Hospital Playlist (2020)

Well played Reply 1988 writers, you psyche-ninjas. Well played.

I'm in a state of emotional mess right now. A pair of eyes are haunting me. So bear with me if this review turns out to be nothing but series of ramblings. The last 12 weeks (or 13, if we count that one week when it didn't air. but heyyy who is counting. Not me, ever me). Anyway, the last 12 weeks have been one hell of a ride.

The thing about Reply 1988 writers is , they're like the Agatha Christies of their art. We think we know exactly what they are up to but no matter how hard we try, they are always always one step ahead of us. They already know what we THINK we know. Let me give a light example. I spent the first 3 episodes taking their previews seriously. But they always turned out misleading. Then I spent the next 7 episodes dismissing the previews. By 10th I almost didn't watch them. And then dropped the preview of 12th episode and I was like, "huh. One more misleading preview. I guess we're set for the ending then"

BOY WAS I WRONG.

I'm not sure whether to appreciate the genius of the Reply 1988 writers or be scared of their grasp of the psychology of the human mind. Since I fail to come to a conclusion, I have another meltdown. Whether they are tears of joy or tears of heartbreak, you'll have to watch the drama to know. We all know the writers are capable of both.

For now, Here are 10 things I absolutely loved about this drama (it was hard narrowing them down. I have about 70,000 on my mind right now):

1. Yoo Yeon Seok. Somebody has new permanent crush and that somebody is me

2. Song Hwa. Somebody has a new girl crush and that somebody is me.

3. Woo Joo. Somebody has a new role model and that somebody is me (seriously, this baby was GOALS. "If she doesn't love me, I won't love her either". He's more sorted than any of us would ever be).

4. Jung Kung Ho dating his best friend's sister. AGAIN. And potentially everyone knowing about it except for the know-it-all Ik Jun (or wait...)

5. The final 15 minutes of the final episode

6. The OST

7. The anti-climatic climatic ending that turned our world upside down

8. The supporting cast wearing the cape and stealing the show

9. Ik Jun <3

10. The band practice. Yoo Yeon Seok singing.

11. (SPOILER ON THIS ONE) Ik Jun and Song Hwa ending on a cliffhanger because I knew one episode was not enough to bring them together. They have 20 years between them and we want a lot of explanations and flashbacks.

12. The simplicity and the positive tone of the drama.

13. No hospital politics (thank god). Not too much blood.

14. Rich weren't assholes. No stereotyping and no cliches. Just beautiful human stories and emotions.

15. HILARIOUS SCENES

16. Aloha Karaoke scene

17. Jo Jung Seok singing aloha and releasing it

18. Winter garden couple (I mean, people were hyped over them exchanging two words. When has that ever happened in the history of Korean drama LMAO)

19. Yoo Yeon Seok's emotional range and his versatility as an actor (I'm watching Mr Sunshine these days LOL)

20. Seok Hyung restarting the band (no, you did not use them. Now go live your life)

21. Seok Hyung in general.

22. Reply 1988 writers being Psyche-Ninjas

23. Make-up-less Mi Na :)

I know I said 10 points but I never promised. Now time to go cry in a corner and patiently wait for the second season. Also, if season 2 ends up becoming one of the things Corona screws up, I'll turn all Gu Dong Mae). Over and out. Thank you for bearing with me. I held it in well too :')

PS - I might end up adding more points as I remember so bear with me.

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I liked it, but I just wasn't a big fan of it. Seeing how high the ratings were, I was expecting a different thing. I guess it has to do with the fact that I needed a heavy-plot type of story but this was more of a slice of life-ish show, which is perfectly fine, don't get me wrong. I just wasn't feeling like 'oh my god, this episode was so exciting, I need to watch the next one right now!'. I was more like 'finished this episode, I'll see the next one tomorrow if I have time'. You get what I mean? It's weird.
Acting was great though, characters and the band itself were soo wholesome! It's nice to take a break from dramas with too many shitty characters. Anyways, as I always say, I base my ratings on overall enjoyment. The show was not the best of the year but it was a comfortable and cozy watch. 7.5.

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