Hospital Playlist (2020)

Very smartly written

It wasn't one of my very favorites, only because it was low on romance. However, this show was well-written, and the characters were developed very well. I loved the concept of the five main characters being friends for many years. One of the reasons that this show was so enjoyable was that the characters weren't cliched - a woman was the head of neurosurgery, a female soldier, a single dad - kind of the opposite of what we have grown to "expect". Each person had their strengths, as well as their idiosyncrasies. I also liked that the characters worked in different areas of the hospital, neurosurgery, general surgery, OB/GYN, pediatrics. This kept the story lines fresh. The stories of the hospitalized patients were often so heart-wrenching (There was a lot of crying going on by me), but that was balanced by the funny interactions between the doctors. This cast played well off of each other and you could really feel their friendships. There was a happy ending, of sorts, with a couple of things left hanging in the balance, I'm assuming so that they can be addressed in season 2. I also liked that this didn't have a lot of the K-drama tropes - such as love triangles with an evil person, and I don't believe I saw one wrist grab in the whole show!

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MIDO AND PARASOL ARE MY HEART ❤️

Well where to begin with I have so many good things to say... I have loved all past shin PD nim drama's and I can proudly say that this even beats reply 1988 for me !
*it obviously has the best direction and story with the whole hit of nostalgia. It will warm your heart and inspire you.
*All the actors are very well experienced and truly deserve all the appreciation and love, from acting flawlessly to playing band performance in every epiode . They are so Passionate and hard working - took such short time to learn and ace the instruments . The drama also gave us JEON MIDO -a well renowned musical actress with the most beautiful voice.
*Since it's a slice of life drama you would definitely resonate with one or more character's and the various relationships depicted in it.
*The director and writer are known for crafting beautiful stories for every single character and trust me you will love each and every character.
*The friendship between the lacking 5 is very strong, we are used to seeing childhood and teenage friendship but in this drama you'll see how their friendship which is almost 20 years old is so very well developed and matured with time even at the age of 40 when they all have such hectic life. Life can truly be delightful even if you are in your 40's .
*I have never been this emotionally attached to a drama , all the characters actually felt like my lifelong friends. It's like you are a part of their world. There are funny moments where you'll literally laugh out your lung out and some really delicate and emotional moments where you won't be able to stop crying . This drama makes me feel so good at many different levels.
*Even though it's a medical drama but it's not too much focused on it rather it shows you the very real image of doctors, how humanly they try to ease the patients pain be it physically or emotionally .
*Love and romance is also a part but it's done in the right wayand in the right amount so you'll actually ship all the couples like crazy. It's so very realistic and heart melting . (Do watch ik jun's confession in epiosode 10)
*The ost's are amazing and so are the band performance by mido and parasol ❤️ all the old songs are recrafted , trust me you will love all of them.
*The last performance by the band really made me cry , I don't know how I will survive a year without them but this is life - you need to wait for the good time to come. Do listen to their last ost and wait for a year .
Please watch HOSPITAL PLAYLIST it's truly one of a kind.

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4 REASONS WHY I DROPPED THIS SERIES AFTER WATCHING HALF OF ITS FIRST EPISODE

I was expecting a lot from this series mainly because it came from the director and screenwriter of REPLY 1988 and PRISON PLAYBOOK, two of my favorite Korean series. Then, there’s YOO YEAON SEOK who became my favorite after watching MR. SUNSHINE and DR. ROMANTIC.

I don’t usually drop a series, once I start watching. I give it until Episode 3 or 4 to decide whether to continue or not. But for the first time, I’ve decided to drop a series after watching only half of its maiden episode. Why?

1. STUP*D ELECTRICIAN. The series opens with two of our doctors (there are five to them, 4 male, 1 female, just like the group in REPLY 1988). There’s a problem with the ceiling light so they called two electricians. The female doctor warned one electrician to wear a protective glove and first shut off the circuit breaker. But even before she can finish her precaution, the stup*d electrician fell to the floor and lost consciousness. Are all electricians this stup*d?? Why did the series open with this stup*d scene? Did it help us know the characters better? No, all we got was the male doctor is a “mama’s boy” and the lady doctor is, well, a busy doctor. To me, this opening scene is not only bleak, it’s quite useless. Big turn off and it’s just the opening scene.

2. STUP*D FRIENDS. These five people have been friends for TWENTY YEARS and yet they don’t know that one of them is the son of the Chairman of the hospital they work for?? They only found out when the Chairman died. Are these really friends?? When asked about it, the son of the Chairman’s reason was: “I was waiting for the right time to tell you, guys.” Duh. For TWENTY EFFIN YEARS, you didn’t find “the right time”?? And those friends really didn’t care?

3. STUP*D DARTH VADER. One of our main doctors was playing with his son when he was asked to perform an emergency liver transplant surgery. After hesitating, he agreed to do it. Only, he did the operation while still wearing the Darth Vader helmet – topped with a surgeon’s cap. How stup*d is that? Do they really find this amusing??

4. STUP*D CONDITION. After the Chairman died, the son gathered his doctor friends to form a “VIP WARD” group. He doubled their pay so they would agree. Only one didn’t agree right away. He said he has one condition: That they form a (musical) band. What??? Ok, so now I get it. That’s the reason for the title. Still, it turned me off, coming from nowhere.

That’s when I decided not to continue watching this series. Lots of stup***ty in half of the first episode alone. Also, the characters were not endearing. They came off as aloof, haughty, no charm. This is far from the genius of DR. ROMANTIC.

Sorry.

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Unexpected Masterpiece

I love watching medical dramas and this one delivers all the feels without any of the angst. Never expected a medical genre with a team of highly qualified surgeons playing in a band, with no discernible plot lines would be a recipe for success. But the pure simplicity of it all made it an unforgettable masterpiece centred on the lives of:

Ik Jun, the carefree, funny man, lead singer, doting father, matchmaker and guardian angel
Song Hwa, the only female of the quintet, cool, personable, professional, perfect role model
Jun Wan, the sensible, arrogant but caring surgeon with a sexy side
Suk Hyung, mama boy but with deep empathy for his patients
Jung Won, generous, loving paediatrics surgeon conflicted between wanting to save lives, serving God and his growing attraction to Gyeo Wool

Each character in Hospital Playlist is done just right. Hard to pick one favourite over another. Love them all but the fellow romantic in me with a penchant for unrequited underdog love stories, Gyeo Wool's story tops it among the supporting characters. Despite being highly sought-after as the only GS resident, she remains humble, steadfast and hardworking even after being rejected by Jung Won. She reminds me of Jang Geu Rae's character in Misaeng.

This one is for keeps! Can't wait for Season 2.

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Shin PD back at it again with another one!

At this point, I no longer watch Shin PD’s dramas because of who they cast but because of the creators themselves. What the creators do really well in this drama is hook you in and make you feel emotionally attached to the characters that it LITERALLY hurts to see it end.

Nothing in this drama was rushed. You get to witness how important each character is and how intertwined every one is. They give you enough time to experience, appreciate, love and understand each character. Though it was only 12 episodes, the creators were successful in making the viewer feel like you’ve known them for a lifetime. (Fret not, they are confirmed for season 2!)

Overall, this drama was fun, unpredictable and refreshing. If you enjoy dramas that are light and NOT stress-inducing, has good music/osts, great character chemistry and visuals, this is the drama for you.

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I know this show is still airing, I've watch so far 7/12 episode, but I wanna share my opinion on this first half of the drama.

1. The cast is top, I'm watching this drama just for the cast honestly, I didn't even took the time to read the summary cause Jung Kyung Ho is one of my favorite actor so fidelity oblige. I glad to see Jo Jung Suk and You Yeon Suk too. So the cast is really good.

2. The story line is basic, there is not something memorable, a easy going drama to watch on a sunday afternoon or between 2 intense drama. I'm sad to say that I don't wait with impatience and restlessness so next episode. Relationship aren't very exceptional, too much action aren't really well elaborate. And I saw it will be a second season ? But whyyyy ? What will happen ?

3. The music, by reading the title of the drama I excepted better music and the music to be in the center of the story with hospital stories but none, just some cover of songs. Even practice and repetition of the band doesn't make importance.

Don't misunderstand me, I like this drama. I really do but I just don't understand why people feel it exceptional. It's just an easy going and lovey-dovey drama. I'm really waiting more for the second half of this drama so to be waiting the 2nd season. Just to remember that's my personal opinion, maybe I'm wrong that's just how I feel !!!

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I have loved all the other series by these writers - all the Reply series and Prison Playbook. I really just expected.....more...from this story. It felt incomplete at the end -- I'm sure it's because they've set up a second season, but that is not why I watch Korean drama. I want a complete story.

The acting from the main cast was top notch - Jo Jung Suk is always a treat to watch as is Jung Kyung Ho. They did an excellent job, as did the others - no complaints at all for the acting. It was fantastic.

The music - from the band was a nice touch, but was a really strange addition to the story. It just seemed like some random thing thrown in even though it was fun.

There really didn't seem to be a real plot line, but just a bunch of stories about a group of friends who happen to work in a hospital. I did love the friendship between the characters and that was probably the show's strong suit and what I think these writers do very well. There were lots of loose ends that I wanted to see tied up that were left undone, hopefully that will be resolved next season. I'll end up having to read a bunch of recaps (because I don't have time to watch the whole thing over again) to refresh myself on what happened.

Anyway, I didn't hate the show - I enjoyed it but am bummed that it didn't feel completed. And I'll have to admit that towards the end, the excitement started to fade for it - like it was fine to wait several days to watch the newest episode.
(Sorry for all those that gave this a 10/10 - I wanted to love this and maybe I'll love it more when it's finished.)

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Fun, Unique and Brilliantly written.

Short: Medical drama following five long-time friends at the same hospital but in different disciplines. Each dealing with life and death, and then gathering together to play music in a band that never performs publicly. Great music throughout. Happy moments and sad moments cleverly woven together to the conclusion of Season 1. Doesn't feel like a cliffhanger ending or cut-short story. As always, when the kids are on screen, they steal the show. :)

Detail:
This one was so different, it's a medical drama and in that respect it's a fairly predictable set of cases for each of the cast to deal with some of which are going to have happy endings and some sad endings. Where this one stands out however is the unique production and direction, and the way the writer has woven these episodes together. The inclusion of the band element where they get together and play music as a group but never publicly is really interesting and forms a great release for them to spend time together as a group and forget the worries of their working lives.

Each of the doctors is in their own field, whether it's kids, babies, brains, hearts or general surgery. This leads to a nice variety of different challenges for them to deal with.

For those who are squeamish, it's not bad, a few blurry shots of insides of bodies but honestly not that often.

There's lots of things going on in each of their personal lives, whether it's within the group, with other doctors, or even outside of the hospital altogether. I felt this gave some nice variety.

I held off watching this one because it seemed like it was going to be a half-story waiting for season 2 to finish it much like Love Alarm was - but - that doesn't seem to be the case, while there are certainly some loose threads at the end they are minor and actually some of them are fresh new threads caused by the resolution of previous happenings. There is one that's left open, and had there not been a season two that would have been disappointing but I would have still felt that this show actually did its job well. Great news is that Season 2 is now here, so now that i've just finished bingeing my way through Season 1 I can click "next" and see what happens!

The cast are absolutely brilliant, my favourite by a long shot was Jo Jung Suk - all the scenes with his son are an absolute joy to watch, he's a comic genius matched up really well with the young actor playing his son.

Definitely well worth a watch. I'm hopeful Season 2 will be great, but this stands up and (mostly) ends very nicely on its own.

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Wholesome, BUT...

Oh, Hospital Playlist. It's wholesome and heartwarming, and ends in a way that's oh so lovely to watch during the holidays (i.e. with a Christmas episode). The five friends are all so lovely (in fact, there really wasn't a single annoying character in the whole series!). I like music, food, and subtle references and jokes to past works / pop culture.

However, this drama suffers from its ties to Netflix, and the awful habit of western shows to drag things on for multiple seasons. My favourite thing about the kdrama format is that shows tend to be contained in 12-20 episodes. I hate that this show ended with a bunch of loose ends and cliffhangers. Only one character had his storyline tied up neatly, argh!! Maybe I should've just waited for season 2 to come out before watching.

The pacing is a bit slow, and I had to hide my face during the operation scenes (because I'm a bit squeamish). But otherwise, this show has all the best characteristics of a Shin Won Ho / Lee Woo Jung collab. There are meaningful scenes set up for maximum payoff later on, some nostalgia, and a wonderful group of friends. Worth a watch for sure.

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More than just a medical drama - life, death, happiness, sorrow, love, friendship and more

I'm glad I have finally watched this drama. I was hesitant at first because there are 2 seasons for this drama and I haven't watched medical dramas for a while now. I feel like it's too long however I didn't regret that I invested watching this. At the time of writing, I haven't watched Hospital Playlist 2 yet and I am excited on what kind of memories and experiences will the professors, residents, interns and patients will encounter. The 1st season ended with a lot of cliffhangers.

There are lots of things that I love about this drama. Let me start with the storyline. First of, the story isn't as complicated as most medical dramas. You've get pieces of stories from here and there which will help you see that beautiful image it is trying to create. I love how the writers try to make you feel like you know what will happen but then surprise you with something unexpected. And the best part is it surpasses your expectations everytime. Well played really.

Next thing I love is the characters. There's a LOOOOOT of characters in this drama from the medical staff, patients, and other characters coming in and out every episode. It's really hard to memorize their names however I definitely remember their stories. I was expecting that some of the characters will have shallow stories but I was wrong. Most of the characters have depths of their own and even the patients which is why I think this drama is very emotional. It will definitely make you laugh and cry while watching it. It personally made me reflect about my life and all the emotions I have. The friendship of Mido and Falasol was very dreamy but is definitely the kind of friendship you should experience at least once in your life. One of the charms of this drama is the realistic storyline that is very relatable and since the writer also made sure you know most of the characters, it's easier to understand why they did this, what made them to do that. In short, you understand where the characters are coming from. Super amazing for the casts to really portray their characters and the chemistry among themselves. I can say that the story was given the right justice thanks to the great acting of the casts.

Last but not the least, who would've easily forget the OSTs in this drama. There's just so much feels. I am not sure if the songs were from the late 90's or early 2000's and for sure for Koreans it must've felt nostalgic watching the show and hearing those songs. For me though, it made me really emotional a lot of times. I searched the songs right away and was even singing it along with them while I repeat their band scenes.

I highly recommend this drama. Overall, aside from the tearful scenes I have seen, it's a very feel good drama. I felt like this actually have a healing effect on me. Please do watch this if you have the time.

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