Hospital Playlist Korean Drama Review

You know…I know Korean dramas are fictional and all but sometimes, I wish that I was in them because it would seem so cool and fun to hang out with the characters ….just like our five main doctors in Hospital Playlist. I would so love to joke around with Ik-Jun. My man and I would be like peas in a pod.

Aside from that though…

Hospital Playlist was a pleasure to watch. I felt like it was telling very relatable yet straightforward aspects of life. The ups and downs of life. The celebrations and sadness of life. The beauty and harshness of life.

The drama did a great job maintaining the balance between lighthearted, funny moments and serious and emotional ones. There was so much packed into this 12 episode drama and yet I didn’t feel overwhelmed with the big cast and different medical cases or subplots.

If you want to hear more, continue further into my Hospital Playlist review!

For those who haven’t watched it

Should you watch this?

If you’re looking for something fast paced and intense, this drama most likely isn’t for you. Aside from emergency surgeries, there’s really nothing else intense about the drama.

If you don’t like slice-of-life dramas, then this drama most likely isn’t for you because this drama is literally slice-of-life.

If you’re looking for a medical drama, you should definitely watch this drama.

Aside from that, I’d highly recommend this drama to everybody else.

What is Hospital Playlist about?

It’s about the lives of five doctors at Yulje Medical Hospital. They knew each other from medical school and share an interest in music! That’s it :). Simple and sweet.

For those who have watched it

This is the part of the review for those who have watched it. Let’s jump in!

The good

We got to start with the music…

Music and the band!

The music in the drama was great! I really loved the covers–they were a joy to listen to. I wish I could sit and watch the five doctors play in the basement.

I’ve saved a bunch of them and whenever I want to karaoke in my car, I’ll pull up some of the drama’s songs.

I felt the songs chosen for each episode perfectly matched its mood and theme. At first, I thought each song was going to be upbeat and goofy, but when Jun-Wan had to attend a patient’s funeral in episode 8, they switched up the song to a sadder one.

I also loved that each doctor got a chance to sing! Don’t get me wrong — Ik-Jun’s voice was amazing to listen to, but having each doctor sing in different practices made their band scenes much more entertaining and engaging to watch. It was like every performance had a fresh twist. I was shocked by how good Jeong-Won sang in episode 10 because I didn’t expect him to have such a great voice! All the doctors were impressive (well, except for Song Hwa of course…).

Fun fact: Jeon Mi Do, who plays Song Hwa, is an amazing singer is real life so whoever thought of having her play a tone deaf character was lowkey smart.

I also really enjoyed the instrumentals, especially the ones played during the surgery scenes. I’m still searching for the specific track I loved, but when I do, I’ll be sure to share it!

Since music is such a big theme in this drama, I had to pick two favorite songs instead of one.

The band’s performance in Episode 7:

The band’s karaoke performance of ALOHA (I’m telling you that I was believing when Jun-Wan was screaming “I BELIEVE” during the karaoke):

The simple but compelling story telling

While writing this review, I couldn’t help but think – I just watched 12 episodes of people literally just working and managing work-life balance. That doesn’t sound like a unique story does it?

And yet, Hospital Playlist does such a good job showcasing this simple idea.

There’s no major plotline – just the lives of five professors working in a hospital. It’s ordinary people having ordinary conversations, interacting with patients, hanging out and gossiping with friends and colleagues, enjoying good food, and navigating work. It’s about family. It’s about friendships. Really…it’s about life. There’s nothing grand or over-the-top – it just showcases the everyday moments of these characters.

There are also no villains in this drama. Well…maybe there are villains according to Ik-Jun’s definition, which is somebody who works hard, does their best, and runs to pay their bills on time. By that logic, everyone in the drama is a villain. All jokes aside…

The drama takes ordinary moments and a wide arrange of medical case and creates this compelling narrative with well-developed, funny, and quirky characters that each face unique challenges in life. How they handle those challenges convey meaningful messages sprinkled through each episode in the drama.

Food and coffee to bring our professors and residents together

The use of food and coffee to bring our professors and residents together was really well done. It added a lighthearted and relatable feeling that balanced the heavier themes and long work days in the drama.

The coffee brought the interns together to learn about their professors and talk some smack about them. Meanwhile, the meals brought the professors together, which provided scenes that were always chaotic, hilarious, or both.

I really liked how every character had their own food quirks. Song-Hwa and Jun-Wan are the fast eaters. Gyeol-Wool can eat a lot. Jeong-Won is the slow and careful eater.

The friendship of our five professors

So wholesome.

The actors did an incredible job portraying their characters and generating a very likeable and believable dynamic between each other. They made their friendship look so real…like they had been friends for years.

I believe that one the hallmarks of a good and long lasting friendship is being able to roast each other without taking it personally. Ik-Jun and Jun-Wan showcased this so well. They were hilarious together.

Jeong-Won and Seok-Heong, on the other hand, made total sense together as the calmer side of the group. They weren’t as outgoing, but their quieter and reserved demeanor offset the chaotic energy that Jun-Wan and Ik-Jun brought.

Song-Hwa being the only female in the group was perfect because she was a strong person and could control the boy’s chaotic temperaments as well as be the emotional support that they needed.

Shoutout to Cho Jung-Seok for doing a great job with the goofiest professor. I liked Ik-Jun the most 😀

The different medical cases and their stories

I thought having so many medical cases was great for three reasons.

First, a lot of the cases offered something new to learn. Although I didn’t understand any of the terminology, it was still engaging to listen to how the doctors explain what was wrong with their patients and how they planned to treat them.

Second, the medical cases played a crucial role in revealing deeper layers of each professor’s character. For instance, Ik-Jun’s medical case with the lady who refused to take her liver transplant meds showed his vulnerability and empathy. He opened up about his own shameful secrets that he tried to hide in the beginning of the episode in order to show how he understood her pain and to convince her to get better. This was my favorite medical case in the drama.

The policeman’s brain surgery case in episode 7 and Seok-Heong’s emergency C-section case (where Min-Ha had to start the surgery) in episode 8 were two more cases that I really enjoyed.

Lastly, I liked how some of the medical cases were juxtaposed to each other to highlight the stark realities of life. While one patient may be celebrating life, another is mourning the death of a loved one. We see this in episode 8 when Ik-Jun informs his patient that his cancer had not spread through his body. Everybody in the patient ward is happy and celebrating. Then the drama switches over to Jun Wan’s heartbreaking case of the baby with a leaking heart. He’s unable to save the baby, and the parents are asked to donate the baby’s heart. The emotional contrast was really powerful.

The residents getting together to learn about the professors

I know the show focused on our five professors but that didn’t stop our residents from making sure they took the spotlight when they were on screen.

I loved how the residents were getting closer together because of their mutual interests in their professors. They were hanging out and asking Dr. Bong, the emergency doctor, about their professor’s past, which I thought was funny.

I felt like some of them were becoming the next group of friends that our five main doctors were already.

Jong-su and Rosa’s legendary friendship

If the friendship between our five professors is what I want my friendships to look like in my 40s, then Jong-su and Rosa’s friendship is what I want mines to look like in my 50s and 60s.

They were absolutely funny and adorable.

I thought the drama did a great job portraying their legendary friendship.

At first, they were portrayed as individuals grieving the loss of their loved ones. It was sad to watch them, but then you see them become closer as a result of it. Their transition in the drama goes from one of mourning to something closer to celebration. They’re spending time with each other not only to console each other but just to live life. They’re both single, and I honestly hope they don’t fall in love. It just wouldn’t make sense.

Ik-Jun’s confession to Song Hwa

When he told Song Hwa that him eating and drinking coffee with her was a treat for himself…I fell over. Smooth talking. He confessed his feelings without really directly confessing his feelings.

After re-watching that scene multiple times, I don’t think him saying “I like you” directly to Song-Hwa would feel right. I liked how he confessed his feelings in the third person at the end of episode 12.

This is one of the Hospital Playlist couples I am rooting for!!

The bad

I honestly didn’t find anything bad with the drama.

I didn’t dislike anything either.

What I thought could’ve been better

Showing the band’s practice sessions

I think showing some of the band’s practice sessions would’ve added a nice touch to the drama.

We just get to see the final result of their practice. They choose a song and then we see them play it well. All of them hanging out together is a treat in itself so seeing more air time of all of them or maybe even just some of them practicing together would’ve been nice.

Life themes in this drama

A simple drama that’s filled with simple life themes.

Try your best

That’s the best promise you can make to yourself and to others. By giving your best effort, you ensure that no matter the outcome, you won’t regret anything you did. At the end of the day, that’s really all anyone can truly ask for: effort and not perfection.

I really like how all the doctors tell patients and families “I’ll try my best” or “I’ll do my best” before surgery. It’s almost like a “yes I will save the patient” but not exactly. They don’t promise that they can because anything can go wrong in the surgery room. Instead of overpromising, they commit to giving everything they can to save or help their patient.

Life can end at any moment

Life is like a vapor – it can just vanish and end at any moment and we won’t know when that moment will come.

So live your life as best as you can. Try your best at work. Love those around you. Spend time with family and friends. The drama shows this so well with all the doctors facing death from patients and family members.

Ik-Jun’s TA victim is the prime example of this. He was discharged after surgery, seemingly fine, only to come back the next day…dead. Moments like this hit hard and really remind us to never take life for granted.

Find your people and nourish your important relationships

Find people who will stand with you during the tough times. Find people who you can laugh in the good times.

Having those people can be key to overcoming the hard times in your life.

Nourish and invest in those relationships. That’s what I’m trying myself.

Our five doctors are a primary example. They rely on each other when things get tough like when Song-Hwa thought she had breast cancer. They were like brothers who were looking after their own sister.

Your physical health is important

So take care of yourself.

You can’t do anything well if you’re injured or sick.

Money and prestige don’t mean anything if you’re not well to spend it.

When you’re working hard and pushing yourself, it’s easy to forget about your health sometimes. So just a friendly reminder to eat and sleep well.

Song Hwa shows this example well. She worked herself so hard that her herniated disc became an issue so she had to lower her workload.

Treat yourself

Remember to treat yourself after you’ve worked hard. It’s a great way to show yourself some recognition and to remain motivated. It doesn’t have to be tangible things. It could be intangible things like hanging out with somebody like my man Ik-Jun does (●’◡’●)…

Hospital Playlist Quotes

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the drama.

Episode 2

“Doctors must take responsibility for their words. So we must be careful with our words. There’s only one thing we doctors can tell our patients with certainty. We will do our best. That’s the only thing.” – Jeong-Won to Gyeol-Wool

“I’ll gladly lose both my breasts if I could go back to 20 years ago and look as young as you do” – Patient right next to Ba-Ram to Ba-Ram (Ba-Ram is Song Hwa’s high school acquaintance)

Episode 7

“I got divorced because my wife cheated on me. I worked at the hospital all day and looked after my son alone. I really lived hard, but she had an affair with her friend’s husband. At first, it hurt my pride. And I was embarrassed to face other people. I wondered why my life was getting so difficult. It was really tough. But all of a sudden, one day, I realized how much time I was wasting. Wasting my life away like this because of what she did to me was doing a disservice to myself.” – Ik-Jun to Mi-Jin

Episode 8

“I know that you’ll be a good doctor. You dealt with it responsibly. You didn’t run away, and you did your very best. You know what? You did an excellent job today.” – Seok-Heong to Min-Ha

Episode 10

“If the doctor gives up on the patient, he isn’t a doctor anymore” – Jun-Wan to Dae-Hak

“Thinking that you’ll be fine is asking for luck. And that kind of luck doesn’t happen” – Ik-Jun to Jeong-Won

Episode 11

“Having a meal with you like this, eating with you, drinking coffee together. That’s a treat I give myself” – Ik-Jun to Song-Hwa

Episode 12

“I think there are three types of people in this world. First, those who are happiest when they’re eating something good. Ik-Jun and Jun-Wan are the perfect examples. Then there are those who enjoy food the most when they’re eating alone. Lastly there’s you. Seeing others enjoy good makes you happier than when you are eating it yourself.” – Song-Hwa to Jeong-Won

“I hope this pen can be one of the many pens you always keep in your pocket. And I hope this pen can cheer you up when things get stressful. There are people who gained new life thanks to you, so don’t be discouraged and cheer up” – Hyeon-Su (the cop who got brain surgery) to Chi-Hong

“I don’t want to waste time. My time is too precious for that. I want to live doing the things I like and the things that I want to do right now.” – Seok-Heong to his friends

Re-watchability

Easy 10/10.

It’s something I can re-watch again by myself and with other people.

What I watched before this?

I watched Crash Course in Romance before this.

I picked Hospital Playlist next because Jung Kyung-ho was in it (he was also in Crash Course in Romance) and the drama has a 9.1/10 on MyDramaList.

Overall Rating

10/10

Great storytelling and music. Easy to watch. Everybody, especially our five main doctors, had great synergy. I love the life themes the drama has. I’d really recommend it to anybody to watch.

I hope you enjoyed this Hospital Playlist review! Let me know what you thought of it in the comments below. I’ll be writing a separate review for Hospital Playlist 2!