Actress Lee Bo-young successfully completed her return to MBC after 13 years, once again proving the title of 'Genre Queen.'
Lee Bo-young played the role of 'Woo So-jung,' a veteran emergency medicine doctor, in the MBC Friday-Saturday drama 'Mary Kills People' (planned by Kwon Sung-chang, directed by Park Jun-woo, written by Lee Soo-ah, produced by Mister Romance, Moving Pictures Company, Studio Anzailen), which first aired at 10 p.m. on the 1st.
In the drama, Woo So-jung is a character with compassion who cannot ignore the pain of patients suffering from pain worse than death. When Jo Hyun-woo (Lee Min-ki) is brought to the emergency room after an accident, despite being diagnosed with a brain tumor and working a part-time delivery job, Woo So-jung, who had been contemplating assisted dying, decides to proceed with counseling. She encourages Jo Hyun-woo by saying, 'Try doing what you truly want, sincerely.'
Woo So-jung had her own firm criteria for proceeding with assisted dying. She secretly provided assistance in dying after carefully considering whether the patient met all three criteria: an incurable condition confirmed by at least three doctors, unbearable physical disabilities, and pain that could not be controlled by medication.
At the end of the broadcast, the reason why Woo So-jung, a doctor who saves lives, got involved in assisted dying was revealed. Because of her guilt, Woo So-jung felt disillusioned with continuing life-sustaining treatment for patients writhing in pain. During a confession, she expressed her frustration, asking, 'Can we call it treatment when we only increase the suffering of patients who are incurable? Whose pain is that for?' With a stern expression, Woo So-jung declared, 'I do not want to become someone who ignores the patient's pain. I will now leave behind my faith.'
The ending featured a 'chilling ending' with a police situation board noting 'suspected drug serial killer' with a photo of Woo So-jung attached, creating shock.
On the other hand, Woo So-jung casually joked with Kang Ki-young, who is her partner in assisted dying, showing a relaxed demeanor, while also exhibiting her humane side as an ordinary aunt pondering how to communicate with her high school nephew, Jae-yeon (Kim Sang-ji).
In this way, Lee Bo-young resonates with audiences through her portrayal of a character who continually struggles with assisted dying in 'Mary Kills People.' Rather than simply providing relief to patients to eliminate pain, she embodies a doctor who helps in assisted dying based on her firm beliefs—a real double life of navigating through life and death begins to attract attention.
Meanwhile, the broadcast recorded a nationwide viewership rating of 3.2% and a capital area rating of 3.4%, marking a strong start. The peak rating during the show occurred when Woo So-jung (Lee Bo-young) responds to Hyun-woo (Lee Min-ki), who collapsed in the middle of the road, with a rating of 4.0% (Nielsen, households in the capital area).
[Photo] Capture from the broadcast of 'Mary Kills People'
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