Descended From the Sun: Episode 7
by LollyPip
In the aftermath of disaster, our soldiers and medical team work together in the rescue effort. But it’s not simply a matter of saving lives when tough calls have to be made, with split-second decisions and strapped resources, and they find themselves literally deciding who lives and who dies.
EPISODE 7 RECAP
Having been sent back to Uruk to help with the earthquake rescue effort, Shi-jin and Dae-young jump right in with investigating the ruined power plant for trapped survivors. Young-soo, the crooked construction manager, tries to direct them towards the area of his office (and thus his hidden diamond stash), but Dae-young quickly squashes that idea, for safety reasons.
A soldier hears a noise through his equipment, and sure enough it’s the impaled worker tapping a rock on a metal strut. He’s losing strength, and Manager Go, who’s still pinned under a giant slab of concrete, does his best to keep the man awake and responding.
The rescue team speeds up their efforts once they confirm that there are survivors down there. Outside, Shi-jin and Dae-young continue to argue with Young-soo, who’s in favor of using the heavy equipment. It would be faster, but also much more dangerous.
Young-soo tries to pull rank as the Chief Manager of the site, but Shi-jin informs him that in a disaster situation, he is in charge. He has Young-soo forcibly removed, as a civilian in a rescue area.Shi-jin and Dae-young can focus now, and they figure out a plan to use their airbags to raise the fallen concrete slab that’s blocking their way into the building.
Just when the doctors are starting to hit some serious problems treating the injured, Daniel helps out by providing walkie-talkies so that they can communicate better. He’s at the Medicube, and has a patient from town with a serious skull fracture that needs immediate surgery. He asks Mo-yeon for permission to use their operating room, and she orders the Medicube staff to let Daniel do whatever he needs to do.
Young-soo saunters right back to where Shi-jin is supervising the lifting of the concrete slab, and idly comments that only a person with a death wish would crawl through that opening. Without hesitation, Shi-jin and Dae-young go right through the opening and into the building, just as the rescue team locates a group of survivors in another location and helps them out. One of the workers tells Mo-yeon that he’s heard Manager Go near to where they were trapped.
Myung-joo is also busy with patients, and one of them passes out just as Mo-yeon comes to check on things. Myung-joo starts CPR, but Mo-yeon instead just beats the man’s chest with her fist until his heart starts beating normally again.
The patient needs surgery, but there’s not enough time to send him to the Medicube. Mo-yeon decides that they need to do it here, and though Myung-joo argues that this is madness, Mo-yeon thinks it’s better than letting him die. This being Myung-joo’s patient, she has to decide… and tells nurse Min-ji to go for her instruments.
Min-ji gets back to the tent to find the instruments strewn everywhere, since Ki-bum just knocked the table over. The poor kid is trying to help, but his own shoulder injury makes it difficult for him to be useful.
Chi-hoon is also busy with a patient with a broken leg, but she refuses the anesthetic injection he’s offering. He can’t communicate with her so he doesn’t know why she’s refusing, until she shows him a picture of an ultrasound — she’s pregnant. He calms himself and mimes that it will hurt when he sets her leg, and they both grit their teeth through it.
Reporters swarm the rescue site, and one of them asks Ki-bum in English to update him on the current situation. Ki-bum can’t understand him so he tries to find someone to talk to the guy, but everyone is too busy. Sang-hyun finally offers to give him an interview if he’ll give him a ride back to the Medicube, where he’s needed.
Ki-bum finally finds a way to be useful, by donating blood to Myung-joo’s patient that’s undergoing surgery right there on site. Shi-jin interrupts to take Mo-yeon back to the collapsed building — there’s a patient inside who needs a doctor urgently. It’s Manager Go, who they’ve finally located.
He jokes about not being able to feel his legs, then admits that he was in a lot of pain until he saw Mo-yeon’s pretty face. Shi-jin ominously says that there’s another patient, and takes Mo-yeon to the man who’s been impaled on a metal spike.
He’s lucky that the spike didn’t hit his heart, but it’s dangerously close to his spine. Mo-yeon promises that if he doesn’t move, she won’t let him die. She tells Shi-jin that they need to get him to an operating room with the spike in place, but he calls her aside to talk in a scarily calm voice.
There’s a serious problem — the concrete slab on top of Manager Go, and the spike impaling the younger man, are connected. They won’t be able to free both men, and separating them safely is impossible. Mo-yeon has to make a terrible choice. She asks for ten minutes to make a decision, and Shi-jin allows her the time.
Young-soo tries again to convince Shi-jin to help him get into the office, claiming that the papers in there are too important to lose. Shi-jin just gives him a thousand-yard-stare when he starts appealing to his sense of patriotism, and growls that their country puts the lives of it’s people first. As a soldier, no paperwork is more important to Shi-jin than saving a life.
He hands Young-soo a shovel and tells him to get to work, if his papers are so important. Young-soo gets inches from Shi-jin’s face and spits that he’s made a big mistake, but just when it looks like the two are going to come to blows, a hail of rubble rains on them and Shi-jin whirls Young-soo to the ground underneath him, shielding Young-soo with his body.
A live electrical wire falls, and Shi-jin shoots down a block of concrete to move it away from the metal is landed on, to stop the sparking. He calls for help and walks away from Young-soo, but we see that he’s bleeding from a pipe that fell on him while he shielded Young-soo.
Manager Go figures out that they can’t save him and his employee, and he tells Mo-yeon to save the other man. He’s already raised his children, but the younger man has three children. He knows what this means for his own chances of survival, but Mo-yeon promises to do her best to help him as well.
Ye-hwa gets creative, offering the reporters an interview with the person of their choice in return for their donation of blood. They all want to interview Daniel, since he’s the one with disaster scene experience, but he wasn’t one of their choices and she grumbles at their stubbornness.
Dae-young enters the collapsed building, and though he’s careful, the floor goes right out from under him. Still in the middle of surgery, Myung-joo hears it happening over Ki-bum’s walkie-talkie. But she manages to keep her calm, stops Ki-bum (who’s still giving blood directly to the patient) from rushing to his hero’s side, and continues operating. A few seconds later Dae-young reports that he fell in sand, and he’s unhurt.
It’s time for Mo-yeon to decide which person to save. She tells Shi-jin that necrosis has already set in in Manager Go’s legs, and that he could go into shock and organ failure if/when they remove the concrete block. But the other patient’s injuries are so bad, he could bleed out once they start operating. She asks Shi-jin, who would he save?
He declines to answer — she’s the doctor, and it’s her decision to make. Mo-yeon argues that he’s the one with experience, and could make the best decision, but Shi-jin stops her there. There is no “best” decision here. Either way, someone will die.
Mo-yeon gets a little frantic, saying that she doesn’t know what to do, but Shi-jin says that she’s doing fine. But she needs to stop whining and make the decision, or both men will die. Nobody expects her to produce a miracle, just to make the best diagnosis that she can.
She chooses the impaled worker, and he’s freed and rushed to the Medicube for surgery. Sang-hyun meets them and takes over, telling Mo-yeon to go rest, but she stays to operate. The team scrubs in, and Mo-yeon starts by saying that this patient will not die today.
At the disaster site, the rescue efforts are done, and the dead taken care of by the soldiers. Shi-jin takes a moment with Manager Go’s body, solemnly saluting him for his self-sacrifice before he’s taken away.
Lieutenant Park only now arrives at the scene to relieve Shi-jin and his men. On the truck back to the base, Dae-young notices the blood on Myung-joo’s hands, but he doesn’t comment.
Back home, Myung-joo’s father invites Shi-jin’s father to his office, to let him know that both of their children are safe. Lieutenant General Yoon tells Shi-jin’s father that he has high hopes for his son, expecting him to become a General someday.
The Haesung Hospital employees are also updated, and Chi-hoon’s fiancee is especially relieved to hear that he’s safe. His mother is also there, and she grows shrill, demanding to talk to her son immediately. As it turns out, she’s a major benefactor of the hospital, which even sits on land that Chi-hoon’s family owns.
Now that he has time, Chi-hoon curls up thinking about the man he misdiagnosed who died. Sang-hyun joins him and tells him that the impaled patient is out of surgery and alive for now, and he asks if Chi-hoon is okay. By his silence it’s obvious that he’s not, really.
Young-soo storms into the Medicube demanding to see a doctor, claiming dizziness from low blood sugar. Nurse Ja-ae calls on the walkie-talkie for “any doctor who’s dying of boredom” to come help him, hee. When someone answers, she tells them that he needs an eye doctor, since he can’t see the condition of the critical patients all around him. I just love her snark.
Young-soo takes offense to her speaking to him in banmal, and she’s just all Oh, since you spoke to me in banmal first, I thought you wanted to be friends. She totally blows him off, leaving him amusingly frustrated.
Things are calming down, but there’s a new problem — there isn’t enough food on base to feed everyone, including the patients. Cue the skimpily-dressed bar hostess, bringing extra food to the base right on time. She’s brought enough for a hundred people, and Shi-jin offers to buy drinks for a hundred people later — on Dae-young. HA.
Shi-jin addresses his men once they’ve eaten, letting them know that their parents have all been contacted. As soon as communications are back up, they can video-call home. They’ll be back on rescue operations tomorrow, so he tells them not to dwell on the situation, but just focus and obey orders.
Myung-joo finds Dae-young washing up and comes to dry his face, and it’s cute how his eyes dart around to make sure nobody is watching, but he lets her. She asks if her father ordered him here or he came on his own, but he just replies vaguely that a commander sends his best troops to the battlefield.
Not satisfied with the neutral answer, Myung-joo asks how Dae-young would have felt if she hadn’t been alright. She has to wait a long time for his answer, but he finally admits, “I would have regretted the times I tried to run away from you.”
Myung-joo asks why he’s just standing there then, and that’s all it takes. Dae-young grabs her in a desperate hug, and she hugs him back, crying and smiling at the same time.
As the sterilizer is broken, Sang-hyun helps Ja-ae boil the used instruments that night. He gives her the password to his laptop, and instructs her to erase a certain file if anything happens to him. It’s his porn, isn’t it? Ewww, it’s totally his porn. Ja-ae reels and tells him to erase it now, but he refuses solemnly.
The patient with the impaling injury is still touch-and-go, but the patient who had surgery on-site is improving already. Chi-hoon’s pregnant patient is also doing well, and he’s even given her his phone to listen to music, to calm the baby. Mo-yeon praises Chi-hoon for being a good doctor and adds that he’ll be a good father, and he beams at her. Mo-yeon even finds the worker who gave her his shoes, and returns them to him.
A small shrine is built for the dead, eighteen at this point in time. Mo-yeon lights a candle, and we see that rescue efforts are still ongoing as night falls. Mo-yeon imagines the workers doing their jobs safely, and a vision of Manager Go stops to tell her that she’s doing a good job.
The stress of the last twenty-four hours finally hits Mo-yeon, and she lets herself cry. Shi-jin watches her, but he keeps his distance, though he looks as though he badly wants to comfort her.
A fellow soldier asks Shi-jin about his injured shoulder, and he admits it hurts a lot. Mo-yeon overhears and offers to stitch it for him. She says, out of nowhere, “I’m fine,” and Shi-jin asks how she knew that he was asking her in his head. Mo-yeon says that she heard him, loud and clear.
Shi-jin thanks her for being here, and fighting with them. He apologizes for being harsh with her earlier, but she understands — she’s a doctor, and she’s seen more people die than even a soldier has seen. He apologizes again if he wasn’t comforting enough, “… but I want you to be okay, sincerely.”
Mo-yeon smiles a little, and tells him to do something he’s good at instead of saying weird things. What she needs is his sense of humor, so he tells her she looks pretty right now. Mo-yeon says that he can’t even see her, since she’s standing behind him, but he counters that he saw her earlier.
Mo-yeon says that that was a truth, not a joke, but Shi-jin says that it was a joke. He whispers, barely audible, “I really missed you.” He admits that he tried everything he could think of, but he couldn’t stop thinking about her, and missing her.
He tells her to think about it, because this time, he’s serious.
COMMENTS
Again, I just love how these two say exactly what they’re thinking, when they’re thinking it. Shi-jin is especially good at seizing the moment, which is unsurprising considering his career, which bring the knowledge that he could literally die at any moment.
By that last line it sounds as though Shi-jin is making his declaration to pursue Mo-yeon, if she’ll allow it. I think that he respects her decision last time they saw each other to ask for an apology for kissing her, but there’s probably also a part of him that realizes that she wasn’t rejecting him completely, she was simply saying that she wasn’t quite ready yet. Entering into a relationship with a man like Shi-jin should be done with a lot of thought about what it could mean to Mo-yeon, especially the possibility of losing him to an early death, and I do believe that he understands that. But he’s also letting her know that, as much as he tried and wanted to give her space and respect her wishes, he just can’t help his feelings. And it’s very in line with his personality to tell her exactly how he’s feeling, and to ask her to consider him in this situation as well as her own feelings.
It’s so good that Dae-young’s resolve to stonewall Myung-joo is starting to crack, because I swear, his pain was starting to kill me. Even tough it took a disaster to get them there, I hope that this means that they’ll start finding their way back to each other. I even have hope that Myung-joo’s father will change his mind, because he seems like a good father and a good man. And what good father wouldn’t want his daughter to be loved as fiercely as Myung-joo is loved by Dae-young? So maybe he’s not got as much career potential as Shi-jin, but when life is so tenuous for military men, it seems as though he’ll eventually agree that her happiness is more important.
I also love that the show gives even the side characters their moments to shine and their distinct personalities, such as Sang-hyun’s competence when it comes to treating his patients, Ja-ae’s ability to keep the entire medical team on track with just a stern look, or even Ki-bum’s change from a small-time thug to a sweet kid who genuinely wants to be of help. I particularly enjoyed Chi-hoon’s growth in the last couple of episodes. We know that he’s a chaebol, and we can posit that he’s probably gotten along on good looks and charm until now. he’s a sweet kid, but he didn’t really seem prepared to be a doctor and face the realities of what that means. It was nice seeing him learn from his mistake in diagnosing the patient who died, and this week using that to treat his next patient with more care and consideration.
I’ve tried to refrain from commenting on the bad medical practices in the show, and just focus on the positive, but I have to speak out after this episode. I definitely agree with many viewers that the medicine practiced by Mo-yeon and her team is sketchy at best, and just plain dangerous and wrong at worst. I don’t know if it’s just laziness on the part of the writing team, or simply that they’ve been given bad information, but at this point I’m leaning towards Door Number One. So many things seem to be there just for dramatic purpose (Shi-jin performing cursory CPR when Mo-yeon didn’t need it, Mo-yeon whacking a patient’s chest with a fist instead of using proper resuscitation procedure), and while I understand that this is a drama and not a medical documentary, a little respect for the audience’s intelligence would be nice. We know when something is just plain wrong, and if it’s so wrong that it takes your audience out of the story, then it’s a problem that needs to be fixed. Especially when your female lead is supposedly a talented surgeon.
So, having said that, and being a viewer myself who really otherwise likes the show and wants to go on liking it, I’m making a decision to just look past the terrible medical sections. Because otherwise I’m really enjoying the story and especially the characters, particularly the two main love lines. So I’m addressing it here and I’m going to leave it here, and from here on out just try to ignore the terrible medicine. Because aside from that, it’s a solid show, with a lot to recommend it.
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Tags: Descended From the Sun, Episode 7, featured, Jin Gu, Kim Ji-won, Song Hye-gyo, Song Joong-ki
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1 lordseungri
March 17, 2016 at 6:24 PM
Strongest episode so far. Superb acting on all fronts
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mitta
March 17, 2016 at 7:46 PM
Agreed! My favourite episode to date. I was almost shedding tears for the many human interest stories in this episode.
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Ivoire
March 17, 2016 at 8:06 PM
I totally agree! I was impressed by all, even those who had cameo roles like the pregnant woman, the guy with the beam in his body, and of course Manager Go. He made me cry sooooo much, even after watching the ep. the 2nd time around.
This was such an emotional ep. for me (and I am sure I am not the only one). When I watched it the 1st time, I couldn't watch it in one go. I had to stop every 10-15mns, pause, and then come back to keep on watching. It was also soooo engaging, the time just flew by for me. I was glad that in spite of the ep.'s heaviness, they were able to inject some funny moments (Dr. Song and the nurse, and what he wanted her to erase from his notebook). I think that gave the ep. a certain balance.
I was soooo proud of Ki Bum, how he tried to help, and how proud he was that he helped save a life. He has certainly come a long way in about a year or so.
And SJ's admission to himself and to MY that he simply could not forget her, and that he had missed her deeply, no matter how hard he tried, was so beautifully acted. I loved everything about that scene: that they couldn't see each other's faces, that she chose not to back hug him (though I was thinking, pat him on the back or something, hug him gently). But how she reacted was good as well. I just really loved that moment: the lead-up to it (their conversation), and that final moment, when he shared with her how bewitched he had been by her.
SJ's/SJK's voice, his face and body language, MY's/SHK's. Everything was just SOOO good in this ep. At the end of it, I felt spent. I felt as if someone had reached into my chest, pulled out my heart, and squeezed it really hard. It had that much of an impact for me. Many things were painful and hard for me to watch, yet it was all worth it. As you put it, "strongest ep. so far."
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amyamyamy
March 17, 2016 at 8:34 PM
I agree with you -- I had to pause it in the middle of the most intense sequences (esp. with spear guy) and calm myself haha. I also really appreciated the acting of our leads and side characters (except the manager, who I am finding hard to watch). I think the chemistry is finally growing (for me). Or maybe I just like them both so much by now I'm giving the chemistry more lee-way?
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kz
March 17, 2016 at 9:14 PM
I thought the chemistry was there right from the start. To me, it did feel that way. :)
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Val
March 18, 2016 at 2:39 AM
Amazing episode. There is a lot to love here. Like in this episode, Moyeon has to pick someone to save which is against her morals and values really. It is funny that she is turning around to ask him for advise because he is familiar with such situation of choosing which of two persons to save. This used to be the issue for their break up in episode 2 but in this episode, we again are reminded that on the field, their jobs are not that dissimilar. I appreciated that he could be honest with her without worrying about their relationship because he knew that she doesn't need to be mollycoddle, she needed to be hear things objectively and honestly. Her assuring him that it was what she needed to hear and then saying that she could not have made it without him, really goes to show how perfect a match they are. Sucks to be in Moyeon position but I think she stepped up well and it is a reality in situations like that - you can't save everyone.
I was relatively upset we didn't get some last words from manager Go and a more dramatic bye bye but the next episode has this so no complains. I'll discount the terrible English scenes for all the manager Go and Ki-bum (whom I am calling puppy) scenes.
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2 Gaby
March 17, 2016 at 6:27 PM
WOHOo! Yea the medical things are sketchy af but I chose to ignore it as well.
I really liked this episode....lots of tears everywhere
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Ivoire
March 17, 2016 at 8:18 PM
@ Gaby,
Really? the medical things were sketchy? Could you mention a few of them? I am curious about that now. I was wondering, when MY was hitting that man who was (I think) leaning against the stairs, as she was trying to get his heart to beat again, wasn't that dangerous? I am asking because he was leaning against concrete, and wouldn't the force of her hitting him like that do something to the fact that his back was against cement stairs? Or am I making too much out of nothing? Also, when they showed MY hitting that guy from a distance (from higher up), it looked like she could have been hitting a dummy as opposed to a real person (or maybe she was not touching him that hard). I kind of thought about that.
I was wondering, Dr. Song is married to the nurse, right? Because I think that when he said that he should have had a wife and children, she said, "why didn't you?" or something along those lines. Was she being sarcastic? That left me confused.
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Ivoire
March 17, 2016 at 9:11 PM
OK, so I saw that my 1st question had been discussed in the comment #3, though I am still curious, was it safe to do that on the hard (concrete) stairs? I know she had to react fast, so I understand that. I was just wondering...
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Sun
March 17, 2016 at 10:31 PM
Regarding the conversation between Sang-hyun and Ja-ae, they are not married (I suspect they have feeling for each other though) and I am pretty sure she wasn't being sarcastic when she asked that. It was a straightforward question since Sang-hyun was expressing that he was regretful about not getting married by then (to use as an excuse to get out of the Uruk war zone, hah).
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Ivoire
March 18, 2016 at 2:11 AM
@ Sun,
Oh I see… And thank you! I asked b/c in a previous recap I thought it had been mentioned that they were “an item/couple,” and so I thought at first that they might have been married. But then when nurse Ja-ae made that comment (why DON’T you get married?), I became confused. Also, in some of the episodes, I think Dr. Song and nurse Ja-ae have made some references about having known each other for 30 years or so (for a quite a long time any way), and so I thought that they might have been married. There was just something about their interactions with each other, some of them felt (or looked to me) like they were a couple, and that they knew each other intimately, like the kinds of things you would know about your (life) partner, that other people would not know.
And there was also the way Dr. Song panicked when he came back to the medi-cube, after the earthquake. He ONLY calmed down ONCE he saw that nurse Ja-ae was fine. She didn’t react much, however it reinforced my thought of them being a married couple. So in this ep., when he asked her to delete that file, I was surprised, b/c I thought that as “his wife”, she might know about some of his “secrets or habits,” though I am aware that b/c people are married does not mean that they necessarily know everything about each other.
I also wanted to mention this: in the past episodes’ recaps, I noticed that LollyPip would refer to Lt. Col. Park, as Lt. Col. “Kwak.” The 1st time I read that, I was very surprised, and so I checked on AsianWiki.com to see if his family name was Park or “Kwak” (b/c when I read it in the recap, I really thought it was “Kwak.”) I noticed that no one brought it up, and LollyPip (if I may ask), I was wondering if you were just being funny or facetious for writing that, or whether there was another reason why for a few recaps, you called him Lt. Col. “Kwak,” which you didn’t do here. I was just curious about that. I hope that you will read or see my post, and that we will get an answer. Thank you!
I also had a question about Manager Go: was his accent a Saturi one? I had also been wondering about that. To me, he didn’t sound like the rest of the main characters when he spoke. Same goes for Ki Bum, is his a Saturi accent as well? It sounds different to me than what I would assume is a Seoul accent. Also, was the pregnant woman speaking in Arabic? I was trying to figure out the language she was speaking.
And my last questions (for now) would be: MY didn’t want to give any more painkillers to the impaled guy. Would they have interfered with the anesthetic needed later on for the surgery? How so? And why couldn’t he move his wrist, when MY asked him to? What did that mean? And when nurse Ja-ae shook her head “no” to MY, was she indicating to MY that Manager Go could not feel or move his leg?
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Sun
March 18, 2016 at 6:40 AM
I'm not sure about your other questions, but yes, Manager Go and Ki Bum are speaking in saturi accent. Manager Go was speaking in maybe Jeolla dialect? Ki Bum is actually using the standard Korean grammar and wordings, but his tone is still a Gyeongsang dialect one.
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lunatic4kd
March 17, 2016 at 9:05 PM
Regarding the scene where Dr. Kang whacks the man hard with her fist - that is actually CORRECT procedure when you first come onto a cardiac arrest scene and have determine there is no heartbeat. I, myself, have had to perform it. The wrong part is that they did not take a brief moment to make sure he is in arrest AND, you only do the strong first whack ONCE to the chest. Not over and over. I was screaming at the screen by her second thump. The medical stuff is definitely a bit sketchy but what I love and value most is how accurate the earthquake rubble scenes are = and the multiple layers of the rubble. Kudos for keeping the action focused in the rescues and aftermath.
I am loving this drama. The first episode had me worried - but I'm all in...just living for each moment that Song Joong Ki stares at her with these luscious deep big eyes of his. YUM!!!
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michelle
March 17, 2016 at 9:15 PM
right, I was wondering if she somehow had assessed whether the man had a cardiac arrest in the span of time it took her to push away mj and start the thumping?
also "luscious deep big eyes" honestly sameeee
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hwaiting
March 18, 2016 at 1:40 AM
It is the correct procedure. Hitting the chest is called a "precordial thump" the purpose of which is to interrupt a potentially life threatening rhythm. Luckily it worked for MY because the heart started beating again. A lot of medical dramas fall short of the real deal but in Dots case it's forgivable. The part where SJK was doing CPR on SKY wasn't the right technique but rather than annoyed I found it amusing. SJK was very "careful" in doing the chest compressions , poor guy was cute and uneasy in that episode. You can tell SJK is very respectful and will not take advantage of the situation.
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Ivoire
March 18, 2016 at 3:10 AM
@ hwaiting,
Thank you for explaining! And also thank you for bringing up the way SJK did the CPR on SHK in a previous ep. I had been wondering about that, having taken a CPR class myself. I think SJK was trying (really hard) to NOT touch SHK’s breasts (for lack of a better word) during the chest compressions, wasn’t he? That was what came to my mind, when I saw that scene.
You know, I had been thinking about the stars of SKKS, and I have come to realize that all of them have become “successful” in their own right and in their own way. They are at least lead characters when they act in dramas, and sometimes in movies. They are being recognized for their acting performances individually, each of them receiving some awards for their work. It must be nice to be such colleagues (and friends for some of them), and witness each other’s growth personally and professionally. That has not happened to many ensemble cast.
As I have been reflecting on the drama since its 1st ep., I realized that SJ and MJ are quite alike: they tend to go after the person they are interested in romantically, and they don’t hold back. They are not afraid of confessing their love in many different ways, and they are not afraid of being emotionally vulnerable around the object of their affection. I really loved that line by MJ, “why should I have any pride, when DY loves me so much?” To be so confident of someone’s love for you, that has to be very comforting, and empowering. And SJ’s expressed longing (for MY) was very respectful, which made it that much more endearing..
And I find DY and MY interesting in that in this drama, they are the cautious ones. DY said in a previous ep. that “he keeps shooting himself in the foot,” I wonder what he meant by that. Both characters are in love with the people who love them, however there are reasons that make them not want to take the plunge, not fully at least (not yet). ‘
I love that with MY having to work with SJ (and his team), she was able to see some of what soldiers do, and have her perspective broadened about the kinds of responsibilities they shoulder. I really loved that SJ made MY decide which patient was going to be treated (and live), and that he was firm when he was dealing with her (but not mean, or at least, he did not mean to be). I think that from then on, MY would not think that SJ only made easy decisions in his work.
SJ on the other hand, could only appreciate better how good (and how caring) of a doctor (and surgeon) MY really is. Her “sexy-ness” is not only physical, it is also her resilience, how practical she could be when needed, and her endurance.
I also loved how the waitress (and her colleague) came to help by providing food. Was I the only one who wondered if those were Subway sandwiches? (That was my 1st thought honestly, knowing that Subway is one of the many sponsors of the drama).
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growingbeautifully
March 18, 2016 at 3:35 AM
Hi Ivoire
I've been in and out of here and commented below #25, in case you were looking for me. :)
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hwaiting
March 18, 2016 at 5:37 AM
@Ivoire You're quite welcome! Yes, SJK was very careful in doing the chest compressions, you don't want to annoy the Hallyu Goddess! :)
I am very impressed at how the 4 leads from SKKS have come a long way. They are all very successful and I read that they have remained good friends...Yoochun and SJK, SJK and YAI. Of course Park Min Young is doing very well with the success of Healer.
Love reading your posts since Healer btw. :)
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3 michelle
March 17, 2016 at 6:27 PM
one of my favorite moments was the last scene. im still honestly amazed by song joongki's acting again and again. he isn't even looking at her, and yet i feel so much emotion and the scene is so well done?? help, i'm in too deep
(also REALLY wanted to punch the executive manager person in the face godddd)
dots is such an easy watch i'm actually really enjoying it n___n
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michelle
March 17, 2016 at 6:34 PM
AND echoing the medical practice comments.... srsly who did the research for this drama lmaooo... moyeon whacking the patient's chest was so!!!?? ? and also the surgery in the dust?? like. what the fuck?
but sometimes u gotta just... turn ur brain off for parts of this and enjoy it. enjoy song joongki's loving gazes and the cheesy osts and the slick heroic actions and the funny one-liners...
also did anyone see song joongki at the style icon asia awards bc DAMN..... i honestly can't believe he's 30 like wtf, your skin is so radiant and glowing and you look 20, mid twenties tops
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Ryan
March 17, 2016 at 6:37 PM
There was a pic of PBG and SJK side by side and PBG literally looked 4 years older than SJK. How is SJK his hyung by almost 8 years
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michelle
March 17, 2016 at 6:41 PM
omg yeah. i was like wait they look the same age, actually no pbg looks older??? how?
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LollyPip
March 17, 2016 at 6:42 PM
Witchcraft.
michelle
March 17, 2016 at 7:19 PM
LMAO i know right? he's like a goddamn vampire, unaging and flawless T____T
lemonade candy
March 18, 2016 at 10:17 AM
SJK found the fountain of youth~ and drunk the elixir of life~
Now, what we gotta do is...
Let's kidnap him and then ask him the location of the said fountain; and then we can be youthful forrevaaaaa~
Muhaahahaha.
He's so perfectly hot in this show...So. So. Freaking. Hot.
(Plot holes? Logic? Yeah, wise men said, throw them all outside the window before watching anything, then you can enjoy it)
pohonphee
March 17, 2016 at 7:01 PM
And I wait.... until I see Meoyon running around in short skirt and high heels in supposedly a medical rescue team, I got the idea that the character is a practical and competent surgeon, but that seems.....so unpractical. There is a reason why scrubs cloths are shirt and trouserts pair not shirt and short skirt pair.
But the drama is so brainlessly addictive so.... my argument hold no water
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lemondoodle
March 17, 2016 at 7:06 PM
This isn't even that strange. She's not part a medical rescue team. They were there to set up the medicube for a couple weaks, not do any real work. She was also on her way home when the earth quake hit. Her clothes aren't practical for the environment, but someone has to wear the pretty sponsor clothes since nobody else can.
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pohonphee
March 17, 2016 at 7:22 PM
I know, I just imagine if I were to be sent to a country to set of medicube or somerhing other than travelling for fun like Urk where there are war and the facilities limited and masquitos! :D I would not wear heels, if I want wear something short, I choose shorts not skirt. Never mind my comment, I really appreciate they effort to bring the beauty! SHK is like a delicate porcelain doll so beautiful. :D
Ivoire
March 17, 2016 at 8:42 PM
About this, "but someone has to wear the pretty sponsor clothes since nobody else can."
I am just wondering, could no one else really not wear the "pretty sponsor clothes?" She had other medical personnel on her team (other actors and actresses), right? And I am not being sarcastic or anything, I am just genuinely asking. Is it b/c she is one of the (main) stars of the show? (Is the only explanation I can come up with). Her clothes looked very simple (to me) though, at least when she wears shorts, and what she wore during the rescue times. I can see how what she wore during the kiss scene (for example), would be designer/sponsor made (basically high end kind of clothing).
michelle
March 17, 2016 at 8:50 PM
@ Ivoire, yes i do think it's because she's one of the main stars of the show. In most kdramas with ppl and clothing/brand sponsoring, they'd probably want to make sure to get the most amount of screen time they could. I'm reminded of how Jeon Jihyun's character in YWCFTS basically sold out lip colors (not sure if they were the same brand, but it made an Impact) and also more recently, the ginseng thing YSJ was drinking/eating in like episodes 3 or 4?? or 5? not sure, but that ginseng thing is also suddenly selling really well.
oanda
March 17, 2016 at 7:41 PM
My sister is a doctor. Sometimes she has to go to a remote, poor and mountainous area for a one-week working trip (I am from a developing country and that area does not have enough doctor). She does bring heels with her.
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pohonphee
March 17, 2016 at 7:53 PM
Actually I bring and keep heels (another citizen from developing country and work at it) too for formal occasion :D like a tea party with head of something etc but not for every day working. Different stroke for different folk I guess. I have also friend who wears heels every where, careless if that brings her own problem.
foreveryoung
March 17, 2016 at 8:01 PM
If you noticed, she does not only bring heels and it depends on the occasion that she decides to wear heels or not. I see no problem with her wearing heels when leaving for South Korea.
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amyamyamy
March 17, 2016 at 8:43 PM
That's funny--I actually LOVED that she was in heels. She was about to head home, wasn't doing anything that adventurous...and then WHAM there's a huge disaster. I think it shows how off-guard everyone was and then, when she hacks off the heels of her shoes, how awesome and resourceful and willing to get her hands (shoes) dirty to work and be B.A.
It reminds me of (spoilers for Jurassic World) how everyone made a fuss when Bryce Dallas Howard's character in Jurassic World wore heels throughout the whole movie and everyone was upset about it. Apparently BDH said it was because she wanted to show a strong woman and the heels were symbolic of that (not trying to rehash JW controversies, just trying to make a comparison). When MY just took her heels and snapped off the inconvenient bit, I was like "Yes! THAT is what a strong woman would do if she was in a disaster zone and needed to not be dragged down by what she was wearing." I actually cheered at that bit.
So I loved it haha. Thought I'd offer my two cents :)
And you're right...super addicting haha
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michelle
March 17, 2016 at 8:56 PM
omg i loved jurassic world haha. maybe it's because i wasn't a hardcore jurassic park fan, so i didn't have much issue with the movie in general, and past that, i loved that bryce's character wore heels through the whole move. it was in character to do so, because her character was uptight and orderly and it's just something she would do, and it also showed the contrast of her in an environment in which she didn't have control over everything.
and also, yeah i do love how moyeon snapped off the heels of her shoes to go help the injured people, that's not what i'm bothered about-- which is just like in general, the appropriateness of wardrobe and medical procedures. but honestly, it's a small gripe and i forget about it enough to watch the episodes w/o it bothering me.
pohonphee
March 17, 2016 at 9:28 PM
Ha ha ha yes the jurrasic world reference, it also came of when I talked about Moyeon's heels in Dots with my friend. The amount of dedication form these actresses for that part alone is incredible.
I don't watch movie or drama for some realities, but still like to comment and make fun about it. ^^
ColourMeHaneul
March 17, 2016 at 10:23 PM
The medical scenes were so frustrating and Mo-yeon was everywhere. I know that she is the lead but I was hoping that they focused her on 1 or 2 patients and showed us more on how an awesome doctor she is. Also her colleague still have his scrubs (male doctor who was supposed to go home with her) why can't they dress her up more appropriately? Please don't hate me, I'm just airing my thoughts :)
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Maya
March 17, 2016 at 7:01 PM
The Thump thing SHK did is a legit thing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precordial_thump
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xpb20-8Jp0A
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Belle
March 17, 2016 at 8:12 PM
I wasn't surprised when Mo-yeon did it!!! This maneuver was recently demonstrated during my CPR class a few weeks ago. The thump is meant to move blood to the brain the quickest way possible!!
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sungsta
March 18, 2016 at 3:29 AM
Nope, the thump is meant to defibrillate the heart, not move blood to the brain. Because it generates so little energy, it will only occasionally work, and only when the patient has just started to go into VT/VF.
It's CPR that moves blood to the brain.
lunatic4kd
March 17, 2016 at 9:10 PM
YEs, it is! But just one thump - not several!
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lana
March 17, 2016 at 7:02 PM
SJK needs to share his aging tips with the world....there is no way he is turning 32 this year.
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michelle
March 17, 2016 at 8:10 PM
he's turning 31 actually! he's a september baby haha... u___u still, i agree, he's looking impossibly young
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Ivoire
March 17, 2016 at 9:00 PM
I think that makes SJK 32 in Korea, that might be what lana was referring to.
Also, some people do manage to look very young for a looong time. I have some friends like that. One female in particular. Like SJK, she has really beautiful skin (and very smooth and even too). I have known her for over 40 years (she is older than me), and she looks really beautiful, and very young for her age. She has two grown daughters (over 20), and on their group pictures, she looks their age, or very close to it. They don't look like mother and daughters, but like all three are sisters. I also have some cousins who are aging incredibly well, with really beautiful young looking skin.
Carinne
March 18, 2016 at 12:03 AM
@Ivoire
Then, I recommend you to watch The Crossing, a Chinese movie, Parts 1 & 2, then you'll see the true her. The beginning of this show shared those same flaws too.
I don't deny she's a beauty, however the nip tuck is a reality for most actresses. Not excluding SHK.
lemondoodle
March 17, 2016 at 7:03 PM
The chest wack is an actual procedure though.
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michelle
March 17, 2016 at 7:18 PM
yeah it's a precordial thump, so not so questionable i guess haha my mistake.
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kz
March 17, 2016 at 7:20 PM
It's an actual medical procedure. I've seen it in many Gray's Anatomy scenes.
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ColourMeHaneul
March 17, 2016 at 10:39 PM
Speaking of Gray's Anatomy that scene where one should die to save the other is somewhat similar to one of their episodes (season 2 episode 5) :D
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So ok
March 17, 2016 at 8:09 PM
The last scene, why was he still wearing his top while she stitched his wound?!?
Ya, I am shallow.
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Ivoire
March 17, 2016 at 9:04 PM
I kind of wondered about that as well, only b/c I wondered if it might not have been easier to clean his wound and area, and stitch it without his shirt on.
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Sun
March 17, 2016 at 10:37 PM
Did MY clean the wound before stitching it up? I don't think I see her do that.
Nermin Badwi
March 18, 2016 at 5:14 AM
Yeah, I was wondering about that too.
Regardless of the pretty we would love to see.
You can suture without cleaning and it would require him to remove his shirt or she could have cut it.
Guess they have only paid for 1 topless scene till now :D
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Nermin Badwi
March 18, 2016 at 5:15 AM
Can't *
So ok
March 18, 2016 at 5:53 AM
Haha. I would prefer they spend the budget on SJ topless scene and elaborate tower toppling scene.
Beez
March 17, 2016 at 6:50 PM
Ditto! Although I was chanting "will somebody hit him in the throat already to shut him up for about a week!"
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michelle
March 17, 2016 at 7:23 PM
legit, and even seeing the preview for the next few episodes makes my skin crawl. i hate him, which means he's doing a great job of being unlikeable hahah
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growingbeautifully
March 17, 2016 at 10:56 PM
And I remember liking him quite a bit as the loan shark ahjusshi in Liar Game. He's a sufficiently good actor that we can hate him with impunity now! LOL.
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Jeanie
March 18, 2016 at 3:20 AM
Aw, and I quite liked him (for the most part) also as the eunuch in Empress Ki! Hehe.
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Beez
March 18, 2016 at 4:30 PM
Ohhh yeah. And I think he's the likeable weasel in Gong Yoo's The Suspect.
4 tina
March 17, 2016 at 6:30 PM
its a fun and easy watch. SJK's acting is just fantastic.
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5 Jan
March 17, 2016 at 6:36 PM
I watched Dots last night while working on some papers. This can be a sign that I am not that invested in watching this drama anymore :(
If only there's a strong plot..
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Lemona
March 17, 2016 at 7:23 PM
Ditto. I can't grasp what's the central conflict/gist even after 8 episodes into the drama. After Signal, DotS seems very lackluster. Signal is too solid to beat.
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michelle
March 17, 2016 at 7:38 PM
definitely storytelling-wise and direction wise, signal is way more solid, but also these are two completely different genres. dots is very.... not plot based, there's just a lot of interpersonal conflict and recently an earthquake lol. the drama is lackluster in this aspect, but i like to think the production quality and mostly solid cast carries this show... or mb it's my overwhelming bias towards sjk and kjw
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lemondoodle
March 17, 2016 at 9:45 PM
I don't get this complaint really. It's a slice of life drama in a disaster/war zone about a doctor and a solider falling in love. The diamonds/gun issue as well seems like it will be central to the plot as well, and the overall theme is how people learn to understand each other.
And I wouldn't compare Signal to DoTS.
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msmaymay
March 17, 2016 at 10:19 PM
I think it's a personal opinion. To you, Signal is solid but too others Dots is a bit better in the storyline and acting. To me, Signal started out strong but halfway through, it became predictable. I think I couldn't finish Signal was because I kept comparing it to Nine. Nine was a damn good drama.
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Donggg
March 17, 2016 at 11:46 PM
What ? Dots is a bit better ??? Please don't compare a brilliant show like Signal to average Dots!
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newbie
March 18, 2016 at 1:09 AM
+1
Except: DotS is below average. It is so lackluster and full of ludicrous scenes. But one half of the OTP pulls in all the viewers, that's for sure. Without him I would have stopped watching after ep 3. Now I ff everything but his scenes. Damn, SJK you're good, but that doesn't make the drama good.
moony
March 18, 2016 at 4:16 AM
That person is free to an opinion though? As they stated themselves, it's a personal opinion.
growingbeautifully
March 17, 2016 at 11:06 PM
May I suggest another way of looking at DOTS so that it can maybe still be enjoyed as it is? I left a comment in #25 that gives another perspective.
DOTS can be watched as a romance and and as a slice-of-life relationship growth arc drama, however there is also the possibility of seeing how the characters shift and grow in the way they approach what defines them, based on the situations they are placed in and the decisions they make. These inform their choices in their relationships as well. Rather than the more usual romance that makes the decisions, we have the characters' ideologies and perspectives that affect decisions and a romance is part of these. :)
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6 milktea
March 17, 2016 at 6:38 PM
thank you thank you! been waiting for this! reading while listening to the OST lol
love love love this drama, it's SO well acted from all the characters and carries so much emotion, and i think its storyline is actually very good - you understand where the main characters' reasoning is coming from when they make their decisions and you feel for them and the conflicts they're facing... i really don't think the drama is overrated like some have been saying. LOVE IT <3
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7 greenteaicecream
March 17, 2016 at 6:38 PM
I feel like people wre so judgement about this drama even before it aired. I remember when the official poster was released, the comments that followed were mostly negative and so nitpicky ("why is she wearing shorts in the field", "a doctor but can't tie her shoelaces" etc.) and seeing as how that particular scene came about last week, it was unfair.
Oh well, there loss.
I love how the series is going. It has it's flaws but I loor forward to it every week.
The writer does seem to veer away from her usual thing with this series especially with the lead female.
DotS is what keeps my week interesting.
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ryan
March 17, 2016 at 6:40 PM
i sometimes have to recheck that KES wrote this show....looks like she had an epiphany about her female characters or her cowriter helped her on that.
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lemondoodle
March 17, 2016 at 6:52 PM
So many people decided they hated everything about this before they even watched it...
And yes, I'm surprised how awesome and strong minded Mo-yeon. She's an equal character to SJ and stands on her own. No dragging her around by her wrist and forcing her to love the male lead.
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Belle
March 17, 2016 at 8:29 PM
The medical field is a competitive world that is not for the weak of heart. Male or female should be able to excel and demonstrate strength in every aspect of training. In case of Mo-yeon, she surely demonstrates her strong character.
For Shi-jin, he is definitely an officer and a gentleman.
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lemondoodle
March 17, 2016 at 9:41 PM
That's true, but it's never stopped KES from making her female leads useless before lol
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newbie
March 18, 2016 at 1:17 AM
She is strong?! She is the big boss doctor in this situation and was unable to make a decision which patient to rescue. She asked some random guy (yes, he was just random in this situation, because he is no doc) what to do! Come on! She is supposed to be a surgeon and a life and death situation is her daily bread.
This what makes me despise so many female characters in Kdrama. The writer needs to give them a certain vulnerability to make the man next to her more heroic, but due to that the women ofter appear unprofessional. And I really can't help it, but that makes me furious.
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ColourMeHaneul
March 18, 2016 at 4:27 AM
@Newbie +1000
I was hoping for a female lead that can call the shots regardless of the situation specially in her line of work.
Cotton Candy
March 18, 2016 at 3:20 PM
It's a tough decision, and she still ended up making her own choice at the end. You've got problems if you think female characters aren't supposed to be vulnerable or be hesitant. They're only humans. Don't piss your pants.
newbie
March 19, 2016 at 1:48 AM
Seems like someone else pissed her pants. Lol.
To clarify my point: Our lead is no beginner learning her profession. She has several years of practicing her job under her belt. And she is supposed to have already worked in Africa. With this kind of experience and background I find her behavior stupid and unnecessary. The writer should then have made her a fresh out of university newbie with zilch experience in the field.
Do you see my point? If the female lead is to have an impressive cv, then let her act they way.
Valentina
March 17, 2016 at 6:58 PM
I completely agree with what you said. I feel like people had such a negative view of KES, rightfully so, but when I saw the scene play out, especially the scene where Shi Jin talk about the kiss, I understood that it's better to watch first then make judgements. Both scenes were done well and honestly, I wish people continued to give the drama a chance. All I keep hearing is how the drama has no plot or how it's cheesy because it only focuses on the romance, but I cried from eps 6-8. I think MY really resonates with me because I am currently a pre-med students and her character (and this drama) is really giving me the motivation I need to get through school/ reminding me why I chose the medical field in the first place. I only dislike the fact that people hate her character solely because she rejects Shi Jin (major eye roll)
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greenteaicecream
March 17, 2016 at 7:14 PM
I am a Nurse and seeing this reminded me of how I initially wanted to be a Military Nurse while in school but my parents strongly objected.
That being said, I cringe how on the "medical" aspect of the drama. How they do CPR is one thing but operating on site with all that dirt made the OR Nurse in me cry (we live by the motto: Sterility. Always.). I am no expert but I'm pretty sure that is not how you do it even in an emergency situation.
But then again, I have decided to give up in the medical accuracy and just appreciate the romance and the all the pretty (SJK!!)
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karen
March 17, 2016 at 7:49 PM
Out of curiosity, would they rather operate in the dust (Which i assume gives many post side effects) or try to transport him to a facility (Where he may not may it in time?)
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greenteaicecream
March 17, 2016 at 8:45 PM
Honestly, I have no idea. My nursing experience have all been in yhe hospital and medical missions so it's all organized and stuff.
foreveryoung
March 17, 2016 at 7:58 PM
I am originally from Vietnam. My parents fought during the war. They told me that in many cases, medical operations were conducted on site in very bad conditions without proper equipment.
And as a SJK fan, I do not feel good when people only comment about the fact that he is pretty, but not his acting talents (the same for SHK).
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greenteaicecream
March 17, 2016 at 8:48 PM
I think people are very much aware that SJK CAN act and has the kind of presence that is hard to ignore. I actually think he overshadows SHK in most scenes they have together.
By pretty I meant in alot of aspects like cinematography, production and of course, the actors.
foreveryoung
March 17, 2016 at 8:56 PM
To follow your definition of pretty, I think they are both pretty, hard to say who is prettier.
Carinne
March 17, 2016 at 11:39 PM
Sterility would be a privilege not mandatory during natural diasters, and still is so in some parts of the world. Sad and awakening reality.
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pjsleep
March 18, 2016 at 4:59 AM
"I actually think he overshadows SHK in most scenes they have together."
110% Agree.
mee
March 17, 2016 at 8:11 PM
" I think MY really resonates with me because I am currently a pre-med students and her character (and this drama) is really giving me the motivation I need to get through school/ reminding me why I chose the medical field in the first place"
Yes, yes, yes. This is exactly the same reason I haven't really been captivated by any dramas recently except for this one now. Although most of her medical procedures look so unrealistic (where are her gloves for half of the medically-related scenes!?!?) I don't mind because the topic brings up her reasons to become a doctor, and what it encompasses. School as a pre-med is tiring and a struggle and I like that this is somewhat a reminder of why this pain could all be worth it in the end.
Also watching because I just love SJK and his character way too much. First official drama from him and I'm swoooooonnning by the first ep in.
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Nermin Badwi
March 18, 2016 at 5:26 AM
A medical student here, I'm honestly bothered more by how they dress her more than the medical stuff ( I switch off my brain there). I also like her character, I would love to see her less (out of her element) I'm not critiquing just stating what I would love to see.
Also is none bothered by the shitty foreign language, Its Arabic and ughhh the language is so bad I cringe every time.
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jiwon
March 18, 2016 at 4:22 AM
Sure, but let's not forget that Kim Won Suk was also a contributing writer for DotS. It's not just Kim Eun Sook, and I suspect that the human side of the drama may be accredited to him.
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Nermin Badwi
March 18, 2016 at 5:32 AM
Honestly,I'm liking Dots but when I think of the writer. I don't think that it's KES drama. I always the other writer and thank him/her.
Because I don't think KES would have managed to do it on her own. I'm still worried that she would ruin her latter.
Let's the odds be in our favors ??
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8 Atom
March 17, 2016 at 6:46 PM
I find the storyline rather refreshing as it is not only about the love between the OTP but also presents something much more meaningful; it seems to have touched and awaken our sleeping self. The show allows us to make a quick connection with our very own human spirit when observing the lost, the pain, the sacrifice as well as the power of unity in time of need.
I tear up as lives are lost and tremendous efforts are being put in to save the remaining. i am touched by the eagerness to help from most characters in whatever way they can, especially the cute Kim Gi Beom or even the dinner delivery girl. The sacrifice and positive attitude from manager Ko pain my heart. i weep with KMY as she lets her emotion burst out as i seem to understand her sadness in such helpless situation. This episode is heavy but portraits the lights of humanity.
It's heartwarming to see our good-guy characters shine in their own way when facing difficulties. I see the development of most characters with understanding of themselves and others as the show progresses. It's pleasant to see DY realised and cherished the love he has.
Although there's little interaction between our OTP in this episode but it is not at all disappointing. SJ always look out for KMY and he has this very great opportunity to confirm to himself of MY's pure, beautiful and kind heart. KMY also seems to have more understanding about SJ's role and duty as they go through the crisis. The quiet and much needed conversation they had at night was precious, open and sweet. The feeling they share will definitely deepened simply because of the admiration and understanding towards each other.
More heartbreaking and tears to shed and hopefully more sweet moments from the show in the next episode, I can't wait. :)
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9 kz
March 17, 2016 at 6:52 PM
Today’s episode rocked. The scenes were moving, and the call of patriotism was spread out across all corners. Doctors, soldiers, volunteers, local barmen all pitching in and helping each other in the aftermath of the quake. The scenes were busy and chaotic yet each story unfolded slowly for us to catch a lesson or two, to know what patriotism meant for each person. To Myung Joo who didn’t have the luxury of an operating room, it meant standing her ground, operating on the wounded before her even as she hears in the intercom that her loved one has fallen into an accident. To Lt. Ki Bum, it meant giving blood, if that was the only form of help he could give at that time. To Dr. Kang Mo Yeon, it was the ultimate test of mental strength and wisdom as a doctor. Who to save between two dying patients who both equally deserve another chance at life. To Yoo Si Jin, it was (among others), saving the jerky plant manager and put up with his pesky attitude.
Everyone in this episode had their story and struggle to tell. It was beautiful watching this episode today. Every person’s concern was real and not one person was more important than the other. The only business for the day was the business of saving lives in whatever capacity.
And on, Si jin. That honesty :-)
The whole episode focused on showing us what a rescue operation looks like, in a general sense and zeroing in on a personal one. I thought the cinematography and direction was great. It really showed us the chaos of an earthquake aftermath and nothing felt forced. I liked the leadership that both Si Jin and Mo Yeon exemplified in this episode. Without clear leadership, the rescue operation wouldn’t go smoothly so each had to perform their roles excellently. It really is in times like these that you appreciate leaders who are able to set aside emotions and feelings and decide head on what must be done for the day. It also shows you the tough decisions that leaders make when there are no rules or protocols, as Mo Yeon pointed out. Stripped off proper medical and rescue equipment, the most basic foundation they operate on is the intrinsic value of a human life. They have to make do with their current lot in order to save a life.
And on a personal level, this sense of rescue seemed greater to our four main characters. All were subtle and cautious in showing this, but the conversations between them reveal just how restrained they were as far as wanting to “rescue” or protect the other was concerned. The thing that really got me in this episode was this honest confession of feelings. Among the four of them, Yoo Si Jin and Myung Joo have been the most consistent. They wear their heart on their sleeves and they don’t think twice about letting their feelings known. Si Jin was just great in this episode. As I mentioned in the previous post, he is direct but not aggressive. There is still that vulnerability to him that adds to his overall charm. His calm demeanor and honesty when he talks about...
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michelle
March 17, 2016 at 7:42 PM
"he is direct but not aggressive" yes, yes, yes. shijin is just bringing it all to the table. i can't explain how in love i am with his character.
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Busybee
March 18, 2016 at 4:44 AM
Me too!
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10 kz
March 17, 2016 at 6:52 PM
(cont)
his feelings is refreshing and I only expect Mo Yeon to put her guard down and let her defenses crumble. Yes, their relationship will always present a unique danger, but wouldn’t both also do their very best to save and protect each other amidst this danger?
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11 August
March 17, 2016 at 6:53 PM
The last picture....Awwwww bromance!
http://www.soompi.com/2016/03/16/9-times-the-descendants-of-the-sun-bromance-was-best-bromance/
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12 zakin89
March 17, 2016 at 6:54 PM
The precordial thump (the whacking of the patient's chest) is a thing though. It's used when the cardiac arrest is witnessed and when there is no defibrillator at hand. It's basically used instead of the defi and if needed usual CPR is administered in addition!
Yeah I did did a little research because I have seen this on TV before (ER for example LOL) and I wanted to know if this was just for dramatic purposes or not^^
Other than that... GAH I LOVED Chi Hoon's scenes with the pregnant patient! So sweet!
And I love the side characters so much! Nurse Ha's sass knows no bounds and I love it!
As for the romance, I could actually do without it (give me the bromance instead!) but I do enjoy Dae Young and Myung Joo so much!
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sungsta
March 18, 2016 at 1:46 AM
Yup, the thump can generate about 5 joules of energy.. and can occasionally be useful in the context of a witnessed pulseless collapse.
But it's a very old fashioned technique though. It rarely works (just to put it in context, a standard defribillator shock typically delivers about 150 joules of energy), and is associated with traumatic chest injuries... so it's no longer a recommended part of the CPR process nowadays.
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13 Beez
March 17, 2016 at 6:55 PM
Can anyone tell me why MooYeon was speaking English to the impaled soldier? I don't speak Korean but it sounded like he was speaking Korean except when talking with her. Was it a dialect that she couldn't understand so the need for English?
And...why hello there devil mother-in-law from Secret Garden who's aging backwards. ?
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Valentina
March 17, 2016 at 6:59 PM
No, he was speaking english, that's why there were translations on the screen
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yukie
March 17, 2016 at 9:10 PM
The worker is a local worker. Who is only able to understand limited and basic Korean. That's why MY used English.
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14 lemondoodle
March 17, 2016 at 6:59 PM
I thought Mo-yeon/SHK really got to shine this episode and I'm glad to see that. I appreciate the female lead given equal importance in the drama. Some of the medical practices are questionable, but it's not a big deal for me.
And I really liked the ending confession more so than the ones before it. I do think he always liked her, but it wasn't until he was away from her that he actually knew the extent of his feelings. He was just saying last week he'd be fine soon, but turns out he really wasn't. I do think he still has bad timing issues in his love confessions, but I appreciate he's giving her the option to think about her feelings instead of asking for a choice before he leaves again. I can totally understand why she's hesitate even if the guy is super charming. She's around death all day, does she really want to come home to the possibility of it happening to her husband/boyfriend all the time?
I also still love how open and honest the two are.
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15 Lily
March 17, 2016 at 7:00 PM
OMG the rich Ajhumma is back! Someone needs to make a list of all the dramas she's played a rich person's mom in..
Heirs, Mask, Bubblegum....
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maiia
March 17, 2016 at 8:03 PM
secret garden, rooftop prince, emergency couple,
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michelle
March 17, 2016 at 8:24 PM
omg i laughed when i saw her!! token rich chaebol mom is backkk
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lemondoodle
March 17, 2016 at 9:39 PM
I liked that she treated her daughter in law well for once though!
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Carinne
March 17, 2016 at 11:30 PM
That's caring for the bloodline not really the vessel carrying the jewels. MILs, pssssh!
heavensent
March 18, 2016 at 12:26 AM
I agree! haha
yukie
March 17, 2016 at 9:12 PM
I was so happy to see her. LOL
Of all the rich chaebol Mom they can pick. They cast her!!!! Best person to scold haughty chairman ???
Then again. I think it's coz the writer has been working w her so many times.
Makes me wonder if she ever play as dirt poor Mom?
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mido
March 17, 2016 at 10:56 PM
She was in hundred year inheritance, she was eugene's aunt or something like that, there she was not that rich or poor too.
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sorrynotsorry
March 18, 2016 at 4:54 AM
This is the 3rd KES drama I've seen her in; these writers do have their favorites.
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16 aqua❤jcw
March 17, 2016 at 7:07 PM
Woh!! The writernim allowed the female lead to take decisions...on her own!! I really liked that part... especially the fact that both female leads are strong independent women with their own minds. And regardless of the 'shut my brain down' scenes... she definitely know how to tug at my heartstrings.
Also I want to ask the chingus here with medical background, Even though the scene with the pregnant lady refusing anesthetic was so touching... I would really like to know if local anesthesia is bad for the baby??
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lemondoodle
March 17, 2016 at 7:11 PM
Yes, I think it's a concern (re : local anesthesia) especially if she was early in her pregnancy. My sister waited until she was further along in her pregnancy to get some dental work done. I also think it's a personal thing that a woman might not want to risk as well.
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SS
March 17, 2016 at 8:25 PM
I think it was just a natural concern as well. As a mother, any medication taken during pregnancy is scary because we don't want to harm the fetus. I think the mother was just scared and worried. I found that scene to be very touching too.
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17 Jeanie
March 17, 2016 at 7:14 PM
Strongest episode in the series so far. I enjoyed the fact that the focus was strongly on the situation at hand, the struggles in a disaster zone and the tough decisions that the rescue teams had to face, rather than the love lines (which you would think to see in KES's dramas). I also liked the fact that Moyeon is slowly understanding Shijin's line of work and hopefully would reconsider the things she told him during their conversation at the cafe. Especially since she was also put in a situation where she had to choose one life over the other. I guess now she understands that in these situations, there is no right or wrong, you just try to save people to the best of your abilities and hold firm with those decisions.
Manager Go tho! I shed tears. And near the end, when Moyeon was envisioning happier days at the site, I cried with her. That scene was well done. You could feel all the sadness, frustration, helplessness.
I appreciate that the love lines took a back seat this episode. It was there but it wasn't in your face, as it should be, given the situation. That said, I liked the forward movement in both couple's relationships. Can't wait for episode 8.
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kz
March 17, 2016 at 7:18 PM
episodes 8 is out, and so far that's my favorite episode! THE LAST PART WAS PURE GENIUS. hehe. :) *no spoilers here
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Jeanie
March 17, 2016 at 7:22 PM
UWAHHHHHH!!!!! Off to watch then!! :)
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lemondoodle
March 17, 2016 at 7:38 PM
Seriously greatest scene ever. I LOVED IT SO MUCH.
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kazu
March 17, 2016 at 7:42 PM
ikr!!! I CAN'T HANDLE IT!!!
Really want to talk about the last part, but don't want to give spoilers :D
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maiia
March 17, 2016 at 8:05 PM
I have to replay that part for 10 times.. and still feel cringy and shiver..
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michelle
March 17, 2016 at 8:13 PM
omg same.... i was laughing so hard like "oFC IT WOULD BE THIS"
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Jeanie
March 17, 2016 at 8:40 PM
Just saw it ..it all fits now!!!! And same with you guys, the replay button was abused! Hahaha!! Loved loved it!!! <3
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michykdrama
March 17, 2016 at 9:25 PM
It was great!!! I rewound and watched it twice and SQUEED twice! ? My husband thought I went mad and I nearly woke my son from his nap! ? How to wait one whole week.... ?
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maya2825
March 17, 2016 at 9:29 PM
omagah, i can't stop grinning from that particular scene.
the best!
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Carinne
March 17, 2016 at 11:22 PM
Right before the last part, was a waste of baby making music. LOL! Yes, I'm talking about you two, DY and MJ.
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yoeslee
March 18, 2016 at 3:42 AM
+1000000000
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heavensent
March 18, 2016 at 12:31 AM
I could not get over that episode too esp. the last part, and I woke up 5:30AM just to watch it before coming to work.. It was worth it! **grin**
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18 LSIG
March 17, 2016 at 7:16 PM
One of the two couples is going to have a sad ending..that's for sure :(
Love the drama and the chemistry between the 4 leads.
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Jeanie
March 17, 2016 at 7:24 PM
I hope they won't pull an earnest bot (king 2 hearts) on us, please!! Though I don't think KES likes killing leads? Has she done so in previous works? Then again, this drama is quite different from all the others.
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lemondoodle
March 17, 2016 at 7:42 PM
Lovers in Paris had a WTF end, but she always has good endings. I can't imagine her killing anyone off even in a disaster drama.
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kazu
March 17, 2016 at 7:44 PM
oh no!
please don't give us a cheese like ending. I wanted to crash my laptop when I was watching
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lemondoodle
March 17, 2016 at 10:59 PM
The two couples spend so much time trying to get together, and the show is half over...it would be a real let down if she didn't give them a happy ending.
Jeanie
March 18, 2016 at 2:39 AM
Thanks for replying. Let's all hope for a satisfying ending!!
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YY
March 18, 2016 at 2:17 AM
The ending: Our gallant hero is seriously injured protecting her. She operates on him and saves his life. He recovers from his head injuries miraculously overnight, sits up in bed by dawn of the next day, is up and walking by noon, and at sunset, he'll be kissing her passionately on the cliffs, as a helicopter approaches in the distance...music swells...I LOVEEE YOUUUU
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19 Yoori
March 17, 2016 at 7:18 PM
This has got to be my favourite episode thus far. Since this is a drama, a Korean drama at that, I'll look over the medical technicality and applaud the actors, writer and director. The disaster evoked so much raw genuine human emotions from both the medical and military team and even the victims.
FINALLY, the female makes a decision on her own! SHK's quiet scene at the memorial site was done so nicely, I cried with her.
SJK is just perfect.
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20 Kestrel
March 17, 2016 at 7:25 PM
Subway missed their chance to prove that they could get PPL even in a fictional disaster zone...*snrk*
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bigmomma12345
March 17, 2016 at 7:33 PM
+1
I actually looked for the subway logo hidden somewhere amongst all of those half-wrapped subs!
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yukie
March 17, 2016 at 9:15 PM
Really?? I thought that was obviously Subway!
Korean drama rarely has subs. And only after subway PPL do we see ppl actually eating subs. Else maybe just gonna be normal bread
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21 bigmomma12345
March 17, 2016 at 7:34 PM
This was a great episode! I love this show more amd more each episode I watch. But is anyone else besides me nervous as heck that one of our two main guys is gonna die?
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22 dramamama
March 17, 2016 at 7:36 PM
Personally, this drama is a bit too cheesy for my taste. I find myself rolling my eyes all the time, something that shouldn't happen when people are dying on the screen. I'm just not feeling it. Also, Moyeon gets on my nerves.
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LSIG
March 17, 2016 at 7:42 PM
I felt the same initially just like it did with Secret Garden (Cringe worthy!) but like SG, DOTS is growing on me. I just hope for a good ending. I love the chemistry. The same with SG. loved the chemistry of the leads there too.
This drama does remind me of the King 2 Hearts which is one of my all time favs. There too one lead does die and I am sure they are going to pull something like that here too. It is just too perfect to expect both guys on dangerous missions to have a happy ending. Dreading!!
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23 justlove
March 17, 2016 at 7:37 PM
Thanks for your recap. To me personally, this is the strongest episode but the weakest recap so far. I mean the episode touches my heart and soul but your recap of this episode does not (your recap of the last episode was however amazing).
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24 oanda
March 17, 2016 at 7:38 PM
I have a sister who is a doctor. She is also following the drama. I talked to her about reading your recap. She does not think that the scenes about the medical practice are that bad like you said.
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Belle
March 17, 2016 at 8:51 PM
Your doctor sister is right about the medical practice scenes in the drama being not so bad. Considering the emergency situations, I believe the scenes are realistic. Although the medical profession requires sterile field always, it can't be practiced at this point in time of the drama.
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igmass
March 17, 2016 at 9:24 PM
Totally agree. I'm actually surprised with the recapper's complaint about the medical practices.
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lk014
March 18, 2016 at 4:45 AM
I usually am a silent lurker but just wanted to say that the cardiac thump is a known medical procedure that has been shown to have some success in restarting the heart in situations where there is no defibrillator available. Obviously not recommended in a unwitnessed arrest but this guy was under medical care when it happened, and the chances of success are the highest if you do it at the onset of the arrest or soon after. I'm a paediatrician by the way, just in case people want to know my credentials.
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25 growingbeautifully
March 17, 2016 at 7:47 PM
Thanks LollyPip!
And thanks to @Snacks for bringing up this theme from early on so that I'm watching with a different lens...
I like how this show is not just a typical kdrama romance in a different setting. I know the focus has been a lot on couples and the music sounds romantic, but it's increasingly evident that this show is about the ideals of saving and protecting lives and coming at it from different angles. Which may explain why there is no clear plot/storyline even at Ep 7. We are examining not the romances per se and the factors that bring together or separate a couple, but at the ideologies each person brings with them and how circumstances shape their thoughts. How this plays out is shown in how they behave in relationship with the other/another who has a differing (not necessarily opposite) point of view.
This episode Mo Yeon gets a taste of having to make the kinds of decisions that perhaps active military officers, like Shi Jin, might make quite frequently... a decision to save someone even if it means killing. Risking life in order to achieve what is judged at that moment in time as a higher good.
We saw that in:
Shi Jin deciding to risk his career to protect the medical team and VIP patient Mubarat
Shi Jin's joke over the landmines... I'll stand on the mine to save you
Shi Jin jumping into the car at the edge of the cliff to get it to tip over... risking both lives
As the Doctor, Mo Yeon has to decide who has the better chance of survival and who gets to live, but she asks Shi Jin for his opinion on what he might decide. He wisely does not answer her, knowing that it also goes against what she opposed before ie the time he told her that the boy had lead poisoning and she took issue with that because she was the doctor and should have been the one to diagnose it. Therefore this time, it's really her call. I like that she took on the agonizing task professionally and that he respected her decision.
There are many moment worth noting... however these stood out for me.
Most poignant, touching moments:
Manager Go really balances out the shallow, self-seeking evil of Chief Mgr Jin. His other-centredness and appreciation for what he had, even if at the moment it was just the sight of the blue sky through the break in the concrete... it was the most heart-warming and inspiring human moment. His death was truly dignified and appropriately acknowledged by Shi Jin in his last salute.
Mo Yeon noticing the injured worker and returning his shoes to him with thanks and that look of consideration in her eyes.
Shi Jin thanked Mo Yeon for joining the fight. They were on the same side at last, even if only for this rescue. I like that Mo Yeon contributed and lit her own candle at that makeshift shrine, joining all rescuers and victims in spirit as well as in the flesh.
Cutest scene:
Kim Gi Beom getting to donate blood after feeling useless and then wanting to tell Dae Young that he...
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growingbeautifully
March 17, 2016 at 7:50 PM
... that he saved a life, only to be told by Myung Ju to get in line. LOL!
And one of the sweetest scenes was of course Myung Ju and Dae Young... but I think I actually prefer the one of Chi Hun with the pregnant lady in the Medicube and how she was listening to music on his phone and how he looked after her.
:)
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26 foreveryoung
March 17, 2016 at 8:02 PM
And as a SJK fan, I do not feel good when people only comment about the fact that he is pretty, but not his acting talents (the same for SHK).
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maiia
March 17, 2016 at 8:09 PM
agree.. despite he has a pretty face, let's just focus on how marvelous his acting is
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27 seoqueen
March 17, 2016 at 8:03 PM
I keep coming to appreciate seeing each lead be their own complete person without "needing" the other. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing MY overcome her fears and challenges through the help of SJ this ep. Although later on, I would like to see MY contribute to SJ's growth in some way. But so far, his character seems to be written pretty perfect so it's hard to see any character arch. Captain Yoo, where are your flaws?! T_T
Also, this is not really an opinion, but I want to mention something that I've observed watching this drama (and other medical/law dramas). Only because I have no where else to share this with... But Korean dramas that revolve around medical or law themes tend to sway to extremes. Like we either have the happy-go-lucky, super idealistic, I-want-to-save-the-world kind of protagonists or we have the extremely corrupt, money-hungry antagonists and it leaves very little room for representation of how people actually are in the world.. The older I get, the more I see how jaded people are who work in these fields - and while they're not evil people doing it for the money, they DO need money to pay bills and make a living.. I guess that's the beauty of a drama. To have the liberty of painting a brilliant picture of the ideal world/situation - people taking crazy risks to save lives or tell the truth even those it causes great detriment to their own selves. I feel like even I would not be able to do the things these characters do even though I'm highly idealistic.
Anyways, just my two cents..
Super enjoying this drama tho and still giddy from ep 8 tho I won't spoil it :P
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28 javabeansfan
March 17, 2016 at 8:06 PM
Thank you very much for your recap. I just keep refresh the page to wait for the recap. I must apologize in advance for saying this but tometimes I wish that the recap of DOTS were done by javabeans though. There is nothing wrong with the content of your recap and I really appreciate your time and efforts in recapping, but javabeans simply does it much faster and sometimes when I love a drama too much, I just want to read a recap on this site as soon as possible. I know that I am asking too much and again sorry for speaking out my mind.
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29 Lemona
March 17, 2016 at 8:07 PM
I find it hard to connect with this drama. 8 episodes in and I am still looking for what it is really about. The chemistry between the two leads, in my personal opinion, is not really strong. But that's a very personal one. And I find some scenes are like what LollyPip said above, an insult to the intelligence. The one where Shijin decided to plunge the car down into the sea for example, the car would've been beyond repair and if Moyeon needed CPR, he shouldn't be leaving her alone after that for there might be any underlying injury that makes her nedding CPR. Urrgghh, this makes me sound so harsh but it must be from the high expectation I have prior to the screening.
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leejunki
March 17, 2016 at 8:12 PM
What is your favorite drama? I am just curious to see what that drama is about.
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Lemona
March 17, 2016 at 9:43 PM
Depends on the genre.
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yukie
March 17, 2016 at 9:22 PM
If you know the writer then you should know what to expect. Cheesy lines, "perfect" lead guy and paper thin story lines.
Yes she wrote so many hit drama. But all has been love and or romance centric. If that's not your cup of tea then You should find other drama.
I normally don't like this writer drama (haven't touched Heirs at all and never going to) but this one seems to have more depth compare to her usual writing.
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Lemona
March 17, 2016 at 9:38 PM
The writer is the writer of Heirs? Now I get the perspective, no wonder. What a waste of stellar actors. Have not watch and not planning to watch Heirs either. :)
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Jamie Lee
March 17, 2016 at 11:00 PM
It's important to note that, especially for me, as I have just come out from the utterly defeating and heart-wrenching journey of watching Cheese in the Trap, there are TWO scriptwriters for this drama. To be honest, I feel as if Kim Eun Sook wrote the DOTS herself, it wouldn't lend itself to good conversation or live up to the immense viewership simply because many of her works are heavy on the fluff and typically don't incite much thought. They're easy to watch and it's obvious to see where Kim Eun Sook's writing is in the script because of her characteristic romance tropes, but what I've been extremely interested in is the other writer: Kim Won-Suk, with one of his more famous works being The Queen's Classroom.
When I first watched this drama, I only knew KES was writing it, and was immediately surprised by how she would tackle such a subject - the military and international relations - that has so much to do with Korea on a social and personal level, when KES's last few projects stayed vastly away from anything so central to themes such as humanity, life, and death. And so it made sense to hear that there was actually a co-writer, and apparently he's the one whose been focusing on the "human" aspects of the drama, particularly in terms of the nationalist/patriotic sentiments, sense of duty, and social responsibility aspects which are particularly evident in this episode.
And that's why I feel as if credit should be given where credit is due - building upon the hardship of the soldiers and the doctors who work in war-torn areas and risk their lives, despite the immensely idealistic portrayal of Shi Jin and Mo Yeon's occupations, Kim Won Suk's writing seemed to have really shined this episode. I love the chemistry between SJ and Mo Yeon, but to be honest, there are many, many beautiful lines and phrases in this drama which resonate on a social level and not just between MY and SJ's romantic relationship. And that's why I feel as if more praise should really be given to Kim Won Suk as well, because of how much time we're given with not only the main couple, but also everyone around them - from the regular, everyday Korean citizen (Manager Go), to the soldiers and the doctors on the front line, and even people who are not Korean at all. Beautiful.
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aqua❤JCW
March 18, 2016 at 7:26 AM
Hey good to know about the second writer... I didn't know about him... because everyone keeps mentioning only KES. Yes... credit must be given where it is due... kudos to you too Kim Won Suk writernim.... keep up the good work!
and YES... ITS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THERE ARE TWO SCRIPTWRITERS.
Thank you really for the info.
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yukie
March 18, 2016 at 9:48 AM
OMG!! No wonder!! KES drama has always been fluff all the way! And the only reason I checked this one out was because of SJK in uniform after army (I will suffer KES for you Joongki ~~ )
I suspected that the second writer is the one who make the character believeable and had depth, but I didn't know how much power a second writer have.
I should check out more of KWS drama. Coz the character feels real and has depth. I like the mature reason MY has in building relationship w Captain.
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j
March 18, 2016 at 11:39 AM
I find the script brilliant. I actually realized how nicely written the script was in this episode! Props to their KES and KWS' partnership!
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30 leejunki
March 17, 2016 at 8:11 PM
I would be surprised if you are a doctor and you dont know the precordial thump that KMY performed. I think the writer and director do check with doctors to make sure that the practice is as realistic as possible.
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Jeanie
March 17, 2016 at 8:45 PM
This. Thank you. People think that just because it looks ridiculous that it couldn't be possibly factual. Though as a doctor myself, I haven't done the procedure as I have not been in a situation to do so, we know it is possible and it can be done. As with alot of things in this big production drama, I am sure the writers consulted the right authorities.
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rathermarriott
March 17, 2016 at 8:59 PM
Just curious to know if the recapper is also a doctor. She/he seems to be so confident in concluding that the medical practices in the drama are ridiculous. I am a medical student and I think the scenes are realistic, of course although I agree that in a drama, they tend to look more dramatic, which is true also for other medical dramas.
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Jeanie
March 18, 2016 at 2:43 AM
I don't think she is. And maybe that's why the thought of thumping a patient in the chest might seem weird or ridiculous to her. Goodluck with med school! It will be tiring but I assure you, it'll all be worth it. :)
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:D
March 18, 2016 at 11:51 AM
Hi Jeanie! Another med student here :)
Well, not everyone is from the medical field so surely they may misunderstand some procedures. There were still minor errors just like how MY held the needle holder in Ep. 1. Haha. But that was so minor and I have to keep in mind they are actors and not real doctors and for that I forgive the show. So far, I'm enjoying the show and the medical dilemma on saving lives and making decisions quite inspires and scares me at the same time :)
So now, I have to go back to my notes and study for finals!
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michelle
March 17, 2016 at 9:31 PM
while precordial thump is a thing, i don't quite agree with the "realistic as possible" part. you thump only once, and that's only after you ascertain that the patient has an arrest. then again, a lot of the procedures are done without gloves and proper sanitation so to hold the drama to these standards might be a bit too much
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hike
March 17, 2016 at 9:33 PM
Can you show me the source in which doctors are only allowed to thumped once?
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michelle
March 17, 2016 at 10:24 PM
it's not a matter of it being "allowed" or not. it's that the actual procedure is performed once. that's how you do it.
"- Using the ulnar edge of the fist, deliver a sharp blow to the lower half of the sternum (Resuscitation Council (UK), 2006) (Fig 4). An effective but not excessive force can be generated by swinging the fist from the elbow (Adam and Osborne, 2005);
- Immediately retract your fist to create an impulse-like stimulus (Nolan et al, 2005) (Fig 5);"
http://www.nursingtimes.net/clinical-subjects/accident-and-emergency/resuscitation-skills-part-five-precordial-thump/203136.fullarticle
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miracle
March 17, 2016 at 10:28 PM
I cannot believe I'm complaining about the discussion about medical pratices and at the same time participating it it. Actually, you thump once and you retract your fist but after that, you can try again.
michelle
March 17, 2016 at 10:55 PM
yes, but like you do it once, and you check to see if the heart rate is back to normal? sure you do can attempt it more than once, but the procedure isn't "whack his chest until u think u his heartbeat is steady again" which is what was depicted.
but lmao same i cant believe im complaining about the discussion wrt medical practices and doing it at the same time
anywayyyy this is probably irrelevant in the main scheme of things. *stares back into the cosmic love of the main couple and forgets all medical inaccuracies*
31 Kween Ramyeon
March 17, 2016 at 8:13 PM
The character of Shi Jin really shone in this episode. I think I can finally see why he's said to be General material. He's decisive - almost has split second decision-making reflexes - like shooting the block so it covers the live wire, and at the same time, is able to work through a more complex problem like how to minimise damage in entering the collapsed site. He's so calm, yet you know he means business - like he doesn't even get riled at that stupid manager, but his whole team just leaps at his word.
But the story is really going for painting us a hero, isn't it? The fact he chose to cover that annoying manager and not even feel the pain from his wound - there's something else that is beyond just a soldier's duty but something that we expect from higher beings.
But he's not alone - I also liked that we are shown that MJ has that bit of noble steel in her too - keeping calm and focused even though the one thing she's most ardent about might be in danger.
And lots of other shining moments in this episode. Chi Soo and the pregnant lady, whose acting didn't suck at all. Ye Hwa's feistiness, the restaurant people pitching in. And of course, Manager Go - good night, sweet prince.
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zital
March 18, 2016 at 2:14 PM
It goes with the character of Shijin whose motto as a man is to protect. Hence it is not beyond him as a man and certainly not as a solder who are highly trained to react almost instinctively to dangers.
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Kween Ramyeon
March 18, 2016 at 5:29 PM
I think that bypasses my point a little. You speak of him as if he's a real person. I'm pointing out the decision to construct such a character that has such self-sacrificing aims, that are beyond the military duty as such which requires professionalism in their duties, of course- but that extra bit of shine that takes him higher. I do think it's part of a narrative device to construct such a "heroic" type of character - and the more interesting question for me is, is it because the epic romance requires that his character be so noble and self-sacrificial? That the romance trope in war requires that kind of character?
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32 yoeslee
March 17, 2016 at 8:32 PM
I'm watching this episode raw, but still manage to understand at least half of it ? And btw SDY need to stop being sooooo HOT, I need to focus to the story hahahaha ok l lie!
YMJ fighting!!!
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33 foreveryoung
March 17, 2016 at 8:32 PM
I am originally from Vietnam. My parents fought during the war. They told me that in many cases, medical operations were conducted on site in very bad conditions without proper equipment. It may be unrealistic to you, LollyPip, but it happens.
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34 Elleyred
March 17, 2016 at 8:49 PM
Omg this episode made me cry so hard! And it totally reminded me of the greys anatomy episode where this man and women had a pole/beam through both of them in the stomach, and in order to save one, the other one will die. Major tear jerker this episode. And I really want to see more of the secondary characters relationship, it's heartbreaking
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Nana
March 17, 2016 at 11:20 PM
now that u mentioned it, i stop watching the show after that particular episode. i just cried, cried and cried.. true story
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35 kang maroo
March 17, 2016 at 9:10 PM
This episode rocks as of all episodes of this awesome drama. The story is developing nicely. I love the Yoo Shi Jin more than ever. (He is even gorgeous under the rough circumstances,ehh me such a fangurl). Basically I cried a river during this episode. So looking forward to next week's episodes.
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36 evw09
March 17, 2016 at 9:23 PM
The propaganda in this drama is amazing. I'm all for national pride and patriotism but there's a line. When SJK said that bit about the Korean government making safety a top priority, I almost spit out my drink. How many massive tragedies, all safety related, have come out of South Korea in the last 5 years. So let's be real, okay?
But in watching this drama, you have to take the propaganda with a grain of salt and keep context in mind. South Korea lives in a perpetual state of war and has an ego-maniac at it's doorstep. Additionally, South Korea, like most other countries, has a weird symbiotic relationship with China (a major super power with a warped sense of manifest destiny). So with all this in mind, I can understand why you'd use a drama to promote the government. Nonetheless, own your truths even in art/fiction.
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igmass
March 17, 2016 at 9:25 PM
Please don't politicize this. Thanks!
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Lemona
March 17, 2016 at 9:53 PM
As in City Hunter, where the lead's foster drug dealer father forbidden for drugs to be dealt in SK, that's a rather warped sense of patriotism too, no?
A question in one of my International Relations papers' final examination asked us how SK utilizes the Hallyu Wave as a form of soft power. Thus, I find this kind of comment as interesting, despite the fact that the opinions given can be biased.
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evw09
March 17, 2016 at 10:32 PM
@igmass, I don't think Dramabeans has a rule against talking politics on the blog. If there is one then I won't make political comments. In the meantime... Though, I find hard not to ignore the political messages that are laced into a show about a branch of the government. On several occasions, the show has taken breaks from the story for the characters to salute the South Korean flag or sing the national anthem. Along with that, the cast are often discussing the greatness of their nation and its impact. The writer politicized the series, not me. Please continue to ignore the obvious.
@Lemona, the entertainment industry in South Korea is massive. According to the IMF, in 2014 the Hallyu Wave brought in $4.3billion USD for SK. Also, several dramas are sponsored directly by the Korean government. Thus, it should not be a surprise that the government would use its influence to promote an agenda. I don't think there's a country that doesn't or wouldn't. (The US does the same thing with public service commercials.) I'm not saying the South Korean government is wrong. The government literally paid for the show, it should (to varying degrees) have influence over the drama's message. Heck, King 2 Hearts had all kinds of crazy rhetoric. My only problem is when government (doesn't matter what country) uses its medium to promote something that's not completely truthful.
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newbie
March 18, 2016 at 1:38 AM
The patriotism and not so subtle messages in this show are obvious.
So obvious, even the Thai military junta recommends watching this show, because as Thailand's Prime Minister said: '“What I have seen is that they have inserted a sense of patriotism, sacrifice, obeying orders and being a dutiful citizen,” he told delegates at a government function this morning.
“So please watch it and if anyone wants to make such a drama I will financially sponsor it to make people love government officials, uncorrupted officials and make the Thai people love each other,” he added.'
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/showbiz/article/junta-chief-calls-on-thais-to-view-patriotic-korean-drama
If a show has such effects, it should be possible to discuss it.
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O_o
March 18, 2016 at 1:22 PM
Do not even compare the current Korean government, which is a democratically elected one, to the Thai government, which obviously is not.
Kween Ramyeon
March 18, 2016 at 5:31 PM
I don't think Newbie did compare - Newbie merely pointed out that the Thai military junta has drawn themselves in relation to the drama simply by saying what they said.
And if such an event has happened, then any thinking person is going to analyse that.
Thanks, Newbie, for pointing out that interesting fact.
O_o
March 18, 2016 at 6:36 PM
@Dramapanda
So, as a thinking person, what are you exactly analyzing from this news?
Kween Ramyeon
March 18, 2016 at 7:51 PM
So let's break it down together.
The Thai military junta
I don't know what your level of knowledge is of the Thai political and social situation. But in a nutshell, there was a coup, and then a crackdown on people who were possibly "dissidents." Journalists, activities and even people in education - such as professors living abroad, were invited to return to "speak" to the government. Many expatriates who were vocal or socially engaged had to leave the country. All very sinister and scary. A lot of freedom of speech has been curtailed recently, even as deep corruption continues.
The above recommends watching this show, because as Thailand’s Prime Minister said: ‘“What I have seen is that they have inserted a sense of patriotism, sacrifice, obeying orders and being a dutiful citizen,” he told delegates at a government function this morning.
So why would such a government want their citizens and subjects to feel patriotism, sacrifice and just obey orders like dutiful citizens? In other words, people should learn not to dissent from the government. That you should not question even if you disagree, even if you see people being imprisoned unjustly, even if immoral things are happening because you should just obey.
And what does this mean about the show? Clearly, up to the number of episodes so far - the show offers a fairly simple perspective on nation, sacrifice and being a good dutiful citizen. Though SJK did stand up to his commander so the doctor can save the diplomat, he was disobeying a direct order but nothing about the plot so far goes into much about the widespread corruption in politics or the military. So on one hand, the viewer is shown the courage and good nature of a military man, but at the same time, the viewer is not shown the deeply embedded issues and corruption in the military too.
“So please watch it and if anyone wants to make such a drama I will financially sponsor it to make people love government officials, uncorrupted officials and make the Thai people love each other,” he added.’
This last statement - the Thai PM recognises the power and manipulation that is the instrument of cultural products. So much so he's willing to bankroll something to use for his citizens. You make a film about how heroic soldiers are, and more young people want to join the army. You make a film about how great it is to sacrifice for nation - more people will believe it and act accordingly.
it is why there were so many Chinese propaganda films during the earlier Chinese communist era about peasants working happily in the fields, or labouring happily at whatever factory. Similarly, these type of products existed i Russia, and in North Korea, an entire film industry was created on those kind of values.
You know that poem by Wilfred Owen? It talks about how there was also much propaganda during WWI, extolling young men to go fight for country and honour and glory. And the reality was it was a supremely nasty, dirty...
Kween Ramyeon
March 18, 2016 at 7:53 PM
And the reality was it was a supremely nasty, dirty war with a huge death count.
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.
The latin means “It is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country.”
newbie
March 19, 2016 at 1:53 AM
@Dramapanda - Sorry for being late. Thank you for interpreting my post in the way I meant it.
O_o
March 19, 2016 at 5:23 AM
That's your analysis? Listing a few random examples of propaganda usages without any conclusion?
Kween Ramyeon
March 19, 2016 at 7:59 AM
I didn't realise, I was required, at your bidding, to provide the usual 200,000 word thesis. Your question was simply asking for a breakdown of why that article is of interest.
And it hugely is - and one can relate it back to Hallyu soft power in terms of IR, or that the current Thai political situation is fraught, and they think the drama is the right make up of myths to sell to their people. Don't you find that all troubling already?
What conclusion did you have in mind? Did you expect me to do all the thinking for you when you have not shared anything at all?
O_o
March 19, 2016 at 10:52 AM
I didn't ask you for a 200K word thesis. No, I didn't ask why this article was of interest. I asked Newbie not to compare the democratically elected Korean government to the Thai military government. And you said a thinking person must analyze this piece of news about the Thai government finding inspiration from DOTS.
The only conclusion I reached after analyzing this news was that Newbie was darkly insinuating that the Korean government bankrolled DOTS to propagate "patriotism" and love of corrupt government and its officials to the Korean people and they may also have used the power of Hallyu to propagate how great Korea is and its impact on the world. Now, I have a problem with such insinnuation based on nothing but her assertions and obvious ignorance of the political, military and social backdrop in Korea and the Pacific Rim in the most recent years to even think that the Korean government is dumb enough to believe this kind of "propaganda" will work with its people and international crowd.
At any rate, I thought I was missing something but reading your analysis, I don't think I did.
newbie
March 19, 2016 at 12:44 PM
O_o - where in my post did I mention the Korean government? I said, that the makers heavily play the patriotism card and that the Thai junta therefore (mis)uses this show.
So take a deep breath, stop jumping to absurd conclusions and chill.
You are the one quite obvious ignorant here.
Kween Ramyeon
March 19, 2016 at 2:08 PM
@O_o
When you've only written 49 words in total for this thread of discussion - which is less that the word count required to introduce a basic plot for a film - so who could possibly tell what was it you had in mind?
And actually, on a broader level - why shouldn't people compare governments, even if one is democratically elected and one isn't? There could be other components of policy or legislation that could be of interest to consider.
I merely responded to your little question because I found the article interesting.
"that Newbie was darkly insinuating that the Korean government bankrolled DOTS to propagate “patriotism”"
Neither Newbie nor I have said that the Thai government have bankrolled this drama. (jeez, can you even read? Apparently, not, actually, considering you've now misread what we said a couple of times.)
What we merely said was that it is interesting that the Thai government (that is not democratically elected), should praise a project such as DOTS, and wish to bankroll similar projects from possibly their own industry or others in future. From this, it is possible to draw connections that the values propagated in the project, are found to be attractive to the dictatorship.
"and they may also have used the power of Hallyu to propagate how great Korea is and its impact on the world. Now, I have a problem with such insinnuation based on nothing but her assertions and obvious ignorance of the political, military and social backdrop in Korea and the Pacific Rim in the most recent years to even think that the Korean government is dumb enough to believe this kind of “propaganda” will work with its people and international crowd."
A lot of academic work has already researched and written about Hallyu being part of South Korea's soft diplomacy, so not gonna bother rehashing it here for someone who hasn't been reading carefully. Just look it up yourself if you can actually be bothered, so it doesn't sound like you're just coming across as the one who is dumb.
O_o
March 19, 2016 at 2:49 PM
@Newbie
Your reply above was to evw09's claim that the SK government paid for the show to promote its untruthful image as a government that puts the citizens' lives above all else and furthermore, started with "The patriotism and not so subtle messages in this show are obvious. So obvious, even the Thai military junta recommends watching this show..." So I thought you were continuing the discussion of the SK government's involvement in this "propaganda."
But you are saying you simply meant that the makers of DOTS "heavily play the patriotism card and that the Thai junta therefore (mis)uses this show." I didn't know you meant that the Thai junta government was misusing such obvious messages. My apologies. What are the "not so subtle messages" in the drama, any way? Because I cannot find any...
After all, this is a KES drama we are talking about. I don't think they promised anything other than a cheesy fluffy romance between a soldier and a doctor involved in a rescue mission in a war/disaster zone. They never said it was going to be a drama about "widespread corruption in politics or the military" (and there are a lot of other movies and dramas going into that). What not so subtle, politicizing, troubling messages are you finding in this show?
O_o
March 19, 2016 at 3:36 PM
@Dramapanda
"Why shouldn’t people compare governments, even if one is democratically elected and one isn’t? There could be other components of policy or legislation that could be of interest to consider." --> But why here of all places? Where people are discussing the Descendants of the Sun?
"I merely responded to your little question because I found the article interesting." --> But I never asked you to respond in the first place. My comment was toward Newbie because I thought he/she was comparing the two governments.
"Neither Newbie nor I have said that the Thai government have bankrolled this drama." --> No, you didn't. I didn't, either. Maybe you should read and write more carefully yourself.
"What we merely said was that it is interesting that the Thai government (that is not democratically elected), should praise a project such as DOTS, and wish to bankroll similar projects from possibly their own industry or others in future. From this, it is possible to draw connections that the values propagated in the project, are found to be attractive to the dictatorship." --> So, again, what dictatorship-friendly values is DOTS propagating? Are we talking about the same drama, that cheesy fluffy romance written by the same author as Lovers in Paris, Secret Garden and Heirs?
"A lot of academic work has already researched and written about Hallyu being part of South Korea’s soft diplomacy, so not gonna bother rehashing it here for someone who hasn’t been reading carefully. Just look it up yourself if you can actually be bothered, so it doesn’t sound like you’re just coming across as the one who is dumb." --> I know enough about Hallyu and SK's soft diplomacy. I never said this does not exist. Of course SK would be stupid not to be business-friendly toward the Hallyu-related industry and not to take advantage of it. But it actually invests taxpayer's money in making these dramas to control people to have positive images of the government and country? That's like saying the US government invested in making such movies as "Independence Day," "Saving Private Ryan," etc. Finally, I don't come here to insult other Beanies. When I said "ignorant," I meant the position some were taking here (as I understood it) seemed to have come from not having the full, detailed picture of a lot of things that have been happening in Korea and its neighborhood in recent years. And that is understandable because I do not keep up with news and incidents in other countries of no particular interest to me, either. Nowhere did I accuse you or anybody else of being dumb.
newbie
March 19, 2016 at 11:27 PM
O_o - I responded to evw09's post, as she/he rightly said, that it must be possible to talk politics even on a blog like Dramabeans.
The not so subtle patriotism massages are plenty in this show. They are cheesy to the max (think the flag scene, shot from below against the sunset, tears in his eyes etc.). Coming from a country where patriotism and nationalism are treated totally different in the face stuff like this can't be overlooked by me.
And now this silly discussion is finally over for me.
Kween Ramyeon
March 20, 2016 at 12:37 PM
“Why shouldn’t people compare governments, even if one is democratically elected and one isn’t? There could be other components of policy or legislation that could be of interest to consider.” –> But why here of all places? Where people are discussing the Descendants of the Sun?
Because one of the points about cultural production - i.e. art, films, tv etc - is that it can spark off thinking about serious issues in life and our world. For DOTS - valid responses include drooling over semi-naked men jogging, but also a desire to discuss the prominent themes of patriotism and nationalism. A lot of DB people are intelligent contributors, and in the past, there have been enlightening and stimulating conversations about psychology, social behaviour, relationships, school policy etc. This is no different,
“I merely responded to your little question because I found the article interesting.” –> But I never asked you to respond in the first place. My comment was toward Newbie because I thought he/she was comparing the two governments.
Think you haven't quite grasped the way forum boards work.
“Neither Newbie nor I have said that the Thai government have bankrolled this drama.” –> No, you didn’t. I didn’t, either. Maybe you should read and write more carefully yourself.
My point stands - you said Newbie strongly insinuated the Thai government bankrolled the drama. Nothing in their post implied so, and I checked and neither was that in my posts. So I summed that up that your post was therefore irrelevant on that note as you were responding in the thread that only contains Newbie's my posts.
“What we merely said was that it is interesting that the Thai government (that is not democratically elected), should praise a project such as DOTS, and wish to bankroll similar projects from possibly their own industry or others in future. From this, it is possible to draw connections that the values propagated in the project, are found to be attractive to the dictatorship.” –> So, again, what dictatorship-friendly values is DOTS propagating? Are we talking about the same drama, that cheesy fluffy romance written by the same author as Lovers in Paris, Secret Garden and Heirs?
Again, you misread. I didn't say DOTS taught dictatorship-friendly values. I said a dictatorship found the values attractive for their purposes. There is a subtle but important difference. And DOTS does propagate a celebration and admiration for nationalism, patriotism, duty, honour, following military order (even when it's unfair) and a rather simple idea of good vs bad. Those sort of values and feelings taken together, tend to create a culture where dissent is not seen as patriotic, tribalism (them against us / fear of immigrants) and not taking into account that many times, in our contemporary times, ideas of nation, loyalty etc are not that simple.
“A lot of academic work has already researched and written about Hallyu being part of South Korea’s soft diplomacy, so...
Kween Ramyeon
March 20, 2016 at 12:39 PM
Continued at O_o
“A lot of academic work has already researched and written about Hallyu being part of South Korea’s soft diplomacy, so not gonna bother rehashing it here for someone who hasn’t been reading carefully. Just look it up yourself if you can actually be bothered, so it doesn’t sound like you’re just coming across as the one who is dumb.” –> I know enough about Hallyu and SK’s soft diplomacy. I never said this does not exist.
You implied it with it this "I have a problem with such insinnuation based on nothing but her assertions and obvious ignorance of the political, military and social backdrop in Korea and the Pacific Rim in the most recent years to even think that the Korean government is dumb enough to believe this kind of “propaganda” will work with its people and international crowd." If you say that Korean government is dumb enough to think this kind of propaganda will work...
"Of course SK would be stupid not to be business-friendly toward the Hallyu-related industry and not to take advantage of it. But it actually invests taxpayer’s money in making these dramas to control people to have positive images of the government and country? That’s like saying the US government invested in making such movies as “Independence Day,” “Saving Private Ryan,” etc. "
Actually, the US did invest in cultural products - I think it was President Hoover who talked about American cinema being used as a tool to sell American ideals and products post the world wars. Then the CIA backed abstract art as another way later on in the 60s. I'm not from SK but I'm from a country that also openly admits to using soft diplomacy via the arts and cultural production - tax payers money do get spent on exporting artists and films and whatnot around the world.
In the Korean Times in 2011, it was reported "To build the Korean brand, South Korea took an all-important step by creating a public agency, the Korean Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), to aid private industry in the effective spread of Hallyu. KOCCA’s tasks include “...the exportation of cultural products, the education of content creation, the development of related technologies,” and “...providing other financial, legal, and policy support for related industries. Receiving an annual budget of 100 billion Won (US$88 million) in 2009, the South Korean government increased funding by billions of Won in 2012 to “...keep this wave surging.”
Anyway, as you said you watch dramas just to relax, so taking that into account, this discussion is probably not going to be anymore fruitful, so I, too, will leave it here.
Kween Ramyeon
March 18, 2016 at 8:04 PM
@Lemona and evw09
Thank you for those points. I am also interested in how Hallyu is SK soft diplomacy. SK isn't the only country who does it - so does the US, France, Great Britain etc.
I thought it was interesting how the "cultural relationships" wasn't only about buying or licensing cultural productions, such as formed productions, but also there's now more European investment in SK entertainment, and symbiotically, investment by SK high-net worth people into international brands.
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kimchikay
March 17, 2016 at 10:35 PM
This is a very interesting comment.
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aqua❤JCW
March 18, 2016 at 7:37 AM
Wah!! That was one of the amazing dialogue in the drama and you are interpreting in the wrong way.... I think you have some trouble in understanding the concept of patriotism and nationalism.... Its not a mere political sentiment where you support a government... its about the people... the feeling of oneness as a nation. And it includes criticizing a government if it doesn't stand for the people. And nationalism or patriotism is definitely not a propaganda. A propaganda is something a particular sect or section or party of people choose to believe in and promote. But nationalism is something that should be felt by all sections, races and communities of people of a country... that they belong to the same nation, that it is their country despite different propagandas they choose to promote.
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Cotton Candy
March 18, 2016 at 3:32 PM
Exactly! There was a lot of ignorance and bias in that previous comment. Korea's motto is even "Benefit all humankind." It's not patriotism towards the government, but towards the country and the people who make up that nation.
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Kween Ramyeon
March 18, 2016 at 5:35 PM
Actually, nationalism - or a sense of "nation-building" and "national" identity have always been instruments of the governments in power - many have been actively and consciously trying to shape what that means so they can create a sense of cohesion in the people they have control over.
After all - the very concept of a nation state, is in a sense, artificial. Just look at boundaries of nations across continents over hundreds of years - they change. Countries that existed once upon a time, then exist no more but are regrouped under a different name. So any sense of "patriotism" is again utilised to create sentiment and loyalty towards what is a constructed sense of "nation".
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O_o
March 18, 2016 at 1:19 PM
"When SJK said that bit about the Korean government making safety a top priority, I almost spit out my drink."
I thought that was more realistic than propagandistic? I mean, I don't know any government official in that situation who will say that the nation's top priority is saving personal property (such as important papers, contracts and smuggled diamond) over people's lives?
Even though the Korean government does not have stellar records when it comes to its regulatory and supervisory role regarding safety and health issues, that is different from rescue missions after natural or man-made disasters like the one portrayed here. I can remember a couple of incidents when the government negotiators and soldiers worked around the clock and spent much tax money to bring home the crew of a commercial ship that was hijacked by Somali pirates and some Christian missionaries who got kidnapped by Taliban while visiting Afghanistan.
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evw09
March 19, 2016 at 1:05 PM
Wow and Whoa, everyone! My intention was never to start such a heated exchange. But we all learned one, you can discuss politics on Dramabeans. +1!
Media plays a huge role in our lives and has a greater impact than we choose to admit. Spill The Beans is dedicated to people volunteering the crazy things they've done to watch dramas. And we're all here religiously discussing dramas. And let's not ignore how the impact of negative body images or violent video games has been studied world wide. So, it only makes sense that subtle political messages injected into media would also have an impact.
Just like we examine negative body images or other negative side effects of media; we also need to shed light on government influence in the media. Because once we identify said messages then we can determine what level of influence is appropriate and what is not.
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37 Kkzz
March 17, 2016 at 10:00 PM
I just hate how they don't wear gloves
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newbie
March 18, 2016 at 1:40 AM
Yes!!! My biggest pet peeve among the medical scenes.
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beez
March 19, 2016 at 10:36 AM
They wore gloves in Seoul but probably ran out of them in this rescue mission.
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38 So ok
March 17, 2016 at 10:14 PM
Why did SJ asked MY instead of MJ to assess the 2 victims?
MJ is the official military doctor assigned to the camp, right?
Why is MJ a high ranking military doctor painted as an incompetent doctor compared to MY.
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miracle
March 17, 2016 at 10:23 PM
Don't you see that MJ was doing a surgery for her patient? I don't know why you see MJ as an incompetent doctor.
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lemondoodle
March 17, 2016 at 10:53 PM
She comes across as incompetent compared to MY. For example, even in that surgery she had to be told to do it in the first place and MY saved the patient before that. I forget she's a doctor half the time.
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Lanlan
March 17, 2016 at 11:07 PM
Well she is junior compared to KMY and she has less experience but that does not mean that she is incompetent
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lemondoodle
March 18, 2016 at 12:30 AM
They were classmates so they shouldn't be too far apart in experience, and she's a high ranking military doctor. This kind of disaster should be her specialty, instead she seems like a fish out of water. She doesn't really come off well, but on the other hand, they don't give her much to do.
newbie
March 18, 2016 at 1:42 AM
@lemondoodle
So true! I commented above, that they need to give her vulnerability to make him more heroic.
Yet again another unprofessional woman in a demanding job in Kdrama.
So ok
March 17, 2016 at 11:34 PM
They already have walkie talkie working then . Why didn't SJ asked for the military doctor to go assess? Instead, he went to find MY, a civilian doctor who happens to be there.
It's very glaring, as both doctors are there and the surgery has not started. MY could easily take over the surgery instead.
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Nermin Badwi
March 18, 2016 at 5:44 AM
I understood that MJ rank is lower than MY, from the scene where she is reporting to SJ on ep 5 I guess.
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Sun
March 17, 2016 at 11:25 PM
MJ is not incompetent. Less experienced than MY maybe, since MY is her senior, but she proved her worth as a doctor when she calmly continued her surgery even when she heard that DY could have been injured, and completed the surgery successfully.
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yukie
March 18, 2016 at 11:17 AM
yes. MJ is definitely capable, not as experienced coz MY and her Friend said MJ was the pretty intern. So MY is MJ senior in terms of their skill as doctor.
Even in the scene where MY "saves" MJ patient she is fully in control and knows all the pro and con. MY pushed her to make the decision but MJ has never been showed as incompetent.
Btw MY is also the lead doctor in her medical team. I see SJ looking for her to check the 2 patient as a leader to a leader type of thing. SJ as leader of the army and MY as leader of the medical team.
Plus someone still need to operate on the patient and MJ is good enough to handle the job. Else MY would Hv refused to go.
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Kween Ramyeon
March 19, 2016 at 8:16 AM
My guess is that it is because MY is the leader of the medical team on the ground. MJ is a medical officer but under the framework of the military - she would work to order under SJ. However, it is the medical team on the ground that's in charge of medical decisions and procedures, even as the military team is in charge of securing and rescuing - so by that logic, it'd be MY making the call.
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39 phujaykay
March 17, 2016 at 10:21 PM
Um about the hitting the chest with fist thing. It's called precordial thump though and although there's a controversy surrounding it about whether it does harm or not, it is used when a patient is in danger of going into cardiac arrest and there are no defibrillators immediately available. The procedure is very short so if it is able to bring the heart rate back then good, if after a while it doesn't, go on to do proper CPR. I just wanted to say that the precordial thump isn't exactly unheard of and even though it doesn't happen and it doesn't need to happen in normal hospitals, who's to say is wrong in emergency situations with no proper equipment?
And also, PLEASE during war time or natural disaster zones, a lot of surgery takes place right then and there. The doctors make the area as clean as possible and open. It is either that or the patient doesn't get to the medical facility fast enough and dies.
Ok but I agree with the gloves. HAHAHHAHHA.
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miracle
March 17, 2016 at 10:26 PM
If you look at the last picture of the recap, KMY was wearing gloves.
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Lanlan
March 17, 2016 at 11:07 PM
Agree. People are just trying to find every detail to criticize. I mean gloves?
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kz
March 17, 2016 at 11:34 PM
yeah. this can be forgiven. Even if you look at American shows like Prison Break, etc., there will always be inconsistencies and mistakes. But they shouldn't be that big a deal when they're so little to the story. Gloves aren't central to the story, peeps. Let's just do away with these little things.
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40 miracle
March 17, 2016 at 10:24 PM
Seems that most comments about this episode are about the medical practices. That is very unfortunate because the episode is much more than that.
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41 Livii
March 17, 2016 at 11:10 PM
Umm...this recap is like a bucket of cold water just splashed on me.
I was so touched by parts of this episode esp Kang MoYeon when she flashed back to the moment just yesterday when everything was fine... it caught me totally unawares and I cried right along with her. As a med student I was honestly invigorated by the message. Med school is long and arduous and honestly you do lose focus and enthusiasm. But this perked me up & made me realise why I chose this again. (also a shout out to all the med students in this recap!!)
And at the end of a very long day we have that no holds barred convo b/w our lead couple. Just so refreshing. And they continue to be amazing individually evn in next ep.
Also it is too harsh on a drama to get everything 100% factual. Even pure medical based tv shows take leverage and are dramatised. I dont take it seriously. In real life professionals know what they have to do.
So while I dnt agree with your views, I really liked this ep for what it made me feel and share myself with fellow beanies. Now off I go to squeal over ep 8's ending!
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42 rin
March 17, 2016 at 11:16 PM
Why Seo Dae Young so manly and addictive...can I have him
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yoeslee
March 18, 2016 at 3:53 AM
No! I claim him first ?
Please get in line hahahahaha
Totally agreed with you "...Seo Dae Young so manly and addictive..."
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43 Milestones
March 17, 2016 at 11:23 PM
Thanks all of those with medical knowledge for coming forward and giving their views on the medical aspects of this drama as well as correcting the misunderstanding of the recapper in this aspect.
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44 Prayers
March 18, 2016 at 12:18 AM
It's such a heartfelt episode and people here discuss about the thump and the gloves.
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45 dukdam
March 18, 2016 at 12:38 AM
This was such a lovely, heartwarming, thought provoking, well-written, well-directed, and well-acted episode.
I came here to squee... but perhaps this isn't the place?
That scene when MY looks around the carnage and remembers what it was like before, that was masterfully shot. Honestly I was too engrossed throughout the entire episode to notice medical procedures.
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46 michykdrama
March 18, 2016 at 12:46 AM
Actually I expected it to be much less medically realistic than it is. I mean, it's a drama, not a documentary, firstly. And seriously, who is watching it for the Medicine?? Lol. Also, I really like that they brought in the emotional and ethical dilemmas faced by doctors in crisis situations and how they all aren't heroes who swoop in and save the day. I'm a doctor and we really do struggle emotionally every day during emergencies to do our best and we are always our harshest critics when things don't go well or as planned. I like that the doctors don't have a God complex in this show, swooping in to do the surgery that no one else can do. So yeah, the CPR after "drowning" and the thumping of the chest of that patient and the not wearing gloves and stuff isn't exactly right, but again, I'm really not watching it for the medicine! Lol.
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Jeanie
March 18, 2016 at 2:50 AM
Lol, same! Funny how alot of people here involved in the medical field aren't that much bothered by the "medical irregularities" in the drama. I am still entertained and at the end of the day, that's what matters most.
I have experienced working in poor hospitals that lack the funds and machines to fully help patients. We try to make do with what we have but sometimes, it's just not enough. And you somehow blame yourself for not being able to do more. I like that they touch on these subjects, the struggles that these doctors and soldiers face in times of crisis.
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47 Sky
March 18, 2016 at 1:37 AM
Thanks for your recap but I must say I'm disappointed that you chose to focus on the medical techniques when recapping about such a touching and human episode
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jiwon
March 18, 2016 at 4:34 AM
So true! It was such a great episode, I was really moved by it, hope it continues to be that way.
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48 Sowing
March 18, 2016 at 2:18 AM
To the people who complain about the gloves: don't you see her gloves in the last screenshot above?
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49 Index
March 18, 2016 at 3:11 AM
Didn't expect to come here to see a fight about the medical practice? It is really more realistic that I expected so I have no complaint but enjoy the drama.
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50 roopoo144
March 18, 2016 at 4:31 AM
I haven't commented on dramabeans since Healer so DOTS must be something! I can't believe how many times I've watched each episode already. Each character has been portrayed so well and how they all entertwine is just genius. I've got that SJK syndrome for sure! All I'm praying for is that it continues to excite until the end. Love this show!
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