F E A T U R E – D R A M A
Sharika Sabha
To the entire team of Hospital Playlist 2, Thank you so much for everything.
Although the first episode depicted a cold, brisk and snowy, lonely Christmas day, it left me with an indescribable warmth — similar to that of a cup of hot chocolate on a winter day — warm, rich, and fulfilling. And much to my contentment, the series continued to do so for the next 11 episodes. It is no easy feat to present such a holistic and up-to-date drama that almost all the people living in the 21st century can relate to in a way or other. Hence, thank you Shin Won Ho for directing and producing another magnificent ‘slice of life piece’, Hospital Playlist’s season 2.
Everyone had their own reason for watching this season. For some, it was to discover the love interests of the five lead casts (which is portrayed beautifully of course), for others, it was to delve deeper into the lives of these five friends. In my case, the portrayal of our mundane, ordinary day-to-day life in its simplest, detailed, and purest form was the sole reason. Just as human lives are not utterly black or white, there was hardly any one-dimensional character in the entire series. Almost each of the characters went through meticulous character development to radiate positivity in the end.
Unlike season 1 which was full of spring-like life, vigour, and bliss, season 2 sketched the randomness of life. At times, it was as harsh as a day of heavy rainfall, other times it was as bright as a warm yet breezy summer day. But one thing remained constant — it presented us with a hyper-realistic take on human life — our happiness, sadness, anger, frustration — and that to perfection. That is why thank you writer Lee Woo Jung for penning this gem.
Thank you Jo Jung-suk, Jeon Mi-do, Yoo Yeon-seok, Jung Kyung-ho, and Kim Dae-myung for bringing the lead characters to life. Lee Ik-jun’s (Jung-suk) amicable, witty personality, Choi Song-hwa’s (Mi-do) workaholic, foodie vibe, Ahn Jung-won’s (Yeon-seok) selflessness, caring nature, Kim Jun-wan’s (Kyung-ho) cold yet responsible, foodie charm and Yang Seok-hyung’s (Dae-myung) introvert and considerate presence — I can’t think of anyone else who would have done better at portraying these respective characters apart from these actors. Their unparalleled chemistry (that was supposedly started 22 years ago, according to the narrative) flourished through each episode and always reached new heights during the band practice of Gongnyong Ridge.
It was gratifying to watch how each of them immaculately portrayed their characters of doctors who are almost perfect in their individual professional fields, thrived for completeness as they pursued their love. Playful Ik-jun waited a long time for Song-hwa in contrast to his usual character; Song-hwa, who was hurt once long ago, dealt with her fear of abandonment and chose to be with Ik-jun; Jung-won showed his unwavering support to Gyeo-wool (Shin Hyun- bin); Jun-wan, who wasn’t really committed to relationships in season 1, waited for more than a year for Ik-sun (Kwok Sun-young) and Seok-hyung decided to come out of his self-conscious shell for the sake of Chu Min-ha (Ahn Eun-jin).
Thanks to the supporting cast members for flawlessly executing their own roles as patients, interns, residents, doctors, professors, medics, or family members and upholding work ethics, family values, or personal morality as their characters required. Doctors-patients-nurses or patients-family members or doctors-colleagues or doctors-their families — each of the relationships became more meaningful because of their earnest performance which motivated me to self-reflect from time to time.
Furthermore, thanks to the visual effect and cinematography team for presenting realistic scenarios with abundant beautiful and hearty moments. The sound effect team also deserves accolades for showing restraint to ensure the authenticity of the scenes and certainly for producing dynamic soundtracks. The credit for the latter should be shared jointly with the lead cast as their soothing voice touched my soul and certainly the souls of millions of fans worldwide.
Thank you everyone for being my constant source of healing and happiness for the past three and a half months and for inspiring me to become a better person. After having a hectic week of academic pressure, I always looked forward to Thursday nights to enjoy one and a half hours of solace and solitude, with a new episode of Hospital Playlist as my companion. And I know that from now on, each time I face hardship, I will rejuvenate myself by watching a random episode.
Lastly, thank you for the inconclusive ending and for giving me a glimmer of hope for renewal. I understand that there may not be a season 3 but I would love to see all my Yulje doctors in their white aprons and doctor’s scrubs, sharing the screen and creating new memories together once again; just like every other fan out there.
Sincerely,
A fan.
Sharika Sabha is tired of convincing people that Economics doesn’t teach you how to make money. She loves human babies, books, and submitting assignments a few minutes before the deadline. She can be reached at [email protected]