📺 Korean Tv Series Review: Hospital Playlist (슬기로운 의사생활)

The four protagonists befriended almost immediately during their first year at medical school and stayed that way all the way through it and when they became doctors. Now they have a stable career path and their own relationships but as they all work in the same hospital they get to see each others on a daily basis.

Chae Song-Hwa, the only female of the group, is a neurosurgeon. She's extremely efficient and can manage her busy schedule in order to be able to spend time with her friends and enjoy her beloved hobby: camping.

Everyone in the hospital has a good opinion of her and she's respected by both her superiors and subordinates.

Lee Ik-Jun is a General Surgeon, he’s smart and competent as well as a bit goofy and self-humorous. He’s amicable with everyone, both staff and patients but he’s particularly looking over the only GS resident, Jang Gyeo-Wul. She's a hard-working, never complaining young lady, but she’s a bit awkward when it comes to relating herself with other people, especially Dr. Ahn Jeong-Won. 

Dr. Ahn Jeong-Won, the only pediatric surgeon of the hospital (and one of the few in South Korea), is the kindest of the group, he never badmouths people nor he loses his calm while dealing with difficult situations. He madly adores children, but he's torn between his little patients and answering the Call (if you know what I mean).

Kim Jun-Wan is the ace of the cardiology department, he has an intolerant attitude most of the time, he hardly emphasizes with his patients and has the funniest arguments with his resident, Do Jae-Hak, who's his complete opposite.

Last but not least, Yang Seok-Hyeong is an ob gynecologist, he's the quietest of the group and has a familiar situation that couldn't be more messed up.
His resident, Chu Min-ha, has feelings for him and since Seok-Hyeong can be dense at times, she tries everything to make him acknowledge her as something more than a valuable doctor...

My Opinion👍👎

I've been ambushed by clips and collage photos of this drama on both Instagram and Pinterest, so choices were to either surrender and watch it or keep ignoring it despite the fact that it has been extremely successful and it has already renewed for a second season.
Since I'm here to talk about it, you can guess which option I ended up choosing...

'Hospital Playlist' is different if compared to typical medical dramas (Korean and American) as it focused more on the strong friendships between the characters rather than to their lives inside the hospital.
The main quartet is close-knit and their acting is so convincing you'd believe they have been friends for years. Their personalities are perfectly developed as well as the way they can't around at each other.

As the title suggests, the fifth protagonist is the soundtrack: the group forms a bad to have fun together while playing their songs, which are always someone's favorite. Some of them are really engaging and add even more emotions to the scene.

Especially thanks to the character of Lee Ik-Jun, this is by far the funniest drama I've watched this year, so far. There's not a single episode that goes without me laughing like a fool, their interactions are so relatable if you happen to have similar close friendships. Hilarious.
Entwined theirs, the viewer gets a 360° experience thanks to the stories of all the other doctors and residents, their struggles and hopes, as well as the lives of some of their family members. 
This script choice made the drama feel more complete, in my opinion.

The last episode is almost 2 hours long but it's necessary as the turning point for the second season to take place.

The story flow is calm (a bit too much sometimes), things develop naturally and I was actually glad to see not only this evolution in between the lead characters but with their colleagues and family as well; that added a nice touch.

Final thoughts: medical drama lovers, just go for it! 

Rating: 5/5

Ph: asianwiki.com & hancinema.net