The great thing about being a self-avowed bitch is that I don’t have to agree with the general viewing public or the scriptwriter. I can observe their mindsets, idiosyncrasies and prejudices, and draw my own conclusions. Thank you very much.
When I post (and re-post) these reviews and commentaries, I’m only explaining WHAT I think and HOW I came to hold my opinion. In simple English: love it or leave it.
If you’re a JW-and-Jang shipper, Ikjun-and-Songhwa shipper or whatever, you’ve been repeatedly warned to vacate this blog for your own mental health. Seriously, I’m not interested in debating the issue and reading your feelings about my posts.
Do NOT use my posts to flame the fanwars.
Do NOT publish or redistribute contents found here without my consent.
Do NOT annoy the natives here. 🙂
Above all, do NOT use my blog to harass and dox the Flower Gardeners online.
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
One word to sum up the episode…and I’ll be kind for now… is predictable
This doesn’t bode well. If the writer is already running out of fresh ideas in the 4th episode of Season 1, how will she extend this drama for multiple seasons?
1. The child abuse case
This one was obvious. From my non-medical standpoint, the boy looked as if he had a rib fracture along with his arm fracture. He could have fallen down from the dining table, and broken his arm in the fall, but that wouldn’t explain his painful rib. These two types of fractures, a rib fracture and a fracture on the “long bones” (i.e., the arms and legs), are two fractures commonly associated with child abuse. Again, from a non-medical perspective, I would consider those two injuries on a child, especially when occurring at the same time, to be highly suggestive of physical abuse.
Thus, when the father returned with another injured child, I wasn’t surprised that the story went with a child abuse angle.
However, if I were the writer, I would twist this plot, and make it a case of “jumping to conclusion.” JW seemed ready to go after the father for child abuse, but it could have been another member of the household (say, the mother?) abusing the child.
At any rate, I hope he doesn’t beat up the dad, with or WITHOUT proof, or else I see a lawsuit in the storyline.
2. Then, the VIP liver transplant patient
Who didn’t see this coming? When the son barricaded him inside the room and refused to be seen, I had an inkling that there was going to be a body swap.
Moreover, this happened on IJ’s watch.
Remember IJ? What do we know about his character? He was the one who “socialized” the sausages, right? According to the Ortho doctor, he doesn’t have “any inferiority complex or prejudice.” IJ isn’t a person to be intimidated by another individual’s status or rank when he perceives an injustice. He’ll speak up just like he did with the senior professor who always complained about the meals prepared by others.
Thus, it wouldn’t matter to him whether the patient was a VIP. He would be furious that a rich person would “steal” liver from the poor.
And like with JW and the child abuse case, I hope he resolves this issue calmly.
3. IJ’s son
Ah! This is the most endearing moment of the whole episode: the father-and-son scene. I think it’s cute that IJ is a social justice warrior (in a non-obnoxious way), but his son is his #1 scammer. And IJ lets him get away with it.
The son buttered him up with, “I just need you, Dad. You’re my favorite person in the entire universe.”
Of course, IJ was moved by his son’s words. What parent wouldn’t, right? He couldn’t take another bite of his sandwich because he was choking with all emotions. Noticing this, his son asked him, “Dad, are you not going to eat that?” When he said he would and resumed eating, his son asked, “Dad, can you buy me one more sandwich, please?”
IJ nearly choked again because he knew he’d been had.
He realized that his son was flattering him. There he was thinking that his son just paid him the best compliment ever that a dad could hear, when all along his son was just flattering him because he was still hungry and wanted more food.
Do you know that old saying, “The best way to a man’s heart is through his stomach”? Well, his son discovered the reverse. The best way to feed his stomach is through his dad’s heart. And his done it before.
BTW, did anybody else notice that Uju called him “Aboeji”? here. In the previous episode, Uju called him “Apa.”
I’m monitoring these slight changes to see whether the news of divorce is negatively impacting him. But so far, he seems to be as cheeky as normal.
Side note: “Egg Drop” is obviously product placement. But I thought it was a cute one.
Son: Aboeji, please lift me up.
IJ: What should we get?
Son: Apa, ham and cheese.
IJ: (mimicking son) Apa, ham and cheese. What about you?
Son: Me? Avoholic.
IJ: Uju, avoholic. Apa, u-ju-holic.
Son: (copying his dad) Uju, apa-holic.
The avoholic is the one with the avocado.
Here’s more info about it, if you’re planning a trip to Seoul: https://danielfooddiary.com/2018/09/21/eggdrop/
4. More characters added
I’m getting dizzy, but I’ve my eye on this intern. Im ChangMin, age 26.
If it’s true that the director and writer intend a multi-season kdrama, then the addition of these minor characters make sense. The writer has more people to move around. However, the bad thing about adding too many side players is a decreased screen time for the main characters to directly interact with each other.
5. Pachelbel’s Canon in D, the classical and rock version.
This must be the most overplayed classical music ever.
I always thought this piece was made for three violins, one harpsichord (or piano) and one cello (for the bass). The three violins play together in a round…you know, like in “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” or “Three Blind Mice.” The first violin plays variation 1, then the second violin joins in after the first violin begins playing variation 2. The third violin joins them later but she’s now two variations behind the first violin. A round is a simplified version of a canon.
In Pachelbel’s famous composition, there are 24? 26? (don’t quote me on this) variations of increasing complexity. The music sounds complicated because the three violins aren’t playing the same melody nor repeating the same melody. (lol. hence, “variation”) But despite the variations, the music blends well and sounds beautiful.
Moreover, what’s calming about this piece is that, after all those complex harmonies, the music remains unified. Then, at the end, when it winds down to the simple melody again, there’s a sense of homecoming.
I thought the musical piece was appropriate for the birthing scene and for the band. For the birthing scene, the classical music was soothing enough even if it was put on full blast. Screaming aside, there’s something majestic and glorious about a childbirth that fits this Baroque music.
As for the band scene, I thought the rock version described the gang’s friendship well. Their lives may seem to be on different trajectories at the moment. They’re all doing their own thing, like in a variation, but they’re still unified as a friends.
Random observations:
• Songhwa looked mesmerized when IJ started playing his guitar but so did the others.
• While the three guys were eating ramen at one point or another, only two were intently focused on learning the song. Did you notice them? Songhwa and JW.
• Also, if Songhwa is considered “wild” because she danced to the religious song without inhibitions, then JW is the “wild” one when playing the drums. He played with gusto, although lol, most of the time he was really only just playing the beat. They both have an inner wild streak in them.
6. IJ’s sister Lee IkSun and JWan
We called this, didn’t we?
I hope IJ’s sister would survive her surgery. I saw what the writer did there. JWan thought that “IkSun” died already because he got the names of the dog and the sister mixed up.
JWan: Iksun is still alive?
IJ: What Why would she be dead?
JWan: Wasn’t that our dog’s name?
IJ: That’s Micky.
JWan: Micky is your sister.
IJ: My sister is Iksun.
JWan: That’s your dog.
IJ: My dog’s name is Iksun. Wait. My dog’s name is Micky. Micky is Iksun. Damn it. You confused me. My younger sister’s name is Iksun.And now, Iksun’s at the hospital after suffering a car accident. If she doesn’t die here (I don’t think she will), she’ll make a good match for JWan.
Because remember that conversation in the restaurant between Jwan and IJ?
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.lol. I hope the writer has a plan for this sister of his. She’d make a funny match for JWan because JWan remembered her existence but he thought she had the dog’s name. That’s the sort of anecdote you’d like to hear from a happily married couple. JWan can tell their future kid, “I mistook your mom as the family dog.” lol.
It was cute that JWan visited the sister often. She’s a dongsaeng.
Sister: It’s been a while since I saw him. And he’s so old now.
IJ: Of course.He’ll turn 40 soon, too.
Sister: Is he not going to get married?
IJ: You should get married.
Ahhh, I get it now. He doesn’t see JWan as a potential brother-in-law. He probably won’t like it.
IJ: Did he come and check on you?
Sister: Four times. He came to check on me four times. He’s here all the time. He must think I’m still in middle school. (Jwan walks in) Nice. That makes it five.
I approve of this match NOT because I want JWan out of the way of a Songhwa-JW endgame (lol. really) but because it will be funny to watch IJ defend his sister from a serial dater.
7. Capt Ahn and Songhwa
So they aren’t dating yet? Judging from his continued interest in her, he wasn’t given the (in)famous “I like someone else” excuse that Songhwa had given SH a long time ago.
For now, their story is on hold.
8. Dr. Maggot
As just when I thought my opinion of her couldn’t sink lower, she gets involved in this vulgar “info sessions” to ferret stories about JW and his friends during their med school years. Really, this is unprofessional. And that Ortho doctor should know better than to get involved in these gossipy fanclub. What the heck?
Was this info session Maggoty’s idea? It wasn’t.
Minha: I’ve been bothering him these days. I really can’t figure out what kind of person Professor Yang Seok-Hyeong is.I’m getting a crash course from him.
Bong: When it comes to those five members of the comedy club, I can describe them in an omniscient viewpoint as their colleague. Everything. Their dating history, families, and what they are really like. It only takes a cup of coffee.
Minha makes that throat-clearing sound which I though meant “Yes, I know you’re doing that.” Then she reminds Magotty that her coffee was ready.
But even if this info session isn’t her original idea, there’s something nasty about Dr. Jang. It’s the way she SWALLOWED after she realized that Dr. Bong was a mine of information on JW. She reminds me of Smeagol with his “Precious.”
Besides, she seems to act like the de facto leader of the club because she had to update Minha on the club’s popularity and she decided who joined the club. Minha didn’t know who Dr. Ahn was.
Minha: Who’s he? (looking at Ahn)
Maggot: This is Dr. Ahn Chihong from NS. He’s also from graduate school. He’s quite old. He’s a third-year resident like me.
Ahn: Nice to meet you.
Minha: Welcome to Dr. Bong’s Salon.
Ahn: Thank you.
Maggot: This gathering is popular among residents. Since we can get a lot of information about our professors, everyone wants to come. So Dr. Ahn here has been selected today out of ten candidates because he treated us to a lot of pizza.
She just lost brownie points. -400
And did she really think her behavior would endear her to JW? Her interest in knowing every detail about JW’s life is just as creepy as Facebook Stalking.
9. Dr. Maggotty again
Was anybody else annoyed when she poked JW’s arm?
She’s not a kid. Why isn’t poking somebody like that to attract his attention? Calling him “Professor” would have sufficed to get his notice
And what’s up with her face here?
She looked downcast.
Bong: Jeon-won doesn’t have any desire for material possessions.
Minha: Obviously. His family is super-rich. Even I wouldn’t be materialistic.
Her reaction interested me because I thought she would have been happy that JW wasn’t materialistic. Remember her answer to IJ in Episode 3 (at 36:57) when he told her that JW wasn’t rich?
IJ: He’s so sensitive. He loses sleep for a month if something goes wrong with his patient.
Maggot: He’s so humanitarian.
IJ: And he’s extremely stubborn.
Maggot: He is a man of principles.
IJ: And he’s not rich. He’s dirt poor. He mooches off Jun-wan.
Maggot: Isn’t that noblesse oblige?
At first, I thought that Maggoty did NOT understand what “noblesse oblige” is (or the subber goofed up).
Essentially, “noblesse oblige” means that those who have more, must do more to serve and to help others. I’m sure there’s a biblical quote behind this, but I remember the American version of it.
Because they possess more, the rich and privileged have an obligation to help out more. That’s the meaning of “noblesse oblige,” and that’s why I didn’t get how Maggotty could think that JW was practicing “noblesse oblige” when he (the chaebol’s son) was mooching off JWan. lol.
But on second thought, it seems to me that she didn’t misunderstand it. She misapplied it. She thought JWan had the obligation to help JW. If JW’s dirt poor, then JWan, being the richer of the two, should help out JW. It’s JWan’s “noblesse oblige” or duty to help JW.
In other words, she was defending JW.
To me, her answer was a sign of a fangirl. Since she fantasizes about JW as this “perfect” guy, she defends him at all cost against IJ’s criticism. In her mind, it isn’t wrong for JW to mooch off his friend. And if he’s indeed a sponger, then there must be a valid reason.
But then she heard Prof Bong say that Jeon-won didn’t have any desire for material possessions.
If she remembered what IJ said about JW being “dirt poor” and “mooching off” his friend, then it’s possible that she was now realizing that JW’s lack of desire for material possession could be a problem. It’s problematic when JW disregards his family wealth and material possessions.
And that’s why she looked dispirited there.
For now, I’m going to be nice. I’m not going to suspect her of being mercenary and being attracted to JW because he’s a chaebol. I’m going to give her the benefit of the doubt. I’m going to suggest that she looked sad, NOT because she was disappointed to find out that JW wasn’t materialistic but because she felt pity that JW was struggling like one of them.
Let’s see what kind of fangirl she is in the future.
10. JW the Buddha wants to become a priest
The writer deserves tomatoes thrown at her for this popsicle scene.
As I predicted, this writer is going to be anti-Catholic.
At best, she was too lazy to do her research on Catholic traditions. At worst, she’s insulting. She couldn’t dare write these potshots, had she portrayed JW as an atheist, Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu, Muslim (ha! I dare you, writer!), Confucian, or shaman. She’d be scared to offend these people, but Christians are fair game.
For non-Catholics here, let me explain why this scene is offensive.
JW and his hyung are sitting in front of the altar. If these characters were really written as Catholics, they would know that altar is where the Last Supper of Jesus is memorialized. Above the altar is a crucifix, a reminder that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. When a Catholic sees a crucifix, she remembers God’s great sacrifice and love. “For God has so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.” And that Catholic will be humbled because she knows she’s undeserving.
Then, there’s a red votive candle lit on top of the tabernacle. That votive candle is a sanctuary lamp to remind Catholics that Jesus Christ is present inside the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle is the box under the red light. The Tabernacle contains that Holy Eucharist. Catholics believe in Jesus Christ’s presence in the Eucharist. Every Sunday, when Catholic go to mass, they receive the Holy Eucharist in memory of Christ’s sacrifice and to be united with Christ.
That’s why Catholics show reverence inside the church. They show reverence because they’re always in the presence of God.
Only a fuckwit of a writer would show a priest and a postulant licking ice cream in front of the altar, the crucifix, the tabernacle, and above all, the Holy Eucharist. No practicing Catholic would do that.
In addition to a tomato-firing squad for the writer, a thousand kimchee slaps for both writer and director.
11. SH and Minha
We sensed this was going to happen.
She had her moment of doubt, though, when SH asked for her assistance during the birth of a baby with anencephaly.
Minha: You want me to cover the mouth?
SH: Don’t block the nose or the airway. Just cover the mouth gently, so we don’t hear the baby cry. Eunwon (another resident) can’t because she has to assist me. So you come in and cover the baby’s mouth. Do it as soon as the baby’s born. Understood?
I too did a double take because I first heard what he said. What? Did he mean to kill the baby? I had to play it back slowly to get that he was telling her to cover the mouth *gently.*
12. On a final note
I applaud the pro-life message of this kdrama.
SH: You did a good job. You’ve really done well.
Mom: Doctor. I feel so sorry for my baby. My baby.
SH: Ma’am. You didn’t give up on the baby until the end. That alone is amazing. You really did your best, ma’am. You’ve done a great job.
However, I strongly disagree with the writer’s handling of this narrative.
In real life, the mother who chose not to terminate her child’s life in abortion should be given the chance to hold and meet her baby after birth. Yes, there’s no disputing that death of a newborn is a traumatic experience. Nevertheless, the mother and child will both be comforted when the mother holds her baby in her arms when the baby passes away.
To me, it wasn’t the right time to insert SH’s presence in the scene and to use this moment to drive home the point that SH’s a compassionate guy. A REAL compassionate doctor would have allowed the mother and child be together, instead of offering himself up as some sort of “Angel of Mercy and Consolation” to deliver “words of wisdom” and to hold the hand of his patient. This scene is just bogus sentimentality from both the writer and director.
In real life, this moment of devastating sorrow will, in time, become a source of healing for the mother. In real life, a mother doesn’t need to be told, like the mom in the drama, that “she did a good job.” Sure, the scene makes a good dramatic and emotional connection with the viewers. But in real life, SH’s words will come off as patronizing. A grieving mother isn’t looking for a validation for what she did. The mother didn’t carry the baby full-term because it was a “job” for her. Thus, praising her for a job well done comes off as well-intentioned BUT ill-conceived words.
To me, the mother already knows, in her heart, that she’s only doing everything that she can possibly do to nurture, protect and keep her baby safe until the very end. That’s what a mother is; that’s what a mother does. It’s vital that the mother be given the time and space to hold her dying baby in her arms. Even if her baby lives only for an hour, she will cherish her child’s very short but very precious life forever.
***************
So that’s my review of this episode. I usually like this writer’s work. But for this episode, I’m giving it a solid F.
Earlier, I said I was being kind when I described it as “predictable.” Now, I’m going to be more precise and say that the side plots were unoriginal, the anti-Catholicism was blatant, and misuse an emotional childbirth scene for character exposition was manipulative.
I note a very interesting question in this article: If the writer has no more ideas, how will she continue?
It’s simple: put 4 or 5 people around a table, mostly for a meal, and have them discuss things that don’t interest us, or that talk about other people, or about pretty much nothing.
I haven’t read the rest of the article yet. Not even paragraph 1/.
I’ll come back. 🙂
@packmule3, regarding the church scene, I was more surprised that the priest brother didn’t ask JW to remove his cap as a sign of respect. —Unless things have changed and men’s hats are okay in church these days, or if it’s a cultural difference. It would be interesting to hear a Korean Catholic’s opinion on this.
I agree with you as well about the dying baby. It wouldn’t happen like that where I live; the mother would be given the option to hold the baby. I wondered if removing the child quickly is cultural as well? I think that it used to be like that a few generations back in the U.S. and here, too. There is a big movement towards acknowledging and supporting the emotions around miscarriages and baby deaths here but it is fairly recent.
For adoptions as well, the baby used to be whisked away from the birth mother in most places. There seem to be many surprising cultural differences in big life events between the West and Korea.
@packmule3, Maggot reminds me of Uriah Heepa most vile character who pretends to be obsequious. Maggot tries to hide her true nature, but it comes out because of her ambition. I hope shebhas a Heep like arc…
I had similar thoughts about why SH didn’t let the mom see the baby too. On a rewatch, there’s a scene where the nurse mentioned to MH that the mom had requested not to see the baby because it would intensify her grief.
What did happen to Uriah Heep in the end? I can’t remember now except he didn’t marry the girl. David did.
I can’t believe “David Copperfield” is still relevant until today. 🙂 Those serialized novels were the 19th century’s version of our 16-episode kdramas.
🙂 Yes yes. I know that the nurse and doctors mentioned the mom’s request. But that’s NOT my point.
What I’m saying here is that the writer deliberately framed the story to highlight the compassion of Doctor SH and NOT the mother-and-newborn’s missed opportunity for bonding.
Look: when you’re watching an emotional scene, it’s good to think “What is the writer trying to say here?” and “How could this scene have a better message?” and “How does this slice-of-life story influence my worldview?”
This is part of critical thinking and critical analysis. You just don’t accept whatever the screenwriter tells you as the gospel truth.
Now, the first four episodes spotlighted the different characters: JW, Songhwa, JWan, SH and Ikjun. If I remember correctly, this was SH’s spotlight. The intention of this dramatic childbirth moment was to show him as a compassionate guy. He wasn’t an unfeeling guy; he had a sensitive soul just like the other doctors. It was SH’s turn to shine.
However I believe this was lazy writing. The scriptwriter showed a traumatic scene involving childbirth and had the “featured” doctor hold the mother’s hand and coo consoling words. What’s so special about this? In the end, SH was just doing his job. To me, he didn’t do anything remarkable or extraordinary.
The writer already did the same emotional sob story 😭😭😭😭🤪 in Episode 1 when JW’s young patient died and he couldn’t do anything about it. It was the mom who consoled HIM and he had the crazy crying jag in the confessional, and chicken place.
Three episodes later, the writer was at it again. She opted for the cliche.
It would have been more challenging for the writer, had the writer depicted SH guiding the scared mother to hold her deformed and dying child in her arms as he takes his last breaths. That, in my humble opinion, is the true act of medical compassion. Giving the mom strength to do what she needed to do.
THAT scene, had the writer envisioned it, would have elevated her writing from being tired and trope-y to something truly inspirational and healing. Healing doesn’t come from listening to the doctor’s words (where was the dad, anyway?) but from holding the baby and making peace with his short life and death.
Also, it would have transformed viewers’ perspective of infants born with anencephaly. These babies aren’t to be feared, stigmatized, or hidden away. They’re precious lives, too.
Thanks for calling out the Writer for this episode @pkml3. It will be one of the episodes that I will skip.
I was frowning at the behaviour of priest and brother in church. So inappropriate, what a bad model for the reverence due in church and from a so-called ‘priest’ who probably drinks more than he should.
Hello, i’m a newbie to this HP discussion thread although i have been a BoD lurker for quite some time now. I’m just happy that packmule3 is having these Throwback Thursdays for HP. As with the characters, I have the same vibe for Dr Maggot, for some reason she’s got to be the most annoying personality in the show. Her blank face reeks of indifference, only showing a kind of odd-curious look when it involves everything Dr. JW. I mean, it’s forgivable that she’s crushing JW really hard, but the fact that she’s passive-aggressive to her colleagues gets on my nerve.
And you know what bugs me about JW and Jang pairing, Rouge Lips?
It means that once again, this screenwriter did YYS wrong: he didn’t get the girl. 🤦♀️😂
In Reply 1994, he didn’t get the girl. He ended up with no one.
In Hospital Playlist, he AGAIN didn’t get the girl. Instead, he ended up with the 2nd string, B-team, try-hard girl. 😂
What does YYS have to do to get the female lead, Writer Lee? Why does he play characters unworthy of the heroine, THE main female lead? It’s like that old saying, he’s “always the groomsman, never the groom.”
The poke in the back? Nod to Reply1988. When DeokSun poked SunWoo to get his attention. She was crushing on SunWoo too. Except SunWoo had always preferred her sister BoRa. 😂
https://i.ibb.co/BCffghb/2113019-F-D23-F-4471-94-D7-D3-CB6-B497-CDF.jpg
Writer Lee & Shin PD sure got weird taste in developing their pairings. The one in R94 is so problematic I am left speechless. I saw that they changed in R88 but prison playbook main pairing? 🤦🏻♀️ Given that it was from a different writer, ShinLee’s influence was still there i.e. repetition of main pairing formulas.
Chilbong in R94 did not understand Najung as Trash would. It was all about his feelings towards Najung. Similar to how Ikjun is treating Shwa and runner is treating PG. Both of them are more vested in their interests/feelings towards Shwa x PG that what the latters really want or need are being ignored. Shwa x PG ended being a device to fulfill the needs of Ikjun and that of his dense resident. Is that all there is to it for Shwa x Jwon as the main two characters who were firstly introduced with same connection i.e. Yulje?
So, my question to ShinLee, why would you write and show PG x Shwa as trusting, understanding and caring for each other, like your other MAIN pairings, yet you presented them with someone who refuses to acknowledge them as a person with their own needs and mind?? The cheap plot line to sell the drama is really very uninviting. Perhaps after HP, ShinLee should just stick with variety shows. Or make a reality show if they are so into their hunting game. It’s become too predictable. The lamest ever fangirl character they wrote and I wonder what have gone wrong from R94 to R88 to HP in terms of characterisation and quality of their storytelling. Lazy writing should not be mixed up with detailed research. 4 years to create HP. One would think they would have created a solid storyline. Not a cheap one. The band of doctors is a fresh idea. But what comes with it is a mix of 🤷♀️
Fortunately, majority of the casts, including main casts can move on to better projects post HP S2.
True. The writer and director were big on the compatibility and displays of support and selflessness in their previous couples but in HP we get:
IkJun who only loves Songhwa because she’ll make a good surrogate cow 🐄 … errr… mother for his cutie-patootie son.
JW who imagines himself attracted to Jang because he was brainwashed by IJ’s non-stop teasing. Lol.
This is so like Deoksun’s delusional love for Sunwoo then JH. She wouldn’t have looked at those guys as love interests if her best friends didn’t stir things up, and plant in her mind that the guys liked her.
It was DongRyu who woke her up and convinced her that she didn’t need to RECIPROCATE the feelings of her admirer. She just had to like the person she truly liked. It was that simple but she was needlessly complicating things chasing after other guys. The person she really liked was Taec.
That was the lesson during that famous scene by the staircase.
And here in HP, the person JW really liked is Songhwa. He was attuned to her every need. And she was the only person in the world to whom he was willing to entrust DLL.
I guess JW was his mother’s son. His mother likes Dr. Ju too. She was attuned to his everyday needs, fussing over him and even preparing him dinner. And he was the only one she trusted to run the foundation.
But for some reason, she couldn’t seem to recognize that her feelings for Director Ju was love.
Lol. Like mother, like son.
I just hope that writer will surprise us in S2 for JW’s love arc, @packmule3. For some reason, I have a feeling that she’s building it up for a surprising turn next season – the whole priesthood thing, etc. is a cloak to throw us viewers off from the real thing. JW is the only one not known to have any romantic relationships, the rest of the guys have. Let’s hope! JW-Jang pairing is just so arid..ugh! Like, absolutely zero chemistry. I can even relish some warm feelings towards SH-Min ha, but Dr Maggot!! Please, i have no sympathy for her character.
4). But no, please! This is the circus! Let’s add as many characters as we want! It can always fill a hole somewhere, like adding a 4th person to a table with only 3 people. 🙂
5). Song Hwa and Jun Won are wild ?
Wild romance lead to the bed in a flash. 🙂
At first, Song Hwa was supposed to sing.
So I didn’t make the connection with this situation, but now I do.
It is related to the complicity Drummer – Bassist, especially for the rhythm.
As in the group, Jun Won is a drummer, and Song Hwa is a bassist, they are a couple inside the group.
6). Meeting of JWan and the sister of Ik-Jun.
Every man has his ideal type. Maybe she is his.
Not mine at all, but I find this romance nice.
I easily buy that a man with JWan’s personality could love a military woman, especially since she is funny and competent.
8). Dr. Maggot.
How harsh!
Until now, I shyly called her Maggot Girl. 🙂
Hmm, we make enemies fast on this blog. ^^
Magotty…. 🙂 That sounds like a cute and nice nickname. 🙂
I didn’t remember that scene where she swallows like Smeagol.
I note the approximate timecode. I will review this. 🙂
I did, I saw it again. I understand better why I missed it.
Even when I watch it again, I can’t understand anything, the dialogue goes all over the place.
It’s a typical case of what you find in the drama, and where it becomes impossible to understand the meaning of the scene. So, we watch it passively, knowing in advance that there will be essentially uninteresting things, talking about everything and nothing, which regularly stalls.
And of course, this scene is drowned in other scenes of the same kind.
My concentration is quickly eroded on this drama. It’s exhausting.
I don’t know if it’s a translation problem too.
There are already platitudes and trivialities at the beginning.
Then the dialogue loses me when she says “Are you the only surgical intern?”
Then they talk about something else, another intern.
It jumps without warning to “I thought you had a lunch appointment.”
Again, I’m already lost, and it continues like this.
“He wanted me to buy him lunch”, “He’s eight years younger than she is”.
What the hell is it doing in there? Endless detours about other people not there. We don’t understand anything. Then other trivialities.
One jumps without notice from :
“I’ve been bothering him these days.” (at this point I couldn’t figure out if she was talking about the doctor who just arrived, or someone they were talking about before or after, she turns the other way).
to:
“I really don’t know what kind of person Professor Yang Seok-hyeong is.”
The two things being unrelated. Then I didn’t register Seok-hyeong’s name. But I understood that she was talking about her teacher.
Not having Maggoty’s motivations very clear yet, and sleepy and confused after the whole scene, I missed the last shot and the moment when she swallows her saliva, because nothing made sense for too long…
9). I remember that.
She put her finger on his shoulder!
Like a child in kindergarten. 🙂
For the rest, we are dealing with a typical conversation of this drama.
4 or 5 people sitting, talking about other people.
I strongly feel the handicap of not speaking Korean and having to read subtitles.
This drama is hard to follow for the non-Korean audience.
The beginning of the dialogue is a bit confusing, but then it gets better.
It is better done than other scenes of the same kind thanks to the inclusion of Flashback.
So we can see and recognize the people they are talking about.
I missed Maggoty’s reaction that you screenshot.
I don’t remember the scene from “Noblesse Oblige” either.
The first 4.5 episodes of that drama are lost in some kind of nebulous haze in my mind.
X). Too bad you didn’t comment on the Cookie scene. It’s so funny. 🙂
But with 99 articles, I guess it was done elsewhere. 😉
ROMP! 🙂 🙂 🙂
11 & 12).
My commentary is long on this point, especially since the recent commentary you posted is rich. I get your main point about the alternatives for this scene. And the fact that in the end you find it quite cliché.
This is a drama scene, not a real slice-of-life scene.
To have a credible identity, the drama could be filmed from a pseudo-documentary, handheld camera angle. A more nervous way of filming, which could break with the soporific aspect the drama has. It should also be harmonious with a different acting. Everyday dialogs would make more sens in this context.
Example: The drama Save-Me has this visual identity. However, even if the actors try to be more realistic, we can see that they still play like drama actors. This is not entirely successful.
But Hospital Playlist has chosen a very different tone. Still shots, clean, pretty. It’s academic and gives the feeling of a drama like any other. The same goes for the acting, typical of a drama, and not studied to sound “real”.
Therefore, I expect to find in it what we find in other dramas. The pseudo-documentary side, focused on “real” conversations, does not pass at all in this context. And what does work are the moments when the narration takes up classic drama tricks, with storylines, orchestrated scenes, more refined and direct dialogues.
There is a contradiction between the direction and the writing, and the drama works well at the moments when this contradiction is dissolved. As direction don’t change, so when the script change and become more drama-like.
On the storyline of the baby that Min Ha has to shut up, it’s classic drama script. It makes sense. There is a little plot-twist. But the focus is placed primarily on Min Ha and Yang Suk Hyung, not on the woman giving birth.
Triggers are mandatory. Min Ha MUST have a bad idea about the teacher. He MUST ask her to shut the baby up. And he MUST prove to her that he is doing this out of compassion. Because then she MUST change her mind, and then start to love him. None of this can be taken away from the script.
The scene works well and is moving. I’m not sure other surgeons would have given such a stirring speech to the woman who has just given birth. Is this really what a surgeon would usually do? What matters here is this is what Yang Suk Hyung usually does.
I don’t think this is lazy writing. The drama is well provided, a lot of details matter. It’s just : There are sometimes some ideas that do not come spontaneously. And they don’t come by turning a situation upside down either. What you are doing in your commentary is an afterthought. The writer should have given you her script before filming the drama. Maybe you could have found a problem and made a proposal. But as a script, that’s not certain. It’s easier to do it by watching the drama.
I don’t think there is a message to give from a writer, but being consistent with the characters is. And indeed, the situation could be turned around, not only from the point of view of Min Ha and Yang Suk Hyung, but also from the point of view of the woman who gives birth. Even if she is a plot device or an extra. For a drama whose specialty is slice-of-life and a very good characterization and design of the main characters, this seems obligatory to me. This is not an action thriller, where you can easily get rid of an extra in the form of a cliché to speed things up.
So your alternative idea for this scene is very good. However, it has to be compatible with the obligations I mentioned on the storyline of Min Ha and Yang Suk Hyung. Min Ha has to silence the baby’s crying, no other solution.
Where your idea can come in is at the end of the scene. After his compassionate speech, Yang Suk Hyung’s character could be made even more human and understanding of the woman’s emotional needs. So, the good script idea was on top of that: he manages to convince the woman to see her baby to say goodbye. It’s a new little plot twist, since we first believe he’s going to agree to the woman’s request not to see her baby. We can say here, that the situation is pushed to the limit. It was already moving? We make it even more moving! There were tears? There are even more tears, when she agrees to look at her baby one last time.
It’s a pity that this idea didn’t strike the writer’s imagination. I can’t blame her. If she were to work more, it would be to better consider how the audience will grasp her unbearable dialogues, at an early stage of the drama, or even later. To think that situations should not perpetually go through overloaded dialogues. That a situation, an emotion, a motivation lived and shown is imprinted in the memory of the spectator, whereas it is not the case when it is said. To think that clearer and more typical storylines of a drama would be more effective than verbiage.
I don’t accept the slice-of-life excuse because:
– Any other drama using slice-of-life does it better than HP. Example: Start-Up.
– Any other drama using the medical environment and its dramatic possibilities does it better. Example : Good Doctor.
There are many factors we don’t know about when writing dramas, this one as well as the others. How is the script done: Overall structure and quick outline, or more detailed outline? How prepared is it? What is the new content that appears only at the time of writing? How much time does she have to correct her script? Improve dialogue? Or take a scene and turn it around?
I keep in mind that the pace of work is very fast in Korea. Writers have more control over their content and can produce more original stories, but they have to write everything by themselves. Assistants do not write any parts, it is recognized as a shame to let an assistant do that. There is no team of professionals coming to work and rework parts. I feel like they have to get it perfect on the first draft, with little room for refinement.
@WE, you may want to try Be Melodramatic. It gives us a glimpse into drama making and what’s going on there. For Shin PD, he said he prefers to work with 100 writers than only one. So from the group of sub-writers, he gains various other alternatives fir a certain scene. I guess he then work on this with Writer Lee. Be Melodramatic is a really good slice of life drama. Best part is no foolish fangirls popping up every episode to kill my enthusiasm 🤭🤭🤭
Did you notice that daddy long legs identity was indirectly revealed in this ep? 1st instance when SW called daddy long legs line, the receiver did mentioned PG’s name to her. 2nd instance when PG told Jwan that the VIP wards will affect his finance. If only SW & Jwan paid attention to the speaker. Lol.