She picked a son-in-law by palm reading and even cited a Buddhist verse while mentioning "shin-naelim." Im Seong-han, a writer who has used shamanistic beliefs as a theme in various works, is raising concerns of "plot turns to shamanism" from the first week of her new work Doctor Shin.
In the second episode of TV CHOSUN's weekend drama Doctor Shin, broadcast on the 15th, the situation six months before Momo (Baek Seora)ʼs surgery is depicted, and the story quickly progressed from the blind date between Momo and Shin Ju-shin (Jeong Yi-chan) to Geum Ba-ra (Joo Se bin)ʼs unfortunate childhood.
From their first meeting on the blind date, Shin Ju-shin fell for Momo and even spoke of marriage. Although Momo is said to be a top actress in the drama, her appearing at the blind date dressed for a noblewoman's funeral from a romance fantasy did not seem to bother anyone. Rather, Shin Ju-shin, considerate of Momoʼs confession that she is a "mamagirl," went to meet her mother Hyeon Ran-hee (Song Ji In) and directly expressed his intention to marry her.
Hyeon Ran-hee relied on palm lines to judge whether Shin Ju-shin was a suitable son-in-law. She asked Shin Ju-shin, who had even come to the hotel pool, to show his hand, then cited her husband's death as the basis for a superstitious judgment, saying, "It doesn't always fit, but our Momo's father passed away too early."
Meanwhile, Geum Ba-ra had a difficult childhood. She was not only looked down on as an orphan but also became a target of school bullying. Thanks to Ahn-hee, Geum Ba-ra trained enough to protect herself, but she could not avoid verbal abuse that involved no direct physical attacks. One of the perpetrators taunted Geum Ba-ra's family background with lines like "You have no mother or father," "Ajae ajae bara ajae," and "Did you receive shin-naelim?"
In fact, "Ajae ajae bara ajae" is one of the Buddhist verses, but in Geum Ba-ra's case it was used as a phrase that evokes the folk belief figure Baridegi, regarded as the origin of shamans. Coupled with dialogue mentioning "shin-naelim," it was enough to trigger viewers' shamanistic trauma among those who have watched Im Seong-han's dramas.
Im Seong-han has in fact used shamanistic elements as themes in many of her previous works. The 2004 drama Wangkkot Seonnyeon-nim dealt with a setting in which the female lead, the daughter of a shaman, like her mother suffers from a succession of illnesses. Later, in the 2011 drama Shingisaengdyeon, the female lead's father-in-law, a chaebol chairman, had spiritual energy that led to possessions by various gods, even featuring a scene that looked as if lasers were shooting from his eyes.
Moreover, the shamanistic material that appeared intermittently became more overt in Im Seong-han's work after she returned from retirement under the English name "Phoebe." In Love (ft. Marriage & Divorce), which aired successfully through season 3, a deceased doctor wanders the underworld in resentment and possesses his granddaughter in an attempt to resolve his grudge.
Although she eventually changed her stage name to the English name "Phoebe," the core themes in Im Seong-han's works remained the same. At this point, regular viewers take it for granted and focus only on the dramatic developments and storylines, while nonfans watch with curiosity about how far the writer will go, apparently testing her limits.
Doctor Shin is Im Seong-han's first new work in three years since Durian's Affair in 2023 and her first attempt at a medical thriller drama. Reportedly, she selected rookie actors and even had them train together to prepare for the work. Attention is on whether her determination will lead to the same extreme use of shamanistic themes and developments, summarized as "plot turns to shamanism."
[Photo] Provided by TV CHOSUN.
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