Hospital Playlist Season 2 (2021) Episode 9: First Look
The table tennis tournament has to be one of the funniest moments if not the funniest moment in Hospital Playlist history. When Ik-jun and partner Dr Lee Ji-hoon burst into a dance in a middle of the match to do a “Deux”, I could have keeled over and died. The two are humorously competitive all throughout giving their Orthopedic rivals a run for their money while skating through the rest of the competition. Then there’s the ridiculous trash talking doctor style. I don’t think I’ve laughed this much since we saw various members of Ahn tribe parade through the door one at a time to comfort Rosa in her hour of need. Or was it when Jo Jeong-seok walked into the ER with his Darth Vader helmet? Hard to say. The difference is miniscule undoubtedly. But the antics of those who gather around the table tennis table are an unerring source of entertainment. As always it’s a treat to have Yoo Jae-myung on our screens. He can always be relied upon to bring something different to the table. And of course who doesn’t look forward to these Prison Playbook cameos come what may. Professor Shin of radiology might be a dunce at ping pong doubles but he embodies the spirit of patient-centric care when he gets off the bus and grabs a cab back to Yulje for a long-term patient in need of immediate surgery.
Jang Kyung-ho is one of my favourite actors from anywhere on the planet and this season if nothing else is consistent proof of his abilities. He has the best expressions in this episode and my favourite is the one we see during the early part of band practice. The pain is palpable as Song-hwa massacres the song. Even after two years Song-hwa’s singing has not improved an iota and I laughed all the way from the moment she opens her mouth right to the end. The hilarity is maximized when the men start singing along reinforcing the fact that this is not the ideal song choice for her. It’s no wonder even Jeong-won protested vehemently. But at least she had a good time with it and I’m sure the others did too despite the initial misgivings.
I feel nothing but relief that Jun-wan finally knows the essentials related to Ik-sun. Mind you, it was a long time coming. Thanks to Ik-jun’s quiet maneuvering in the background, there’s light peeping through at the end of the tunnel for Jun-wan. The break-up was controversial to begin with and this self-inflicted torment was so so unnecessary. But what’s done cannot be undone. Since it’s clear neither have moved on, we can only hope that lessons will be learnt from past mistakes and they can both begin again on the right footing. It’s what Jun-wan wants and perhaps it’s also what he needs. For him it’s definitely the real deal so any shot he gets at a reconciliation, he will jump at it. Whether or not fans root for it, it’s irrelevant. (By the way, Kwak Sun-young who plays Ik-sun is a fantastic singer and her duet with Jo Jeong-seok was a delight. Pity they had to be cut short. It has been said that musical talent runs in families. :P)
I can’t be too hard on Ik-sun because she’s also suffered in the interim. Her dreams of doing further study on a scholarship came to an abrupt end and she’s now living with a liver condition. I always suspected that she would head home early but I never expected it to play out the way it did. I don’t feel the need to be angry about what happened because at the end of the day, she paid the price. It wouldn’t entirely surprise me if the struggles with her illness has been exacerbated by all the unhappiness that resulted from her choices. Perhaps she too had to go on this circuitous journey to find out what was really important to her. (As most of us do) When I look at her spending so much more time with Ik-jun and U-ju in recent days, it may be that she’s rediscovering the importance of family like everyone else seems to be. The feeling of invincibility diminishes during the ageing process eventually strikes us all. When I turned 40, my body was only too eager to remind me of the fact.
When Jeong-won was talking about Seok-hyeong needing time to mull over things, I was wondering if he wasn’t also talking about Gyeo-ul. Maybe he’s giving her time and space to come to the same conclusion that the rest of us came to weeks ago. I suppose he respects her independence and her own need to tunnel her own way out. But also to realise that she can ask for help if she needs it. She really doesn’t have to do it all alone. As a parent I know first hand how tough it is to watch your kids struggle. The temptation is to push and to help when what’s needed is time to “masticate” through the details and for them to own the right conclusions. It’s the same with Song-hwa. Everyone wants her to get together with Ik-jun yesterday. But yesterday she wasn’t ready. Yesterday she was working hard and worried about her mother. Yesterday… he broke her heart. She shouldn’t do it out of feeling the pressure, obligation or even out of gratitude. That’s the absurdity about throwing around the word “deserve”. She will cross that bridge when she’s ready.
I’d been thinking that we haven’t seen much of the emergency team this season, Gwang-hyeon in particular because his gossip gatherings have been made redundant. Lo and behold we had an episode dedicated to celebrating the emergency medics and the critical care that they give to give patients a fighting chance. While it was exciting to see Jun-wan and Ik-jun work collaboratively for the first time onscreen, the efforts of the emergency staff should not be underestimated as the patient’s first point of contact. At the end of the day it’s a team effort. Sure there might be stars but without the support act, the hospital won’t be the well-oiled machine that it makes claims to be. The same goes for the neonatal nurses that were extensively featured mainly from Jeong-won’s perspective. These are the unsung heroes of the hospital.
It’s really good for the soul to see Rosa back to her old, naggy but lively self. She too has come to some realisations of her own about the precariousness of life. On the other hand her banter with Jong-su never gets old. Apparently only a very old friend has the audacity to chastise the chairman of Yulje for slacking off work and for wanting to take up a new interest. I wonder too if he’s on the cusp of retiring.
Episode 9 has got to be one of my favourites this season. Personally I enjoy what Hospital Playlist brings to the table each week. Sure I have expectations — who doesn’t? But I also like being surprised and every episode somehow manages to be a roller coaster ride in some fashion. I realise that this hasn’t been the case for every single fan of S1 and that’s probably to be expected. Most of you know that I was worried that this season wouldn’t live up to all the hype but so far so good.
The reason why I’m reiterating all of this is because I may have ruffled some feathers by my responses to the criticisms that have been levelled at the show. I can assure you it’s nothing personal and I’m fine with some degree of engagement as long as we can all agree to disagree on some level. All opinions can be challenged at some level and not all have equal validity. I also want to stress that I do understand some of the criticisms that have been made against the show but this is also a place where I have to be able to get things off my chest without the anxiety that I will be embroiled in all kinds of disputes with readers. Like some of us said last weekend, at a time when there’s so much fear and turmoil in the world, let’s take whatever respite we can get from our dramas albeit all too briefly.
Thank you! I really enjoyed this episode as well. We have two ER doctors in the family and I have seen tidbits of how hard that career can be; today's episode made me even prouder of them. Too bad they are not into K Dramas, but I may try again to get them to watch at least Ep9. I also loved YJM's cameo. As amazing as he was being the villain in Itaewon Class, I much more appreciate seeing him as this eccentric but very patient-centered gyuosonim. But of course now I am wondering if they'd ever bring in the role of GU's father and if so, who would play him.
I was holding my breath during the Junwan and Iksun scenes. They were both excellent actors and really executed all the minute expressions / emotions fitting for those moments. I agree it is such a relief that now Junwan finally knows about the illness and the fact that there was no one else. I am all good with whatever happens next. Like what you said, I also think he would jump at any shots of reconciliation. But I hope that it would not be just a restart of the relationship while shuffling all the things happened a year ago under the broad umbrella of her illness as the cause. How things have evolved since the breakup were indeed greatly impacted by her illness, but the illness itself was definitely not the cause of their breakup. I look forward to seeing their next talk and I hope both would take up the courage and put down the pride, and really owned up to their share of responsibilities in what happened. I think it might be harder to Iksun since she continued to want to put up the front of "I am capable of taking care of myself" while forgetting two of the most important men in her life are doctors, who know better that your will by itself is not enough to guarantee your health. I am glad that Junwan called her out on her lies, and I hope she'll be able to really be open and vulnerable in their talk.
As little as the WG interaction we saw today ("little" because we might be able to call the exorcist scene as WG interacting via their host Lee Ikjun 🤣), I think there was definitely development. As much as I've always liked to see them together, I do think their together scenes were deliberately written out of this episode to highlight the tension, or the idea that GU is getting closer to a boiling point. Something about her interaction w/ MH in the GS room touched me and I just started crying. SHB demonstrated her ability to convey the deep sadness / guilt / shame all packaged within GU - who probably had grown up restraining her range of emotions / expressions as a protective mechanism - with her eyes, her demeanor, and her limited facial expression. She avoided seeing MH and JW in the face (or spending time at all) probably because she knew how they can see through her, and how she might breakdown before them. As frustrated / impatient as I felt, I have to respect the space JW and MH are giving her. I also think for GU, her priority now is to take care of her mom and in order to do that, she cannot fall apart right now. So while the wait is hard for the WG fans, I think the absence of their scenes in Ep9 will only help deliver what ShinLee has envision to the fullest impact.
And to your last point, one reason that I appreciate your blog is the straightforwardness of your comments. They are done with grace and you also explain your reasoning well. So please continue to get things off your chest without anxiety, because most of us here have benefited from that greatly.
Only three more episodes left and still so many threads to wrap up, but like what JW said about SeokHyeong, things can move really fast once the mind is ready, so I look forward to seeing how they wrap up the season, and potentially, the series, in the next few weeks.
I love your voice, and I am always eager to hear what you have to say about this show and other things. I am also very grateful that you give everyone an opportunity to share their perspectives on your private platform. I value other people's opinions because everyone has their own experience, and they might know something about life I don't. Debates and disputes, however, are not my cup of tea, and I fully understand why you don't want to engage in that. Thank you for writing anyway. It is very much appreciated.
I'm watching bits and pieces of ep. 9 right now, and man, that scene with Gyeo-ul, the phone call and the conversation with Min-ha, was copied from my life almost verbatim. Seeing Shin Hyun-been's face is like watching myself in the mirror, at a certain time. I know how she feels. I know why she can't talk about it. The war is still raging, and that trip home was only one of the many battles to come. And if last week's phone conversation with Jeong-won when she told him that she wouldn't be immediately available to him for some time struck me as unnecessary dramatic, given her four days' absence, now I can see that it was a fair warning. They may be in one place physically, but mentally, they are miles apart. I just hope that Min-ha's prophecy about "the last hurdle" will be fulfilled soon. The writer used "hurdle" several times in this script, for all major couples.
I suffered through 44 episodes of the C-drama called "The Ping Pong Life" twice. :) In comparison, the hospital ping-pong tournament is giving me life. :)
Loved the ER focus. Absolutely loved the bidulgi interaction and how soft and gentle Jun-wan is with Ik-sun.
Loved Ik-jun's matter of fact call to Jun-wan about his sister - I could feel that he accepted this relationship despite prior misgivings.
Loved-loved the love-struck Seok-hyeong and how the resident expert Jeong-won assessed the likelihood of the GomGom relationship.
Loved my curly-haired, devastatingly pretty and broken-hearted 99s' Song-hwa.
Loved how the writer bookended the episode with two scenes we've already seen some time before but shown from "the other side".
Actually, I was going to complain about this episode at length. Hmm. Why didn't it happen?