Across the Ocean to See You Episode 13
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Big improvement over the awful writing of last episode. It was good that they quickly resolved the stupid and contrived 'misunderstanding' trope of last episode and got Zheng Chu and Su Mang back on track. We are finally starting to see some tiny steps in TGG's being forced to reconsider her relationships with Zheng Chu, Su Chang and Su Mang. But it's still moving really slow. They are really dragging out her childish infatuation to near obsession levels and it's not really cute or entertaining anymore. The joke is past its due date. Hopefully the writers will contrive ways to get her to start to look towards Su Chang more earnestly and they will let her grow up. Meanwhile, on the Tang Ming front, we see some nice progress in his relationship with Yan XiaoQiu, who continues to be one of the very few likable characters. Here is the open question, though: Did Tang Ming actually sleep with Shan Shan on the night she pretended to be drunk in order to seduce him? Or did he do the right thing and leave? The show left that un-clear. Feels like that will come back to haunt things.
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Across the Ocean to See You Episode 12
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This episode is a dramatic downturn in script quality over the prior episodes because all of a sudden the writers have both the ML and the FL behaving as stupid and irrational as their surrounding cast of characters. Up until now, both the leads were the pillars of sanity compared to all the loonies around them but suddenly in this episode they both behave like idiots, leading, of course, to misunderstandings and over-reactions. In other words, the writers have leaned heavily into both the 'plot-induced-stupidity' and the 'contrived misunderstanding' tropes just to create some humor and false drama. I really hope this is not a regular occurrence in this show going forward.
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Across the Ocean to See You Episode 6
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So far, this show has been pretty good. On one hand, it is filled with many characters who are very unlikable for various reasons. Arguably, the only fully likable characters are the ML & FL, Zheng Chu and Su Mang and potential SFL, Yan Xiaoqiu. Everybody else is annoying for one reason or another. Even the SML (Tang Ming) is annoying because while he is a nice guy, he is also kind of pathetic with the way he lets himself get manipulated. But despite that, the show is fun to watch, moves the plot along briskly and whenever they use tropes, they make fun of doing so, either by calling them out in the script, diminishing their effect, tripping or even flipping the trope. The biggest such is of course the inversion of the classic C-Drama trope of the "cold-cruel-CEO boss" sternly but fair guiding the underling who they are destined to be with. Su Mang is excellent at being the female version of such a CEO trope. She keeps giving Chu more responsibility and he is growing professionally due to her guidance. And he literally acknowledges to Tang Ming that she is his "master" who is brainwashing his thinking. This whole dynamic is usually gender-flipped the other way around in so many c-dramas (and k-dramas).
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Across the Ocean to See You Episode 2
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This episode hits all the silly contrived hijinks you expect to kick off a romantic comedy. The clingy Gou Gou is a bit much ("Clingy Self-Proclaimed Love Interest" trope), but all the other tropes are handled smoothly without pretending they aren't what they are. In fact, at one point in the episode they almost break the fourth wall with some foreshadowing that is clearly intended to make fun of the plot for including a variation of the "Secret One-night-Stand' trope (in this case, via the sperm donation). So it's refreshing that the writers so far are cognizant of the tropes, not afraid to use them, but not leaning into them to the point of annoyance.
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Across the Ocean to See You Episode 1
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First episode introduces us to both the ML and FL, starting in their currently separate lives, leading each to a pretty sad state of 'single' by the end of the episode. In the ML's case, he also ends up quitting his job on top of his romantic woes. BOTH failures are pretty clearly due to his own character flaws as we learn that while he is clearly smart and talented, he's also stubborn, temperamental and impulsive - the latter trait being on display again at the very end when he foolishly tosses the wedding ring away (wasting all the money he spent on it). On the FL side of things, she is shown to be diligently trying to support her marriage. Her Mother-in-Law convinces her that because her son is infertile but doesn't realize it, that FL should undergo IVF to get pregnant to have a child to strengthen their marriage. So she goes through the effort to get IVF treatment. She then immediately finds her hubby drunk, violent and obviously cheating on her. Plus, he reveals he knows she was trying to get pregnant and he knows he is infertile and he wants a divorce. This all makes it look like she may have been setup by her husband and mother-in-law. So her status is pretty pitiful at this point. She is tossed brutally to some steps by her husband who is obviously cheating on her. She's about to get divorced. And she's possibly pregnant with some stranger's child.
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Things are definitely dragging. The main 'reveng' plot is kinda barely moving at this point as the little time they spend on it in the show is just to show FL reaching dead end after dead end. And otherwise the bulk of the time has been spent on Kang Su and his pet tumor. I get it. The kid was cute and nice and I feel bad that the character was afflicted by a tumor. But from a viewer perspective I found this whole story arc to be a big drag. All drawn out to fill episode minutes. It's also just a continuing exasperation that the people working at this hospital just refuse to do simple, correct things. So many different people KNOW that Seo Woo had the responsibility for monitoring the VIP calls while Hye Jeong was in surgery. Yet no one testifies to this effect during the hearing? This show continues to have good, 'moments', but so many silly plot holes & plot gimmicks that are unnecessary.
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This episode really dragged slowly and was annoying because of how absurdly unrealistic the way so many of the characters act. And while I feel bad for Kang Su turning out to be ill, it is very annoying that the writers leaned so heavily into the tired drama trope of "character hides the fact that they are ill". And the incompetence of the hospital at conducting what should be a very simple investigation is mind-boggling.
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The episodes are getting better when they don't waste so much time on stupid contrived love triangle anymore. Still would like to see the residents and staff behave more like responsible adults and less like childish clowns, though.
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It's nice that the show finally remembered that the ML is a kick-ass fighter and finally contrived a situation where she could be her badass self again for a few seconds (which was all it took for her to take out the baddie in this case). This episode was overall pretty good because it not only resolved the case of the sort-of-paralyzed woman being terrorized by her stalker (pretend husband), but also moved several plot threads forward. ML & FL reconnect after his period of grieving and finish this episode in very good shape as a couple. Dr. Eyebrows seems to have matured just enough have finally accepted that he has zero chance with FL and .... there may be signs of something coming back to life between he and Seo U. Also, there may be a way to resuscitate the information from Granny's old case.
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That stunt made the episode great. :D. Love how the two of them are such natural partners, working together so smoothly.
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This show would be lot better if they stopped having so many supposedly adult characters acting like 5th graders. The show keeps having the residents act brain damaged, I guess for 'comedy' but none of it is very funny. The main romance and larger drama plot lines are all solid and they should stick to those instead of trying be a 'comedy' in between the serious stuff.
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This episode had some clear lines of opposition drawn. First by Jin Seo U, telling everyone explicitly that she was going to be a bad bitch because the world doesn't go her way. Then when ML's father, Director Hong Du Sin, outright slaps her grandfather, Jin Seong Jong when it becomes clear that he is part of the cabal plotting to take over the hospital. In addition, Dr. Eyebrows continues to be just bizarre and unlike normal humans and lets ML know he is going to pursue Hye Jeong, formally setting them up as rivals for her affection. Finally, scattered throughout the episode and especially near the end, the surrounding cast of 'doctors' continue to act like 12 year old idiots in various ways that aren't really funny. Leading up to one of the idiots crashing FL's new car. I guess the writers consider this to be 'humor'?
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Thus show just goes way up and way down, both in terms of emotions for the story ... and in story quality. This episode kicks off with the tragic ending of the last episode, with Kim Su Cheol having wiped out in a really bad motorcycle accident (_totally_ his fault) and needs immediate surgery. At first FL is reluctant to do it for her friend but he insists that he only trusts her so she directly assists Hong and they both successfully save him, though it's clear he will have a long, long recovery. The whole incident, of course, feels very contrived by the show for cheap dramatic purposes. In fact there are LOTs of moments in this show that feel just like the laziest of plot writing. And that's getting disappointing. On the good side, I like that the relationship between the FL & ML seems to be progressing at a realistic and mature pace independent of all the noise around them. That part of the writing is solid. Ever since the ML messed up when he was dismissive of her request for Granny's records, he has really turned it around and consistently respected her choices. He is letting her set the pace of their relationship. He has not tried to make life decisions for her and he clearly respects her as a doctor. All that is very refreshing and mature. Surrounding that, there is all kinds of disappointing junk. The continued bizarre, clownish mis-behavior of all the hospital staff is more frightening than humorous. I don't know what the writers are trying to achieve with all that. That reaches a low-point with frat-house-level heavy drinking at the welcome party near the end of the episode. It was, frankly, disgusting to watch. This show seems full of characters who are either just plain bad, awful humans or at best broken adults who act with the immaturity of children. It's hard to take a lot of this seriously, but if it's meant to be comedy, it's not really working either.
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This episode was all over the place with multiple story tracks riding roller coasters. For the FL & ML, the latter starts off the episode making a HUGE mistake by reverting to his stupid arrogant, "I know what's best for you and I am dismissive of your concerns and choices", mode that he rolled with way back as a teacher - you know, the attitude that lead to a huge trauma-fest for 3 of his students. This failure rightfully disappoints and infuriates Yoo Hey Jeong. Then later, when she reaches out to him for help dealing with her step-mom's case, he's simply not available (innocently, but nevertheless) and so she ends up turning to Dr. Eyebrows for help. The FL and Dr Eyebrows end up just being in the same room a few times. This seems like the show is building up the latter's case to be a romantic 3rd leg of a triangle, though he's so weird and bizarre it's hard to take that serious. So this is the main Lead relationship heading towards a low-point ... but then the ML redeems himself by going ahead and searching for and eventually finding Granny's case files. He finally is able to bring it to her in a romantic fashion and after some dancing in the rain silliness they kiss and their relationship is back on an upward trajectory. At the same time, Jin Seo U is growing in frustration because from her viewpoint, she keeps seeing Dr Eyebrows interacting with Hye Jeong and being attentive to the latter and less and less available to Seo U. She turns emotionally to the patient who she's become friendly to, in search of some sort of emotional connection because she has none with anybody else ... and then all of a sudden that patient dies from cardiac arrest right in Seo U's hands, despite everything she tries to save her. The scene is extremely emotional for her and closes with Dr. Eyebrows rushing in to hug her. Oh - and then there it the re-introduction of Yoo Hye Jeong's father and step-family to her life! Her step-mom still seems like a witch and YHJ is reluctant to do surgery on her. But she brings a new half-sister into the show - who seems nice. I hope they can be good sisters to each other, despite all the family history.
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So many things about the fight scene just irritated me, but none more so Than the amount of stupid standing and staring while someone is bleeding out. These are doctors used to dealing with trauma. Come on. And all the stupid 'coincidences' used by the writers to create the scene were just so painfully contrived. I also hate that the show seems to want to have every freaking man all lusting after the FL. In addition to the ML, we now have Dr. Jung, his nephew (ML's friend) and they've even brought stupid boy-band refuge Ji Soo character back into the story. Do we really need that many flies hovering and buzzing around the picnic? The writing quality just feels like it took a nose-dive in this episode.
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