Zombie Mama, Tanya, and I are back to discuss episodes three and four. What kind of theories did we come up with? Did we just write the entire Emergency Couple story line?
Zombie: So I just have to ask, last week we weren’t so sure we were going to like this drama, have any of us changed our minds now that we’re four episodes in?
Karen: I think my overall reactions are still positive. I do miss a lot of the medical drama though because that’s what gets my heart pumping.
Zombie: Yeah, there’s not really a lot of “medical” to this medical drama. Like Tanya said in her post this week, it’s more of a drama set in a hospital than an actual medical drama. Despite the lack of medical drama, I think I like Emergency Couple more this week than I did last week. The characters are growing on me, as is the relationship between Jin Hee and Chang Min.
Karen: Getting to know the background of our characters is the highlight for me. I was shocked to find out Han Ah Reum is the minister’s daughter and that Chang Min had parents whose relationship is even more damaged than his former marriage.
Zombie: It’s no wonder Chang Min and Jin Hee’s marriage was a bad as it was… Look at the example he was given! If he’s only ever seen a marriage based on anger, resentment and tons of arguing, how could he expect anything different of his own? Especially when his father married “above” him (for lack of a better word). I have a feeling he’s had the same superiority mindset as his mother (in his own marriage), even if he wasn’t aware of it at the time.
Tanya: I completely agree. If you are always around broken relationships, then there really isn’t any good to base what a relationship should be like… or rather, what it CAN be like.
Karen: Did you notice how he was always begging his mother to divorce his father? Maybe that’s what he believes is the only way out of the marriage.
Zombie: Has the guy ever even considered the possibility of working out your differences? Is divorce the only option for him? If it is, he’s seriously messed up! Just because something is difficult or maybe even broken, doesn’t mean you automatically give up or throw it out. Anything worth having is worth fighting for and a successful marriage is something worth fighting for, at least in my opinion.
Karen: Don’t forget that he’s the one who initially gave Jin Hee the divorce papers, which made her ponder over whether she should sign them.
Zombie: I think he’s just suffering from a severe case of spoiled only child syndrome. Wealthy family… Only precious son… Gets whatever he wants whenever he wants… You can see how he could easily fall into the assumption that if things don’t go his way he’s entitled to throw a fit until he gets what he wants. Maybe Jin Hee was the only person to tell him “no” and he got upset about it and left. Being from an entirely different background, I could see that being a possibility…
Tanya: I think growing up affluently has a lot to do with Chang Min’s perspective of the world. If it’s broken, throw it out and buy a new one; material possessions and relationships respectively.
Karen: I do want to find out in the next episodes what Jin Hee ever saw in Chang Min? Why did they fall in love at all?
Zombie: That’s one of the many back-stories I want to know! How did they meet? How did they fall in love? How did they fall out of love? What happened in Dr. Gook’s past that is so horrible it haunts him to this day? What is Dr. Gook and Dr. Shim’s relationship? Were they a couple at one time? What’s Chang Min’s parent’s story? How did they meet? How did they survive such an obviously looked-down upon relationship? What’s Jin Hee’s family history? Where’s her dad? Why is her mother so obnoxious? It looks like her sister is going to show up next week and I’m pretty excited about that; I’m hoping for a lot of family history once Jin Hee’s sister shows up.
Karen: Yes! So many questions, so little answers. I want to know everything!
Zombie: The good news is, we’ve still got sixteen episodes to have all of our questions answered! In the meantime, we can wonder how long it’s going to take for Dr. Gook to start showing interest in Jin Hee. You know it’s going to happen sooner or later so what do you think, will it start sooner or later?
Tanya: Dr. Gook is going to be the catalyst for a lot of things in this series. He needs to shake Chang Min up a little and give him a taste of the real world before he even deserves Jin Hee. She’s not much better though, she also needs to realize that she’s not perfect.
Karen: Oh, I trust Dr. Gook is getting there. I think he needs to take Jin Hee out for dinner or something.
Zombie: Maybe he’ll treat her to a midnight snack in the hospital cafeteria first. Maybe under the guise of a pep talk or to give advice...
Karen: That’s so unromantic!
Zombie: I suppose they could both sneak out for a late night drink. That seems to be Dr. Gook’s thing anyway. Maybe that’s as romantic as Dr. Gook gets…
Karen: I’m pretty sure Chang Min will catch wind of it and follow them there. That’s how it always works.
Zombie: I could see that being both hilarious and annoying as I’m sure Chang Min would then feel compelled to “retaliate” by going out with Ah Reum.
Tanya: I can already see the flames of jealousy!
Karen: Yeah, but Ah Reum would probably take Chang Min to the club.
Zombie: Where she’d quickly learn Chang Min lacks rhythm and is a giant embarrassment to be around.
Karen: Ah Reum already hinted that Chang Min is “old.” How can she handle that?
Tanya: I don’t know if it was old as an insult. Many girls find older men more attractive because they are more mature.
Zombie: I’m pretty sure she’d get tired of Chang Min very quickly, for that very reason. If she can’t tolerate Jin Hee because she’s “old” it’s not going to take her long to realize Chang Min is too much of an old geezer for her and all of her youthful ways. (And yes, this is heavy on the sarcasm because 33 is NOT OLD!!!)
Karen: Please, Ah Reum will be 33 some day. She just needs to wait her turn.
Zombie: And give up on Chang Min already because he’s obviously not interested in her (well, beyond the interest in her short skirts anyway). I think Im Yong Kyu is better suited for her anyway, at least he isn’t “old” so they ought to get on better. I’m pretty sure he’d at least be able to dance… Very important for all those trips to the clubs.
Karen: It’s no use when Ah Reum wouldn’t even give Yong Kyu the time of day.
Tanya: He’s adorable though! I think he can change Ah Reum’s mind eventually through persistence. That’s how the cutesy characters work their magic.
Zombie: Give Yong Kyu time, he’ll eventually wear her down. Maybe she’ll have a traumatic incident at the ER like Chang Min and Yong Kyu will be the one to give the “kiss of life” to her and then she’ll fall madly in love with him and they’ll live happily ever after…
Karen: Ta-da! At least one happy ending down.
Zombie: I’m pretty sure Park Sang Hyuk and Lee Yong Ae (aka the annoyingly cutesy newlywed couple) are going to hit a rough patch sometime in the near future and be on the brink of divorce only to be talked into working things out by none other than Chang Min and Jin Hee. Once they heed the wisdom of their elders they too will live happily ever after.
Karen: Two happy couples down!
Zombie: Man, I’m good! I should be a drama writer! LOL!
Karen: You practically wrote the rest of the story!
Zombie: I think I’ll save the happy endings for everyone else for later and instead focus on how determined Jin Hee is to become a doctor. Are we still thinking she’s pursuing this career to prove to everyone that she’s not worthless or is there more to her determination than that?
Tanya: There is a possibility that she wanted to prove that she is better than Chang Min. Since he couldn’t finish, she wants to finish to prove she’s better in the end.
Karen: That’s such a mystery to me. I have a few theories on that. Maybe her father had something to do with why she wanted to become a doctor or maybe Chang Min’s father, Oh Tae Suk, inspired her to become a doctor. Or maybe, she thinks this is the fastest way to earn money since her family is in debt.
Zombie: While I don’t see becoming a doctor a particularly fast way to earn money, it’s certainly better than appealing to the loan sharks and then losing your hands, so I give her props if that’s her motivation. I honestly don’t know, at this point, why she decided to pursue such a difficult occupation but I applaud her determination. It’s obvious she isn’t one to give up easily which makes me wonder why she gave up on her marriage…
Karen: Surprisingly, she knew about Chang Min’s cheating scandal with the hospital director, but I think Chang Min’s mother put the nail in the coffin.
Zombie: I have no problems with that theory! I’d want to put a nail in my own coffin if I had to endure a mother-in-law like hers!
Tanya: She’s a new level of mother-in-law hell.
Karen: I feel like slapping my neck in pain when I think of her.
Zombie: She really is awful, so much so that I’m really hoping the previews of next week are true and she’s on the brink of death. I honestly wouldn’t mind if she just kicked the bucket next week so everyone around her could live the rest of their lives in peace.
Karen: Why do I get the feeling that Jin Hee is going to be the one to save her?
Zombie: Because that’s just how cruel fate is in Dramaland. You’re probably right and it’s going to be awful for Jin Hee and Yoon Sung Sook is going to go ballistic when she finds out the truth of her salvation and once again I’m going to want to slap her in the face! Yes, I’m awful. I know. I just can’t stand Yoon Sung Sook. If history is any indicator of the future, you know that Sung Sook is going to refuse to recognize Jin Hee, no matter if she’s a doctor or not, and is going to make life miserable for Jin Hee and Chang Min for the rest of their lives because that’s the only type of character Park Jun Keum plays. Ever.
Tanya: There could be “come to the light” moment between Sung Sook and Jin Hee moment, but considering how shallow Sung Sook has been her entire life, I really doubt that it will happen. I really want to believe that there is more substance to her character but all we have seen has proven that if it doesn’t benefit her, she doesn’t care. She believes Jin Hee to be worthless and won’t easily change that opinion.
Karen: And this is where Mr. Oh Tae Suk saves the day to take his fateful position as the Vice-Director of the hospital.
Zombie: Yes! Because Sung Sook is going to try to get Jin Hee kicked out and Tae Suk is going to step in out of nowhere, accept the position he’s been offered and save the day! Woo-hoo! Go Daddy Oh! Go!
Karen: Because we can’t count on Chang Min to protect Jin Hee.
Tanya: He is definitely irresponsible...
Zombie: I think it’s because he’s too much of a mama’s boy to go against his mother. Which makes me wonder how he managed to find the courage to marry a woman against his mother’s wishes. He has no backbone when it comes to his mom, so what in the world possessed him to marry Jin Hee six years ago?
Tanya: Probably his one moment of rebellion against his mother.
Karen: It’s another Oh family mystery waiting to be uncovered.
Zombie: Speaking of mysteries… I can’t figure out why any department in the hospital would have to take the blame for the death of a terminally ill cancer patient who refused to undergo treatment in the first place.
Karen: How can someone take the blame or get fired for the patient’s death? I think the staff did their absolute best under the circumstances.
Tanya: I think it’s totally ridiculous. I’m not entirely sure how the scenario is even possible since they established that he was a goner from the beginning. Even if he hadn’t gotten stuck in the elevator, there was probably no saving him since the cancer had obviously spread. Sad, but true.
Zombie: If we’re going to be realistic here, we’re at a hospital. People die in hospitals every day and it’s not because of medical malpractice; it’s simply because people are sick or injured and sometimes these illnesses and injuries are too severe to recover from. Simply fact of life. You can’t blame doctors for nature taking its course.
Karen: It seems to be two departments, the surgery and the ER department, blaming each other for the death of the patient. Unless it looks intentional, I can’t see why someone needs to take the blame for it.
Zombie: Exactly! Both departments did their job well and the patient died anyway. I’m pretty sure there was nothing more to be done for the patient as he was the one who refused to receive treatment in the first place. If you really wanted to nitpick, you could say that perhaps the patient was in too weak of a state to undergo surgery in the first place but was anything along that line even discussed?
Tanya: I honestly think it’s a pissing match between the two chiefs. There is obviously some beef there.
Karen: No idea. But, what do you think will happen to Chang Min and Jin Hee? Who will take the blame? Or will they both take the blame together?
Tanya: It’ll be interesting to see if Jin Hee steps up or she lets Chang Min take the fall for her. I’m not sure which way this will play.
Zombie: I see this as being a perfect time for Dr. Gook to display some feelings for Jin Hee. As it seems he’s been through something like this in the past, I can see him wanting to protect Jin Hee from suffering the same blow he did all those years ago. If that’s the case, I can see him being willing to throw Chang Min under the bus but I can also see Jin Hee stepping in to pull Chang Min out from under said bus. If Dr. Gook did offer Chang Min as the sacrifice, I could see that severely damaging his chances with Jin Hee but maybe he’d be okay with that if it meant keeping Jin Hee out of trouble.
Tanya: He seems to be emotional, but I am confident that he wouldn’t let his personal feeling hurt his department.
Karen: Personally, I don’t see Dr. Gook putting his personal feelings into his work. I do, however, think he will try to protect the ER department from further reputable damage.
Zombie: In which case, he’ll do everything in his power to make sure the surgery department takes the fall for this patient’s death. Maybe this would be another ideal time for Mr. Oh to step in as new director and save the day for Chang Min, Jin Hee and the entire ER department.
Karen: No matter what, Oh Tae Suk has to come to the hospital. S.O.S.
Zombie: He’s going to be the savior of more than Jin Hee, I can feel it!
So now that we’ve provided all kinds of theories and plot possibilities (and a couple of “happily ever afters”) what do you think will happen next? We’d love to hear what you have to say so be sure to leave a comment below!
