My husband and I often talk about psychology and mental health. We took a few classes together in college and he has a master’s degree in a psychology-related field. We’ve talked about how it seems like Korean culture doesn’t really have an open dialogue about things like depression and anxiety. So when I talked his ear off about Kill Me, Heal Me, his first comment was, “I thought kdramas didn’t deal with mental health!” I laughed. Kill Me, Heal Me is aaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllll about the mental health! And I loved it the whole time I was watching it.
CHARACTERS
Ji Sung — Amazing doesn’t even begin to cover it. Every time he switched between personalities, it was seamless. His characters were distinct and believable and I loved them. Especially when he was Yo Na and taking flying leaps at Park Seo Joon. That was hilarious. But even more well done was his ability to blend the personalities into Do Hyun. His acting ability leaves me slack-jawed — he deserves high praise.
Jung Hwa Eum – Oh, Doctor Oh. I struggle with Jung Hwa Eum in both She Was Pretty and Kill Me, Heal Me. The shrieking and the horrible fake laugh she uses when dealing with out-of-control situations are nails on a chalkboard for me. Thankfully, she calms down within a few episodes, and then I really enjoy her. She’s a cute, comic character with good timing, but she can also handle emotional gravitas without a “wink, wink, nudge, nudge” behind it that a lot of comedic actors can’t seem to get rid of. I completely believed her as a psychiatrist too — her compassion was a touchpoint for her character and I could see it in all of her actions. Very well done.
Park Seo Joon — I swear, I will watch just about anything this boy is in. Every performance he gives is solid and wonderful, and he’s got a deft touch with the emoting. I was a little disturbed by echoes of a certain romance in Hwarang, but it resolved perfectly and felt completely different. Seo Joon always does well.
PLOT
Kill Me, Heal Me had me intrigued from the beginning. The comedy interspersed with the very real struggles of the mentally ill were perfectly contrasted, and I never felt like anyone with mental illness was being mocked or turned into a cheap joke. I will allow that it got a little overwrought at the end, but overall this story was well-executed. I could not stop watching it.
RECOMMEND AND REWATCH POTENTIAL
Absolutely 100% would recommend this to any drama watcher. There were some light swears, but nothing inappropriate, I felt. And I will definitely be rewatching it at some point, especially for Yo Na’s oppa leap, because that cracked me up EVERY TIME. Tell me, drama fans–is Kill Me, Heal Me one of your favorite dramas too?
Until next time, I remain–
Karie the Maknae
Dramas with a Side of Kimchi
I completely agree with your assessment and the ONLY complaint is the couple of swear words in Episode 1 and 18 that were completely unnecessary and offensive and unfortunately were in English so no way to avoid hearing them.
Agreed on the swears. I wish they’d bleep more than the subs….
I still haven’t watched “Kill Me, Heal Me” but it’s on my list! I agree…anything with Park Seo Joon you can bet I’ll be watching 🙂
PSJ FTW!
I agree 100%. Ji Sung is amazing.
Yes he is. I’m gonna have to find more dramas he’s in.
curious if you’ve seen the Chinese version does it really pale in comparison? it seems exactly the same tho when i caught the first couple episodes..
Agreed on all points. It’s one of my favs and on the periodically rewatch list. It’s just as good on a rewatch–maybe even better because you know who’s on deck!