hanhoyeol
USA
Sweet But A Little Too Slow
The first season of Hospital Playlist was so impeccable that it really set my expectations high for the second season. Hospital Playlist 2 was great but not up to par for a few reasons.
One is that the episodes this season felt very slow. I know romance is not the main focus of this drama but I also know that it's one of the reasons why the second season was highly anticipated. Everyone, including me, was eager to see how the stories of the couples will unfold. This part of the drama just seemed to drag on for too long. The romantic relationships of the other couples don't really blossom until the last few episodes. Moreover, some of the couples (*coughs* Chu Min Ha and Yang Seok Hyung) were given way too little screentime. Instead, we get an overabundance of Jang Gyeo Wool and Ahn Jung Won. I found some of their romantic moments cringeworthy even though I shipped them so much in the first season. Maybe it's just me but I felt like they lost their spark once they got together.
Another bummer for me is that the side characters that I enjoyed watching a lot in the first season got pushed aside - the twins, Yong Seok Min and Heo Sun Bin, and even Woo Ju. Yes, they're supporting characters but it felt like their roles became even more minor. Even Min Ha as a doctor and not as Seok Hyung's love interest could have gotten more screentime.
Lastly, the final episode was anticlimactic and unnecessarily long. Perhaps it’s to make up for the episodes that they missed in the earlier weeks but it was just not quite compelling despite that 2-hour running time. Also, a lot of the things that could have happened in the earlier episodes were packed into the finale as if to clearly imply that it’s over and that there will be no third season. And again, characters that I wanted to see didn’t appear that much. On the bright side, I loved hearing all the OST’s play in the drama one last time.
All that is to say, it shouldn't have taken that long for the other couples to get together. In exchange for the slow pacing, I at least wish the other couples and supporting characters appeared more in each episode.
Nevertheless, Hospital Playlist still remains to be a top-tier drama, and even though the second season was not as enjoyable for me, each episode never failed to make me smile, laugh, cry, and sing out loud.
One is that the episodes this season felt very slow. I know romance is not the main focus of this drama but I also know that it's one of the reasons why the second season was highly anticipated. Everyone, including me, was eager to see how the stories of the couples will unfold. This part of the drama just seemed to drag on for too long. The romantic relationships of the other couples don't really blossom until the last few episodes. Moreover, some of the couples (*coughs* Chu Min Ha and Yang Seok Hyung) were given way too little screentime. Instead, we get an overabundance of Jang Gyeo Wool and Ahn Jung Won. I found some of their romantic moments cringeworthy even though I shipped them so much in the first season. Maybe it's just me but I felt like they lost their spark once they got together.
Another bummer for me is that the side characters that I enjoyed watching a lot in the first season got pushed aside - the twins, Yong Seok Min and Heo Sun Bin, and even Woo Ju. Yes, they're supporting characters but it felt like their roles became even more minor. Even Min Ha as a doctor and not as Seok Hyung's love interest could have gotten more screentime.
Lastly, the final episode was anticlimactic and unnecessarily long. Perhaps it’s to make up for the episodes that they missed in the earlier weeks but it was just not quite compelling despite that 2-hour running time. Also, a lot of the things that could have happened in the earlier episodes were packed into the finale as if to clearly imply that it’s over and that there will be no third season. And again, characters that I wanted to see didn’t appear that much. On the bright side, I loved hearing all the OST’s play in the drama one last time.
All that is to say, it shouldn't have taken that long for the other couples to get together. In exchange for the slow pacing, I at least wish the other couples and supporting characters appeared more in each episode.
Nevertheless, Hospital Playlist still remains to be a top-tier drama, and even though the second season was not as enjoyable for me, each episode never failed to make me smile, laugh, cry, and sing out loud.
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