Doctor Stranger: Episode 13
by gummimochi
Our doctors put their day jobs on the backburner while they sort out their own feelings and ask intake questions about each other’s lives. The revenge-seeking, metaphor-loving doc remains mostly docile in this hour, opting to spend his time building a potential bromance with his former rival and learning things like what his favorite food is (it’s curry). We get even more snippets of the past that tie in with the conspiracy that still somehow involves Hoon. But at this rate, I’d trust a Magic 8-Ball for better answers than the ones this show is doling out.
If there’s anything we can trust, then, it’s the ratings—Stranger held onto the lead with 11.6% while Big Man followed with 10.6% and Triangle fell to 5.7%.
SONG OF THE DAY
Park Jung-ah – “Because Of You” from the OST. [ Download ]
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EPISODE 13 RECAP
After telling the team that they’re the only real docs in the house, Hoon steps in to locate the bleeding using his genius, and thus saves the day. Unfortunately, that result doesn’t prevent Chairman Oh from preparing for a possible medical malpractice suit.
Jae-joon informs the patient’s family on a successful surgery, then apologizes on behalf of the hospital. He asks if they’ll seek a lawsuit and is understanding of the answer that they aren’t sure.
The rest of the surgical team knows that they’re all on the chopping block, save for possibly one—Soo-hyun. Doctor Geum beats himself up for messing up in surgery again, and gets upset being consoled like a child by Min-se. In an attempt to be taken more like an adult, he grabs her face and awkwardly presses his lips against hers. She slaps him out of shock, and then agrees, pushing him into the next room ’cause it’s business time.
As the patient is wheeled out, Hoon gives due credit to Soo-hyun, notably referring to her as “Doctor Oh” and not the usual nickname “Quack.” His acknowledgement puts her in good spirits, though Hoon figures the words just spilled out, claiming that he couldn’t tell who anyone was in their masks.
Calling her “Quack” again spurs on another round of childish bickering between them, Hoon wondering why it’s so important to her, and Soo-hyun telling him to do something about that crazy perm. He puts an end to it by telling her to put in a good word with Chairman Oh about having Jae-joon keep working here.
Jae-joon softly apologizes to his father and tucks his father’s medical malpractice case documents in his drawer when Soo-hyun comes knocking, and accepts her praises wearily. Concerning his future, he informs her of his plans to return to the States, but he doesn’t want to go alone. “Let’s go together,” he says, taking her hand.
But Soo-hyun pulls back and tells him thanks, but no thanks—she’ll persuade her father to let Jae-joon keep his job here. She slaps on a smile to hide her awkwardness and seems confused by her own behavior, leaving Jae-joon looking even more dejected than ever.
Ha, Hoon actually took Soo-hyun’s words to heart and arrives home in newly shorn hair. He’s too tired to deal with Seung-hee tonight, but she insists on knowing why he got involved instead of putting an end to this competition by letting his competitor lose. “So you want me to ignore a dying patient?” Hoon asks, frustrated.
At her words that there were other doctors around, Hoon whips around to say that he couldn’t just sit back and watch. Looking back at the ragged Jae-hee on the monitor, Hoon entreats in a breaking voice, “Don’t be like that. I get really confused when you’re like this.”
The camera pans from the screen to the mirror beside it, showing Seung-hee’s reflection as Hoon continues, “Truthfully, I felt so ashamed when I first saw you. I did a lot of terrible things during the time that I lost you. But I stayed strong. Now that I found you again, now that my dream has returned, I really thought we could go back to that day I put that red bracelet on your wrist. But… that Jae-hee… how could she do this to me? How could she… tell me to ignore a dying patient?”
Emotions welling up inside of him, Hoon blinks away his tears. As for Seung-hee, she steps outside where Agent Cha drives up ’cause he’s never more than fifty feet away from either her or Hoon at any time in this show. Since he also knows about the hospital happenings faster than the docs themselves, he’s armed and ready to take Hoon’s life.
He tells Seung-hee to step aside, but she disarms him and hurls him to the ground. She then empties the gun, shooting into the ground and air. And Agent Cha just laughs like a lunatic at her desperate screams for him to stop and that they can wait a little longer. “Don’t judge for yourself whether I made the right decision or not,” she seethes.
Soo-hyun sits down with her father and asks whether he’d forgive everyone if the patient’s family doesn’t file a lawsuit. She uses her affection for Jae-joon to bolster her argument, which eventually gets Chairman Oh to agree, though he’s sure that they’ll have a suit on their hands.
Even if he is a messed up medical professional, he at least is a nice-ish father to Soo-hyun now. Soo-hyun finds Hoon eating breakfast alone at his clinic and asks for his help to prevent the lawsuit. He isn’t at all concerned about his career since he’ll find some way or another to earn money, though she points out that everyone else’s jobs are on the line, too.
He asks why it has to be him, which leads to another bout of bickering, but eventually he agrees to it. He doesn’t think that persuading the patient’s family to back down should be the first matter of business, but he sighs to do things her way when she puts her foot down.
However, Patient Lee’s husband (and Jae-chul’s father) sticks to his morals, believing that he should receive a sincere apology from the wrongdoers in person. Getting the cardiologists to admit their mistake works out as well as you might expect as the senior cardiologist acts all haughty, not at all scared by the threat of a lawsuit.
If the supervisors won’t fess up, they’ll need to find the third-year resident who performed the procedure. Soo-hyun says it won’t be easy since he’s told to be on leave, but Hoon is convinced that there’s a way. He asks if she’s got some money and makes a call.
Next thing they know, the mobsters from Episode 2 deliver the resident to Hoon’s clinic. While the boss is behind bars, the once-underling is now the head honcho, who extorts every dollar out of Hoon (via Soo-hyun’s wallet) for allllllll the trouble his boys went through to deliver. Ha, he even collects an extra 500 won coin, just like Hoon did.
Back at the hospital, Jae-chul approaches the senior cardiologist, who checks the boy’s body to make sure that he isn’t recording their conversation first. Not. Cool. The doc insists that their team did nothing wrong and is instantly pacified when Jae-chul says he doesn’t think it’s necessary to pursue a legal suit.
Unfortunately for him, though, his fellow cardiologists have seen the exchange and one white coat voices his disappointment. The cardiologists all want a piece of the third-year resident when he arrives with Hoon and Soo-hyun, but that’s when Jae-chul approaches with the second-in-command.
Meanwhile, douchey Sang-jin is busy trying to convince Jae-chul’s father that filing a lawsuit will be pointless, not believing that the family just wants a sincere apology from the responsible party. Hoon & Co. burst through the doors just then, and at Sang-jin’s protests, Hoon sits him back down and kicks him away, telling him to pipe down and watch.
Then the cardiology team (sans the senior attending) bow their heads deeply in apology, admitting the error made by an inexperienced surgeon as well as not apologizing to the patient and her family sooner. Moved and upset, Jae-chul’s father cries, “Was it that hard? ‘I’m sorry, I was wrong,’ was it that hard to say?!”
Overwrought, he threatens to sue them all, which is when Jae-chul begs his father not to because these doctors will make them all better today and in the future. Those words effectively convince him not to sue after all, and Soo-hyun thanks Hoon for his help.
A bear doll left behind in the hallway catches Hoon’s attention, one that looks exactly like the ones stocked in Mom’s room. Sure enough, Mom approaches moments later and reaches for the bear, calling it “son.” Neither Mom nor Hoon recognize each other, however, and Mom is quickly led away, though she looks back to smile at him. It stirs something within him, but he doesn’t know why.
Prime Minister Jang announces the hospital that will perform his surgery. As expected, it’s not Myungwoo, to Chairman Oh’s fury. Does this mean that the stupid surgical competition is officially over? At this point, I’m just happy to see it over with.
Chairman Oh keeps his promise to let everyone on the surgical team keep their jobs, save for one—Hoon. He seems have anticipated that decision as he says his goodbyes to an emotional Doctor Moon. Soo-hyun is there to apologize in person as Hoon packs his things and gives her his old stethoscope.
Hoon hands over his white coat, too, assuring her that she’ll become a decent doctor one day. Soo-hyun offers to try to persuade her father again, but Hoon shakes his head—Chairman Oh won’t ever accept him again, not when he knows whose son he is. Soo-hyun doesn’t understand, and Hoon tells her to take care.
Hoon ends up taking the same elevator with Seung-hee, and has just enough time to tell her to instruct him on what he should do next. She says she will.
Soo-hyun catches up to Hoon in the lobby and tells him to take his doctor’s coat with him, which Hoon promptly throws away. She keeps it beside her as she studies and turns around when she thinks she hears Hoon’s voice, only to find no one there.
Memories with Hoon come flooding back to her that night, like their imaginary surgical training or hearing another doc call someone a “quack.” She’s lost in her own world as she recalls all the good, bad, and heart-stopping moments shared with Hoon, and doesn’t even notice that she’s crying until someone points out her tears.
But she’s soon unable to hold them back any longer and runs into Jae-joon’s arms, asking him to stay like this just for a moment.
Chairman Oh confronts Prime Minister Jang about his change of heart to seek surgery somewhere other than Myungwoo Hospital over dinner. Prime Minister Jang gives this long-winded explanation that basically boils down to saying that it was the president’s decision and hands the chairman a file (and CD) that will “help our task move forward.” Or something.
Jae-joon pays an unexpected visit to Hoon’s clinic that evening; he doesn’t mind the chipped mug as long as the coffee tastes good. He takes a sip, and then remarks, “That’s the worst coffee I ever had.” Ha. Hoon takes offense and tries it himself… and spits it out. Ha, figures.
But Jae-joon isn’t here just to shoot the breeze—he’s here to ask two things. He starts off asking why Hoon picked up his scalpel in Patient Lee’s surgery, and Hoon tosses the question back at him. Jae-joon answers that it was for the patient, and then Hoon apologizes, saying that Jae-joon would have gone through so much trouble if he’d done the surgery instead.
Jae-joon thanks Hoon for preventing the medical malpractice suit, having heard the news from Soo-hyun. That leads to his following question: Did Hoon do that for his sake? “A little,” Hoon concedes.
Both men seem marveled by Hoon’s unexpected concern towards Jae-joon, who asks after the reason why. Hoon tries to play off the bromantic question with his usual cavalier attitude, all, You know why, but Jae-joon insists on hearing the words from Hoon himself.
So Hoon takes a moment before saying with all seriousness: “Because I thought you’re a decent doctor.” Jae-joon smirks, satisfied. His reaction makes Hoon uncomfortable, but then Jae-joon invites him out for a drink.
Soo-hyun fights a losing battle with her cutting board at home, so roomie Seung-hee steps in to whip up a batch of homemade curry. Soo-hyun wonders if they should invite Hoon over ’cause he er, seems to like curry, and uh, there’s a lot left over. Ha, she’s adorable.
Seung-hee asks if that’s why they made such a huge batch, and her expression falters when Soo-hyun says it seems like Hoon’s diet consists of instant curry. She sighs as Soo-hyun calls him up, looking as nervous as a teenage girl calling her crush for the very first time.
Hoon and Jae-joon share a laugh over soju about how they fought tooth and nail over who gets to operate on the prime minister when ultimately they were both eliminated anyway. Well, I’m glad someone gets to laugh about it while I was pulling my hair for who-knows-how-many-episodes.
Hoon points out that Jae-joon is speaking to him in banmal, and shrugs it off when Jae-joon apologizes for it, muttering, “Well you’re old, anyway.”
Jae-joon asks how Hoon acquired such superb medical skills while growing up in the DPRK and learns that Hoon’s late father was a doctor himself. Hoon puts an end to the parent talk when he asks about his mother, and then runs off to relieve himself.
So it’s Jae-joon who sees the incoming call from Soo-hyun on Hoon’s phone. He picks up and listens as Soo-hyun invites Hoon over and says she has something to tell him. It’s at that moment Jae-joon finally speaks up and Soo-hyun quickly searches for an explanation.
Seung-hee picks up on Soo-hyun’s flustered mood and says they should invite both men over if they’re already together. When Hoon returns, Jae-joon asks what he thinks of Soo-hyun. Hoon replies that he initially thought she was a quack doc, but she works hard and is becoming more and more like a real doctor. “So she’s cute,” he chuckles.
Hoon adds that he sometimes thinks of Jae-hee when he’s looking at her, too. It isn’t because the two women look alike, but more because Hoon wishes that his Jae-hee would act more like Soo-hyun in the professional sense sometimes.
“What about as a woman?” Jae-joon asks. That question gets a big laugh out of Hoon, who asks if Jae-joon is worried that Soo-hyun might have feelings for him. Err, so you didn’t know? I know that you’re dense sometimes, Hoon, but c’mon. Then again, what do I know about the inner workings of Hoon’s mind?
Hoon shares that story openly later with the ladies at their apartment while he chows down on curry. He comes right out with it and cheerily asks Soo-hyun if she does like him, which she quickly denies. And since Hoon is dense to all things whenever he sees curry or Jae-hee, he goes on to elaborate why Soo-hyun isn’t his type at all.
His words about how he hates shrewlike women who are vain and use violence are plain upsetting, and Soo-hyun raises her voice at him. It’s Jae-joon who points out that Soo-hyun doth protest too much, and she storms out.
Once alone, Seung-hee tells Hoon that he was being too harsh, but he says it’s fine. Oh, so you deliberately made Soo-hyun angry, then? He wonders how Seung-hee knew that he liked curry; however his question isn’t name-specific, so Seung-hee’s jealousy flares as she wonders how Soo-hyun knew that tidbit.
Jae-joon follows Soo-hyun upstairs and asks outright if she likes Hoon, noting that her reaction seems defensive. He gives Soo-hyun some space, and she takes her frustration and hurt out on a pillow while holding back tears. Aw.
Downstairs, Jae-joon admires Seung-hee’s family portrait, which has her ask if his parents are currently in the States. “You could say that,” he answers vaguely. He starts to mention Hoon’s father before he catches himself and stops mid-sentence.
With that, the conversation turns back to Hoon’s parents, and Hoon notes that Jae-joon’s asking a lot of strange questions today. Since there aren’t that many skilled cardiothoracic surgeons out there, Jae-joon asks after Dad’s name since he might have heard it before.
Hoon gives it: “Park Chul.” That name has Jae-joon stammer in shock, but before he can question Hoon further, Hoon takes his leave.
At the same time, Nightshade keeps watch over Mom in her hospital room. Hm, I wonder why they moved her from the mental hospital to the psych ward, but at this rate it’s easier to wait for the answer that will come sometime-maybe-never later.
Interestingly, Seung-hee appears next to him and learns that Nightshade intends to reunite mother and son soon. Apparently it’s on Prime Minister Jang’s orders, which means we’ll never learn anything, ever.
In the truck, Hoon wonders why people are taking so much interest in his family history. To answer that, Jae-joon calls up Male Siri Mr. Chang and has him look into whether Park Chul went to North Korea. As far as they know, the man was reported missing (but we know that he died).
Jae-joon thinks back to how he had waited with his mother for Hoon’s father to appear at court, only to be told that the medical malpractice case was dismissed because Hoon’s father never showed up.
We know that’s because Park Chul was sent to the North, which means he wasn’t at home to hear young Jae-joon’s desperate cries outside his door. Jae-joon tenses to remember how his mother had collapsed from a heart attack due to the stress and no one was there to help.
Lying on his own cot, Hoon’s thoughts wander back to when he left Myungwoo Hospital for the last time. He’d seen Mom standing outside holding the bear doll in her arms and had engaged her in conversation.
He had asked who she was waiting for, and she’d answered, “My son.” Then he had kindly offered to escort her back to her room, holding her hand. Remembering that has him travel in the middle of the night to his old house, where the gates are unlocked and all the furniture are just as they were years ago, even down to the notebook where he’d once jotted down Mom’s phone number in the States.
So he tries that number now, and someone picks up. Hoon can’t bring himself to speak, and that’s when the voice on the other end of the line asks, “Are you… Hoon, by any chance?” Hoon: “Yes… I am.”
COMMENTS
What. This show has left me so confused about the larger tangled conspiracy web (still allegedly spun by Prime Minister Jang, I think) that I’m highly wary when it comes to making any solid theory every week unless the show spells out the answers for us. And let’s face it—nine times out of ten, they don’t even do that for us, especially now that we have what feels like a different drama on our hands.
It’s unnerving to approach the beginning of each week with uncertainty, not knowing whether Stranger will try to appease its audience or seek to confuse even further in the hour. For these past three episodes, it’s evident that the story has attempted to straighten itself out, and while some things have changed for the better but perhaps too late (like doctors who now suddenly care), other things still make my head scratch (like doctors who now suddenly care). Hm, I suppose it isn’t good when both the good and the bad are the same thing, eh? At least the world’s stupidest surgical competition is behind us? Y…ay?
Speaking of which, I found myself resonating with our characters’ general annoyance and irritation for placing so much emphasis on a competition that didn’t even matter to Prime Minister Jang who operated on him, and how the entire battle we were told to care about (but didn’t care about because it involved gambling with people’s lives and exposing the corrupted ethics within this hospital) was essentially brushed under the rug and was instead another reason to kick Hoon out of the hospital. Even if we didn’t know why the prime minister arbitrarily changed his mind countless times, we were told that it still somehow involved Hoon and that his life depended on it. And now that Hoon is free not to operate on him, there’s no sense of urgency on his part to hunt down the prime minister for answers, either.
The weird thing, though, is that even though we still haven’t the faintest idea of how Hoon is presently involved in the grand scheme of things, his participation is still somehow important. Now we’re told that it’s Prime Minister Jang’s idea to reunite Hoon with his mother, which suggests that at some point, whether it was from the beginning or sometime later, he knew that Mom was alive. And while I think it’s horrible that she was hidden away and trapped for years, I think it’d be giving Jang too much villainous credit that he dangled this competition carrot to later use Mom’s existence against Hoon. Still, it doesn’t change how I feel about what he’s playing at.
I seriously thought that something or someone would attack Hoon when he returned to his old house that was miraculously untouched for nearly two decades. Regarding the voice over the phone, I honestly have no idea who it is, though I have a couple of speculations that include Mom’s pre-recorded voice or an actress. I throw those suspicions out there based upon Mom’s deteriorating mental health, though who knows—that number could redirect back to a Korean number and she’s waiting for Hoon to call. If anything, because Hoon was separated from his mother at an early age, it’s understandable that he wouldn’t readily recognize his mother. (Also, wouldn’t her new family in the States be worried about her whereabouts?)
I wish, then, that we at least had the direction to help us piece together this disorganized puzzle, but it’s long been apparent that we can’t trust that, either, not when the story can shift around so easily. So while we saw some stylized metaphorical shots (e.g., Jae-hee’s face on the laptop and Seung-hee’s reflection), I still feel like I’m at square one when it comes to trying to figure anything out. Maybe I need to call Agent/Wizard Cha over since he seems to magically know everything without being explicitly told anything.
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Tags: Doctor Stranger, featured, Jin Se-yeon, Lee Jong-seok
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1 fanwho
June 17, 2014 at 4:27 AM
Thanks for recap! Still strange. But Love the SH momnet.
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2 nifemi
June 17, 2014 at 4:32 AM
Thank you for the recap. I seriously don't get why people all over the net are getting worked up over this Park Hoon and Jae Hee fight issue, Hoon is bound to get fustrated over being told what to do by agent Cha and I'm not saying it's right for him to take his fustration out on her, but people are basically calling Soo Hyun a two-faced cheating bitch that influenced Hoon and made him argue with Jae Hee, when the poor babe is just trying to figure out her feelings. I guess what I'm trying to say is stop bashing Soo hyun, If you don't like the direction the story is taking in the romance department (not that any other part of the drama is making sense) you can easily quit watching it's that simple, and if you decide to continue watching please try not to take things personally it's just a drama.
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3 isabel
June 17, 2014 at 4:57 AM
I still don't understand anything, especially when the show's dropping hints thinking we get them.
But can I just say, that hair's got Hoon looking smokin'.
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4 stranger????
June 17, 2014 at 5:04 AM
Is it getting any better???? Should i watch it next week? I really want dr oh to be with hoon-----I still hanging on the thread here! :/
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windsun33
June 17, 2014 at 9:59 AM
I read the recap, then tried to watch it, gave up after 3 minutes or so. I thought I would try to find one small moment where it actually made sense, but decided it was not worth the effort.
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MAC
June 17, 2014 at 5:53 PM
I've stopped watching... Just don't have the patience to try to understand the story. Am down to scanning through the recap just to see if it has improved... sadly, i think it's really going downhill and the bottom seems to be reeaaaaallllyyyy deep.
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Bon
June 17, 2014 at 6:25 PM
3 mins is not enough for you to tell that its not worth watching.. Why don't you watch the whole episode first before you judge it!
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windsun33
June 18, 2014 at 12:19 PM
Because the previous 8 episodes that I actually DID watch totally sucked, and it seems to have gotten even worse since then.
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5 stranger???
June 17, 2014 at 5:08 AM
I just don't get it even though I've watched this episode twice and read the recap...... I really want park noon and Dr oh to be together though---- this drama far away from the bulls eye I bet the writer forgot the point of the story!!! Arghhh should I continue, still hanging on the veryyyy thin thread I'm on............ :\
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6 Scientia
June 17, 2014 at 5:08 AM
Well koala sure did get riled up with this episode. I cannot decide which is more rafe worthy between this and Heirs.
As posted from koalasplayground:
I like you Koala so don’t stress yourself too much! You might not make it alive before this drama ends, so take it easy.
Annnnyyyywayyy, I’m actually surprised that I’m not as incensed as you are Koala, I completely understand your sentiments, but perhaps I’ve lost so much interest for this show for it to even generate any strong response from me, be it despise or ecstasy. I’ve lost faith for it to ever make sense again. This has been reduced to all about fan pandering, and might as well make fun of it as much as possible as we can; at least we’re going to enjoy ourselves some more that way.
Among the other shortcomings such as plot ambiguity and inconsistency, what strikes me the most though is the lack of stakes, as you mentioned Koala, that everything just seem so trivial that it’s impossible to take this drama seriously. For that, I just wish that Comrade Cha would have just drilled a bullet or two into Hoon just to make him FEEL the gravity of the situation that he is in. From Jaejoon disobeying every order that Chairman Oh gave, only to get a slap in the wrist, and from Hoon disobeying Comrade Cha’s orders, and him only end up with, I don’t know, his LIFE still intact, there is completely zero accountability that anyone can just do anything that they please. I’m just like you Koala, so sick of Seunghee saving Hoon’s skull from the receiving end of Comrade Cha’s barrel, one, two, three times now from my counting, that it has become a recurring theme of Hoon’s impenetrable plot armor, that it becomes laughable for him to even threaten him. In effect that makes both villains (Comrade Cha and PM Jang) as rather toothless and they end up becoming a comic relief instead.
As for the character assassination of Soo Hyun. Hahahaha, goodbye rootable second female lead, you were good while you lasted.
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Drama2014
June 17, 2014 at 5:23 PM
I'm actually more entertained by your comment than the drama. LOLL.. I'm watching the drama for LSK but to my disappointment the plot has been very confusing so far, specifically when the 2nd female lead got so much more screen time than Jae Hee with cute but not at all romantic moments with Hoon. If she's not going to end up with Hoon at the end, then it's pointless and totally irrelevant to the plot development by showing so many goofy playing scenes between her and Hoon. Or they simply made a mistake during drama promotion announcing Jae Hee was the heroine?????? If Jae Hee is the heroine of the drama, then the writer and the PD should have given her more storylines to develop her character in the plot at this point. I just felt tired every time I saw Soo Hyun's face again. Her role is cute/warm but too bland and predictable to be persuasive as a heroine in a mysterious drama like this.
I hope this is not Mirae's Choice repeat which had role defining confusion for the male lead midway through the show.
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7 stranger.
June 17, 2014 at 5:09 AM
I just don't get it even though I've watched this episode twice and read the recap...... I really want park noon and Dr oh to be together though---- this drama far away from the bulls eye I bet the writer forgot the point of the story!!! Arghhh should I continue, still hanging on the veryyyy thin thread I'm on............ :/
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8 icy
June 17, 2014 at 5:13 AM
This drama put water into a drum they didn't know filled with holes. Now, they don't know which hole to cover first.
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TS
June 17, 2014 at 9:29 AM
I don't think they're thinking that hard.
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windsun33
June 17, 2014 at 10:50 AM
I am not even sure they are putting water in the right barrel any more.
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9 Minny
June 17, 2014 at 5:28 AM
Wow, I'm glad I dropped this when I did because this drama just hit a new low. Looks like that the writer, now panicked about the backlash and utterly clueless as to how to proceed, is pandering to HoonxSooHyun shippers at the expense of the rest of the audience and going against EVERYTHING that he established (about the characters, their emotions/relationships, etc.) so far.
SH, whose character never showed much consistency to begin with has gone complete off-track in this ep, twisted to a bizarre end-result which makes her actually dislikable. Admiring and envying Hoon's faithful love for JH and then throwing a tantrum when he stays true to her and says you're not his type? Crying for another man while in your boyfriend's arms and not even bothering to clear things up with him? I never would've thought that I'd drop the JaeJoonxSooHyun ship for poor behaviour on SH's part. Now I hope JJ, who is the only sane man left standing to pack up and head to the US ASAP from all this craziness.
I genuinely feel bad for all the actors. Tsk, tsk.
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TS
June 17, 2014 at 7:49 AM
I agree. I had originally thought JaeJoon a bit dodgy for using SooHyun to get the hospital, but he did ask her to leave with him for the US when he thought he was getting fired, and her crying randomly in his arms over another man looked like she was using him too.
Then the curry thing where she was sputtering her excuses: not cool.
Plus, why isn't she a competent doctor and surgeon after all her time in medical school, residency etc? Makes me think she's a spoilt brat.
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10 atz
June 17, 2014 at 5:35 AM
New hair styled Hoon looks like a teenager Park Soha from IHYV. Is Hoon going to have an amnesia? Like Park Soha did? that would put more headspins to the viewers!
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adira
June 17, 2014 at 9:42 AM
Then hoon fell in love with sh and jae hee+ jaejoon+ cha(who apparently in love with jae hee and can't stand seeing her crying everyday) committed suicide. -END-
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windsun33
June 17, 2014 at 10:53 AM
If this show had a dog, the dog would have jumped in front of an express train by now.
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Plod
June 17, 2014 at 12:22 PM
It did. And it did. Three seconds after the camera started to roll for the very first take.
That's the one advantage of the short-notice shoot system. You don't need to worry about suicidal canines giving you continuity issues with stuff that's already in the can, because there ain't a can and you just re-create a whole dog-free storyboard.
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TS
June 17, 2014 at 3:33 PM
Damn that dog!
11 Plod
June 17, 2014 at 5:53 AM
The frustrating thing is that the drama keeps throwing in hints that the writer Has a Plan. I mean, has an overall notion of where everything's going and why, behind the 4,397 individual and incompatible plans that the characters apparently have within the plot.
Take yesterday's sharpshooting incident, where Seung Hee puts a rapid-fire halo of bullets into the ground round Cha's head as he lies on the ground where she's flung him. Followed by a shot at the lamp, just to show those aren't blanks.
Here, for the first time, she's addressing Cha in banmal. And pretty brusque banmal at that. Her "stop" here is 그만해, followed up with 그만하라고! That second version (a bit like adding "When I tell you to.." to a repeated command in English) is particularly redolent of a superior laying down the law to an inferior.
Up to now its always been him talking down to her while she always talking up to him as her superior in some chain of command.
The writer made use of that a few episodes back in the incident where SH saw Cha approaching Hoon from behind, about to shoot him as he in turn approached SH. She called out "Stop" using jongdaemal, 그만해요. The close-up of Hoon's expression indicated he was momentarily puzzled at her apparently using polite speech to him, but then his gaze flickers again, maybe reflecting for a further microsecond that this is after all a public space where patients might be in earshot, circumstances in which professionals who are on intimate personal terms nevertheless use polite speech. But then the penny dropped that she wasn't talking to him at all...
Apparently all of a piece with this playing up the change of speech level is the line SH turns back to deliver as a parting verbal shot at the insanely giggling Cha. 내 결정이 틀렸는지 당신 멋대로 판단하지 마. It's impossible to get into English the implied hierarchy there (with him now way below her, and not just only because she's chucked him to the ground). "Don't presume to have the luxury of judging my decision(?s) to be wrong," maybe... You don't say that sort of thing and in that speech form to anyone in Korean unless you want to be seriously offensive, and think you can get away with it. If (... IF ...) the writer has that Plan, this might be signalling that some major shift in power relations between Cha and SH has taken place. But then again, it might be just more random noise.
OK, time to tune in to today's episode. My bets are on that voice on the other end of the phone being a talking teddy bear remotely controlled from a bunker in Pyongyang. But maybe that's too plausible for this show.
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windsun33
June 17, 2014 at 10:56 AM
It is always really cool to get these kind of insights explained for most of us that just rely on subs and often miss the fine points like this.
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Scientia
June 17, 2014 at 12:08 PM
Very informative. Thanks.
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Kdramajjang
June 17, 2014 at 12:52 PM
Informative indeed...
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12 hoonhyunshipper
June 17, 2014 at 5:55 AM
forget about all the spin on and off thing..the main point is its a whole bunch of hoon hyun moment here...so its worth to watching,,,i dont see soo hyun as a bitch thought,she s just trying to figure out her feeling...well she deserve to love other right..jaejoon better off by himself...and hoon just forget bout jae hee..i think that JSY need to improve her acting skill...i dont really feel jae hee characte at all...and she's making me confused....really confused...just hope hoonhyun will cme true.....and hoon please open ur eye widely and see soohyun as a woman...not a quackkk.....btw dear dramabeans thanks for your recap...i've read kaolaplayground's recap and obviously shes against hoohyun...ahahahaha...
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Andromeda
June 17, 2014 at 6:09 AM
This is EXACTLY the mindset that ruined the drama ultimately. No one cares about the overall plot! But only Quack that and Quack this. I don't even know how the writer can regard the previous characterizations of the characters as nothing. I'm proposing that the real PH is held hostage somewhere and a fake PH took his place. Only logical explanation of his bizzare and 180 degree turnabout.
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windsun33
June 17, 2014 at 11:04 AM
You are 100% correct of course. I saw the same weird thing in Heirs, where fans were going berserk over various ships and idols, but hardly a single one could describe the plot (assuming there actually was a plot).
But we may not be normal - I thought "Frozen" was one of the worst Disney movies ever.
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Rossi
June 17, 2014 at 4:04 PM
I think the reasons fans are so latched onto the shipping is because the plot is so nonsensical here that it's better to just abandon all hope for coherency and focus on shipping interaction. It's like how because Heirs has no plot, the shipping war was intense (for reasons that escape me cause both male leads were arses.
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Liza
June 20, 2014 at 9:22 PM
Agreed. Blame it on the writers!
Sajen
June 17, 2014 at 5:47 PM
"But we may not be normal – I thought “Frozen” was one of the worst Disney movies ever."
I didn't like it, I do give it credit for being the first Disney movie ever that's not sexist. It certainly wasn't good enough to win an Academy Award over Hayao Miyazaki's, the greatest storyteller ever, The Wind Rises.
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windsun33
June 18, 2014 at 12:21 PM
I thought Frozen was very sexist - especially the portrayal of the princess as being such a stupid naïve Candy that she latched onto the first male that showed up in a manner of minutes.
Pokouchka
June 19, 2014 at 1:42 AM
I completely understand your fulstration about ppl concentrating themselves of being on one ship (hoonhyun) or on another one (hoonJJ),
But unfortunetly it is the only left to do when you're watching a drama where the plot have a big incoherence like this one,when even with big efforts you don't seem to understand the big picture even with the "hints" given by the writer.
The beginning of the drama had enormous potential,a strong story "but now every week I am wondering why am I still watching this?between the poor medical stories, a competition that no one understand the rules which
don't make sense anyways,a conspiracy that gives you head hick to understand the only left us to do is the focus on the love story line or quit watching the show!
Personally and I am not the only one,I am watching this drama for LJS and KS and at the end of the day it is the only thing that hang me there.It is not that we don't want to be focus on the plot, because when there is an interesting plot you do not focus only on the love story line but on the whole story.
If only I could read into Cha spy head,he seems to be the only one to understand the all picture.
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13 TS
June 17, 2014 at 5:59 AM
I have so many questions that I'm not going to bother asking them.
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14 Scientia
June 17, 2014 at 6:13 AM
I really loved Jin Se Yeon this episode and I felt I saw a different actress for the first time, for the longest time, in this show and elsewhere she acted before. I like her but I believe that her acting skills are mediocre to say the most. But today's episode, I saw a tiny hint of brilliance when she unloaded that gun on to Comrade Cha. That was priceless, I never knew JSY had that in her. In fact that was the best part of this episode.
I just wish to see more of her kicking ass. Whew, sexy.
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Plod
June 17, 2014 at 7:40 AM
In that case, check out the opening episodes of the SBS daily My Daughter Flower (내 딸 꽃님이) which aired from Winter 2011 thru Spring 2012. In early eps, JSY's character deprives the school bully of a few teeth and a bit later battles a whole bunch of gangsters. But 163 eps later her character is pushing 30, married with two kids, and, well, pretty much the sort of JSY character we have since come to nod off watching...
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windsun33
June 17, 2014 at 11:09 AM
I watched the first few episodes of Daughter Flower, and my first impressions were "wow, a female that is not some boring naïve Cinderella". But by just a few episodes later it was back to the same old k-drama norm, so I dropped it.
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15 Amell
June 17, 2014 at 6:28 AM
This drama is certainly living up/down to it's nickname of Doctor WTF.
Hoon's actions in the past haven't been admirable but the motive was at least consistent. I've no idea what's going on with him now.
Rooting for JJ to take his newly found humanity and get as far away from this mess as possible.
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16 noernov
June 17, 2014 at 6:31 AM
I'm sticking with this crazy plot cos of park hoon and Dr Oh bickering chemistry ?
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mary
June 17, 2014 at 8:05 AM
I was rooting for Hoon and Jae Hee at the start of the series because it was touching to see the length Hoon would go to save her. And I only watched that 2 episodes and relied on recaps the rest of the series. But right now at episode 13 recap, I honestly don't feel anything for this pairing. Moreover, if we are to look at this pairing logically we know how they simply don't work. Hoon was a teen when he was madly in love with Jae Hee. At the time, he only had eyes for her and when she was taken away from him so suddenly, it only intensified his feelings. After the death of his father and the things Hoon had to do at the North to survive, we can really see that he has nothing to live for other than the thought of seeing Jae Hee again. Hence she became his source of obsessiveness and his direction in life. Clearly, by the time Hoon is in South, his motive of finding Jae Hee isn't really love anymore but obsessiveness. And he was only in love with the idea of Jae Hee as visible when Soo Hyun asked why he liked Jae Hee and his answer was 'because it's Jae Hee', that's why Seung Hee doesn't fit into his painted image of Jae Hee. This is where the crack is visible. Seung Hee may be the real Jae Hee, operating on secret mission to save Hoon but she failed to salvage this relationship. Seung Hee, unlike Jae Hee in Hoon's eyes is secretive and willing to use anyone (despite her conscience) to achieve her goal. That's why I can understand his change of attitude towards Seung Hee. And let's be honest people, the only time they seemed like a couple was back in episode 1 & 2.
Hoon and Soo Hyun on the other hand, I see how this pairing develop their chemistry over the course of this series. I don't get why everyone is so work up simply when Hoon is interacting more with Soo Hyun. How long can we rely on flashback to assure us of Hoon's feeling for Jae Hee? I think it's perfectly normal that Hoon now starting to realize there's more to life than Jae Hee and he can save lives instead of putting them to danger for the sake of one woman, who doesn't even seem like the woman he used to love. I think one poignant scene in this episode was the reflection of Seung Hee and the image of Jae Hee in Hoon's laptop, it was as if to strengthen the fact that the two girls may be the same girl but not in his eyes, at least not anymore. That's why this pairing is really over and paved way for Hoon and Soo Hyun instead. I think Soo Hyun, instead of being bitchy and two timing is more honest with her feelings. I think that's why Hoon reacted that way in this episode. I think he realized her pull and he wanted to stop it knowing she has Jae Joon and he has Seung Hee. Now I can't wait to see Hoon and Soo Hyun end up together. This is my only reason sticking to this drama.
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.
June 17, 2014 at 8:25 AM
basically whatever i was thinking. i don't get the sudden hate on hoon for being upset and frustrated with JH because i agree that the JH he thought he loved was just an obsession and something that he had to hold on to just because.
i don't want hoon to end up with soohyun either though, i just want him to be alone and move on with life.
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Scientia
June 17, 2014 at 8:30 AM
You've brought up an interesting topic by framing how Hoon is in love with the idea of Jaehee and not the person herself. With that, I can also attribute the same thing to Hoon's feelings to Soohyun. From his mouth to Jaejoon: "she reminds me of Jaehee." Hoon is STILL in love with the idea of Jaehee and he's projecting it to Soohyun.
Soohyun on the other hand is in love with the IDEA of Hoon's relentless love for Jaehee and she herself craves for that kind of love and attention. Had Jaejoon been this 'romantic' to her ever since, would we still see her falter to Hoon? She clearly looks up to him and his noble desire to save both patient lives AND Jaehee, that's been her inspiration all along.
Say what you will, their pairing isn't any more 'genuine' than Hoon and Jaehee's.
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mary
June 17, 2014 at 9:15 AM
I partly agree that Hoon and Soo Hyun could be projecting a certain idea in each other. But that's why I said 'interaction' and 'paved way' because they are not in romance stage yet. Right now they are just discovering how complicated feelings can be when you have a significant other and being attracted to someone else at the same time, be it admiration or any kind of feelings.
Also I think Hoon's answer was referencing to Soo Hyun as a person/doctor, not as romantic interest, hence he couldn't have projected his feelings for Jae Hee to Soo Hyun in that sense. When Jae Joon questioned him how he thinks of Soo Hyun as woman instead, Hoon could have just said he's not interested but he poked at the obvious issue that Soo Hyun is interested in him. Later on however, I think he wanted to convince himself more than anyone that Soo Hyun is not his style because he's really slightly shaken. But this all could be just me and my obsession. I really would like them to be the end game. Maybe not possible in the drama but definitely in my head. Hehe.
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mrchuckles
June 18, 2014 at 1:25 PM
I definitely think Soo Hyun is going to end up with Hoon. I mean do you remember a drama where one girl gets all the emotional/romantic/cute scenes with the lead dude AND the other characters in the love-square have that "uh-oh, I'm losing my man/woman" and she doesn't end up with the lead? I can't think of one.
And Hoon is starting to subconsciously be drawn to Soo Hyun. He got his haircut because she suggested it. He is wishing Jae Hee was more like her (professionally, but we know where this is going). He helps her stop the lawsuit because she asked.
I am happy because this is the only reason to watch this drama now. Fortunately, it is enough.
Kdramajjang
June 17, 2014 at 10:17 AM
I agree, you can clearly see the shift from his expressions. He stopped her because he now knows beforehand, so she doesn't get hurt.
As shifty as this rollercoaster plot is. I'm sticking to it till the end lol
Guys it is not that bad, just a dose of dopamine will kick you out of this delirium world, that's all.
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Eren
June 17, 2014 at 2:08 PM
I so agree with you!
I also hope he ends up with quack. But if not, I don't want him to be with Jae Hee (whether she is real Jae Hee or not at all). In this case he should just move on with his his own life as the capable and caring doctor his father wanted him to be - This wouldn't be frustrating at all. He finally starts to see that there is more to life than following someone around.
And also, if perhaps Hoon/SooHyeon ship sinks, I'd like Soo Hyeon to be with Jae Joon. Only because JJ deserves to be happy, and seems like he is the only logical character left now. He has more than enough reasons to be this way towards the hospital and the chairman. I really want him to be happy. He is not the bad guy.
As for Soo Hyeon... She is just confused, imo. She was trying to figure out her feelings during these 2 eps, so we saw her both with JJ and PH. But this isn't bitchy or cheating at all. Anyone would do the same. And now she is aware of her feelings, she should just spare JJ all the drama and let him know how she feels about Hoon. Like be honest. That's the right way to do. Even if she can't tell Hoon yet, JJ needs to know.
Btw, are SH and JJ officially a couple? I mean the chairman is making plans about their marriage and all but I can't really say whether they are bf/gf. I'm a bit lost there.
And lost in all the conspiracy theories. So I'm just watching for the romance lol, gotta admit...
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Lorda
June 17, 2014 at 8:00 PM
That's totally fine by me. Jae Hee is TOO good for Park Hoon anyway. How many times does Jae Hee has to save Hoon's ass while Hoon goes around and have a jolly good time.
But the one ship I oppose to is Soo Hyun and Jae Joon. Hyun can just go pine over Hoon while I match Jae Joon with Jae Hee. Now, that's a couple that I don't have a problem with--Jae Hee and Jae Joon.
The JJ couple. <3
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17 Lizzie
June 17, 2014 at 6:34 AM
**sigh** i stopped trying to understand this show and just let everything be…my brain is going to explode if i try to make sense of it. i just can't wait to see the finale and get all (if possible, which seems unlikely) the mysteries in this drama solved.
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18 thea
June 17, 2014 at 6:58 AM
omo so confused, the only scene i love this episode when SH drop Comrade Cha, wow thats girl power! dont you ever bother an angry woman she can beat you even you more strong than her.
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19 Mar
June 17, 2014 at 7:47 AM
Hoon or Jaejoon?
BOOM SHAKALAKA
It won't be both of them, ow god so why is there a competition in the first place? This Prime Minister Jang sure has a way to play with our brain
Cute Ahn Jongsuk is back??, but i already miss the perm T.T
I'm glad that Hoon is not obsessed with Jaehee anymore, he did choose the patient knowing exactly what agent Cha could do to him and Jaehee. It is so good to see him not freaking out whenever Jaehee is concerned.
The bromanceeee yeahh, i'm glad Jaejoon isn't jumping into silly conclusion to hate Hoon after knowing he is Park Cheol's son. It's a calm and realisic move to ask his chinese friend to investigate Park Cheol's whereabouts further. I just hope this chinese guy discover more secrets to tell Jaejoon because telling Jaejoon that Hoon's appa went to operate the North Korean president without relating it with the truth about Prime Minister Jang's involvement will only make Jaejoon hate Hoon and his Dad. Just combine your force to battle the post-prime-time evils. Jaeballll
Since the competition is over, i'm wondering what the show will show us in the following episode. And why is the chinese guy talking to jaejoon's earlobe half of their conversation
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20 Adal
June 17, 2014 at 7:50 AM
Ugh! This strange drama is really beginning to lose my interest. I should thank the writer for his assassination of some of the potentially strong characters in the show. He turned Soo-Hyun from being a strong, like-able second female lead to a teary eyed, whiny, brat.
Honestly, crying on the shoulder of her fiancee for another man, really does take the cake! I get that she has feelings for Hoon, but break it off with your fiance first and at least acknowledge the feelings to yourself instead of behaving like a giddy teenager in the first throes of love, for heaven sake! She must be totally self-unaware if she can't read her own actions, instead of staying to comfort her fiancee when he was feeling really low, she pulls away and spends her time mooning over Hoon.
She felt perfectly comfortable cooking up a meal and inviting Hoon to dinner but had to ask Seung Hee and reconsider before she could call up Jae Joon to offer the same courtesy. High points for Seung Hee in this episode, her calm, collected way of dealing with the situation was a welcome relief.
I don't understand why Hoon was so pissed off with Seung Hee in this episode, wasn't he threatened with her life if he did the operation? What changed about that? And then he turns around and blames her because she questioned his actions? Maybe he doesn't realize that she's doing her best to protect him from being killed. Maybe he's not really in love with Jae Hee in reality, but with the image he has of her, in his mind.
I feel the writer is swinging the pendulum to appease many of the Hoon-Soo Hyun shippers and not staying true to the story. The characters actions are really inconsistent. Not only Hoon, but Jae Joon's quick turn around to do the operation, and Prime Minister jerking people around by changing his mind constantly on what he wants to have done with his operation. I'm beginning to wonder why this is such a big deal anyway. What does it matter, who does the operation unless there's a sub plot tied to it? And when do we get to know what that sub plot is? I wonder.
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21 LizJ
June 17, 2014 at 7:51 AM
Oh, my, this drama is sinking. I can see it moving into a very disappointing ending.
At this point, my prediction is either one of the two:
First Option, pandering to the Soo Hyun/Hoon shippers: Seung Hee, whether or not she is Jang Hee, will sacrifice herself for Hoon. If she is not Jang Hee, JH is already dead. Comrade Cha gets what is coming to him. Set free from his past, Hoon realizes for the first time his feelings for Soo Hyun. Having lost Soo Hyun, and regained his conscience, Jae Joon goes to America. The end.
Second Option: The Dreaded Open Ending aka the Maerae Curse. Seung Hee sacrifices herself to save Hoon...and is shot multiple times. Hoon is also injured, and both are taken to the hospital where Hoon grabs Jae Joon's coat and begs him to save SE/JE. Then Hoon blacks out. Screen title announces "one year later." We see a now happy and at peace Hoon, making rounds at the hospital, teasing fellow staffers, etc. He waves to Jae Joon, now head of the hospital, in his office. He jokes around with Soo Hyun, and then compliments her on how great a doctor she's become, before she has to leave for a surgery. A few hours later, we see Hoon walking around outside of the hospital. He meets a woman and pulls her in for a hug, but our view of her is obscured enough that we don't know who she is. His voice over talks about how he's finally free to live a happy life. The end.
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Andromeda
June 17, 2014 at 8:33 AM
OMG.... I can totally see Option 2 happening.
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TS
June 17, 2014 at 12:21 PM
Except First Option makes a tiny bit more sense.
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Quiet Thought
June 17, 2014 at 12:59 PM
Second Option would be a lot more fun if her spine glowed when she kissed him and they imposed a heat signature data read-out on the screen.
But, that's just me.
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22 Aria
June 17, 2014 at 8:30 AM
Despite the writing flaws that are far too obvious to elaborate more on, I think an argument may be made for the following story-arc changes:
Park Hoon is understandably blind to romantic feelings developing for him from any of his female friends. He has been surviving for the majority of his life with a fixation on 2 relationships, his father and Jae-hee. Due to his dependence on Jae-hee as a reason for him to survive and remain a moral person (despite years of living in medical hell), Park Hoon does not understand that his close female friends may feel more than friendship for him.
As Park Hoon has developed a relationship with Seung-Hee and Dr. Oh, for the first time in at least 7 years he has had the opportunity to connect with Jae-hee (regardless of who Seung-Hee really may or may not be for purposes of the writing, to Park Hoon she is Jae-Hee). In working with both women, he still believes that Jae-Hee is the only person he will ever love. However, one of the few things this episode made clear is that Park Hoon has noticed that Jae-Hee/Seung-Hee lacks the ideal character he has been mentally associating her with all this time.
I could go either way for Park Hoon's romance. Despite the inumerable writing flaws, I think a logical argument could be made for at least Park Hoon's, Dr. Oh's, and Jae-Joon's actions and character switches. When people are faced with unexpected circumstances, they often make decisions that change the trajectory of their lives and don't appear to make sense to those around them.
I think it's a shame that Jae-joon finally became human when Dr. Oh's feelings had already been compromised. I think it's a much bigger shame that a show that could have been so wonderful has been written so badly.
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23 houstontwin
June 17, 2014 at 8:31 AM
What drama did we see, a few years ago, where mom was hidden in an mental hospital and only discovered by her son many, many years later?
Probably there were multible drama's with this motif.
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TS
June 17, 2014 at 12:20 PM
Incarnation of Money.
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houstontwin
June 17, 2014 at 9:12 PM
Thanks!
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24 yamapisukii
June 17, 2014 at 8:31 AM
I guess you just can't win, drama. before, everyone was unhappy with the plot and now that it's changed up a bit, people are still mad. hahaha~ it indeed is hard to please fans.
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Adal
June 17, 2014 at 8:57 AM
This is why writers should not write the dramas to please fans. They should stick to a consistent story-line or plot that they have decided to write from the beginning and let the chips fall where they may. They may lose a bit of ratings because of popularity, but the drama will end up being acknowledged as a good product down the line.
It's pandering to fans that makes dramas lose their integrity and become the messes they are, and this drama is a prime example of that. This is why I feel the live-shoot system really sucks.
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yamapisukii
June 17, 2014 at 8:59 AM
true but either way, all I see are angry people everywhere. lol
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Andromeda
June 17, 2014 at 9:26 AM
The writer needs to get this in his head while writing the scripts: you can't please everybody.
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.
June 17, 2014 at 9:46 AM
i do agree that the live shoot system sucks. it messes up dramas which have the potential to be amazing.
but to the broadcast stations, ratings are probably more important than being acknowledged as a good product :|
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25 Kat
June 17, 2014 at 9:10 AM
I feel that since Seunghee and Soohyun are roomies, Hoon should just move in with Jaejoon and they could have rotational dates with different people--just like how it works in real hospital!
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alua
June 17, 2014 at 10:04 AM
Like Love Shuffle!
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26 crazedlu
June 17, 2014 at 9:14 AM
Hahahaha. Wowww. Side-eye, Show. Side-eye.
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27 adira
June 17, 2014 at 9:29 AM
I'm seriously too obsessed with hoon-hee. I cried on every episode because I'm scared hoon would ended up being with quack.
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LizJ
June 17, 2014 at 11:20 AM
Seriously, not worth it. Detach and save your tears for something more meaningful.
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28 windsun33
June 17, 2014 at 11:17 AM
If the writer is into fan service now more than actually writing weird stuff like real plots etc., why not make Bottle Girl the long lost kidnapped daughter of the Samsung CEO or something, and just buy the hospital and fire everyone.
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houstontwin
June 17, 2014 at 9:16 PM
Bottle girl is the most reliable and least complicated choice for Hoon. She is kind, brave, loyal, and beautiful when she wears girlie clothes.
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29 red
June 17, 2014 at 11:39 AM
Hoon luks awefully cute with short hair and red tee shirt. Wow was he always such a cutie ...Please accept my personal salute High Definition technology. Totally love scenes of Soo Hyun, she is adorably cute wish Hoon gets serious about her. But overall its not a disaster episode as the Seunghee and Hoon's date episode. So keep the flow irrespective of the writers dilemma with plot. Right now I am watching coz of beautiful actors making it entertaining. !!!!:)
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30 Plod
June 17, 2014 at 12:31 PM
I got it! In the scene in ep 14 today the President's Blue House office with the incumbent and the Prime Minister, I suddenly realized they were both of very similar build. Stocky, rather large heads and short legs. Yes... they're both TEDDY BEARS.
The ultimate explanation of all this is that in a distant galaxy, teddy bears fell out of favor with kids and popstar idols and sought a new world to colonize. Their research showed them that planet Earth was a promising goal; that S Korea was the country most likely to go crazy over dolls that were large, soft, cute and cuddly; and that shortish infiltrators wouldn't stand out as much there as in some other places. To establish control, they sent in two of their leaders disguised as humans, who didn't have much problem getting themselves elected to the highest offices in the land thanks to bribing voters of all ages with Hello Kitty stationary items. They also sent an advance guard of elite teddy troops in their characteristic pink uniforms. The problem of how to get this rather numerous force into action stations in the hospital without arousing suspicion was solved by passing them off as a crazy lady's toy collection.
But why were those troops needed in the hospital in the first place? Because despite their success in the elections, the crypto-bears were fearful of being voted out of office before all levers of power in the country were in their paws. So they hired a top US consultant, who advised them that to get re-elected, they had to convice the population that they "truly had a heart". And what better way to do that than have massively publicized coronary surgery?
That caused the dilemma which explains the core mysteries of the plot. What to do when the surgeon's first incision revealed the patient was stuffed with kapok? The only way to escape discovery was to make sure that the surgical teams were hand picked and prepared in advance not to give the game away. And best to have a choice of two teams, in case one had to be dropped. All the members of both teams has to have some major vulnerability so they could be leaned on, and preferably also be essentially childish types who were unlikely to show mature adult reactions in a crisis. That's why so much screen time is given over to infantile behavior by one character or another, largely triggered by what they think is a competition over surgical skills, but which is actually designed to test just how immature they can get and in how many different ways.
Though actually, our noble recappers came close to seeing the secret early on, when they brought out how many visual metaphors there are in the shots. What finally brings everything together is biggest metaphor of all. This is a drama that shows what happens when creatures stuffed with fluff take over the world.
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Scientia
June 17, 2014 at 1:01 PM
Show's over, you won the internet for today.
Ooops did you just got upvoted a hundred times? I think my fingers just short-circuited for a moment. Had a spike of dopamine after consuming this post is all.
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windsun33
June 17, 2014 at 1:48 PM
I have obviously been missing all the major clues - how could I have NOT noticed all the teddy bears for so long.
However, you should be ashamed of yourself for posting the epic Teddy Bear Takeover spoiler when this recap is about episode 13...
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TS
June 17, 2014 at 3:38 PM
Dr Who did something like this with those cuddly parasitic aliens who were all fat. And there was a Nanny From Outer Space too.
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31 Quiet Thought
June 17, 2014 at 2:12 PM
For those who missed it, Jin Se-yeon won a 1 carat diamond ring on Running Man a week ago. I couldn't help thinking, I hope she treasures it, that's the only award she's getting this year. In spite of that good scene with the gun.
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32 Jennie
June 17, 2014 at 5:23 PM
Aww I'm just anticipating any hoonhyun couple moments. I love them so much.
but thanks ?
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33 Sajen
June 17, 2014 at 5:28 PM
I am going to learn spend the rest of the week learning how to write in Korean then I'm sending a petition to SBS and the production company. Requesting that the final 4-6 episodes consist of nothing but Hoon and Soo-hyun, nothing else just them no hospital, no patients, no city, just a white background, as they playfight with each other.
All joking aside Lee Jong Suk and Kang So Ra are the best actors on the cast the the only reason I've watched so far and will probably watch to the end. Everything else is insane.
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34 Kat
June 17, 2014 at 6:18 PM
I don't know why everyone is considering Jae Hee the main character while she's clearly not! Soo Hyun is just as important as she is!
Can't you see the under theme of this drama? Is self discovery as much as it's about revenge. Someone character yes, are going out for the revenge, while other learn to stand on their own and not accept being led by others.
People should stop bashing Soo Hyun, really now. She's really great if you ask me. And I ship the QuackCouple all the way :)
Thank you for the recap^^
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Lorda
June 17, 2014 at 8:10 PM
LOL! I can see DS going on without her just fine. She doesn't fit into the whole vibe of DS about NK conspiracies anyway. Heck, I would rejoice if Soo Hyun suddenly goes for a vacation to get away from all of the crazies that's going on and I would not miss her one bit.
"..learn to stand on their own?" Who? Do tell me who? For most part, it's Soo Hyun who follows Park Hoon like a lost puppy just hungry for his attention. Her character just regressed as DS continues. She lost all of her spunkiness and became a typical second lead.
Just my opinion =D
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35 mei mei
June 17, 2014 at 8:14 PM
Honestly, I don't even bother to try and follow the plot as I watch anymore. Every time I watch it feels like when you randomly turn on the tv to a show thats 74 episodes in and you have no idea whats going on but watch for the entertainment. Hope it gets better.
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36 boboi girl
June 17, 2014 at 8:29 PM
Am i the only one who doesn't really like Seung hee/jae hee? I don't get what her deal is. Its like the writer has forgotten to give her backstory. ive been waiting to see what happaned after she fell into the river but its just not mentioned. Im having trouble liking her though. Yes, she saves hoon multiple times from cha but still, he dedicated his entire life to getting her back, part of his character that made him so interesting was the fact he was willing to do anything to get her back, then she pretends not to know him .. why?
I just dont see her as jae hee anymore. I prefer soohyun and hoon. I dont like how they went with soo hyun this ep though. She has a bf and knows hoon is dedicated to seung hee. It just didnt fit her character to be so open about it to the point of jae joon having to straight out ask whether she likes him. I still like her and was totally shipping her and hoon. My guess is they made jaejoon nice just to make a complicated love triaqngle. Seriously, did he just forget he was a maniplitive jerk and only using her to take over the hospital?? do people do that??? I really hope they show more of seung hees story andd also re-establish soo hyuns character. these episodes based on cutesy moments dont do much for me. weve got a problem when Jaejoon is the only sane one here. ialmost feel like we need cha to be the narrator so we know what the hell is going on.
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37 Fairy
June 17, 2014 at 11:48 PM
Story might not be that intriguing and bit of a mess....but its better than any shows airing right now. I have hopes for Josean's gunman next...And I love medical dramas...
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38 tsuiteru
June 18, 2014 at 3:08 AM
I'll forgive this show if Park Hoon ends up with Soo-hyun.
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39 dramamad
June 18, 2014 at 3:44 AM
halfway through episode 14. Words. Fail. Me.
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Plod
June 18, 2014 at 8:33 AM
Same here. Except that I got all the way to the end of ep 14 and was not so much devoid of words as robbed of all mental capacity together. What rationality I once thought I had was sucked out into the total conceptual vacuum of this show.
Good manners prevent me from saying more re ep 14 before our official recappers have done their highly unenviable job on it. So for now... Just bring me my teddy bear. If I don't get to hug a cuddly toy, I'm liable to go strangle someone in sheer frustration.
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40 Mar
June 18, 2014 at 10:06 AM
-The coffee spewing, stomp on it, scene was almost worth the wtf omo Godzilla and Mothra are coming through the plot holes of this drama.
-Quack is simply sorting out her feelings. I'm not sure how having a small meltdown makes her a bad guy and The Cyborg Doctor sympathetic.
-Jin Se-Yeon is listed as 1rst lead. Kang Sora is listed as 2nd lead. While it may appear that the the universe has titled on its axis if Kang Sora is a 2nd lead at this point in her career, cast lists rarely lie. While I love when a drama goes off the trope course, it's not likely. We will likely end up with Quack & Hoon doing the we will sibling-zone each other despite the chemistry thing.
-I am not quite sure if I dislike Jin Se-Yeon as an actress or just the characters she portrays. I have this internal pondering every time I watch her in a drama.
-This drama gives us this quirky cool LJS performance that rocks the party, but yet this ludicrous medical/political plot. I need to consider whether I should just watch only LJS scenes ala the same thing I did Song Jae-rim AOF scenes.
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Kdramajjang
June 18, 2014 at 3:27 PM
I am with you on that note... and how many ep. left again? 6 right.
You see there is a reason I honestly stopped watching most kdrama live. I usually wait for the verdict, don't know what fly bit me. melo-roman-comic? not even sure.
Now I have the LJS syndrome, I really do, this guy can deliver for sure.
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Mar
June 18, 2014 at 5:47 PM
Your logic is sound, i need to back off and learn to wait. I have become much more selective though, and I am getting better at saying no and just quitting a drama. That said, here I am lol. I had no intention of watching this drama after the first 2 episode of wtf. However I found myself dropping off some other dramas, and I heart LJS, so he seduced me back into the cray cray. Sigh.
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41 marsbars
June 18, 2014 at 7:40 PM
I don't understand all these comments saying that the story is confusing. I found the story to be okay. I think people are too busy drooling over the actors that they aren't paying attention to the story. it makes perfect sense if you actually listen and pay attention. gosh people.
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42 sapphireniets
June 18, 2014 at 11:21 PM
I'm getting frankly getting rather befuddled if not irritated with where the story is going - especially the love plot between Jae Hee/Park Hoon or even Soo Hyun/Park Hoon. I feel as if the director has possibly no idea of direction he's leading in the drama. First, it was pretty clear that Jae Hee and Park Hoon were meant to be "destined" for one another; right until Soo Hyun made an appearance and the moments she had with Park Hoon. I can say I get a little squirmish (in a good way) when I see both of them together, but then the director decides to take a turn and reminds us of the Jae Hee/Park Hoon history. There are 20 episodes altogether, and from where this is going, the audience isn't able to make a clear distinction of who's going to end up with who.
Soo Hyun. A character which deserves more justice. I really like how genuine and relatable her character is proven to me. I love how sprightly she is and when two of them are together, it just forms an all too perfect, happy-go-lucky couple, despite the conspiracies and whatnot going on behind the scenes. This is the part where I think she deserves more knowledge of Park Hoon's past and what he's going through - or else it'll just make her character somewhat if not quite redundant. I would personally like to see more character development, and not just a shallow progression - but to make her interwoven with the main plot of the drama.
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43 Codeblue
June 19, 2014 at 2:31 PM
After reading all the comments here I'm very sure that everyone of you will still watch Doctor Stranger. Congrats to the whole team, Lee Jong Suk especially coz you made all the commenters confused, annoyed hahahaha. More power to Doctor Stranger. The best drama I've seen for 2014! Viewers should be broadminded to be able to understand the whole plot of the story. This drama is not for kids who only cares with the romance, hide & seek love triangle & couple awards blah blah :-). It requires passion & emotion to be able to relate with the character or Park Hoon & Jae Hee..As of Soo Hyun I don't know exactly what she is in this drama hehehe..Goodnite folks. Saranghae Lee Jong Suk, your the best!
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44 Liza
June 19, 2014 at 6:25 PM
'Gummimochi: Does this mean that the stupid surgical competition is officially over? At this point, I’m just happy to see it over with'
Hahaha good one Gummimochi..my sentiments exactly. The whole things about the surgical competition to operate the PM's heart is just way too ridiculous LOL
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45 Viv
June 29, 2014 at 12:24 AM
Im not really sure, but why is everyone shocked to hear hoon father is park cheol?
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46 Concerned
July 2, 2014 at 7:10 PM
I'm more concerned about Park Hoonie's hair..ASDFGHJKL When did he change it...That Soo-Hyun made him change it ㅠㅡㅠ i like your "wierd permed hair" Park Hoon Oppa-Shi >~<
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47 Ana Gonzalez
August 31, 2014 at 9:46 PM
I like that this drama focuses on the medical stuff and shows us a lot of doctor like tidbits because since most dramas with romance sub plots put such things in the back seat and forget completely about the fact that they are doctors or lawyers or whatever it is they are you pretty much just see their love lives develop.
-But the problem with this drama is that its put the romance so far in the back seat that now I dont even know whats happening with the main couple.
I see Hoon with 'the quack' more that I actually see him with Jae and right now Im not even sure if he still loves her or not.
This drama does a really good job of not revealing anything about anything.
Not about Jae, or the evil finger less guy shes working with.
Not why shes working with him at all or how she survived getting shot and falling off a bridge into the water or what happened after that and how she became this weird spy chick.
Not about the Premier dude and his shady secretary that likes lollipops.
Or even how Hoon matters so much.
They literally tell you the tiniest bit of information, foreshadow the most useless thing and end with a kick ass scene and BAM drama episode over.
So Im like, "Wait so all that happened but it doesnt even contribute to the main fucking plot! Whats going on with Jae? Is she good or bad? Does Hoon still love her? Waeeeeeeee is my like so hard?"
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