Well, Okay

One of the most beloved Korean romance dramas of all time is Descendants of the Sun, which is probably why I haven't watched it until now (disclaimer: I did try to watch it once before years ago but got busy and had to stop in the middle of episode one.) It's also a little sad now, as the lead actors fell in love and married in real life, and then divorced just two years later. There's a lot of gossip about both of them, but I like both actors so I put aside the tragic outcome and just watched the series.

Descendants of the Sun tells the love story between a doctor and a special forces soldier who briefly meet in Korea but then end up stationed together overseas. They have a lot of drama to deal with -- old allies turned murderous arms dealers, an earthquake, blood diamonds, and even a mini epidemic -- while they try to deal with each other. There's a secondary romance between the soldier's best friend and the doctor's old adversary from med school that is pretty epic all on its own (he's enlisted, she's an officer and the daughter of a general.) Then there's all manner of subplots, a third romance, breaking up, getting back together, etc. etc. Basically it's the kitchen sink of Asian dramas, but it still works. I liked it a lot in spite of the problematic elements.

Problems, well, there are a lot of them, too. I was both a soldier and a medical professional in my youth, so I can pick out about a hundred mistakes, fumbles, misinformed ideas and things that simply would not happen in the military hospitals where I worked. They certainly wouldn't have happened during disasters at field hospitals. I rather doubt it happens in any kind of Korean Army operation or their field hospitals, either. The worst, well, their idea of quarantine is laughable. The doctors behave more like nurses and medics, which would by necessity be soldiers, not civilians. Special forces soldiers around the globe are in reality like ghosts; you mostly just hear scary stories about them, and if you do happen to see them it isn't for very long. Even the reason the doctor is assigned overseas is a little ludicrous. Is it plausible for most people? Yeah. Me, not at all, but I just went along with it anyway.

Descendants of the Sun is a lovely, romantic, completely implausible story that I enjoyed watching despite its many flaws. You likely will, too. Available on Viki.com.