Hospital Playlist 1 & 2 – Full Review
Welcome to Hospital Playlist 1 & 2 – Full Review. The story of five surgeons and their lives, loves, and work at a large hospital in the middle of Seoul. If you haven’t watched this drama yet, I recommend checking out my unspoiled review here.
Hospital Playlist 1 & 2
♥ Aired: March 12 – May 28, 2020 & June 17 – September 16, 2021
♥# of Episodes: 24
♥Where to Watch: Netflix
♥Genre: Medical Drama
♥Starring: Jo Jung Suk, Yoo Yeon Seok, Jung Kyung Ho, Kim Dae Myung , and Jeon Mi Do
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The Story
Five young, college students met in medical school and formed a band to help them relieve the stress of studying, Now, 20 years later, they are all talented surgeons in their respective fields, working at the same hospital. Their friendship has endured years of hard work and long hours. They even continue to get together for band practice over the weekends when they are all free. Together they treat patients and live life, with the love and understanding that comes from decades of being friends.
The Leads
Jo Jung Suk as Lee Ik Jun
Lee Ik Jun is a single dad who specializes in liver transplants. He is the silly one in the group who always knows how to break the tension with some crazy response. Maybe because he is the only parent in the group, he is caring and nurturing to everyone. Sometimes this tendency comes across as nosiness, but he makes it his business to know what is going on in the lives of everyone around him, from his friends to the cleaning staff. Ik Jun has been in love with Song Hwa since college, but when he finally got the nerve to confess to her, she told him that she wanted to stay best friends. Luckily, she works through her hesitations and they finally end up together in the end.
Yoo Yeon Seok as Ahn Jung Won (Andrea)
Ahn Jung Won is a pediatric surgeon who has a natural knack with children. He is known as a saint or “Buddha” for his gentleness and patience. His life-long dream was to leave medicine and go into the clergy, like all of his other siblings. But when he finds himself falling for Jang Gyeo Wool, the ackward general surgery resident, he changes his plans and decides to stay. Because he is both rich and gullible, the friends often stick him with the bill, but it’s all in good natured fun.
Jung Kyung Ho as Kim Jun Wan
Kim Jun Wan is the cardiosurgeon. Dubbed as the frosty “polar bear” by Min Ah’s parents, he is cool and seemingly detached, even though his friends know that he is actually quite sensitive and lonely. He begins a secret relationship with Ik Jun’s sister, Ik Soon, but the two break up when their long distance relationship begins to take it’s toll on Jun Wan. He spends most of season 2 missing her before Ik Jun finally steps in and pushes the two of them back together.
Kim Dae Myung as Jang Suk Hyung
Jang Suk Hyung is the OBGYN. Known by all his friends as Bear, he is shy and socially akward. He was married for a short time, but they divorced due to stress between his wife and mother. Now, he lives back at home with his mother, calls her to ask what he should have for lunch, and spends his time watching tv on his phone. After his marriage fell apart, he avoided dating all together, but the outgoing resident in his department, Chu Min Ah, sets her sights on him and sets out to win his heart. It takes awhile, but eventually she convinces him to start dating.
Jeon Min Do as Chae Song Hwa
Chae Song Hwa is a neurosurgeon. She is smart and humble. She works tirelessly for her patients and takes on lots of high profile cases. In her free time, she likes to camp and enjoy the quiet. She has always had a crush on Lee Ik Jun, but they missed the timing when they were young, and she has been afriad to try again ever since. It takes a serious accident for her to realize that she wants to finally give a romantic relationship with him a try.
Things I Liked
♥ Rosa and Ju Jong Su
The relationship between Rosa and Jong Su is one of my favorites in this series. Growing up together, their friendship is like a well-oiled machine. And it provides a fun fore-shadowing to the kind of relationship that could await the fab-five down the road. I will admit that I would have loved to see a romantic spark between these two, but it’s almost irrelevant. They are planning to live and travel together, they share meals, and take care of each other. Regardless of the label, these are all signs of a healthy and rewarding relationship that will endure through the rest of their years.
♥ Je Hak and Jun Wan
Special shout out to Je Hak for melting the icy facade of our “polar bear”. Their growing friendship was so sweet to watch. Even within their close-knit group, Jun Wan pretended to stay aloof, so it was no easy feat. But Je Hak’s cheerful perseverance was just the thing. And watching Jun Wan support him through Je Hak’s wife’s cancer and pregnancy was heartwarming. It was nice to see that gentler side of Jun Wan, and Je Hak’s adoration was contagious.
♥ OST (Band)
Am I the only one who looked forward to the band number for each episode? Finding ways to tie the song into the larger theme of the episode that week just made it all the more fun. You could just feel the enthusiasm from the cast members as they made eye contact and sang their hearts out. I know it was a lot of extra work for the actors having to add band practice to their filming each week, but I think the result was fabulous. And judging from the appearance of some of the songs, like “Aloha” on the music charts, I think it’s safe to say that there were lots of fans who would agree.
Things I Didn’t Like
Really Long Episodes
It is a trademark with this production team to have extra long episodes, and I have to say that even with their long run time, I always hate to see them end. But that being said, I have to acknowledge that not everyone has that much time to sit down and enjoy a kdrama episode. Also, especially during the second season, “Hospital Playlist” really embraced the “slice of life” genre. Meaning episodes were filled with tiny, seemingly inconsequential moments that might have benefitted from a bit more editing. Wherever you stand on this issue, I think it bears repeating that 90+ minute episodes are well over the average.
More Woo Ju, Please
Cute kid moments get irritating for some fans, and I get that. But seriously, Woo Ju is one of the cutest old souls I have ever had the pleasure to meet in a kdrama. And his interactions with Ik Jun just make my heart happy. So, I noticed a marked lack of Woo Ju moments, especially toward the end of season two. I would love to have seen the moment Ik Jun told him that he was dating. I would expect Woo Ju would have had some very wise words of advice to share, since he himself has been in a “successful” relationship for quite some time! Anyway, I just love this little actor and I hope to see more from him in the future.
Third Season
Early on, it was announced that the plan was to have three seasons of “Hospital Playlist” over three years. Don’t get me wrong, I really hate multi-season kdramas, BUT it seemed like season two left us with enough loose ends to warrant a final season. I have to wonder if the cast all signing on for a variety show together left them just too busy to commit to another season. And I wouldn’t want them to overextend themselves. Still, there are stories I’m left curious about, partly because they were brought up. How will Suk Hyung’s mother react when she actually meets Min Ah? When will Jung Won finally get to propose to Gyeo Wool? And now that Ik Jun knows about them, will Jun Wan finally come clean about his relationship with Ik Soon?
The Ending
“Hospital Playlist” ends the way many slice of life dramas do; lots of happy endings with a few bittersweet moments and some dangling loose ends. So let’s just run down our leads. Ik Jun and Song Hwa have finally started dating and I have no doubt they will be together for many years. Jung Won dropped a surprise bomb by telling his friends that he is going to the US for a year to study more. The good news is that he will be going with Gyeo Wool. Jun Wan goes to see Ik Soon, and the two re-enact the first time he went to see her when they started dating. They hug and I think it’s safe to say, they are back together. Suk Hyung told his mom that he is dating Min Ah, and convinced her that Min Ah is the only reason he is staying in Korea, instead of going to the US. Rosa and Jong Su are carrying out Rosa’s life long dream to walk the Camino de Santiago. And Je Hak and his wife have a healthy baby girl, and his wife’s chemo seems to have been successful. Even though there is no commitment for a third season, with the bond between this amazing cast, I still have hopes that we will hear more about these characters somewhere down the line.
Should I Watch
“Hospital Playlist” is a slice of life drama that takes place mostly inside the walls of a hospital. The stories follow doctors, residents, patients, and their families as they fight for the lives of the sick. I really love the characters in this drama and the relationships they have. But focusing on this slice of life style does mean that it is slow moving. Because this is a medical drama, if you are queasy about blood or medical procedures this is probably not a good fit. While human relationships are the focus of this drama, the medical cases are also important. And these cases range from infants to elderly parents, so if you are emotionally sensitive about these kinds of stories, you might want to at least have some tissues ready. This drama has an outstanding cast! In fact, they are so good together, that the five of them have been cast to star together in a variety show. The friendships and romantic relationships are realistic and the medical cases are interesting and touching. I give “Hospital Playlist” a 10 out of 10 ramen.
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