First Impressions: "Healer"

After watching the first two episodes of “Healer,” my overwhelming feeling is one of curiosity. These two episodes are a lot of fun—there’s humor and action to spare—but they also make it clear that we are being introduced to a very complex world. The plot spans thirty years, and we’ve barely scratched the surface of these characters and their convoluted relationships.

Funnily enough, even though his code name gives this drama its title, Seo Jung Hoo (Ji Chang Wook) remains an intensely mysterious figure after these first episodes. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though. Because we’re told so little, I want to find out more about this guy. Why/how did he become a courier? Why did he choose the name “Healer”? Why does he want to buy an island? Why does he claim that he doesn’t need human connection? How did he and the awesome hacker ajumma (the awesome Kim Mi Kyung) become partners? So far, Jung Hoo is just a cool guy with an unusual skill set. I’m excited to see him become a person.

The other two main characters, Chae Young Shin (Park Min Young) and Kim Moon Ho (Yoo Ji Tae), are much more thoroughly fleshed out in these episodes. Based on what we’ve seen so far, I really like both of them. Young Shin is such a fun character—even though she has a lot of trauma in her past, she still has a winning, sunny disposition, and she’s fiercely driven, even if she’s currently just a tabloid reporter. I also loved what we saw of her home life. Even though she has a mysterious, tragic past, I’m just as interested in her relationship with her adoptive father. They obviously love each other a lot, and they’re wonderfully comfortable around each other—whether they’re talking to a cabbage or having a dance party, these two aren’t afraid to simply be themselves together, and I really enjoyed watching that. I’m also intrigued by the detail that Young Shin grew up surrounded by ex-cons, and learned all the tricks of their trade—it makes me wonder if she’ll ever team up with Healer.

Last but not least, we have Moon Ho. He might be my favorite so far, honestly. He’s certainly the character who bridges together our disparate narrative threads—he physically brings Jung Hoo and Young Shin together, and he also connects the present-day plot to the events of the past. I’m most intrigued by his relationship with his hyung, Moon Shik. Though the brothers are perfectly affectionate and pleasant to each others’ faces, they are clearly working at cross-purposes on several levels. First, there’s the ideological difference that necessarily exists between a businessman and a journalist (hyung is on the side of the corporation, while Moon Ho sides with the striking workers). But there’s also their covert war with each other—Moon Ho hires a security firm to keep Healer from carrying out Moon Shik’s orders and has a secret camera installed in hyung’s study. It’s clear that there’s no real trust between them—so why do they keep up the act? What happened to make them work against each other?

I know that I’ve been asking a lot of questions. But these questions are exactly why I plan on tuning in for next week’s episodes of “Healer.” I have questions, and I want to find out the answers. I’m definitely on board with this drama.

What did you think about the first week of “Healer”? Let us know in the comments below!