MiyamotoMusashi

Yep hit it on the nail

Extend your horizon and watch unusual shows

But is assuming enough? There is a difference between landing a emotional scene with characters the audience are invested in, and just intellectually and rationally understanding "they probably will get married". And it´s not like the writer does not get that, hence why you get another karaoke scene in which Ikjun is fawning over Seong Hwa, or two scenes with Sok Hyung and Minha interacting cutesy (including the great kiss). It´s the conclusion of their character and romance arc. Yet two of the four main couples did not get that conclusion at all, seemed unfinished.

There is not much to look forward to S3, though i would not say it´s impossible, whatever was shown or said in the last episode can easily be a misdirection, especially since the director has used misdirections with every episode. And Jeongwan being away for one year could easily underline that the show is at least gone for a year before S3, but like you said, i do not think i am anticipating S3 at all.

Romance is definitely a part of it, but it´s not only that. A lot of things just feel unfinished and not thought out properly. And i somewhat get that we are supposed to get a small glimpse into the lives of health professionals (doctors, nurses) but it feels highly unsatisfying as a show. And i personally think a lot of things (not all) are limited by the inexperience of doing a seasonal show (the director and write admitted it as such even). Putting aside the small amount of scenes of the romantic couples, stuff that anybody would have liked to see but was not included:

- Min Ha and Suk Hyung´s mom meeting
- Jeongwon meeting Gyeo Wool´s mother, possibly even marriage stuff
- Seong Hwa meeting U-Ju, the latter was completely absent
- The group finding out about Iksun and JunWan, heck the two getting actual development beyond just meeting
- Suk Hyung meeting Minha´s parents
- Sun Bin and Suk Min
- Jong Su and his family
- What happened to Chi Yong

And the list goes on.
Don´t get me wrong, there were a lot of entertaining stuff throughout the 2 seasons, funny convos, actual character development and progress even, but ultimately it felt something not planned fully.
Just compare that to 1988 that seemed planned fully, even the structure resembled a Go match, the themes were not neglected, yet every scene also meant something, i never got the urge to skip anything.

Last episode showed me once again why for me, this show, both seasons, was a at times funny, entertaining, touching and quirky experiment, but ultimately a failed experiment overall. I do not think the writer knew how to incorporate and combine the professional challenges of the characters with their personal lives. Both felt almost completely separate and like a compilation to check off certain boxes (showed these two interacting, now back to patients for 15 minutes, now we can do these characters doing funny and quirky stuff, back to patients) and so on and on. And the patient stuff was highly lackluster.

Their friendship and their interactions are among the best things i ever saw in a manga, but it´s simply not enough to justify 50% filled with meaningless patient stories, last episode was once again the same.

For me overall this show is 8/10 based on among the funniest stuff i have ever seen in fiction period.

The romance is shitty though, let´s be honest, for all couples.
I loved it because of actually showing strong and empowered females, and not only the clichéd and condescending "strong woman" archetype.
But everything regarding the romance was so cringey.

Some i would mention are not on the list unfortunately but of those that are listed:

Be Melodramatic:

Really can´t understand why this show is not at least in the top 10 on this site. It´s so creative, humane, unconventional, funny, realistic, romantic, the list of attributes and adjectives just goes on and on. I could write a long review/rant on why this has to be considered one of the best ever.

Secret Love Affair:

Filmed with a budget like a movie, explicit in its portrayal of yearning and longing of something forbidden, arousal, excitement, the hesitation. It´s one of the most mature dramas out there.
I have a slight problem with its ending (no spoilers), hence why i would "only" give it a 9.5, but out of the choices here, it´s a masterpiece in its own right.
The director should be explicitly named as well, Ahn Pan Seok. He has a particular style of cinematography and setting a scene that is very unique for K-Dramas (the director of One Spring Night, Something in the Rain and so forth).

And last but not least, an unconventional choice:

Love Shuffle:

This was one of the first Asian Dramas i watched, and recently rewatched, and it still holds up. The premise is very interesting, it features the best Japanese style banter i have seen in a J-Drama, the pairings are intriguing and actually understandable.

Noteworthy to mention that are not on the list and the rating´s on this site (my rating would at least be 9), i like each of these more than most top rated shows on this site:

Tree with Deep Roots (8.2)
A Wife´s Credentials (7.8)
Nine: Nine Times Time Travel (8.4)
Padam Padam (7.7)
Flowers for my Life (7.6)
SPEC:Birth and follow series (8.3)
Thank You (8.1)
Strawberry Night (7.8)
History of the Salaryman (8.2)
Quartet (8.1)
Karamzov no Kyoudai (8.0)
Longest Day in Chang´An (8.3)
Marriage not Dating (8,2)
A Beautiful Mind (8.2)
A Gentleman´s Dignity (8.3)

Flowers for My Life

Because i believed the first 10 to be more than a fluke.

I am sorry but this was a horrible drama that showed a lot of promise and maturity in the first 10 episodes, only to smash that impression in the last 30. I could write a long review/rant about it but i think it would be pointless, just saying it was really disappointing, and it might be the most overrated drama on this site, a rating of 9.0 is ridiculous.

Having said that, anyone needs a Li Hai Chao in their life.

Yes its because of the policy.

To a certain degree i agree, there was a lot of nonsensical stuff. The coach stuff seemed completely unnecessary. My guess was they tried to show a man-child, basically men who never had to bear responsibility never grew up, but it was so overlong and just unfitting for this series. The supposed love triangle was unnecessary as well, like you said, we all knew how it would end.
It´s a pity really since there was a lot of potential in dealing with specific problems, like the setting was enough to fill out the drama. The relationship with the children, his parents, her parents and so forth, a lot to work with. But i feel like writers feel obligated to incorporate very clichéd stuff to not challenge the audience or something.
Similarly, her work stuff and the problems she faced seemed completely artificial. Like, South Korea has one of the highest divorce rates in the world, but somehow it´s the biggest problem for an announcer? I guess the concept of MILF has not reached SK yet.
It felt really hard to keep watching her work stuff.
Also i did not like that the relationship with the children and their dad, especially Si-Woo and him, was not explored beyond just superficial stuff, and their 180° degree turnaround at the end, without knowing what their father had actually gone through and all he did, both as himself and as Woo-Young, also did not make much sense. In the beginning, they cursed at him and claimed he was never there for them, then they learned minor things, but never learned his struggles to earn a living, nor that he was actually Woo-Young, yet in the end suddenly they jumped at him. Si-a at least had the account book, so i can understand to a certain degree, but the boy Si-Woo made no sense.

On the other hand, i liked that within the relationship, there were no real "villains", just life straining their relationship and making them act in a way they actually did not want to, that part is very realistic. People think of relationship as something that works by itself, but it needs heavy maintaining.

Personally, i liked Go Back Couple more. All the central stuff was addressed, there was no unnecessary additions beyond their relationship, their regrets and so forth.

1988 was not bittersweet because they did not show the couples. The writer is not best at writing relationships in the first place, the journey of getting together is good, but after that not so much.
1988 was bittersweet due to the memories and the times you will never get back, that nostalgic lingering feeling.

Doubt HP is gonna end bittersweet.

Fanservice or concluding the drama?

I think this episode showed me once again why i love the show, but still can´t give it a 10.
Once again, a third of the episode were patient stories with a lot of detail but it is extremely dry nonetheless, and this time it was less part of the entire episode than past episodes had, nevertheless, still looked at my phone couple of times in those scenes. I have to admit though, at least this time there was a connection to the regular characters, with Suk-Min showing his growth as a doctor (from yelling at the patient to listen to him in s1 to calmly and in an empathizing way explaining it to the patient and his family in this episode), and Eun-Mi changing from an introvert to an extrovert due to her experience of delivering the baby, that connection was missing mostly in earlier episodes which made it even more fillerish.
Having those scenes always leaves you with a sense that you are giving up a lot of other scenes you could potentially fill with the regular characters interacting, which is the greatest lore of the show and the writer´s biggest merit. And since the characters, especially the main 5, are so fun and interesting to watch in their regular behavior, the patient stuff just feels underwhelming. Maybe i am alone in this, but i can´t give a 10 to a show that has around 1/3 of its screentime dedicated to stuff i feel bored with, despite how great the other 2/3s are.
And just one last criticism, using an injury as catalyst seemed bit too weak and clichéd for this show.

Having said that, the two main developments of our couples were obviously great, but also might underline that there won´t be a third season.
For me Min Ha really is the most likeable female character in this show, she is strong but still sensitive, funny but also can express sadness, really very well written and also acted character, and it´s no surprise the actress is getting main roles now after HP, before she had only support roles, and also getting movie offers. Hope to see more of her in the future.
I wished Suk Hyung would have been a bit more romantic, but i guess that would have been too out of character, hope the two get a kissing scene though.

Yeah, seems a bit too clichéd for a drama that has so many unique interactions and relationships, but well, nitpicking...

Can you further define horrible ending?
Because for me, a horrible ending is much more relevant if the show overall was good, but then did something completely unnecessary or outlandish thing at the end, more than a show that was horrible throughout, due to the expectations you have.

I never said her sickness is the reason but it was also not Jun-Wan being stressed, it was her fear of getting dumped again because she feared the relationship is taking a toll and Jun-Wan is stressed, hence she thought he would break up with her.
And since she has a trauma from her last relationship, the fear of getting rejected again took over and she made such a mistake.
She explains it here pretty clearly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzrG9kdTQ1s
"I did not want to get hurt, hence i hurt you".
Which was still immature and selfish. She literally made the decision after one comment her brother made about the girlfriend being selfish, these people are in their 40s or close to it, and also have matured due to the daily experiences they go through.
That was really nonsense.

This drama is a prime example of why it is important to have a clear concept for a show, especially a short one like K-Dramas usually are.
The respective ingredients are actually interesting, but since the writer tries to do several things at once, unfortunately all of them end up being underdeveloped and ultimately unsatisfying.

- You have very interesting main characters and their dynamic, both romantic and professional, is unique

- The cases have actually interesting setups and settings

- The morality of lawyers and they are supposed to do is mentioned

- You have an intricate conspiracy throughout the show

But since the writer tries to give each of these points equal exposure, they all feel way too rushed and underdeveloped unfortunately. The main romance gets a few scenes throughout all episodes, the characters get a neat backstory but the writer hardly does anything with those backstories, the cases are solved pretty quickly with a lot of holes in their solution, exposing the grey world of lawyers is cut short, and the conspiracy is dealt with in the last two episodes.
Considering all that, the show would have required at least 20 episodes, if not 24 episodes.

Having said that, there is one thing that the show does really well, and that´s showing an actual badass female character, which is very rare in both Korean and Western fiction unfortunately.
She is someone who has gone through hell and put it behind her, and has formed a clear sense of morality and personality that makes her deal with anything that is thrown at her.

So considering that, i give it a 7/10.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Hospital_Playlist/comments/oem8nh/will_hospital_playlist_get_a_third_season/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

I started to catch up on the dramas for the last 2 years or so, and man pretty much all i have watched are overrated based on the rating on this site. If people truly think these are good shows, i would sincerely suggest to broaden their show horizon a bit.
There are a lot of good shows that are in the 7 rating range, there are a lot of great shows in the lower 8 rating on this site. And this is a sincere suggestion, not trying to be snobbish or snark.

This show was average at best. The main mystery was intriguing but way too over-drawn and not nearly enough to be extended over 16 episodes. There are a lot of ridiculous events (as ridiculous as Kim Myung-Min´s haircut) that are behind the mysteries or the driving force behind solving the mysteries.
The basically tried to do a mix between How to get away with murder and a harlen coban type of mystery but it was way too long, the reveals were pretty lackluster (don´t want to spoiler).

At best 5/10.