In a word, this episode is perfunctory. "Doctor Frost" is setting up the finale, and so is deliberately putting all the various long-term fragments of the previous episodes into proper order. The woman from the last cliffhanger ends up not being a plot point except to the extent of motive. Remember the episode about false memories, the one where the true culprit got away? That's what's really going on here- psychoanalysis of a person we can't actually see just yet because it would ruin the surprise. Even if you've probably already guessed who it is.
The same logical problems of that episode naturally come up here as well. The main plausible deniability the previous episode had is that the victims presumably were not aware of the fact that memories could be manipulated, this not being common knowledge among the general population. The cliffhanger here is in very iffy territory by having characters who had directly dealt with that case suddenly gaining new memories out of nowhere, and not really questioning the timing.
I imagine the final episode isn't actually going to have them be manipulated all the way through, but then this lack of general tension is the main problem here. For that matter a lack of serious tension has been the main problem throughout most of "Doctor Frost". The situations here are frequently so elaborate that they're impossible to relate to on a normal level. This is what made the original webtoon so clever- Doctor Frost would take general psychological principles and aptly apply them to everyday life. Not elaborate murders.
Fans of the webtoon may also have noticed a recurring plot thread that's more-or-less identical to the one of the webtoon stories, the main difference being that there's only a few minutes of exposicion per episode, and very little psychological chat, so it's difficult to get engaged in the case. For those of you who haven't read the webtoon and find the lovelorn subplot interesting if underdeveloped, please read the webtoon. It's a very good story.
As for the drama...again, it's mainly just perfunctory. It's the bare minimum of plot cohesion necessary to prevent us from thinking "Doctor Frost" has been a complete waste of time, since there are a few important plot points here. Unfortunately the design of this episode serves more to remind the viewer of the drama's flaws rather than the strengths. The actual ending may or may not be able to deliver on the set-up. In any case I doubt I'll be very sorry to see the drama go.
Review by William Schwartz
"Doctor Frost" is directed by Seong Yong-il, written by Heo Ji-yeong and features Song Chang-eui, Jung Eun-chae and Lee Yoon-ji.
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Staff writer. Has been writing articles for HanCinema since 2012, having lived in South Korea since 2011. Started out in Gyeongju, then to Daegu, then to Ansan, then to Yeongju, then to Seoul, lived on the road for HanCinema's travel diaries series in the summer of 2016, and is currently settled in Anyang. Has good tips for utilizing South Korea's public bus system. William Schwartz can be contacted via william@hancinema.net. He also has a substack at williamschwartz.substack.com where he discusses the South Korean film industry in broader terms and takes suggestions for future movies to review.
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