REVIEW: ‘Doctor X: Mafia In White’ — Episodes 1-2

Medical dramas are among the most popular genres on modern television. Shows like ER, Grey’s Anatomy, and The Pitt confirm that the desire for hospital-set stories is alive and well, and Doctor X: Mafia in White Episodes 1-2 (DakteoX: Hayan Mapiaui Sidae) carries on the tradition. Based on the long-running Japanese franchise, Doctor X: Surgeon Michiko Daimon (Dokutā X: Gekai Daimon Michiko), this medical KDrama is directed by Lee Jung-rim. While it leans on a few common workplace drama tropes, it forges its own path, providing an entertaining entry in the genre.

At its heart, Doctor X: Mafia in White Episodes 1-2 has both a comedic element as well as a savant-doctor element to it. Its comedy, not unlike House, refuses to take the series too seriously. Dr. Gye Su-jeong (Kim Ji-won) is a doctor from a locum tenens agency, an agency that specializes in providing temporary workers to hospitals.

The humor underpinning the show feels too heavy for the medical drama around it.

The hospital needs providers amid a strike that has left it short-staffed. Dr. Gye is a less-than-conventional doctor. She is blunt, abrasive, ignores social protocols, and routinely disobeys directions when she thinks she’s right.

Kim Ji-won shines as Dr. Gye. Her deadpan delivery and comedic timing are perfect, especially when on screen with Dr. Park Tae-kyung (Kim Woo-Seok). Dr. Park is an intern and, while very supportive, is also written to be somewhat incompetent next to the brilliant Dr. Gye. Mix that with her ability to switch into genius mode and be equally convincing, and Kim Ji-won’s performance becomes even better.

All of this is done with humorous music in the background and a certain air of silliness. Further, Dr. Gye’s facial expressions always have a deer-in-the-headlights quality. The humor isn’t incidental; it’s an effective tool for keeping Doctor X: Mafia in White Episodes 1-2 from feeling too heavy.

Unlike similar doctors on TV, Dr. Gye has an almost mythological quality that defies logic.

Doctor X: Mafia in White Episodes 1-2 also lean fairly intensely into the savant-doctor genre. Much like Dr. Shaun Murphy in The Good Doctor, Dr. Gye is willing to do so much more than violate typical societal norms. Rather, Dr. Gye challenges authority, speaks without regard for how it may be received, and has a higher-than-normal amount of confidence, regularly claiming that she doesn’t fail.

What sets her apart from other savants in popular medical dramas is that, usually, no matter how good a doctor is, a series always finds a way to make them fail early on to remind everyone they’re human. In Doctor X: Mafia in White Episodes 1-2, Dr. Gye has an almost mythological quality that defies logic.

The narration paints her as unwilling to submit to any authority because she’s always right. It treats her as a hero, clad in black, called Doctor X. Unfortunately, this persona clashes with the serious nature of the cases that the doctors are faced with.

While the humor keeps Doctor X: Mafia in White Episodes 1-2 from feeling too bleak, its absurdity at times undermines the story’s gravity. In the premiere episode, Dr. Gye calls out Director Kim’s (Kim Jong-goo) hubris. When his ego causes him to suffer a medical episode while performing surgery on a frail 80-year-old patient, Dr. Gye jumps into action and saves the day.

Still, Doctor X: Mafia in White Episode 2 shows the other surgeons deeply disdainful of Dr. Gye. They become caricatures of real adults, spending an inordinate amount of time trying to get revenge and pull childish pranks. While Dr. Gye doesn’t seem phased by it, scenes played for laughs lean too heavily on the trope of a woman doing well at work being despised by her male coworkers.

Fortunately, Director Bu Seung-gwon (Son Hyeon-ju), who takes over after Director Kim’s incompetence nearly kills a man, doesn’t seem impressed by Dr. Gye’s bullies. Director Bu is a grounding presence in the hospital, not letting his subordinates’ impertinence and juvenile antics keep Dr. Gye from doing her job. In Doctor X: Mafia in White Episode 2, he even sees her potential, leading to a moment where he uses her and her genius to school an overconfident surgeon.

Doctor X: Mafia in White Episodes 1-2 provide a compelling and entertaining premise for a medical drama.

Both Dr. Gye’s mythology and the workplace-drama feel of Doctor X: Mafia in White are reasonable avenues to take, but the series hasn’t committed to a lane so far. Is Dr. Gye some Ronin of medical science? Is she simply a cog in a machine fighting gender disparity while being the superior surgeon?

Doctor X: Mafia in White Episodes 1-2 provide a compelling and entertaining premise for a medical drama. Doctor Gye and Director Bu are the true heartbeats of the series. They showcase true talent with endearing performances by both Kim Ji-won and Son Hyeon-ju. It’s not without issues, but it’s certainly too soon to pass a clear judgment. The series has a lot of potential to blossom into something far greater.

Time will tell whether Doctor X: Mafia in White leans more into Dr. Gye’s mythology or her profession, but either way, medical drama fans can rest assured that if they commit to one direction, it’ll be worth watching every episode.

Doctor X: Mafia in White Episodes 1-2 are streaming now on Netflix with new episodes airing Fridays & Saturdays.