Last week as some of the spotlight fell on the new kids on the block the emphasis seemed to be on the inevitability of mistakes and the mitigation of them within the training hierarchy of the hospital’s system. While the very highest standards are expected of any medical staff, human error is bound to occur although they can and should be minimized due to the gravity of the work that’s being done in such a context. Even as the song of the week “Superstar” made its contribution to the storytelling echoing the theme loudly and cheerfully, the band practice and the meal leading up to it was also a reminder of the necessity of having life outside of work. Enjoying some downtime with colleagues, friends and loved ones whether it’s around food or hobbies is an essential part of what makes life worth living.
For me this episode talks about the importance of acknowledgment and acceptance:
Gyeo-ul
* Acknowledgment that while she is already a fellow, she still has a lot to learn.
* Acceptance (with much excitement) that despite being used to do things on her own as resident, she is now being groomed as a leader and will now handle residents and interns
I particularly love the fact that Gyeo-ul is excited with her new role as fellow who will manage a team. Her character has always been shown to welcome not just criticisms but also any feedback or challenge, and this is another example. The fact that she's taking her team out for dinner and drinks is definitely something she learned from Ik-Jun, who has always had the habit of treating her (and other residents/interns) for snacks. If Gyeo-ul were a real person, I would love to have her as my mentee.
She has clearly shed off her cold nature. In S1, she wouldn't even accept the sweets that Nurse Hui-Su offered because she said she doesn't like sweets. But here she is, taking out her team, chatting with Jaehak (she had breakfast with him and Hui Su in S1) and Heo Seobin and Yong Seokmin. Gyeo-ul also acting like a mentor to Yun-Bok is wonderful to see. Her being kind to Yun-Bok despite her mistake is definitely something she also learned from her GS dads.
Seok-Hyeong
* Unconscious acceptance of his increasing social interactions with his team. Except for Min-Ha, we rarely see Seok-Hyeong walking or riding the elevator with his team except for that one time they ate at the canteen (episode where Ik-Jun told Min-Ha that Gyeo-ul was in the ER)
Song-Hwa:
- Unconscious acceptance that Ik-Jun is becoming more her confidant and that Ik-Jun is occupying an increasing space in her life. Since S2 started, Ik-Jun is seen to be hanging out more in her office even when she's not there. Their offices have passcodes and if it's a cultural thing in Korea to lock their offices when they're not around, it seems that Ik-Jun knows Song-Hwa's office passcode.
- Song-Hwa is also increasingly reporting her schedule to Ik-Jun, very much like a wife or girlfriend. They are very much acting like an old married couple. Even with Ik-Jun not saying anything, Song-Hwa explains herself or downplays her busy schedule because she knows that Ik-Jun doesn't like her taking on too many responsibilities.
Jeong-Won:
- Complete acceptance of his vocation and mission. This is a character who matured emotionally not just in terms of romance but also in how he handles patients and their guardians. The way he made a deliberate mistake to advise the mother-in-law about not blaming her daughter-in-law is a behavior I would expect from Ik-Jun.
- The only thing he will not accept is anyone tarnishing his reputation with his girlfriend. Hahahahaha!! But if we really think about it, Gyeo-ul has already seen different sides of Jeong-Won and she still thinks he's perfect. She saw JW mooch off Ik-Jun's card, act aegyo with her, almost revealed their relationship to the entire GS team, etc. Thinking that Jeong-Won made the seorapja mistake wouldn't change a thing. They're both whipped for each other. Hahahaha!
Jun-Wan
- Sadly, Jun-Wan is the only one who's not in the acceptance stage. While he acknowledges that he hasn't moved on yet and continues to pine for Ik-Sung, he clearly doesn't want to do anything about his situation. I'm hoping that things will change for him for the better
Lacking Five (minus Jeong-Won who's making a call)
- Their acknowledgment and acceptance that they made mistakes in the past and are not robots is obvious. I totally get why many viewers found this episode healing because everything about the story tells us that it's okay, we'll be fine and everything will be alright. And that has always been the magic of Hospital Playlist.
For me this episode talks about the importance of acknowledgment and acceptance:
Gyeo-ul
* Acknowledgment that while she is already a fellow, she still has a lot to learn.
* Acceptance (with much excitement) that despite being used to do things on her own as resident, she is now being groomed as a leader and will now handle residents and interns
I particularly love the fact that Gyeo-ul is excited with her new role as fellow who will manage a team. Her character has always been shown to welcome not just criticisms but also any feedback or challenge, and this is another example. The fact that she's taking her team out for dinner and drinks is definitely something she learned from Ik-Jun, who has always had the habit of treating her (and other residents/interns) for snacks. If Gyeo-ul were a real person, I would love to have her as my mentee.
She has clearly shed off her cold nature. In S1, she wouldn't even accept the sweets that Nurse Hui-Su offered because she said she doesn't like sweets. But here she is, taking out her team, chatting with Jaehak (she had breakfast with him and Hui Su in S1) and Heo Seobin and Yong Seokmin. Gyeo-ul also acting like a mentor to Yun-Bok is wonderful to see. Her being kind to Yun-Bok despite her mistake is definitely something she also learned from her GS dads.
Seok-Hyeong
* Unconscious acceptance of his increasing social interactions with his team. Except for Min-Ha, we rarely see Seok-Hyeong walking or riding the elevator with his team except for that one time they ate at the canteen (episode where Ik-Jun told Min-Ha that Gyeo-ul was in the ER)
Song-Hwa:
- Unconscious acceptance that Ik-Jun is becoming more her confidant and that Ik-Jun is occupying an increasing space in her life. Since S2 started, Ik-Jun is seen to be hanging out more in her office even when she's not there. Their offices have passcodes and if it's a cultural thing in Korea to lock their offices when they're not around, it seems that Ik-Jun knows Song-Hwa's office passcode.
- Song-Hwa is also increasingly reporting her schedule to Ik-Jun, very much like a wife or girlfriend. They are very much acting like an old married couple. Even with Ik-Jun not saying anything, Song-Hwa explains herself or downplays her busy schedule because she knows that Ik-Jun doesn't like her taking on too many responsibilities.
Jeong-Won:
- Complete acceptance of his vocation and mission. This is a character who matured emotionally not just in terms of romance but also in how he handles patients and their guardians. The way he made a deliberate mistake to advise the mother-in-law about not blaming her daughter-in-law is a behavior I would expect from Ik-Jun.
- The only thing he will not accept is anyone tarnishing his reputation with his girlfriend. Hahahahaha!! But if we really think about it, Gyeo-ul has already seen different sides of Jeong-Won and she still thinks he's perfect. She saw JW mooch off Ik-Jun's card, act aegyo with her, almost revealed their relationship to the entire GS team, etc. Thinking that Jeong-Won made the seorapja mistake wouldn't change a thing. They're both whipped for each other. Hahahaha!
Jun-Wan
- Sadly, Jun-Wan is the only one who's not in the acceptance stage. While he acknowledges that he hasn't moved on yet and continues to pine for Ik-Sung, he clearly doesn't want to do anything about his situation. I'm hoping that things will change for him for the better
Lacking Five (minus Jeong-Won who's making a call)
- Their acknowledgment and acceptance that they made mistakes in the past and are not robots is obvious. I totally get why many viewers found this episode healing because everything about the story tells us that it's okay, we'll be fine and everything will be alright. And that has always been the magic of Hospital Playlist.