Recap Korean Drama "Doctor Lawyer (2022)" Episode 4

Doctor Lawyer (닥터 로이어) is a Korean law-drama TV series directed by Lee Yong-seok and stars So Ji-sub, Lim Soo-hyang and Shin Sung-rok, alongside other cast members. The series has 16 episodes and takes over MBC’s Friday-Saturday 10 PM KST timeslot previously occupied by Tomorrow. Doctor Lawyer episode 4 has a runtime of 60 minutes.

Well, Ki-tae is dead and we start with Yi-han trying to wrap his head around how he could’ve suddenly died the night before he was supposed to be released. Plus, there’s this mysterious thing that Ki-tae almost said but didn’t as well that’s going to come to haunt him later.

Still From Doctor Lawyer Episode 4

 

Anyway, Ki-tae was stabbed with a toothbrush by a death-row convict inmate. As Seok-yeong gets there as well, she orders the inmate to be transferred to the jail at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office. The way the doctor and guard behave around that comment makes both her and Yi-han feel like there’s something going on here that they don’t want them to know. Anyway, Yi-han laments the loss of his supposed friend and remembers how he had promised to be on his side this time.

The next day, Yi-han makes a bold declaration of taking Ki-tae’s death further and promises to hold Banseok responsible for trying to pin the blame of medical malpractice on a single medical staff which ultimately resulted in his gruesome death. He also promises to represent all victims of malpractice from Banseok pro bono – an interview that is seen by literally everyone whom he’s going to go against. Jin-gi, after the interview, decides to straighten the problem out before it’s too late.

 

Still From Doctor Lawyer Episode 4

Apparently, Banseok is now an anti-ageing and healthcare centre that they advertise to foreigners and rich people now. There’s a weird scene where Do-hyun shows a young, rich couple around the hotel-cum-spa centre that’s supposed to be some anti-ageing thing. I am guessing this is going to be a plot point in the distant future sometime. But right now it just feels like a pointless scene. Anyway, Yi-han and Seok-yeong observe Ki-tae’s post-mortem. According to Yi-han, although the criminal trial is over, the civil suit against Banseok starts from then. So, he needs to keep an eye on everything that happens.

 

The pathologist lets them know afterwards that Ki-tae’s death was caused by a severed carotid artery which caused excessive bleeding. And unfortunately for Yi-han, Ki-tae couldn’t say anything before his death. When they are unable to figure out anything from the autopsy, Seok-yeong suggests that Yi-han and she should have a conversation since they are no longer an attorney and a prosecutor. Seok-yeong walks away before he can say anything.

Still From Doctor Lawyer Episode 4

 

Meanwhile, Jayden Lee is having dinner with the big names of Banseok and promises to lobby in favour of the organisation so that they can establish a corporate body. I like Jayden Lee’s subtle character arc that we see bursts of. He’s menacing and mysterious in just the right quantities for us to enjoy thoroughly and look forward to his endgame. Either way, he plays his games quite well and is so fun to watch.

At the same time, Seok-yeong and Yi-han think that this is the right time to have a domestic dispute in a pub where she asks him how dare he try to make a living out of his life because apparently he is only allowed to be unhappy for the rest of his life. Anyway, after she huffs for a straight minute without any proof or without any faith in the man she was supposed to marry, Yi-han asks her whether she truly wants to believe that there was some other truth for which he has come back as a lawyer.

 

Yi-han points out that everyone embroiled in this mess is connected with Banseok in some way or another. He asks her to investigate Nam Hyuk-chul properly because it is through his connections they can find something – there must be a reason he killed two doctors while operating a successful medical equipment business. Anyway, he leaves her sitting in the pub looking stunned as if Yi-han had said something out of this world and he then leaves because he has other important things to look into.

Still From Doctor Lawyer Episode 4

 

Jin-gi, meanwhile, falls into a bit of a problem when Im Tae-moon asks Hyun-seong to perform his surgery the traditional way in place of a robot. He is of the opinion that Hyun-seong is a great surgeon and has always done the operations on the VIP patients so there shouldn’t be a problem. Jin-gi agrees to his demands but looks visibly tense because his son is good-for-nothing. The good-for-nothing guy also is extremely jealous of Yu-na hanging out with Jayden Lee although I have a sneaking suspicion that he would’ve been annoyed regardless of whomever it is from the opposite gender.

Anyway, New Hope Law Firm is getting a ton of clients after Yi-han’s pro bono declaration. Most of them are quite silly, a way to instil humour in the medical drama I am sure. However, they do get a legit case of a girl who got operated on to remove a tumour near her heart and subsequently lost her voice after the operation. The details are gruesome and Yi-han feels compelled to take on the case after he learns that Hyun-seong was the one who performed the surgery.

 

Seok-yeong goes to talk to Hyuk-chul to know why he killed Ki-tae. His excuse is that he hated the fact that Ki-tae didn’t even remember him after taking so much money from him and in a fit of rage he stabbed him. Seok-yeong finds that difficult to accept and in spite of trying to instigate him to tell her the truth, he refuses to budge from his reasoning. Yi-han, meanwhile, goes to Banseok to get Ki-tae’s personal belongings. On the way out, he meets Hyun-seong and the former asks him who his ghost surgeon is after him. The question takes Hyun-seong by surprise but before that conversation can happen, Jayden Lee also joins them.

Still From Doctor Lawyer Episode 4

 

It’s absolutely amazing honestly – Lee’s character is just so snippy all the time. It’s amazing – he doesn’t seem to be bothered by Yi-han’s presence and even thanks him for letting him know about the civil suit against Banseok but later very casually mentions to his henchman that they need to look into his background. He then meets Jin-gi and his demand of getting half of his investment in company shares is dashed by the latter. He comes up with another strategy – he agrees to get repaid in stocks according to their present valuation after Jin-gi is nominated for Minister of Health and Welfare.

Unfortunately for the fragile masculinity Hyun-seong, Yu-na is having an affair with Jayden Lee, as one can expect. As they have fun at his place, Yi-han tries to figure out what recording Ki-tae talked about before he died. In between that search, Jayden’s subordinate, Michael, calls and tells him that he has a case for him but he needs to meet him at that moment at Banseok.

At the hospital, they go to the penthouse and Michael asks him to sign a document, something that they can’t show anyone, including the Banseok lawyers. For some wild reason, Jayden has decided to whack Yu-na over the head or something and needs Yi-han to take care of her – someone who won’t say anything to anyone outside. What a mess.

 

Doctor Lawyer Episode 4 Review

Still From Doctor Lawyer Episode 4

Seok-yeong is just such a silly character. A prosecutor by profession, she doesn’t have any idea about how people can be framed by Banseok, the people who are notorious for doing bad things. I also like how Hyun-seong gets angry saying that Yi-han was just a ghost doctor – that would just mean he was better than him but sure. If that’s the hill you want to die on, hilariously. I mean, it’d be stupid to expect more from him but whatever.

Anyway, coming to Yi-han and Jayden Lee – I am guessing it’s going to be a nice game of blame game between them. Jayden’s character is going to be an entertaining watch if they can keep it up with how volatile he is. The fact that he smack Yu-na over the head, someone who was apparently his romantic interest – I am intrigued. Yi-han, meanwhile, is going strong with his cool and suave character. I am intrigued to learn how his character is going to react to this new problem.