Power struggle, then this isn't for you.
The story isn't very original but it is solid. It is slow, yes, but slow doesn't necessary mean bad. They do not rush through the story and they know when to give it progress and some 'action' to not bore the audience.
It's very dialogue heavy drama and not very light it does have it light moment, so that you're able to breathe or have a little laugh.
There isn't really any romance in this show, some people like that, others don't. I myself aren't really a big fan of romance in dramas because I feel that they always go the through the same route. I don't mind some subtle romance or hints of it. Or even actual romance, if they do it really well. This show go for the subtle romance and it fits this story really well, so I'm happy they didn't go full out with it.
One of the best thing in this show was the acting, everyone did a great job and almost every character was in the grey zone and not one-dimensional. No one of the main characters or 'the good guys' were perfect or 'pure' and that gave a very realistic tone the show which is very important in these kind of shows. Every action the characters made, did make sense.
Some characters do work better than others but it isn't the acting that's the problem but rather the characters themselves and it didn't really bother me to much, but can be worth mentioning at least.
Like some of the other reviews has said, the worst thing in the show is probably the music. And it isn't even bad, just that nothing really stands out, the intro music is probably the soundtrack that stands out the most. This doesn't have to a bad thing as well. It just means that the music does what it supposed to, but it might not be something you would listen to on it's own outside of the show.
As for rewatch value, it always go down a bit after you seen a show since nothing it new anymore, but you could certainly watch this again and enjoy it to it's full potential since it isn't a mystery you have to solve. You know the characters motives and there isn't any big plot twist that would ruin the fun in rewatching the show.
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I hope there is a second season, however, considering the first series was in 2018, I think if there was a second season, it would have been released by now (unless I am dumb and a second season is already confirmed).
The last three or four episodes are absolute masterpieces, maybe the best episodes of K-Drama in existence, every single actor played their part significantly well and the scriptwriting was easy to follow and enjoy.
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Not for everyone, but it was for me.
This was refreshing. It just jumped right into it. You quickly realize there will be no hand-holding and very little leading.Different. That's how I would describe the experience of watching this. It was a serious drama. Not in the way of intense romance, love triangles, physical fights, or big twists though. In fact, I didn't feel as if they shoe-horned in anything unnecessarily. I wasn't able to point out anything that was added in to drag out the runtime. It uses its time to seriously show the difficulty/horror of being a health care worker and the challenges and in-fights between hospital owners and staff, as well as carefully thread a message that becomes clear only at the end.
What sticks with me even now is the uncomfortableness they managed to make me feel by showing the "bad guy" show some humanity. I felt this "wrongness" from it, as if he didn't have the right to. But that is how people are. They aren't as easy to categorize into good and evil as we would like them to be.
And, the message. The ending isn't satisfying. It doesn't have a true "conclusion" as it were. It seems to say, "This is what life is." You get by, you face a fight, you manage to get your head above water, you find something to brighten your day, and the cycle repeats. One stumbling block is dealt with, only for another to come down the road. We struggle and we smile, alone and with others.
Did some part of me want the easy satisfying ending with a pretty bow on top? Of course. But it was a realistic ending. And one I didn't mind. Because, this is life.
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Very much recommended.
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Deserves every praise
At the finish line there was just one regret of mine that kept bothering me, the fact that to complete this series took almost three months . The only excuse that I could give myself for this is that the first episode left a sour taste in my mouth, I was left dazed and confused about what kinda series I'm even watching. But it turned out just fine or to say greater than I ever imagined, that is not to say that I did not have huge expectations to begin with thanks to the remarkable screenwriter of the series.It did not felt like a slow-burn, it had a constant flow and pace paired with decent cinematography, complex characters and an intriguing story. It changed the overused romance formulas and can be viewed as an excellent example of a balanced script. The tension was just enough to keep me on my toes. The business aspect was not too overwhelming, the hospital-trope was not domineering, the romance was just a slight breeze not a full-on tornado, not overly dramatic... A really conscious series that made an effort to be really distinguishable from any other typical "hospital drama series". A great watch.
It only lacked in the music department a bit. I usually very much like listening to soundtracks to reminisce of series however this one did not have one song that shined through or could be identified with... But that is not enough reason to give it a lower grade than it truely earned for itself.
I can honestly recommend it to anyone who wants to have a break from cliches and fluffs and/or genuinely wants to watch a more serious and complex story to unfold. (A real masterpiece just like Save Me 2 was for me but not that slow-burn psychological kind.)
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