Tanya: Oh the twists and turns that Dr. Stranger weaves. Where do we even start this week?! Dopplegangers? Infant surgery? Mystery adoptee? Spy gun fight?
Zombie: I’m not really sure where to start! So much is going on and every time I think I’ve got a tiny bit of it figured out… WHAM! Something happens and I’m right back where I started, with no better idea of what’s actually going on that I already had! Let me just say that because of that I’M LOVING THIS DRAMA!
Tanya: I’m impressed, truly. So let’s start with Oh Soo Hyun being shunned from Jae Joon’s team. How would you have handled that? I’m pretty sure I would have been pissed, not because of the girlfriend factor, although others did bring that up unwarrantedly, but because she honestly tries hard and researches. There would be other surgeons there as support if something did go wrong. There was no reason to take her off first.
Zombie: I would have been beyond upset, had I been in Soo Hyun’s shoes and like you said, not even because of the whole personal relationship thing but because Jae Joon was totally disrespectful on a professional level. If you’ve recruited someone to your team and then made a whole big stink about keeping her on as your first, only to turn around and kick her off the team, just so you can get your anesthesiologist back… That just seems way too low. If I were Soo Hyun I would I would be so hurt and that’s only as a professional. When you add in the personal aspects of this whole mess and the mixed signals Jae Joon is giving, it’s no wonder Soo Hyun is turning to Hoon for attention. He’s warm, caring, passionate about his work and he takes the time to listen to her which isn’t something she gets a lot in her daily life. Even if she’s not ready to admit her feelings for Hoon, you can totally understand why they’re there.
Tanya: I still think Jae Joo’s feelings are more territory and less love. That would still completely give off the jealousy feelings that he has because whether it’s someone trying to take your lover or someone trying to steal your stuff, you get mad. The way it’s going, Hoon is going to steal Jae Joon’s in to get to the top management of the hospital. I think eventually Soo Hyun will have to admit that she feels something for Hoon, but I’m not sure anything will ever come of it. It’ll end up being one of those things where the confession happens just to get it out and then it goes nowhere. It happens all the time in Dramaland, sadly, although not usually on the girl’s end (there are exceptions to that with My Love From Another Star being a good example of a girl confession that doesn’t work out).
Zombie: Yes but if you remember, in My Love From Another Star that confession did eventually work out and I’m honestly hoping it will here as well, if and/or when that time comes. Personally, I think a confession from Soo Hyun could be just the thing Hoon needs to make him realize there’s more to life than endlessly chasing a woman who may not actually exist. Of course to get to that point Soo Hyun is going to have to come to grips with the fact that she’s fallen for a guy she couldn’t actually stand and then she’s going to have to muster up the courage to tell Hoon exactly how she feels. At least Soo Hyun has proven herself to be a strong woman. The fact that she can stand up to everyone around her without ever backing down or losing ground says a lot about her, I’m just not sure how strong she’s going to be when it comes to matters of her heart. She’s certainly proven that she has a soft spot for the sentimental and romantic (I think her envy of Hoon’s devotion to Jae Hee and the fact that she’s falling for the sentimental Hoon are both proof of that) but will that translate to a lack of courage when it comes to admitting her feelings for Hoon? I suppose the even bigger question is how will Hoon react once he learns of Soo Hyun’s feelings? That’s something I really want to see!
Tanya: Let’s see if Jae Hee even makes it through the next episode before we go there. Glasses did have her at gunpoint… So let’s talk about that battle for the anesthesiologist. What in the hell was that even about? I get trying to influence the first, but in my opinion they should both be fired for that manipulation. The surgery and the safety of the patient comes first. Now we have one baby in surgery and one that might die because Dr. Han is being held at gunpoint after disappearing…. AGAIN.
Zombie: Can I just say that this entire “competition” for who’s going to operate on the Prime Minister is absolutely absurd and the fact that they’re willing to play with the lives of innocent babies just to prove who’s better is infuriating to me. Sorry but as one who has had a baby in NICU and been forced to deal with that kind of trauma, I’m not at all pleased with the way everyone in this hospital is dealing with these poor little ones. I’m not a fan of their flippant attitudes nor their lack of sincerity when it comes to saving these babies. I think both Hoon and Jae Joon need to stop their squabbling cock fight and do whatever it takes to save the lives of these poor babies. /End Rant/ Moving on, I’m not really sure about the whole anesthesiologist battle. In a hospital that big, shouldn’t there be more than two anesthesiologists on staff? Wouldn’t there be others able to fill in? Why must it come down to these two? I suppose it all really boils down to dramatic effect but still, it seems pretty lame. And yes, Dr. Han, if she survives being held at gunpoint, should be fired for putting her personal wants before the patients needs.
Tanya: Well they did say there were more, although we have never seen them. I don’t get the battle for the two of them even if they are the “top” unless they are the only ones qualified to deal with infant surgery, which I highly doubt. I don’t just think Dr. Han should be the only one fired… Dr. Eun should be as well for using her abilities/influence to get Dr. Keum the first position just because she likes him. Even if he is more skilled than Dr. Oh, he wasn’t chosen for some reason and neglecting your duties this flippantly just because you want your not-even-boyfriend to have the spotlight is just not okay. It’s not. And both Hoon and Jae Joon need to be slapped for allowing themselves to be played like that.
Zombie: Here here!
Tanya: Moving on from this surgery rant. Breathe everyone, honestly. Oh we got to watch Hoon actually battle his demons instead of just play it off under this mask of carefree playfulness he always has. I’m happy that he finally knows the truth behind being sent to the North. It affected his life so much that I think he needed to know to be able to move on eventually. This is one more step towards closure for him.
Zombie: There are so many steps he needs to take towards closure and none of them are going to be easy. Like you, I’m happy that Hoon has finally uncovered the truth about the past and now knows why his life was totally ruined. I know it doesn’t make life any easier for him to deal with but at least he now understands why things played out the way it did. I’m also happy that Hoon has decided not to take this news lying down. This poor boy is holding onto some serious grudges and I have to admit, I was pretty giddy when Hoon dropped his light-hearted carefree act and gave into his darker side as he told the Prime Minister he would gladly put a hole in his heart. Unfortunately, as soon as Hoon admitted his ill-will towards the Prime Minister I was filled with a sense of dread as I’m afraid those involved in whatever plot is going on behind the scenes, will use this threat to frame Hoon for something awful later on. Am I the only one who could see Hoon being framed as a North Korean spy/murderer before this whole thing is over?
Tanya: While I acknowledge that could happen, I’m more inclined to go with the “there were no witnesses, but there is a reporter that likes to follow Glasses and may see him interacting with North Korean spies which will bring the Prime Minister to his end” version. We also have to remember that the President has men watching Prime Minister Jang very closely. I think Jang will meet his end before Hoon can ever have the finger pointed at him. Or, at least, that’s what I feel needs to happen so we can move on. I really want this Hoon & Jae Joon bromance to start to flower so they can take the hospital down and build it into something worth having. They both seem too responsible to let it crumble without stepping up to make it better once the trash administration has been kicked out.
Zombie: I do think that if Hoon and Jae Joon were to learn that they’re both after the same thing (aka bringing down the hospital) they would become an unstoppable force. They’re are, after all, the two most brilliant doctors in the entire institution and there would be no stopping them, they just need to realize that they’re actually on the same side. Of course Jae Joon is too caught up in his own plans to even consider the fact that there may be others whose lives have been ruined by the hospital. Speaking of which, I know you said you were surprised that Jae Joon was the orphan Dr. Choi had been searching for but I have to say, this is pretty much the only time I wasn’t surprised by the truth. As soon as Dr. Choi said he was looking for the victim of his negligence, I knew it would turn out to be Jae Joon. I just had that feeling. Too bad I can’t predict anything else about this show!
Tanya: A lot of people did, but too me there are just too many purely evil characters in Dramaland for me to have drawn that conclusion. How many times have I wanted a connection but it turned out that that character was just hateful because they could be? Too many! So I didn’t want to be wrong again, and thus the surprise. I am confused about the connection between the investigator/detective and Jae Joon and how that will all link back to Choi. They did jump languages for awhile and seems totally comfortable about it. There is clearly a relationship there.
Zombie: We’ll just add that to the growing number of mysteries we have yet to solve. There are so many! Oooh, before I forget, can I just squee a little bit over the wide range of emotions Hoon displayed this week? His ability to go from carefree punk to vengeful son to heartbroken lover to guilt-ridden doctor is absolutely amazing and I bawled my eyes out as Hoon unloaded his massive burden of guilt onto Dr. Choi. If there was any doubt about how much emotional baggage Hoon is carrying around with him, I think that has been firmly laid to rest as he gave us a very moving reminder that his life has been nothing but crap for a very long time.
Tanya: Any predictions about what will happen next week?
Zombie: I have several but I think I’ll leave your question for our readers rather than ramble on for another five years…
So readers, what are your thoughts on this week’s developments? There’s so much going on at the moment, I’m sure there’s more we can discuss so leave us a comment below and let us know where you think things will go from here!
You can also tweet at us @Hallyu_Tanya and @TheZombieMamma or find us talking about all manner of Hallyu goodness on our blogs: HallyuKnow and ZombieMamma Catch up on all of our previous Doctor Stranger reviews here:
Episodes 1-2: [Part 1] [Part 2]
Episodes 3-4: [Part 1] [Part 2]
Episodes 5-6: [Part 1] [Part 2]
Episodes 7-8: [Part 1] [Part 2]