Warning: This review contains spoilers from season 2.
When I first heard everyone raving about Hospital Playlist, I was skeptical. What’s so special about another medical drama? I must admit, by the end of the first episode, I was hooked. I binged the entire first season in a couple of days and waited excitedly every week for Season 2’s new episodes to air.
Why is this drama so loved by everyone? For me, it’s the fantastic storyline, loveable cast and original soundtracks. This slice-of-life K-drama will have you laughing at their goofy moments, crying at the heart-wrenching scenes, and singing along to the music.
So, let me introduce you to my all-time favourite k-drama!
What is Hospital Playlist all about?
Hospital Playlist follows the lives of 5 doctors in Yulje Medical Center, who have been best friends since their medical school days. The story revolves around their wholesome friendship, relationships with people around them and the extraordinary lives of the Yulje staff and patients.
Photo Credit: Hellokpop
Meet the five best friends (left to right): Yang Seok-hyung (Kim Dae-myung), Ahn Jeong-won (Yoo Yeon-seok), Lee Ik-jun (Jo Jung-suk), Chae Song-hwa (Jeon Mi-do) and Kim Jun-wan (Jung Kyung-ho).
Lee Ik-jun, the professor of general surgery, is the life of the party and extremely goofy. Ahn Jung-won, a paediatric professor and surgeon, is kind and has a tender heart for children. Chae Song-hwa, the professor of neurosurgery, is competent, understanding yet assertive. Kim Jun-wan, the professor of cardiothoracic surgery, appears to be cold and straightforward but cares deeply for his patients. Lastly, Yang Seok-hyung, a gynaecologist, is shy and socially awkward, but gentle and compassionate to people around him.
In good times and bad times, they are always there for each other no matter what life brings them, encouraging and helping one another to conquer problems at work or in their personal lives. Aside from being skilful doctors, they form a band and spend their free nights coming together for band practice.
Here are my top 5 heart-warming moments and lessons we can take away from season 2 of this drama:
1. Show kindness to those who are grieving or hurting
In Episode 1, a woman frequently visits the paediatric team after the passing of her son, Yeon-woo. Sometimes even booking an appointment or dropping by unannounced, she brings different gifts for the nurses and always looks for Dr Jang Gyeo-wool, who was her son’s doctor.
After many visits from Yeon-woo’s mum, Dr Jang realises there is more to her visits, and asks Jeong-won (Yoo Yeon-seok) for advice. Jeong-weon helps her to understand why Yeon-woo’s mum keeps visiting and encourages Dr Jang to treat her well whenever she stops by.
Dr Jang heeds Jeong-won’s advice and takes her late patient’s mum out for coffee. There, Yeon-woo’s mum shares that she wants to remember her son for as long as she can. Although well-meaning friends advised her to put her painful memories of Yeon Woo behind and move on, she did not want to lose her memories of her son so quickly.
Despite being a funny and uplifting show, Hospital Playlist does not shy away from portraying death and grief. Even though Dr Jang is not an expressive person by nature, she steps out of her comfort zone to show concern for a late patient’s mother.
Everyone has their journey in dealing with pain and loss, so extend some love and care to those who need it. Just like what Dr Jang did, simply taking them out for coffee can go a long way! And during that coffee date, give your friend or loved one time and space to grieve, and offer to listen to their stories and fond memories of them.
We will not know how they feel, but we can help to keep their memories alive.
2. Stand firmly and fight for your beliefs
Episode 4 zooms in on Neurosurgical resident, Heo Seon-bin (Ha Yoon Kyung), who has been monitoring a patient with her senior through the night and notices that the patient’s condition keeps worsening. She believes that the patient needs further checks and informs her senior of the situation on multiple occasions.
However, instead of taking action, Seon-bin’s senior simply tells her not to worry and to monitor the patient further. She reluctantly listens to him each time, despite feeling very uncomfortable with his decision.
Soon after, the patient’s health rapidly deteriorates, and she is once again instructed by her superior to wait. This time, she retorts that they have no more time to wait and immediately flags the situation up to her professor for emergency surgery, which eventually saves the patient’s life.
Following the incident, her professor chides Seon-bin for not trusting her own judgement and fighting for her decision earlier, as her indecisiveness almost led to her patient’s death.
Watching this scene, I could feel Seon-bin’s frustration and regret for hesitating and doubting herself. In our own lives, we need to overcome self-doubt and know when to bravely fight for what we believe in. When we embrace and view doubt as an opportunity for growth, we can walk through our fears and have the courage to stand for our beliefs.
3. Face and address your problems instead of avoiding them
Song-hwa drops by Seok-hyung’s office, and they talk about his relationship with his ex-wife, Shin-hye. He fears that by falling in love again and remarrying, he would only end up ruining another life because of how his mum mistreated the last woman he was married to.
When asked about the efforts he made in the relationship, Seok-hyung mentions three occasions and asks Song-hwa if these are counted as efforts. She points out that he did not put in any effort, and in fact, was avoiding the problem. She tells him that acknowledging the problem is half the battle won, and offers him a solution now that he acknowledged what the real issue was.
Looking at Seok-hyung and Shin-hye’s marriage, I’ve realised the importance of communication in any relationship.
Problems are inevitable, be it with our friends or family, and it may seem easier to turn the other way or sweep it under a rug sometimes. Nevertheless, we should always make an effort to talk, listen, and work together to resolve any issues.
I am not one to openly express my feelings and emotions. I prefer keeping to myself, fearing that things might change if I bring up touchy issues. But I’ve learnt that avoiding is only a temporary solution, and speaking the truth in love causes a relationship to strengthen and grow.
4. Be patient with yourself, personal growth takes time
After completing her residency, Dr Jang Gyeo-wool is now a fellow (a doctor who is training to specialise) and leads her first solo operation. However, she fails to control the bleeding and Ik-joon (Jo Jung-suk) takes over the operation while she watches from the side.
After Ik-joon successfully completes the surgery, she starts to become overwhelmed by feelings of incompetence and calls herself talentless. Ik-joon reminds her that it has only been two weeks since she became a fellow, and encourages her to be patient and give herself time to adjust and gain more experience. He also reminds her of her accomplishments and progress and assures her that it is okay to feel unsure.
Similarly, you should not be too hard on yourself. You may have put too much pressure on yourself or feel as if you are a little behind your peers, but just remember: every person walks a unique path.
It’s okay to feel lost or frustrated at times, so don’t be disheartened! Most importantly, create, enjoy and experience your own unique journey –- we all live on our own timelines.
5. It’s never too late to pick up a new skill or rekindle old hobbies
Jeong-won’s mum, Rosa (Kim Hae-sook), worries about her recent forgetfulness, fearing that she might have Alzheimer’s. One night, she falls and hits her head on the floor. Upon hearing the news, Chairman Jong-soo (Kim Kap-soo) brings Rosa to the ER where she is diagnosed with hydrocephalus.
On the last night of her stay in the hospital, Jeong-won tells Rosa to “live selfishly” instead of worrying about her children and live every day to the fullest. His words comfort her, and Rosa decides to pursue her hobby and start playing the piano again.
Fast forward to the next scene, the five main characters are about to start their band practice when the keyboardist, Seok-hyung, rushes off after receiving a text. Thankfully, they found a replacement guest: Rosa!
Putting aside the fear of old age catching up on her, Rosa gave a beautiful performance with the band as they performed the song "Still Beautiful" by Kim Yeon-woo. You can catch her debut in Episode 8!
Later as she walks with Chairman Jong-soo, Rosa shares that everything felt meaningless when she was sick, but now, she is glad to learn the piano again. Jong-soo ends up being inspired by her story to pick up a new hobby – cooking.
He shows off his skills when he whips up a bowl of noodles for Rosa and Yeong-hye (Seok-hyung’s mom), and they gush about the noodles and his hand-made sauce.
It warms my heart to see both Rosa and Jong-soo embracing life to the fullest and doing what they love and enjoy, despite their fears in navigating the later stages of their lives.
Likewise, we should not let our circumstances or fear limit us from achieving our goals or learning something new. Instead of fixating on our problems or marinating in our fear of failure, it's better to try and make some progress than to make excuses and never try at all.
Hospital Playlist’s Timeless Values: Friendships, Family, Love and Dreams
These are my five key takeaways from Hospital Playlist that helps me to reflect on what is truly important—family and relationships—and I’m reminded to cherish and value my family and friends who have been journeying with me all this while.
The relatable, heart-warming, and inspirational stories of the individual characters and patients in Yulje is what captivates me the most. It isn’t simply a show about doctors, but ordinary people, experiences and struggles.
Give Hospital Playlist a watch if you haven’t, and I hope these life lessons will lead you to find and pursue what is truly important in your life too.
