Episode 19 of Doctor Stranger finally delivered some much needed answers and plot development. This second to last hour focused first on Jae Joon’s failed revenge attempt and then shifted to Hoon and Jae Hee’s reconciliation and plan to outsmart the Prime Minister. Time is running out for our heroes and I hope the remaining 60 minutes will be enough to bring a satisfying conclusion to this confusing and rather lackluster show.

Chairman Oh Collapses in Front of Jae Joon

Following Jae Joon’s big reveal, Chairman Oh falls to the floor clutching his heart. When Soo Hyun finally makes it into the room, she finds her father on the ground and Jae Joon standing to the side looking shocked. She quickly rushes him off to surgery but pauses to tell Jae Joon that she will never forgive him for what he’s done.

Jae Joon continues to look on with tears in his eyes.

Soo Hyun Orders Jae Joon to Leave the Hospital

Jae Joon tries to reason with Soo Hyun, but she demands that he leave immediately. “You’re not a doctor, but a murder” she exclaims. Jae Joon can’t help but agree with her sentiments.

Jae Joon Resigns

Jae Joon takes a few moments to reminisce about his time as a doctor at Myung Woo Hospital. He confesses to Hoon that his revenge has failed and now he will quit being a doctor. He became a doctor for all the wrong reasons and it turns out that he is the stranger in the hospital.

His love for Soo Hyun is enough to stop him from breaking the castle.

Hoon calls him out on his true actions. While it may have looked like Jae Joon did nothing after Chairman Oh collapsed, Jae Joon actually performed live saving CPR. He’s not as evil as Soo Hyun thinks him to be!

 But by the time Soo Hyun hears this truth from Chariman Oh, Jae Joon has already packed and left for good.

But my biggest question is this: what happened to the castle?

 Agent Cha Is Still Alive

Turns out Agent Cha did not die from his recent gunshot wound. We get a brief look at him going through the houses of Hoon and Jae Hee. I’m sure will be seeing him again soon for the grand finale.

Soo Hyun Takes Over For Her Father  

With Chairman Oh recovering, Soo Hyun takes over as Acting Director of the hospital. She gets a new wardrobe and her white coat is nowhere to be seen for the rest of the episode.

Doctor Moon Is Back To Being Chief

Doctor Moon takes great pride in regaining his lost title as department head. His name placard is all set to go!

Hoon Confronts Jae Hee About Her Lies

Hoon goes to Jae Hee’s house and asks her why she keeps pushing him away. He knows that she is lying and he wants to know what is going on. She continues to deny her feelings, claiming that she has never loved him.

Hoon retaliates by playing the voicemail Jae Hee had left for him in the past. Each tearful sentence brings out her emotions until Jae Hee finally yells that she in fact loves Hoon.

She confesses that all she wanted to do was to see Hoon again. She never knew that her choice to follow Agent Cha had put everyone in danger.

Hoon hugs Jae Hee close and is glad to have her back in his arms.

Hoon Tries to Get Secretary Kim On His Side

Hoon bluntly asks Secretary Kim to betray the Prime Minister, but Kim states that his code of loyalty will not allow him to do so. He offers Hoon a lollipop and says he will forget this conversation everr happened.

Family Dinner Time

Hoon’s mom is able to join Hoon and Jae Hee for a meal and Hoon beams at being able to introduce Jae Hee as his girlfriend. While their time together is brief, we get a glimpse of what a happy life for Hoon could be like.

The President Visits Myung Woo Hospital

When the President visits, Hoon does all that he can to get a moment alone with him.

The Prime Minister interrupts, but it still gives Hoon enough time to find out how serious the President’s heart condition is.

You have to love Hoon’s instantaneous diagnostic skills!

The Prime Minister Ruins His Relationship With Secretary Kim

Secretary Kim may have just been lecturing Hoon about loyalty, but harsh words from the Prime Minister get him to rethink this position next to this power hunger man.

The President Needs the SAVER Surgery

After a brief scare where the President wants to switch hospitals, we find out that he has a rare condition that will require him to have the SAVER operation. Conveniently, Hoon is the only known doctor who can do this surgery with success. The President comes back to see Hoon and gets briefed on the needed steps.

The President Needs Immediate Surgery

The President is rushed to the OR after he collapses in front of the Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Jang wastes no time and declares himself the de facto ruler in the President’s place.

Prime Minister Jang’s “Victory” Speech

According to Hoon, the surgery is a success and the Prime Minister enters the room to find the President in a coma.

The Prime Minister is ecstatic that his plan worked. He begins a ranting victory speech, pointing out all the reasons why the President should have never trusted him. He goes on and on until he notices that somethings isn’t quite right…

Wait! The President is awake! The “surgery” was just a plot to catch the Prime Minister red handed.

Looks like Hoon and Jae Hee finally manage to outsmart the Prime Minister at his own game.

In Conclusion

I’m glad to see the plot finally moving forward, but I can’t help but shake my head in anger that it took 19 hours to get here. Keeping all this information until the very end resulted in a huge disconnect between the characters and the viewers. There was no good way to understand the motives of the many flawed characters in this show. At least for me, I spent most of this drama in a constant state of doubt and confusion.

The big highlights of this episode include Jae Joon’s failed revenge plan, Jae Hee’s definitive “I love you”, and the Prime Minster getting the rug pulled out from underneath him. I’m looking forward to see how this all gets wrapped up in the last hour. Agent Cha is dangerously lurking in the background and I’m positive he’ll play a crucial role in the end.

I also hope Jae Joon and Soo Hyun can be brought back into the plot in a meaningful way. Jae Joon in particular deserves more to his name than just a failed attempt at revenge! (But seriously, what did he do with his giant model of the castle? Since he couldn’t smash it, did he just hide it in a closet somewhere? I don’t think it would be very portable…)

How do you think this will all end? Are you ready to say goodbye to Doctor Stranger?

Please share your thoughts below!

Thanks for reading,

Rachel