Kim Ji-won’s “Doctor X” Hits It Big… Breaks Record High of 16.9% in Just Three Episodes [Comprehensive]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

“Doctor X: The Age of the White Mafia,” starring Kim Ji-won (produced by Studio S, Studio Dragon, and Haejiyeum Studio; hereinafter “Doctor X”), surpassed the magical 15% viewership barrier in just three episodes.

In Episode 3 of SBS’s Friday-Saturday drama “Doctor X,” which aired on the 16th, Gye Su-jung (played by Kim Ji-won) saved Jeong Eun-soon (played by Shin Hye-kyung), a hospital cleaning contractor who collapsed from a cerebral hemorrhage, delivering a powerful blow to the atrocities of the surgeons at Gu Seodae Hospital as they weighed the hospital’s prestige against patients’ lives. Bu Seung-gwon (played by Son Hyun-joo) took the first step toward change by officially apologizing for Gu Seodae Hospital’s negligence regarding the death of emergency medical technician, the late Seo Jin-yeong (played by Kang Jun-seok), within the hospital.

Along with this, “Doctor X” Episode 3 recorded a peak viewership rating of 16.9%, 15.1% nationwide, and 14.9% in the metropolitan area, setting a new record for its own highest viewership for three consecutive episodes. It broke through the magical 15% wall in just three episodes, and also proved explosive buzz with a peak 2049 demographic rating of 5.23% and an average of 4.7%. (Based on Nielsen Korea)

The broadcast that day began with a scene in which the surgeons at Gu Seodae Hospital raised suspicions, claiming that the surgical method Su-jung demonstrated in the previous surgery was similar to that of an unidentified doctor known as “Doctor X.” The patient who underwent that surgery died two months later, and while the name of the operating surgeon was not disclosed, only the name “Doctor X” remained on the chart. The doctors expressed concern, stating that if Su-jung had referenced this surgical method, similar problems could occur. However, Seung-gwon instead said, “If something goes wrong, we need to leave behind someone who will take responsibility,” and assigned Su-jung to the emergency room, which is suffering from a labor shortage, rather than the surgery department.

As the first anniversary of Jin-yeong’s death approached, the incident once again rose to the center of controversy. Kim Seong-jin (played by Heo Jun-seok), a professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine, was tormented by deep guilt while recalling the painful memory of missing the golden time because there was no doctor in the hospital capable of performing a craniotomy at the time. Craniotomy is a surgery for which few doctors nationwide are capable of performing due to its high risk and low profitability. Jang Hee-sook (played by Lee Jeong-eun) particularly pointed out that Gu Seodae Hospital has an extremely insufficient number of doctors capable of performing craniotomies compared to other hospitals, remarking, “A hospital that only cares about money will definitely have an accident.”

Shortly after, Jeong-soon, a hospital cleaning contractor employee, collapsed with symptoms of a cerebral hemorrhage. In a situation where all doctors in the hospital capable of performing craniotomies were absent, Do Yun-sik (played by Kim Young-min) argued that she should be transferred to another hospital, but Gyeong Yeong-tim (Director) Lee Sun-ae (played by Kim Young-a) strongly insisted on treatment within the hospital, arguing that if a hospital employee collapsed again and was transported to another hospital, Gu Seodae Hospital’s trust would collapse. Amidst the conflict between the desperation to save the patient and the reality that the hospital could not avoid responsibility, Park Tae-kyung (played by Kim Woo-seok) rushed in to inform them that Su-jung had already started the surgery. Su-jung had detected abnormal signs in Jeong-soon, whom she happened to encounter, and had been waiting in the emergency room since dawn, sleeping there in preparation for an emergency situation.

The doctors who rushed to the observation room were shocked by the fact that Su-jung, who did not have a specialist qualification in Neurosurgery (NS), was performing a craniotomy, and fiercely objected, demanding that the surgery be stopped immediately. However, Hee-sook happened to appear holding Su-jung’s NS board documents, and Su-jung successfully completed the surgery with surprisingly perfect technique. Seung-gwon exclaimed, “It’s perfect. I haven’t seen such a surgery in a long time.”

At the meeting held afterward, Su-jung watched as the Shin Gyeong-oe-gwa (Prof.)s made excuses to evade responsibility while saying, “Doctors are human too,” and delivered a sharp remark: “Are you the only ones who are human? Patients are human too. Do you not make an effort to be doctors? Are you just being human? If so, when will you be doctors?” Seung-gwon, enraged by the reality that no one wanted to take responsibility in matters involving patients’ lives, held a press conference instead of an inauguration ceremony and publicly acknowledged that Jin-yeong’s death was an incident revealing the poor environment and structural problems of the medical industry. Above all, he sincerely bowed his head to apologize to the bereaved family, the public, and hospital staff for the hospital having betrayed basic “trust,” foreshadowing change.

Seong-jin revealed that he was the person who had posted an anonymous article on a bulletin board exposing the hospital’s problems at the time of Jin-yeong’s death incident, but it turned out that the actual author of the post was Bae Heung-gon (played by Lee Seong-uk), who had wanted change in the hospital, and that Yun-sik had also helped him, bringing an unexpected twist.

Buoyed by Su-jung’s successful surgery, Hee-sook presented Seung-gwon with a new contract, emphasizing that Su-jung had proven through this surgery that she was qualified to receive higher compensation. However, Seung-gwon summoned the new surgeon Na Dae-il (played by Jang Seung-jo) and put Su-jung’s contract on hold, sparking curiosity.

“Doctor X” Episode 3 drew attention by showcasing Gye Su-jung’s overwhelming surgical skills while directly pointing out the structural problems of Gu Seodae Hospital. In addition, Bu Seung-gwon’s appearance, in which he acknowledged the hospital’s responsibility and officially apologized while foreshadowing change, also attracted interest.

“Doctor X” is seeing its viewership rise steadily as praise pours in for Gye Su-jung, a doctor who is both capable and righteous.

Meanwhile, Episode 4 of “Doctor X” will air at 9:50 p.m. on the 17th.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original