KevinToronto

I really do wish people do a bit of research before criticising the story and the writer. A few comments have been about the Ambien-spiked drink scene, comparing the excessive alcohol consumption by the two leads. Ambien is a sedative, not an antidepressant or anti-anxiety medication (which are what our two leads are taking). Further, if someone taking Ambien wakes up too soon, they could suffer from memory-loss. It is perfectly legitimate reaction for two doctors (one of whom is an anaesthesiologist) to negatively comment about using Ambien while drinking alcohol themselves.

As for drinking alcohol while on medication, we all know this is not a good idea. However, knowing something and doing the right thing is not always followed. As I noted several weeks ago, physicians in Canada have some of the highest levels of alcoholism amongst the professions, and this is a similar situation in India, as was confirmed by one of our fellow commentators here, who is a doctor in India.

Bottom line: We may not like the story line, but that does not mean that the writer is wrong and has not done the research to reflect reality.

Just saw your reply. Thanks. (I had forgotten that I had posted it there, and not here. I blame the complex story line and huge cast. 😊)

At the risk of opening the flood gates, care to provide some details of why you feel so differently about this programme compared to the large majority of us?

I have speculated previously that a possible "end point" would be for Tae Min and Tae Ho swapping their locations (Korea to California, and California to Korea, respectively). And, would that allow Tae Min to reconnect with his ex wife? I would be okay with that.

Given that the title of the series is "Live your own life" and the main characters are doing that with just 4 more episodes left, I fail to understand what you mean by a poor story line.

Fear not, there many who like this programme, and they represent the large majority.

I think it is better chracterised as "love overcomes PTSD". In this case, the presence of Ha Neul in the OR helps Jeong Woo operate. It has not shown how he would react if she is not there at some point in the future. If you know a doctor or surgeon well enough to ask the question, I suspect you be told that most all suffer a level of PTSD but they work through it.

I completely agree that it is good to see single parents being shown in a positive light. Compare this series to One Spring Night and Fan letter, Please, where being a single parent is presented as major problem by some of the characters.

However, I would characterise the relationship as being more mature rather than more natural. These two characters have been through the relationship building and ending wringer, and the resultant maturity is being shown, IMO.

By contrast, it is strongly hinted that neither of the main couple has been anywhere near a relationship, let alone a serious one. Therefore, again IMO, it is quite natural for them to exhibit a level of immaturity normally seen in teenager relationships. Yes, there are times when their age does intrude to make their interactions more adult-like. But, personally, I like that the characters have been written in such a way as to allow for some immaturity.

This is fairly common in Kdramas. I believe that this is an inevitable consequence of the broadcasting legislation in Korea. Unlike North America and Europe, programmes cannot be interrupted by advertising. Many older dramas would actually have two 30 minute blocks between which ads were shown. These days, programmes get the advertising and marketing money through product placement and things like the ads during the credits.

While it might seem jarring (and perhaps a mistake), I prefer this to the incessant breaks in the programme flow every 5 minutes or so to allow for ads seen in North America.

There are a couple of instances where Jeong Woo's mother phones him to "order" him to end the table death controversy as his father is about to become the President of the American Cardiothoracic Association. You will find out that Jeong Woo does not have a good relationship with his parents, in part because he went into plastic surgery rather than cardiothoracic surgery like them (and did not go to the States?). My comment was a tongue-in-cheek family reunion plot suggestion.

I will fully endorse @bloomingtide's characterisation of Hyo Shin and Tae Ho's relationship. From the start there is respect, as shown in their banter. Hyo Shin is not cowed by Tae Ho, and puts him in his place when necessary. Tae ho is bratty, but knows it and acknowledges it/apologises for it. Importantly, he recognises that she needs encouragement to start living her own life. He is there to give her the support to take that step.

Thank you for checking that out. So it could argued that it is not product placement per se. Rather, it might be a reflection of the excessive drinking culture in Korean society.

Is the soju brand real or fictional? Genuinely asking.

While it is not white, the truck of doom is an important cast member in "Live your own life".

Hop over to "Welcome to Samdal-ri" and check out the beer cans, especially as they are thrown out of various windows.

He would fly in because this is Dramaland and his agent told him to do so.

And long may it stay that way. I do not watch dramas to see reality.

Wild (cynical) speculation about the crash and Ha-Neul's resultant injuries/coma. Will her injuries be so serious as to require a pre-eminent cardiothoracic surgeon, who is President of the American Cardiothoracic Association, to fly in and save her life? 😉

In all honesty, almost every car driving scene in dramas around the world is unbelievable. How many people would be able to avoid crashing while driving and looking for a long time at their passenger? Most of these scenes involve long conversations and/or looks rather than a quick glance which is what happens in the real world.

There have been a few complaints about the arrival of the white truck of doom (WTOD), and even more about the level of product placements. I am surprised that people have not put it together. The WTOD Motor Corp. is the third largest vehicle manufacturer in Korea, after Hyundai and Kia, They have regularly shown that their frontal collision driver protection system is amongst the best, including many product placements in dramas. Unfortunately, these efforts have not translated in sales outside of Korea. 😉