Dynasty Doctor

Cast:
Eric Suen- Ping Chang
Li Li Qun- Wang Jiu
Ren Quan- Nong Cao Tang
Luo Hai Qiong- Duan Su Wen / Duan Ling Shu
Li Xiao Ran- Lei Lei
Xu Huan Huan- Xiao Zhu

Summary (Warning: Spoilers!)

Ping Chang and his mother, Yi Gu, are at the nation's capital cheating people's money by selling fake medicine. He decides to enter Tian Ming Yi Guan and learn from the prestigious Duan Tian Ming, a disciple of the famous deceased doctor Nong Jin Gui. With the help of a street bum, Wang Jiu, he is accepted. However, Tian Ming does not teach him anything, and he ends up doing chores instead. But while there, Ping Chang befriends Nong Cao Tang, Duan Tian Ming's best disciple, who is also the son of the deceased Nong Jin Gui. Ping Chang also befriends Su Wen, Tian Ming's daughter, who has a multiple personality disorder, and Xiao Zhu, a blind girl. Ping Chang finds out that Wang Jiu was the second disciple of Nong Jin Gui, and becomes his disciple after being expelled by Tian Ming, who was afraid that his talents posed a threat. Ping Chang ends up falling for the sweet and cheery Su Wen, while Cao Tang is paired up with her "cooler" personality, Ling Shu. Ping Chang finally becomes a successful physician, Xiao Zhu's eyes and Su Wen's disorder become cured, but a big plot seems to be awaiting them...

Individuals:

Eric Suen (Ping Chang) - Ping Chang is a very animated and lively character who never stops talking and always has a smile on his face. He seems to be the type who doesn't care about anything and is always troublesome, but he is actually very considerate and kind to his family and friends. As the series progresses and he encounters hardships, he matures. Suen did his part well and took me by surprise. I saw him in Princess Huai Yu, so as I watched this, I was thinking: WHAT HAPPENED TO THE GENTLEMAN? But, I still love this character. He did really well as the cheeky Ping Chang who later matured. There were one or two emotional scenes that some actors would over exaggerate on, but luckily he didn't and played it out right. I look forward to seeing him in other series. The only thing is that sometimes he looked kind of tired, I wonder how much sleep he got when making this series.

Luo Hai Qiong (Su Wen/Ling Shu) - Su Wen is the naive, gullible and very sweet personality. But she's not ignorant, mind you. The way she and Ping Chang got along with each other before and after getting together was quite amusing and very sweet. She's simple-minded, but still an intelligent girl. She's very considerate of other people. Ling Shu, on the other hand, is the less friendly personality. She's not evil or anything, and she also has a kind heart. She's more rash and self-centered though.

I haven't watched Symphony of Rain yet, so I have never seen Luo Hai Qiong act before this. She portrayed the two different sides really well. Su Wen was really sweet and loveable, always with a smile on, and the darker, meaner Ling Shu was convincing as well.

Ren Quan (Nong Cao Tang) - He's has got quite a bit of pride, but he's not conceited. He is very serious about medicine, and that was the only thing in his mind until he met Ling Shu. Ren Quan played the serious Nong Cao Tang well, and it's funny when he cracks jokes once in a while.

Li Li Qun (Wang Jiu) - He looks and acts like an idiot, but he's really the wise one. He actually surpasses Duan Tian Ming and is really kindhearted. Li Li Qun deserves all the respect he gets. He was really good, and made the street bum Wang Jiu very loveable and funny. He and Suen cracked many jokes throughout the show. The scene where they argued over who was the better-looking one is really funny.

Li Xiao Ran (Lei Lei) - Her whole past and background is a mystery. All the women on her mother's side of the family seemed to die at the age of 26 for an unknown reason. She was saved by Wang Jiu and lived with them for a while. She lies a lot and loves to gamble because she thinks that God will repay all her misfortunes with one round of good luck. Very optimistic. My sis and I really liked Li Xiao Ran in here. She's just so lively and funny. She brought a lot of cheer into the show as well.

Xu Huan Huan (Xiao Zhu) - She's a blind girl who gathers medicine for doctors as a way of living. She doesn't have any friends because people say she brings bad luck. She falls in love with Ping Chang because he was the first person to be kind to her and treat her as a friend. Even though she knows he doesn't like her, she still stays by his side. Xu Huan Huan wasn't annoying or anything, she was cute in her own way. I can't say that this role made her shine though.

Favorite Scenes:

Actually, I have a lot. There are even little bits of dialogue I really like.

Whenever Ping Chang and Su Wen are together I really like it.

I thought it was really cute when Su Wen cried to Ping Chang about her broken heart, and it was very sweet when she confessed to him as well. Or later on, when he's talking to Ling Shu, she calls him the name that Su Wen always called him, he asks who she really is, and she ends up falling off the stilts (nothing serious).

Least Favorite Scenes:

Well, the last part of the series irked me, but specifically, whenever the disciples from Tian Ming Yi Guan are shown and are picking on Ping Chang. They are just a bunch of conceited bullies and didn't seem to serve much purpose besides showing off.

Overall Opinion:

Everyone had great chemistry together, and the way they got along was very funny. It took me one or two episodes to get into the series though, but after that, I was addicted. I probably didn't get into it right away because the series' strong point did not seem to be on the plot, but rather on the relationship between all the characters. Everyone seems to have some mystery or secret in their past, too. I do have two complaints that make me take a bit away from the rating though. First is Ping Chang and Su Wen's relationship. I loved seeing them together, but it was not enough. Su Wen had a crush on Cao Tang first, although she realized that it wasn't true love and probably already fallen for Ping Chang, the scriptwriters did not show us this. It seemed to happen in a flash, although supposedly it didn't. The other thing I have to complain about is the ending. I'm not going to spoil that, but the last part of the series just didn't fit. It was unrelated and seemed to have been thrown in at the last moment. Still, disregarding these minor annoyances, it is a great show. What else can I ask for if the most of the cast can act and the script is enjoyable? Most of it is lighthearted and warm and fuzzy, but I guess there are actually one or two really sad incidents hanging over the series.