Faith (2012 TV series)
Faith | |
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![]() Promotional poster for Faith
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Also known as | The Great Doctor |
Genre | Fantasy Historical Romance Medical drama |
Format | Television series |
Written by | Song Ji-na |
Directed by | Kim Jong-hak Shin Yong-hwi |
Starring | Lee Min-ho Kim Hee-sun |
Country of origin | South Korea |
Original language(s) | Korean |
No. of episodes | 24 |
Production | |
Location(s) | Korea |
Cinematography | Seok Deuk-won Lee Young-cheol |
Running time | Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 (KST) |
Broadcast | |
Original channel | Seoul Broadcasting System |
First shown in | South Korea |
Original run | 13 August 2012 | – 30 October 2012
Chronology | |
Preceded by | The Chaser |
Followed by | The King of Dramas |
External links | |
Website |
Korean name | |
Hangul | 신의 |
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Hanja | 神医 |
Revised Romanization | Sin-ui |
McCune–Reischauer | Sin-ŭi |
Faith (Hangul: 신의; hanja: 神医; RR: Shin-eui; also known as The Great Doctor) is a 2012 South Korean fusion fantasy-historical-medical television series broadcast by SBS from August 13 to October 30, 2012 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 for 24 episodes. It is about a modern-day plastic surgeon (Kim Hee-sun) who gets kidnapped and travels back in time to the Goryeo period, 700 years in the past. There, she meets and falls in love with a warrior who is the leader of the royal guard (Lee Min-ho).[1][2][3]
Contents
Title[edit]
The title Shin-eui, means faith, as in belief in justice. But in Hangul it also means divine healer or great doctor.[4][5][6]
Plot[edit]
After King Gongmin of Goryeo marries the Yuan princess Noguk, they return to Goryeo. On the way they are attacked and the queen is fatally injured. According to the advice of his soothsayers, the king orders royal bodyguard Choi Young to pass through a mystical portal ("heaven's gate") and find "heaven's doctor." Choi Young travels to the future and brings back Yoo Eun-soo, a modern-day doctor from Seoul, who saves the queen's life. He makes a promise that he will return her to her world, but the kind-hearted yet powerless King Gongmin forces Eun-soo to stay as she can be useful to him.
As Eun-soo accustoms herself to her new surroundings, gradually she and Choi Young fall in love with each other. But problems arise as others become fascinated with her strangeness and apparent ability to predict the future, and Eun-soo becomes a pawn in the political power plays between Gongmin, the Yuan overlords, and the sociopathic nobleman Ki Chul. Constantly risking his life, Choi Young thwarts numerous attempts by Ki Chul to kidnap and possess Eun-soo, the worst of which almost results in the death of the king and queen.
Choi Young unselfishly brings Eun-soo to the portal before it closes, but before Eun-soo can tell him that she's decided to stay, Ki Chul's soldiers attack them and Choi Young is mortally injured. Eun-soo enters the portal, hoping to save him by gathering medical supplies from the future. But when she passes through, she finds herself in the era a hundred years before Choi Young's time. There, she spends lonely years waiting for the portal to open again, while leaving hints for her future self. One day, "heaven's gate" opens again and Eun-soo finds herself back in modern-day Seoul. But she finds life empty without Choi Young, and she re-enters the portal. Eun-soo reaches the time period five years after she left him, and finally she and Choi Young find each other again.
Cast and characters[edit]
- Lee Min-ho - General Choi Young[7][8][9]
- In the mid-1300s, approximately 1351, Choi Young is a bodyguard to King Gongmin of the Goryeo Dynasty. He is 29 years old and has no regrets in life, no ambition for women or money, and whose hobby is sleeping. Because he lives a life of no regret and gave up on love to be a determined warrior, he's not afraid of death. He is the brave captain of the Woodalchi warriors and loyal to the king. Choi Young believes that people who do not fear death need not spin their wheels scheming, so he takes that to the extreme — he's a warrior with a brain who has the ability to strategize and attack head-on.
- A 33-year-old plastic surgeon in the year 2012. Eun-soo was originally a general surgeon but quickly found that it was an overworked, under-paid profession and jumped ship to plastic surgery. Her dream is to someday open her own practice. But one day a strange man she thinks is dressed as a drama extra kidnaps her... and takes her back to the Goryeo era. In Goryeo, she is believed to be the apprentice of the famous Chinese surgeon, Hwata, sent from heaven.
- Yoo Oh-sung - Ki Chul
- Ryu Deok-hwan - King Gongmin
- Park Se-young - Queen Noguk
- Lee Phillip - Jang Bin[15]
- Sung Hoon - Chun Eum-ja[16]
- Shin Eun-jung - Hwasuin
- Lee Byung-joon - Jo Il-shin
- Kim Mi-kyung - court lady Choi
- Park Sang-won - Sohn Yoo
- Baek Kwang-doo - Bae Choong-seok
- Kim Jong-moon - Oh Dae-man
- Kang Chang-mook - Deol-bae
- Yeon Kyun-sang - Deok-man
- Kim Soo-yeon - Deo-ki
- Park Yoon-jae - Deuk Heung
- Jung Yoo-chan - Joo Seok
- Kwon Min - Ahn Do-chi
- Ahn Jae-wook - Eun-soo's doctor ex-boyfriend (cameo, ep 1)
- Oh Kwang-rok - fortune teller (cameo, ep 1)
- Choi Min-soo - Moon Chi-hoo, leader of Jeokwoldae (cameo, ep 4)
Ratings[edit]
Episode # | Original broadcast date | Average audience share | |||
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TNmS Ratings[17] | AGB Nielsen[18] | ||||
Nationwide | Seoul National Capital Area | Nationwide | Seoul National Capital Area | ||
1 | 2012 August 13 | 12.2% | 13.8% | 9.4% | 10.8% |
2 | 2012 August 14 | 11.8% | 13.1% | 10.3% | 11.4% |
3 | 2012 August 20 | 13.4% | 15.8% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
4 | 2012 August 21 | 13.2% | 15.5% | 11.5% | 12.8% |
5 | 2012 August 27 | 12.9% | 14.5% | 10.6% | 10.6% |
6 | 2012 August 28 | 13.1% | 14.8% | 12.2% | 13.5% |
7 | 2012 September 3 | 12.3% | 13.9% | 9.8% | 10.9% |
8 | 2012 September 4 | 12.6% | 13.9% | 11.0% | 12.4% |
9 | 2012 September 10 | 11.6% | 12.8% | 11.8% | 13.2% |
10 | 2012 September 11 | 11.7% | 13.0% | 11.2% | 11.4% |
11 | 2012 September 17 | 11.8% | 13.5% | 10.4% | 11.3% |
12 | 2012 September 18 | 11.2% | 12.2% | 10.1% | 11.0% |
13 | 2012 September 24 | 10.7% | 12.2% | 9.7% | 10.9% |
14 | 2012 September 25 | 10.2% | 11.6% | 9.0% | 9.7% |
15 | 2012 October 1 | 11.1% | 12.7% | 9.3% | 9.9% |
16 | 2012 October 2 | 9.6% | 10.2% | 9.5% | 9.7% |
17 | 2012 October 8 | 13.2% | 14.1% | 10.5% | 11.4% |
18 | 2012 October 9 | 11.5% | 13.0% | 9.9% | 10.6% |
19 | 2012 October 15 | 9.2% | 10.6% | 8.8% | 9.5% |
20 | 2012 October 16 | 10.7% | 11.9% | 9.9% | 10.9% |
21 | 2012 October 22 | 10.2% | 11.7% | 9.3% | 10.5% |
22 | 2012 October 23 | 9.7% | 11.6% | 8.9% | 10.0% |
23 | 2012 October 29 | 9.1% | 10.3% | 8.7% | 9.7% |
24 | 2012 October 30 | 10.5% | 11.4% | 10.1% | 10.9% |
Average | 11.4% | 12.8% | 10.1% | 11.0% |
Sources: TNmS Media Korea, AGB Nielsen Korea
Awards and nominations[edit]
Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
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2012 | 20th Korean Culture and Entertainment Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actress | Kim Hee-sun | Won |
SBS Drama Awards | Top 10 Stars | Lee Min-ho | Won | |
Popularity Award | Kim Hee-sun | Nominated | ||
Lee Min-ho | Nominated | |||
New Star Award | Park Se-young | Won | ||
Special Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Ryu Deok-hwan | Nominated | ||
Special Award, Actress in a Miniseries | Shin Eun-jung | Nominated | ||
Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Yu Oh-seong | Nominated | ||
Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Lee Min-ho | Won | ||
Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries | Kim Hee-sun | Nominated | ||
2013 | 49th Baeksang Arts Awards | Most Popular Actor (TV) | Lee Min-ho | Nominated |
Most Popular Actress (TV) | Park Se-young | Nominated | ||
Best New Actress (TV) | Nominated | |||
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Popularity Award | Lee Min-ho | Nominated |
International broadcast[edit]
Due to the pan-Asian popularity of lead actor Lee Min-ho, Faith was sold to 6 Asian countries including Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia, with 90% of the total pre-sales amount of ₩4 billion coming from Japan.[19]
The series began airing in Japan on December 15, 2012 on smartphone channel NOTTV.[20][21]
It aired in the Philippines on ABS-CBN in 2013.[22]
It is currently available in the United States on the Hulu, DramaFever, and Netflix services.
Legal troubles[edit]
During its run, Faith received viewership ratings around the 10% range, but even though other Korean dramas recorded lower single-digit ratings, taking into account its high budget, in terms of profit Faith was considered the biggest television flop of 2012.[23]
Several months after the drama had ended, members of the Faith cast and crew filed a lawsuit in February 2013 against director and producer Kim Jong-hak over unpaid wages amounting to ₩640 million (US$572,800), under the charge that he had misappropriated ₩7 billion for personal use. Furthermore, Kim was accused of double-contracting Faith's soundtrack rights (to two separate companies), in addition to a separate ongoing litigation filed by a construction company that had built the sets for Kim's previous series The Legend for unpaid building costs of ₩265 million.[24] In May 2013, Kim was placed under investigation for fraud and embezzlement, and he was issued an overseas travel ban;[25] he denied the allegations. On July 23, 2013, the 61-year-old director was found dead in a small rented room in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province. In an apparent suicide by asphyxiation, police officials said Kim had duct taped the doorways and windows, and half-burned charcoal briquettes were found near his body. There were no signs of forced entry, Kim's body didn't have any external injuries, and he left behind a four-page suicide note apologizing to his family.[26]
Writer Song Ji-na, and actors Kim Hee-sun, Lee Min-ho, Ryu Deok-hwan, and Park Se-young came to grieve at Kim's wake.[27][28]
References[edit]
- ^ Sunwoo, Carla (13 July 2012). "Kim Hee-sun, Lee Min-ho start filming". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2012-11-28.
- ^ Oh, Jean (9 August 2012). "Boys Over Flowers actor back in time-travel romance". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2012-11-28.
- ^ Kim, Ji-yeon (10 August 2012). "Kim Hee Sun and Lee Min Ho of Faith Call Each Other Babies". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-11-28.
- ^ "신의". Naver (in Korean). Retrieved 2013-09-16.
- ^ "신". Naver (in Korean). Retrieved 2013-09-16.
- ^ "의". Naver (in Korean). Retrieved 2013-09-16.
- ^ Ho, Stewart (25 July 2012). "Lee Min Ho Makes a Complete Transformation Into Action Star". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-11-28.
- ^ Choi, Bo-ran (13 August 2012). "글자 글자확대 글자축소 이메일 보내기 프린트하기" [Lee Min Ho makes a fresh resolution before his new drama series, Faith, starts airing]. Star News (in Korean). Retrieved 2012-11-03.
- ^ Sunwoo, Carla (4 December 2012). "Lee Min-ho promotes Faith in Japan". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2012-12-04.
- ^ "Kim Hee-sun to Return to TV After 6-Year Hiatus". The Chosun Ilbo. 14 July 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-28.
- ^ Lee, Hye-ji (10 August 2012). "Kim Hee-seon says "I cursed almost during half of new drama's shooting"". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-28.
- ^ Hong, Grace Danbi (4 September 2012). "Lee Min Ho Made Kim Hee Sun's Daughter Cry". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-11-28.
- ^ Ho, Stewart (29 August 2012). "Kim Hee Sun Says Secret Garden, Sun And The Moon Inspired Her to Return to Acting". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
- ^ Yu, Ah-jeong (29 November 2012). "After 5 years, TV beauty has Faith in comeback". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2012-11-28.
- ^ Ho, Stewart (18 July 2012). "Lee Philip as a Goryeo Dynasty Physician for Lee Min Ho and Kim Hee Sun's Faith". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-11-28.
- ^ Ho, Stewart (30 July 2012). "Actor Sung Hoon Sheds 5kg for Faith Role". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-11-28.
- ^ "TNMS Daily Ratings: this links to current day-select the date from drop down menu". TNMS Ratings (in Korean). Retrieved 2012-08-13.
- ^ "AGB Daily Ratings: this links to current day-select the date from drop down menu". AGB Nielsen Media Research (in Korean). Retrieved 2012-08-13.
- ^ "The power of Lee Min-ho!". Hancinema. 5 September 2012. Retrieved 2013-04-20.
- ^ Sunwoo, Carla (15 November 2012). "Faith to air in Japan from December". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2013-06-03.
- ^ "Lee Min Ho Goes to Japan to Promote Drama Faith". Soompi. 3 December 2012. Retrieved 2013-06-03.
- ^ "Korean superstar Lee Min Ho arrives in Manila". ABS-CBN News. 15 November 2012. Retrieved 2014-01-18.
- ^ Kim, Tong-hyung (23 July 2013). "Director of Hourglass commits suicide". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2013-07-23.
- ^ Park, Eun-jee (24 July 2013). "Director of Sandglass asphyxiates himself". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2013-07-23.
- ^ "Top TV Producer Kills Himself". The Chosun Ilbo. 24 July 2013. Retrieved 2013-07-24.
- ^ Cho, Chung-un (23 July 2013). "TV producer found dead in apparent suicide". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2013-07-23.
- ^ Lee, In-kyung (24 July 2013). "Screenwriter Song Ji Na Comforts Cast of Faith Over Producer Kim Jong Hak's Death". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2013-07-24.
- ^ Hong, Grace Danbi (24 July 2013). "Lee Min Ho, Kim Hee Sun, and Cast of Faith Pay Respect to Fallen Producer". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2013-07-24.
External links[edit]
- The Great Doctor official SBS website (Korean)
- Faith at HanCinema
- Faith at the Internet Movie Database