(TV SERIES) The Trauma Code: Heroes On Call Season 1 - A Fast Paced and Entertaining Action Packed Medical Drama Series

I have seen the notification of this new South Korean series released on Netflix more than a week ago, but I was busy finishing other series at that time so I delayed watching it till I was ready. My wife who was interested in the series, got the chance to watch it few days after it was released. And she recommended me to give it a try. So I finally decided to do it on Saturday and finished the day after. Without further ado, here's more on the series.

Brief Story Line

Dr. Baek Kang-hyuk (Ju Ji-hoon - Light Shop TV series, Project Silence etc) was a Trauma surgeon who used to be part of Doctors for International Peace and worked in extremely dangerous war zones. Due to his past experience and capabilities, Dr. Baek was recommended by Minister of Health and Welfare Kang Myeong-hui (Kim Sun-young - Concrete Utopia, A Virtuous Business TV series etc) to be the head of Trauma Center of Hankuk National University Hospital and improve its performance. Although the hospital's Director Dr. Choi (Kim Eui-sung - Taxi Driver TV series, Alienoid etc) was not too keen, he had no choice but to accept this appointment. 

In the Trauma Center, Dr. Baek was supported by the young fellow Dr. Yang Jae-won (Choo Young-woo - ⁠The Tale of Lady Ok TV series etc) and Nurse Jang-mi (Ha Young - Doona! TV series etc) who had been in the department for 5 years and sometimes anesthesiologist Park Gyeong-won (Jung Jae-kwang - Connection TV series, The Roundup etc). Unfortunately the road to making a great Trauma Center was challenging as Dr. Kang's fiery style resulted to him making enemies in the hospital, especially the Head of Proctology Dr. Han Yu-rim (Yoon Kyung-ho - Vigilante TV series, Smugglers etc) and Director of Planning & Coordination Dr. Hong Jae-hun (Kim Won-hae - Lovely Runner TV series, Dead Man etc).  

So what would happen to Dr. Baek's mission and how would the story conclude? You could find out in this series.

End of Brief Story Line

Before I watched this series, I already caught glimpses of its trailer and thought it looked like the high intensity type. And the good thing is, it was indeed as expected. From the beginning, the series already showed a suspenseful explosive scene and it did not take long before a time sensitive situation must be dealt with in the Hospital which showed how awesome Dr. Baek was, combined with swift introduction of the main characters. The first episode also ended on a high with another "case" at a really risky location.

Subsequently in almost every episode, there was always an intense situation(s) that required quick decision making and surgeries which looked realistically done. I got to hand it to the special effects team cause they did great job in creating them. There were also some added information on the screen explaining some of the medical terms, although this is quite common and not the first time done on a medical drama series (Hospital Playlist for example). Watching this series actually reminded me of that hugely popular long running American series ER (Emergency Room) due to the high intensity and some hospital politics. However, this one was more suspenseful simply because it has shorter episodes (only 8 in the 1st season) and each one was more action packed (no filler episodes). There was no romance either in this series which set it apart from other dramas of the same genre. 

The cast in general did a wonderful job. Ju Ji-hoon looked so convincing as the genius surgeon with an attitude who was always giving nicknames to his team. My wife thought that Dr. Baek was a bit similar to the anti social Dr. House (portrayed by Hugh Laurie in House TV series) in term of their intelligence in finding out the patient's problem. I also like the characterization of Dr. Yang and Nurse Jang-mi by Choo Young-woo and Ha Young respectively. Even the antagonist characters were also wonderfully portrayed by the actors. Aside from those names, there were plenty of support cast such as Hong Woo-jin (The Trunk TV series etc) as the rescue helicopter pilot An Jung-heon, Kim Chung-gil (Arthdal Chronicles TV series etc) as another anesthesiologist Hwang and some others.

The series did not solely rely on the suspense of treating trauma patients in short time, but it also had a bit of comedic side and some dramatic moments. The most touching scenes would have to be in the fourth episode (my wife's favorite), while the most suspenseful for me was the fifth (reminded me of Japanese series Tokyo MER). I also liked the season finale with the unexpected patient and the lovely ending involving another character that I did not see coming. Btw, the series was adapted from web novel titled Trauma Center: Golden Hour by Hansanleega and Hongbichira. From what I read, the writer already had in mind for season 2 and 3, so there should be sufficient materials if Netflix wants to renew the series. At the time I write this post, there is no news yet about its renewal but early indication is certainly positive with the series becoming huge hit in many countries.

Overall this is an entertaining medical drama comedy series with lots of intensity and suspense, plenty of drama and great acting by the cast. The main character is very likable and there is a lot to be enjoyed in here. So if you are looking for no nonsense & intense medical drama series focusing on saving people, then likely you would enjoy this series as much as my wife and I did. But if you want the light medical drama with lots of hospital romance, then you would not be satisfied with this. The choice is yours.

Mike's movie moments rating: 4 out of 5 stars