Doctor X hits 19% peak viewership as Gye Su-jeong seeks retribution

The SBS drama 'Doctor X: Era of the White Mafia' reached a peak viewership of 19% on Friday the 23rd. The episode featured Gye Su-jeong's pursuit of vengeance against Na Dae-il after he carved initials into a patient's liver.

The SBS Friday-Saturday drama 'Doctor X: Era of the White Mafia' (produced by Studio S, Studio Dragon, and HighZium Studio) delivered a thrilling sense of catharsis to viewers through the intense retribution of Kim Ji-won's character against the "devil" Na Dae-il (Jang Seung-jo), who treated a patient's liver like a toy by carving initials into it.

Episode 5 of 'Doctor X' recorded a peak viewership of 19%, with 17.5% nationwide and 17% in the Seoul metropolitan area, continuing a rise in ratings for its Friday broadcast. According to Nielsen Korea, these figures represent the top-ranked program for its time slot, the top weekly drama, and the top program across all channels for the week. The 2049 viewership was particularly dominant, reaching a peak of 6.4% and an average of 5.6%.

In the episode aired on Friday the 23rd, Gye Su-jeong (Kim Ji-won) took action to punish Na Dae-il for his atrocities. The episode's tension was heightened by Jang Hui-suk (Lee Jung-eun) suppressing Na Dae-il's weapon rampage in the emergency room, the cooperation of the doctor recruitment agency members, and Gye Su-jeong's successful return to surgery.

During surgery, Gye Su-jeong, Park Tae-gyeong (Kim Woo-seok), and Jo Won-jin (Lee Jin-hee) were in a tense standoff over whether to inform the patient, Kwon Chung-hyeon (Oh Jung-taek), about the "D.N" initials found on his liver. While Park Tae-gyeong argued for informing the patient and the hospital, Jo Won-jin took a cautious stance, fearing the truth might destroy the patient's peaceful daily life with his family. Gye Su-jeong expressed a firm belief in the patient's right to know and the doctor's duty to disclose surgical events, asserting that patients must be protected from medical errors.

Ultimately, Gye Su-jeong showed the truth to Kwon Chung-hyeon by showing him a photo, but he chose to ignore the fact that Na Dae-il, whom he believed to be his benefactor, had committed such an act, stating he would live his life forgetting it. As the head of a household responsible for his family's livelihood, he found it difficult to handle the truth, a choice Gye Su-jeong also respected.

Na Dae-il later displayed a brazen attitude, visiting Kwon Chung-hyeon's room and asking Gye Su-jeong about the liver. When Gye Su-jeong remarked that the surgery felt "rough and unskillful, as if it were the first time," Na Dae-il dismissively responded that since the act was neither visible to others nor causing pain, it was a relief that the patient survived. This shameless behavior incensed viewers, prompting Gye Su-jeong to seek help from Jang Hui-suk (Lee Jung-eun).

Realizing that forgetting is not easy, Kwon Chung-hyeon eventually vented his suppressed anger, confessing that he felt as if his body was being played with like a toy and that he felt driven to madness by the sensation of being watched. Gye Su-jeong vowed to take action against Na Dae-il on his behalf.

After receiving an abnormal liver finding during a health checkup, Na Dae-il planned to undergo surgery performed by his mentor, Professor Mun Yeong-jong (Kim Do-young). However, when Jo Won-jin attempted to stop Mun Yeong-jong from entering the operating room while intoxicated, Gye Su-jeong performed the surgery instead. Later, Gye Su-jeong visited Na Dae-il's room and wrote "D.N" in ketchup on his omurice as a silent warning that she knew what he had done. Terrified, Na Dae-il checked the surgical CCTV footage, where he discovered the scene of Gye Su-jeong's actions, falling into extreme fear and rage.

When Na Dae-il confronted Gye Su-jeong in the emergency room, she retorted that his actions were things that were not painful and not visible to others, before whispering, "But do you think I would have only carved initials like you did?" Losing his reason, Na Dae-il charged at Gye Su-jeong with a scalpel. As Gye Su-jeong's arm was injured, Jang Hui-suk, who had arrived at the emergency room for a company dinner, intervened, shouting that he had targeted the agency's biggest source of income. Jang Hui-suk suppressed Na Dae-il by slamming him to the floor with professional wrestling moves. This moment, combined with the acupuncture attack from oriental doctor Yang Eung-gu (Choi Deok-mun), provided a sense of intense satisfaction through the coordinated efforts of the agency members.

Gye Su-jeong delivered a chilling warning to the subdued Na Dae-il. Pointing at Jang Hui-suk, she said, "The walls of every hospital in Korea are that person's ears," and firmly stated, "From now on, if you get sick or injured, I will unconditionally be the operating surgeon." She added, leaving a deep impression, "I open your body, and I close it. I'll play with you until you're tattered."

Na Dae-il was arrested on charges of special assault and hospital disturbance. Bu Seung-gwon (played by Son Hyun-joo), who met Na Dae-il in the visitation room, said, "I will stake my license to ensure yours is definitely and permanently revoked," adding, "Because of you, I have been forced to bring the most dangerous doctor into my hospital." Jang Hui-suk used the atrocities committed by Na Dae-il as a negotiation card to lead to Gye Su-jeong's formal contract and her return to surgery. Na Dae-il showed a shameless side until the very end, asking, "It's not like I killed anyone, so what did I do wrong?", which once again incited the anger of viewers.

At the end of the broadcast, the episode concluded with Gye Su-jeong's mysterious expression as she tilted her head while looking at Na Dae-il's liver during surgery, leaving a strong lingering impression by raising questions about whether Gye Su-jeong would pay him back in kind for what he did.

In this way, episode 5 of 'Doctor X' increased viewer immersion by depicting Na Dae-il's atrocities of disregarding patient lives and Gye Su-jeong's refreshing retribution against them, while also shedding light on the responsibility of a doctor and convictions toward patients. Immediately after the broadcast, hot reactions continued on various online communities and SNS, such as "Today's Gye-catharsis was amazing. I'm becoming a fan of Gye Su-jeong," "This is Gye Su-jeong, properly teaching a psychopath a lesson," "I never imagined she would deliver such a refreshing blow with this level of super full power," "Doctor X is so fun today, truly a crazy drama," "Everyone's acting is so intense that it's easy to get immersed," and "It's an acting party with so many dopamine-bursting points that time flies."

The SBS Friday-Saturday drama 'Doctor X: Era of the White Mafia' is a refreshing medical noir depicting the activities of Doctor X 'Gye Su-jeong', the 'Mad Queen of the Operating Room' who breaks down massive corruption with genius surgical skills that know neither failure nor compromise. Episode 6 will be broadcast tonight (24th) at 9:50 PM.

SBS 'Doctor X: Era of the White Mafia'

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