While interacting with regular readers here about various aspects of Episode 11, a thought struck me about Jeong-won in his current capacity as a professor of GS/Pediatric Surgery. Prior to him making the decision to stay at Yulje, he believed that he was destined for the priesthood because the belief was that was his calling. But it was clear to his mother, oldest brother and to some of us that pediatrics was his true calling. Regardless of whether he was in love with Jang Gyeo-ul, it was obvious even to Blind Freddy that he was a great pediatric surgeon except for the fact that he was feeling as if he had reached the end of his emotional tether.
This... brought some tears to my eyes... again. But really good, well-thought-out writing does that to me. Thank you.
Again, I agree with everything. :) I need some more time to formulate my opinion on Seok-hyeong's journey, but your WG take, it resonates so much with me at the moment... You know, when I started Season 1, I came across some comments that the show depicts Catholicism as a caricature, what with the priest accompanying his brother for drinks or them eating ice-cream in church...
But I couldn't understand the criticism at all. It was all so well-done for me. I'm an Orthodox Christian and a regular churchgoer, and I am absolutely blown away by the subtlety with which the religious symbols are used... the Pieta in the failed proposal scene, and daisies in Father Peter's hands that symbolize Virgin Mary... And his advice to Jeong-won to hold out just for a year more - I got similar advice from a priest, and that's a very solid advice that works 99.9 times out of 100... These things have reminded me what I love about my faith and even rekindled it in many aspects, washing off the superficiality quite a bit. The WG relationship really conveys a lot of Christian values, about the calling and how Lord works in the most mysterious ways, and Jeong-won indeed is a pastoral figure, and he does it so, so well... Because he's in the place he was meant to be from the very beginning. And because he has a helper, soon-to-become-a-wife. That's so deep, and so inspiring... and just right, I guess.
But at the same time, these ideas, images, and opinions are not imposed on the viewers. Those who have a set of eyes for this shall see. Others will enjoy something else.
I so agree with this post! Thinking about how far WinterGarden has come makes me emotional... suffering, as much as it feels like some kind of hellfire, is something Jeongwon and Gyeoul have grown from so much and they've grown together in sharing their suffering too as you've said TT
For Seokhyeong, I suspect that he was undoing some of his emotional baggage in his conversation with Minha when he asks her "What if I'm a bad person?" I imagine he must still be scared of him and his mom hurting Minha, but all signs point to him now balancing out that fear with a healthy amount of action and planning before he breaks the news. I laughed when Minha made him confess since he had to give up plausible deniability - but it was soon followed by a palpable sense of release on his part (his smile when hugging Minha!!) They look adorable in the teaser for next episode too :)
These men with their commitment and dedication to their loved ones have really been "a breath of fresh air." Thank you for the great post and have a good weekend!
😍😘💕❤ - I wish I could give you endless hearts! I love every part of this post, especially the ending paragraph. For a committed couple, the baggage becomes opportunities for them to grow closer. It is not the size of the baggage that would determine whether a relationship would bust or sail; if the commitment is low, then a tiny little thing could trigger fatigue and break up. That is why I so appreciate the positive messages about commitment and faith in goodness from this show.
And you summed up the WG relationship so well: "Firstly though she would change his mind and he would change her manner" - My heart was doing dances over this sentence💃💃💃. JW might not have gone to Italy, but in a way, he is serving as a priest to counsel the doctors, families, and the patients he encounters at Yulje everyday. I hope we get to have S3 to see him expand his impact even more through DLL, charity children's hospital, and potentially executive leadership over the hospital.
Btw, Cannon in D was one of my first and is still one of my all time favorite HP FF.... no pressure, but would love love love to see more HP ffs from you!
Awww thank you for picking up on my comment about the committed men of HP, and expanding it so well! "Life’s far too short to be wishy washy or fixated with failure." >> how very true! I sometimes use to wonder how people can meet, date and marry in a year. But then again, if you think about the focus and commitment people can put into a relationship that they wanna make work, why not? :)
Part of the reason why I'm ready to bid 'annyeong' to Hospital Playlist if Shin PD and Writer Lee decide not to continue with Season 3 is because I feel the 4 couples are all now in a good space. So even if the series ends, I know in my head that they are all living their 'happily ever after'. (I trust the writer to give Bidulgi a good resolution, since the awkwardness between them seem to be melting away in Ep 11. Oh, and that Seokhyung will sort things out with his mom). Of course, if they can maintain good story telling, having Season 3 would be icing on the cake.
This... brought some tears to my eyes... again. But really good, well-thought-out writing does that to me. Thank you.
Again, I agree with everything. :) I need some more time to formulate my opinion on Seok-hyeong's journey, but your WG take, it resonates so much with me at the moment... You know, when I started Season 1, I came across some comments that the show depicts Catholicism as a caricature, what with the priest accompanying his brother for drinks or them eating ice-cream in church...
But I couldn't understand the criticism at all. It was all so well-done for me. I'm an Orthodox Christian and a regular churchgoer, and I am absolutely blown away by the subtlety with which the religious symbols are used... the Pieta in the failed proposal scene, and daisies in Father Peter's hands that symbolize Virgin Mary... And his advice to Jeong-won to hold out just for a year more - I got similar advice from a priest, and that's a very solid advice that works 99.9 times out of 100... These things have reminded me what I love about my faith and even rekindled it in many aspects, washing off the superficiality quite a bit. The WG relationship really conveys a lot of Christian values, about the calling and how Lord works in the most mysterious ways, and Jeong-won indeed is a pastoral figure, and he does it so, so well... Because he's in the place he was meant to be from the very beginning. And because he has a helper, soon-to-become-a-wife. That's so deep, and so inspiring... and just right, I guess.
But at the same time, these ideas, images, and opinions are not imposed on the viewers. Those who have a set of eyes for this shall see. Others will enjoy something else.
I so agree with this post! Thinking about how far WinterGarden has come makes me emotional... suffering, as much as it feels like some kind of hellfire, is something Jeongwon and Gyeoul have grown from so much and they've grown together in sharing their suffering too as you've said TT
For Seokhyeong, I suspect that he was undoing some of his emotional baggage in his conversation with Minha when he asks her "What if I'm a bad person?" I imagine he must still be scared of him and his mom hurting Minha, but all signs point to him now balancing out that fear with a healthy amount of action and planning before he breaks the news. I laughed when Minha made him confess since he had to give up plausible deniability - but it was soon followed by a palpable sense of release on his part (his smile when hugging Minha!!) They look adorable in the teaser for next episode too :)
These men with their commitment and dedication to their loved ones have really been "a breath of fresh air." Thank you for the great post and have a good weekend!
😍😘💕❤ - I wish I could give you endless hearts! I love every part of this post, especially the ending paragraph. For a committed couple, the baggage becomes opportunities for them to grow closer. It is not the size of the baggage that would determine whether a relationship would bust or sail; if the commitment is low, then a tiny little thing could trigger fatigue and break up. That is why I so appreciate the positive messages about commitment and faith in goodness from this show.
And you summed up the WG relationship so well: "Firstly though she would change his mind and he would change her manner" - My heart was doing dances over this sentence💃💃💃. JW might not have gone to Italy, but in a way, he is serving as a priest to counsel the doctors, families, and the patients he encounters at Yulje everyday. I hope we get to have S3 to see him expand his impact even more through DLL, charity children's hospital, and potentially executive leadership over the hospital.
Btw, Cannon in D was one of my first and is still one of my all time favorite HP FF.... no pressure, but would love love love to see more HP ffs from you!
Awww thank you for picking up on my comment about the committed men of HP, and expanding it so well! "Life’s far too short to be wishy washy or fixated with failure." >> how very true! I sometimes use to wonder how people can meet, date and marry in a year. But then again, if you think about the focus and commitment people can put into a relationship that they wanna make work, why not? :)
Part of the reason why I'm ready to bid 'annyeong' to Hospital Playlist if Shin PD and Writer Lee decide not to continue with Season 3 is because I feel the 4 couples are all now in a good space. So even if the series ends, I know in my head that they are all living their 'happily ever after'. (I trust the writer to give Bidulgi a good resolution, since the awkwardness between them seem to be melting away in Ep 11. Oh, and that Seokhyung will sort things out with his mom). Of course, if they can maintain good story telling, having Season 3 would be icing on the cake.