We witness some of the unexpected hardships that arise in a hospital. What happens when your real-life starts to bleed into your work life? Can they co-exist or does something have to give?
Dr Marshmallow’s Mentee
We all knew it was going to happen from the first moment the CS Mentee declared that he was going to buy an apartment. Especially when he was warned over and over to make sure he wasn’t scammed. Sure enough, he was scammed, and is now living separately from his wife in a small closet of a rental.
The stress starts to affect his work as he is distracted and even snaps at a patient’s child on the phone about her verbally aggressive father. The higher-ups chat about taking away a percentage of his income as a punishment which is the last straw. Mentee considers giving his resignation but discovers that Dr. Marshmallow had agreed to head the department in order to keep him from losing his position. He finally sees past the hard shell to the marshmallow we all know and love.
Kmuse: I have to admit that I was a bit annoyed with this story arc when it began. It was so obvious that it was going to go bad that I just kicked it to the back of my mind. Surprisingly, I was very satisfied with how it played out this week. Once again we get to see the extra mile Dr. Marshmallow will go for those around him. He really is a king among doctors.
Telzeytalks: At the start of the show this guy was teased for being the oldest resident, so I have always just called him Oldest Resident to myself. That scammer storyline was grating to my nerves, so I didn’t really like him until last week, when we saw him smiling and reassuring patients that everything will be ok. This week he tries to save a very sick baby, calls Marshmallow Doc in the middle of the night for help, and stands vigil with the parents. After all that, we empathize with Oldest Resident as he is tersely told to put on a black suit and then realizes he is invited to the funeral and is important after all.
Drama Geek: Yawn. I really didn’t care much about his plight with the apartment, but I’m glad he’s finally onboard with how awesome Dr. Marshmallow is. It must have been agonizing to have to ask the parents to donate their child’s heart, but he did it in a way that they understood he was heart broken he couldn’t save their child and wanted to stop it from happening again.
Just say no to the priesthood
Daddy Long Legs has been a bit stagnant lately. We see him caring about kids and his mother but other than that his character development has been nonexistent. This week we finally see a tiny bit of a change… maybe if you look really hard. His mother is visiting the hospital when she discovers that Daddy Long Legs has gone forward with his dreams of entering the priesthood. She doesn’t take it well and begs him to just stay with her and not follow his siblings’ footsteps.
Kmuse: I can actually get where the mom is coming from. Obviously, she wanted a big family, having five kids. And to see her dreams of having grandkids and kids around in her golden years fade must be a huge disappointment. Not to mention I want to see the awkwardness of Daddy Long Legs falling in love. I’m 100% Team Mom on this one.
Telzeytalks: I half expected Mom to erase that call about him going to the priesthood and lie about it, because I’ve seen that happen in a lot of dramas. But she is a good person. She tells him about the call and that she would like him to stay around her and live a normal life. We love her!
Drama Geek: I have to admit I’m pretty disappointed in this character. I was very excited to see this team have this actor again. So far I love his devotion to his patients, and found his interaction with his siblings pretty funny at the beginning, but other than that I just can’t connect with him.
Taking up the slack
We shift to resident Min Ha who is covering a bunch of extra shifts because her co-worker was calling out of work. Turns out the other resident had lost a patient and was having a bit of a mental collapse due to it. Which leaves Min Ha overworked and overly tired with no thanks. It gets to the point where she is one step away from quitting when an emergency birth happens. Once she helps save the mother and delivers the baby, she realizes that the hard times are worth the rewards. She also discovers that Seok Hyung was giving her food and support from the background. They discuss how both of them didn’t deal with the situation as well as they could have and agreed to try harder in the future.
Kmuse: This is the first time I really saw Resident Min Ha as an actual person in her own right and not as a possible romance arc. She kind of rocks and I loved seeing her battle the ups and downs of hospital life. Her positive attitude, even while going through some serious hell, was great. She rocks as a doctor and I want to see her succeed and become as confident as our main five doctors in the future.
Telzeytalks: Even though Min Ha really was despondent, I had to laugh when she called Seok Hyung a slow-witted slug. And then after complaining for a while and deciding to quit, she said, “I’ll go tell the slug tomorrow morning.” But they talked it out later on, which is a good thing.
Drama Geek: Honestly, I was a bit annoyed at Seok Hyung. He does admit he didn’t handle it well, but with their jobs there really does need to be accountability. If one doctor is about to pass out from exhaustion, the patients are the ones who suffer. I’m happy that Min Ha rocks and she was able to pull it together to save the mom who really could have died because of the condition she had. I also loved that they bonded over it in the end.
Fried fingertips
Darth Vader Daddy is as delightful as ever this episode, even when he is injured touching a hot tea kettle in Song Hwa’s office. Song Hwa treats his burns and went a little overboard with the wrapping. This is one of the cuter side arcs of the episode and I felt it needed to be mentioned.
We get another cute moment due to his covered fingertips when Darth Vader Daddy begs all his friends to help him wash his face. Each of them refuses except for Song Hwa who cleans his face. Is there some leftover affection invading their story arc?
Kmuse: Darth Vader Daddy continues to be my favorite character. Anyone that can stay positive with frog hands is a pretty great guy.
Telzeytalks: He doesn’t lose his sense of humor at all. When Seok Hyung admits he will inherit a lot of property from his mother, Darth Vader Daddy asks him to adopt him and his little boy. “You don’t have any children anyway,” he reasons. Then he asks Seok Hyung a question and calls him “Dad.” Seok Hyung doesn’t miss a beat and replies, “My son is so nosy!”
Drama Geek: He really is a delight in almost every scene he’s in. He keeps me laughing, no matter what. And his care for the family dealing with their dad’s cancer was very touching.
One Sided Crushes
We are finishing this recap with a look at the one-sided crush front. Resident Jang gets the guts up to ask Daddy Long Legs out on a date. Which he promptly refuses by saying he is going to be out of town. The lie doesn’t stand up and Resident Jang realizes that she has to give up her romantic dreams. Resident Jang reluctantly agrees to a blind date and Daddy Long Legs is standing next to her as she gets in her date’s car. Is that a tiny bit of disquiet on our Doctor’s face? We can only hope so.
Kmuse: Daddy Long Legs needs a jump start to his character development. He is so perfect that he is a bit boring right now. Please let him fall in love so he gets a bit more exciting!
Telzeytalks: Resident Jang, on the other hand, is pretty cool. When Darth Vader Daddy says something that happens to expose Daddy Long Leg’s lie, she explains and adds, “I think I should forget him.” Darth Vader’s jaw drops as she adds, “Thank you for keeping my secret.”
Drama Geek: I totally agree on all fronts. If he doesn’t do something soon, Resident Jang needs to move on. She’s a total catch! The guy who picked her up wasn’t bad looking…
Final Thoughts:
Kmuse: This week the focus was on a lot of the patients, which got a little tedious. All the stories were very heartfelt and touching but really I want to see the five friends interact and live their lives. Hoping for more of their story next week.
Telzeytalks: There is a lot still hanging about the stories of the main five. If the writers tease us with where it could go and drag it out until the next season, I will not be happy. They have a tendency to make us expect something and then turn it on its head, though. What will they surprise us with next?
Drama Geek: I am ready for a few story arcs to take off, but I also just enjoy watching the show. I’m happy we still have a month left.
Until the Next Band Rehearsal,
The Fangirls
Dramas With a Side of Kimchi
