Review: Resident Playbook – The Fangirl Verdict

THE SHORT VERDICT:

The long-awaited spin-off to the beloved Hospital Playlist series (Season 1 and Season 2 reviews here and here!), this show brings back a lot of the same feels, just from a different angle, and with a new set of characters.

We get a nice balance of screen and story time between individual journeys, the development of our core four as an intact group, the various patient cases, and even an adorable little loveline.

And, to add a bit of spice and excitement to it all, we also get regular cameos from various Hospital Playlist alumni.

Very enjoyable and worthwhile, in my opinion.

THE LONG VERDICT:

My friends, I’ve been looking forward to this show for so long, thanks to this being a spin-off of the wonderful Hospital Playlist (Season 1 and Season 2 reviews here and here!), that I was almost scared to start this, y’know?

Yes, it did take me little bit, to get into this show, but it all worked out so well, in the end.

It was absolutely worth the wait, and now I’m wistfully hoping that we’ll get a Season 2.

That’s how much I grew to love this one. 🥲

OST ALBUM: FOR YOUR LISTENING PLEASURE

Here’s the OST album, in case you’d like to listen to it, while reading the review.

Overall, I have to say that I found the music in this show very pleasant, in an unobtrusive way, almost.

What I mean is, I mostly hardly noticed the music that played in our drama world; it mostly seemed to be positioned to be a more low-key portion of our watch experience, there to quietly cheer our story on, rather than call attention to itself.

This does mean that it’s kind of hard for me to pick favorites, based on the songs’ qualities.

However! I was absolutely thrilled to learn that Mido and Falasol, our Fab Five from Hospital Playlist, contributed not one, but TWO tracks, to this OST. Those are my favorites, on that principle alone. 😍🥰

If I had to pick just one between the two, it’d be Someday It’s Time To Shine, for how encouraging and warm it sounds, while being snappy-boppy and cheery. 🥰

Here it is on its own as well, in case you’d prefer to listen to it on repeat. Just right-click on the video and select “Loop.”

HOW I’M APPROACHING THIS REVIEW

First I’ll talk about how to manage your expectations going into this one, and what viewing lens would be most helpful.

After that, I talk about stuff I liked on a more macro level, before I give the spotlight to selected characters and relationships, in a separate section. Finally, I spend some time talking about my thoughts on the penultimate and finale episodes.

If you’re interested in my blow-by-blow reactions, &/or all the various Patreon members’ comments during the course of our watch, you might like to check out my episode notes on Patreon here.

MANAGING EXPECTATIONS / THE VIEWING LENS

Here are some things that I think would be helpful to keep in mind, to maximize your enjoyment of your watch:

1. Give it a bit of time

..for Show to settle, and for yourself, to settle into this drama world.

It basically takes a bit of time, to get to know our characters, for our characters to get to know one another, so we don’t start with a bonded core crew, like we do in Hospital Playlist.

The characters do come off as being rather exaggerated to start, but it all settles nicely, after a couple of episodes, so hang in there.

2. Think Misaeng, but hospital

I described this show’s dynamic to MC, and she said that this sounds like Misaeng (review here!), but in a hospital, and that is brilliantly on-point! Thanks, MC!

So if you’ve seen Misaeng, thinking of this story world as being Misaeng’s medical cousin, would be pretty helpful, I think.

3. It’s better if you’ve already seen Hospital Playlist

Although it’s not strictly necessary for you to have watched Hospital Playlist 1 & 2 (again, reviews here and here!), I do think you’d get the most out of your watch, if you’ve seen both Hospital Playlist 1 & 2.

This is because there are many cameos from Hospital Playlist sprinkled through this show, and these cameos do reference several relationships that were only minted in Hospital Playlist 2.

So if you’ve only seen Season 1, some of these cameos would actually be spoilers for you.

Or, if you haven’t seen either of the Hospital Playlist dramas, then the cameos, and the extra bits of screen time they are given, would feel irrelevant to you, and that wouldn’t work well, for your watch experience.

STUFF I LIKED

The warm, slice-of-life feel

Even though the team that gives us Resident Playbook isn’t the exact same team that brought us Hospital Playlist (we have a different PD, and writer-nim co-wrote Hospital Playlist), I do feel like we largely get the warm, slice-of-life feel that I’ve come to associate with this family of dramas.

This was one of the big reasons that I signed up for this drama, and Show did not disappoint.

Yes, it did take me a bit of time to get settled, by it really wasn’t long into my watch, that I was enjoying these feels, and getting all wistful, that I would eventually run out of episodes of this show. 🥲🥰

The individual journeys

One of my main areas of interest, while watching this show, was our core crew members’ individual journeys to finding meaning in what they do, and finding their place, in this hectic, crazy hospital world.

I did very much enjoy that as we follow these characters as they go about their daily lives, we get to see them experience moments of growth and breakthrough.

The small wins stack up over time, and I really liked the organic effect of this growth journey; it all feels very hard-earned and well-deserved. 🥲

Our core crew’s intra-group relationships

Like I mentioned earlier, our core crew does not begin our story as an intact group, unlike Hospital Playlist, where our Fabulous Five are already great friends, from the start.

Unconsciously, it became my goal for these rookies, to eventually grow as close and as bonded, as our Fab Five.

I very much enjoyed watching our core crew bumble their way towards becoming an intact unit, and genuine friends, over time.

When considering team development, Tuckman’s stages of team development is often referred to (at least, I often referred to it, when I’d been involved in leadership consulting), and the 4 stages of this model are: Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing.

The idea being, that when a team forms, they go through these necessary stages, before they are able to function as a high performing team.

I feel like our core crew’s dynamics align quite perfectly, to this this model.

When we first met them in episode 1, they’ve all just met, and are very uncertain of one another, but by the end, they’ve grown a great deal, and I liked being able to witness it all.

The potential main loveline [BROAD SPOILER]

From pretty early on, Show starts to tease a potential loveline between Yi Young and Do Won (Go Youn Jung and Jung Jun Won), and this very quickly became the arc that my fangirl heart reflexively looked forward to the most.

This loveline doesn’t take up a whole lot of narrative real estate, to be sure, but any little beat that shows up, that gives me reason to perk up and squee – I’m there, if you know what I mean. 😁

LOVE. 🥰

The various patient cases

As can be expected, we see a variety of patient cases in the course of our story, and I feel that Show does a nice job of serving up a variety of cases, which keeps things interesting.

Also, I appreciate that Show generally manages to gives us that personal, human touch, even when the case itself doesn’t take up a lot of screen time.

The Hospital Playlist cameos

I can’t lie; the cameos from our Hospital Playlist alumni was one of my favorite things about this show.

I feel like this was a very smart way to give us Hospital Playlist 3 without actually giving us Hospital Playlist 3, if you know what I mean.

I’d been gutted when it was announced that the cast and crew had been given the green light to take on other projects, instead of holding their schedules for Hospital Playlist 3, because I knew how it would near impossible to actually get them together again, after letting them go like that.

This is really such a great compromise.

We get to see familiar faces pop up in a familiar world, and we get various little updates from each appearance, and it feels like I’m running into old friends, and stopping to chat for a few minutes each time.

Like, Ahhh, so that’s how you’re doing; I’m so happy to see that. 🥹🥹🥹

It really is like meeting long-lost friends whom you’ve been missing for a long time, and I love that. 🥲

ALSO. I really like the way the cameos make this story world feel richer.

Like, it really exists in the Yulje universe, and there’s so much going on within that universe – including all the lives of these Hospital Playlist alumni, whom we love. 🥲

Because I can’t resist, here’s a breakdown of all the various cameos, as I encountered them.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E1-2. It was SUCH a thrill, to see Ahn Eun Jin make a guest appearance, reprising her role as Chu Min Ha, and showing us that she’s all married now, and very much in love with her hubs. 🥰

I really liked how Show weaved in Min Ha’s appearance, by having her be the neutral yet empathetic party, to encourage Yi Young to keep going, and tell her that everyone starts out in a similar place. 🥲

E3-4. It was fun to see Seok Min and Seon Bin (Moon Tae Yu and Ha Yoon Kyung) in that scene in the elevator, where Nam Kyung mistakes Seok Min’s lovey-dovey gazes at Seon Bin, to be an indication of his interest in her.

I do think that for the uninitiated, these cameos might come off as being weirdly long, but for those of us who know and miss these characters, it was a treat to see them being so lovey-dovey when they get that moment alone in the elevator.

Ahhh. It’s good to see that they’re still very much together. 🥲

And then, of course, I love-love-LOVED Jung Kyung Ho’s cameo as Jun Wan.

Ahhhh!!! He’s backkkk. 🥲🥲🥲

It’s nice to see him there as Professor Seo’s friend, and not just as a collaborating professor, because of the case at hand.

He’s definitely still got his sardonic streak about him though, like with the way he pranks Yi Young by yelling to a sleeping Yi Young that she should clap – which she reflexively does, eep! 🙈😅

I thought it was a nice touch, to let us see that Jun Wan’s still got a strong connection with Jae Hak, via that phone call.

AND, eagle-eyed viewers would also have spotted that Jun Wan’s now wearing a wedding band. Eee!! 🤩

(Yes, we live for breadcrumbs. 🤭)

E5-6. I’m glad that Jeong Won (Yoo Yeon Seok) ends up being the person who shows up for the girl who loses her mother, because it ties in really nicely with how Jeong Won had wanted to dedicate himself to this type of work, in Hospital Playlist.

That was quite the perfect cameo for Yoo Yeon Seok, I have to say.

E5-6. I lovedddd Bae Hyeon Seong’s cameo!! 🤩

How cool and nostalgic at the same time, to see that the intern is now a senior resident, and quizzing Jae Il the way he’d once been quizzed by Jun Wan. Baby’s all grown up now. AWWW.  🥰🥲

E7-8. I literally gasped out loud – in happiness! – when the curtain opened in that cubicle, and we see Kwak Sun Young there, as Ik Sun.

Ahhh!!! 😍😍😍 Soooo trippy, in the best, most nostalgic way. 🤩🤩

Of course, there’s also Kim Jun Han right next to her, playing Chi Hong, and even though my brain can’t call up a lot of the specifics around his arc, viscerally, the feels are just flooding back.

I remember what a good egg I’d thought he was, and it’s just really nice to see Chi Hong and Ik Sun bantering on my screen again. 🥲

And look how he’s still wearing those “Chief” sandals that Song Hwa had once given him. 🥲

We also get Shin Hyun Been making an appearance as Gyeo Ul, and it’s nice to hear that she’s on her way to her PhD.

I thought it was a cute little side touch, that Gyeo Ul turns out to be Jae Il’s first love; ie, he’d had a crush on her back when she’d tutored him.

It’s nice to have some of these details painted in, even now on hindsight, and hearing them talk about it, I’m like, Ahh, that’s right, it had been mentioned in Hospital Playlist, that Gyeo Ul had tutored, to make ends meet – I think?

Suffice to say, I love this sense of wholistic continuity, and I’m already hoping that we get a Resident Playbook 2. 🥲

[END SPOILER]

STUFF THAT WAS OK

The way Show exaggerates, sometimes

I basically think that Show has a tendency to exaggerate – just sometimes.

I felt this a lot more in our early episodes, when we were just getting to know our characters, and then this more or less melted into a much more natural and believable characterization, as we got deeper into our story.

I didn’t like it so much because I felt that it took away from the realism of our characters, somewhat, but I feel fairly neutral about it overall and on hindsight, because our characters come alive so well, once we move past that initial hump.

Well, that, and the fact that I also became more accustomed to Show’s general tone and way of doing things. 😅

However, just for the record, here’s what I mean.

[EARLY BROAD SPOILERS]

E1-2. So far, each member of the core crew has a key characteristic that’s holding them back, and there is a general lack of nuance in how this is written into each character.

For example, Sa Bi is very book smart, and the top of her class, but completely lacks social skills and the ability to show empathy to patients.

I saw someone comment on MDL that this is very autism coded, and that’s perhaps why she is so completely unable to empathize with others.

I would agree that this could be the case – if hers was the only character who was written in such plain extremes.

The fact that the other members of the core crew are also completely lacking in their prescribed area of weakness or lack, makes me think that this is more a general writing style thing, rather than a deliberate attempt to convey that a character might be on the spectrum.

There’s also Jae Il, who’s an eager beaver, and has a tendency to overthink everything.

His behavior is presented as being very extreme, where he simply does not learn, from repeated experience, that he’s likely making a mountain out of a molehill, and over-reaching in his desire to diagnose a patient.

And then we have Yi Young, who feels like our key protagonist, given that we start the story from her perspective.

We don’t know what she’s been through, but there’s been an incident in her past that makes her want to quit working at the hospital, and the only reason she drags herself back there, is because she’s in debt and has no other source of income.

We’re told that she’s basically repeating her first year of residency, and here’s where things don’t really add up for me, with a logical lens on.

Yi Young’s shown to not know a lot of very basic things, like where to throw a suture in the operating theater.

This makes zero sense, since she’s already done at least part of her first year of residency in the past, and is now redoing it.

She doesn’t seem to suffer from amnesia or anything, so this kind of thing, where she’s shown to not know a lot of basic stuff, is definitely writer-nim playing fast and loose with logic.

At the same time Yi Young’s shown to be very honest and blunt, and I get the idea that she doesn’t plan to stay for long anyway, and perhaps that’s why she’s not even trying to be tactful about things with other people, particularly her seniors at the hospital.

Maybe your mileage may vary; it feels to me like her lack of filter is being played up for entertainment purposes, ie, I think that most people would be more tactful than she’s being, even if they’re planning on leaving at some point – but I could be wrong, of course.

And then there’s Nam Kyung, who’s got a bit of a chip on her shoulder from having been Yi Young’s rival back in school, and yet Yi Young doesn’t even remember her.

Because of this, Nam Kyung’s keen to outshine Yi Young at every opportunity.

At the same time, Nam Kyung’s vain streak also extends to wanting to look pretty and fashionable, so that she can keep up with her friends – and she absolutely is unable to do this, while doing her residency.

All in all, I’m happy to roll with the slightly exaggerated characterization; it’s not a big deal for me, and I think a bit of a lens adjustment is all that’s needed here.

[END SPOILERS]

The inclusion of unlikable characters [BROAD SPOILERS]

When I created this section, I’d originally had more than a single character in mind, but I have to confess that the main character that made my blood boil and got my goat, while I was watching this show, was Myeong Eun Won (Kim Hye In).

She’s literally a snake in sheep’s clothing, with her syrupy voice and smile being her regular trump card, and she takes every opportunity to slack off, while taking advantage of others who are weaker and with less power than she.

She made me so mad, honestly. 😅

BUT. I understand that this is one of Show’s ways of creating narrative tension, AND I am satisfied with the way Show resolves this particular character’s arc in our finale, so I’m overall pretty neutral about the inclusion of this character.

And, other unlikable characters are neutralized and humanized in varying degrees, and I thought that was quite nice too.

SPOTLIGHT ON SELECTED CHARACTERS / RELATIONSHIPS

Go Youn Jung as Yi Young

I loved Go Youn Jung in Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow and Moving (reviews here and here!), and was really looking forward to having her be part of our core crew here.

The way Show sets it up, Yi Young is our protagonist, even though we have a central foursome, and I liked that very well.

To the casual eye, it might seem like Go Youn Jung isn’t doing much acting at all, since Yi Young is often on the deadpan, more dispassionate side of things, but I thought that she delivered Yi Young really well.

It felt like a very natural delivery to me, and I especially appreciated the nuances of expression that we get, in more emotional scenes.

Just like everyone else in our crew, Yi Young goes through a journey of growth over the course of our story, and I was gratified to be able to witness it. 🥲

Here’s a collection of milestones of that journey.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E1-2. We see that Yi Young cares enough about her transfer patient, that she doesn’t leave until she is certain that the patient is alright.

That is a turning point, but not the only one; we’ve also got other incidents, like how Yi Young couldn’t turn away from a Code Blue situation, despite having made the decision to leave.

E3-4. I think I’m most affected by Yi Young’s patient, who appears so strong and cheerful in front of her mom – until she’s actually on her way to the operating theater, which is when she finally breaks down in tears.

That feels very relatable to me, because I feel like many of us are likely to put on a strong front so as not to worry out parents, to the extent that we might not even be in touch with how anxious we really are. 🥲

I found Yi Young’s reaction really quite touching.

Instead of trying to act out of her usual character (which hadn’t gone well anyway), she looks to delay the surgery, in order to give the patient the time and space that she needs – even though this means that she gets yelled at again, for her incompetency.

The fact that Yi Young willingly throws herself under the bus, because she sees a real need on the part of the patient, really speaks of her heart as a doctor, and I really like that.

I do think that that’s part of the potential that Professor Seo (Lee Bong Ryun) sees in her, which also includes Yi Young’s actual skills and ability, and that’s why we see Yi Young receiving all those assignments from Professor Seo, in episode 4.

To Yi Young, this is unwanted attention, but I can see why Professor Seo would give her those assignments, if she sees the potential in Yi Young; she’s trying to give Yi Young the space to bloom, and grow into her potential.

E5-6. One really poignant beat that we get, around Yi Young, is at the end of episode 5, when she’s tasked to talk to the daughter of the patient who develops an embolism, and let her know that her mom’s not going to make it.

Oof. What a difficult thing to have to do, yes?

Honestly, I tend to think that most people might expect Yi Young to not be very good at this, given her usual reputation for being nonchalant.

But, Yi Young ends up nailing it, in her slightly awkward way, and that’s when it slowly becomes clear, bit by bit, that Yi Young is speaking from experience.

The very specific pieces of advice that Yi Young gives – like how it’s important to hold onto Mom’s clothes for a long time, because you tend to forget how she smells – is so very poignant, because we can just imagine all the pain and struggles she’s gone through, in order to learn these lessons. 💔

Although Yi Young is naturally more blunt and gruff, I think it makes a big difference to that little girl, that she shares her personal experience; it not only ensures that the little girl gets practical advice, but also offers her a sense of solidarity, which so important, now that she’s going to be without her mom.

Afterwards, my heart couldn’t help but go out to Yi Young, as she crumples to the floor and cries, back at home.

This makes me think that she had revisited old wounds in order to help that little girl, and that just endears her to me all the more. She really has a good heart, doesn’t she? 🥲

And then there’s also how Yi Young ends up helping that patient with the apparently super sweet husband – who turns out to be completely self-centered, ugh.

First, I thought it was an interesting perspective, that someone could come across as extremely nice and sweet, but actually be completely driven by selfishness.

Second, I loved that Yi Young obliges her postpartum patient, and curses Selfish Sweet Husband so colorfully, that she has to be bleeped out. 🤭

I can’t help but love that contrasting combination, that one can be obliging by swearing like a sailor. 😁

E7-8. I feel really sorry for that mom in the end, coz she loses her baby, and is utterly devastated. 💔

Again, though, we see Yi Young step up and demonstrate her unique brand of practical compassion and empathy, because she’d seen what her sister had gone through after she’d lost her baby, and is now able to offer some practice advice for the mom to focus on.

I really do think that Yi Young’s got a knack for helping patients, in that she gives them something that they can focus on, that will help them in a practical way, and that thing helps them through the hardest time of their grief, because it gives them something to hold onto. 🥲

[END SPOILER]

Shin Shi Ah as Nam Kyung

To be perfectly honest with you guys, I hadn’t found Nam Kyung very likable in the beginning of our story; her vain ways made her appear very petty and shallow.

BUT, of course, Show teases out her better qualities, AND gives her a growth journey, and I was pleasantly surprised by how well I liked Nam Kyung, by the time I got to the end of my watch. 🥲

This was my introduction to Shin Shi Ah, and I must say, I ended up enjoying her performance as Nam Kyung a lot.

There’s a gentle warmth about the way she plays Nam Kyung, that I grew to enjoy very much.

Here’s a collection of Nam Kyung’s growth milestones, in this next spoiler section.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E1-2. I’m glad that we see Nam Kyung realizing that she cares about her fussy patient who asks for her dressings to be changed four times a day, which leads to them bonding a little bit too, over slightly teary conversation.

I really liked finding out that the patient had insisted on Nam Kyung changing her dressing, not because she was trying to bully Nam Kyung, but because the professor had said that Nam Kyung was the best at changing dressings.

I found this scene quite touching, honestly, particularly with the difficult context of Nam Kyung struggling so hard, with this particular patient.

E3-4. One of the things that comes up, in episode 3, is how most of our first years find it struggle to, 1, be useful, and 2, be able to convince their patients to, well, be patient – which is how we see Nam Kyung trying on Jae Il’s formula, of asking patients to sleep well and exercise well.

For her, it’s just an easy and convenient way to end the discussion with the patient, while giving the patient something to focus on, as a means to do something about her own situation.

It’s only later, when she sees the patient working too hard at walking, that she realizes that the words she’d said so flippantly, has had such an impact on the patient.

It’s an important learning moment for Nam Kyung, and I’m glad that she works it out so amicably with her elderly patient – who turns out to be the bride of the wedding ceremony that she’s been working so hard to attend. Cute. 😁

E3-4. These episodes, Nam Kyung gets very misguided advice from Eun Won, when they run into each other at the hair salon.

It’s easy for us to shake our heads at Nam Kyung taking advice from Eun Won, but I do think that when you’re new and impressionable, and have no real idea of how internal relationships and politics work in the hospital, it’s easy to be led astray, especially be someone as sweetly manipulative as Eun Won.

I definitely cringed with secondhand embarrassment at the way Nam Kyung tries to assert her seniority as a doctor, over Nurse Ju Yeon, several times, when Nurse Ju Yeon clearly has more experience than Nam Kyung.

I’m relieved that Nam Kyung comes to her senses soon enough, when she observes Nurse Ju Yeon dealing with the vomiting patient so sincerely, and even cleaning up after, even though it’s not her job.

I’m glad that Nam Kyung finds a way to make it up to Nurse Ju Yeon (Kim Do Gyeong), with that fancy coffee just for her, though I can’t blame Nurse Ju Yeon too much, for taking a bit of petty revenge on Nam Kyung, right at the end of episode 4, with that update call, right when Nam Kyung’s sleeping. 🤭

E7-8. When Nam Kyung receives that call from her ex-boyfriend (Sung Yoo Bin) because his mother’s in hospital, you can just see Nam Kyung defaulting to the idea that they are still a couple, with the way she tells Chi Hong that the patient is her boyfriend’s mother.

It’s only during their conversation after everything, that Nam Kyung realizes that he doesn’t want to reconcile with her.

Not only that, he’s glad for their breakup, because, in his words, he can finally hate her – instead of himself.

Ouch. That’s obviously a big blow to Nam Kyung on both counts, but I give her credit for then responding in what I felt was a gracious manner.

She doesn’t beg or cling, and doesn’t ask to be friends, but tells him to call her if he needs her help; that they’d been together for 7 years, after all.

I feel like this is Nam Kyung’s way of making it up to him, as that difficult realization sinks in for her, that being with her, had made him hate himself. 💔😭

I’m glad for Nam Kyung that she also gets to spend time with her mom, these episodes, thanks to Mom having a surgery scheduled at the hospital.

Nothing like Mom’s presence to remind Nam Kyung that she’s loved, yes, in the wake of her breakup?

And, it’s really nice to see the entire crew enjoying Mom’s dumplings so much, and all rallying round to help Nam Kyung take care of her as well. 🥰

[END SPOILER]

Kang You Seok as Jae Il

Jae Il’s the eager beaver in our crew, who’s got enthusiasm in spades, but not the skills or knowledge to make him actually effective or useful.

That’s Jae Il’s main growth arc, and even though I sometimes felt like Jae Il got less screen time than our other core group members, I was satisfied with the parts of his growth journey that we did get to witness.

Also, I’d recently seen Kang You Seok as a very different character in When Life Gives You Tangerines (review here!), so this was a fun and a little trippy, to see him as earnest Jae Il.

Here’s the quick spotlight on one of Jae Il’s growth milestones, in this next spoiler section.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E5-6. I feel like we didn’t see a whole lot of Jae Il in last week’s episodes, so it was really quite heartwarming and gratifying to see him actually make progress this week, with his determination to put in the time and practice, in reading ultrasounds.

Of course, the progress is not without its hiccups, and his over-reliance on affirmation from his seniors, was definitely not a good thing.

Happily, Do Won sets him straight once he hears about it, and helps Jae Il see things from a different perspective; that he’d actually become a burden to his seniors and gotten in the way of them doing their work.

Afterwards, though, I found it quite endearing, that he would cheerfully volunteer himself for any extra and emergency imaging work, even if meant not going home for days on end.

He’s clearly tired out, but his dedication and determination to learn, drive him to keep pushing on, and I found it such a poignant beat, when all of the hours of practice that he put in, finally pay off.

Not only does the patient request him for her ultrasound, because she likes his patient and unhurried style, he manages to spot the blood vessel in the ultrasound, which even Professor Seo acknowledges is hard to spot.

It was only possible for Jae Il because he’d put in the hours of grunt work, and I’m so happy for him, that he ends up getting that patient timely medical attention, because of it.

He really is the hero of the day, and I feel like a proud mother hen. 🥰

[END SPOILER]

Han Ye Ji as Sa Bi

Among our core crew, Sa Bi’s the one who seems most challenged with it comes to understanding and connecting with others on an emotional level.

Her characterization does seem rather extreme to me, but Show does a pretty nice job of dripping little milestones of progress on this front, so that we get to see Sa Bi grow in this area, baby step by baby step.

Here’s a small collection of those baby steps, and the spotlight on one more significant step, in this next spoiler section.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E1-2. Sa Bi saving her patient, and then bonding with her, and finally apologizing as well, was pretty wholesome, I thought.

E3-4. I really do like the various glimpses that we get, that Sa Bi’s not as emotionally out of touch as she’d first appeared to be.

The way she picks up the gift that her patient’s dad had thrown in the trash, and makes sure that her patient receives the fatherly love sown into the gift, was quite perfect, I thought. 🥲

E5-6. I’m sure it was an eye opener for Sa Bi, to see how Professor Jo communicated with the patient on her wavelength, to get her to see her condition in a different light, and not feel ashamed of it. 🥲

I think that was a big learning point for Sa Bi.

E7-8. I do feel for Sa Bi, that she collapses all of a sudden, and finds herself in need of urgent surgery, but I also feel that this is the experience that will make the biggest difference, in helping her to have empathy for patients.

Now that she’s experienced first-hand what it’s like to be a patient, specifically in the OB-GYN department, no less, I’m sure she’ll be much more effective at empathizing with patients, going forward. 🥲

[END SPOILER]

Our core four

Like I mentioned earlier, one of the things I really looked forward to, was getting to see our core four actually become bonded, as friends and not just co-workers, and Show gives that to me, very well.

Of course, the journey to group togetherness isn’t a smooth one, and there are a number of times when members of our crew find themselves in conflict.

I thought Show does a solid job of teasing out all these threads, to make the eventual strengthening of bonds feel real and believable.

Here’s a collection of various milestones, that all go towards group bonding. 🥲

[SPOILER ALERT]

E3-4. I can fully understand Sa Bi’s feelings of disgruntlement, because Yi Young’s clearly receiving preferential treatment, even though she doesn’t actually want it.

I can see why Sa Bi would grow increasingly resentful of Yi Young, which gets even more complicated by the fact that the other first years see Yi Young’s chat messages with Ju Young, saying that she plans to quit soon anyway.

It would seem all the more unfair to Sa Bi, that all of these opportunities are going to someone who not only doesn’t want them, but is planning to leave.

There’s also the emotional abandonment at play; clearly, Sa Bi’s started to grow attached to her batch mates, and it’s like a slap in the face, to have Yi Young state that they just co-workers, not friends, and that she plans to leave.

I was definitely disappointed to see Sa Bi sabotage Yi Young, not once, but twice; first with deleting Yi Young’s unsaved document, and then with discarding the post-it where Professor Seo’s written her next instructions to Yi Young.

I’m glad that Sa Bi’s conscience is stronger than her pride, though, and that she eventually screws up the courage to tell Yi Young about the note.

At the same time, I feel it’s pretty gracious of Yi Young to pretend like it never happened, to spare Sa Bi the embarrassment – and then even ask Sa Bi for company and help, with taking the sample from the stillborn baby, because she’s scared.

I found the scene of the two of them in the operating theater very touching, honestly.

I thought Sa Bi’s approach, of pronouncing the baby’s death, and saying that it had gone to a better place, was very thoughtful.

And, I also really liked Yi Young’s words to the baby, that their mother would be waiting, and so, they should go and heal their wounds in heaven, and then come back healthy again.

I found this very touching and poignant, and I love how the two of them are approaching this with so much sensitivity and respect and care.

Lovely. 🥲🥲

E3-4. As we close out episode 4, it’s great to see our core crew actually agree to eat dinner together.

And I love that shot that we get, that Yi Young’s put their group photo in her locker, even.

Aww! They really are starting to bond, and I really like that. 🥰

E5-6. These episodes, there’s definitely some storming going on between Sa Bi and Nam Kyung, who are, as we see, complete opposites in every aspect of their personalities.

The clashes are mostly played for comedy, and I did feel appropriately amused, though I do also feel like there’s a plaintiveness running undercurrent, as Nam Kyung in particular, despairs at the situation, where she and Sa Bi never seem to be on the same page, and she always feels picked on by Sa Bi’s particular brand of fairness.

And, although it’s also played for comedy, I did feel quite sorry for Nam Kyung’s private struggle with her on again, off again relationship, which appears to have actually reached its conclusion this time.

Having to deal with her punishing schedule, while worrying about whether she and her boyfriend had broken up for real this time, would definitely be quite emotionally taxing, and I can see why she’d desire more grace from Sa Bi.

Of course, it’s the lack of communication that stands in the way of that grace being extended, but, as we can see, they aren’t quite close enough, for Nam Kyung to feel comfortable confiding in Sa Bi, which just puts them deeper into this cycle of bickering and non-communication.

It’s easy to see the they are still in the stage of only looking out for themselves, instead of looking out for the good of the greater community, like in that beat where they argue over whose responsibility it had really been, to update the patient, based on the exact start and end times of their shifts.

E5-6. I really like that Sa Bi decides, after talking with Do Won, that she deserves to tell Nam Kyung how she feels, instead of taking Do Won’s advice is to just accept people as they are.

On that note, I do like the progress that we get to witness, with both of them apologizing to each other, even though Nam Kyung’s confession that her rant to her patient had been about Sa Bi, gives rise to another bickering session. 😅

E7-8. Last week, I’d talked about our core crew going through the Storming stage in Tuckman’s stages of team development, and this week, we’ve definitely moved on to the Norming stage, and I am feeling more wistful than ever, that I will soon have to say goodbye to this crew.

Our core crew is getting better at the work itself, which is part of the Norming stage, and it makes sense that the professors nudge Nam Kyung to take good care of the intern; it’s only when you’re in a stable enough position, that you’re able to coach and guide someone else.

I found it low-key amusing and heartwarming in one, to see Nam Kyung have her heart so warmed and feel so pleased, at the thought that Gi On, the intern, finds her especially helpful and approachable. 😁

It’s also amusing that the intern’s mistakes these episodes, tend to work out for good, despite Nam Kyung’s chagrin.

I guess that goes to show that sometimes experience isn’t everything, and a rookie intern can still win the trust of his patients, with his earnestness.

I thought it was nice to see that Jae Il’s not only getting better at the technical parts of his job, like reading scans and diagnosing patients, he’s also getting better at handling his colleagues – like he cleanly sidestepped that colleague’s attempt to make him do extra work.

I felt like a proud mother hen witnessing her chick having a grown up moment. 😁

Kinda like when Ham Dong Ho starts to give Yi Young a bit of a hard time, saying that he’s got all these other departments on his back too, and to just ask for the anesthesiologist in one go, and Yi Young pushes back matter-of-factly, explaining that it’s chaos over on their end too.

Our first years aren’t getting pushed around as easily or as much as at first, and that’s really quite gratifying to see. 🥲

Another thing that’s gratifying to see, is how our first years are eating together regularly now. I do love that. 🥰

E7-8. It really is nice to see the rest of the gang rally around Sa Bi, as she goes for her surgery.

The way they even ask if they can accompany her to the operating theater is earnest and cute, and I just love seeing them be this bonded. 🥰

[END SPOILER]

Jung Jun Won as Do Won

I found myself growing very fond of Do Won, very quickly.

He’s got a very warm presence that I enjoy very much, and I also really like that he’s understanding and empathetic towards the 1st years, while also having expectations of them.

He’s got that great leadership quality of being hard enough, yet soft enough, at the same time, and I love how amiable and decent he comes across, as well.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E1-2. My favorite scene of Do Won’s, hands down, is the one in episode, where he speaks up when the anesthesiologist is coming down hard on Yi Young, and basically protects her, while remaining very reasonable and polite.

The way he does it, makes me feel like he’s like a mother hen shielding his chicks from harm, and saying that all complaints should come to him directly in the future, because he would like to discipline his own chicks.

Aw. I love that. That’s leadership in action, and I love that it comes from him, so naturally, without need for any angry outburst. That calm warmth is still firmly in place, and yet, he’s effectively changed everything, for Yi Young.

I like him. 🥲

E1-2. I’m happy that the 1st years are finally exempt from giving that ridiculous report to Eun Won (the snake!), and that it’s all thanks to Do Won negotiating it for them, with his knowledge of Eun Won’s lies as leverage.

It’s true that not all heroes wear capes. 🥲

[END SPOILER]

Yi Young and Do Won

Like I mentioned earlier, Show teases us with the possibility of a loveline between Yi Young and Do Won, pretty early in our story.

And, even from our opening episodes, I found myself sitting with interest at the possibility of a romance between these two.

I found their chemistry immediately easy and sparky, and was honestly quite thrilled, that Show does eventually give me the romance that I’d been hoping for.

Did I wish that we could have had more time with this OTP? Yes.

But did I also feel like this romance fit perfectly snugly into its own little space in our story world? Also yes.

There’s just something about how low-key this romance is, that somehow made it even swoonier? 🥰

Here are my unfolding thoughts over the course of my watch, along with all my squees. I hope you’ll enjoy revisiting the feels with me. 🥲

[SPOILER ALERT]

E1-2. I’m very curious to see if there will be a loveline between him and Yi Young, because there have been a few moments in these two episodes, that have felt like possible hints – but that also could be brushed off as friendly banter.

Like the way he kind of gives Yi Young that amused look through the glass panel in the door, after the first day briefing.

Or the way he sometimes leans in close to whisper something to her – mostly in the vein of her not being able to leave like she wants, because she’s 50 million won in debt.

We’ve had a few moments already, where we can see that he’s gently amused by Yi Young, and y’know, I would not mind at all, if Show turns this into a loveline – just sayin’. 😁

E3-4. I’m honestly pretty surprised by how unabashed and persistent Yi Young is, in her pursuit of Do Won’s attention and affections.

I think one of the things that makes it trippy for me, is that Yi Young has come across as a very indifferent sort of character, thus far.

Nothing in her life seems to truly excite her, and nothing really seems to get much of a reaction out of her – except for Do Won.

When it comes to Do Won, Yi Young literally seems to come alive; her eyes sparkle, and she moves with energy and purpose.

Which, honestly, does make me also think about Yi Young’s potential as a doctor, because once she gets truly interested in what she can do as a doctor, I feel like we’re going to see a whole new side to her, like we’re seeing with her interest in Do Won.

Do Won’s reaction to her attention is somewhat ambiguous, like, it could technically go either way.

Sometimes he seems to behave in the opposite way that you might expect of someone who has feelings for someone else, like the way he tells Yi Young, when she’s chattering at him in the car, that it’s ok because he wasn’t listening anyway.

And then sometimes, it feels like he’s her knight in shining armor, when he comes to her rescue right when she needs it most, like when he stops Da Hye from chewing out Yi Young, by saying that these meetings shouldn’t be happening, because he’d worked so hard to obliterate them.

Ahhh. Heroes truly don’t always wear capes; I would swoon in Yi Young’s shoes too, can’t lie. 🥲😁

My guess is that he does like her, and is actually genuinely affectionately amused by her (which is, I think, why he tells her that she’s the funniest person he’s ever seen) – but perhaps he doesn’t think it’s something that he should do anything about.

We’ve learned that he’s very much a creature of habit, and I’m guessing that he’s comfortable in his habitual ways, and doesn’t want to disrupt his life with pursuing romance.

Plus there’s the thing where, as a resident, he lives a very hectic life, and wouldn’t actually have much time to date anyway.

That’s my hypothesis so far anyway; that he likes Yi Young, but isn’t intending to do anything about it, and is content to just enjoy the process of liking her.

Yi Young, on the other hand, definitely wants to do something about her feelings for him, and I do find it very cute, how she keeps trying to find ways to put a crack in his friendly but nonchalant armor.

I do find it quite amusing, that even though Yi Young is trying to gain Do Won’s affection, she doesn’t try to act out of her usual character, in order to do so.

When he asks her to eat with him at the cafeteria, she gets all frustrated and even tells him so, that she’d hoped that they could have gone somewhere nicer, away from the hospital.

Maybe her directness might divide viewers, but I do appreciate that she’s not trying to be someone other than herself, even though she’s trying to win his affections.

I definitely chuckled at her failed attempt to get Do Won to eat with her, when she encroaches on his sleep time, to ask for advice on various matters – and then ends with an indirect declaration that she’s hungry, only to have him bemusedly closing the door on her. 😅

Honestly, I am verrryy curious to know what happened between Do Won and Yi Young after she grabs his hand during the group photo at the end of episode 3.

Show’s being evasive about it, but my guess is that he’s turned her down, which is why we see her still in pursuit of him, in episode 4.

Like I said, though, I’m pretty darn sure that Do Won likes her back – and more than he’d like to let on – so I can’t wait to see more of this play out, in future episodes. 🤭

E5-6. I do love that Do Won disciplining her, doesn’t actually cause Yi Young to have any bad feelings towards Do Won, even though he basically gives her a scolding.

In fact, she even says that he doesn’t need to apologize, and that she’d deserved to be scolded.

Aw. I love that matter-of-fact sense of fairness about her. 🥲

PLUS. She even quite promptly makes her confession to Do Won, in the elevator, when she asks if it’s ok for her to like him.

Ahhh! Our Yi Young is so brave and matter-of-fact; I love that about her. 🤩

It’s disappointing for Yi Young, that Do Won’s answer is essentially, “Go ahead, if you want things to become awkward between us.”

Aw. That’s.. not what I was hoping for, that’s for sure. 😅

However, I don’t think that this means necessarily that Do Won doesn’t like her.

In fact, I tend to think that he does like her (that twinkle of affection that I’m so sure I see in his eyes! 😍), but is likely concerned with how things could become very awkward, not just between them, but with their family members, if the relationship didn’t work out.

I don’t know if I’m being delusional, but I tend to think that this is the reason Do Won’s choosing not to act on his feelings, even though he now knows for a fact, that Yi Young does like him. 🥲

I think that’s why Do Won pretends to be asleep when Yi Young comes to look for him on the pretext of passing him that document from Jae Il.

At the very least, it shows a level of hyper-awareness towards her, yes? Otherwise he would have gotten up to talk to her, like he would’ve done for any other resident?

Speaking of hyper-awareness, I tend to think that the scene in episode 6 where Do Won gives Yi Young a ride, and absentmindedly agrees with her that she’s such a bother, is an example of Do Won actually caring how Yi Young feels.

What I’m trying to say is, he’s obviously sheepish and awkward about it, as she clams up and pretends to sleep, and he is clearly trying to smooth things over with her, with offering to put on music for her and all.

And my thought is, if he didn’t actually care about her, he probably wouldn’t be as flustered at having made that blunder and upsetting her? Am I overreaching? 😅

E5-6. I’m gratified that we get to see Yi Young stand up for Do Won, in her matter-of-fact, can’t-stare-me-down way.

The way she just outright states that Eun Won hasn’t apologized to Do Won, is so epic and down-to-earth at the same time; I love that gets Eun Won stuttering an apology, in an effort to maintain her syrupy image. 🤭

Afterwards, I do love that Yi Young and Do Won chat and laugh about it together at the playground, as Yi Young nurses a beer.

I love the way Yi Young cusses Eun Won out all over again, which shows that she’s very much on Do Won’s side, and I love that this amuses Do Won, and makes him smile.

I feel like when Do Won remarks that Yi Young mustn’t like him anymore, if she’s willing to curse like that in front of him, he’s actually testing the waters; I’ve latched on to the idea that he does like her too, so that’s coloring my interpretation of just about everything he does. 😁

Plus, doesn’t he sound kind of disappointed, when he says, “I guess you mustn’t like me anymore”??

Whether I’m right or not, I love the fact that Yi Young is so unabashed and fearless, in telling him that she does still like him, and is the type who would curse in front of someone she likes.

I love her for daring to be herself, even if she thinks that it might be unflattering in front of someone she likes. 🥲

Honestly, when Do Won asks if she could say it again, I, like Yi Young, thought he was talking about her original confession, and was holding my breath, thinking that perhaps he was going to tell her that it was ok for her to like him – because he liked her too. (Gasp!)

But I was wrong; he was asking her to curse again, HA.

Still, I’m sooo happy to see them laughing together, with so much ease, comfort and happiness in each other’s company, that I couldn’t help but sigh in contentment anyway. 🥲

THEY ARE ADORABLE TOGETHERRRR. 😍😍😍

And, I really look forward to more shared cozy moments between these two, as Show continues to develop their connection. 🥲

E7-8. I definitely perked up and giggled with a bit of glee, when Do Won makes it a point to walk home with Yi Young after that group dinner, even though he’d headed off in a different direction at first.

I find Do Won’s tamped down but very present interest in and care for Yi Young very endearing and cute, like the way he worries about her taking the quiet street on her way home, because it could be dangerous. Aw. 🥲

I also love when he looks affectionately amused by Yi Young, like when he watches her eat that marinated crab leg with such precious relish, and tells her to stop eating it, and that he’ll buy her a proper serving of marinated crab.

I mean, it doesn’t happen because of his scheduled trip, but the important thing is, he offered! 🥰

Speaking of his scheduled trip, I feel vicariously rueful for Do Won, for missing his vacation to Taiwan, and all because he’d worked so hard and long leading up to the trip, that he couldn’t help but fall asleep – which is how he’d missed his flight in the first place.

BUT. What a hero moment, when he walks into that operating theater and saves the day, right when Yi Young’s panicking to the point of tears.

Wow. If I were in Yi Young’s shoes, the hearts and stars in my eyes would multiply by a hundredfold – at least.

And then, of course, there’s the thing where Dong Ho (Kim E Jun) takes a fancy to Yi Young, and wastes no time in showing it.

I have to say, I rather do like Dong Ho; there’s something quite appealing about the way he is so sure of his attraction to Yi Young, and so unabashed about doing something about it.

If Yi Young didn’t have such strong feelings for Do Won, I would actually root for this pairing too, honestly. 😅

I feel bad for Do Won, because you can see the uncertainty in his eyes as he comes upon Dong Ho holding that umbrella over Yi Young, but I do think it’s a wake up call for Do Won, that if he likes Yi Young, he should probably do something about it, and soon.

And he does, in his muted, self-conscious, awkward sort of way.

It’s so cute that he waits for Yi Young in the morning, so that they can go to work together, even though it’s always been his habit to leave the house at 4am.

Ahhh. If wanting to spend time with Yi Young’s getting Do Won to change his heretofore ironclad schedule, that definitely says something, yes? 🥲

And then there’s the way he messages Yi Young to call him when she finds her phone, so that they can go home together.

That beat at the bus stop is sooo cute, when Do Won misunderstands Yi Young’s desire to sit down, as her wanting them to be all close and huggy, like the couple standing next to the bench at the bus stop. 🤭

For context, the words for “sit” and “hug” are homonyms; that’s why, when Yi Young says she wants to sit, it’s possible for Do Won to misunderstand that she’s saying she wants to hug.

The point here, for me, is that this totally shows where Do Won’s mind is, when it comes to Yi Young.

If he only looked upon her in a platonic fashion, his mind wouldn’t even have been close to making that mistake, I’m sure. 😁

How cute is Do Won’s awkward, bashful manner, as he stutters that he’s not sure, but has been thinking of her a lot. 🤭

And then, how cute is it, that Do Won’s heart rate spikes, when he sits down in such close proximity to Yi Young, on that crowded bench?

Ahhhh!! If Do Won had needed to be more sure of his feelings for Yi Young, isn’t this racing heart rate scientific evidence?? 😁

Now I’m quite excited at the idea that Do Won will most likely do something to act on his feelings – coz he will, right??? 🥹

[END SPOILER]

Special shout-out:

Lee Bong Ryun as Professor Seo

I was super pleased to see Lee Bong Ryun playing a key professor in our story; I think Lee Bong Ryun is great, and that we don’t see her enough, in key roles. 🤩

I think it’s great that here, she’s an important professor to our core crew.

Mostly, I love that she’s tough, but has a good heart, and handles our first years, with both of those qualities in equal play. 🥲

Ju Young and Seung Won

I haven’t said a whole lot about Ju Young and Seung Won (Jeong Un Seon and Jung Soon Won) in this review, but that doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy them. In fact, I liked them a lot, as Yi Young’s sister and Do Won’s brother respectively.

I love that they make such a low-key, down-to-earth, loving couple, and their cluelessness about our OTP’s developing closeness was a fun little running gag.

[SPOILER ALERT]

I’m also glad that Show shines the spotlight on their efforts to conceive, because it’s true that the fertility journey can be brutal, and having a couple from our regular drama world be the ones to walk this road (versus as a case-of-the-week patient), does, I think, increase our engagement and investment in this arc, quite naturally.

I really felt for Ju Young, as her emotions went all over the place, as she went for treatment after treatment, and I really appreciated Seung Won’s quiet support, as her husband.

There was no pressure from him whatsoever, and in fact, if anything, he actually wanted her to stop treatments, if only to allow her to finally be free from the stress of it all. What a good egg. 🥲

In the end, I feel sorry for Ju Young, that she doesn’t get her wish, but I appreciate the spotlight on the fact that it’s entirely possible to live a happy and fulfilled life, without having children. 🥲

[END SPOILER]

SPOTLIGHT ON THE PENULTIMATE EPISODES [SPOILERS]

E9-10. Ahhh. 🥰🥰 These episodes gave me a big case of the goofy grins, my friends, and I am now more wistful than ever, because I’m just now realizing that we only have two more episodes to go. 🥲

As with Hospital Playlist, I feel like I could watch episodes of this show indefinitely, just following our crew on their journeys. 🥲

Which means that yes, I’ve gone from not minding the move-length episodes, to actually being grateful for them, because it means that I get to spend more time with these characters. 🥲

Yes, even when they’re facing a week of war-like challenges, like Nam Kyung’s horoscope app predicts. 😁

I did get a bit of a kick from the cameos by Na Young Seok PD and Shin Won Ho PD, even though their scenes weren’t exactly that inspired, objectively speaking.

There’s just something quite trippy about knowing that these unassuming blokes who appearing to be a little bumbling, are the geniuses behind so many excellent shows that we’ve known and loved – most relevant of which is Hospital Playlist, which Shin Won Ho PD directed. 😁

The whole reality variety show filming is the perfect vehicle to bring out Myeong Eun Won’s vanity and shamelessness, with the way she amps up her syrupy act when the cameras are rolling, and then is a whole different story when the cameras aren’t there.

It’s really a very trying situation, and I found myself really appreciating Yi Young’s very down-to-earth manner.

Like, yes, she’s frustrated and bemused at the way Eun Won makes use of her in order to get the best spotlight on herself, but that doesn’t get in the way of her doing her best at her job.

Yi Young’s not at all swayed by the presence of the cameras, and there’s no preening or anything from her, in order to look good for the camera; she’s clearly only concerned about getting the job done, and I really like that about her.

In the end, though, Eun Won’s behavior ticks Yi Young off enough, that she writes her resignation letter, and even seems quite serious about going through with it.

I do find it very much like Yi Young, to just endure the situation as much as she can, and then decide to quit, when she feels that she’s had enough; it’s just not her style to try to reason with someone like Eun Won.

I’d hoped that the reality show would actually cotton on to Eun Won’s two-faced ways, and given us the spicy truth, especially since I’d expected that the cameras had continued to roll during the extended labor scene when Yi Young had actively lobbied for the patient to have a C-section, but that doesn’t seem to be the case, at least as of these episodes.

Still, I am relieved that Nam Kyung talks Yi Young out of quitting by dangling that December bonus in front of her, and I also have hope that Eun Won will get her comeuppance, in our finale episodes next week.

As our residents become more seasoned at their work, there becomes an apparent tension between just blindly following orders, and exercising their own judgment, and this week, we see that most, in Sa Bi’s arc.

Given that Sa Bi’s an ace student who aspires to do well, it’s not surprising that she would be so enthusiastic and proactive about making sure the patients are accurately diagnosed – which exactly the thing that gets her in trouble.

From Da Hye getting impatient with her because Sa Bi keeps questioning her decisions, Professor Jo getting angry because Sa Bi calls him directly instead of going to Da Hye, it really seems like everything Sa Bi does, just lands her in hot water. 😅

I’m glad that Sa Bi chooses to talk it out with Da Hye, and I’m also glad that Da Hye finally comes clean, that she doesn’t have all the answers that Sa Bi wants, and that’s why she doesn’t give Sa Bi the answers that she seeks.

It’s still an imperfect situation, but I do think that this newly established understanding will do a lot to temper the situation between Da Hye and Sa Bi, going forward.

These episodes, I did feel rather bad for Jae Il, for the way he is so inspired by the way Eun Mi treats him, to be a good senior to the new intern, Dong Eun, but gets taken advantage of, in the end.

Ultimately, I’m glad that Do Won spends some time with Jae Il, not just to cheer him up, but also, to share his wisdom around disciplining juniors; that it’s an important part of coaching others, and shouldn’t be overlooked just because it’s awkward and uncomfortable.

I do think that Do Won’s the perfect person to talk to Jae Il about this, because Do Won does exactly that; we see him praise others when it’s due, and we also see him disciplining others when it’s necessary.

Through it all, he’s warm even in the midst of his firmness, and I think that’s such a great example for his juniors to follow. 🥲

One thing that tickled me nicely, was when Jae Il gets recognized by a fan, and gets to relive his idol past, signing autographs and everything.

I thought that was cute, and quite validating, because everyone finally gets to see that he’d legit been an idol, and had even had fans.

The thing that really threw me extra, afterwards, though, is when our first years go to the noraebang, and a tipsy Sa Bi outs herself as a Hi-BOYZ fan, when she jumps in to do the dance routine with Jae Il.

Hahaha! I really, really hadn’t seen that coming! 😂

Like, seriously, how had Sa Bi kept a straight face all this time, especially during the moments when Jae Il would make reference to his idol past?!? 😅

I do think that Sa Bi’s bluffing when she tells Jae Il that she’d liked the member Top Key, and not Jae Il, coz look at the smile that she suppressed, but which leaks out anyway, as she makes her getaway in that taxi?? 🤭

It looks to me like Sa Bi could have very possibly been a Jae Il fan from the start, ahem. 😁

At any rate, it does seem like this galvanizes Jae Il into looking at Sa Bi rather differently, judging from all the effort that he goes to, in episode 10, to be nice to her.

And he really is very sweet, honestly, with the way he gives her tips on where to get some solitude when things get tough and she needs to get away, especially since Sa Bi inadvertently finds herself in Professor Jo’s bad books.

On that note, I am loving Professor Ryu, with the way he’s warm and empathetic, and even speaks up for Sa Bi, when Professor Jo is unkind and unfair to her, while scolding her in front of everyone.

It’s little wonder that Sa Bi gets stars in her eyes, because this is literally the first time a professor has bothered to take care of her as a junior resident. 🥲

It’s cute how Sa Bi chooses to observe Professor Ryu in surgery, even though she doesn’t have to.

Will Professor Ryu eventually gain a new member on his team? Coz I can see why Sa Bi would prefer to work with him, than Professor Jo.

I felt bad for both Nam Kyung and Yi Young, for being left to fight it out between themselves, because their professors are making a lot of demands on schedules and facilities that are very finite.

It really is very unfair, and neither Nam Kyung nor Yi Young should be scolded for not being able to secure a particular time slot or facility, because there’s just so much demand, and so much urgency, all around.

In the end, it makes sense to me that it would take everyone working together on a big, difficult, urgent case like that patient with PPH, to finally give us some light at the end of the tunnel.

Another person I’ve been feeling bad for, though I haven’t mentioned it so far, is Ju Young.

She’s clearly so emotionally invested in her desire to have a baby, and every time she experiences a disappointment, it must be so hard on her.

She tries so hard to be upbeat about things, but it’s basically impossible, and my heart really went out to her, when she breaks down at the coffeeshop, while she and Yi Young are ordering coffee. 😭

I’m just glad that Yi Young’s there for her, and I’m hoping that she’ll get her wish, in our finale episodes.

Of course, my most favorite arc, these episodes, is the progression of the loveline between Do Won and Yi Young.

Even from early in episode 9, you can see that Do Won’s gaze for Yi Young has softened; even in the little beats, like when Yi Young waves at him when he and Hyung are coming back from the supermarket, you can see his gaze linger on Yi Young, for an extra, wistful little beat. 🥲

And then there’s the thing when Yi Young shows that she’s peeved that Do Won’s only buying the streusel bread for her sister Ju Young, and Do Won hurriedly tries to make it up to her by inviting her to dinner, just the two of them.

Ahh, I just love that scene!

I love that Yi Young is always herself around Do Won, even though he’s the person whom she likes; that doesn’t cause her to pretend to be more genteel or anything like that.

She doesn’t hide it when she’s grumpy, nor does she hide it when she’s happy, and we get to see both of those sides play out, in this scene.

The moment she realizes that Do Won’s asking her out to dinner, just the two of them, I love how that sense of wonderment and enthusiasm completely overtakes any grumpiness that she had been feeling, and how she quickly agrees and tells him that she’ll be available, no matter what.

I find it very endearing and adorable, for how real and guileless she is. 😁

Their shy smiles at each other, as this new dinner date sinks in on both sides, is so, so cute. 🤩

On a slightly more technical note, I have to say that I am impressed that the music that plays in this moment, blends so well with the sound that Yi Young’s mobile makes, that we totally get a taste of the cloud nine, dreamy state that Yi Young’s in, while the sound of the mobile becomes increasingly apparent, bit by bit.

I thought this was very nicely done. 🤩

Of course, my fangirl heart is just spazzing all over the floor, because now we’re getting to see actual leaked smiles from Do Won, in relation to Yi Young, and I am a flailing puddle of toast, at each and every leaked smile that we get. 🫠🫠🫠

I felt bad for Do Won, that all of his preparations for their big date get scuttled, one way or another, and I do think that his reason for canceling on Yi Young, is because he doesn’t want to take her on a half-baked date; he’d rather postpone, and do it all properly, the way he feels she deserves.

At the same time, I totally feel for Yi Young, because she’s been looking forward to this for so long; of course she’d feel disappointed that it’s canceled, all of a sudden, for some vague, unknown reason.

I do love how Yi Young is frank with Do Won when she runs into him at the swings on her way home, and I really like that the whole reason Do Won starts to confess, is because he can see how disappointed Yi Young is, and that’s not at all how he wants her to feel.

The entire confession scene is so endearingly awkward, with Do Won blurting out that he’d bought flowers, but they’d gotten ruined, and his restaurant reservation had fallen through, and he’d even written her a card, but forgot to bring it.

It’s sooo endearing, how he awkwardly starts to tell Yi Young that he likes her, and she just gasps in shock and surprise, as she registers what’s going on, and then asks, still in shock, if he likes her, and if he’s confessing to her.

I just love her stunned wonderment, and Do Won’s smiley-sheepishness as he confirms that she understands right. 😁

And then I love how she just runs into his arms for a hug, and how he takes a stunned second to drink it all in, before returning the hug.

Ahhhh. The feeeeels, you guys. 🥰🥰🥰🥰

I find it adorable to see them holding hands, coming out of the elevator, afterwards; this feels so hard won. 🥲

Do Won’s hurried decision to sleep at the hospital, once he realizes that they’d be alone at home, is cutely, shyly gallant, and I love that Yi Young rewards him with a kiss on the cheek, and an offer to walk him down to the ground floor.

I thought the way Do Won grabbed her for a kiss in the elevator was a little rushed (in terms of the execution of the scene, not in terms of the timing of the kiss), but I’ll take what I get, with this couple. 🥲

I can understand Yi Young’s desire to keep their relationship on the down-low, for all the reasons that she tells Do Won, but there’s definitely a part of me that wants this couple of just be out and proud about – kinda like how Do Won responds to Yi Young so blithely at the carpark, when all she’s trying to do, is signal him to keep it down. 🤭

After this, though, isn’t it so cute when Yi Young offhandedly refers to Do Won as “Oppa” and he gets all blushy about it?? SHO CUTE! 😍😍😍

Another scene which I thought was super funny and cute, is when Yi Young admits to Ju Young and Seung Won that she’s dating someone, and when Ju Young tells her not to date, Do Won reflexively asks, quite defensively, “Why not??”

Ahahaha. Our Do Won is very concerned, isn’t he? 🤭

And then how about that beat, when Seung Won tells Yi Young that it’s only ok to date a co-worker if you get married, and Yi Young answers nonchalantly, that they’ll get married then – and Do Won does a literal spit-take.

I guess this is moving a little too fast for our boy? Hahaha! 😂

I was grinning from ear to ear at the various attempts of our newly minted couple to spend time together at work, like when Yi Young declines that pizza treat in order to eat a doshirak with Do Won.

I don’t know about everyone else, but I was lapping up all the cute couple beats, like when Do Won drops his chopstick and reaches to pick them up, and Yi Young swoops in there to grab his hand.

I am loving all the early relationship thrills, thankyouverymuch. 🥰🥰🥰

One of my favorite things, these episodes, is the cameo appearances by Jo Jung Suk and Jeon Mi Do.

Ahhhh!!! Ik Jun and Song Hwa, together??? 😍😍😍😍

This is basically Show’s way of making it up to us, that these two had such limited screen time as a couple in Hospital Playlist 2, isn’t it? 🥲🥲

I thought it was utterly hilarious, that Ik Jun would show up in this show with his hands glued together, since his very first appearance in Hospital Playlist, had been with that toy hat superglued to his head.

I guess some things just never change, eh? 🤭

It was fun to see Ik Jun and Song Hwa being a lovey-dovey cute couple, but the thing that made it extra fun, I think, is the fact that Professor Kong, who turns out to have liked Ik Jun as her first love, only finds out now, that he’s happily with his last love, Song Hwa. 😁

With Ik Jun having such a reputation for being a Cupid, I guess it makes complete sense, that it’s thanks to him and his intel on how dating couples tend to hide in the day appointment wing, that we end episode 10 on two tantalizing notes:

1, that we’re likely to see a secondary couple, in Sa Bi and Jae Il, coz our Jae Il is definitely feeling a certain kind of way for Sa Bi, with the way he grabs her and hides, when he hears Ik Jun and Song Hwa coming, and

2, that Jae Il actually spies Do Won and Yi Young holding hands, as they come out of hiding.

Fun! 🤩

THOUGHTS ON THE ENDING [SPOILERS]

E11-12. As wistful as I’ve been feeling, coming up to these finale episodes, I have to say that Show gave us a very satisfying ending indeed. 🥲

I honestly don’t feel ready to say goodbye to these characters and this story world, but since I have to, I feel like Show gives me basically everything I could have asked for in this finale, as a parting gift – until we hopefully meet again (is it too much to ask for a Season 2?). 🥲

We get meaningful steps forward on all fronts; our residents’ growth journeys as doctors; the deepening of their bond as a group; advancements in their individual lovelines; some comeuppance that’s been long in the coming – and a good dose of cameos, from Hospital Playlist.

Show serves up all of it, and I was even rather grateful for these episodes’ long running times. 🥲

I’m honestly feeling a little overwhelmed in terms of how to talk about it all, so let me attempt to lay it out in some kind of order.

Their growth journeys as doctors

I really like that Show takes care to gives us glimpses into each of our residents’ journey towards becoming the best doctor they can be.

I truly get a deep sense of vicarious satisfaction whenever Yi Young’s praised by Professor Seo for having good hands, and so, these episodes, I loved seeing Yi Young be given opportunities for so many firsts; an honor for any first-year resident, I’m sure.

And to then be offered that bottle of special celebratory wine that Professor Seo’s been saving for a special occasion? Just icing on the cake.

Also, doesn’t it show so much growth, the way Yi Young chooses not to take the wine and clock out as Professor Seo urges her to do, but to go into surgery instead, because it’s her patient who’s about to deliver?

Our Yi Young’s come so far – and so have the others.

I love Jae Il’s moment of glory, and the fact that it stems from his natural strength of sincerely caring for his patients, and wanting to do his best for them.

It feels like such a hard-won moment, that Jae Il would be acknowledged by Professor Jo, who’d previously only found fault with him, and in such a tangible way; that Professor Jo would want to work on a paper with him!

As for Sa Bi, I really enjoyed watching her work so closely and so happily with Professor Ryu, anticipating the needs of each case, without him having to ask her to do anything.

Most significant of all, though, is that moment when she even tells his joke to the patient, because she believes him, that helping the patients to smile and laugh, will help with their recovery.

For someone who’s had such a hard time understanding the softer, emotional side of things, this feels like a big step for Sa Bi.

And then there’s Nam Kyung, who ends up sending off her first patient, unexpectedly.

The scene, where she is so gentle and compassionate and thoughtful with the very patient whom she’d once run away from, really demonstrates how far Nam Kyung has come.

I was most touched, when she remembered the patient’s favorite hymn and played it for her, and held her hand, so that she would be comforted and wouldn’t feel alone, in her final moments.

Sniffle. I thought this was a poignantly beautiful moment. 🥲🥲

The deepening of their bond as a group

One of my favorite bits these episodes, is how our core crew pieces their various nuggets of intel together and collectively get their minds blown, because they can’t make sense of the facts that:

1, Yi Young and Do Won have the same address,

2, Yi Young and Do Won are in-laws, and

3, Yi Young and Do Won are dating. 🤭

I was highly amused at how they confront Yi Young about it, and then hold their breaths while she spills the truth.

There’s just something about seeing them get so invested in something, as a group, and about seeing Yi Young tell them the truth, that makes me feel like they’ve really grown so much closer, in this one year. 🥲

Advancements in their individual lovelines

My favorite couple in this show, is, without a doubt, Do Won and Yi Young, and it was just really fun to watch them be a couple while trying to hide their relationship from everyone, in these final episodes.

That beat in episode 11, where they’re acting all cutesy with each other at the elevator, only to be seen by the new nurse in their department, was amusing.

On a related tangent, I did appreciate that we finally found out what had happened in Yi Young’s previous hospital, that had gotten her fired.

Turns out she’d saved that nurse from a doctor who’d been harassing her – by biting him. Hahaha! I find it quite funny, that Yi Young’s like a ferocious puppy in that way.

And, how nice, that she and the nurse are colleagues once more, in a new and better place.

As for our main couple, I was kind of sorry to see Do Won pack up to move out, but I take his point, that this would give him and Yi Young a new place where they can spend time together.

From buying couple rings, to taking up a one-year savings plan because he feels that he’ll need it (for marriage), Do Won is clearly smitten for the long haul, and I love that.

Yi Young may have fallen first, but Do Won’s certainly making up for lost time. 🥰

As for Jae Il’s crush on Sa Bi, I love how Sa Bi gets so curious about whether he likes her, that she just bites the bullet and asks him if he likes her.

I like that Jae Il ‘fesses up quite readily, and then I thought it was cute that Sa Bi insists that she can’t date him yet because of her personal rule that she must know the other person for at least a year first.

It’s classic Sa Bi, and I am amused that Jae Il now has to wait two more months, before she’ll feel ready to give him a chance.

As for Nam Kyung, I’d had a sneaking suspicion that mayyyybe she might get a loveline with the intern, and we do get what feels like the beginnings of it, when he tells her that he’s decided to join OB-GYN – and then won’t let go of her hand.

There’s no dialogue for this beat, and y’know, I still felt some feels, just based on how gentle his grip looked, on her hand.

I do think they’d make a cute couple, and I’d love to see how this loveline plays out, if we actually get a Season 2. 🥲

A good dose of cameos from Hospital Playlist

It wouldn’t be a Resident Playbook episode without a Hospital Playlist cameo or two, and I love that Show’s extra generous, in this finale.

First, we get to see Do Jae Hak (Jung Moon Sung) again, getting ready to welcome his second child and therefore trying his darndest to sell his apartment, only to be mistaken for a scammer – when, as we know, he’d once been the one who’d gotten scammed.

And THEN, we get not only Teddy Bear Seok Hyeong (Kim Dae Myung), we even get Min Ha again as well! Ahhh!! 😍😍

At first, I’d thought that Seok Hyeong’s cameo would only be at the ER, when he stepped in to help deliver that baby, and I’d been vaguely disappointed.

But I was wrong! Show brings Seok Hyeong back, AND Min Ha too, and I was a verrryyy happy camper.

First, I do love seeing Seok Hyeong being his brilliant professor self; there’s something very comforting about seeing him take charge and keep steady, in an emergency.

Some comeuppance that’s been long in the coming

And thennn. I LOVEDDD that Show brings Min Ha back, for the best comeuppance I could have asked for, for Eun Won, who’s been annoying us all, all series long.

I mean, yes, Eun Won doesn’t get outed in that reality TV show like I’d hoped she would, but she loses the professorship, which, if I think about it, she’s basically been angling for, with all of her various politicking tricks.

So the fact that she doesn’t get the professorship, is pretty great, in itself.

What makes it even better, though, is the fact that she loses it to Min Ha, whom many of us would remember as having had to suffer Eun Won’s sly ploys, in Hospital Playlist.

Ahhh. It feels like justice is finally served, for Min Ha.

Not only does she receive the professorship, she’s well spoken of by everyone, AND has a husband who does sweet romantic things for her, like bringing her a bouquet of flowers and calling her Chu Chu and getting down on one knee – that is, until he realizes she’s not alone in her new office, and quickly slinks away. 😂

ADORABLE.

I’m just so happy that we get to see Seok Hyeong and Min Ha together, all married and still so loving. 🥰🥲

In the end

..I do feel bad for Yi Young, that she misses out on that lottery prize, coz that money would have definitely come in useful, BUT, I’m actually glad that she now doesn’t have an excuse to leave.

Because, as much as she doesn’t like to admit it, she’s actually good at what she does, and she does have a passion for it, and she does actually belong with the rest of the crew.

I love that as we leave them, they’re raring to go into their second year of residency, and they’re all more skilled, more knowledgeable, more confident, more bonded, and so much more cheerful, than when we’d first met them.

I dearly want to be able to be a fly on their walls, for their second, third and fourth years of residency, but even if we don’t get that, I feel wistfully content, knowing that they will all do well, just as they have, in their first year. 🥲❤️

THE FINAL VERDICT:

Warm, wholesome and wonderfully familiar. 🥰

FINAL GRADE: A-

TRAILER:

MV:

PATREON UPDATE!

The next drama I’m covering on Patreon, in place of  Resident Playbook, is Good Boy [Korea].

Episode 1-2 notes will be up soon, on Patreon; you can look out for it!

Here’s an overview of what I’m covering on Patreon right now (Tier benefits are cumulative)!

Foundation Tier (US$1): Entertainment Drop (Sundays) + the first set notes of all shows covered on Patreon (that’s 2 episodes for kdramas and 4 episodes for cdramas)

Early Access (US$5): +The Haunted Palace [Korea]

Early Access Plus (US$10): +Our Unwritten Seoul [Korea]

VIP (US$15): +The Prisoner of Beauty [China]

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