It’s not hard to see why Song-hwa is content with things as they stand. The show does a fine job in this episode of demonstrating how a professional woman in her 40s who is at the top of her game can live a fulfilling life as a busy single with no regrets. The fact that she’s so much more excited about being in charge of the Daddy Long Legs scheme than she is about being confessed to or match-made seems to point to what makes her tick and gets her out of bed this morning. Work is not everything in life to be sure but for some people work is a calling… a vocation… a belief that you have been endowed with an inclination and a gift to serve others. Not just a job you go to or do to pick up the fortnightly paycheck. Often these sorts of individuals go above and beyond the job description… which is almost obligatory in such occupations where serving people are involved. Song-hwa is a great clinician because she enjoys all aspects of what that entails (including the sometimes complex doctor - patient dynamic) and the fact that she can do a lot of good in it.
That’s also the case with Jeong-won nickname “Buddha” demonstrating patience with his tetchy young patient and his frustrated mother. We also saw this with Seok-hyeong trying to find some way to comfort his patient who lost her baby at 23 weeks. He went out of his comfort zone to send this grieving mother a text telling her that life doesn’t always go the way we plan. For him it’s a big deal because being a doctor doesn’t end just because the medical process has reached an end point. A holistic approach to medicine means that there’s more to giving medical care than prescribing treatments for the physical body.
I found myself siding with Ik-jun as he confronted the post- op liver transplant patient in his office. (Especially because a friend from church recently received a kidney after suffering through dialysis for a long period) It’s another side to the usually jovial, affable, comedic Ik-jun. Non-compliance in such an instance is deadly but perhaps even more importantly the patient has completely disregarded the sacrifices that others have made for him to live. There has been a lack of mindfulness and gratitude on his part for the gift that’s been given to him not just from the wonders of medical science but from his loved ones. The patient has exchanged a possibly longer and fulfilling life for short-term pleasure. The wife’s inner angst were on the money. No wonder Ik-jun who is usually fairly easy-going was hot under the collar.
As promised, Jeong-won’s announcement to his friends about dating Jang Gyeo-ul was perfectly achieved in its simplicity. As it befits the man who makes it. Moreover the responses were also spot on — each a reflection of the person who gives it. There was no ribbing or nose rubbing… just an acceptance that their friend has moved on to another phase of his life and it’s doing him (and the lucky lady) good. Ik-jun’s reaction is especially moving because of his relationship with Gyeo-ul and the fact that he was privy to all her secrets early on. It’s also impressive too that neither Song-hwa or Ik-jun give any indication that they were already in the know to some degree.
Everyone’s relieved that Jeong-won decided to stay. And I mean… everyone. That includes the guardians of his patients as represented by Seung-won’s mother. She must have spoken for all the parents of children (past, present and future) who are overjoyed that he has decided to remain in pediatrics. It would have been a great loss not just to Yulje if he had gone into the priesthood but to patients. That was certainly the emphasis in his interactions with Seung-won’s mum. Jeong-won is so obviously good at what he does especially as he is the master of bedside manners. This goes back to what I was saying before about a vocation. It is a gift in part born out of his personality and he’s using it in the right context for him. Understanding sensitive kids after all is his forte.
That early morning scene at the cafe was, in short, a hoot. It’s literally payback time when Jun-wan demands Ik-jun’s staff card from Gyeo-ul (I checked to see if she was wearing the clip Yeon-u’s mum gave her and yes she did) in order to go hammer and tongs on a spending spree at Ik-jun’s expense. Jeong-won is present too and follows suit threatening to order every drink on the menu for all the nurses in the PICU. Poor Ik-jun gets a text as he stumbles into work with information that he’d just accrued about 185 000 won in his account. Jo Jeong-seok the great actor that he is does a nice wobbly cracked voice when he’s upset.
Jun-wan’s comment tinged with dramatic irony that “love’s in the air at GS” after hearing that Ik-jun loaned out his card to Gyeo-ul was also worth a laugh.
As they say God is in the details and honestly no one does better with details than Hospital Playlist at this point. Everything little thing from words, iconography, interactions and scenes means something if not in the immediate context, makes reference to something in the past or prefigures a future event. The thought that has gone into making this franchise never ceases to amaze me.
Maybe because of my anticipation of Season 2, the sheer length of the premiere episode or because I really didn't like the violinist's mom, but Ep 2 took a while to sink in for me. Literally 3 watches :) But yes, it is signature Hospital Playlist. I love the themes in every episode, the friendship and interaction between the characters and how it feels so real to see life and death ticking in a hospital through the stories of each character. I love how the characters aren't pinning their lives away for romance to happen. They have real jobs and man, do they put in all their best for those jobs. I would love my doctors and nurses to be like that if I was ill and being treated at a hospital! And, despite how I disliked the violinist's mom, she was doing what every mom would do - worrying about and protecting her child. It was the same for the other moms in the story this week - the one who lost her baby at 23 weeks (sob), the young patient's mom and even the wife of Ik Jun's alcoholic patient. Which mom wouldn't get mad when 2 of her daughters risked their lives to save her husband, only for him to return to the bottle? I love that it is the first time we see Ik Jun get mad at his patient. Makes him human and more likeable.
I want Ik Jun to be cupid for our Bear-Bear couple in OB&G, but I also want a cupid for Ik Jun. Maybe Uju will be his dad's cupid - after all, he is asking for a camping trip in the preview for Ep 3, and who is a better camping expert than Chae Songhwa?
Thanks for the review!
To me, this episode was somehow even better than the first one.
The song the band rehearsed, Autumn Outside the Post Office, has made its way to my personal playlist. Btw, it is in D and has the same succession of chords as Pachelbel's Canon (Seok-hyung's theme song), which is a bit more prominent in the BTS cover. Kim Dae-myung's version just made my heart squeeze in the right way.
Also, I stopped the vid several times because I'm just a hopeless fan of the angles the cameramen use. :) I had to make a ton of screenshots. It's an art how they make small windows in doors work as picture frames. Art!
A round of applause for the cast too. This time, I could feel the surgeons' physical exhaustion after spending hours in the OR, the frustration, and the toil. When you watch medical dramas, you sometimes get used to doctors being heroic and always saving lives... guess what, it doesn't happen ALL the time. The highlight of the episode for me was Ik-jun and Seok-hyong's talk in the garden under the rays of setting sun. They are very different in character, temperament and experience. But they were filmed in such a way that we could clearly see that they are doing the same job, have the same ideals and struggles.
Song-hwa is a beauty. I agree with you, dear author, that at this point of her life, she doesn't need a man to be complete or fulfilled. She's basking in being able to do her job well, in serving people. But, despite what some fans may and do say, she and Ik-jun are probably the end game. The very amount of the scenes they share together since Season 1, and the contents of those... You have to be blind not to see how special he is to her, despite all the differences. He makes her laugh. He makes her look and behave like a real person in general, because of all the Lacking Five, her character is the least transparent. Yes, she's smart, talented, wise, gracious, all-around perfect. We are even shown some of her flaws, like eating like a vacuum cleaner or being tone-deaf - but those are cute flaws. The real Song-hwa is hidden. But it feels like Ik-jun knows the real Song-hwa. That's why I'm interested in seeing this relationship develop.
I also loved the cafeteria scene. We usually see this kind of childish behaviour and banter inside the 99z group, behind closed doors. This time, Dr Jang was a participant in the skit. I wonder if she would ever trust Jun Wan with relaying anything to Ik-jun again. I'd like to see more interactions between Thanos and Winter.