Resident Playbook: Episodes 11-12 (Final) » Dramabeans Korean drama recaps

Resident Playbook: Episodes 11-12 (Final)

by DaebakGrits

The finale to everyone’s favorite K-drama spinoff has arrived, and like the rest of our story, it’s full of touching moments — both squee-ful and tearful. As we say goodbye to our Playbook Quartet, they wrap up the end of their first year as Yulje residents, and their individual personal growth is on full display.

EPISODES 11-12

I thought, for sure, that we’d return to Yulje this week with Yi-young and Do-won’s secret rendezvous in the outpatient ward being the hot gossip on everyone’s lips, but it turns out Jae-il is better at keeping a secret than I previously given him credit for — for now, at least. It’s only a matter of time before he spills the beans, but in the meantime Yi-young and Do-won date in ignorant bliss, and, as usual, they are absolutely adorable.

Living in the same house with their oblivious siblings is taking its toll on the couple, and so Do-won shops around for a new apartment. It was something he planned on doing before he started fellowship, but now that he’s dating Yi-young, he’s extra motivated to establish them a private love nest and to remove himself from their current living situation because Yi-young has grown more self-conscious of her home habits now that they’re a couple. (How many green flags has this guy earned at this point?) Their faux-domesticated bliss includes a stop at a realtor, where they encounter DO JAE-HAK (cameo by Jung Moon-Sung), who has the perfect place for Do-won, but Jae-hak’s eagerness to offload his apartment before his second child arrives comes off as a bit scammy (oh, the irony).

After apartment hunting, the couple has dinner at a fancy restaurant where Do-won tries — and fails — to discreetly figure out Yi-young’s ring size for a pair of couple rings. It’s all good, though, because Yi-young deflects his disappointment with a pair of matching sneakers. The cuteness of the moment, however, shifts to business when another restaurant patron chokes on his food. Yi-young and Do-won jump into action and perform CPR, and their heroics are — very pointedly — caught on CCTV. (Hmmm…)

Back at the hospital, it’s only a matter of time before Yi-young and Do-won’s relationship is made public, but it may not be Jae-il, with his suggestive eyebrow wiggles and knowing looks when Do-won mentions the outpatient ward, that gives them away. Naw, these two can’t stop being so stinkin’ cute together, and sometimes when they think they’re alone, they aren’t — which is how they’re caught in the act by the new nurse. Whoops!

Then again, perhaps one of the reasons Jae-il hasn’t divulged his knowledge of Yi-young’s secret relationship — you know, beyond the fact that he’s a good friend — is because he’s preoccupied with his own crush on Sa-bi. You see, Jae-il, for all his outward confidence, is not direct with his feelings, so instead of confessing them, he endeavors to spend as much time with Sa-bi as possible. And that is how Sa-bi ends up being his nurse-maid when he gets temporary paralysis in his leg after sleeping on a surgical bed when his leg was propped up in a stirrup. This Ik-jun-with-a-Darth-Vader-helmet-glued-to-his-head level of injury has him making his rounds in a wheelchair and begging Sa-bi to assist him with various personal tasks when she’s available because (insert puppy eyes here) he can’t do them on his own. That is, of course, until a well-timed spilled coffee has him jumping out of his wheelchair and revealing that he’d been milking his numb leg for longer than required.

When he isn’t exaggerating his injuries, Jae-il is attending to an elderly cancer patient with an extremely distressed (slightly) younger sister. The younger sister fears her unni is on the verge of dying because the doctors have moved the older sister to a bed close to the door with easy access for the doctors and nurses. Also, the older sister appears to be experiencing terminal lucidity (or “rallying”), and the doctors have changed her IV to the red medicine — all signs, according to another cancer patient who’s watched other patients receive palliative care before passing away — that the older sister is nearing the end.

Except…she’s not. For the time being, at least, the younger sister misinterpreted the signs. Her older sister’s medication seems to be working (thus, the lucidity), and she was moved to the hospital bed by the door because the one next to the window really was broken. However, even though younger sister is not about to be left behind and become a late-in-life orphan, there’s an undercurrent of solemnity to moment Jae-il takes the sisters’ up to the hospital garden to photograph them, because, even though the elder sister won’t be needing her funeral picture in the immediate future, neither woman likely has many years left.

While Jae-il is off exaggerating his injuries and bringing tears to my eyes with his thoughtful bedside manner, Nam-kyung and Da-hye grow concerned that they won’t have a first-year resident to help alleviate their workload next year. As a result, they vow to woo the only intern who hasn’t committed to a department to Team OB-GYN: Gi-on, who seems noticeably less incompetent with a few more months of experience under his belt. Unfortunately, Nam-kyung seems to strike out with her every attempt to promote her department, but maybe not all hope is lost. Even though Nam-kyung and Da-hye fear that their yelling and clipped orders during an emergency delivery scared Gi-on off, he seems rather impressed by the chaos.

But that same pressure and chaos continues to fuel Yi-young’s hesitancy and desire to quit once she’s paid off her debt. Unfortunately for Yi-young, Professor Seo and the very pregnant Professor GEUM SAE-BYEOK (cameo by non-Hospital Playlist alum Park Ye-young) are determined to mentor her. Professor Geum offers up her own body and pregnancy to ensure Yi-young perfects her sonogram technique, and when she finally goes into labor, she ask that all the interns be present for her delivery.

Professor Geum also insists on having a first-year stitch up incision, and Yi-young is the lucky — but very nervous — first-year who gets that honor. She hesitates, afraid she will mess up, but Professor Seo tells her, “You can’t be scared forever.” Despite her initial trepidation, Yi-young’s confidence kicks in once she’s in the driver’s seat, and she even feels comfortable enough to give Professor Seo orders. Rather than be offended, Professor Seo looks amused by her young protege, and while she doesn’t outright say Yi-young is her favorite first-year resident, it’s clear she’s personally more invested in Yi-young’s success than the other residents and is actively trying to push Yi-young out of her comfort zone.

Previously, I’d suspected that it was either Yi-young’s fears or an emotional response in relation to her sister’s miscarriage and fertility issues that caused Yi-young to withdraw from her past residency, but it turns out that wasn’t the case. No, come to find out, Yi-young was fired from her previous position because she bit the hand of a doctor she caught sexually harassing a nurse — the new Yulje nurse. Did this reveal seem rather random? Yes, but am I surprised that she bit into that doctor’s hand like a dog tasting chicken for the first time? Nope. Her connection with the new Yulje nurse also explains why the nurse didn’t spread any rampant rumors about Yi-young and Do-won’s relationship. Yi-young earned the nurse’s loyalty, but, well, come to find out, loyalty can only go so far…

You see, over the course of Episode 11, bread crumbs were sewn for Sa-bi and Nam-kyung to each discover a piece of Yi-young and Do-won’s secret. Sa-bi, who was tasked with collecting addresses so a senior doctor, discovers that Yi-young and Do-won are living together. Nam-kyung, who had eaten dinner with Yi-young and her family (minus Do-won), realized Yi-young and Do-won were in-laws when she saw Do-won meet up with his sister-in-law and recognized Joo-young. And finally, as we all know, Jae-il figured out that they are dating. Of course, to convince Sa-bi and Nam-kyung that Yi-young and Do-won are dating, they need more than Jae-il’s word, and that’s where the viral CCTV footage of Do-won and Yi-young’s date-turned-emergency-rescue.

Now that the cat is officially out of the bag, everyone promises to keep Yi-young and Do-won’s relationship a secret, but almost immediately they systematically spill the beans. Nam-kyung accidentally alludes to it in a conversation with a nurse, as she innocently muses that the difficulties of dating as a doctor must be why some people date their coworkers. Comes to find out, though, the new Yulje nurse had already told her co-worker (so much for that earned loyalty I mentioned earlier). At the same time, Sa-bi tells Professor Ryu that Do-won has a girlfriend, and with very little prompting she gives up Yi-young’s identity. Luckily, Professor Ryu is terrible at remembering names. And Jae-iI, well, now that he’s not the only one who knows the secret he’s eager to tell even more people about the hot gossip he’s been sitting on. Like, he just blurts it out to Dong-ho, but he’s shocked to find out Dong-ho already knows (and is disappointed that Yi-young is still off the market). Turns out, Yi-young and Do-won’s relationship is not much of a secret.

Perhaps the only people completely in the dark about Yi-young and Do-won’s romance are Joo-young and Seung-won. Maybe they are just too preoccupied with Joo-young’s fertility treatments to see the signs, or maybe Yi-young and Do-won’s bickering was pretty bad before it evolved into flirting. Either way, Joo-young and Seung-won are so oblivious that they walked in on Yi-young and Do-won looking cozy and lovey-dovey in Do-won’s bed and assumed that the couple was “physically fighting” each other. (**facepalm**)

I’m personally a huge fan of Yi-young and Do-won’s not-so-secret dating era because it’s just so fluffy. The obviousness of their siblings is hilarious, but once the rest of the first-year residents were in on the secret, their teasing of Do-won is adorable. The man has some of the best facial expressions, and his panicked reaction to Jae-il calling out to a (not really present) Yi-young while Do-won was at the bank opening a wedding savings account (squee!) was priceless. Even the random bank customer chilling out in the background had a good laugh. And, quite frankly, our finale episodes needed a lot of laughter to offset the more sadder and poignant moments.

Nam-kyung’s first-year journey comes full-circle when her very first patient returns to the hospital for what Nam-kyung sorrowfully realizes will be the last time. With her patient refusing to sign a DNR, there is not much for Nam-kyung to do besides hold her hand and use her cell phone to play the woman’s favorite hymn until she passes away. As Nam-kyung types up her patient’s death certificate, she begins to cry uncontrollably, but she snaps into action when a woman on the verge of giving birth arrives in the ER with bystander SEOK-HYEONG (cameo by Kim Dae-Myung). Nam-kyung is the one to deliver the baby, flying solo with only a few hints from Seok-hyeong.

It’s as though the universe wants to remind her of her earlier conversation she had with Gi-on about how OB-GYN is the only department where they sign birth certificates in addition to death certificates. (Cue: the thematically appropriate “Superstar” by Mido and Falasol.) Although Nam-kyung’s growth over the course of this drama has been more subtle than her peers’ development, I think the writers chose the best path for her character and demonstrate how becoming a doctor not only hones the residents’ skills but matures them as people.

The other residents go through similar story arcs to demonstrate how far they have come over the last year. Jae-il, who has always been eager to please, has been pulling some long nights at the hospital in order to be available for his cancer patient. She’s in a lot of pain, and frequently calls for someone to either medicate the pain or distract her from it. Although he’s sleep deprived and his hair makes him look like he has a Van De Graaff generator glued to his hand, Jae-il sees the positive of his situation. After all, it wasn’t that long ago that no one noticed when he was gone, but now he feels useful.

Jae-il goes beyond simply being useful, however, and takes a page out of Sa-bi’s book — literally — and researches alternatives to opioids that can help alleviate his patient’s pain. For the first time in a while, his patient sleeps for four consecutive hours and wakes up feeling refreshed, and even the cantankerous Professor Jo is impressed. So impressed, in fact, that he offers to write a paper with Jae-il. Jae-il is too tired to understand that he’s been handed high praise, but Da-hye is geeks out over how far he’s come on his behalf.

Compared to Jae-il, Sa-bi’s progress is more subtle. She initially joined the OB-GYN department because she admired Professor Seo, but she gradually realized that her biggest weakness was her inability to empathize with her patients and connect with them on a personal level. That realization — combined with Professor Ryu’s caring and attentive nature — inspired her and caused her to shift mentors. She now admires the forgetful Professor Ryu, who is transparent with her about how, even with his years of experience, still gets worried and anxious about his surgeries. His unease is what leads him to visit his patients excessively outside of his usual rounds, and he tells bad dad jokes to alleviate his and the patients’ concerns.

After a particularly difficult surgery on New Year’s Eve, Professor Ryu tells Sa-bi and his operating team that he intends to make a joke with his patient when she wakes up that her surgery took a whole year to complete, but he forgets to tell the joke. Sa-bi, however, insists on telling the joke because — even though her delivery is extremely deadpan — she’s discovered laughter can alleviate her patients’ anxieties.

Meanwhile, Yi-young and Professor Seo have been extremely busy with a flood of expectant mothers, and most of them have very strong opinions about their babies being born after midnight on New Year’s Day. During their first delivery, Yi-young is characteristically hesitant to remove the placenta and breaks the umbilical cord, so it surprises Professor Seo that Yi-young is more assertive and successful during their second delivery of the evening. Come to find out, Yi-young spent her time between the deliveries watching instructional videos because she didn’t want the patient to suffer from her incompetence.

Professor Seo is understandably impressed by Yi-young’s initiative and desire to become a better doctor — enough so that she bestows Yi-young with the bottle of whiskey she’s been saving. Even though she gives Yi-young permission to head home, Yi-young sticks around to assist with their final delivery, and at 12:00 AM on New Year’s morning, Yi-young “catches” the new mother’s baby.

You’d think, given Yi-young’s shift in attitude, that she’s decided to stick with being a doctor, but she’s still insistent that she’s going to quit — especially now that she found a winning lottery ticket. Welp, it’s a good thing she didn’t turn in her resignation letter because she was so busy delivering babies that she missed the window to claim her prize. Ouch! But, hey, her life could be worse. After all, she’s still gainfully employed and has a super sweet boyfriend. Speaking of which…

Yi-young ends her long night of catching babies by locating Do-won, who passed out in his car while waiting for her to end her shift. He wakes with a start and nervously glances into his back seat, and mid-rant about the craziness of her day, Yi-young notices the bouquet of flowers. Once again, Do-won’s attempt to surprise her failed, but Yi-young doesn’t care. She’s practically glowing when Do-won points out the box with her couple ring. She slips it on her finger, and she looks so darn adorable that the besotted Do-won has no choice but to kiss her. (And this time it isn’t a stage kiss!)

Romance is in the air on this particular night, because nearby, on their way to the bus stop, Sa-bi confronts Jae-il about his recent behavior after he slips up and calls her “cute.” Her emotional IQ might be a little stunted, but she’s extremely observant and skilled at coming up with theories based on evidence and patterns. And Jae-il’s recent actions have her hypothesizing that likes her romantically. Momentarily shocked by her directness, Jae-il is equally forthcoming about his feelings for her, but he’s disappointed to find out that she requires a year-minimum of platonic friendship before entertaining thoughts of a romantic relationship. (LOL) It’s such a Sa-bi thing to say, but if Jae-il wants to go on a date with Sa-bi before March, he’s going to have to try really hard to change her mind.

Now, if you thought that was the end of Resident Playbook‘s ship offerings, you’d be sorely mistaken because — wait! There’s more. It wouldn’t be an addition to the Yulje cinematic universe without all our first-year residents getting paired off, which is how Nam-kyung finds herself waiting for a taxi next to Gi-on. He’s decided to join the OB-GYN department next year, and when Nam-kyung shakes his hand excitedly to welcome him to the team, he changes the business-like tempo of their handshake into something more personal. Nam-kyung glances up at him surprised, and he smiles bashfully at her. (Ohhhh, I wasn’t expecting this, but I ain’t mad at it!)

And, while we’re on the topic of writing choices that left me pleasantly surprised, I have to say: I like that there was no last minute surprise pregnancy for Joo-young. Instead, after another failed round of IVF, she chose to quit her fertility treatments and focus on her current family and finding the “the joy a baby brings…elsewhere in [her] own.” While there’s certainly a part of me that’s sad that she did not get her desired version of a happy ending, I appreciate this element of realism and the emphasis that women can find happiness outside motherhood. (And, as someone who is intentionally childfree, this resonated with me on a personal level.)

But, the question I’m sure on everyone’s mind is: what happened to Doctor Bi- I mean, Eun-won? Did she get her just desserts? I’m happy to report that she did, and it was a big fat ice cream sundae slathered in rainbow sprinkles and fanservice. You see, while the promotion committee deliberated over who should fill the vacated professor position, Professor Seo took it upon herself to interview nurses and residents to get their opinions of the candidates. She wanted to appoint someone who “focuses on taking an honest and upright approach to the process over the end result.” And — surprise surprise — that description doesn’t fit Eun-won.

She took the news about as well as one can expect — having a huge hissy-fit and throwing her phone in rage — but what makes the situation infinitely better is that Min-ha got the job! It took two dramas and three seasons, but the wait for this grade-A justice porn was worth it. And the added wagyu to this particular beef is that Min-ha didn’t just get the job; she’s also married to an adorably romantic man who will visit her with flowers that, in his humble opinion, fail to surpass her in beauty. Now, I’m not someone who normally measures a person’s success by their relationship status, but Eun-won seems like she would. So, in this particular instance, I relish the idea that Eun-won was extra salty after witnessing Seok-hyeong’s overly romantic display. (Sucks to be you, Eun-won!)

Overall, Resident Playbook was a solid addition to the Yulje cinematic universe, and while it ended with a clear resolution, with Yi-young starting her second year and appearing more confident in her chosen career path, I stand by what I said last week: I would love to see a second season. Will we get one? I’m not sure. There’s certainly room for expansion, as our Playbook Quartet has room for growth personally and professionally, but I also wouldn’t hate it if there was another season that focused on residents in a different department. In particular, I’m extremely curious about the anesthesiologists.

For one, I’m kind of miffed that Dong-ho was introduced as a top-tier second lead and then discarded after Do-won’s jealousy spurred him into action. Dong-ho deserves his own romantic story arc after that abuse. Second, Dong-ho’s suggestion that anesthesiologists have the best seat in the operating room would bring an interesting perspective to a new season. At the end of the day, though, I just want more, and I honestly don’t care how they choose to serve it up because this production team has proven, once again, that they know how to tell a damn good slice-of-life story.

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