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Aug 13, 2021Liked by 40somethingahjumma

Thank you (and warmest hugs) for finding the time to share some of your thoughts about this episode!

(1) in the title means we will get seconds and maybe thirds, right? Can't wait!

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Aug 13, 2021Liked by 40somethingahjumma

I loved everything about this episode. Every-thing.

Like a good play, it opens with a scene in which four people resolutely do not talk about what is currently breaking their hearts. Funnily enough, one of them is Ahn Jeong-won’s soulmate, two more are Ahn Jeong-won’s beloved women, and, of course, there’s Ahn Jeong-won himself. Some pattern here, don’t you think?

Over the last week, I’ve been thinking, this slice-of-life show is so good at being lifelike that we may sometimes forget that it is still a story, and any story has rules. Narratively, Jeong-won is one of the main characters of this story. And anything that happens *to* him, happens *for* him to learn, and grow, and change. In Season 1, he was the guy with all the important secrets and the inability to open up to the girl he liked. In Season 2, he’s getting the taste of his own medicine, big time.

For example, it’s his turn to cast pleading, longing looks at Gyeo-ul who is, by the way, an absolute badass. Showing up like that at the VIP ward to visit her future mother-in-law, uninvited and not formally introduced by her boyfriend - that was a surprise indeed. But we must brace ourselves for more heartbreak that is coming - the tension between the Wintergarden couple is already palpable, and it’s not of a good kind. Everything will end well, of course, but if Jeong-won really wants to solve this, this waiting for Gyeo-ul to tell him what’s wrong won’t work out. He knows what’s wrong, by the way - people don’t break ribs when tripping. Jeong-won just doesn’t want to confront it either, not really.

In my opinion, if he wants his girlfriend to speak with him earnestly, he should lead by example. Otherwise, there will always be more urgent things to do, patients, looking after the mom, not a good moment, not a good place, etc. After all, he was going to confess his feelings (or something) in S01E12 but never got around to it because of... reasons.

Which, surprisingly, brings me back to Ik-sun. Oh, how I missed this funny woman! When she appeared on the screen, I readily and hastily forgave her year-long absence. Because what is a year, when you have things to do, medical tests, and drills, and parents? Every new day, you concede the chance to speak to the person you parted with on bad terms a little more. You may miss them. You may want to fix it, but there are so many excuses not to do that right now - maybe later, or maybe it’s already too late. And then, if the feeling is mutual, and it permeates the fabric of the shared universe for a sufficient amount of time, fate may put you two together on a midnight bus. And make you recognize the feel of that person even when you are drunk, and sleepy, and hopeless. I cheered so hard at the bidulgi meeting. It was just what the doctor ordered. They can’t get away from that bus! Doesn’t mean they will talk... But the sheer amount of mutual exposure makes me gleeful.

Some people on the internet theorized that Ik-jun helped this happen, being the designated ticket-buyer of his technologically challenged friend. The preview gave me another impression, and I can’t get rid of the feeling that he loves his sister and his friend dearly, but he is not so keen on the idea of them being together. He must have his reasons too. And we are sure to learn more about them.

That’s what I have in my head at the moment. There are lots of more malformed ideas, and I’m looking forward to reading everyone’s thoughts on the episode, too. I sincerely hope that you enjoyed it as much as I did! :)

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Aug 13, 2021Liked by 40somethingahjumma

I was right that this episode would be all about parents but I'm glad that the episode wasn't too heavy. The Jun-Wan episode would always be the heaviest and saddest for me.

From where I come from, it's a norm where parents say and act that everything is fine when things are not. It's frustrating because this behavior would commonly end up with the parent seriously injured (or even die) because they do not disclose their condition to their family.

From a romantic POV, for me, everything is progressing "well." When I say "well," I mean that the relationships have their fair share of conflicts and progress.

With Gom-Gom, it mirrors the anaphylaxis ER of Gyeo-ul. This time, however, Seok-Hyeong showed up and Min-Ha was so overwhelmed that she bawled her eyes out. Gosh, Min-Ha was so adorable!! And who can forget her words of wisdom to Gyeo-ul back in Season 1 that if the Jeong-Won likes her, then he would show up? And here's Seok-Hyeong showing up for Min-Ha!

With Ik-Song, this is a slow burn because they are best friends in the first place. Whatever romantic feelings they have or will have for each other would always take a back seat first because their friendship will always be first. But I'm still hoping this ship will sail.

With Ik-Sun, I'm glad that they finally have an opportunity to discuss things. It's only fair as Jun-Wan has been too sad for far too long. I wonder if Ik-Jun had a hand in this because he's the one who always buys the ticket for Jun-Wan. And I would assume that because Ik-Jun and Ik-Sun have grown closer the past year, Ik-Jun is also aware of his sister's schedule.

With WinterGarden, it's obvious that Jeong-Won wants Gyeo-ul to open up. "Are you okay?" is a question Jeong-Won asked at least 5 times in this episode. I can relate a lot with Gyeo-ul because it's really hard to open up to someone especially if you have handled things by yourself for all your life and even if you know that there's someone who loves you unconditionally. It's a behavior that needs to be unlearned and Jeong-Won needs to be patient but assertive enough to push Gyeo-ul.

I also think that if Gyeo-ul's mom is a DV victim, it's quite difficult to share this to anyone. Where do you start? What do you say? Can people understand? This is a touchy subject and it's really difficult to find a starting point. Again, Jeong-Won needs to be patient but assertive enough to push Gyeo-ul.

It's the last 3 episodes and I expect these to be monster episodes, as well. I look forward to your next post. Meanwhile, I will rewatch episode 8. :)

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Aug 13, 2021Liked by 40somethingahjumma

The episode was really huge on exploring lots of parent-child relationships.

Songhwa's relationship with her mum resonated with me. I too go through a vicious cycle of having to temper my annoyance while talking or answering my parents questions about work, and when the conversation ends I am left feeling horrible for being such a rude child and thinking of ways to make it up to them. But it starts all over again in the next conversation lol. I sometimes wonder if it's because I did not grow up in an environment where my parents regularly sat us down to have conversations about what's going on with our lives be it small or big events, thus to this day it unsettles me to speak of or share such things with my parents. Hashtag Asian upbringing 😂

"Relationships are more complex than that and it isn’t about who is deserving of whom because they earned it. It’s much more than that. Otherwise it would be baldly transactional."

I've been thinking about this but couldn't put it so succinctly like you did. I think this especially applies to Junwan x Iksun so far for season 2. What we viewers think or feel how the Bidulgi pairing should be, does not matter at all because at the end of the day it is up to what the 2 individuals can live with / come to a compromise. Obviously there are lines to be drawn for abusive or toxic behaviour. Yes what Iksun did is terrible and perhaps I may still not see how anything she says or do can soothe the hurt she inflicted on Junwan. But perhaps to Junwan it never occurred to him that she has to earn his love back or his forgiveness. If Junwan decides to forgive and love her unconditionally and welcome her back into his life, that is his decision to make. It happens all the time in real life. So yes, I'm still very interested as to how this will pan out in the next few episodes.

The concept of love needing to be earned or deserved is also applicable to how some are still strongly opposing the Wintergarden pairing. There are some still constantly saying they don't understand what is it about Gyeoul that led Jeongwon to fall her (I'm reading between the lines and what the commentors probably truly mean, what is it that Gyeoul did to earn or deserve the great Andrea's love?). Maybe it's her picking the maggots without any disgust and showing her respect to the patient or maybe its just how adorable she is. Sometimes we just don't have a grand reason as to why we love who love.

And finally yes! The uneasiness between the 2 while waiting for the lift is akin to the scene back in season 1! This time with Gyeoul being the one with secrets. I agree with you that it is clear as day especially in this episode that Jeongwon is getting increasingly unhappy with how things are, that uncomfortably controlled exchange between the 2 at the lift and the lingering look he had after Gyeoul turns to leave the lift lobby... I'm gonna say that I called it since ep 1's dinner date where after Jeongwon told her although he couldn't take on her workload he wished to accompany her so she wouldn't be alone and Gyeoul swiftly answered that it's fine and she will deal with it on her own (my loose translation, I don't believe she mentioned it in a curt manner). It was subtle to me, but at that point I already felt Jeongwon's slight disappointment. From then till now, Jeongwon has been gentle in his approach but I really really want Jeongwon to explode because I do believe that is the only way we can get Gyeoul to open up. And I wouldn't say it is out of character for 'Mr Buddha' since pettiness and bearing grudges are part of who he is lol. Granted I think the height of his explosion would be how he lectured Gyeoul for her blunt speech with the patient's mother back in season 1. Whichever way it goes I'm all for it, sat in the front with a bucket of popcorn 😂😂

I have to say my top favourite moments in ep 8 are the Jongsu x Rosa's moments. It warms my heart that they have such a deep level of understanding and affection for each other. Love come in all forms and not necessarily just in the romantic form.

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Aug 13, 2021Liked by 40somethingahjumma

Ma’am you’re not alone with the feeling of uneasiness! Myheart hurt watching that scene at the elevator (props to both SHB and YYS’s acting) idk if I am even making sense but I actually love the build up to the impending emotional scene between Gyeoul and Jeongwon, where they will finally bare their burdens to each other. We were given fluffy scenes at the beginning and now we are about to witness how wingar will navigate complex issues in their relationship.

I am so worried about my girl Gyeoul. I think the way she explained how her mother got injured is painfully similar to how the abused dad explained his children’s injuries in S1. If it is really domestic violence, I am looking forward to how Shinlee and SHB will portray it given that it is a very sensitive issue.

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Aug 13, 2021Liked by 40somethingahjumma

Thank you for your post once again! Your observation of this episode's silences and WinterGarden's unease reminded me of a specific moment - when Gyeoul confronts Jeongwon about not telling her about his mom's condition and surgery. Gyeoul almost seems bitter or let down after Jeongwon explains that he didn't want to burden her. Gyeoul then doesn't pursue the point as Jeongwon quickly asks her how she found out. The silence from both parties with regard to this question contained so much.

On Gyeoul's end, I think she might be feeling a little miffed at Jeongwon that he withheld this information from her given that everyone knew before her. That or she's getting a taste of what it's like to have someone you love not trust you to share what's going on. (To be fair, Gyeoul has actually shared with Jeongwon -some- information so it's not like he was completely in the dark - meanwhile it seems that Jeongwon left her in the dark.) I just hope she's not getting second thoughts about their relationship. But I do think it's not just Jeongwon who is unsettled with how things are; Gyeoul is feeling it too but she's hesitating to communicate the hard-hitting stuff for some reason.

I suspect that one reason might be that in many ways Jeongwon presents himself as "perfect" in front of her. He is so much a provider and protector that he probably struggles to recognise when or how to let others in, as we saw in the beginning scene and all through last season. I'm reminded of Episode 6 as well when he couldn't stand the thought of Gyeoul thinking he had made such a silly mistake in his intern days, not to mention all the foreshadowing of Jeongwon being alone as a pediatric doctor etc.. But Jeongwon also broke down this episode (interesting how both "perfect" people fell at the same time) and it's a shame he didn't think it necessary to share even a part of that with Gyeoul. He can't even look at her as he says he doesn't want to burden her, so maybe he senses his own nonsense. But his silence makes it that much harder for Gyeoul to share what she struggles with in her personal life and for her to really be there for him as well. Either way I hope this is something they eventually talk out as well.

Did not expect to write such a long comment, but more kept popping into my head once I began writing! The threads that come together in Hospital Playlist always end up surprising me. Anyway, thanks for the space to discuss and looking forward to reading your other posts!

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Aug 14, 2021Liked by 40somethingahjumma

Nothing much to add than the beautiful review and the wonderful discussions here.

It was nice they brought the topic of medical decisions for seniors and the adult children’s involvement which is so common in Asian culture. Concepts like advance directives are still not widely prevalent in this side of the world is a proof to that.

Very relieved about Rosa’s recovery.

And what Jongsu and Rosa have is relationship goals!

Songhwa being put together for everyone else but gets annoyed only at mom and then later feeling guilty at her diagnosis is so relatable. So many times we realize mom wasn’t complaining for nothing, be it whatever!

Things are building up to Winter garden’s confrontation and open communication. But the more facade that Gyoeul puts on, I worry if it’s a graver situation at home and her past. But hoping it’s just the story building up for an impactful confrontational scene and not the former.

Min-ha’s cramp episode though felt deja-vu turned out cute! And HP jokes in HP was fun!

Was happy to see more Ik-sun’s scenes, for the amazing actor she is. Hoping to see more of her in the remaining episodes.

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Aug 14, 2021Liked by 40somethingahjumma

It is always a joy to come read your post and all the wonderful / insightful comments. Thank you for taking time to write even on a busy day.

What a monstrous episode indeed! So much was presented but I felt that it was still not long enough; I just want to see more, esp. when they stopped at the bus scene! 😢 As jam packed with content as this episode was, I do agree that so much as delivered with silence. And I have to give kudos to all the actors – they delivered all the emotions so well, including many scenes where they did not use any lines. I cried with Songhwa and felt the tension between WG, and the facial changes on Junwan and Iksun in the last scene were just amazing!

You described exactly how I felt about WG in this episode when you said there is a lingering uneasiness over time that demands attention. You can cut the air with a knife during their exchange in front of the elevator. I have heard comments about their communication barriers being caused by GU. While I totally agree that they have communication barriers, I felt that it was definitely two-sided: JW has his share in this very “oblique” communication style between them as well.

As much as my heart ached seeing that GU still struggled to open up to JW, I was even more disappointed seeing that JW did not share about Rosa with GU, and that she had to find out from the gossip circle. It is not that I do not understand the reason behind it, but how do you expect her to open up when you are not modeling it? I also wonder if GU does know how certain JW is about their future life together – him not having introduced her to Rosa, him not pushing her to go public with their relationship, and now her having to be the last person to find out about Rosa from people far removed from them – I can just imagine how insecure she might feel if she misinterprets all these.

Please note that I am not bashing JW in anyway; both GU and JW went through a hellish week and their minds (using GU’s words) were probably all over the place to think clearly before they acted. I think ShinLee are building up to something that would eventually push the needed communication between them - I believe JW loves her too much to ever allow them be drifted apart without putting up a big fight, so same here, I will be grabbing the front row seat w/ chips in hand to watch when it happens – but as a huge WG fan, I am just selfishly disappointed with the distance I felt in this episode, especially since I had hoped that this double mommy whammy turn of events would push them closer.

Their interactions made me think about how we may want to love and be loved differently. They both appear to love each other very much, both want the other to share things, good or bad, openly with him / her, but when it comes for themselves sharing their own things, they become timid and worrying about burdening the other. I wonder as they both want to love as “protectors” that shelter each other from harms, they forget that they themselves actually want to be treated as “partners” whom the other can feel free to unload and just talk carefreely to.

And about GU, I also wonder if she is not unwilling to share, but maybe she herself is still trying to process what has been going on, either things that just happened, or some past experiences she is now just recognizing what they truly are. If her head is still all over the place, maybe she needs to first process before she can articulate. Yes, maybe one can say “JW does not need clear articulation from you; he just wants you to share everything, and he can process with you”, but remember that this is GU, not JW who grew up in a household that thrived on all those open and free-flowing little chats. She needs time, but let’s hope she is not taking too long before their relationship is permanently damaged.

I am now really curious to find out what GU's backstory is. While all signs appear to point to DV, something is still not adding up to me with how little sensitivity GU had when facing potential signs of abuse in both seasons. It is also strange that all dialogues appear to stay muted about her father. We know from the call with her mom that there is an Appa, but it seems that by Ep8 there is a shared understanding of his absence. I look forward to seeing how all these answers would be unveiled in the upcoming episodes... but really hoping it will all be solved in ep9 (I miss the sweet WG🤣)!

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Did anyone noticed: when the 5 talked about how Gyeoul got her 4 days off so easily, Jeongwon said something about why reputation is important (meaning, Gyeoul has a reputation of being hardworking and thorough, so she got her days off when she called and spoke to her chief). It seemed like a throwaway line, but I suspect that could be a clue about how bad the situation is at home for her. Maybe her dad is not only abusive (to her mom and her) but also of ill-repute (eg. ex-convict?), and that's why she doesn't wanna reveal anything. The stakes are high for her and Jeongwon is her escape. Not that it's an excuse for her not to be honest with Jeongwon, but seeing how badass her character is, i cant help but think of the worst case scenario of her background.

Thank goodness her future mother in law is Jeong Rosa, not Seokhyung's mom!

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Aug 14, 2021Liked by 40somethingahjumma

So happy to have found this blog with amazing and insightful reviews and then a comments section with even more awesome reviews. Also, just a thought, but I wonder if Gyeoul's visit to the VIP ward will sort of out their relationship to the hospital. I mean, not just anyone can visit the former chairman's wife, right?

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