I seldom pay attention the OST (Original Soundtrack) unless the song is catchy, and I feel the need to gather all the OSTs in one thread.
With this drama, however, I’ve no choice but to take a close look at the songs because the very title itself of the drama implies that the playlist is significant to the plot. Otherwise, they should have just called this drama “Hospital Karaoke” or “Hospital Scrubs” or something as silly, right?
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
I’m not self-isolating from you; there’s just piles of reading and redacting for me at work. I need a good joke…or somebody dead.
Of course, a good joke doesn’t involve prison time.
I’m continuing the discussion from here: Hospital Playlist: On the Husband Search
4. Songs
I say that the songs in the Playlist aren’t just randomly chosen by the Writer and Director. They can be hints pointing to the future husband or clues to understand one of the major characters’ state of mind. Since you’re in my blog, you’re reading MY take on them. But you’re free to interpret the song any which way you want. I’m not queen of your thoughts; you are.
The song from Episode 1.
There are a few ways to interpret this. The obvious one is to relate it to JW because:
a) the focus of Episode 1 was on him
b) he was the only one in Episode 1 who wasn’t in a relationship (i.e., IJ was married with a kid, SH was seeing somebody named Ji-Eun, and Songhwa and Jwan were dating people)
c) his life revolved around his patients (esp the very sick child), his Daddy-Long-Legs foundation, and his chaebol family (with a mom who relies on him, brother(s) who go to him for money, and his father who’s chairman of the hospital board)
So, yes, the song is applicable to JW because he was having a hard time and couldn’t be in a relationship at the moment.
But FOR NOW, I’m tying this song to Songhwa.
Episode 1, at 57:02, she asked the band what they were singing. JW answered her that SeokHyun already picked out a song, and pointing at her, he said, “You’ll know as soon as you hear it.” By that comment, I think he meant that she should remember it as the song that was playing during their Freshman orientation night.
When she heard it, she wasn’t amused though. She glared at IJ who just ignored her, so she played on.
Note for the Husband Hunters: Here are the reactions of the four guys to her awful singing. The camera showed everybody’s facial reactions.
SH: speechless. he stopped playing the piano before song ended
IJ: frowned at her then looked the other guys like “What are we gonna do with her?”
Jwan: kept his mouth shut, then unplugged his electric guitar and threw the cord in disgust
JW: the only one who was dying of laughter at her off-key singing. He continued playing the drums with gusto, then made the sign of the cross afterwards.
The general reaction:
lol. I don’t have to remind you about the romantic hero trope, right? The trope says that the true lover accepts the girl for who she is.
Now, here’s the song.
Lonely Night
I miss you more at times like this
When I’m left all alone
I know that you have already left me
But I keep thinking of you
I wonder why you left me back then
You said you were having a hard time
That might have been the reason
But I don’t know whyLonely night. Lonely night
Because I remember you leaving me
Lonely night. Lonely night
Because you remain in my memories.
According to the song, the lover gave an excuse for breaking up but it didn’t sound believable, plausible. “You said you were having a hard time. That might have been the reason, but I don’t know why.” Meaning, the dump-ee didn’t understand why the dump-er would be having a hard time as he/she claimed.
To me, this song was funny choice coming from SH. If I were him, I wouldn’t have picked this song considering our past history. Remember, Songhwa turned down SH when he proposed on her birthday in their freshman year. And unlike the lame excuse said by the lover in this song, Songhwa’s excuse was very clear: she liked somebody else.
It’s not as if SH had forgotten his rejection back then. From Episode 2,
SH: I told Songhwa I had feelings for her but got rejected.
Songhwa looked down in shock.
JW’s Mom: Seriously? When?
Jwan: (strangely he was curious, too) When?
Songhwa: I don’t even remember yesterday. (meaning, how could she possibly remember something that happened two decades ago? Her short-term memory was bad, as it is.)
SH: (but SH had no shame) On her birthday in our freshman year. I told her I had feelings for her only to be rejected.
IJ: How did she reject you?
SH: She said she liked someone else.
Both IJ and JW reacted. They thought she was lame. But I think, Songhwa wasn’t lying. She told SH the truth.
JWan: (acting shocked? or is it sarcasm?) Gosh. That’s such a cookie-cutter answer. (Meaning, it’s such a cliché.)
IJ: (speaking from his personal experience?) We hear that all the time. “I like someone else.”
Songhwa: (looking at him seriously) No. I really did.
Mom: It was like that back in my days, too. It’s hard to say to the person’s face that you just don’t like him.
Jwan: That’s right.
JW: (awkwardly) Totally. That’s true.
To me, Songhwa told SH the truth because telling truth was “kinder” than a telling him a lie. Remember? That’s the whole point of her debate with JWan. Hmmm…let me digress for a little bit here.
For the Husband Hunters: She was angry that JWan didn’t come out and inform her about her cheating boyfriend. She wanted him to tell her the truth even though it would hurt because “a fact was a fact.” What she meant here was that telling the truth was KINDER, in the long run, than telling a lie.
Songhwa: If you see something just tell me as it is. Your concern doesn’t matter
Jwan: Hey, it’s not that easy to do. You think you could’ve told me?
Songhwa: Yes. I would tell you right away. I would tell you your girlfriend was cheating on you the second I saw it.
Of course, she didn’t know that Jwan had been operating on some “Guy Code.” According to the “Guy Code,” real guys don’t snitch on other guys (even if they hate their guts. Jwan admitted that he disliked Dr. Jang).
To me, that’s the reason Jwan WAITED a couple of days before confronting Jang. He was waiting for Jang to make a move on his own. When a couple of days elapsed without Jang taking action/responsibility for his cheating, Jwan confronted Jang in his office. He pressured Jang to confess or he’d do it himself.
Jang: Let’s talk outside.
Jwan: No, let’s talk here. (Good decision. Staying in the office forced them to restrain their emotions. They could hardly have a brawl inside the office.)
Jang: Believe me. It was just that day. Only once.
Jwan: Whether it was just that day or not, I don’t care. (They were referring to the encounter in the not-so-distant past. “That day” meant that it didn’t happen just yesterday.) Just tell Songhwa. I said, tell Songhwa. Whether it’s just a fling or a serious affair, she needs to know. Am I wrong? Don’t make a fool of her. Call her now.
Jang: Okay, I’ll sort it out myself.
Jwan: Shall I tell her for you?
Jang: I said, I’ll do it. (Jwan reached for his phone in his pocket) You’re going overboard. This is between me and Songhwa. Who are you to tell me what to do? Do you have feelings for her? I know you two are close, but this is too much.
Jwan: (deflecting) I bet you have no friends.
Jang; I have friends, of course. But you’re a guy, and she’s a girl.
Jwan: So what? You’re so old-fashioned. Seriously, Songhwa is too good for you.
lol. And there you have it, husband hunters. One reason why Jwan hasn’t proposed to Songhwa all this time. He thinks Songhwa is too good for anybody. He ends up dating “not-so-good” girls, e.g., that girl in Episode 1, because he doesn’t think he’s worthy of the “Prima Donna” Songhwa.
It’s plain as the nose on my face that Jwan has always felt something for Songhwa BUT Songhwa’s not interested in him that way. For now, at least, she doesn’t SEE him romantically. She’s been unaware of the subtle moves that he makes. She dismisses them. But this situation can change because she’s got new shoes now.
Here are two examples in this episode when she ignored Jwan’s overtures.
One, the text. (at 44:04)
Songhwa was napping in the cab.
Jwan: Did I really hurt your feelings?
lol. This is a “fishing” text, meaning he’s prolonging a conversation more than he needed to. Seriously, dude! What’s she gonna say? If she was to text back, “Yes, you hurt my feelings,” how was he going to resolve THAT? By texting a long groveling apology? By sending a crying face emoji? This is a useless text, fangirls.
Songhwa: (quickly tapping) No, I understand. I was just messing with you.
Then, she dozes off again. This tells me that LITERALLY she isn’t losing sleep over this. Their argument may have bothered Jwan and kept him awake, but Songhwa has already dismissed it. It’s a trivial matter to her.
Jwan: Okay.
Songhwa suddenly wakes up, remembers her work, and calls her chief resident to follow up on the Good Samaritan patient.
Two, he dropped by her office late at night. (at 1:08:02)
Jwan: You’re staying late?
Songhwa: Yes. My high school friend’s surgery for her metastatic tumor is tomorrow. I want to read up on it. (she barely looks at him while talking, she wants to get on with her job)
Songhwa: (dismissing him) Get going. (he was bothering her because he was just standing and looking at her).
Songhwa: Bye. (her attention was already back on her work.)
Jwan: Take it easy.
Songhwa: All right. (absent-mindedly because she wasn’t paying him attention anymore)
See, in both these instances, Jwan made the first move to reach out to her, but she ignored him. Her work was more interesting to her than Jwan. Jwan’s attention on her didn’t make her heart go thumpity-thump.
Okay, let me get back on topic.
To me, Songhwa told SH that she liked somebody because that was the truth. It wouldn’t have been difficult for her to say outright that she only liked him as a friend (friendzoned!) because SH was easy-going. But admitting that she liked someone else was her way of commiserating with him. She was saying that she, too, had a crush on somebody so he shouldn’t feel awkward by her rejection. They were in the same boat.
Songhwa: Hey, I’m sorry. No, I mean… never mind. I still want to be friends with you. I don’t want things to get awkward between us because of this. (sips orange juice) Come on. Say something.
SH: I’m okay. Songhwa, I’m sorry for bringing up such nonsense.
Songhwa: Gosh, it wasn’t nonsense!
What she meant was he shouldn’t minimize or make light of his feelings because she understood very well how it felt to like somebody, too.
Songhwa: Anyway, let’s forget about it. It’s my birthday today, isn’t it. That’s great. Let’s cause some trouble today. Hey, let’s go. Come on. Hurry.
Later, when they were playing in their band, she requested this song.
Episode 2, at 1:15:52.
Is it because of the cold weather?
Why do couples with their arms locked
Make me teary-eyed.
Do they remind me of the good old days?
Do I want to meet someone new?
Or do I just miss my ex?If you know someone nice
Set me up with them
Someone who’s like water and fire
Someone who will truly love me, only me
I want someone who’s mature and faithfulIf you know someone nice
Set me up with them
Even love requires practice
I want someone caring
Who notices even small details
Someone with a lot of relationship experienceI have wounds and scars
So I don’t feel comfortable dating someone
With no past whatsoeverI want to be consoled
By someone with pretty eyes who has cried
Because of a breakup at least onceIf only I could lean on the shoulder
Of someone with beautiful hands
and forget my loneliness.
To me, this song is so trollish.
At first glance, it seemed to be referring to Jwan.
These lines in particular were applicable to him. “I have wounds and scars so I don’t feel comfortable dating someone without a past whatsoever. I want to be consoled by someone with pretty eyes who has cried because of a breakup at least once.”
For one, he was the guy who had the most experience in dating and he would know what to do (except he really didn’t, huh? Songhwa was upset that he didn’t tell her sooner). For another, he was trying to console be conciliatory her when he texted, “Did I really hurt your feelings?” Songhwa could lean on his shoulder because he was ready to offer it to her anyway.
But after I re-read the song, I would have to say that it matched JW better.
Although it’s unknown right now whether JW had dating experience and had cried at least once because of breakup (lol. That’s the song requirement, right?), he’s the one described in this stanza.
If you know someone nice
Set me up with them
Even love requires practice
I want someone caring
Who notices even small details
Someone with a lot of relationship experience
It was the dinner in the restaurant (38:51) that clinched it for me. (I’ll write more about this in another post.)
JW noticed that she was massaging her neck, so he asked her, “Want a pain relief patch?”
Jwan commented, “You carry all sorts of stuff there.” But JW ignored him and continued to give the silverware out.
He also noticed her being subdued, so he leaned over and asked if something was bothering her.
Then later she sniffed ever so softly, and JW immediately handed her a tissue.
When she dropped a spoon, JW asked for another spoon. lol. He was like her wingman, watching out for her.
Just like in the song, JW was “someone caring who noticed even small details” about her. Jwan was sitting right in front of her the whole time but he didn’t do anything at all for her, except bicker about the cheating ex.
I like @nrllee’s comment here. I agree with her 100%.
YYS I adore as well. His relatability in every character he plays is his strength. Personally for me his character in Hospital Playlist suits SongHwa best. He knew exactly what she needed at dinner even before she asked. He offered her the pain relief patch, he handed her the tissue.
The other guy JungWon (? They are both JW so I get confused) who bickers with her all the time? I would say their bickering would carry into their marriage.
And that’s fine if they like that sort of thing. But I prefer peace within a marriage, not constant warfare. They are both driven and very similar – both ate their noodles at the expense of everyone else…and it wasn’t the first time. They regularly did that. Both want to “win” so it would be a tumultuous relationship if they were to stay together.
Next, IJ mentioned that JW was such an “enlightened” person, he could be Buddha.
IJ: Do you know what your nickname is?
JW: What is it? Is it “Angel”?
IJ: It’s Buddha.
JW: I see.
IJ: That makes no sense, right? His family has two priests and two nuns.
JW: I love Buddha, too.
IJ: My goodness! Jeongwon is my ideal friend. Gosh! If I had a younger sister, I would set you up with her.
Jwan: You do have a sister.
IJ: Oh right…I do.
Just like in the song, IJ was saying that JW was a really nice guy that he’d set him up with his sister.
We’re not told why he didn’t go ahead and actually set him up with his sister. But I’m guessing he didn’t do so because he either knew a girl who really liked JW or knew the girl JW really liked.
Lastly, he knew relationships. Sure, we don’t know if he’d dated someone before, but when it came to inter-personal relationships, JW was much better than Jwan. It showed in their answers to Songhwa’s dilemma about the Good Samaritan patient.
JW: Is something bothering you?
Songhwa: What? Nothing.
Jwan: I bet it’s because of Gong Hyeongu.
JW: The good Samaritan from the subway? What about him? I heard the new chief will be performing the surgery. What does she have to do with it?
Songhwa: I heard Professor Min doesn’t have much experience with TSA. And given the location of the tumor and sequelae, going with TSA is a much better choice than a craniotomy. Since he was originally my patient, I’m thinking of telling him that I’ll takek the patient.
JW: But that might be a bit awkward. He’s Professor Min’s patient now after all.
There! He may or may not have girlfriend relationships, but he understood what was bugging Songhwa.
Songhwa: Right? My gosh. How am I going to take the surgery from him?
Jwan: I would just tell him.
JW: Of course, you would. (Meaning, yes, given his insensitive? egotistical? tactless? personality, he wouldn’t consider other people’s feelings.)
Jwan: Yes. If that’s a better option for the patient, I ought to. “I can perform that surgery better than you. And it’s better for the patient.” I’d tell him exactly that.
JW: Tsk. I couldn’t do it. Every doctor has their methods and stories. It’s crossing the line.
Jwan: No, it’s not. We must stick to the facts.
Songhwa: If you’re so inclined to stick to the facts, why didn’t you tell me the fact that my ex was cheating on me? (and they started bickering again.
For Jwan, he could tell Professor Min bluntly that he was a better surgeon, because their relationship was strictly work. But for JW, he couldn’t do the blunt approach, because doctors are humans (have “methods and stories”). Telling Professor Min that he was better so he should take over the patient was out of line.
It was interesting that, in the end, Songhwa took the advice of The Buddha JW. She knew that Prof Min liked to receive praise and glory (lol. That’s his “method and stories”) so she used that to HER advantage. She gave him praise and glory. “I’ll assist you. I still don’t feel confident with the TSA surgery. I’d love the opportunity to learn from you.”
She didn’t need to tell Prof Min that she was actually better than him at performing TSA surgeries. What was the point of that?
Her method was a win-win situation for everyone. She got what she wanted. The patient lived. Prof Min was happy. He agreed to have her assist him and, as expected, he left her to do the surgery by herself.
JWan’s approach wouldn’t have worked here.
*******************
So there you have it. My thoughts on the songs. Next up: A follow-up post on the main characters. I’ll post sometime tonight.
The regulars here know that I always like to post disclaimers: You don’t have to believe me. You’re capable of thinking on your own. You can use my ideas as a jumping-off point. You have a nice day. 🙂
Thanks for the throwback posts @pkml3. I was able to read the original comments, well, most of them, as well. It’s a strange show. Only held afloat by the viewers because we want to play the game set out by the writers and PD, knowing full well that we are going to be trolled… possibly more than once.
I tend to feel that the writers and PD have been over-indulgent (towards themselves) in making this mostly about the wife or husband hunt, with very little or no actual story, with clues so subtle that they are easily missed, with the need to recognise the meta from other shows, and with their insupportable 180 degrees turnaround.
Basically, as a drama without the wife or husband hunt, it is only good for the friends’ camaraderie, the songs, and the ups and downs with the weekly patients. Lacking any actual plot, the ‘story’ is overrated. This production team, I feel, is getting away with ‘murder’!!!
I watch it for the friends here and to enjoy the cheers and wails.
GB, I had this little feeling they kinda treat their dramas just like a variety show they’re so used in making. 🤷♀️
@Miracle23 Aah, is that the ‘style’ that they’re used to? Variety show and not even a Reality TV show? They seem to have done only the Reply and HP series, and not turned their hands to other ‘real drama’ works.
Well, yes, show seems to be a hodge podge of scenes that we have to keep in mind and recall for later.
Thank you for these throwback posts, @packmule3. Like @GB, I would watch it for the friends here and for the friendships in the drama. Personally, I would miss most of the meta and subtle hints if not for the posts here.
I’m really looking forward to the new series.
Hi @Fern, I look forward to watching the new series with you.
What I really want is more backstory. We see something about most of the main characters, but not enough. Not enough to judge how far we are seeing what is typical or atypical in their reactions and responses. I feel the Pdn Team is deliberately keeping a lot from us to give us a hard time!!! Without this community, I may not last the whole season! 😠 😌
@GB. This duo keeps everything real. They don’t necessarily have a particular story arc. It’s just mundane everyday stories in a particular setting. Be it a homestay (R94), neighbors (R88) or in this case, a hospital. It’s about a bunch of friends who’ve been through med school together and their everyday lives. Their ups and downs. How they get through it. What keeps the audience invested (even if they claim that they are just there for the camaraderie 😂) is the hunt. So whilst there are moments in the drama where they hit you with reality (pregnant mom loses baby, death of a child, saying goodbye to a baby) and the tear ducts get a workout, it’s the hunt (the guessing) that keeps everyone wanting to tune in every week. And what’s fun is that this duo plays fair. They give you enough to actually make an educated guess. They leave Easter eggs for you to find in the script. Unlike Mouse writer Choi Ran whose ridiculous writing gives the audience no chance whatsoever to find out what the final reveal is. It takes a bit of getting used to. They’ve fine tuned it and it’s a style that is distinctly theirs alone.
Thanks @nrllee for the succinct review of the writer’s and PD’s style. Having never watched all their shows except Reply 1988, I wasn’t quite sure what to watch for until I read the posts here. Well I do hope they really do play fair. One wonders if suddenly after leading us using hard to find breadcrumbs, they suddenly toss the crumbs in a heap somewhere to confound and annoy us.
Yes I read a little about the fiasco that was Mouse. My commiserations.
The other clues have been inferred apart from the drama script. It all comes down to intentionality. The fact that Shin PD revealed that he was adamant about the instruments that each character played. So if you were cast as Jwon, you had to play the drums. If you were IJ, you played lead guitar. If you were SHyeong, you played keys. And SHwa had to play the bass guitar. It would have been far easier to cast the members and just have them play whatever they were comfortable with playing? But no. He insisted. And many like SHwa and SHyeong took lessons. In fact they all did bar JJS because he could already play guitar. So that can only mean one thing. The band positions had a part to play in the the story. He would’ve done his research about this. In band circles, the drummer and bassist have a unique relationship. They form the rhythm section of the band. Not particularly flashy but they keep everyone in time. There’s a term in band circles called “locking in”. It’s when the drummer and bassist are so synchronized that they groove together without even thinking much about it. They know each other intimately. SHwa and JWon have been “locked in” from the beginning. The jingle/song that plays at the end of every episode? It was released in Ep10 as the OST for that ep. Ep10 was when FG became a distinct possibility because there was a casual marriage proposal said in jest. And more importantly, the rhythm section of that song? It’s an instrumental that was used in R88. The name of that instrumental? FlowerGarden. 😂. See the links? It can’t be purely coincidental. Everything lines up too neatly for it to be so. It had to be deliberately factored in.
@nrllee,
– why is this couple called the Flower Garden couple? Because of this instrumental piece?
Chae Songhwa means moss rose, a type of wild rose. Songhwa is flower iirc. While Jeong Won means garden.😅
Flower garden. 🤭
Coincidently (or not), moss rose has its own story written in 1903.
Take a peek here:
https://ourpsychicfg.tumblr.com/post/623642841479053312/random-post-4-rose-garden-an-inspiration-from
@GB. It’s their names. JeongWon means Garden in Korean. SongHwa means Flower (more specifically Pine Flower or Moss Flower) – the Hwa in her name gives it away. GyeoUl means Winter. Hence the names for the different pairings.
Thank you @Miracle23 and @nrllee!
Thanks for the link, miracle23. Who wrote that? She/he researched it well. Good work!
Just to let you. These HP Throwback Thursday posts are getting “clicks” from… (of all places!!)… South Korea. pwahahaha.
@pkml3 South Korea!! That’s something! The international opinions and the in-depth, meticulous analyses might be the draw. 🙂
We’ve always had hits/clicks from South Korea but I noticed that last Thursday and this Thursday again, there was an unusual spike.
You know, I don’t do “big data analytics” on this blog because I don’t want to be influenced to write about dramas for the clicks. Who cares, right? I just want to talk about dramas which I like or can recommend to others.
But while I was gone, I received a couple of comments from Russia — of all countries! — so I went to check the stats to see if the posters are legit or a spammer.
That’s when I saw S. Korea listed among the high-viewing countries.
Surely they have sites like soompi or k-reddit where they discuss dramas? Maybe they want to read the “Western” or non-Korean perspective on the drama, or maybe they know of few people who are FGers?
I don’t know. Anyway, I thought it would be a fun data point to share with you.
@pkml3 Well we are certainly different in our opinions and perspectives over here. I trust that they’ll enjoy our ‘nonsense’. Goodness, they are tuning in to us on Thursdays, the “to-be” airing night, while waiting for HP2 to start airing. LOL. They are perhaps preparing for their own watch by reading up first. It’s fun research (which I too did!). Good for them.
I’ve always wondered where the flower garden and winter garden “team” names came… now I get it. LOL 😂
@Janey, you and me both. I thought I was really dull, not getting it even after watching til the end. I sort of heard and knew about how Winter came into the picture, but could not tell what the Flowers were an allusion to, …. and where the heck was the Garden. LOLOL. Well, after I made enough of a valiant effort, I figured it’s fine to just ask!!!
(๑✧◡✧๑)
🙂
You asked one simple question, @GB. But I bet you weren’t expecting an avalanche of info.
I was thinking of adding a new caption (or tagline?) to the blog.
Something like:
BitchesOverDramas: We critique dramas. What’s your superpower?
hahaha.
Heheheh! @pkml3 I’ve been diligently reading our bunch here, therefore I knew there’d be more than just a few sentences of info coming my way, but WOW! with the links given by @Miracle23 and others, and so much that’s been discussed coming to the fore…. (⌒⃝৺⌒⃝) Can’t say I’ve digested everything, but I’ve gotten a pretty good idea.
I love reading this, thank you @packmule3
I noticed Mido position in the behind the scenes when they practice the “Lonely Nights” song, Mido was singing seating facing right in front of the drummer. ShinPD was also taking video with his phone from Mido angle and then to YYS’s. Have anyone saw that BTS?
Looking forward to watch the season 2 with you all. Cheers.
Yes I did watch that ep. Letta. Iirc it was their first group practise for s1. I didn’t think much of it. Took it as the best setting that they could have come up with given the small room. 😅 Since Mido will initially sing, she will sit at the singer’s seat at the center. The setting at Shyeong’s basement is what we need to pay attention. Because that was definitely intentionally set up. At the band station, from the front he will always be on her left/ slight left. The same as whenever they had meal there. PG will always sit on her left side if we are looking from their front whereas the seatings of the other guys kept changing.😊 Coincidence? I think not.🤭
@Miracle 23, that is a good observation. Traditionally someone seated on the right is the most important guest.
Wouldn’t be a proper shipper if I didn’t crop photos. 😂. Jeju holiday for this foursome please. 😍
https://i.ibb.co/QdwHb3R/DF36-A0-FF-8-AD1-4-FFB-BEE6-066-FAB7-EF7-F7.jpg
@miracle23 Tbh I won’t notice the seating set up in the basement if it weren’t for this reading. When I rewatch it I was amaze how the reviews here was on point thank you @packmule3 and
@nrllee well done with the cropping LOL
Letta, take a look at Thunderaven’s parallel collections for our FG.😊 ShinLee put all these there for a reason.
http://dinosaurridge.tumblr.com
Yes! I just took a peek at dinosaurridge.tumblr and I suddenly remembered WHY I disliked IkJung for Songhwa!!
IkJung was such a DOUCHEBAG during that lunch when he was schooling and “programming” Songhwa on how to eat slowly. What the heck?
I don’t understand how rational female viewers could stomach such a display of condescension.
If my colleague or boyfriend were to command me like this, you could bet your bottom dollar that I’d dump the whole lunch tray on his head.
Hmmm… I’m now reminded of that Seo YeJi and Kim Jung Hyun’s weird dominatrix-submissive dating kink. Seo Yeji ordered KJH not to touch his female costar and he obeyed like a fool. Ewww. Is this what Ikjung was doing here? A power play?
@packmule3 I was uncomfortable too when Ikjun criticized SHwa eating. Why did he do that in-front of many people. He made SHwa looked “less”. If any, a partner moreover, should know how important it is to put himself in public. When one disrespected his partner in front of other people, how could he protect her dignity from them all.
I remember last year one of my friend told me not too worry about the husband hunt game, she told me to appreciate more on the other parts of the story. Yes of course I appreciate the other stories like friendship, or patient stories, or their family.. But I just can’t close my eyes from this husband hunt thingy. For me the husband hunt is like the center of the story, and if it goes to the opposite direction of my conscience, it will ruin the whole story in my perspective. Hohoho. That’s how important the husband hunt in this drama for me 😅😅
So I am rewatching HP because it honestly didn’t leave a huge impression the first go round. I was much more engaged in Dr. Romantic (which between some of same actors, JJS’s wife singing the OST for season 2 and the occasional reference to “romantic” – seems like there is a friendly wink wink going on). My favorite song so far is the Crying Nut’s Oh What a Shiny Night (ep 5 or 6?). And now I am trying to interpret through the new glasses that this blog offers. I found a link on YouTube to their English version of the song so thinking about how it might apply to the characters. Sometimes a song is just a song, but probably not in a script where real estate is precious and everything should contribute or advance the plot. Last thing unrelated to songs – is there a twin theme? @packmuke3 touched on the pair theme in an earlier discussion Two characters named Ahn, two similarly named main characters (Jung-won vs Jun-wan) (I think at one point Jang misunderstands which of these character is staying over at LIJ’s place), a Yang and Jang (perhaps pronounced differently in Korean), and the reference to the 5 year old twins who are cousins of the two brother/sister residents
@packmule3 sorry for mangling your name above 🙏
Good Twin, this is my take on that song by Crying Nut.
https://ourpsychicfg.tumblr.com/post/641778187862409216/nb-30042020-shin-pd-chose-3-best-scenes-in
This is for confession is not flashy:
https://ourpsychicfg.tumblr.com/post/624697358590050304/co-written-by-midoring-featuring-kang-dong
For ShinLee, songs are not just songs. They were chosen for a reason related to the plot or the characters in the episode that they were used. I stated it in my N.B. in the tumblr posts above.
With regard to same family names used, you will notice that it is like a juxtaposition. A referencing of sort. Song Hwa’s ex-boyfriend’s surname is Jang which is same as you know who. Song Hwa’s secret admirer’s surname is Ahn which is the same as PG. Coincidence? 🤭🤭🤭 Ahn Chi Hong, will not return in S2. He gave Song Hwa new shoes. He is kind. He likes her. Our take is he is a juxtaposition for the other Ahn. Perhaps our main guy Ahn was the one who gifted her with the first pair of shoes, the one she wore for 10 years. To be confirmed. So how about the Jangs? We shall see if a break up due to cheating will happen in ep 1 or 2 of Season 2. Or perhaps that the fate of the Jangs is the same i.e. they are not meant to be with Shwa and PG, respectively.
The younger twins Mone and Mane(?) were referenced from the modern artist’s names while the older twins’ name were referenced from Korean painters. Their surname is Jang. Another coincidence?🤭 Ikjun cares a lot about another one with that surname. He made sure she eats, he made sure she got her BTS coffee, he made sure she got her chocolate received on her bare hands, just like his sister did to Jwan. These are the juxtapositions / parallels scatterred throughout the whole series. 😁
@GoodTwin yes I think there’s also a Twin theme. In Reply 1994, the dad there coached a baseball team called the Seoul Twins. And I remember there was also a scene where Sung DongIl (the older priest brother in HP), appears as another character and they meet each other 😂. His doppelgänger twin. Actually it was then that they had the cameo of the leads in R1997 as well. They lived upstairs in the same building as NaJung and her hubby. So yes twins is an inside joke. You gradually pick up these inside jokes that the duo have as you watch their dramas. They think it’s a hoot to include them in their new dramas. Cameos of cast from their past dramas is another thing they like to do. I think they like the nostalgia. So they include these links in there. I am pretty sure they used the football game at the end of R94 as inspiration for their plot in HP. There are way too many coincidences for it.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Q5WlVbHEcwsTyAp1166ykzMo-W899QB5AVSndOUhSGg/
True, nrllee. Too many referencing made from Reply 1994, I lost count. It’s mind-boggling that they did that for HP. Coincidence?🤔
🤭
Miracle23 and nrllee – thank you! Those tumbler posts are awesome. I would love to read more interviews from the writers and how they crafted their stories. I haven’t watched Reply 1994 – I am partial to Reply 1997 – but I will add it to the list. I just watched the music video for Crying Nut and saw what looked like twins, two nuns, a nurse and a surgeon (or doctor), in addition to the Bruce Lee theme that predominates – I may be projecting though . . . 🤣
@Miracle23 – another light bulb 💡 moment for me on your post about the names. I do not usually pay attention with the full names in kdrama and artists/actors but yeah, this is the attention to detail needed for this show.
So thank you!!!
I really liked that post @Packmule3!
And I would like to add something to your train of thought.
When Chae Song-Hwa was singing in her Birthday that song back in the old days,
she pointed with her eyes at Lee Ik-Joon to the cake in a cupboard, if it was for her and he nodded yes.
In the beginning, I thought that she liked Ik-Joon, but now that I read your thoughts, I am thiking that she was actually asking if Ahn Jeong-Won bought the cake for her.
If I am right, then Ik-Joon is the only one who really knew who liked who and when, but he was keeping it for himself, because he is respecting everyone emotions and feelings.
Cleopatra, for me – among the five Ikjun is the most oblivious of the others. He lives in his own ideal world. He said this when he told about his divorce to his patient in order to motivate her. Yet, even after that he repeated the same mistake with his other patient when he made an assumption about her father. And again when he presumed that the dilemma PG is having about leaving has everything to do about that resident that Ik Jun himself treasure. He made executive decision for them not to compete during that music competition when they were eager to join. He does not understand his friends. I think this is his error with regard to his wife as well. If he knew earlier on during their college days that PG likes a girl, he would not have said to that resident that PG was never seen with any girl i.e. PG has never dated any girl.
Additionally, he also slowly neglecting his son as he put himself more into work and wooing Shwa and spending time with Yulje’s residents instead of his son. I think we might see something happens that force him to return to caring for Uju. Right now the boy needs his dad more than his nanny.
@Miracle23,
I haven’t watched that much to have a complete understanding of their characters yet. I said what I said based on Episode’s 2 scene and how I deciphered it.
When I will proceed further with the Series I will know more, because I haven’t encountered yet the scenes you are describing. 🙂
Oh no! Sorry… spoiler🙈 please continue Cleopatra… really sorry for the spoiler.
@Miracle23,
It’s okay! Don’t worry! 🙂
I’m looking forward to see the songs chosen for season 2. He puts so much thought into his OST!