A lot of us were wondering who the ambulance brought in during last week’s cliffhanger. Did you figure it out, or were you way off base? In addition to that story, we get several that show how far our characters have come since the beginning of the show.

Trauma

Ik Joon is brought into the ER by the paramedics, and Dr. Bong calls in Song Hwa. She is still at the hospital because she kept forgetting things and going back to retrieve them. Dr. Bong gets Ik Joon to respond by poking him and talking loudly, but Song Hwa doesn’t have to raise her voice. She’s relieved that he can squeeze her hand.

Of course Jeong Won, Jun Wan, and Seok Hyeong congregate to see Ik Joon and hear Song Hwa’s diagnosis. They all offer to sit with him, but she won’t let them at first; she wants to do it herself. They are relieved that Ik Joon will not need surgery.

The housekeeper brings Uju to the hospital to see his dad. She had told him that he was doing extra night shifts, but Uju is too smart to be fooled like that. He comes in crying, so Ik Joon asks for little kisses on the cheek and gives him a big hug.

Telzeytalks: **Whew!** The Maknae was right about all the misdirects and that the injury would probably not be too serious. I was peeved that the housekeeper lied to Uju, but it’s interesting that Ik Soon was against it.

Karie the Maknae: It’s a fine line between protecting children and outright lying to them, and I think this storyline showed that well. My daughter and I were cracking up when Ik Jun responded to all the poking and prodding with “The light’s too bright. Stop it.” It was also a relief to see he wasn’t seriously injured.

Kmuse: A tiny bit random with the brick to the head, but I am glad it was not more serious. He is my favorite and I would be furious if he suddenly died in the last few episodes.

Progress

Ik Joon is dozing when Seok Hyeong comes to sit with him. His eyes are shut as he asks how Min Ha is, and if there is any progress. Seok Hyeong gives him a none-of-your-business look but says he has a date that weekend. Ik Joon’s eyes pop open. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” he asks, raising the hospital bed. “Don’t you need my help?” Seok Hyeong slowly gets up, takes the control away from him, and lowers the bed back down. “Just go to sleep. That’s how you can help me most.”

Seok Hyeong and Min Ha go to dinner and then to a movie theater, where they run across Rosa and Jong Su. Rosa asks if they are on a date. Seok Hyeong admits it frankly, which surprises Min Ha a little bit. As Rosa and Jong Su walk away, Rosa muses, “She looks familiar somehow.”

Jeong Won talks to his mom about Gyeo Wool’s abusive dad, and she tells him that Seok Hyeong’s mom had said he was going to the US. Jeong Won hasn’t heard anything about it, but promises to find out. When he has a chance to ask, Seok Hyeong thinks a minute and says, “Tell your mom that you think it’s true. I’ll explain it all later.” Jeong Won replies, “Good luck on whatever you’re plotting!”

Telzeytalks: Ik Joon and Seok Hyeong are so funny together. Ik Joon is so excitable, and Seok Hyeong has a big dampening field around him. It’s also pretty funny that Rosa thinks she recognizes Min Ha. It’ll be interesting when she figures that one out!

Karie the Maknae: When Seok Hyeong tells Jeong Won what to tell Rosa, I finally realized that our teddy bear OB is playing a long game, protecting his love interest from his meddling mother. What a beautiful reveal of how deep his feelings really are! And I love how shocked and delighted Min Ha is. It’s got to be rocking her world to have her feelings returned like this. Their hug was so sweet!

Kmuse: Min Ha is just the most adorable choice to be with Seok Hyeong. I also love that he is putting some serious moves to let her know how he feels. They make me just SO SO SO happy.

Then and Now

Neurology fellow Seok Min had a hard time as a resident, not feeling good enough at first, and transferring out of the department and then coming back. Now we see him reporting to Song Hwa about a patient with a brain tumor, confident about his diagnosis and treatment plan. When complications arise, the patient wants to opt out of surgery. Seok Min spends time with him, carefully explaining the problem and what he thinks is best to do about it, and talks him into getting treatment after all.

In season one, we saw Jeong Won at a pub threatening to drop out of medicine while his oldest brother sat with him and listened to him cry over a patient who died. Now we have a new resident, Geon, who ditches work for a day because of a similar reason. Jeong Won gets him to come back, and stonewalls the others who tend to heckle Geon. He’s become a mentor to the younger doctors.

One of the best stories is about Eun Mi, an obstetrics resident who is so shy she can hardly talk to anyone. Then she assists Seok Hyeong with a difficult birth in which the baby has the umbilical cord wrapped three times around his neck. When the neonatal nurse massages the baby and gets him to breathe and start crying, Eun Mi bursts into tears. Later in the break room she can’t hold it in, and just chatters on about what happened. “Have you all felt that before?” she asks. “When the baby cried I felt such a great sense of relief!” She’s now part of the team.

By the time Ik Soon gets to Seoul to visit her brother, Ik Joon has been moved to a ward and the bandage is off of his head. She is concerned about him but he gets her to laugh. When Jun Wan walks in she is immediately uneasy, but somewhat later he is so exhausted he falls asleep sprawled out on the sofa. She’s doesn’t look awkward any more; she’s turned a corner.

We have a flashback to med school days, when Song Hwa asked Ik Joon out to dinner on his birthday. He turned her down and she left, fighting back tears. We know he did it because of Seok Hyeong, but it has taken them twenty years to come around again.

Telzeytalks: I’ve enjoyed watching our once-hesitant residents, Seok Min, Min Ha, Gyeo Wool, and Seon Bin, as they gain experience and become skilled. It’s been gradual, and yet I’ve noticed how self-assured they’ve been the last few episodes. It was done very well.

Karie the Maknae: I love seeing how far our doctors have come, and how willing they are to mentor others along on the same journey. It’s so refreshing! The baby docs and how they handle their mistakes are adorable too, and a good reminder that medicine is a very, very difficult profession deserving of all the grace we can give it. ALSO, I like seeing Ik Sun and Jun Wan more comfortable with each other, and Ik Jun is SO OBVIOUS when he maneuvers them together that it becomes hilarious. It was harder to watch Ik Jun and Song Hwa’s missed connections, and my heart broke a little for her med school self.

Kmuse: I am skipping all the medical cases. I just can’t right now. Loved the awkward lovers interacting again. Also was so heartbroken for Ik Jun and Song Hwa, even though this happened many years earlier.

Hugs and Kisses

Seok Hyeong takes Min Ha home from another date and walks her to the door. She stops him and asks hesitantly, “Are you not going to tell me how you feel about me? I’m just wondering if I got the wrong idea.” He doesn’t answer at first, but asks, “What if I’m not a good person? What if I’m a freak?”

She doesn’t realize he has doubts about himself, but answers, “I’m a good person, so you don’t need to worry about me. Do you have feelings for me?” Looking doubtful he asks, “Do I have to say it?” She nods her head, and he sighs and says, “I like you. I like you too.” They smile at each other and he pulls her into a big bear hug.

Ik Joon spends two weeks recuperating at his parents’ house and then returns to Seoul. He is out driving with Song Hwa when it starts to rain, and he parks the car to go get coffee. As they sit there for a bit she tells him she has something to say and asks him not to look at her. “Do you know the first thought that crossed my mind when I heard you were attacked? I should have told him that I like him.”

He looks at her but she points for him to look straight ahead. “If your feelings for me haven’t changed,” she adds slowly, “how about we start seeing each other?” He looks at her again, and when she turns to him he says, “I’ll give you my answer,” echoing what she had said to him, and kisses her. Then he hugs her.

Telzeytalks: Aww. Just Aww. We have two couples getting together this week, and each of them is believable and tender, and true to their characters. We did in fact, get an Anne-of-Green-Gables reaction from Song Hwa, but at least she stayed professional throughout the episode and we didn’t see her crying at the window all night. My favorite is our Bear Hug couple, because he gives such melty looks and she is so happy.

Karie the Maknae: MY SHIPS HAVE SAILED! MY SHIPS HAVE SAILED!! Now let’s see where they end up, shall we?

Kmuse: I need these ships to stay strong since I am not feeling my OTP ship from season 1. Both of these hugs were epic.

Thoughts and Feelings

This is a summing-up episode, showing how our characters have grown and matured as well as how they treat the people around them. Song Hwa compliments Seok Min after the surgery on the brain tumor, and in fact after every surgery she tells her team they did a good job. Seok Hyeong encourages the new mothers, and Jeong Won encourages the residents.

Telzeytalks: I love this episode! I loved seeing how everyone has learned and improved. I’m so glad they gave us some happy times and didn’t save everything for the very last episode. I hope next week we get some what-happens-after-the-story-ends little peeks into the future. Only one more episode, people!

Karie the Maknae: I feel like we’ve finally recaptured the vibe that Hospital Playlist had in season 1, but MY GOODNESS, it took long enough to get here. I’m happy enough about the relationships forming that I don’t mind too much, but I hope the last episode blows us out of the water to put a good cap on it. Clear your schedules, drama fans — rumor has it that the last episode is clocking in at 2 hours and 40 minutes.

Kmuse: I am glad that this show is almost over. I love these characters but admit that I think I am at the end of my journey with them.

Until the last set of rounds, we remain —

The Fangirls

Dramas with a Side of Kimchi