This is Linnea’s notes on parallel structure between Season 1 and Season 2. She posted this in the Alfredo section but I’m reposting out here. Thanks, @Linnea!
I was rewatching s1 ep5 and here are some funny parallells (some of them not so funny):
– SH’s mom met Rosa and her gang apparently for the first time (maffia game) and look where they are now – sharing personal details
– SH was also mentioning his regret towards his ex wife, when talking to his friends during a dinner
– IS was also in Changwon in ep.5 by then, this time with Uju, bc JunWas was renowating his bathroom so he and JW stayed at IJ’s place
– Which leads us to Jang wanting to visit IJ to meet JW in private, but she couldn’t bc IS was staing briefly for a wedding (and now we can see her at JW’s place eating snow crab, heh)
– at the OBGYN there was another affecionate couple and the father wanted to sing for his newborn baby (now we can see a father wanting to film his baby) – both very affecionate to their wives which made an impression on SH
– Minha broke up with her bf bc he was only thinking about money but she said she won’t go to any blind dates bc she likes somebody and wants to confess (and in s2ep5 she confeses to SH – her second time actually but this time she could be more hopeful)
– both in s1 and s2 Minha’s father running a guest house near Seokcho/Seoraksan is mentioned in ep5
– Songhwa gets flowers from Chihong (and his confession) and now we see her getting flowers from JW and her reaction totally different ofc
Capt. Ahn vs Dr. Ahn
And ofc we have Jang dealing with abusers, in s1 in the beginning of the ep, in s2 at the end. Lot’s of shaky camera in s1 and low angle shots when Jang is running after the guy, she falls there as well but nobady to help her stand, while in s2 we have an extreme dutch angle when JW is rescuing her and helpig her on her feet.
BTW that night Jang wasn’t supposed to have a duty she stayd to monitor the abuser under a pretext of filling some charts. But we see JW stepping out of the lift at her department, having four coffees with him – apparently for her, and then he sees the nurse calling the men in black ie. security officers. So I guess JW knew she was staying overtime but didn’t know the real reason.
Dear @Linnea and @PackMule3, thanks again for the parallelisms. This show is full of them not only to compare principles and values but also to move the plot.
When Maggot ran after the abusive parent the music had kind of a “moronic” feel to it. A thing to remember in this Season 2 Episode 5 is that when JWon is feeding Maggot crab there was a few notes of “Confession is not Flashy”. Given that JWon bought a crab he is allergic to and lovingly took all its shield away but Maggot just kissed him and asked for him to show his affection at least once a day, “Confession is not Flashy” suddenly became “Hey, Confession is not Flashy!!!”.
Maggot is experiencing Eros for the first time, but JWon expresses his love through Agaphe. She doesn’t seem to understand his way to express love.
BTW, found this version that seems to be the original video of “Confession is not Flashy” of Lee Seung Hwan:
Sorry, when I saw the iPod I knew I messed up -_-U . That iPod is the 2008 model that I also have. This is not the original version of “Confession is not Flashy”. Sorry again!!! D=
@Linnea @Packmule thanks for the parallelism. That was a great work. S2 ep5 is just a replica from s1 ep5 and Shinlee made sure to give this comparisons from the s2 ep1.
And its S1 ep6 we saw Ikjun and Shwa attending college interview . And it really makes me excited do we get such flashback this time in ep6..
I dont know much about the camera angles but its quite a odd shot while Jwon coming to the rescue.This is not the first time PD using weird odd shots for Jwon and Jang. Definitely red hearing!!
The last scene is my love.. Jwon giving flowers to Shwa and if I not mistaken it only Jwon and Shwa who are happy to welcome rain. Even it is in last few scene of the ep I love their shots..And her ageyo to Jwon while their snow crab feast 😍
@FGB, I think it is an original mv by the original singer made years after the song was released. I can’t find any other official mv other than this one.
There is another parallel between seasons, but it is not directly episode number to same episode number; however, we just had a time jump at the end of S2:E5, so it’s possible that if there was a direct episode correlation for the first five episodes of seasons 1 & 2, the pattern may now be off.
The parallel I found centers on Jang doing procurement. At the end of S1:E6 she’s been sent to collect a liver to be transplanted into a child. She calls JWon with her opinion that the liver cannot be used in this application because it is too big. At the beginning of S1:E7, JWon and IJ make the decision that they will use the liver despite its relative large size. Then at S1:E7 timestamp 4:41 this exchange happens in the operating room:
Nurse: The liver is here.
Jang comes in the door carrying the red cooler. She’s huffing and puffing.
JWon (who doesn’t look up, and whose tone is neutral): Thank you. Thanks for your help, Dr. Jang. You said you were by the traffic light across the street. (He looks up at her.) You got here so fast. Did you run?
Jang (still huffing and puffing): Thankfully, the traffic wasn’t so bad. But the elevator in this building is broken [I doubt there’s only one], so I ran up here. I mean (shaking her head), I didn’t run. I quickly…I walked quickly. Just walked. I was being careful to deliver this safe and sound.
JWon, still looking at her, nods.
IJ (standing to the side in the OR): My gosh, Gyeo-ul. Great job.
In previous threads we’ve discussed these scenes. We expressed disappointment in Jang’s character because: 1) she made a judgement about the procured liver she was not qualified to make; 2) she wanted to give up on the patient, and by JWan’s opinion, a doctor who gives up on patients is no doctor at all; 3) Jang overplayed the huffing and puffing, seeking praise for bringing the liver [which, if it were up to her, she wouldn’t have done, having completed the task only because she was ordered to do so]; 4) she most likely lied about having walked, not run, because shaking the cooler while running could have damaged the liver.
In S2:E5 timestamp 43:19 we start another storyline about Jang being sent for a procurement.
Female in long white Yulje staff coat [doctor?] speaking to Jang, who’s in street clothing: Are you leaving already? You still have some time.
Jang: What if the traffic is bad? Dr. Jong Se-Hyeok is in the lobby. I already called a taxi. [This shows Jang can exercise foresight and be proactive.]
White-coated Female: I sent you the train tickets. The return tickets from Busan to Seoul as well. It’s the last train at 10:50pm so you’d have enough time. Call me right away if you miss the train.
Jang: Okay, thank you. See you later.
[Note: Checking current schedules, the last train from Busan to Seoul is a KTX Bullet Train departing at 22:10 and arriving in Seoul 38 minutes after midnight, for a travel time of 2 hours, 28 minutes.]
This storyline continues at time stamp 56:06. Jang is in scrubs, on the phone. The clock on the wall shows the date as 2020 (year) 3 (month=March) 9 (day) at 9:05pm. Elapsed time in OR is 2:15.
Jang: Yes, there’s something wrong with the bile duct. They’re doing a biopsy right now. The Professor of Pathology is returning to the hospital now, so we’ll have to wait another hour for the results.
[female voice on phone]: Really? What should we do, then? You won’t make it on time for the train.
Jang: No. Even if it’s just due to necrosis, we won’t be able to complete the procurement before 11pm.
[voice]: Then let’s do this. I’ll see if any of the ambulance drivers can drive you to Seoul tonight. I’ll call you back. I’m sure I can find someone. I’ll make it work.
Jang: Okay, thank you.
[Note: I found it interesting that a hospital would go so far away to procure an organ for transplant. Busan is about 447 km / 277 miles from Seoul by train. There are many other hospitals closer to Busan, and in Busan, and likely there would be patients of those closer hospitals on the liver transplant list (which, I infer, is a nation-wide registry). When one of their patients hits the jackpot and is assigned an organ from a brain-dead donor, we see that Yulje goes to great lengths to not give up that organ. Remember, SHwa talked IJ into performing transplant surgery with a Darth Vader helmet superglued to his head rather than give up a donor liver to another hospital.]
At time stamp 57:07 we see an ambulance arriving in front of Busan Medical Center, being met by Jang and a man, both in street clothes, carrying a cooler. I assume that man is Dr. Jong Se-Hyeok, who was mentioned by Jang in an earlier scene. They load the cooler into the back of the ambulance.
JSH: You sit in the front.
Jang: Okay.
JSH: He got called into work, so he’s probably tired. Try to keep him awake, okay?
Jang: Okay, got it.
[Note: The driving time from Busan to Seoul 4-6 hours. Jang is told by the other doctor what to do and why; he is likely her senior.]
As the ambulance is in transit, green lights flashing and siren blaring [imagine listening to that for 4-6 hours] we see Jang in the front with the driver. First, Jang offers him gum, which he accepts. Jang also takes some. Next, Jang gives him dried squid and eats some herself. After that, Jang notices the driver groaning and blinking his eyes. Jang: Sir! Let’s stop at the next rest area. [Note: This shows Jang has some capability for interpreting others’ behavior.] We next see the ambulance back in transit, driver and Jang in the front seat both sipping coffee; the driver has one, but Jang is drinking from two at once. [This is a comical image because it is nonsensical from physiological standpoint–the quantity a person can consume with each swallow doesn’t double because of two cups and two straws–but reaffirms Jang’s image as a glutton.] The final look we have of the ambulance is when it arrives at Yulje and Jang & JSH take the cooler from the back and into Yulje’s ambulance-only entrance doors.
The next scene is of Jang, in scrubs, at her locker. Her phone rings, and she looks at the time. It is 4:03am, and the call is from her mother. While they converse, Jang is interrupted by another incoming call, informing her it is time to go into surgery.
Some people have commented that the ambulance scenes seem like they’re just filler. I would not assume so, because of the time and expense to film and do post-production on them (edit, add sound, etc.). There are reasons why these scenes were created and included in the show. At issue is whether or not ShinLee succeed in making those reasons comprehensible to viewers.
In the season 1 liver procurement sequence, Jang comes across as close-minded, reckless and a grandstander. In season 2’s lengthy, much more detailed liver procurement sequence, Jang appears more competent, and more of a team player. It could be ShinLee devoted all this airtime to rehabilitate Jang’s character, yet the ambulance sequence includes a clear reminder of Jang’s gluttony. Is it just a cute quirk of hers, to make her more human and loveable? I don’t think so. We get commentary from too many other characters, including her beloved JW, that tells us her eating patterns are not socially acceptable. And we know that ShinLee uses food as a means of conveying important information about characters. So ShinLee makes a big effort to show us Jang’s growth in terms of job performance, only to yank us back like a yoyo with the sight of her character not having changed much at all.
The other takeaway I have from the ambulance scene is that of Jang being calculating when she shares food. If she must do it for her own benefit (keep the driver awake so they don’t crash), she will. If no one’s life is on the line, she will be greedy, even if it means others are discomforted or go hungry.
great parallels @linnea. i really wouldn’t have noticed those, except the one where both ep 5, jang dealt with dad/husband who are domestic abusers.
@miracle23 now i get to understand the length of the ambulance scene. however, the mere image of jang having 2 bottles of coffee diminishes shinlee’s efforts of rehabilitating her character. it’s in her nature to be selfish, in getting what is favorable for her. what stands out for me here is that when jw and jang are having a conversation, jw asked her to share her burdens with him (to tell him if something’s up with her, so he can help. he told her again this when they’re in the er). but jang only asked him to be affectionate towards her. jw wants them to share, jang only wants to take. their relationship is really problematic.
so a whole year skip. we’ll see what will happen from here.
@BluePearl,
JW didn’t say anything about the rain. 🙂
JWan said, “Why does it have to rain so much?” This implies that he didn’t like the rain.
SH noticed the rain after his dramatic entrance. He said, “The good old days are behind you now,” making Songhwa laughed. He then said, “You’re in trouble now. See you.”He seemed to imply that it was back to the grindstone for her; work was waiting. Then he noticed the rain, “Hey, look. Even the sky is crying for you.”
But as I explained to @BulmaGoku, rain on moving day is a good omen. It meant good luck, new memories, and good fortune.
IJ is the rain man (😈 reference to Dustin Hoffman’s Rain Man is not intentional). He likes the rain, just like Songhwa. He invited her to breakfast saying, “How about we have breakfast quickly and watch the rain.”
@packmule your view on the meaning behind SH words to Shwa makes sense… because now she’s back to Yulje back to busy life.
There are some people who swear their love only once and to one person only in their life time. I think SHwa is one such character. There is a strong repressed emotion when the cam zoom in on her face during their practice song “already one year”. The song talks about one can’t forget and still waiting for love to return. I think this could have a paradox meaning in SHwa case, maybe JWon will return for her the coming winter. Hehe lol I don’t see Jang N JW lasting more than a year 😀
Coming a week of crazy work shifts for me 😅 Hope you all n this flower garden be in joy n peace. Till then 😀 …Shoo! WGers Shoo—
@welmaris, your observation about liver procurement is on point. I rewatched that part and all the trouble the production team has to prepare in details. And I agree with you that Shin PD put it there to highlight something in Jang’s development since season 1.
This is where I can sense that there is some confusion on which direction LWJ wants to take Jang’s character.
By what I understand, LWj doesn’t want to make Jang as a bad bad character, hence she gave us Jang’s mother on the phone, implies that she is just one of those doctor who also has her own struggle outside the hospital.
But as you mentioned, based on her script, LWJ seems doesn’t really like this character, thus the glutony traits that still there even after one year in relationship with JW. In fact Jang does not change at all, we just know her a bit more.
I wonder if the huge amount of WGers put LWJ underpressure to at least make Jang more likeable but I also wonder if LWJ realized that it’s a bit too late for that. I suspect, they are struggling to make the break-up believable. This is oc just my imagination on what happened behind ShinLee’s heads
One thing I can be sure, SHinLee endgame wouldn’t change just because of majority of the fans demanded so.