Wahhh, life is certainly looking up when I get an article from my favorite this early in the morning! :) I'm also eyeing the wonderful 40 min podcast - but that will have to wait until the weekend, unfortunately.
Sooooooooo... To add.
I feel like we’ve been fed that ginormous snow crab dinner - only the writers haven’t warned us to fast for 8 hours beforehand.
Seriously, yesterday's show was even a little bit too much of everything... When I was watching the Korean stream in real-time, I wanted to pause it after each scene to dissect and process. But the show kept going like a high-speed train, and I might need to rewatch Ep. 5 a couple (or ten) more times to catch up. (My pile of work is looking at me incredulously. Sorry, work. Just a few more minutes.)
I’ll just do one tiny scene here, to celebrate the amazing talents and through-the-roof chemistry of actors Yoo Yeon-seok and Shin Hyun-been and the great characters the authors created for them. (At this point, I really wonder if Gyeol was supposed to be this great multi-layered, multi-functional character from the very beginning or if she has won over the writers in the process of filming. Because Yoo Yeon-seok, I totally get you when you can’t shut up about this character in your interviews. Her journey is a unique and extremely addictive story.)
So, my two cents about the iconic date scene, a master class in “show not tell”. It’s 3 minutes and maybe 10 seconds. And within these 3 minutes, we get overstuffed with food for thought... I’m not going to gush much, I’ll just list what I learned.
Gyoel came to her weekend date directly from the hospital (because she has to go back there later if the subtitles don’t lie) - and Jeong-won is driving her around. After dropping her off, he’s going to pick up Jun-won. He continues taking care of Jun-won in this way, subtly, silently. He even made him breakfast, and that’s just too adorable.
Also, Gyoel is an organic part of this domestic ecosystem now. It is unclear if it is her first visit to her boyfriend’s apartment. But she seems to know her way around the kitchen island at the very least. I laughed out loud at the meager amounts of food she was offered this time. But hey, Jeong-won cooked for her. And shelled her crab despite his allergy. And promised to buy her more said crab in the future (or procure it from Song-hwa for free which is more believable).
Then they speak a little about residents being busy. And it struck me that they really have very little time either for themselves or for each other, given their profession and schedules. All they have is snatches. A few days is something of the realm of dreams, even staying the night (and the writers took pains to establish that she is not staying over, lol) is difficult. A couple of hours is what they usually have - hence the non-existent awkward stage and the intensity of simple everyday interactions. They have to use every chance to learn about each other, learn from each other and grow the relationship, slowly, surely, precisely. No time for drama. No time for petty jealous things like, “Why do you hang out with your friends without me, and all entertainment I get is an indoors date night with leftover crab?”
Their priorities are also very much aligned - first comes work (serving people, really), then Gyoel’s studies, then their time together. And Jeong-won is obviously there for a long haul, aiming at forever. Waiting a year to go on a mini-holiday together is nothing to him. But this break in the conversation, “What could happen in a year?” signalized a shift. They both know their honeymoon period is coming to an end. Which is why he asks her to always tell him things. And she asks him to always show affection to her. (Out of context, this request may seem weird, because Jeong-won is showering her with affection at the moment.) Communication and affection are two pillars of a healthy long-term relationship. And those are the basic rules they negotiate right away, telling each other what they need. Jeong-won needs transparency, conversations, words. Gyeol needs assurance, action, touch.
It’s very fitting that at the dawn of this relationship, the girl who is generally bad with words and expressing feelings was the one to confess. And the Professor who preaches moderation and responsibility would answer this confession with a reckless kiss (or two). But those were atypical behaviors for them. When the first-love glamour wears off, they will revert to being just people with their own strong points and weaknesses. That’s why Jeong-won and Gyeol needed to make promises to each other - to stay open, supportive, and available, even in the midst of an emotionally charged hospital setting. *sigh* That will be the last time we see them so fluffy, I think. But what we had was wonderful.
I could go on with this thesis for another three to seven pages but the main point is, I really, really love Hospital Playlist in all its richness and “thought-provoking-ness”, and Ep. 5 is my favorite too!
Let us feast on Episode 5 together and discuss it to death!!!
A few days is something of the realm of dreams, even staying the night (and the writers took pains to establish that she is not staying over, lol) is difficult. ==> I laughed at this line because yes, the writers made sure to say that Gyeo-ul is not staying over. I even read tweets that they think Gyeo-ul is pregnant (the preview showing Gyeo-ul's and Jeong-won's backs, which turned out to be the debriefing over the DV husband). :)
Don't know if this is possible (pregnancy), with all the triangles surrounding Wintergarden. Soulmatre triangle with Junwan from Jeong Won's side and Ikjun from Gyeoul's side (don't know the brand for Ikjun-Gyeoul-JW's triangle. But, I did noticed that as well, they really had to insert in the conversation that Gyeoul needs to be back at the hospital, hence no overnight stay. lmao
You are so spot-on with triangles, lol! I have to say that the soulmate triangle is my favorite one. :) Jeong-won and Jun-wan have this "old married couple" vibe.
Honestly, sometimes people on SNS just want to usher the story and the characters into the tried-and-tested melo lane, rife with tropes and silent misunderstandings... But we are obviously dealing with another type of drama here. It's about doctors, and medicine, and life and death situations, and hope... and while I'm all for marriages and kids, it's more Season 7 material. Again, there are other stories to tell. Let the writers just tell their stories, SNS people!
Sorry for riding your comment, but I agree with you, I've been reading since this morning that they some says gyeoul's character has turned ooc, because of the 'dumb and incompetent' speech. People tend to forget that this show is seasonal. So, what they've seen in season 1 wasn't everything yet. But everyone acted as if they knew the character best. And I don't know, I think it became toxic...
Some people also blamed ikjun because he didn't say anything abt the security guards to gyeoul and nurse soobin was also mum about the fact that ikjun had had a suspicion regarding the DV husband to her. IMO, it could happen because nobody thought that gyeoul would directly charge the abuser. I believe as doctors and nurses, they have their SOP in handling this kind of matter and perhaps, taking an extreme measure like gyeoul isn't a wise choice and that's why gyeoul reflected on her action. And even, gyeoul herself was waiting in front of the patient room, I assume she's thinking about how to take the action.
I believe gyeoul's story will be revealed later on and the reason probably jeongwon's calm manner at ER could be some catalyst in their relationship? Who knows?
Anw, sorry for my long rant, I just need a place to write my opinion. Haha...
Right! This blog is like a safe haven when I want to escape the social media that has become more... you know, toxic. So, I'm just going to spend my time camping here I guess.
I was thinking about different SOPs too, by the way. It seems like in Korean hospitals guardians have more power to make medical decisions than the patients themselves, even when the patients are lucid and capable. Besides, that poor woman was Ik-jun's patient, his responsibility. He needed to make the decision and be discreet, and respect her confidentiality... we don't know much about the hospital rules, so you are right on the money here.
Right, and besides, Gyeoul is his resident and wouldn't it be weird if he updates her about it, it would feel as if he's reporting to her. Maybe not many will agree about it, but I think the hierarchy is pretty strict in Korea. Also, ikjun happened to tell jeongwon because they happened to smoke together. It's not like he deliberately found jeongwon and told him about it. And yes, some comments are also nitpicking ikjun for telling jeongwon but not telling gyeoul.
Totally agree. Gyeo-ul is not privy to the conversation of Ik-Jun and the head nurse with the patient-wife so there's no way that Gyeo-ul would have known that something is being done.
And, at the end of the day, Gyeo-ul acted that way because DV is something that hits close to home.
Hi, sorry the part where Ikjun or nurse didn't tell Gyeoul I also think it shouldn't be like that. Their field is where coordination and communication are important. So to think about it there's no makes sense reason why they shouldn't tell her. However, I understand that the point isn't about whether Ikjun tells Gyeoul or not because this is about Gyeoul's action towards the DV husband. So perhaps this part is just a pure plothole. That happens all the time in drama.
I am surprised at times that you don't have your own blog dear! It's amazing. But thank you always for your contribution.
I don't think anyone can say too much about YYS and SHB's chemistry. The casting there was spot on. I was about to say something controversial but I decided against it. At least not here. Anyway, I will write more when I've watched it for a second time.
Your comment is so comprehensive. I love it <3 I agree that this may be their last fluffy time hehe but I am so looking forward to the next stage in their relationship! Their conversation during lunch feels like foreshadowing to me. I feel that their promises are significant. Maybe there is something Gyeoul is not telling Jeongwon yet (her family background perhaps?). And I feel that Gyeoul's request to Jeongwon is because of her family as well. IDK but based on her mom's call, her parents may not have a good marriage so maybe Gyeoul wants constant assurance from Jeongwon.
This is, by far, my favorite episode of this season. There's something magical about this episode that I just can't put my finger to. Plus, it was a breather from the heavy episode 4.
Avoidance is a common theme in episode 5: Ik-Sung avoiding Jun-Wan, Ik-Jun and Ik-Sun never touched the elephant in the room, Song-Hwa summarizing that Seok-Hyeong avoided his marital problems, Gyeo-ul somewhat avoiding confiding with anyone about the domestic violence (or maybe it's not really avoiding with Gyeo-ul but more on she's just used to doing things her way).
For bidulgi, I honestly don't know where this is going. I do want Jun-Wan to be happy, though.
I just cannot handle Seok-Hyeong's mom. My goodness! I'm at a loss for words. Good thing that Rosa was there to reprimand her. But I'm glad to see that Seok-Hyeong acknowledged his (non) efforts towards Shin-Hye.
I'm very pleased to see Seok-Hyeong instantly following Song-Hwa's advice about asking "useless" questions/replies, especially to people he feels most comfortable with. I squealed in delight when Min-Ha called and Seok-Hyeong asked more details about the gift. I wouldn't be surprised if Song-Hwa turns out to be the ship captain of GomGom because it has been said in Season 1 that Seok-Hyeong only listens to Song-Hwa's advice and the rest of the boys are just fillers. Hahahaha!
Min-Ha continues to grow on me. She has a lovely personality. Aside from being both Armys, I understand better why Gyeo-ul and Min-Ha are best friends. They're both resilient, see the best in people, and just want to be good doctors.
I love the quick scene of Min-Ha and Gyeo-ul where Gyeo-ul saw Min-Ha walking with Seok-Hyeong. Gyeo-ul didn't want to disturb the two and deliberately stepped out of the way, completely understanding that this is a moment of Min-Ha with Seok-Hyeong. Any best friend would immediately relate with that!
WinterGarden! This relationships is rich. It is very likely that Gyeo-ul was exposed to domestic violence in her family, hence, her instinct to always do something against the abuser. This explains a lot why she ran after the DV dad in season 1 and now, the DV husband. It is also likely the reason why Gyeo-ul asked Jeong-Won to reassure her of his love once a day. I agree with you that her stoicism was brought about by circumstance. Given that she also appears to be the eldest in the family, she needs that stoicism to take care of the people she loves.
Ik-Jun yelling for Gyeo-ul is always comedy gold. He's just like an older brother who really cares for her. It's not shown but I'm sure he knows that Gyeo-ul and Jeong-Won are talking and is yelling to also mess with them. Hahahaha!
Episode 5 did a one-year time jump to 2021. I'm glad that PD did that because I seriously don't want HP to deal with Covid. But what I like the most about the time jump is that WinterGarden's relationship continues. It's a nice departure from the few K-Dramas I watched where the chaebol son feels pressured to get married quickly.
Any 41-year-old bachelor might feel that pressure to marry quickly but I'm glad that WinterGarden are taking their time building their relationship.
Speaking of chaebol son, I particularly enjoyed the appearance of Dong-Il, the priest brother of Jeong-Won. The scene between Rosa and Dong-Il shows me that this family is truly special. For those who criticize Jeong-won as being too aegyo, the Rosa-Dong-Il scenes show that this kind of aegyo runs naturally in the family. Just like Jeong-Won, Dong-Il shows childlike innocence. The way he yelled 옴마 many times and the way he kept showing the rainbow to his 옴마 was just adorable. So Jeong-Won being aegyo to people he loves and feels most comfortable with is something that has always come naturally in his own family.
Finally, I don't think the secrecy of WinterGarden's relationship will be the focus of the next episodes. It's safe to assume that within a year, people would have known that they are a couple. I honestly don't want HP to focus on that when there are more stories about WinterGarden that can be explored.
To end, I think and I hope episode 6 will be a fun episode since the preview shows that it would be all about the current interns. There's a quick clip of Gyeo-ul saying that she's used to taking care of GS by herself but she's now handling more interns. This is good character development as Gyeo-ul might be shown taking a more authentic leadership role rather than just being an individual contributor.
It is also likely that the 99s's time as interns will be shown. I can't wait!
Secret relationship, my foot... Even Gyeol gave up on that, it seems. Her smiles are a dead giveaway. (I kind of think, in this universe, and maybe in South Korea in the large, workplace dating is not a big deal and not a huge HR issue anyways. So reading some indignant comments about how Jeong-won interferes with his gf's career made me scratch my head... I agree that there are better stories to tell.)
Ugh, I would love to comment on your excellent observations some more... but work is calling. Maybe later. Take care <3
While I understand their desire for secrecy, I don't see it as a long-term solution and eventually they will have to navigate life as a dating couple in the same workplace. I enjoy the humour as much as the next person but I'd like to see more of those sorts of scenes between them in the ER down the track. Moments where they console each other. They're not perfect people and don't always do things right but they do their best and try to learn from past mistakes.
I'm glad you mention Dong-il or Peter with Rosa because I wanted to and kind of forgot. I love that Rosa's kids are such a comfort to her in her advancing years. I've heard many people in their 60s and 70s say how much they appreciate their children and grandchildren as they get older. I'm sad for Jong-su though that he isn't getting that kind of love from his kids that he's craving for. Maybe that's why he hangs around Rosa's place so much -- not just because he's lonely without family surrounding him but that he likes seeing her with her children.
I love daisies too. They're such cheerful looking flowers.
ShinLee tandem is just....WOW. There are no throw away scenes, as those that some may consider as filler scenes, are a gold mine of information. Take for example Rosa-Jong-su conversation, where we got to know that Jeong Won's family love dynamics is "chatting". They are such a fun and open family, they talk about almost everything. And yeah, they are a bunch ticking time bomb of aegyo-filled individuals from Mama Rosa to Father Peter (SDI is just comedy gold) to maknae Jeong Won. And this ties up to the present JW and his conversation with Gyeoul. As for Gyeoul, I was way off with my theory for episode 5, but damn, didn't see that coming. I also immediately went into possible family violence in her background, but I was hesitating as ShinLee rarely give such a heavy family dynamics to their characters, but then again we have Seok-Hyeong. And again, it does ties the whole promise thing. Also, that ER scene with JW possibly noting something else, but kudos to him that he didn't insist and I know he'll have the patience to wait for Gyeoul to share (which technically is true, there is nothing to share of yet as her Mom said everything is fine).
Another thing that I wanted to address are the comments I'm reading about Gyeoul turning into the typical k-drama damsel in distress coz of the dumb and incompetent dialogue. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people (I know it is common for women- as I do talk with tons of my female friends and this is a commonality) who are externally so put together, but has tons of self-doubt inside. A friend once mentioned about the Impostor Syndrome, and I didn't know the term. Disregard the term, but its pretty common especially for those "trailblazers", hence those females in male-dominated field, its a combination of culture, media, upbringing and expectations.
That's basic humility, I think, more typical of Asian culture. Gyeol seems to have a solid traditional upbringing when it comes to addressing the elders and apologizing for being forward. Speaking of that very dialogue, I'd like to know what she said in Korean exactly. But I don't think she meant to put herself down - she was just frustrated that she missed the signs again (Ik-Jun did ask her about the husband).
That too!!!! Come to think of it, the Residents/Interns are all polite and would always do the greetings, but subtle actions of Gyeoul denotes a more polite and traditional way added to it. In Japan (and I am assuming other East Asian/Asian countries), the polite form of handshake if the other hand supporting the main handshake. I don't think it is that common, but for her to still do that (and also the bowing, greeting, saying sorry).
As for the path of self-doubt to self-discovery, I think it's there.
I think it is a realistic Medical-field portrayal specially since the 2 Residents whom we see it is from are Seonbin and Gyeoul. Both are navigating their own path in a Male-dominated field. Both GS and NS are traditionally populated by males. I always think of it as a more human side, one minute you can be the most competent and confident, and sometimes the next minute there is a moment where you doubt and question yourself. We are all a mixed bag of contradictions, and that's the beauty of it. ;)
Talk about nitpicking. Do people complain about the slightest thing or is it just this show?
As Anne says, it's a very Asian thing to be deliberately self-deprecating. A lot of my students have to unlearn these bad habits when they're giving presentations.
True. It is a real thing. Would like SW to talk to the younger ones about that since she would have faced it herself and now she is one of the top neurosurgeon in the country.
Yes, I also felt that she got off on a technicality there... but at the same time, ER is probably not the best place to start this kind of conversation... I hope that we'll see what Gyeol's background is like later. We don't really know anything yet besides that she has a younger brother... and that her mom supplies her with large amounts of side dishes, just like all other moms. She seems to live frugally, with those two outfits of hers.
Anne, spot-on conversation! Hahahaha! Gyeo-ul's date outfit is always the denim jacket. Jeong-Won also seems to have a small wardrobe. His go-to date shirt is the blue-striped one. :D
Ah yes..is it going to be eating crab date episode 2? I mean ahn jeong won has given us his tip how to eat crab when you have allergy without eating the crab.
Just a funny thing with Gyeoul and Minha, both are practising the principle of.... prospective (for MH)/boyfriend before friends. lol
Minha with the tteokbokki and now the corridor scene. And Gyeoul, not directly with Minha but with Ikjun, hence we can be certain. These girls are my cup of tea with their friendship. ;)
I've rewatched episode 5 a couple more times and I believe that their relationship is already known by the staff (thank God PD didn't dwell on this). The elevator scene shows that they are no longer hiding their relationship. Jeong-Won carried Gyeo-ul's bag of food without hesitation and they didn't flinch when the elevator door opened. If they're still hiding it, they wouldn't act nonchalantly.
The ER debriefing scene also tells me that everybody already knows, including Dr. Bong. It appears that it's Jeong-Won who looked for Dr. Bong to treat Gyeo-ul and Dr. Bong wasn't even wondering why Jeong-Won was there with her. I found this scene quite lovely because it closes the loop of the S1E5 DV scene. These are the same three people who were in the DV dad scene, after all.
Of course, there's the mock and mischievous yelling of Ik-Jun looking for Gyeo-ul! Hahahaha!
Turns out ik jun really didn't know about his best friend dating his sister, well i guess some one like ik jun not always update about something, hehe. That's remind me on s1 ep 9 if i'm not mistaken, about ik jun's case on a father who wanted to give his heart to her daughter, ik jun thougt he knew about people and world, but then he reflected it again at the end of the day after seeing the dramatic changes of the patient's father.
About ik sun and jun wan, i have no comment yet, i want to wait the development of their story. It excites me to be honest, and i'm not gonna blame one party at this point. I'm sure writernim won't give bad solution for them, and also i'm so sure that ik jun has plan for them.
Some say that in this season gyeo-ul is ooc but i don't think so, i think it's her character development. I mean people always change because of one or few moments that happen in their life. And she falls in love, of course there's the difference in her. And i always love her scene with jeong won, not just the romantic part but also it always reveal something about their character.
Min ha as always be this cute girl that i'm rooting for. Just be patient, girl!
Overall i'm taking this episode with so much light heart, compare to the previous episode. And the ost is getting better and better. Yeeiyy (song hwa mode)
I've heard that charge levelled at Gyeo-ul but we can only say that someone is out of character when we know everything about them. If we don't and we're only gradually discovering different sides to their personality then it's not a case that they're out of character but that there's a side to them that we didn't know existed.
I also feel that Ik-jun is waiting until Ik-sun feels better before intervening. I just don't feel that the door on that matter has closed yet.
"We can only say that someone is out of character when we know everything about them" ==> Thank you for saying this louder for the people in the back.
"I also feel that Ik-jun is waiting until Ik-sun feels better before intervening." ==> Now we know more about Ik-jun's priorities. Family over a childhood friend. Health over heart matters. Very interesting. (A bit heartbreaking too.)
Well, I think he really has no choice but to prioritize his sister's health. He probably doesn't want to stress her unduly because he now realises that it was he who told her that "Jun-wan's girlfriend" was selfish which led to the ridiculous drama that saw them break-up. I can't say for certain that he will revisit this subject but someone has to. It has a deeply unsatisfying air about it.
I share your opinion that, in case of Ik-sun and Jun-wan, we have to wait and see. But that blindness on the part of Ik-jun was very surprising. He is full of surprises, and actually, though he is a goofball, there is a hard side in him too. Remember how he was with Captain Ahn. Charming and supportive when he thought that Captain Ahn was after Ik-sun. Very hard in the eyes when it became obvious that Captain Ahn was after Song-hwa.
Ah you're right about how ik jun misinterpret captain ahn's relationship with ik sun.
At first i was surprise too that ik jun really didn't know about his sister and jun wan. I thought he was just shocked about the fact that something's going wrong with the pair. But then again it was a plot twist for us.
See how this drama keep giving us surprising story. At least for me. =)
I wanted to add a few words about the DV case in this episode. To be honest, I wasn't a fan of the DV case in season 1 either. Both stories called for a major suspension of disbelief because of the way they were presented. They are very, very telegraphed, don't you think?
We have those sketched villains and very sympathetic victims, but it all looks like a problem from a textbook with a ready-made solution provided on the back rather than a story imbued with life and emotions like, say, Eun-ji mother's story. Even the set of reactions we get from our favorite doctors is curated. And I think it is deliberate, whether because of the TV rating, or the wish to avoid strong triggers, or the intention to cover this topic later in a different way.
In theory, these DV stories require action scenes, confrontational scenes. But the confrontations we get on the screen are more like Ik-jun and Jeong-won's cigarette breaks. Sure, we see the cigarettes. We don't see the smoke or the smokers' reaction to the process of smoking. Again, I think it is deliberate. The filming crew is surely talented enough to pull off a good action scene, despite the fact that Shin Hyun-been is a tiny thing with ballerina's arms. But they chose not to. They telegraph.
They don't focus on Gyeol's pain after being knocked down. They don't show Jeong-won's anger at seeing his gf hurt. They skirt around the reasons why Ik-jun or the nurse didn't tell her about the problem (well, it might be because they had no time with her being busy with procurement and other stuff - but it still requires some suspension of disbelief). They focus on the solution - and convey it via the heartfelt ER conversation everyone is sure to remember.
At the same time, the topic of abuse seems to be important for the writers - they repeated this story twice and hinted at trouble at Gyeol's home. Maybe when we get there, they will tell it differently. Or maybe it will remain a delicate detail on a greater canvas of life. It's just curious how they did it here. I'm in awe :)
I agree that the entire sequence has a feel of something deliberately staged. Rather like when Lee Kyu-hyun's character was telling Song-hwa about his girlfriend when Ik-jun happens to be buying coffee in the same cafe. Even if Ik-jun's too preoccupied with his sister's stuff to say something to Gyeo-ul, the senior nurse could have said something especially when they both got up at the same time when the husband walked past the reception area looking sozzled. To intents and purposes Gyeo-ul does look like she was being set up to "take the fall".
I don't question it too much because purpose of all of that was to highlight the victim's plight which is meant to intersect with Gyeo-ul's impulse to rescue DV victims with little thought to safety. Which in turn became a WinterGarden moment. I suppose Gyeo-ul could have been more upfront about troubles at home but we don't know what the extent of the troubles on the homefront are either.
You always crystalise my thoughts about each Hosplay episode so well - thank you! I totally agree that winter Garden as a couple are communicating much better than Bidulgi couple. Perhaps they both, being first loves of each other, have no baggage whatsoever and are just open, welcoming and basking in each other's love, as couple should be. So happy to see them everytime they appear together on screen.
There was certainly alot to unpack snd we do have a time jump so I'm looking forward to see how each character, major or minor, continues to grow. Gweoyul's backstory would be an interesting one (and yes, I suspect too that things at home aren't great). The interns and residents would be interesting to watch. Im rooting for Hongdo because, goodness this one is so blur!
I also think Gyeoul's family background is not as rosy as Jeongwon's. Really looking forward to her family and how this would contrast with Jeongwon's.
I can't say how happy I am to find your blog and read your reviews about this drama. Your thoughts are so on point! Every episode of Hospital Playlist keeps getting better and better. When I thought that this week was the best, the next week, they always show something better. Everything in this week was so good, starting from the story line to the songs. Gosh, I love both "I Like You" and "Already One Year". My greedy heart wants both of the songs covered by Cho Jungseok.
Storywise, everything that happened in episode 5 is the best out of all episodes so far. Episode 5 was paralleled with season's 1's episode 5, where our wintergarden, especially gyeoul encountered an abuser. Season 1 showed gyeoul was injured by the abuser and all alone, ignored by jeongwon, while in season 2, it was showed that she has someone comforting her after being injured by the abuser. I don't know if jeongwon's silence about gyeoul's extreme action is a good thing or not, but perhaps it was hidden for something to be shown in the future. Like something that will be connected to gyeoul's back story? But I'll just leave it to the writers and do my part to enjoy the show.
Btw, can I look forward for your detailed thoughts about our wintergarden in this episode? Nevermind if you don't have any, I'll still be here lurking your blog. Hehe... I hope you don't mind :).
And also, about the patient's story, I'm still amused by how they brought such a simple story become so overwhelming. You know, the one with Seokhyeong's patient, when the husband asked for permission to film the wife's labor. At the first thought, maybe he was like an ignorant husband that just wanted to have fun filming his baby's birth process. But after coming inside the labor room, seeing his wife trembling and exerted all her strength for their baby, he was shocked. At first, I thought he was going to faint or even ran out of the labor room, because he took several steps back. But who knows, he even forgot his main purpose to come inside the labor room and ran straight towards his wife to thank her for giving birth to their daughter.
I don't know if it's me being sensitive or what, but my eyes were wet watching this scene. It's trivial and simple but so touching. Sometimes, it even slipped everyone's mind, contrasting to what happened at the beginning of episode 3, where the husband didn't even care about the wife's labor. Is anyone feeling the same regarding this scene? For me, it's simple but impactful.
And the story about Eunji's mother, enough said. She caused the waterworks since the previous episode. As a cameo, her acting is top-notch and casting her was truly the best decision.
Might I just comment, the kisses are so full of signifance that I don't understand when people say that they are all fluff and fan service. As far as I have seen, they have been using the WinterGarden screentime so efficiently, with their use of visual metaphors and symbols, choice of dialogues, and even locations. Even the ER embrace is so visually-rich with symbols of promise and intimacy between the couple. I also agree with how the ER scene seems to portray their partnership, beyond the mentor-mentee relationship. Whereas before Jeong-won was towering over Gyeo-ul, they are now both sitting side by side showing Jeong-won's effort to meet Gyeo-ul halfway and portraying them as equals. There was no space there for judgment, only for comfort, support, and mutual understanding.
I've already said a lot about episode 5 but I'll add a few more. Just bear with me because this is the only place I'm comfortable sharing my thoughts with. Hahahaha!
Song-Hwa aware of the Tteokbokki Club:
* The Tteokbokki Club is an exclusive group of 5 people. It's either Ik-Jun or Seok-Hyeong who told her about the existence of this club but it's highly likely that the info came from Ik-Jun. After all, Ik-Jun declined Song-Hwa's lunch invitation because of this pre-arranged Tteokbokki Club lunch. Min-Ha greeting Song-Hwa naturally feels to me that they had a few more interactions before that.
* Seok-Hyeong calling Min-Ha as "Min-Hayah" is additional proof that he's very comfortable with Min-Ha. I'm not Korean (I'm learning the language, though) but I've read that add "yah" as suffix can be a sign of affection. Even using 우리 (our) is a sign of affection as it is collective term used to say that you're part of the family.
* Lastly, I'm loving Shin Hyun Been more. She's a great actress and she delivers her lines differently, depending on who she's acting with. Her voice tone is different when he's talking to Min-Ha, Ik-Jun, Jeong-Won and her mom. We all know what tone she uses with Jeong-Won but I noticed that her tone is lower and a bit more serious with her mom. That's good acting.
That's it!! I hope I don't observe more things from the rewatch. I've already said a lot! Hahahahah! Thanks for bearing with me!
Hospital Playlist is really my source of endorphin. And I am dreading my move, as I know in that part of the world, Netflix hasn't release HPS2 as of yet.
Just to add on to the usage of banmal, all of the Professors (except for Jeong Won) uses banmal to the residents. Seok-Hyeong greeted Gyeoul with Annyeong and Junwan in the elevator replied Hi in banmal. Except for Gyeoul, Jeong Won is using polite form even with Min Ha, as evidence by him greeting her Annyeonghaseyo. Song Hwa and Ikjun are the same with all the Residents.
Hi! I love reading your blog since season 1, it's like you put the words in my head into writing. I can't say much since all of you here have expressed the same opinion like mine. But I still want to point out that it seems Jeongwon is really confident in love, he plans his vacation with Gyeoul in a year ahead, not so grand gesture but shows that he's so sure about Gyeoul. He's a man with vision, his dream about children hospital says a alot, I'm wondering if we gonna see how he puts Gyeoul into his "future plan".
Oh another thing, I'm quite surprised with the talk about the demanding fans in the last blog, until I saw it by myself. And it doesn't stop I guess?
I loved Jeongwon and Gyeoul's snow crab conversation! Although it seems simple, their conversation shows the difference in the perspective of Jeongwon and Gyeoul in life. As you said, JW is so sure already of Gyeoul. He seems to think in the long-term while Gyeoul seems to take it one day at a time. I think it is interesting how this difference will play out especially since there are hints about a possible wintergarden marriage. I would like to know Gyeoul's POV regarding marriage considering also that there are hints about domestic violence happening in her family (her mom's phone call is very suspicious to me).
I enjoy reading the blog and all the comments down !! Literally the summarized version of all my thoughts !! Looking forward to many more !! Will just say iam simply in love with hosplay cuz all of my thoughts have already being mentioned by everyone here !!.
As always, I enjoyed reading your blog :) Looking forward to your in-depth analysis of this ep, which is also my fave one so far. I am so excited about ShinLee's plans for Wintergarden esp for Gyeoul. I am happy that we are finding more things about Gyeoul even though she is a supporting character.
I also felt a bit unsettled by the fact that Ikjun did not let Gyeoul know about the presence of the guards although the nurses knew about it. I am not aware of how the rules are but it seems like a plot hole that the only GS resident was kept in the dark about this. It seems that this scene has been set up for us to see that domestic violence really triggers Gyeoul and is an important part of her background.
The ER scene is very meaningful. Jeongwon, in his civilian clothes instead of scrub, is there for Gyeoul not as a professor but simply as his boyfriend. That's why Dr. Bong was there to reprimand Gyeoul instead.
I loved reading your post and I'm so mad at myself for discovering this mine so late! I so relate to a lot of points you have given considerate thoughts to. But I see there is still a confusion as to how did GyeoUl not know of the DV but IkJun and the senior nurse did. To give a clearer picture I want you to recollect an incident where GyeoUl and IkJun are on their rounds and IkJun suddenly asks her about the husband. Just then, it's shown that GyeoUl gets a call for a surgery by another professor and she excuses herself from the round. Thereby making it just IkJun and the senior nurse to go check on the patient and that exactly is where he finds a bruise on her forehead, which confirms DV.
This was my perception of this entire question since I found it weird that they would cut GyeoUl off with a phone call the minute she comes on screen.
The writers have deliberately removed GyeoUl from this revelation predictably used as a leverage for her hasty reaction later that night, without going the call-the-security-guards way. This I think was a seed planted for building up of GyeoUl's own case of DV back home, and how she is traumatised about it enough to fight a drunk abuser alone.
Wahhh, life is certainly looking up when I get an article from my favorite this early in the morning! :) I'm also eyeing the wonderful 40 min podcast - but that will have to wait until the weekend, unfortunately.
Sooooooooo... To add.
I feel like we’ve been fed that ginormous snow crab dinner - only the writers haven’t warned us to fast for 8 hours beforehand.
Seriously, yesterday's show was even a little bit too much of everything... When I was watching the Korean stream in real-time, I wanted to pause it after each scene to dissect and process. But the show kept going like a high-speed train, and I might need to rewatch Ep. 5 a couple (or ten) more times to catch up. (My pile of work is looking at me incredulously. Sorry, work. Just a few more minutes.)
I’ll just do one tiny scene here, to celebrate the amazing talents and through-the-roof chemistry of actors Yoo Yeon-seok and Shin Hyun-been and the great characters the authors created for them. (At this point, I really wonder if Gyeol was supposed to be this great multi-layered, multi-functional character from the very beginning or if she has won over the writers in the process of filming. Because Yoo Yeon-seok, I totally get you when you can’t shut up about this character in your interviews. Her journey is a unique and extremely addictive story.)
So, my two cents about the iconic date scene, a master class in “show not tell”. It’s 3 minutes and maybe 10 seconds. And within these 3 minutes, we get overstuffed with food for thought... I’m not going to gush much, I’ll just list what I learned.
Gyoel came to her weekend date directly from the hospital (because she has to go back there later if the subtitles don’t lie) - and Jeong-won is driving her around. After dropping her off, he’s going to pick up Jun-won. He continues taking care of Jun-won in this way, subtly, silently. He even made him breakfast, and that’s just too adorable.
Also, Gyoel is an organic part of this domestic ecosystem now. It is unclear if it is her first visit to her boyfriend’s apartment. But she seems to know her way around the kitchen island at the very least. I laughed out loud at the meager amounts of food she was offered this time. But hey, Jeong-won cooked for her. And shelled her crab despite his allergy. And promised to buy her more said crab in the future (or procure it from Song-hwa for free which is more believable).
Then they speak a little about residents being busy. And it struck me that they really have very little time either for themselves or for each other, given their profession and schedules. All they have is snatches. A few days is something of the realm of dreams, even staying the night (and the writers took pains to establish that she is not staying over, lol) is difficult. A couple of hours is what they usually have - hence the non-existent awkward stage and the intensity of simple everyday interactions. They have to use every chance to learn about each other, learn from each other and grow the relationship, slowly, surely, precisely. No time for drama. No time for petty jealous things like, “Why do you hang out with your friends without me, and all entertainment I get is an indoors date night with leftover crab?”
Their priorities are also very much aligned - first comes work (serving people, really), then Gyoel’s studies, then their time together. And Jeong-won is obviously there for a long haul, aiming at forever. Waiting a year to go on a mini-holiday together is nothing to him. But this break in the conversation, “What could happen in a year?” signalized a shift. They both know their honeymoon period is coming to an end. Which is why he asks her to always tell him things. And she asks him to always show affection to her. (Out of context, this request may seem weird, because Jeong-won is showering her with affection at the moment.) Communication and affection are two pillars of a healthy long-term relationship. And those are the basic rules they negotiate right away, telling each other what they need. Jeong-won needs transparency, conversations, words. Gyeol needs assurance, action, touch.
It’s very fitting that at the dawn of this relationship, the girl who is generally bad with words and expressing feelings was the one to confess. And the Professor who preaches moderation and responsibility would answer this confession with a reckless kiss (or two). But those were atypical behaviors for them. When the first-love glamour wears off, they will revert to being just people with their own strong points and weaknesses. That’s why Jeong-won and Gyeol needed to make promises to each other - to stay open, supportive, and available, even in the midst of an emotionally charged hospital setting. *sigh* That will be the last time we see them so fluffy, I think. But what we had was wonderful.
I could go on with this thesis for another three to seven pages but the main point is, I really, really love Hospital Playlist in all its richness and “thought-provoking-ness”, and Ep. 5 is my favorite too!
Let us feast on Episode 5 together and discuss it to death!!!
A few days is something of the realm of dreams, even staying the night (and the writers took pains to establish that she is not staying over, lol) is difficult. ==> I laughed at this line because yes, the writers made sure to say that Gyeo-ul is not staying over. I even read tweets that they think Gyeo-ul is pregnant (the preview showing Gyeo-ul's and Jeong-won's backs, which turned out to be the debriefing over the DV husband). :)
Don't know if this is possible (pregnancy), with all the triangles surrounding Wintergarden. Soulmatre triangle with Junwan from Jeong Won's side and Ikjun from Gyeoul's side (don't know the brand for Ikjun-Gyeoul-JW's triangle. But, I did noticed that as well, they really had to insert in the conversation that Gyeoul needs to be back at the hospital, hence no overnight stay. lmao
You are so spot-on with triangles, lol! I have to say that the soulmate triangle is my favorite one. :) Jeong-won and Jun-wan have this "old married couple" vibe.
Honestly, sometimes people on SNS just want to usher the story and the characters into the tried-and-tested melo lane, rife with tropes and silent misunderstandings... But we are obviously dealing with another type of drama here. It's about doctors, and medicine, and life and death situations, and hope... and while I'm all for marriages and kids, it's more Season 7 material. Again, there are other stories to tell. Let the writers just tell their stories, SNS people!
Sorry for riding your comment, but I agree with you, I've been reading since this morning that they some says gyeoul's character has turned ooc, because of the 'dumb and incompetent' speech. People tend to forget that this show is seasonal. So, what they've seen in season 1 wasn't everything yet. But everyone acted as if they knew the character best. And I don't know, I think it became toxic...
Some people also blamed ikjun because he didn't say anything abt the security guards to gyeoul and nurse soobin was also mum about the fact that ikjun had had a suspicion regarding the DV husband to her. IMO, it could happen because nobody thought that gyeoul would directly charge the abuser. I believe as doctors and nurses, they have their SOP in handling this kind of matter and perhaps, taking an extreme measure like gyeoul isn't a wise choice and that's why gyeoul reflected on her action. And even, gyeoul herself was waiting in front of the patient room, I assume she's thinking about how to take the action.
I believe gyeoul's story will be revealed later on and the reason probably jeongwon's calm manner at ER could be some catalyst in their relationship? Who knows?
Anw, sorry for my long rant, I just need a place to write my opinion. Haha...
Your comment is so detailed, btw... i love it
This blog is a gift from heaven :) Feel free to chime in my comments anytime!
Right! This blog is like a safe haven when I want to escape the social media that has become more... you know, toxic. So, I'm just going to spend my time camping here I guess.
I was thinking about different SOPs too, by the way. It seems like in Korean hospitals guardians have more power to make medical decisions than the patients themselves, even when the patients are lucid and capable. Besides, that poor woman was Ik-jun's patient, his responsibility. He needed to make the decision and be discreet, and respect her confidentiality... we don't know much about the hospital rules, so you are right on the money here.
Right, and besides, Gyeoul is his resident and wouldn't it be weird if he updates her about it, it would feel as if he's reporting to her. Maybe not many will agree about it, but I think the hierarchy is pretty strict in Korea. Also, ikjun happened to tell jeongwon because they happened to smoke together. It's not like he deliberately found jeongwon and told him about it. And yes, some comments are also nitpicking ikjun for telling jeongwon but not telling gyeoul.
Okay, I'll stop here before I brought it too far.
Totally agree. Gyeo-ul is not privy to the conversation of Ik-Jun and the head nurse with the patient-wife so there's no way that Gyeo-ul would have known that something is being done.
And, at the end of the day, Gyeo-ul acted that way because DV is something that hits close to home.
Hi, sorry the part where Ikjun or nurse didn't tell Gyeoul I also think it shouldn't be like that. Their field is where coordination and communication are important. So to think about it there's no makes sense reason why they shouldn't tell her. However, I understand that the point isn't about whether Ikjun tells Gyeoul or not because this is about Gyeoul's action towards the DV husband. So perhaps this part is just a pure plothole. That happens all the time in drama.
I am surprised at times that you don't have your own blog dear! It's amazing. But thank you always for your contribution.
I don't think anyone can say too much about YYS and SHB's chemistry. The casting there was spot on. I was about to say something controversial but I decided against it. At least not here. Anyway, I will write more when I've watched it for a second time.
Please do!!! Looking forward to it!!!
Controversial or not, please do! It's amazing to read your analysis and views.
Haha. Thanks.
Your comment is so comprehensive. I love it <3 I agree that this may be their last fluffy time hehe but I am so looking forward to the next stage in their relationship! Their conversation during lunch feels like foreshadowing to me. I feel that their promises are significant. Maybe there is something Gyeoul is not telling Jeongwon yet (her family background perhaps?). And I feel that Gyeoul's request to Jeongwon is because of her family as well. IDK but based on her mom's call, her parents may not have a good marriage so maybe Gyeoul wants constant assurance from Jeongwon.
This is, by far, my favorite episode of this season. There's something magical about this episode that I just can't put my finger to. Plus, it was a breather from the heavy episode 4.
Avoidance is a common theme in episode 5: Ik-Sung avoiding Jun-Wan, Ik-Jun and Ik-Sun never touched the elephant in the room, Song-Hwa summarizing that Seok-Hyeong avoided his marital problems, Gyeo-ul somewhat avoiding confiding with anyone about the domestic violence (or maybe it's not really avoiding with Gyeo-ul but more on she's just used to doing things her way).
For bidulgi, I honestly don't know where this is going. I do want Jun-Wan to be happy, though.
I just cannot handle Seok-Hyeong's mom. My goodness! I'm at a loss for words. Good thing that Rosa was there to reprimand her. But I'm glad to see that Seok-Hyeong acknowledged his (non) efforts towards Shin-Hye.
I'm very pleased to see Seok-Hyeong instantly following Song-Hwa's advice about asking "useless" questions/replies, especially to people he feels most comfortable with. I squealed in delight when Min-Ha called and Seok-Hyeong asked more details about the gift. I wouldn't be surprised if Song-Hwa turns out to be the ship captain of GomGom because it has been said in Season 1 that Seok-Hyeong only listens to Song-Hwa's advice and the rest of the boys are just fillers. Hahahaha!
Min-Ha continues to grow on me. She has a lovely personality. Aside from being both Armys, I understand better why Gyeo-ul and Min-Ha are best friends. They're both resilient, see the best in people, and just want to be good doctors.
I love the quick scene of Min-Ha and Gyeo-ul where Gyeo-ul saw Min-Ha walking with Seok-Hyeong. Gyeo-ul didn't want to disturb the two and deliberately stepped out of the way, completely understanding that this is a moment of Min-Ha with Seok-Hyeong. Any best friend would immediately relate with that!
WinterGarden! This relationships is rich. It is very likely that Gyeo-ul was exposed to domestic violence in her family, hence, her instinct to always do something against the abuser. This explains a lot why she ran after the DV dad in season 1 and now, the DV husband. It is also likely the reason why Gyeo-ul asked Jeong-Won to reassure her of his love once a day. I agree with you that her stoicism was brought about by circumstance. Given that she also appears to be the eldest in the family, she needs that stoicism to take care of the people she loves.
Ik-Jun yelling for Gyeo-ul is always comedy gold. He's just like an older brother who really cares for her. It's not shown but I'm sure he knows that Gyeo-ul and Jeong-Won are talking and is yelling to also mess with them. Hahahaha!
Episode 5 did a one-year time jump to 2021. I'm glad that PD did that because I seriously don't want HP to deal with Covid. But what I like the most about the time jump is that WinterGarden's relationship continues. It's a nice departure from the few K-Dramas I watched where the chaebol son feels pressured to get married quickly.
Any 41-year-old bachelor might feel that pressure to marry quickly but I'm glad that WinterGarden are taking their time building their relationship.
Speaking of chaebol son, I particularly enjoyed the appearance of Dong-Il, the priest brother of Jeong-Won. The scene between Rosa and Dong-Il shows me that this family is truly special. For those who criticize Jeong-won as being too aegyo, the Rosa-Dong-Il scenes show that this kind of aegyo runs naturally in the family. Just like Jeong-Won, Dong-Il shows childlike innocence. The way he yelled 옴마 many times and the way he kept showing the rainbow to his 옴마 was just adorable. So Jeong-Won being aegyo to people he loves and feels most comfortable with is something that has always come naturally in his own family.
Finally, I don't think the secrecy of WinterGarden's relationship will be the focus of the next episodes. It's safe to assume that within a year, people would have known that they are a couple. I honestly don't want HP to focus on that when there are more stories about WinterGarden that can be explored.
To end, I think and I hope episode 6 will be a fun episode since the preview shows that it would be all about the current interns. There's a quick clip of Gyeo-ul saying that she's used to taking care of GS by herself but she's now handling more interns. This is good character development as Gyeo-ul might be shown taking a more authentic leadership role rather than just being an individual contributor.
It is also likely that the 99s's time as interns will be shown. I can't wait!
Secret relationship, my foot... Even Gyeol gave up on that, it seems. Her smiles are a dead giveaway. (I kind of think, in this universe, and maybe in South Korea in the large, workplace dating is not a big deal and not a huge HR issue anyways. So reading some indignant comments about how Jeong-won interferes with his gf's career made me scratch my head... I agree that there are better stories to tell.)
Ugh, I would love to comment on your excellent observations some more... but work is calling. Maybe later. Take care <3
While I understand their desire for secrecy, I don't see it as a long-term solution and eventually they will have to navigate life as a dating couple in the same workplace. I enjoy the humour as much as the next person but I'd like to see more of those sorts of scenes between them in the ER down the track. Moments where they console each other. They're not perfect people and don't always do things right but they do their best and try to learn from past mistakes.
I'm glad you mention Dong-il or Peter with Rosa because I wanted to and kind of forgot. I love that Rosa's kids are such a comfort to her in her advancing years. I've heard many people in their 60s and 70s say how much they appreciate their children and grandchildren as they get older. I'm sad for Jong-su though that he isn't getting that kind of love from his kids that he's craving for. Maybe that's why he hangs around Rosa's place so much -- not just because he's lonely without family surrounding him but that he likes seeing her with her children.
I love daisies too. They're such cheerful looking flowers.
ShinLee tandem is just....WOW. There are no throw away scenes, as those that some may consider as filler scenes, are a gold mine of information. Take for example Rosa-Jong-su conversation, where we got to know that Jeong Won's family love dynamics is "chatting". They are such a fun and open family, they talk about almost everything. And yeah, they are a bunch ticking time bomb of aegyo-filled individuals from Mama Rosa to Father Peter (SDI is just comedy gold) to maknae Jeong Won. And this ties up to the present JW and his conversation with Gyeoul. As for Gyeoul, I was way off with my theory for episode 5, but damn, didn't see that coming. I also immediately went into possible family violence in her background, but I was hesitating as ShinLee rarely give such a heavy family dynamics to their characters, but then again we have Seok-Hyeong. And again, it does ties the whole promise thing. Also, that ER scene with JW possibly noting something else, but kudos to him that he didn't insist and I know he'll have the patience to wait for Gyeoul to share (which technically is true, there is nothing to share of yet as her Mom said everything is fine).
Another thing that I wanted to address are the comments I'm reading about Gyeoul turning into the typical k-drama damsel in distress coz of the dumb and incompetent dialogue. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people (I know it is common for women- as I do talk with tons of my female friends and this is a commonality) who are externally so put together, but has tons of self-doubt inside. A friend once mentioned about the Impostor Syndrome, and I didn't know the term. Disregard the term, but its pretty common especially for those "trailblazers", hence those females in male-dominated field, its a combination of culture, media, upbringing and expectations.
That's basic humility, I think, more typical of Asian culture. Gyeol seems to have a solid traditional upbringing when it comes to addressing the elders and apologizing for being forward. Speaking of that very dialogue, I'd like to know what she said in Korean exactly. But I don't think she meant to put herself down - she was just frustrated that she missed the signs again (Ik-Jun did ask her about the husband).
That too!!!! Come to think of it, the Residents/Interns are all polite and would always do the greetings, but subtle actions of Gyeoul denotes a more polite and traditional way added to it. In Japan (and I am assuming other East Asian/Asian countries), the polite form of handshake if the other hand supporting the main handshake. I don't think it is that common, but for her to still do that (and also the bowing, greeting, saying sorry).
As for the path of self-doubt to self-discovery, I think it's there.
I think it is a realistic Medical-field portrayal specially since the 2 Residents whom we see it is from are Seonbin and Gyeoul. Both are navigating their own path in a Male-dominated field. Both GS and NS are traditionally populated by males. I always think of it as a more human side, one minute you can be the most competent and confident, and sometimes the next minute there is a moment where you doubt and question yourself. We are all a mixed bag of contradictions, and that's the beauty of it. ;)
Talk about nitpicking. Do people complain about the slightest thing or is it just this show?
As Anne says, it's a very Asian thing to be deliberately self-deprecating. A lot of my students have to unlearn these bad habits when they're giving presentations.
True. It is a real thing. Would like SW to talk to the younger ones about that since she would have faced it herself and now she is one of the top neurosurgeon in the country.
Yes, I also felt that she got off on a technicality there... but at the same time, ER is probably not the best place to start this kind of conversation... I hope that we'll see what Gyeol's background is like later. We don't really know anything yet besides that she has a younger brother... and that her mom supplies her with large amounts of side dishes, just like all other moms. She seems to live frugally, with those two outfits of hers.
Anne, spot-on conversation! Hahahaha! Gyeo-ul's date outfit is always the denim jacket. Jeong-Won also seems to have a small wardrobe. His go-to date shirt is the blue-striped one. :D
He got a new denim jacket after the time skip ;-)
Time leap also means that we get to see/ hear song hwa sing in their band session. Hahaha..Am i right or not?
Yes! And the vacation of Jeong-Won and Gyeo-ul!
Ah yes..is it going to be eating crab date episode 2? I mean ahn jeong won has given us his tip how to eat crab when you have allergy without eating the crab.
Just a funny thing with Gyeoul and Minha, both are practising the principle of.... prospective (for MH)/boyfriend before friends. lol
Minha with the tteokbokki and now the corridor scene. And Gyeoul, not directly with Minha but with Ikjun, hence we can be certain. These girls are my cup of tea with their friendship. ;)
Adding to my original comment:
I've rewatched episode 5 a couple more times and I believe that their relationship is already known by the staff (thank God PD didn't dwell on this). The elevator scene shows that they are no longer hiding their relationship. Jeong-Won carried Gyeo-ul's bag of food without hesitation and they didn't flinch when the elevator door opened. If they're still hiding it, they wouldn't act nonchalantly.
The ER debriefing scene also tells me that everybody already knows, including Dr. Bong. It appears that it's Jeong-Won who looked for Dr. Bong to treat Gyeo-ul and Dr. Bong wasn't even wondering why Jeong-Won was there with her. I found this scene quite lovely because it closes the loop of the S1E5 DV scene. These are the same three people who were in the DV dad scene, after all.
Of course, there's the mock and mischievous yelling of Ik-Jun looking for Gyeo-ul! Hahahaha!
Turns out ik jun really didn't know about his best friend dating his sister, well i guess some one like ik jun not always update about something, hehe. That's remind me on s1 ep 9 if i'm not mistaken, about ik jun's case on a father who wanted to give his heart to her daughter, ik jun thougt he knew about people and world, but then he reflected it again at the end of the day after seeing the dramatic changes of the patient's father.
About ik sun and jun wan, i have no comment yet, i want to wait the development of their story. It excites me to be honest, and i'm not gonna blame one party at this point. I'm sure writernim won't give bad solution for them, and also i'm so sure that ik jun has plan for them.
Some say that in this season gyeo-ul is ooc but i don't think so, i think it's her character development. I mean people always change because of one or few moments that happen in their life. And she falls in love, of course there's the difference in her. And i always love her scene with jeong won, not just the romantic part but also it always reveal something about their character.
Min ha as always be this cute girl that i'm rooting for. Just be patient, girl!
Overall i'm taking this episode with so much light heart, compare to the previous episode. And the ost is getting better and better. Yeeiyy (song hwa mode)
I've heard that charge levelled at Gyeo-ul but we can only say that someone is out of character when we know everything about them. If we don't and we're only gradually discovering different sides to their personality then it's not a case that they're out of character but that there's a side to them that we didn't know existed.
I also feel that Ik-jun is waiting until Ik-sun feels better before intervening. I just don't feel that the door on that matter has closed yet.
"We can only say that someone is out of character when we know everything about them" ==> Thank you for saying this louder for the people in the back.
"I also feel that Ik-jun is waiting until Ik-sun feels better before intervening." ==> Now we know more about Ik-jun's priorities. Family over a childhood friend. Health over heart matters. Very interesting. (A bit heartbreaking too.)
Well, I think he really has no choice but to prioritize his sister's health. He probably doesn't want to stress her unduly because he now realises that it was he who told her that "Jun-wan's girlfriend" was selfish which led to the ridiculous drama that saw them break-up. I can't say for certain that he will revisit this subject but someone has to. It has a deeply unsatisfying air about it.
I share your opinion that, in case of Ik-sun and Jun-wan, we have to wait and see. But that blindness on the part of Ik-jun was very surprising. He is full of surprises, and actually, though he is a goofball, there is a hard side in him too. Remember how he was with Captain Ahn. Charming and supportive when he thought that Captain Ahn was after Ik-sun. Very hard in the eyes when it became obvious that Captain Ahn was after Song-hwa.
Ah you're right about how ik jun misinterpret captain ahn's relationship with ik sun.
At first i was surprise too that ik jun really didn't know about his sister and jun wan. I thought he was just shocked about the fact that something's going wrong with the pair. But then again it was a plot twist for us.
See how this drama keep giving us surprising story. At least for me. =)
I wanted to add a few words about the DV case in this episode. To be honest, I wasn't a fan of the DV case in season 1 either. Both stories called for a major suspension of disbelief because of the way they were presented. They are very, very telegraphed, don't you think?
We have those sketched villains and very sympathetic victims, but it all looks like a problem from a textbook with a ready-made solution provided on the back rather than a story imbued with life and emotions like, say, Eun-ji mother's story. Even the set of reactions we get from our favorite doctors is curated. And I think it is deliberate, whether because of the TV rating, or the wish to avoid strong triggers, or the intention to cover this topic later in a different way.
In theory, these DV stories require action scenes, confrontational scenes. But the confrontations we get on the screen are more like Ik-jun and Jeong-won's cigarette breaks. Sure, we see the cigarettes. We don't see the smoke or the smokers' reaction to the process of smoking. Again, I think it is deliberate. The filming crew is surely talented enough to pull off a good action scene, despite the fact that Shin Hyun-been is a tiny thing with ballerina's arms. But they chose not to. They telegraph.
They don't focus on Gyeol's pain after being knocked down. They don't show Jeong-won's anger at seeing his gf hurt. They skirt around the reasons why Ik-jun or the nurse didn't tell her about the problem (well, it might be because they had no time with her being busy with procurement and other stuff - but it still requires some suspension of disbelief). They focus on the solution - and convey it via the heartfelt ER conversation everyone is sure to remember.
At the same time, the topic of abuse seems to be important for the writers - they repeated this story twice and hinted at trouble at Gyeol's home. Maybe when we get there, they will tell it differently. Or maybe it will remain a delicate detail on a greater canvas of life. It's just curious how they did it here. I'm in awe :)
I agree that the entire sequence has a feel of something deliberately staged. Rather like when Lee Kyu-hyun's character was telling Song-hwa about his girlfriend when Ik-jun happens to be buying coffee in the same cafe. Even if Ik-jun's too preoccupied with his sister's stuff to say something to Gyeo-ul, the senior nurse could have said something especially when they both got up at the same time when the husband walked past the reception area looking sozzled. To intents and purposes Gyeo-ul does look like she was being set up to "take the fall".
I don't question it too much because purpose of all of that was to highlight the victim's plight which is meant to intersect with Gyeo-ul's impulse to rescue DV victims with little thought to safety. Which in turn became a WinterGarden moment. I suppose Gyeo-ul could have been more upfront about troubles at home but we don't know what the extent of the troubles on the homefront are either.
You always crystalise my thoughts about each Hosplay episode so well - thank you! I totally agree that winter Garden as a couple are communicating much better than Bidulgi couple. Perhaps they both, being first loves of each other, have no baggage whatsoever and are just open, welcoming and basking in each other's love, as couple should be. So happy to see them everytime they appear together on screen.
There was certainly alot to unpack snd we do have a time jump so I'm looking forward to see how each character, major or minor, continues to grow. Gweoyul's backstory would be an interesting one (and yes, I suspect too that things at home aren't great). The interns and residents would be interesting to watch. Im rooting for Hongdo because, goodness this one is so blur!
I also think Gyeoul's family background is not as rosy as Jeongwon's. Really looking forward to her family and how this would contrast with Jeongwon's.
I can't say how happy I am to find your blog and read your reviews about this drama. Your thoughts are so on point! Every episode of Hospital Playlist keeps getting better and better. When I thought that this week was the best, the next week, they always show something better. Everything in this week was so good, starting from the story line to the songs. Gosh, I love both "I Like You" and "Already One Year". My greedy heart wants both of the songs covered by Cho Jungseok.
Storywise, everything that happened in episode 5 is the best out of all episodes so far. Episode 5 was paralleled with season's 1's episode 5, where our wintergarden, especially gyeoul encountered an abuser. Season 1 showed gyeoul was injured by the abuser and all alone, ignored by jeongwon, while in season 2, it was showed that she has someone comforting her after being injured by the abuser. I don't know if jeongwon's silence about gyeoul's extreme action is a good thing or not, but perhaps it was hidden for something to be shown in the future. Like something that will be connected to gyeoul's back story? But I'll just leave it to the writers and do my part to enjoy the show.
Btw, can I look forward for your detailed thoughts about our wintergarden in this episode? Nevermind if you don't have any, I'll still be here lurking your blog. Hehe... I hope you don't mind :).
And also, about the patient's story, I'm still amused by how they brought such a simple story become so overwhelming. You know, the one with Seokhyeong's patient, when the husband asked for permission to film the wife's labor. At the first thought, maybe he was like an ignorant husband that just wanted to have fun filming his baby's birth process. But after coming inside the labor room, seeing his wife trembling and exerted all her strength for their baby, he was shocked. At first, I thought he was going to faint or even ran out of the labor room, because he took several steps back. But who knows, he even forgot his main purpose to come inside the labor room and ran straight towards his wife to thank her for giving birth to their daughter.
I don't know if it's me being sensitive or what, but my eyes were wet watching this scene. It's trivial and simple but so touching. Sometimes, it even slipped everyone's mind, contrasting to what happened at the beginning of episode 3, where the husband didn't even care about the wife's labor. Is anyone feeling the same regarding this scene? For me, it's simple but impactful.
And the story about Eunji's mother, enough said. She caused the waterworks since the previous episode. As a cameo, her acting is top-notch and casting her was truly the best decision.
Thanks for the reminder about Seok-hyeong's patient and her husband. I will try to deal with that at a later stage.
I'll look forward to it! Yippie!
Might I just comment, the kisses are so full of signifance that I don't understand when people say that they are all fluff and fan service. As far as I have seen, they have been using the WinterGarden screentime so efficiently, with their use of visual metaphors and symbols, choice of dialogues, and even locations. Even the ER embrace is so visually-rich with symbols of promise and intimacy between the couple. I also agree with how the ER scene seems to portray their partnership, beyond the mentor-mentee relationship. Whereas before Jeong-won was towering over Gyeo-ul, they are now both sitting side by side showing Jeong-won's effort to meet Gyeo-ul halfway and portraying them as equals. There was no space there for judgment, only for comfort, support, and mutual understanding.
i agree! but as a wintergarden hoe, i’d take the kisses even though they are just fanservice hahaha
I think we're owed all the fluff for what we had to suffer in S1 from detractors. :D
I've already said a lot about episode 5 but I'll add a few more. Just bear with me because this is the only place I'm comfortable sharing my thoughts with. Hahahaha!
Song-Hwa aware of the Tteokbokki Club:
* The Tteokbokki Club is an exclusive group of 5 people. It's either Ik-Jun or Seok-Hyeong who told her about the existence of this club but it's highly likely that the info came from Ik-Jun. After all, Ik-Jun declined Song-Hwa's lunch invitation because of this pre-arranged Tteokbokki Club lunch. Min-Ha greeting Song-Hwa naturally feels to me that they had a few more interactions before that.
* Seok-Hyeong calling Min-Ha as "Min-Hayah" is additional proof that he's very comfortable with Min-Ha. I'm not Korean (I'm learning the language, though) but I've read that add "yah" as suffix can be a sign of affection. Even using 우리 (our) is a sign of affection as it is collective term used to say that you're part of the family.
* Lastly, I'm loving Shin Hyun Been more. She's a great actress and she delivers her lines differently, depending on who she's acting with. Her voice tone is different when he's talking to Min-Ha, Ik-Jun, Jeong-Won and her mom. We all know what tone she uses with Jeong-Won but I noticed that her tone is lower and a bit more serious with her mom. That's good acting.
That's it!! I hope I don't observe more things from the rewatch. I've already said a lot! Hahahahah! Thanks for bearing with me!
Hospital Playlist is really my source of endorphin. And I am dreading my move, as I know in that part of the world, Netflix hasn't release HPS2 as of yet.
Just to add on to the usage of banmal, all of the Professors (except for Jeong Won) uses banmal to the residents. Seok-Hyeong greeted Gyeoul with Annyeong and Junwan in the elevator replied Hi in banmal. Except for Gyeoul, Jeong Won is using polite form even with Min Ha, as evidence by him greeting her Annyeonghaseyo. Song Hwa and Ikjun are the same with all the Residents.
Please write as much as you want - reading comments is an additional source of joy for me and a celebration of the HP team's talent!
Hi! I love reading your blog since season 1, it's like you put the words in my head into writing. I can't say much since all of you here have expressed the same opinion like mine. But I still want to point out that it seems Jeongwon is really confident in love, he plans his vacation with Gyeoul in a year ahead, not so grand gesture but shows that he's so sure about Gyeoul. He's a man with vision, his dream about children hospital says a alot, I'm wondering if we gonna see how he puts Gyeoul into his "future plan".
Oh another thing, I'm quite surprised with the talk about the demanding fans in the last blog, until I saw it by myself. And it doesn't stop I guess?
I loved Jeongwon and Gyeoul's snow crab conversation! Although it seems simple, their conversation shows the difference in the perspective of Jeongwon and Gyeoul in life. As you said, JW is so sure already of Gyeoul. He seems to think in the long-term while Gyeoul seems to take it one day at a time. I think it is interesting how this difference will play out especially since there are hints about a possible wintergarden marriage. I would like to know Gyeoul's POV regarding marriage considering also that there are hints about domestic violence happening in her family (her mom's phone call is very suspicious to me).
I enjoy reading the blog and all the comments down !! Literally the summarized version of all my thoughts !! Looking forward to many more !! Will just say iam simply in love with hosplay cuz all of my thoughts have already being mentioned by everyone here !!.
As always, I enjoyed reading your blog :) Looking forward to your in-depth analysis of this ep, which is also my fave one so far. I am so excited about ShinLee's plans for Wintergarden esp for Gyeoul. I am happy that we are finding more things about Gyeoul even though she is a supporting character.
I also felt a bit unsettled by the fact that Ikjun did not let Gyeoul know about the presence of the guards although the nurses knew about it. I am not aware of how the rules are but it seems like a plot hole that the only GS resident was kept in the dark about this. It seems that this scene has been set up for us to see that domestic violence really triggers Gyeoul and is an important part of her background.
The ER scene is very meaningful. Jeongwon, in his civilian clothes instead of scrub, is there for Gyeoul not as a professor but simply as his boyfriend. That's why Dr. Bong was there to reprimand Gyeoul instead.
I love your observations, you are a true WG expert! 🌹
Great observation! It appears he was just visiting Gyeo-ul and bringing her coffee for her night shift.
I’m pretty sure he was there to pick her up because the nurse asked her why she’s not leaving yet.
I loved reading your post and I'm so mad at myself for discovering this mine so late! I so relate to a lot of points you have given considerate thoughts to. But I see there is still a confusion as to how did GyeoUl not know of the DV but IkJun and the senior nurse did. To give a clearer picture I want you to recollect an incident where GyeoUl and IkJun are on their rounds and IkJun suddenly asks her about the husband. Just then, it's shown that GyeoUl gets a call for a surgery by another professor and she excuses herself from the round. Thereby making it just IkJun and the senior nurse to go check on the patient and that exactly is where he finds a bruise on her forehead, which confirms DV.
This was my perception of this entire question since I found it weird that they would cut GyeoUl off with a phone call the minute she comes on screen.
The writers have deliberately removed GyeoUl from this revelation predictably used as a leverage for her hasty reaction later that night, without going the call-the-security-guards way. This I think was a seed planted for building up of GyeoUl's own case of DV back home, and how she is traumatised about it enough to fight a drunk abuser alone.