The Show That Makes “Hospital Playlist” sits in my Top Five Series of All-Time
Probably the longest title for the challenge so far, just like many songs back then by bands from the infamous label in the early 2000s, “Fueled by Ramen”. Day twelve of thirty, here we go!
Medical shows are always interesting to watch and sometimes can scratch our head as well because of the jargons used in the episodes. It is the only universe in the world, where most of medical workers are impossibly good looking as well.
Medical workers just radiate different aura every time they are outside of their element, i.e. hospital. Maybe that’s what fascinated those writers to build some characters for their shows. Some TV-shows went beyond to show the reality behind operation table, where complicated matters to save one’s life are at stakes. Others just want to be lighthearted at the situation those medical workers face everyday, just to keep us sane.
Sometimes we, as a non-medical professional just want to know the struggle behind their job that is just taxing for most of the time, because doctors, nurses, are just human like everybody else. Some of us do want to see a medical series, where we observe meticulous operations that can last hours or even days, if the damage or the difficulty is severe.
I am on the side of light, easy-to-churn shows, but still shows the human side of medical workers. That’s why “Scrubs” is still on the top of my list.
One thing I find “Scrubs” and “Hospital Playlist” similar is that those shows treat their secondary characters as seriously as the main ones.
Basically, it is a show that revolves around the life of a doctor called John Dorian or J.D. for short, with his friends and colleagues such as Turk, Elliot, Carla, Perry, and Dr. Bob Kelso. It is just a simple formula of combining comedy and romance as well (though I think the latter is just so well incorporated to the stories, you just begin to notice it just from the start of season two).
Then the show revealed its magic one by one, in a slow manner. They do show some of the operations or procedures to patients. It’s neither scarily accurate nor trying to be one, to be honest, but they can portray the frightening feeling of doing something for the first time, especially for the JD, Turk, and Elliot.
One thing I find “Scrubs” and “Hospital Playlist” similar is that those shows treat their secondary characters as seriously as the main ones. “Scrubs” in particular even put more emphasis towards the nurses especially in the beginning of JD’s, Turk’s, and Elliot’s career, where they assisted those doctor’s “firsts” of many. That’s why characters such as Laverne and Carla always linger in everyone’s mind, because they are the mother of the doctors.
And of course, the Janitor. Don’t forget about him or your fate will be just as bad as JD’s back in the season one, where JD thought a penny causes the sliding door to break, but the Janitor felt challenged and tried to make a bet about it.
Another thing to mention about how amazing “Scrubs” is, are the soundtracks. I mean, 1990s to the 2000s produced some of the best musics that are still played on the radio, but they incorporated those songs so well, that some of the episodes are tied to a song to their own. Like this clip from season 5 episode 20 for example:
This particular episode is based on a real-life case, where (SPOILER ALERT) three patients needed an organ transplant to survive. It took a dramatic turn at the end because those patients just had an organ transplant from a donor died with rabies instead of drug overdose. Season five is definitely my favourite because of the frequent rollercoaster feeling I got almost from every episode.
This episode makes me think that Kim Jun-Wan is a kinder version of Perry Cox. Obsessed with saving lives but can be emotional as fuck when things don’t go as planned.
Lee Ik-Jun on the other hand, has the same fate as JD. Quite unlucky in the love life, but the former has more of an advantage because he is, the inssa. Same can be said for Chae Song-Hwa to Elliot Reid. I have a hard time to pinpoint the exact character from “Scrubs” that suit both Yang Seok-Hyeong and Ahn Jeong-Won. I should rewatch both series to get a clearer picture, though.
There are many reasons why I couldn’t recommend you enough to watch this series, while waiting for “Hospital Playlist” season 2. Seriously, where the fuck have you been?
-SR
Written for #30DaysWritingChallenge
