When lurkers complain that this blog presents a wholly different perspective on “Hospital Playlist” from other sites, it’s because we like to read between the lines. 🙂
Based on my limited experience on ShinLee’s dramas, I expect them to present the story in two ways: the surface level, and the deeper level that go further than the overt and obvious. Hence, we read between the lines. In this blog, we explore both the VERBAL cues like the subtexts, memes, inside jokes, red herrings, and metaphors, and the VISUAL cues like Chekov’s gun, the actors’ blocking, and director’s choice of camera shots and angles. These verbal and visual cues convey so much more than what’s being explicitly said and shown at the surface level.
Most of the time, we get the interpretation correct. But if after the hiatus, the director and writer decided to change the script and alter the endgame, then we can’t do anything about it, can we? 🤷♀️
With less than three episodes left, they haven’t achieved what Director Shin purportedly set out to do, that is, to depict love in the 40s. In Shin’s own words:
“I also wonder whether love in your forties is like this. It’s been 20 years since they were in their twenties. During that time, they would have met many people and formed many relationships, and they’re at an age where old memories alone are not enough to live each day with passion. They’re no longer at the age to passionately fall in love at first sight or where emotions of love overtake your everyday life. I wonder whether the difference in writing from today’s typical romance or the speed of the relationship is the biggest reason.”
source: soompi
In fact, when we watch the drama on the surface level, what we’re seeing contradicts not only Shin’s concept of love in the 40s, but also — to our dismay — our own understanding and experience of love in the 40s. 🤨 If Shin believes that “memories alone are not enough” then what’s the point of IJ’s persistent attempt to go down memory lane with Songhwa, and that flashback of Songhwa crying over a date cancellation?
Likewise, if he believes that people in their 40s “are no longer at the age to passionately fall in love at first sight or where emotions of love overtake your everyday life,” then what’s the point of Jang and JW’s puerile romance?
Until now, we still don’t know what JW sees in her.
It seems to me that the real person Shin is fooling by settling for the WG and Iksong endgames is himself. He and Writer Lee are hard selling a romance that they themselves know is delusional.
source: slideplayer.com
Remember what Ikjun said last Season? “To pull off a good con, you must fool yourself first.” This maxim applies to Shin, too. He can’t pull off a WG or IkSong endgame because it shows that he finds them absurd and ludicrous. I’ll show you in a bit.
Unless he can show us a clear path to an FG ending, this kdrama is going down as the most overhyped drama of 2021 with the talents of its ensemble mostly underutilized (except that of the IJ actor) and the script losing momentum, originality and direction not even midway through the season.
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
Yes, paddling this FG canoe can “feel” tiring. But like the marathoning mothers, we can’t give up now. There are three more hurdles, or literally three more episodes to go.
If you’re a non-FGers, I’m sure you took this episode as a positive sign that IJ would win her in the end. You have the flashback to bolster your claim. But if you’re a FGer, you must take into consideration five things. I’ll explain in detail.
🌸 First, the rain scene
Songhwa grabbed IJ’s hand to jump over the puddle. They continued holding hands for a few seconds before letting go.
She grinned. He didn’t show any sign of being awkward or self-conscious.
IJ: It’s like a hurdle. Think of this as a hurdle race. I see about three more. Well, you can do it. Just jump over it.
I’m nitpicking: IJ actually said, “Arasso?” instead of “Well, you can do it.” “Arasso?” means, “Do you understand?” or “Got it?” The point here, however, was that he instructing her that she could do this on her own.
She looked thoughtful.
If you’re a FGer, you were probably shaken by that look. 🙂
After all, didn’t we see her looking gazing at IJ back in 1999, when she heard him play the guitar?
But let’s rewatch that moment in S1, Ep 4. Notice SH’s and IJ’s hair?
Their disheveled hair indicated that they got into a fight and pulled each other’s hair. But while they were pulling each other’s hair, the trio ignored them. Songhwa happily chatted with the other guys. Her behavior then was hardly the behavior of somebody crushing on IJ. She didn’t care.
Only when IJ started playing did Songhwa become mesmerized with him. Notice that JW shoot her a glance just as the camera faded away.
So…
With this in mind, it’s natural for the FGers to feel bothered when they saw Songhwa with that pensive look on her face again as IJ ran away. There was a precedent.
However, I suggest another interpretation of this moment. To me, it dawned on Songhwa that IJ had changed. He didn’t tell her to hold onto him or to run beside him. Instead, he gave her advice like he was a third party, “You can do this!”
She would have been surprised to see him relegate himself to the role of spectator in her life. He, who was so fond of lecturing her on how to run things in her life, was allowing her do the hurdles on her own. In effect, he was letting her go.
In my opinion, the breakthrough for IJ happened in Ep 8, when Songhwa chose to calm herself rather than seek physical comfort from him after the news of her mom’s Parkinson. He finally got the message that he was a good friend and confidant to her, but nothing more.
For Songhwa, on the other hand, Ep 9 was her breakthrough. She discovered that he moved on. Literally, he ran ahead of her.
Now, if Songhwa remains the calm, rational, mature 40something heroine that we FGers love, then she’s going to feel relieved — and grateful — that she ceased to be an object of his romantic pursuit.
But if ShinLee decide to mutate her into a repressed, playing-hard-to-get teenager, then this is the start of the IkSong endgame.
As I warned before, I draw the line here. After repeatedly declining his advances, Songhwa would lose all her credibility should she change her mind about IJ at this point. Just imagine Elizabeth Bennett in “Pride and Prejudice” falling for Mr. Collins because Mr. Collins stuck to her side and wore her down with his childish jokes and crazy antics. That’s how I would feel about Songhwa falling for IJ. 😒
Bitches like me know that “’No’ does not mean ‘Convince me.'”
source: huffpost
More Comments about the rain scene:
a. IJ ran AHEAD of her.
We noticed this even during the previews. We said that it was unromantic.
Sure, they were running in the rain. And yes, it did seem like ShinLee were paying homage to that rain scene from a classic movie starring Jo In Sung, Cho Seungwoo (the lead in “Sisyphus”) and Son YeJin (the lead in “Crash Landing on You”).
But if they were copying that scene, then IJ shouldn’t have left her behind. I think ShinLee subverted the classic rain trope to troll the fangirls. Just like the supposedly romantic stroll in the sunset in Episode 4, this run in the rain was hyped up to be a romantic moment for Songhwa and IJ.
b. Matching Rosa-and-Ju
Prior to this scene, ShinLee showed Director Ju giving Rosa a hand to help her climb over the rock.
This Rosa scene paralleled Songhwa holding IJ’s hand as she jumped over the puddle. I interpreted this as a visual cue that Songhwa-IJ’s relationship is a tight bond – but platonic one – like Director Ju-Rosa’s.
🌸🌸 Second, the hurdle
Thanks, @Cleopatra, and @Sasa13 for pointing out the key word here. This is what @Sasa13 said –
Like some of the posters here said, the hurdles are a key message here. I think it was PD shin telling FG there are three more hurdles (three more eps). I also notice how the people who say it were minha, jeongwon and ikjun.
(a) When minha first say it, it seems like Jang’s plot is going to be over soon since the scene after that was Junwan saying get out to IJ acting as gyeoul lol. i am praying for one more ep of her and they’ll send her off for good.
(b) When jeongwon says it, it seems to seal gomgom faith and
(c) when IJ say it, i think it made the realization that Iksong door is closed and songhwa will be fine to move on her own. Btw, jeongwon mentioned that the look in seokhyung face indicated that it’s game over and i cannot help but remember songhwa’s longing face to JW when he stays.
Minha mentioned hurdle. Like IkJun encouraging Songhwa, she was cheering Jang up. Although she didn’t know her problem, she was there for her.
Minha: Cheer up, Gyeo-ul. Okay. You’re doing so well. I’m not sure what’s going on, but everything will be okay. I’m sure this is the last hurdle you have to overcome. If you need my help with anything or need someone to talk to, just let me know. You know I’m here most of the time. Just call me, and I’ll be there.
JW mentioned hurdle in regard to SH.
JW: It may take a while, but I’m sure he’s even thinking about the consequences and will want to get it sorted out first. And they’ll have to overcome a number of hurdles.
IJ: How long do you think will it take?
JW: Not long. You saw that look on his face. It’s already game over.
He said that SH’s face indicated “game over.” By that, he meant that SH was resolved to date, even marry Minha. “Game over” meant “it’s a certainty.” To me, his statement was ironic coming from him. Why?
Because what about his face in this scene?
And Jang’s body in this scene?
Did it also look like it was “game over” for him, too? 😂
He definitely realized that Jang was putting up “hurdles” for him, too. But he seemed reluctant to jump over these hurdles. In his case, “game over” could indicate something entirely different from SH’s “game over.” For him, “game over” meant that he realized that Jang was distancing herself from him, and that their situation could be irreversible.
Anyway….
Here’s IJ again. He was motivating Songhwa to go through the hurdles. He knew she could do it on her own.
IJ: It’s like a hurdle. Think of this as a hurdle race. I see about three more. Well, you can do it. Just jump over it.
It seems to me that all these hurdles had one common thread. All three commentators, Minha, JW and IJ, were bystanders. They could only watch on the sidelines, just like the supporters of the players in the tournament. They could stand by their friends and encourage them, but they couldn’t take part in the hurdles themselves. Jumping the hurdles weren’t their move to make.
🌸🌸🌸 Third, the tournament
This wasn’t a filler segment — although I admit that I was whining about IJ’s screentime. Initially, I felt that ShinLee wasted time and footage on magnifying the actor’s comedic skills, when they could have focused more on the developing the FG loveline. 🙂
But when I went to rewatch the scene, I realized that the tournament was ALLEGORICAL. By using the tournament as a framework, ShinLee presented both verbal and visual cues with which the viewers could tease out the endgame. To my unbiased eyes 🙂, the tournament portended the demise of IkJun’s pursuit of Songhwa. They aren’t the endgame.
Let me list through some of them. Most of the points here have been mentioned in the Alfresco Thread but I’ll say them out in the open for the new FGers.
a. The real bluffer
IkJun was a bluffer himself. We all know this.
@Bulmagoku said –
The actor who played Deong-Rong’s father in R88 make a cameo as Prof. Shin. I took it as another meta from ShinPD. And what is it his nickname based on IJ’s explanation?
IJ: You know Prof. Shin’s nickname, right ?
Co-Player: Human Endoscope. Your partner in liver transplants. And the best abdominal imaging expert at Yulje.
IJ: “Bluffer”
Co-Player: Hmm?
IJ: He’s called that because he hardly tell the truth. He bluffs like there’s no tomorrow.
It’s said that birds of a feather, flock together. Prof Shin and IJ were partners, not only in liver transplants but in the Liars Game. IJ recognized Prof Shin as a bluffer because he was a bluffer, too.
Remember the lie he told Jang about the seolabja in Ep 6? Jang was utterly convinced that he was speaking the truth. Then remember last season, Episode 10 when he coached Jang how to bluff?
IJ: To pull off a good con, you must fool yourself first. Pretend that you didn’t get dealt a bad hand. It’s a straight flush…. Pretend that you have a boyfriend, not a younger brother. Convince yourself the one who gave you these roses is your boyfriend.”
So yeah, IJ was a bluffer.
IJ had been conning himself that he was still in love with Songhwa. That’s why he kept giving mixed signals for her. One moment he’d be sweet and attentive. The next, he’d be insufferable.
In Ep 10, he told her that nothing would give him pleasure as to eat a quiet breakfast with her.
But in other episodes, he ignored her while he was socializing with other people on the phone or in the corridors. He also shamed her for her eating style, and called her a “piggy.”
He wants a quiet breakfast with her? Please. 🙄 Who was he bluffing?
b. The banana
During the table tennis game, the referee showed IJ a banana because IJ committed foul. Like Prof Shin, he was bluffing when he told the nurse that her colleagues were upset with her for cheering for her husband’s team instead of their Nursing Dept. The nurse flat-out denied that. So, the referee blew his whistle and gave IJ a warning.
He actually said, “Fake news!”
Then he showed Ikjun the banana. This was equivalent to giving a yellow card in soccer for offenses. He told him, “Warning.”
IJ had no choice but to sheepishly back down.
I’m not Korean but I know that “banana” sounds like the Korean word for “to fall for” or “to fall in love with.”
Banana 바나나 = banhana 반하다
There’s always a lame pun about banhana/falling for a banana. For example, Mamamoo’s song, “Aze Gag.”
To me, the banana was a visual cue. Director Shin was telegraphing a joke to the audience — through the referee. Shin was indicating that there was deception going on with Ikjun the Bluffer.
“Fake news. (Banana to IJ = Banhana/To fall for IkJun). Warning.”
Even the camera shot was interesting here. That poster between IJ and the banana said, “#1 Champion.” Thus, while the referee was warning him for spreading fake news, the visual cue here was also warning the audience that IJ isn’t the winner (or top banana, lol). It’s all disinformation, fake news, and bluff.
Do you see it? 🙂
c. “#1 Champion”
If you notice, JW sat right under the poster with the “#1 Champion” caption. Thanks, @nrllee, for pointing this out.
It was most conspicuous when Songhwa arrived and sat beside JW.
This ties in nicely with that scene in S2:Ep3 when Songhwa was talking with SeonBin about enlisting a pretend boyfriend to help her get rid of matchmaking mother. JW then burst into the room with an accompanying fanfare and applause.
I said that the addition of the sound effects was the director’s overt way of signaling that JW was the WINNER of Songhwa’s affection.
Now in this episode, instead of sound effects, the director used a visual clue, the poster, to reiterate who the real champion would be.
Also, in his conversation with SH, JW claimed that he’d be the real winner if he and IJ were to compete each other in the tournament.
JW: (sighing) Lee IkJun. I can beat him easily. I’m so annoyed. He’ll make such a big deal out of it.
This, too, ties in nicely with JW complaining about not being given a chance to sing “Aloha” in S1:E2. He told them, “Guys, I haven’t told you this yet, but I sing this song really well….I kept quiet until now because of the fuss you guys make.”
In JW’s mind, he’s being forced to play second fiddle to IJ although he was definitely superior.
That’s why he told IJ, “She’s not listening to you, so she’ll just ignore me.”
His attitude tells us that he really doesn’t know his influence over Songhwa. No matter how many times IJ reprimanded her for her eating style, she never changed for him.
But with JW, he only had to blow up once, and she’d make a complete change.
Remember in S1:Ep 2, during the kagulsu dinner, he got mad at Songhwa (and JWan) for eating all the kagulsu. He accused them of being “self-centered.”
He reminded them of the last time they ate cheonggukjang. They ate all the beef and he only had tofu.
The next episode, Songhwa ordered seafood stew for the group. JW was complaining that he was allergic to seafood, but he found out that Songhwa also ordered big-eyed herring. He didn’t know it then but Songhwa ordered it for him because she knew he wouldn’t eat the seafood stew.
See that?
After he got mad at Songhwa for NOT paying attention to his needs during meal times, she didn’t ignore him again. She made sure that risotto was ordered for him in S1:Ep 10, that bossam and jokbal were ready for him in S2:Ep5, and that he had his own order of mild taekbokki in S2:Ep 8. Even IJ noticed that she selected the taekbokki to fit everybody.
And pay attention to her order again.
There were FOUR containers on the table. One was mild for JW. Two were spicy because she didn’t want to share her spicy taekbokki with JWan. And the remaining one was to be shared between SH and IJ. 😂 If she really liked IJ, she should have been more generous with him, too, and gotten him his own serving, right?
Do you see what I mean? If you read between the lines, you’d see that Songhwa always paying quiet attention to his needs. And she never did this with any of the other guys, including IJ.
So don’t tell me now that IJ is the man in her hearts, Shinlee.
Also, in S2:Ep 1, JW complained to her that he always sat in the middle seat.
In my opinion, Songhwa wanted to make amends by offering to drive them home. She would have given him the passenger seat, but he rejected her offer.
In the next episode, we learned that she gave him her old car. Do you get it? Since he complained about being passed over in favor of IJ, she gave him her old car as compensation. 😂
These weren’t the only situations when Songhwa quietly showed him – show, not tell — that he was a winner for her. The whole DDL project that she worked hard on was to make his dreams come true.
So, JW was plain wrong to complain that Songhwa didn’t listen to him.
d. The parallelism
This tournament paralleled Jang’s marathon in Season 1. She chased the Abusive Dad up and down the hospital, but Songhwa “won” at the last second. I said that the whole scene wasn’t just a waste of time; it was a foreshadowing.
Likewise, IJ’s tournament loss is a foreshadowing. IJ advanced to the finals on rather dubious means…by luck. He won against the teams of Dr. Bong and Jwan/JHak because they were called away by emergencies. He won against Prof Shin’s team because Prof Shin, a newbie, didn’t know that in a doubles game, teammates alternate hitting the ball.
The Orthopedic team was IJ’s first real test but again emergency struck at the critical moment.
Fortunately, justice was served in the finals game. The Champions of the tournament were real Olympians who cameo-ed for the show.
Hence, this tournament was an allegory. The bluffer lost when the real champions at table tennis arrived. Similarly, the pretender will lose when the real winner in the story arrives at the scene.
e. The score
Something was missing in the translation.
I’m not Korean but I do know from “The Racket Boys” that the word “love” is used to denote zero points in these games, just like in English.
The referee could have used “love” to announce the final game score of 2-0. But I think the Director deliberately abstained from using the word “love” in connection with IJ because love was fake news for IJ.
Also, the referee could have said “yeong” because the Korean word for zero is “yeong.” (Remember “The King: Eternal Monarch”?)
So it was interesting that “ppang” or 빵 was used to indicate that IJ failed to score a single point. “Ppang” means:
a. “bread” in common usage
b. “zero” in slang
More importantly, in Korean, “ppang” is the onomatopoeia for the explosion of a gun or a bomb. This amused me because IJ actually “bombed” the match. In English slang, to bomb means to colossally fail.
Just like with the word “banana” earlier, the Director was making a snide joke with the word “ppang!”
f. Lastly, the tea
To add insult to injury, IJ burned himself drinking Songhwa’s hot tea.
Songhwa: (offering tea to IJ’s partner) Do you want some hot tea?
Partner: Yes
IJ: No, just hold onto it.
Songhwa: (taken aback)
IJ: I’ll have it after I win.
JW: (taken aback, too) Goodness.
IJ: Before the tea gets cold, I’ll come back victorious.
A few of us in the Alfresco Thread were instantly reminded of epic moments in other stories.
@2uke said,
here’s a joke reference to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms (part history-part fiction novel of the Three Kingdoms period in China history).
When Songhwa offers IJ hot tea, he declines n says, “Before the tea gets cold, I’ll come back victorious.” In ROTK, Battle of Sishui Pass, Cao Cao pours Guan Yu a cup of warm wine, GY puts it on hold n says he return very soon victorious. Very soon GY returns with the enemy general’s head whilst Cao still holding the warm cup of wine… LMAO… IJ returns defeated. The tea is still hot though but Songhwa has put down the cup lol IJ took it off the chair
@Cleopatra said,
If you have seen historical plays you would know that is a line that a man says to his woman. I will return to you victorious. It is a paraphrase of what Spartans’ mothers said to their sons that went to battle. If they cannot return home victorious, then they will only return on their shields, that means they will only return home dead. This scene is foreshadowing. In the mind of a logical Writer-nim this states: IkJun and Song Hwa are not meant to be together PERIOD.
I suggested that writer was inspired by the last scenes in “The Racket Boys” whose screenwriter co-wrote “Reply 1988.” The young hero HaeKang told his love-interest:
HaeKang: Don’t worry. Don’t be nervous. There are a lot of reasons why Jeonnam should win. Dad, Coach, and the kids worked really hard for this. And our parents are cheering for us. Bur right now, I have only one reason to win. It’s you, Seyoon. (patting her head) Wait for me. I’ll be right back.
HaeKang was going to propose to her after winning the doubles game in badminton. She was worried that he’d lose because he was going up against the #1 ranking player. But he reassured her, no matter what, he was going to win for her.
This hot tea scene resonated with many of us FGers.
For one, we thought it was his comeuppance. Not only did he lose, he also burned his tongue as sort of retribution from the gods for his hubris to go up against the real Champions. The final match came down so fast that there wasn’t time for the tea to cool down.
For another, we think this was another foreshadowing of the endgame. He’ll get burned.
In sum, there are just six reasons why I think this tournament scene is critical to the endgame. If you weren’t “reading between the lines,” you would have easily overlooked these verbal and visual cues in the scene: the real bluffer, fake news banhana/banana, real champion, Jang’s marathon/IJ’s pingpong parallelism, “ppang” score, and hot tea.
🌸🌸🌸🌸 Fourth, the song title, “Non Naege Banhaesso”
The banana 바나나 = banhana 반하다
The banana/banhana joke is connected to Songhwa’s choice of song. The tournament game at the start of the show and the band practice at the end are bookends. They go together.
The title of the song, “Non Naege Banhaesso” uses the same verb “banhada” or “to fall for.” In English, the title is “You’ve Fallen for Me.”
SH: Has Songhwa chosen a song?
IJ: Yes. Don’t even get me started.
JW: It’s a biennial event, so let her have her way. What’s the song called?
IJ: (tells him off-camera)
JW: (crumpling his coffee cup, enraged) Why didn’t you stop her? I bet she can’t even sing the first line.
The first line is “Non naege banhaesso” or “You’ve fallen for me.”
IJ: I tried to talk her out of it. I threatened her and treated her to a meal. I did my best.
Note two things. Songhwa chose the song even BEFORE the rain scene. And when Songhwa says something, she means it.
JW: And?
IJ: She’s saying it has to be this song. You talk to her.
JW: She’s not listening to you, so she’ll just ignore me.
IJ: She’s stressed. Let’s suck it up for just 3 minutes and 40 seconds.
Note: The other guys were still clueless about Songhwa’s mother’s Parkinson’s. If they had known, they would have asked for an update on the mother.
Reading between the lines then (or lack of lines), I think ShinLee purposely didn’t show IJ saying the title aloud. IJ didn’t say it because, factually speaking, the song lyrics didn’t apply to him. It was a fake news that we’ve been forewarned earlier with the banana warning in the tournament.
JW, on the other hand, was upset because the song pertained to him. To me, this was meta. He was against the song because he was in denial. As the song implied, he’d fallen for her, but he was playing hard to get.
At the band practice, he made a last-ditch effort to persuade her to change her mind.
JW: Songhwa, we can pick something else now. We can play any song right now.
Songhwa: No. I’m going to sing this song. It’s my birthday today.
There you go, girl! NO means no. She wanted this song and nothing else.
The lyrics of the “You’ve Fallen for Me.” Original song was by No Brain.
You’ve fallen for me.
In the dazzling spotlight
You’ve fallen for me.
Don’t just smile and answer me.
You’ve fallen for me.
On this exciting Saturday night
You’ve fallen for me.
Just tell me honestly.
You’re playing hard to get to grab my attention.
But I won’t fall for it.
Woaah.You’ve fallen for me.
What are those eyes trying to tell me?
You’ve fallen for me.
Dance for me.
Come on. Come on.
The moment our eyes met
I felt the passionate spark
Oh! Stand by me. Stand by me. Stand by me.
If you want me to
I’ll go take the stars out of the sky for you
Oh! Stand by me. Stand by me. Stand by me.
Kiss me on the cheek.
Woaah.
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸Fifth, the wake-up call from SeonBin
To me, ShinLee have been trolling the HP2 viewers since Ep 7.
Ep 7: the camping trip with IJ. They could have had an intimate moment. She went inside her tent.
Ep 8: Songhwa was at her weakest moment, emotionally. She didn’t seek physical comfort from IJ.
Ep 9: the rain scene with IJ. The classic guy-shelters-the-girl-from-the-rain trope was totally subverted. He had moved on. And she was at peace with that.
In my opinion, the whole reveal about Songhwa crying after her cancelled date in 1999 shouldn’t unsettle the FG. I think that ShinLee showed us how to understand her emotions through SeonBin’s conversation with YunBok.
YB: Dr. Seo. Dr. Choi Seongyeong made me coffee. I’m so touched.
SB: Yeonbok-ah… Wake up.
Note the sound effects here. IJ’s OST, “I Like You,” which was playing in the background, suddenly slowed down. Reality bites once more.
SB: (continuing) When you’re an intern, you fall for any senior who does anything remotely nice. It’s because you’re exhausted now. I bet you think Seongyeong looks very handsome and dashing.
YB: (nods head)
SB: (smirks) You’re not in your right mind now.
YB: I see. I’m swamped with homework, but he said I don’t have to finish everything, and even made this hot, delicious coffee. He cheered me up and told me to take it easy.
SB: (shaking her) Snap out of it, Jang Yunbok! Yunbok! You must stay focused, okay?
YB: Okay.
Then, we heard the sound effects of a cuckoo clock to wake her up from her delusions.
In my opinion, this SeonBin scene isn’t at all superfluous. SeonBin was expressing the views of ShinLee, like the referee during the tournament. Both these characters acted as ShinLee’s surrogates. ShinLee could insert their personal commentary, express their real thoughts, or make an insider’s joke about the unfolding events through these characters. It’s meta.
The Writer Lee wanted us to apply SeonBin’s advice to Songhwa. We were told to get a grip of our ourselves and realize that Songhwa was like YunBok back in 1999. She was a young impressionable intern in 1999. Now, she’s 42 years old. Back then, she would have viewed her date cancellation as a heart-breaking catastrophe. Now, twenty years later, she would view it for what it was: a slight detour on her way to growing up.
If ShinLee were independent thinkers, and not panderers to popular opinions, then Songhwa’s 1999 flashback should establish that she has evolved and matured since her college days.
Sure, the details of that night twenty years ago were sad due to SH’s interference and IJ’s missed opportunity. However, if a 40something Songhwa should ever contemplate on that fateful night, I would expect her to view it with the wisdom and emotional distance gained from the passage of time. I would expect her to find humor, peace, and above all, closure, from this old memory.
We shall see better which direction ShinLee will take this week.
“Don’t make a fool of me.” 😈😈😈
🤣🤣🤣🤣 Thank you @ pm3 🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪 and ❤❤❤❤❤❤
Ok i am off to continue reading 🤭🤭🤭
Whoa! This is a lot to digest. Thanks for the comprehensive summary @packmule3. I actually didn’t get point the pingpong tournament scene at first. But after SHwa sat in and SHyeon moved to allow SHwa to sit beside Jeong Won…. I started becoming more attentive. They’re mirroring each other as they try to avoid being hit by the pingpong ball.
Yes, about that pingpong tourney… There is more to it than meet the eyes. The fact that Shwa arrived and being seated next to PG. The fact that camera was focused to show the sequence where he did not lose eye contact the moment he saw her at the door until she sat down. And those FG bust shots when they are almost hit by the balls. It’s intentional, the whole setup.
At times I wonder, if PG himself is avoiding GU. They were at the hospital the whole time. He has the time to sneak and stay at the tournament but he only buzz her when it’s time to leave work, only to just see her for a bit. He could have gone to find her to just sneak a peek at her instead of staying at the tourney. Didn’t she just finish a surgery with Ikjun? *roll eyes* She must have had a break before she went for another surgery, if any. But nope. He waited till the end of day, perhaps sensing after various attempts on her part that she might not be ready to see him beforehand. He is trying his luck again if perhaps she is ok to meet with him now. But nope. *roll eyes* What a tiring relationship.
Thanks packmule3. Wonderful post. Some beer for you – late night drink 🍺🍺🍺🍺.
I think in S1:episode 10 – there was physical comfort from JW when being belittled by IJ – when she bought the firepit? Contradicting how she held back her emotions when she found out about parkinsons.
I kind of felt odd (more like disliked her reactions) when she found out that her mother was complaining about something. Do daughters do that. She did take time to call her even though she is in surgery, but I would have expected her to go with her mother to be checked out. Parallel that with how empathetic she was when SH father was being operated.
Off to bed. I see I have a lot to catch up with all the posts. Have been busy since I started something new.
Thanks @packmule3. Like your tournament reasoning and parallelism. So enlightening. 👏
I never tink IJ was SW 1st love from a start. Even if it is true, she already has a change in heart like wat she said in S1 ep 4 : ‘our taste in food changes as we grow out. Yes but not gradually’.
Hence, I wasn’t bothered at all abt her birthday’s flashback in ep 9 at all cos we all know her eyes are now only for PG. Rem she is a matured professor in her forties now, not a twenty something girl. She knows exactly who she wants as her partner.
As I commented previously, if ShinLee didn’t do justice to our FG shipper, I will have second thoughts watching their future dramas again. HP is my first drama and I ardy gave them a thumb down for tis S2 series. 👎
@packmule3 some cakes for you 🍰🥧🧁 and ☕☕☕ for mapping the comprehensive list of gold mine in ep 9
@sni75, thank you for reminding us about what Shwa said. I remember that conversation in her office. People’s heart changes based on their experiences ♥️. They are wiser as they get older.
Thanks for the write up @packmule3. 🍪🍪🍪
Well if we are to believe IJ was SW’s first love. Who was PaBo’s? He had a love in his 20s too yeah? Couldn’t possibly be Jang. 😂. So maybe that’s what he will give us in Ep10. IJ was SW’s first love and SW was PaBo’s first love. And WGrs will insist (like we are now) that PaBo has “moved on”. 🙄.
Actually I had a look at who Jang was talking to in the preview. The one where she was sitting at the cafe and we see the back of a man. Shin seemed to want us to believe it’s PaBo with the voiceover but the hair color looks black? Maybe I am seeing things. PaBo dyed his hair brown (like SW). So possibly IJ?
@pm3 hope you’re having a better week. Thanks for being our voice of reason always 🍪❤️🍹
It’s ironic that the guys think SHwa listens to IJ (I think during the IJ/JWan 💦 scene, JWan also says something to this effect) when in reality, she keeps doing what she wants and ignores him completely (the only person she’s sworn at on the show with kkyeojo 😂). Wonder whether ShinLee think viewers of this drama are chumps 😂 Or that brilliant Dr. Ahn Jeong-Won, psychic PaBo guy, is as thick as they paint him out to be…
@sni75 quality content in the past, thanks for the throwback and reminding how crap the last few episodes have been 😭 Thumbs down for HP series as a whole from too 🤝
Thank you pm3 for your point of view about ep9.
That’s make me more understand about tournament.
Yes, this marathon really tiring. 🥲
I dont know how shin will choose for ep10. I have less expectation.
Shwa POV has reveal at her birthday and yunbok – seobin scene really hit that flashback.
Now jwon’s flashback about first love not yet reveal, maybe at seoraksan mount, but i not expect too much.
I’m greatful shwa POV reveal at ep 9, not at the end this season (like jwon). So i can rest my heart for a while 😂😂
Thank you pm3 for this space and all FGr for amazing discussion 🥰
@packmule3, I’m blown away by your commentary. You give us so much to unpack.
In this episode Songhwa gets significant screen time and I’m glad of it.For much of the season I feel she,’s been neglected save for her medical skills, her dealings with IJ and her mom’s Parkinson’s.
Songhwa,as we know is mature and in season one we know she’s coming off a bad relationship where Friend was a cheater. The flashback s hi owns her young self reacting to a possible date with we think JW. Note her reaction, especially her feet and legs. Remind you of anyone. Yep, it’s PaBo 40yrar old adolescent who had similar reaction to Jang confessing to him. We see parallelism here and note that She’s is far more mature than PaBo in this regard. PaBo has a lot of catching up to do to come close to Shwa’s. How better to start the process than a zjsng break up
Although PaBo is,40 chronologically, he is stunted emotionally because he appears to have been celibate even before he became a priest.
Thanks, @packmule3, for a very comprehensive and well-written brief (it’s as good as a brief! 😁), as always. 😊 noticed the 🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸 in your analysis, and here are 🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸 right back at you — hope your work week, though busy, will be stress-free. 🧘♀️
So is the Racket Boys write-up still coming up @packmule? Haha jk.
Though I’m not watching HP but I did watch RB hehe. So I’m excited to read your upcoming RB posts.
I still enjoy reading the HP posts and comments here. I’m still with you in the paddling quest for Flower Garden! Hwaiting everyone.
Thanks so much for breaking it all down @pm3! So much to think about and it really encourage me to keep paddling for FG.
At the moment i am still not changing my mind about FG as endgame, but tbh the writing has been horrible compared to s1. One of the main reason i am still continuing hospital playlist is honestly this wonderful community and amazing analysis. I learn a lot from everyone here.
In the latest ep i see hope in FG, even though i am still suspicious that PD is still trying to secure a “safer ending” if things go south. We’ll see. I am crossing my fingers for WG eventual end.😏
I don’t have anything nice to add to what @packmule3 observed and pointed out this episode, but I noticed that Prof. Shin (Yoo Jae-myung) being nicknamed ‘bluffer’ maybe coincide with Dong-ryong’s father being a master of bluffing in a game of Go-Stop with Deok-sun’s father and Jung-hwan’s mother. Haha.
All these scandals surfacing about idols taking advantage of their fan girls just makes me think that ShinLee could be writing a social commentary? WG is certainly that? Fan girl gets to be with her number one crush. Repressed priest my foot. 🙄. If ShinLee are selling it’s okay for PaBo to act like that, they have serious problems with their world view. 😒
@mrllee, I respectfully disagree with your last comment
It looks like Maggot and PaBo haven’t slept together and she’s the aggressor. To use an old word, PaBo is somewhat horny. However he,is clueless about getting to the next level. And his proposal in the cathedral never materialized. I think his intentions are good but hers are questionable. After all she was proud to beat God. And if he was a bad boy he would have slept with her after all this time. Unless Shin Lee make Maggot pregnant by PaBo, I’ll put him in the innocent column. Would love for her to be two timing him. But the evidence doesn’t seem to point to an idol like PaBo.
I agree with @OAL that JW’s physical relationship with Jang has most likely not gone beyond hugging, handholding, and kissing. I don’t think he would have chosen a cathedral as the site of his proposal to Jang if there were anything about which he felt uncomfortable in light of his strong Catholic faith. He might, indeed, feel uncomfortable if he knew Jang was bragging that she beat God, but I suspect those words haven’t entered his ears via Jang, IJ, or through rumors (which would be few, if any, because their dating is still secret).
Thank you, @Packmule3, for your thorough analysis of Episode 9. Brava! Standing ovation for you! I had thought the table tennis tournament was a long walk to the punchline of real-world world-class Korean athletes whipping IJ’s butt.
At this point in watching Hospital Playlist, I’m cruising along with low expectations. If an episode has elements that are entertaining, I’m happy. If I find some of what I see puerile, I shrug my shoulders. I don’t expect the show to be a faithful representation of reality. ShinLee have created a world of their own, and I can take it or leave it. For now, I’m watching each episode when it airs on Netflix with English subs, but not watching any trailers or BTS. In my opinion, if the story doesn’t hang well together in the crafting of the episodes, they haven’t properly done their jobs. And that is why the ending of Season 1, the montage of scenes that upended what we’d seen and heard onscreen through twelve episodes, fell flat for me. Why tell an important story like it’s an afterthought?
I enjoy reading Hospital Playlist analyses and comments here on BoD. I trust @Packmule3 to help me see things I’ve missed in the script, cinematography, set design, etc. I trust commentators here to help me better understand cultural references. I’m not reading anything on other websites or blogs. I choose, as @Packmule3 would say, “The joy of missing out.”
Thank you @PM3, you are awesome! Gave me much hope to continue paddling.
When I saw Ik Jun jumping away by himself, I thought Shwa’s expression says deja vu. Just like Ik Jun had in the past signaled interest in her but didn’t happen eventually, it’s the same this time round.
Thank you @pm3! ❤️ Reading Director Shin’s words once again made me realize that HP2 currently ticks all the boxes – of what he himself thinks love at 40’s is not.
The way they are setting up things seem like they are walking on a balance beam. You can fall on either side. The IkSong scenes were setup that it can be interpreted as either a start or an end – whichever they would finally choose to decide. I’d like to believe that indeed, it is a closure for their story.
Among the five, I also see SW value JW’s opinion the most. Just like how JW values SW’s opinion the most. It’s just that JW may not have realized this since his interactions with SW are usually calm and quiet, unlike IJ’s which is always full of fanfare.
I love this post and would like to frame it on a wall or something.
ShinLee’s obtuseness this season with their lazy writing and turning a show about forty something doctors into fanfic heaven irks me the most. Why bother turning it into a multi series when all they did is just pretty much feeding the international fangirls’ fantasies (I am sure WG – Iksong and even ShinLee have been receiving gifts from these fangirls too, and they are returning the favour by writing fanfic style scenes) and got the drama torn apart by their main critics in SK.
What a waste of a good premise with this unprofessional and unprecedented antics. I will not be watching their new dramas anymore unless it is thaaaaat good.
Thank you! @packmule3 lol I was still wondering what’s 🍌 until I read yr post…
n my afterthoughts… Pabo is not in love with Jang… He only likes her becos she likes/idolises him first… Maybe he feels that IJ always has win girls’ liking/attention over him so when Jang likes him, he is impressed. So impressed that he likes her too lol. N plus it’s time to settle down or enter priesthood 😂 I imagine Songhwa is his first love, however, she fell for IJ back then.
I’m anticipating his breakup with Jang hahaha in next episode 😈
Thanks Packmule3, for unpacking this for us with your keen eyes and insights. After reading your commentaries everyone’s comments, I now have revived my hope that our ship will sail. It is only logical if Shinlee want to convince us of what they stated HP2 would be about.
I, too, have relished in the “joy of missing out” especially in the past few episodes since the story didn’t flow well, the characters felt flat, our Songhwa got little screentime and I felt they were trying too hard to ship WG and Ik-Sun.
I have no expectations for episode 10 to be honest. I hope it will confirm what you wrote here and reveal more crumbs leading to the endgame, but if they change the endgame or script to appease the fangirls I will have second thoughts about watching their next dramas.
@Packmule3, if you are not a lawyer or prosecutor you should consider being one on the side since you are just *that* amazing!
@Welmaris, I hope that you’re not outing @packmule3. My guess is that you’re giving us a red herring.
I recognize that @packmule3 has a mind like a steel trap. Her thought processes are trained and remind me of legal thinking and that of Talmudic scholars with the ability to construct, deconstruct, parse and find details that so many can miss. What’s fun is so much is patently obvious. For me,that is the sheer joy of reading this blog. The contributors also provide so much more information and color here. This is so much better than reading the entertainment media that serves a commercial purpose. I get so tired of reading the Korean
Media with it’s boiler plate responses to everything. I’m sure it’s all related to liability.
So now a small comment about HPL2. I agree with most of @packmule3’s assessments of Jang. However, I think there’s more to her “professional” admiration of PaBo. I think she is using him to shortcut work and real learning. She reminds me of the kids who used to copy my homework in high school who got mad because I got better grades on the tests. She is picking his brains without understanding much of the work. She can buy the mother coffee and offer self-serving explanations, but she didn’t get the crux of the lesson about empathy. And whenever she works night shifts, I beleve this is a way for her to earn brownie points with the least amount of work. From what I know of these rotations, a surgeon may be able to sleep until there is a call. She therefore has created her own mythology as a hard worker. To me,she’s just a cheat. I think her character was written with all these intentional red flags. It would be hard to imagine any serious character rehabilitation in three more episodes. That’s why I continue to paddle….
@OAL I actually agree with you. She botched a number of things only to be saved by IJ or PaBo, and got miles of praises because she is IJ’s fav, not to mention PaBo pretty much looked at all her dissertation papers whatever thingy whilst she was a resident. Riding coattails. Impostor. Somewhat, yes.
Which is why I can’t rack my brain as to how both IJ and PaBo did not realizing this. Or maybe they did, but they pitied her and her one-look blank stare with surly pouts.
I really am savage about her with zero mercy – I would if she actually works on her acting (ie the actress), but even that is subpar.
@Fly, I think in the real world she would be either beplaced on disciplinary Probation or dismissed by now. This drama has taken so much care to make the medicine real but has served up this wholly unworthy character on a silver platter. Ugh! And to the detriment of Sknghwa screen time…
THANKS @Welmaris. I know you are responsible and one of the great protectors of the originators and posters on this site.
I love that @packmule3 doesn’t do legal dramas. I generally don’t t watch police shows. In the ear l y days I did watch Law and Order because I actually worked in the Criminal Ckurt Building where you saw the exteriors. As it was a real New York based show (not done in Toronto or Los Angeles) I used to watch them filming all the time. I do watch Korean legal and crime shows to see the differences in approach. For example, Korea seems to have a national police force. It uses a version of our Miranda Laws. It also seems like they use a variation of restorative justice, encouraging settlements at the arrest level for certain offenses. Prosecutors wear robes and you see some cases go before tribunals. And the civil side is quite enlightening. There is a lot of corruption. My favorite legal drama is Hyena with Kim Hye So, who was so good. She is a woman with agency and works so well with Ju ji Hoon (who I couldn’t believe was the same person who played the prince in Goong. And I had a ball watching Vincenzo.
Again, @Welmaris, thank you for keeping this a safe site.Yu, @packmule3, nrllee all keep the trolls away. Much appreciation to you all.
This post giving more hopes for jeongwon is the winner of songhwa heart ❤️
Love this one so much unnie 😘
Thank you @pm3 for this post. You wrote everything from the FG corpus. This is our belief ♥
Thank you @Packmule3 for breaking down the pingpong tournament for us. With all those references and it’s own unique dramatic structure it resembles more a theatre play than a sequence in a tv-show.
I like the idea that Songhwa’s persistence in singing the You’ve fallen for me song is a sign that the lyrics are abt JW. He is hard to get indeed. I hope he turns out to be worth the effort.
Sometimes I find however that all those intricacies and mind games and meta levels constructed by the writer and the PD are just to much. I’d rather SEE more of why JW and Songhwa are best for each other and how they are getting closer than always have to look for the clues as to the endgame. Probably I’m one of those silly viewers who also want to get some heart fluttering moments in a drama LOL (which ironically makes me a faithful NEVER-JANG-team member).
@Linnea, I second your comment about how Shin Lee are using all these devices without showing why She’s and JW are best together. I would rather not scream at my tv when Jang PaBo appear. What a waste of screen time.
It would have been nice to see the progression of a Shwa JW relationship but I guess Shim Lee’s style, if this is truly the end game is to make it a mystery and keep us guessing. They belong in a Grimm fairy tales ad the troll couple living under the bridge collecting rating tolls.
Haha, @AOL, I loved your comparison!
The PD is surely going to monetize the show’s success even further. There is going to be a variety show with the 5 main actors from HP soon. But the theme is not known yet. I can only hope that Shin hyun bin is not going to be an recurring guest. Nothing against the actress but it’s going to take quite a while for me to shake off the Jang vibe from her image when I look at her. As @Miracle23 said on another thread: they could have included her in the main poster as well, considering her screen time.
@Linnea, I have soured on Shin Hyun Been because of HPL. I saw her in Sunset In My Home Town prior to HPL, and I thought she was pretty good but her current role makes her very polarizing. It also doesn’t stretch her acting chops because she gives a one note performance. Even her speech at the end idea season one, which could have been heartfelt was just flat. Between seasons, she definitely I tell used her new-found popularity to make cheer headway. I can’t blame her for making the most of her advantages. But I feel that her popularity worked to the detriment of Jeon Mido who is the very heart of this drama and he r red u c3dcscreen time tells the tale. From a feminist point of view there is only one female lead, who has to compete with female supporting characters for prime screen time, while there are four male leads who get the lion’s share of storyline and screen time. I particularly fault Ms. Lee for this set up and wonder whether she has particular affection for t h e men. I n know that @packmule3 once 3xplained about the reverse harem rule for women, but I see Jeon Mido not gaining any real advantage here.
So yeah, I probably will not be expending any time watching Shin Hyun Been projects. Her role and her portrayal were a real turn off.
And Ms. Lee, isn’t it time for you to write more male leads into your ensemble projects where they actually get meaningful screen time.