Triage Review: Curious Case of Time-Loop Trials

Emergency doctor Tin isn’t new to patients dying around him, but when he isn’t able to save a college student’s life, not only is he pulled up by his senior at the hospital for not doing better, he finds himself waking up the same day again and again, and saving the young man could be the key to getting out of the ‘time-loop’ nightmare! Tae Darvid and Tee Thanapon play leads in the 2022 sci-fi/medical-mystery ‘Triage’, a 13 episode long series.

Directed by Aum Natthaphong Aroonnet, ‘Triage’ is a surprisingly fast-paced thriller of sorts, with a dash of romance and two charming actors at the helm. There’s also an intriguing sub-plot involving an organ donation racket at the hospital, which is being run covertly by a senior doctor. So the writers also explore the rampant corruption, exploitation and medical malpractices in the field. How the fate of the two protagonists is intertwined doesn’t make a lot of sense, at least not logically, but it does work from a romantic point of view.

Tae Darvid is convincing as the young cynical Dr Tin, who finds himself stuck in a time-loop and must save a youth who he thinks might not deserves rescuing. Tee Thanapon is the patient in question, a handsome wealthy student called Tol, who is aptly described as one of the characters in the show as someone who likes a charming ‘Korean Idol’. Most viewers probably saw Tee last in ‘The Miracle of Teddy Bear’, where he plays a sweet grounded delivery boy, but it’s in ‘Triage’ where Tee gets to show off his acting prowess. His character starts off as an aloof arrogant rich boy, but as the plot progresses, he grows into a empathetic caring young man. Same goes for Tae Darvid’s Dr Tin. So none of the usual ‘opposites attract’ spiel here.

It’s hard to say how accurate the medical equipment and jargon thrown around by the characters in the series is, but for an average viewer with only basic knowledge of how hospitals work, ‘Triage’ makes for a gripping watch. There’s both enough hospital drama and events happening outside of the clinical premises to keep the plot engaging. Even though the organ racket plot felt a little to easy, for the way the ‘corrupt’ doctors were carrying it out, if that’s how it functions in the real world or in Thailand, they have some serious problems. Regardless, the clash of two very different worlds gives scope for some lighter moments. One one hand you have Dr Tin’s emergency ward and people dying, on the other there’s the laid-back yet complicated life of college student Tol. Thai-American actor Morris K plays the ‘time-loop’ angel who guides Dr Tin through his repetitive hell of watching the same guy die over and over again. So be prepared for a lot of ‘2nd chances’.

The slow-burn romance between Tin and Tol is sweet, the actors have been paired up in the past, but in ‘Triage’ their chemistry is a lot better than ever. Some more romantic moments between the leads would’ve been great. While 13 episodes seems like a lot for a thriller in this genre, ‘Triage’ could have had a couple of more episodes, however there was the risk of lot of repetitions, so perhaps it was a wise decision to wrap it up. Only the last episode was a mess, it didn’t seem like the writers had a clear hold on how to end things, so the climax is chaotic and trite. While one can absolutely binge-watch the first eleven episodes, things get slippery in the last two.

It’s a 7/10 from me.