tvN “Hospital Playlist” has aired its last episode today and after 12 happy weeks watching the drama, I thought it would only be appropriate to talk about it in a spoiler-free review.
I’ve already done a review of 6 episodes of the drama and back then, I was impressed by the drama, everything about it was perfect. My judgment hasn’t changed and I still stand by my decision when I say it’s one of the best of 2020 if not the best so far.
2020 has been okay for kdramas, there were good projects but there were many disappointing ones as well. So far, I wouldn’t call 2020 an exceptional year for kdramas but “Hospital Playlist” definitely stands out for being one of the best written, acted and directed. Everything about this drama screams perfection and that’s honestly not easy to find in kdramas these days.
tvN only aired one episode a week of “Hospital Playlist” and the director had previously explained that it was to keep his sanity, it was at the height of the coronavirus pandemic in South Korea and there were many uncertainties so it felt right to proceed with a ‘loose’ filming schedule.
I encourage this approach and hope more kdramas take this route, filming for one episode per week is a lot more humane, and also gives chance to perfect the drama, it gives a chance to the writer to work harder on crafting the script without the need to sacrifice the quality for the sake of the quantity.
The script
“Hospital Playlist” script is so well thought out and real, I just loved the conversations the characters had with each other and loved how it was consistently good from episode 1 to 12. It’s not easy to achieve but I think they were able to do this well with it because of the filming schedule as well, when you have to bump out 2 hours’ worth of entertainment weekly, it can become very difficult.
If there is one nitpick about “Hospital Playlist” script in my opinion, it would likely be its lack of direction. I won’t give any spoilers but the drama doesn’t have a certain end goal in mind, it’s just about doctors at a hospital which can be boring in theory but turned out so well.
Sometimes, when I watched I wondered where they were going with this, “Hospital Playlist” is more about taking on daily challenges with your friends and figuring them out together, there is no particular dilemma or something that needs to be solved urgently.
“Hospital Playlist” can be considered a healing drama of the best caliber. I also liked the amount of research that went into each episode, you can tell the writer made an effort to consult actual doctors for the making of this drama, I wouldn’t be surprised if that writer ended up visiting many hospitals to emulate the environment. It felt so raw and real unlike the majority of medical kdramas I’ve seen.
“Hospital Playlist” is not a typical medical kdrama and will surprise you a lot sometimes and that’s the beauty of it. And my favorite thing about “Hospital Playlist” has to be how much the writer tried their best to stay away from clichés and stereotypes we usually see in kdramas, it was about time that one project defied the norm and I am glad it was this drama.
It had the least amount of cliché scenes and even when it had ones we’re so used to seeing, it was always done so tastefully.
The characters
“Hospital Playlist” is a drama driven by its characters actions rather than an end goal or external force. Every single character was so damn unique and beautiful in its own ways.
What I personally liked about “Hospital Playlist” was just how much details went into these characters, they’re not the typical kdrama characters, they actually sound and feel human not like characters that you would never find in real life.
They had their strength points and weaknesses but still felt so likeable without being so alike, there is sophistication in the way they’re crafted and I simply fell for all of them.
Also, side note. This is the first time in a long long time that I didn’t feel the urge to punch actor Jo Jung Suk in the face. He usually plays very irritating characters but not this time. It was so nice seeing him play a likeable character that’s actually likeable.
And don’t be afraid, “Hospital Playlist” takes its time setting up each character. It doesn’t focus on the main male and female lead all the time, it also gives exposition about each and every character, main and supporting. The characters are fleshed out well in “Hospital Playlist,” and that’s something I can’t say about many other kdramas.
The Acting
100/10 is the simple answer and I need to focus on actress Jeon Mi Do. I’ve never heard of her before now and this is her first project, but thank god she took on this role. She is so freaking talented, I can’t even!
Jeon Mi Do is a musical actress and a very famous one but she hasn’t done kdramas before, this is her first project. Yet, she doesn’t fall back and carries her character with grace and charm. Despite being opposite some of the best in the industry, I never felt that she was once overshadowed.
Everyone else was also freaking amazing and the beauty of this drama is the fact that it’ll introduce you to many rising talents who take on actual meaningful roles not minor unimportant roles that everyone will forget in a couple of days.
Should I Watch This Drama
“Hospital Playlist” is a terrific experience; it’ll fill you with warmth and happiness. You’ll really fall for each character. It doesn’t matter what type of kdramas you prefer, you will most likely love this one.
I am not a huge medical dramas fan, I know their formula and watch them sparingly, but “Hospital Playlist” is nothing like those typical dramas, it’s so much more and its definitely worth your time.
“Hospital Playlist” was also made with the intention of making it into multiple seasons. I can’t wait for the next season of “Hospital Playlist.” I don’t like kdramas with seasons but I am all in for this one, I think it deserves it and I would definitely tune in to see how it turns out for our doctors. They’re so engaging and nice, it makes you want to root for them.
What did you guys personally think of “Hospital Playlist”? Did you like it?
