This Korean drama had me on an unexpected roller coaster ride and my emotions were everywhere. It is about a captain of the special forces, Captain Yoo Shi Jin (Song Joong Ki), along with his sergeant, Major Seo Dae Young (Jin Goo) who tangles themselves up into trouble during their vacation. Dae Young's phone is stolen by a thief whom they help send to the hospital after being injured. When they try to retrieve Dae Young's phone, they met Doctor Kang Mo Yeon (Song Hye Kyo) who thinks they are gang members trying to harm the thief which is now her patient. Shi Jin who is enthralled by Mo Yeon's inability to believe him that he is a soldier and not a criminal gangster, falls in love with her immediately and asks the army doctor, Yoon Myeong Joo (Kim Ji Won), for help to prove this to Mo Yeon.
Yoo Shi Jin and Kang Mo Yeon starts to date but Shi Jin is always called in between dates to special missions. Due to the differences and demands of their jobs, their dates don't end well. In the middle of a date, Shi Jin is called for another mission, and when he left, Mo yeon received a call informing her she wasn't promoted to a professor to favour a colleague with a more privileged background.
When they meet again, Shi Jin and Mo Yeon talks about their views and principles in life and realise how different they are, and how conflicting their jobs are. Shi Jin, a soldier who would kill people to protect his nation, and Mo Yeon, a doctor who tries to save all lives. So they part ways because of this.
Eight months later, Mo Yeon is promoted to a professor, wherein which she got sexual advances from the hospital chairman which she aggressively declines. This causes her to be sent to Uruk as the team leader of a medical team. And there, Shi Jin and Mo Yeon's story begins again.
In the first few episodes, there are scenes that are catching and sending butterflies in your stomach and scenes that are amusing and funny. But the rest are dragging. The flow of the story in the first few episodes are quite sluggish and I didn't see where the store was going. But that is a good thing, because you don't know where next scene will go so there will be surprises.
But when Mo Yeon is sent to Uruk, and all the characters are in place, the plot begins to unfold and it will be good. Humor is still in the show, but it doesn't fail to show other aspects of emotions as well: loss, heartbreak, redemption, regret, acceptance.
DOTS' story line is consist of several disasters from earthquake, virus outbreak, to a black ops mission. From this, the characters have developed in progression which move the pieces more and more into place. At the start, the different jobs of Kang Mo Yeon and Yoo Shi Jin caused them to realise how big their differences are, but when the earthquake happened both of them slowly understood each other's principle when it comes to saving lives.
The Romeo and Juliet-like story of Seo Dae Young and Yoon Myeong Joo is a treat as well. Myeong Joo's father wants Yoo Shi Jin as his son-in-law but Myeong Joo only wants Dae Young. The process of Dae Young running away from Myeong Joo (following Myeong Joo's father's orders which is a general) to Myeong Joo going where Dae Young goes, and the progression of how they finally decide to fight for each other and ultimately get Myeong Joo's father to approve their relationship is very thorough where one couldn't just easily say "Well, that escalated quickly!"
Script-wise, it is very well thought of. The lines are very endearing especially Yoo Shi Jin's which make every fan girls out there wish for their oppas to arrive. But also it is not something you would expect. There is this funny scene where Mo Yeon plugged her phone to a speaker to play some good music to the whole military base in Uruk and a very personal recording professing her feelings for Yoo Shi Jin played. Very funnily unexpected, and unexpectedly funny.
The best thing about this koreanovela is that the writers don't give all the focus to the main characters. They also show stories of the supporting casts like Doctor Song Sang Hyun, a fellow doctor of Kang Mo Yeo, who was very much in love with Nurse Ha Ja Ae who was oblivious that he is so. There is also the struggle for vindication of a doctor who refuses to come back to Korea after failing to rescue someone in a collapsed building after the earthquake. These bits and pieces of stories are crucial in the overall effect of DOTS and as a whole make it a poignant show. These stories come with tears because they are very grievous and sorrowful. The acting were raw and full of emotions, especially in the episodes where Yoo Shi Jin and Seo Dae Young does not come from a mission, and a report of their death came. It is a very painful episode to watch, watching two women cry their heart out, seeing a father's tears of loss, and another father's regret. If you haven't watched DOTS yet, you have been warned (and spoiled, sorry!). If you have, you probably suffered from PTSD the same way I did, and still do.
Descendants of the Sun had quite a lump sum of budget and so they were able to shoot abroad, like the hidden beach in Uruk and the desert scene when Mo Yeon commemmorated Shi Jin's 'death' anniversary which are both in Greece. But how they utilised these beautiful landscapes and put them into something bigger and more stunning is beyond me, that is some credit to their cinematography.
Overall, this show is a 5-star. The casts are perfect in portraying the characters, the soundtrack is amazing, cinematography is top class, and the script is well thought of, well-written, and well-acted. Aside from the main casts, the supporting characters are very easy to love as well which added bonus points to this drama.
What makes a book, or a movie, or a drama good is its ability to influence its viewers' perception and thinking. If it inspires its viewers, or educates them, or makes them think in a way they haven't before. Descendants of the Sun achieved exactly that. I have come to appreciate soldiers, doctors, and nurses more. The decisions they make every day, to save lives, to protect lives, and the burden that follows are beyond what a normal person could comprehend.
But in all seriousness, I love DOTS because who's not into hot military guys? OPPA~!!!
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