Doctor X: Mafia in White Episode 1-2 Review
Director: Lee Jung-rim
Date Created: 2026-10-11 04:35
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Doctor X: Mafia in White Episode 1-2 Review: Directed by Lee Jung-rim, the Korean remake of the Japanese drama, 닥터X : 하얀 마피아의 시대, stars Kim Ji-won as Gye Su-jeong, also known as Doctor X, alongside Lee Jung-eun as Jang Hee-sook, Son Hyun-joo as Bu Seung-kwon, Kim Woo-seok as Park Tae-kyeong, Lee Jin-hee as Jo Won-jin, Kim Young-min as Do Yoon-sik, and others.
Doctor X: Mafia in White Episode 1 Recap
Doctor X: Mafia in White episode 1 starts with a flashback of a fire at White Wings Medical Corps. Gye Su-jeong is watching the fire while holding the hand of a little girl; there are many questions about her past that are not answered in the episode. The story shifts to the present, where Su-jeong is having a game of pool with Jang Hee-sook, who is the manager of her freelance medical activities. In the meantime, the medical intern Park Tae-kyeong is hanging out with his friends when a man starts experiencing extreme abdominal pain.
Su-jeong realises how serious his condition is, diagnoses it as a ruptured inguinal hernia, and performs a manual reduction before sending an ambulance. When the paramedics ask her to come with the patient, she refuses to disclose her name and sends Tae-kyeong. The doctors at the Guseo University Medical Centre are facing an entirely different kind of challenge. Hospital authorities come together to honour the appointment of Dr Im Ho-seok to the post of mayor, with Director Kim Myeong-seop and Chairman Dr Gu being congratulated for their help. But Bu Seung-kwon is fed up with the practice of people trying to win favours using their status.
This is further compounded by the fact that things at the hospital are getting difficult due to understaffing and strict rules that were brought in after the COVID-19 pandemic. When Tae-kyeong starts his internship at the hospital, he finds out about the tiredness of the resident doctors. The hospital had employed extra medical staff, and Su-jeong joins the hospital as a freelance surgeon who shows little respect for Director Kim and the medical hierarchy. This problem escalates further when the surgery team begins discussing the surgical procedure for Seo Byeong-gyu, an 80-year-old patient with early-stage gallbladder cancer.
Kim plans to use an open procedure since he believes that using this method will ensure he successfully removes all the cancer cells. Su-jeong does not agree with this and says that the invasive surgery will put undue pressure on an old patient and that it is better to have a laparoscopic expert do the surgery. She goes ahead to say that Kim is stuck in a dated method simply because of his ambition. She comes across as blunt in how she states her opinion, which surprises many of the surgeons who are present, especially when she does not tone down her criticism.
Even after knowing the condition of the patient, she is unable to convince him to change his mind. The two finally agree to leave their fate to Director Kim. When the surgery starts the next day, Su-jeong watches from the sidelines. Soon enough, she realises that Director Kim is sweating profusely and suspects that there must be something wrong. This suspicion turns out to be true as he makes a wrong incision, resulting in the lowering of the patient’s blood pressure and an increased heart rate. Director Kim faints, leaving Tae-kyeong all alone with a patient who needs urgent attention.
Su-jeong intervenes, gives Director Kim an injection of epinephrine, and takes over the surgery. She successfully removes the cancerous cells and saves Byeong-gyu’s life. Her surgical skills amaze Bu Seung-kwon, but her intervention raises a question as to why she saw the danger coming before anyone else did. The aftermath results in yet another conflict. Director Kim cannot admit his fault and maintains that his surgical operation was right. As Su-jeong refuses to share his opinion, he fires her. She throws away her hospital ID card and jacket without apologising for anything. Yet, Tae-kyeong finally understands that Director Kim suffers from allergies to tropical fruit and that he had an allergic reaction to melon.
The powdered latex gloves worn by surgeons during surgery only made the matter worse. Bu complains about Director Kim’s carelessness, and he is fired, which makes it possible for Bu to become the head of GUMC. Su-jeong returns to work under her own conditions as Hee-sook informs her that the surgeon is not going to perform any other duties except for those stated in her contract. Episode 1 of Doctor X: Mafia in White ends with the entire hospital’s personnel running after Su-jeong, who leaves at six.
Doctor X: Mafia in White Episode 2 Recap
In episode 2 of Doctor X: Mafia in White, we see the development of the story beyond Su-Jeong’s quarrel with Director Kim and find out how the finances control patient treatments within the hospital. There is discussion between the hospital executives about donations, budget, and expansion of the pediatric cancer ward. Despite the support of the hospital from generous philanthropists, it keeps taking good care of influential patients even if some departments do not have enough financial resources. One of the controversial patients of GUMC is Chairman Park Gwang-Cheol, who suffers from pancreatic cancer. He admits that he used to fake the illness to escape an investigation of his firm and prevent going through the trial.
Now, after realising that he is seriously ill, his past experience prevents him from being believed by anyone. He demands that the doctors treat him at any cost and trusts Prof. Do Yoon-Sik, his personally chosen doctor after their drinking game. It creates serious pressure on Prof. Do. On the other hand, Su-jeong starts her new job at the hospital; however, her coworkers realise that employing her does not imply that they will be able to control her. She shows her working terms and does not participate in unnecessary rounds, staff meetings, or writing research articles for senior doctors.
This behaviour irritates the surgical department, and the department asks Tae-kyeong to keep track of her actions. In this way, Tae-kyeong gains a chance to know her better. During his visit to the café, he learns that Su-jeong has been getting a small amount of money each month from Hee-sook due to her debts and financial constraints. All of a sudden, her behaviour doesn’t seem arrogant anymore. While Tae-kyeong is willing to pay, she orders desserts and drinks and even decides to have jajangmyeon. The whole incident adds to the comedy of the story, which helps in developing a friendship between the two.
Su-jeong’s unorthodox methods are also seen in her behaviour regarding the treatment of regular patients. She is aware of how complicated it might be for elderly patients to manage hospital payment systems. In that regard, Su-jeong concentrates on the issues that affect elderly patients while the hospital hierarchy is still dealing with regulations and departmental barriers. Such an outlook results in further tension between Su-jeong and the hospital hierarchy as the latter faces a conflict related to the withholding of wages by the hospital chairman. The conflict eventually leads to a fight in which a patient is injured.
At a later stage, she is examining an elderly lady who has been having persistent dizziness after being examined in some small hospitals. Identifying the signs of Ménière’s disease in the patient, Su-jeong advises her to be referred to the right specialist. Her actions infuriate the doctors because she has taken over something belonging to other departments. Nevertheless, she does not want to apologise, pointing out that the woman had been suffering for many years without a proper diagnosis due to her depressive condition.
The medical dilemma that comes up in the episode is presented when the team is about to perform surgery on Chairman Park’s pancreatic cancer. The cancer is estimated to be four centimetres in diameter, and the doctors fear that it might affect the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) or the superior mesenteric vein (SMV). The plan is to do the Whipple operation on the patient, yet he declines chemotherapy prior to surgery.
At first, the team thinks of saving the main arteries, which would still leave cancer cells in the body. Su-jeong suggests doing a more invasive surgery that can totally remove the tumour, but there is a high danger involved in doing such an operation near the SMA. When her fellow doctors doubt whether she can do it, she is very confident in herself. The researchers’ findings reveal a medical report from seven years ago regarding a similar surgery that was conducted at a Cuban medical facility. In this case, the procedure entailed reconstruction of the SMA to help remove a pancreatic tumour, which was deemed impossible to operate on.
Nevertheless, what stands out from the medical report is the shocking revelation that the patient died just two months after the surgery, and the reason for his death was not determined. Furthermore, the surgeon in question had not been revealed since the medical records referred to him as Dr X. All of this has tarnished the image of Su-jeong. She might have exceptional skills, but the technique named after her has a dark past. Doctor X: Mafia in White Episode 2 ends with the following question: Is Su-jeong’s self-assurance a result of unmatched surgical abilities or past failure?
Doctor X: Mafia in White Episode 1-2 Review
Ooh, Doctor X: Mafia in White has a great beginning! Gye Su-jeong is the perfect character for me to watch. She is talented in her profession, hates politics within the hospital and does not care about respecting people just because they are senior. It is interesting how Kim Ji-won plays her character, especially when Su-jeong manages to surprise everyone and goes at 6 PM without any problem. However, there is much more hidden behind her assuredness. Financial troubles and the mystery concerning the original Doctor X make me guess what she has gone through.
The hospital’s medical mafia is an interesting element in this drama. The fall of director Kim reveals how one’s own arrogance could endanger patients, while the new job of Bu Seung-kwon raises doubts about whether he will manage to change anything. Moreover, I found it very interesting to see Park Tae-kyeong gradually realising that Su-jeong is not just a tough surgeon. Although she can be impolite, she cares for patients no matter what other doctors think of her.
But what intrigued me even more was the mystery presented towards the end of Doctor X: Mafia in White ep 2. Why did the patient die after his surgery was done by the original Doctor X? Does Su-jeong have anything to do with this case? What lengths will she go to in order to extract a tumour that is inoperable according to other doctors?
And can Bu manage to challenge all the corrupt practices in the hospital, or will he end up joining the same system? Those are some of the things I hope to see in future episodes of the drama. With interesting medical cases, great humour, and an anti-hero who does not take orders from anyone else, Doctor X kdrama has definitely given me a lot of reasons to be excited for more.
Doctor X: Mafia in White Review: Summing Up
Overall, the opening episodes of Doctor X: Mafia in White K-drama were quite entertaining, and one should look forward to seeing them continue, owing to Kim Ji-won’s acting skills, as well as the humour and tension that characterise Su-jeong’s decisions on the operating table. I am especially curious about the identity behind the original Doctor X report and what happened to the patient who died after that earlier operation. This is because Su-jeong’s past may have something to do with the procedures, hence affecting her boldness. Another issue of interest is whether Bu will actually be able to change GUMC when he becomes the director.
