[[Drama 2020-2021] Hospital Playlist, 슬기로운 의사생활 - Season 1 & 2]

I understand why people would think that shin won ho pd and lee woo Jung writer have a thing for first love since almost all of their dramas feature someone falling in love for the first time. But I don’t think they are trying to convey that the couples ended up together because it’s their first love. In fact, I think they are trying to argue that first love often do not work out, at least not in the way it is often romanticized.

 

In reply 1997, shi won and yoon Jae spent some time apart in the later half of the series. As someone before me mentioned, the title of ep 16 is “the reason why first loves don’t work out”. Yoon Jae and Shi won did not end up together because they were each other’s first loves. Yoon Jae’s declaration of love when he was 18 was messy and passionate — the way first loves are supposed to be. This is exactly what first love signifies — a time in our youth where we are wholly occupied and obsessed with someone. But this kind of love doesn’t last as we grow older and mature. To quote girlfriday’s recap from dramabeans, “their happy ending is not in realizing their first love, but in finding someone to grow up with”. When people end up with their first love, it is not because of the idealized form of love during their youth but rather, the warmth and love they shared as they grew up together.

 

In reply 1994, najung and trash also broke up before getting back together. I think them broking up is another way of the pd-writer team arguing that first loves just do not work. They hid their hardships from each other, thinking that it is best not to burden each other. It is a very common way of thinking but frankly, it is also quite naive. Communications is one of the most important thing in a relationship and without it, things get misinterpreted and people misunderstand each other. That is exactly what happened between najung and trash — they just got tired of hiding themselves away from each other. It is only when they learnt how to communicate their relationship grew stronger. Again, first love do not last just because you love each other wholeheartedly. A lot of other things, apart from love, go into what makes a relationship last.

 

In reply 1998, taek/deok sun and Sunwoo/bora also had the same struggles. They fought and argued (and even broke up in the latter’s case) as they try to figure out how to make the relationship last. Eventually, the relationships prevailed because they learnt to put themselves in a position of hurt and communicate better.

 

That’s why I believe that if Ikjun and Seonghwa ended up together, it is not because they were each other first loves. It is because of the time they spent together as friends that led them to this. If they dated each other when they were 20, chances are that it probably wouldn’t have lasted. They are certainly not the same people they were 20 years ago. First love is merely an infatuation -- passionate but short-lived. At 40, their relationship is so much more than just love. I can’t wait to see how it will evolve!

 

This is a long post but I really wanted to share my thoughts. Shin pd and Lee writer are focused on creating relationships that mirror real-life. So I have always thought that their focus on first love seems a little out of touch since so little people end up with their first loves in real life. Upon a more careful watch and reading many many reviews on their work, I believe that they are trying to break the overused trope that is love triumphs all. Love is an important part of a relationship but it certainly isn’t everything.

[[Drama 2020-2021] Hospital Playlist, 슬기로운 의사생활 - Season 1 & 2]

This episode, like all other episodes, is making me laugh out loud one moment and then cry the next. I think this is probably the only drama where I never used the fast forward button. 

 

I know some people think we spent too much time with the parents (the mafia game was hilarious) this episode. But I think it is an important scene, if only for the possibility of Seok-Hyung's mom being happy again. I laughed so hard during the mafia game antics and then the show twisted my heart with the phone call between Seok-Hyung and his mom where she said it's the first time in a while that she laughed this much. As much as I hate Seok-Hyung's dad and the mistress (the guts) and want them to be miserable forever, I want Seok Hyung and his mom to be happy. And they can't do that if they are still spiteful towards the dad. The mafia game and the parents gathering is probably to show us (and mom) that it is better to move on. This pd and writer never ever does anything that is unnecessary. I also wanted more scenes with the 5 friends, but I appreciate the show treating every character as a living being, and giving them full story arcs. One of the reasons I will forever be a fan of this creative team.