Synopsis

“Descendants of the Sun” (DOTS), centers around a special forces captain, Yoo Shi Jin (Song Joong Ki), and a doctor, Kang Mo Yeon (Song Hye Kyo), who form a romantic connection when they meet in Korea, but sadly part ways when the doctor struggles with the conflict between the Hippocratic Oath she swore as a doctor - that all life is worth saving - and the nature of the duty of a special forces soldier - to follow orders, even if those orders mean taking the life of another.  After parting ways in Korea, Captain Yoo and Dr. Kang are unexpectedly reunited in the fictional country of Urk, where Captain Yoo is deployed as the Mohuru Company Commander of the Taebaek Unit, and Doctor Kang is sent by a scorned chairman as Team Leader of the Haesung Hospital Volunteer Team.  The two are forced to work together as the leaders of their respective groups, and their mutual attraction is rekindled.  Captain Yoo confesses his love, but Dr. Kang continues to struggle with the nature of the captain’s job, and they part ways once again as Captain Yoo’s deployment ends and he returns to Alpha Team Headquarters in Korea.  In his absence, Dr. Kang regrets her decision to decline the captain’s confession.  Then, when an earthquake strikes Urk and the safety of the Korean medical team is unknown, Captain Yoo volunteers to return to Urk to aid in natural disaster relief.  After overcoming many obstacles together, Dr. Kang’s true feelings are revealed, and the couple decides to be together, balancing the trivialness of everyday life with the dangers of the captain’s job, eventually returning to Korea.  Unfortunately, during one of Captain Yoo’s missions, Dr. Kang receives news that Captain Yoo is presumed dead.  To help her deal with her grief, Dr. Kang volunteers overseas, and on the anniversary of his death, is reunited with Captain Yoo who was being held captive.    

Natural Chemistry

A discussion of DOTS must start with the chemistry between the lead actors, Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Kyo.  Their connection on screen as the Lead Couple comes off as very natural, never forced.  It was not until I finished DOTS that I learned about the famous Song-Song couple.  I rode the roller coaster of emotions when I found out that the chemistry was not an act, but that they became a couple off-screen and married.  I felt like a bona fide K-fan, rejoicing that my shipping instincts were accurate.  When I found out that the Song-Song couple ultimately divorced, I was crushed. 

The breakup aside, you simply cannot deny the natural chemistry that the actors have on screen, which is reflected in their characters, who are constantly drawn to one another.  They are often physically affected by each other’s presence.  When they are reunited in Urk, for example, Dr. Kang is unaware that Captain Yoo is stationed there and is visibly caught off guard when he suddenly appears before her at the airport.  In turn, Captain Yoo collapses against a wall after attempting to act indifferent towards Dr. Kang.  Every time the characters share the screen, it is impossible not to get caught up in their emotions.  Whether playfully teasing one another, saving one another’s lives, or sharing a romantic moment that makes your toes tingle, every exchange is filled with an emotional intensity that comes from great chemistry. 

Fate

A trope that often appears in K-dramas is that a couple is fated to be together; that their destiny is intertwined.  In DOTS, fate is mentioned several times as the lives of Captain Yoo and Dr. Kang constantly circle back to one another, even overcoming great distances - emotionally and physically - to be together.  When he learns that Dr. Kang is to lead the medical team arriving in Urk, Sergeant Seo, Captain Yoo’s deputy commander, tells Yoo that his time in Korea with Dr. Kang “wasn’t just a passing fate.” And upon hearing that Dr. Kang is reunited with Captain Yoo halfway around the world, Dr. Kang’s friend, Dr. Pyo, incredulously states, “you guys must be fated.” 

Fated or not, the pair comes to rely on each other throughout the series.  From rescuing her from a car dangling off the side of a cliff, to rescuing her from kidnapping arms dealers, Captain Yoo repeatedly calls upon his special forces training to save Dr. Kang’s life.  In turn, Dr. Kang crashes a car into a building to save Captain Yoo from human traffickers, and relies on her medical skills to revive him after he is involved in a shootout in Korea.  They also rely on one another for comfort during emotionally challenging times.  Captain Yoo uses his humor to raise Dr. Kang’s spirits when she grapples with the devastating loss of life following the earthquake in Urk, while Dr. Kang tells Captain Yoo to forget what he has seen and done after he is forced to kill a former ally turned foe.    

Second Couple

And it is not just the Lead Couple that has amazing chemistry in DOTS.  The Second Couple, Sergeant First Class Seo Dae Young (Jin Goo) and First Lieutenant Yoon Myung Ju (Kim Ji Won), are one of the best second couples in the K-drama realm.  In some K-dramas, the storyline of the Second Couple can take the viewer away from the storyline of the Lead Couple and drag the plot.  But in DOTS, the Second Couple’s story flawlessly weaves in and out of the Lead Couple’s story, fleshing out the overarching storyline without slowing it down.  This was done by intertwining the stories of both couples, and developing the relationships between all 4 of the main characters, making for a strong and interesting K-drama.   

Bromance

DOTS also has one of the best Bromances of any K-drama.  The bond that is built between brothers-in-arms is infamous, and actors Song Joong Ki and Jin Goo portray that bond exceedingly well.  Their characters share a deep mutual respect.  Yoo and Seo train and serve together, frequently putting their lives in each other’s hands.  When Seo is ordered by a superior to detain Yoo for violating a direct order, Seo reassures Yoo that all of his orders that day were fair and honorable. And when Seo finds out Yoo has gone on a solo mission to rescue Dr. Kang, he immediately assembles the other members of Alpha Team to assist. 

But their friendship extends beyond the military.  When Yoo learns that Seo filed for a discharge from the military in order to win the approval of his girlfriend’s 3-star general father, Yoo gets upset and asks him how he could make that decision alone.  Yoo and Seo even help one another navigate their complicated love lives.  One of my favorite scenes in DOTS is when their girlfriends, Kang and Yoon, intercept a package from Korea that lands the guys in hot water.  Together, the two men endure the grilling interrogation from their calm and methodical girlfriends who want to know the full story behind the package and its contents.  The scene is hilarious as the men throw each other under the bus (a pattern in their Bromance when attempting to get out of trouble).  It is the one and only time that the special forces soldiers are truly flustered. 

The scene also serves as an important bonding moment in the relationship of Kang and Yoon, who begin the series as frenemies, but become increasingly close through their relationships with Yoo and Seo.  The two women eventually become each other’s support when the men are on dangerous missions, even seeking each other out when they receive reports Yoo and Seo are killed in action later in the series.  When Kang and Yoon see the incriminating contents of the box sent to Yoo and Seo in Urk, Kang coolly (and hilariously) tells Yoon to get her gun.  This is an important turning point in their Womance as they are able to put their past issues aside and rely on each other with a shared purpose.          

Third Couple

In addition to the Seo/Yoon Second Couple, DOTS has an amazing Third Couple in Dr. Song Sang Hyun (Lee Seung Joon) and Nurse Ha Ja Ae (Seo Jeong Yeon).  I often find third couples in a K-drama to be unnecessary and taxing to the storyline, but the Third Couple of Song/Ha is a lot of fun and provides a wealth of comic relief.  Dr. Song and Nurse Ha are also a slightly older pairing with a long history as friends, which provides a nice contrast to the Yoo/Kang and Seo/Yoon couples.  Fun and flirty, their relationship is the perfect compliment to the more dramatic nature of the other couples.

Duty

Running throughout DOTS is the theme of duty. This is clearly illustrated by juxtaposing the duties of a soldier and a doctor. A soldier’s duty is to keep freedom and peace; a doctor’s duty is to preserve life.  Soldiers follow orders.  A command comes before a soldier’s life, and sometimes that command may mean ending a life.  In contrast, doctors take a Hippocratic Oath, which places life above all else.  Dr. Kang states that there is no higher ideology, and is willing to disobey orders to save a life.  When the medical team in Urk performs surgery on an Arab President against military orders, the medical staff is concerned about what will happen to them.  Dr. Kang reassures them that they are merely fulfilling a doctor’s duty, saying that “if we stop this [surgery] because it’s dangerous, then this patient will die. And as doctors we really don’t have a choice in the matter.”  When Captain Yoo is punished by his superior for disobeying direct orders, Dr. Kang comments that the military is “unfair and lacks flexibility.”  To which Captain Yoo defends the punishment as “proof that rules exist.”  

While the duties of a soldier and a doctor are contrasted in DOTS, parallels in their duties are also drawn.  When a deadly M3 virus is discovered, the medical and military teams have to work together to save lives and stop the spread.  When Dr. Yoon is confirmed as a positive case, Dr. Kang promises to “put up a fight.”  She assures Captain Yoo that she will not lose because “fighting against viruses is a war for doctors.”  Captain Yoo expresses confidence in Dr. Kang as Dr. Yoon’s “fellow soldier.”  They both prepare their respective teams for “battle” against the M3 virus, saying that they must perform their duties to the best of their abilities to stop the spread of the deadly virus.  The parallel between the duties of a soldier and doctor is also illustrated when Dr. Song is questioned by the soldiers about why is he is working when he is sick and in isolation.  Dr. Song counters, “Don’t soldiers go to war even when they are sick? If we were in the military, this would be war.”  Towards the end of the series, Dr. Kang muses that all of the “Captain Yoos” and “Dr. Kangs” of the world - soldiers and doctors alike - take vows to preserve life “throughout the whole earth, beneath the sun.”  She ultimately concludes that, though the methods of a soldier and doctor may differ, their duty is the same.    

North vs South

One of the subplots of DOTS includes a North Korean solider, Senior Lieutenant Ahn Jung Joon (Ji Seung Hyun), with whom Captain Yoo has an important relationship.  The series opens with Yoo and Ahn meeting in the Korean Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea.  The two soldiers are reunited as security for their respective nations during a peace summit in Pyongyang, North Korea, establishing an uneasy trust.  When they meet for a third time, Ahn needs Yoo’s assistance to expose a North Korean traitor.  And in their final meeting of the series, Ahn rescues Yoo and Seo who are being held captive.  K-dramas often include North Korean subplots, and while North Koreans can often be portrayed as the enemy in these dramas, I enjoy when the people of the North and South find a way to connect with one another.  The relationship between Yoo and Ahn is one forged under extreme circumstances, but an understanding and respect is formed between the two soldiers.  These types of stories are inspirational and provide hope that even two sides with such diverse perspectives can cultivate a connection.  

Negatives

If I have anything critical to say about DOTS - and this is a criticism that can be applied to other K-dramas - it is that the portrayal of the United States can sometimes err on the side of being oversimplified.  Digs at the US are sprinkled throughout the series as a world power concerned only with prioritizing its own objectives. And while some of this criticism is certainly fair, it can also be a bit unrealistic.  One example is when a 6.7 magnitude earthquake strikes Urk and causes a Korean solar energy plant to collapse, killing, injuring, and trapping over 40 Koreans.  But in spite of the fact that there is a US military base only 20 minutes away, and the fact that the US and South Korea are well known allies, no aid is ever sent to help with the disaster relief.  Incredibly, the only “Americans” who arrive on the scene are ridiculous “American” reporters whose only interest is in covering the story.  And a casting sidenote, these “Americans” are not American at all, but British.  I literally laughed out loud when the actor delivered his lines and did not even attempt to hide his accent.  Non-Americans are often used to portray Americans in K-dramas, but if you are attempting to make a commentary about the US, at least make sure you get the accent - and according to FluencyCorp there are roughly 30 to choose from - right.        

But that being said, there does appear to be an element of mutual respect between the Koreans and Americans.  When exposure to the deadly M3 virus is suspected at the Medi Cube, Yoo and Seo rush the blood samples to the pathology lab at the US Bio-Chemical Battalion for PCR confirmation.  And while Dr. Yoon is not sure if the Americans will cooperate, they do.  “A virus outbreak is our problem, too” the Americans assure them.  And finally, when Kang’s hostage rescue interferes with a CIA operation, Yoo is told by his American counterpart that “[i]t’s a good day when a failed op results only in paperwork and not our lives lost.  You don’t have to apologize to anyone.”

Final verdict: MUST WATCH

Simply stated, “Descendants of the Sun” is my favorite K-drama to date.  I naturally gravitate towards stories with a sweet relationship at its center and you cannot help but fall in love with Captain Yoo and Dr. Kang.  The main cast is an incredible ensemble that shares a natural chemistry.  The characters are intelligent and self-aware, and all of the relationships intertwine for a full storyline that never drags.  The action and drama always serve a purpose, and the moments of intensity are expertly balanced with lighthearted humor.  Epic scene follows epic scene, each beautifully acted and shot, always moving the story forward.  With very few drawbacks, “Descendants of the Sun” sits at the top of my favorites list.

So there it is, our very first K-drama review!!  What did you think?!  What are your thoughts on DOTS? Where does it rank - or does it - in your Top 5 K-dramas?

Have a favorite K-drama you think we should review? Comment down below!!  

We look forward to seeing you back again next week!

Up next, Shamra’s review of Healer