Healer – Full Review
Welcome to Healer – Full Review. A mysterious night courier and a struggling young journalist some of take on some of the most powerful political leaders in Seoul. Can justice prevail over greed and corruption? If you haven’t watched this drama yet, I recommend checking out my unspoiled review here.
Healer
♥ Aired: December 8, 2014 – February 10, 2015
♥# of Episodes: 20
♥Where to Watch: Viki
♥Genre: Romantic Action
♥Starring: Ji Chang Wook and Park Min Young
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The Story
Welcome to my Healer – Unspoiled Review. In 1992, 5 friends fearless reported the news in a time of extreme governmental censorship. These friends are Moon Shik, Healer’s villain, Young Jae, Jung Hoo’s teacher, Ji Il Joo, Jung Hoo’s father, Choi Myung Hee, Young Shin’s mother, and Oh Gil Han, Young Shin’s father. Decades later a loner who has spent his life working as a special night courier meets a quirky, charming journalist. Working together under a famous journalist, the group works to uncover the corruption that exists in the top tier of Seoul’s political system. Along the way, they discover that the current case links back to an older crime from 1992 that links them all in a shared past.
The Leads
Ji Chang Wook as Seo Jung Hoo
Seo Jung Hoo, or Healer, as he is known in the business, is a life-long loner. He works as a night courier with the help of a hacker he has never met face to face, but who is his closest friend and always with him digitally. Jung Hoo Meets Chae Young Shin when he is asked to get a DNA sample from her. Instantly he feels connected to her and decides to stay close to her and keep her safe. Park Bong Soo is Jung Hoo’s alter ego. Taking a job with Yeong Shin at Someday News, Bong Soo is a clumsy, awkward, and shy reporter who is put under Young Shin’s patient tutelage. Over time, Jung Hoo learns that he and Young Shin share a common past. Their parents had been best friends, but their friendship came to a tragic end. But there is more to the story than what has been uncovered? Now it is vital that he clear his father’s name of a murder Jung Hoo is sure he didn’t actually commit so that he and Young Shin can pursue a serious relationship.
Both Jung Hoo and Bong Soo are adorable characters and Ji Chang Wook does a wonderful job of bringing life to each role. Jung Hoo has lived his life in the shadows for so long that the thought of living like a normal person never really occurs to him. He is known as the best in the business and he is incredibly skilled at living undercover. But after meeting Young Shin, he realizes how lonely he has been and how nice it would be to have someone to share his life with. Ji Chang Wook really captures the duality of the tough, brave hero and the vulnerable, broken man. I am a huge Ji Chang Wook fan and this is one of my favorite roles he has ever played.
Park Min Young as Chae Young Shin
Chae Young Shin is a sunny, quirky young reporter. She has been secretly chasing the true identity of the mysterious night courier, Healer. When he contacts her to set up an interview, it seems like her career may be moving in the right direction. Coupled with the fact that her journalistic idol takes over as boss at Someday News and she gets her own assistant, Park Bong Soo, to train, things are really looking up for her. So, she is thrilled when her new boss recruits her and Bong Soo to investigate a story involving the corruption of a mayoral candidate. But the investigation turns up much more than just political corruption, and the ties to her own past are shocking.
Young Shin is cheerful and bright with just a touch of awkwardness that makes her likeable. These days, Park Min Young seems to get cast as the smooth professional, so it is especially nice to see her in this kind of role. But under her cheerfulness, Young Shin suffers from memories she can’t quite see, but that sometimes make themselves known through a bit of PTSD. This vulnerability makes us root for her even more. It also made it all the more satifying when she would gather up her courage and join in the fight despite her fears. Some of my favorite moments were when Jung Hoo would calmly tell Young Shin to close her eyes. Her total trust in him was refreshing and sweet.
Supporting Characters
Yoo Ji Tae as Kim Moon Ho
Kim Moon Ho is a famous journalist who quits his major network job to work at Someday News. His brother is the politician he wants Young Shin to investigate. Moon Ho was also, at one time, the favorite babysitter of Young Shin and Jung Hoo, although they were both to young to remember him. He hopes to reunite Yeong Shin with her birth mother, who believes Young Shin is dead, and bring to light the many crimes his brother has committed.
Kim Mi Kyung as Jo Min Ja (Ajumma)
Kim Mi Kyung is one of the highlights of this drama as Ajumma. She is the hacker who helps Healer conduct his business. A former cyber-crimes detective, she left her job because she felt like true justice was not being served. Though she and Healer have never met face to face, she lives in his ear 24/7 through a mic and knows everything about him. She is his manager, advisor, and friend. Her personality can appear a bit abrasive but under all that bravado lies a heart of gold.
Park Sang Won as Kim Moon Shik
Kim Moon Shik is the villain. Brother to Moon Ho, Moon Shik was once friends with Young Shin and Jung Hoo’s parents. Moon Shik had always had a crush on Young Shin’s mother, so when a car accident leaves her paralyzed and her husband is killed, he convinces her to marry him. And then he abandons Young Shin in the middle of nowhere and says that she is dead. This is only the beginning of his evil deeds, as he joins hands with a man known as the Elder, who has extreme political power and will stop at nothing to get his way, even if it involves murder. Now his brother is the only one with the knowledge and moral strength to reveal Moon Shik’s wrongs and make him face his punishment.
Things I Liked
♥ Supporting Cast
Healer has an outstanding supporting cast. Besides the actors and actresses I mentioned above, there are some wonderfual characters. My favorite were Young Shin’s father and his side kick, who run the cafe together. They are comedic yet heartfelt, and I looked forward to their scenes. I also enjoyed the goon squad known as Double S Security, for adding just enough ineptitude to their menacing job to keep things interesting. And one last shout out to the ever-creepy Secretary Oh and his weird little covered mouth giggle. For such a small role, he definitely left his mark!
♥Yoon Dong Won’s Crush
I loved Jo Han Chul as the cyber detective who worked under Jo Min Ja. Most especially, I loved his adorable crush on our Ajumma. It is obvious that he was interested in her when they worked together, but now that she is divorced, he could actually do something about it. The amount of giddy energy he put into every scene where he was able to interact with her, face to face or digitally, was endearing and sweet. And now that he has helped the team bury Healer’s existence, he has earned their trust. I wish they would have given us a little more development in this story, but the subtle hint of romance seems more fitting for someone as practical and no-nonsense as Min Ja.
♥Timeless
It’s true that Healer is only 5 years old, but kdrama and technology have both come a long way in those 5 years. Which is why I was surprised that Healer never felt dated. For a drama that relies so heavily on gadgets and technology, it would be easy for it to get left behind in terms of it’s relateablility, but instead I found the story, characters, and their gadgets to all be engrossing enought to gloss over the telephone booths and flip phones without much impact on the overall story.
Things I Didn’t Like
Ki Young Jae’s Death
Oh Kwang Rok is a great actor and I loved his abrasive yet caring character of Ki Young Jae. I was disappointed that they killed him off, but even if they felt the need to kill him to keep the story going, I wish they would have waited a little longer. He brought such a lively energy to the scenes he was in and I would have liked to see more of the interaction between he and Jung Hoo. It’s always sad to see great characters get killed off during a series, but I felt like they could have achieved the same plot development without killing him off right away. Actually, I would have been happier if they had done something to Jung Hoo’s mother, who we don’t know much about anyway. But that is just my preference.
Where’s Joo Yeon Hee?
This is just a small thing, and I didn’t have any special love for the character of the actress Joo Yeon Hee, but it seemed weird the way she just kind of disappeared and was forgotten. She felt like a part of the team while she was living with Young Shin’s dad so I kind of got used to her. So it seemed strange when they got her trial set up and then shipped her out, never to be heard from again. I even thought there may be a hint of romance between her and Young Shin’s dad, but maybe that was just me. Anyway, the story seemed to end rather abruptly for me and it seemed like her acting skills may have been helpful for the Healer team at points along the way.
Moon Ho’s Creepy Factor
Now, maybe this one is just me, but in the beginning, I found Moon Ho’s character to be a little weird. It was just the way they made it seem like he had a crush on his sister-in-law and her daughter at the same time. His motives felt weird and it was unclear what he was actually trying to do. Over time, they seemed to move away from this story, especially as he found out about Young Shin and Jung Hoo’s relationship, but at first I wasn’t sure I understood him.
The Ending
If there is a weak spot in Healer for me, it is the fact that, after 219 packed full episodes, the ending seemed pretty rushed. While a few of the main storylines wrapped up happily, there was much left unsaid. Moon Ho finally feels like he can go on and live his own life now that the truth has been revealed. Shown flirting with Producer Min Jae, it seems like he finally has room for a little romance in his life. Min Ja has started working with Healer’s errand girl, Dae Yong as the new Healer. It may take some time to iron out the system at first, but I see great things in this team’s future. And now that Healer is “dead”, Young Shin and Jung Hoo are together working as fellow journalists and living a normal life. What we didn’t get to see was the arrest and punishment of all the bad guys, which would have been satisfying. Did Moon Shik actually go crazy, the way it looked in his drunken memory scene? And after waiting so long for her daughter, Young Shin and her mother only had time for a couple rushed scenes together. I would have liked to have seen a relationship that looked a little more normal and settled. I know that we can’t have everything tied in a nice neat knot, but these 2 stories were focal to the whole drama, so a bit more closure would have been nice. Other than that, I am happy that it is a happily ever after kind of ending.
Should I Watch
In my opinion, Healer is a classic. You find it on lots of favorites lists out there, for good reason, I believe. Blending intrigue, great fighting scenes, and an amazing love story, it really has it all. And this all-star cast has gone on to do lots of other successful dramas in the last 5 years. And the romantic chemistry between the leads is authentic and promises to give you all the feels. If you are a fan looking for pure adventure and adrenaline that isn’t interrupted by romance, than Healer may not be for you. Also, some of the scenes may exaggerate the leads skills and abilities beyond reason for the die-hard realist. This is entertainment, after all. But most fans seem to agree that Healer is well worth the time. I give Healer a 9 out of 10 ramen.
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