This was the episode that tipped my affection for Descendants of the Sun from strong like to a whole new level above. I LOVE THIS DRAMA, that is all. It probably would have gotten there faster if I connected more with Song Hye Kyo’s earlier episodes performance as Mo Yeon but both her acting and the character development have grown stronger now to the point that I’m all in with her. She’s an interesting nut to crack with plenty of faults and inconsistencies, but the fundamental strength of conviction and character makes for a female lead that can be held up as an example rather than just an accessory.
Episode 8 continued with the aftermath of the big Urk earthquake and the ensuing rescue efforts hit a new hitch in getting to every last possible survivor. I get some niggling worry that many scenes may foreshadow things to come that may be tear inducing, but it’s not here yet and I’ll take the happy and cheerful tidbits while it’s still in regular supply. Shi Jin’s third and most recent confession doesn’t get him a pretty doctor for a girlfriend but does keep their connection strong and solid. He still likes her, she still likes him but won’t date him – luckily it’s not as frustrating as it sounds when their day jobs are as interesting to watch as the small steps romance.
Episode 8 recap:
After Mo Yeon stitches up Shi Jin’s shoulder wound, he quietly confesses that, much as he has tried, he misses her a lot. Whatever he’s doing he can’t stop thinking of her. This does not sound as creepy or controlling coming from him because he’s just so calm and candid about it. Shi Jin figures she wasn’t expecting him to say something like this but he asks that she think about it.
Shi Jin gets up and turns to Mo Yeon telling her to get some rest. He wanted to drive her back but he can’t now as he has to give a report to the main base. Mo Yeon asks if she can go with him to the main base as she has a call to make.
Mo Yeon picks up a cell phone and stares at it. Shi Jin looks over as Mo Yeon places the call to Team Leader Go’s wife. She relays his dying words to her – Team Leader Go feels at peace that he’s provided for his family and sent his kids to college. With his wife they’ve spent the marriage staring at each other’s pictures more than spending time together and in a twist of fate now that will be her future. He assures his wife that he will leave her with the retirement fund and also a nephew will help her out, but most importantly he wants his wife to move on as soon as possible and not mourn.
Shi Jin takes this conversation in.
Nurse Ha finds Dr. Song outside and he shows her a wedding ring from a patient who just came out of surgery. The man won’t be needing it back now since his wedding hand has been amputated. She takes the ring and places it on a necklace chain to return to the patient who quietly appreciates the gesture.
Ye Hwa and Daniel are discussing her promise that he give an interview to the reporter but Daniel wants to save his pretty face for his wifey only.
The medical team pass by Daniel fixing a truck outside and Chi Hoon recognizes him as the famous Daniel who is half Korean and comes from a rich Canadian family but spends his time doing overseas volunteer work. Min Ji is impressed a rich guy would do this but Dr. Song says only an idiotic rich guy would choose this life.
Mo Yeon softy cries after making the call to Team Leader Go’s wife and Shi Jin follows her out of the tent as she looks for a quiet place to grieve. Shi Jin teases that it’s something a guy would be suggesting, going to a quiet place. He compliments Mo Yeon on doing well today and asks her to look at him before pointing skyward. Mo Yeon looks up to see a sky full of stars and is upset that the sky is this beautiful when the ground is devastated below.
Mo Yeon thanks Shi Jin for coming back, if he wasn’t here today perhaps she would have run away. Shi Jin has a quip at the ready and suggests they run away together because a man and a woman have always run away together. Awwww, go elope you two! That gets a smile out of Mo Yeon.
The Manager is getting beat up by Argus for not being able to produce the diamonds even as he tries to explain that the diamonds are stuck inside the buried office. Argus gives him until tomorrow night to bring the diamonds and makes the point with some muscle encouragement.
The camera pans to the buried office and inside it’s the young worker. He calls out for help and then remembers Team Leader Go telling him to wear a safety helmet and realizes that likely kept him alive.
The rescue teams are using cranes now to demolish the remainder of the power plant solar tower to get to the back office, which makes the Manager happy. Dae Young reminds him that their job is to search for survivors once a path is cleared to the office area as there are still three people unaccounted for. The Manager argues that anyone still missing is dead by now but Dae Young says that is for the medical team to pronounce. He grabs a bundle of ropes and heads inside through the cleared path, vowing not to give up on any possible survivors.
Chi Hoon and a few medical team personnel follow the soldiers into the buried space and try as he might to help he’s still startled by flickering power cords and detritus. Chi Hoon brushes away dirt over a glass panel and sees a survivor below.
An aftershock hits and shatters the glass so Chi Hoon is able to reach down to try and pull the survivor out. But a falling rock hits Chi Hoon’s shoulder and he is unable to hold on, and then must run outside as the area continues to shake, leaving the survivor inside who cries out for Chi Hoon not to leave him behind. Chi Hoon is a mess when he gets outside but is able to tell Sargent Choi that someone is still alive inside.
Dae Young tries do his job but Myung Joo knows that his hand is injured and makes him stop so she can bandage him up first. The survivor has fallen down into the basement third level after the new round of shaking. He calls out for help and hears Dae Young’s voice so they make contact.
Myung Joo mans the station outside and tells the arriving Shi Jin and Mo Yeon about the confirmed survivor inside. Dae Young radios in that he will get to the survivor in five minutes and to have medical personnel ready.
Mo Yeon writes down the Korean names of the medicine for Shi Jin to take himself because he won’t bring her inside when the area is not secure yet. Shi Jin doesn’t need her translations since he attended military academy at West Point and can read English just fine but Mo Yeon is all business is making sure there is zero room for error. She tells Shi Jin what to do when he finds the survivor and he snarks that he’ll have a conversation with her in English when he gets back and leaves with a jaunty “see you in a bit”.
Dae Young and Shi Jin have made it into the area where the worker is trapped and he’s in relatively good health, grumbling that Dae Young only gave him water and won’t let him eat and asking Shi Jin for something to eat. Dae Young and Shi Jin need some time to lift the slab off his leg so he can move. Shi Jin wonders how the worker who is on the eastern side construction ended up on the western side of the plant and hears that he crawled through whatever space could find.
Shi Jin radios to Mo Yeon and reports on the patient’s vitals and she radios back for him to provide some painkillers and IV fluid. Shi Jin takes out a needle and tells the patient that he has experience from military academy and wonders why people are questioning him so much today. Dae Young needs another piece of equipment so Shi Jin tells him to go get it as he stays behind with the worker.
The worker asks how long he’s been trapped and hears that it’s been three days. He wants to know how many people died and Shi Jin pauses before saying that a lot of people died but many have been saved. The worker is oddly itchy now and his throat is swelling up. Shi Jin radios in to Mo Yeon who says the patient might be one of the rare few with an allergy to the medication. She hands Dae Young medicine to take inside that will counteract the allergy.
There is suddenly more shaking but it’s not an aftershock, it’s the Manager using the crane to try and dig a hole into the office area. The area starts to shake and things fall so Shi Jin shields the worker. Dae Young hears the Manager is digging and screams for him to be brought over. The soldiers drag him out of the crane and Dae Young orders that he be detained and he’ll kill the bastard if anything has happened. Myung Joo reluctantly sends Dae Young back inside as Mo Yeon also looks worried.
The worker is alert and calls out to Shi Jin who appears unconscious. The worker starts crying that ahjusshi is dead and Shi Jin grumbles that he’s not an ahjusshi. Shi Jin gets back up but the worker notices that Shi Jin’s arm is all bloodied. Shi Jin sees that the shaking actually moved the slab that was on the worker’s leg so he can move but the entrance is blocked and neither can get out now. Shi Jin tries to radio in but gets no reception.
The worker is all demoralized but Shi Jin says they will get out, and the worker can go back to his girlfriend. The worker doesn’t have a girlfriend and asks if Shi Jin does. Shi Jin mentions the female doctor on the other end of the walkie talkie earlier, she’s already rejected Shi Jin three times. The worker says he would be so embarrassed he would kill himself if he were Shi Jin. Outside Mo Yeon gets a grip on herself and remembers that she has a job to do and says for Shi Jin to stay safe.
Shi Jin laughs that Mo Yeon must be worried sick outside right now and probably wishes she accepted him already. Shi Jin asks for the worker’s name and learns that it’s Kang Min Jae. He writes on Min Jae’s arm just in case only Min Jae makes it out. Min Jae is having a hard time talking as his throat his swelling. Shi Jin wants him to stop saying that he will die and believe Shi Jin when he says they will be saved.
A noise reaches them and it’s Dae Young breaking through some stacked rocks to dig a way into the space. Min Jae smiles in relief at being rescued. Min Jae is carried out on a stretcher and Chi Hoon looks stricken to see him since he wasn’t able to rescue him before. Mo Yeon tends to Min Jae and sees that his vitals have been written on his arm and remembers Shi Jin doing that to Ki Bum. She asks Min Jae who wrote it and hears it was the soldier ahjusshi who rescued him. Min Jae is so happy to be out and to see such a pretty doctor.
Min Jae is carried off as Shi Jin walks out grumbling to Min Jae that he’s not an ahjusshi. Shi Jin walks up to Mo Yeon and calls for a stretcher. Myung Joo asks if there is another survivor but Shi Jin lays down on the stretcher and says that he is the survivor.
Mo Yeon is about to head off to treat Min Jae when Shi Jin grabs her arm and turns to look at Myung Joo to bring up how he sent Dae Young out first. Myung Joo thanks him for looking out for Dae Young and offers to treat Min Jae and tells Mo Yeon to stay with this pretending to be injured patient. Shi Jin tells Mo Yeon that he’s not pretending, he really is hurt. She believes him and that is why she will treat him but need him to let go of her arm first.
The soldiers bring in the Manager as Dae Young gets out of the space and the Manager is unrepentant since everyone is safe now. Dae Young punches the dude in the face and gets a laughing thumbs up from Shi Jin.
Mo Yeon patches Shi Jin up and he wonders why she’s so cold to him after he escaped a life and death situation. Mo Yeon doesn’t like that he’s joking about it since he really almost died. She really was so scared for him but Shi Jin says he trusts that Mo Yeon will take care of him should anything happen which is why he went in. Mo Yeon wonders why he always takes such risks and Shi Jin explains that he’s a very capable man and doesn’t intend to ever have anything happen to him.
Ki Bum comes in to report that Colonel Park is here and Mo Yeon refuses to let Shi Jin get up to report. She tells Ki Bum to have Colonel Park come here if he wants to talk to Shi Jin which makes Shi Jin freak out that’s he’s going back to solitary lock up for this disrespect.
Colonel Park asks Shi Jin if he’s hurt badly and he says not but Mo Yeon interjects that he’s really hurt. Colonel Park announces that Hae Sung hospital just notified that a plane is being dispatched to pick up the medical team the day after. He asks Mo Yeon to provide him a full departure roster and to have the medical team prepare to leave.
The Manager rushes and rudely orders Colonel Park to gather his men so he can complain about getting punched out by Dae Young. He threatens to lodge a complaint and get all of them discharged. Colonel Park agrees to do things through official channels and plans to file a complaint that the Manager committed attempted murder by interfering with rescue operations. He then yells at his team for not managing the rescue site better and orders them to go run laps.
They run past Myung Joo who chides Dae Young for the weaksauce punching and suggests he make the guy half dead if he was going to do it so he can’t complain afterwards. Shi Jin sees Mo Yeon as he runs past and breaks from formation to go talk with him. She wonders what he did wrong to run laps even when he needs to rest but knows that he will do whatever is ordered. She hands him the prescribed medicine and Shi Jin thanks her for taking care of him.
Shi Jin wants to know if her name is on the list of Hae Sung personnel leaving and Mo Yeon admits that this time she’s the one leaving him behind. Shi Jin reluctantly lets her go.
Mo Yeon meets with the entire medical team and tells them to go home or stay, it’s their decision as the volunteer effort is officially over. She asks those wanting to stay to raise their hands and no one does until Nurse Ha gives up her space on the transport for a gravely injured patient. Min Ji does the same which upsets Dr. Song since it makes the rest look bad. Mo Yeon tells those who want to go back not to feel guilty, they have done so much so they can raise their hands if they want to go home.
Everyone raises their hands except Dr. Song who reluctantly stays and wants his space reserved for his soul.
Mo Yeon wonders where Chi Hoon went and he’s checking in on rescued Min Jae who confronts Chi Hoon for not being a real doctor since he abandoned a patient to run away. Chi Hoon looks absolutely stricken. Mo Yeon finds Chi Hoon and compliments him on being the first to locate Min Jae. She wants Chi Hoon’s name on the departure roster because he’s done enough and needs to go home to his pregnant wife.
Min Jae finds the survivors to ask where Team Leader Go is? He’s pointed towards a list of the deceased and finds Team Leader Go’s name on it. Min Jae cries and calls him a stupid old man, he promised that wearing a safety helmet will save his life and he did it so how could he have died. Chi Hoon cries watching Min Jae break down.
The collapsed power plant is a ghost town as the camera pans across it. Shi Jin gives his report to the gathered soldiers and medical team and workers that all the people have been accounted for as dead or rescued. He officially declares the rescue operation at an end.
The Manager orders them to leave now as he gets to do whatever he wants here now. An aftershock rumbles through yet again. Shi Jin asks them all to give a moment of silence for the victims.
The medical team dine together and discuss how going through something like this changes a person. Suddenly everyone’s cell phone gets reception again and everyone scrambles off to check messages and make calls. Mo Yeon mom is doing fine but Min Ji hears that her ex-boyfriend is getting married.
Mo Yeon takes a call from Ji Soo who calls her to come back and return to her high profile doctor career. Ji Soo asks if Chi Hoon is cheating out there as he doesn’t answer his wife’s calls. Chi Hoon is still crying over his running away cowardice.
Min Ji and Nurse Ha carry items for repair to Daniel and take a moment to swoon over how capable and handsome he is even in a disaster zone. Daniel says he can fix most anything except for a lady’s heart and that makes Min Ji and Nurse Ha blush and chortle. Dr. Song sees the flirting and runs over to break up the fun.
Shi Jin and Dae Young discuss if Shi Jin has called his dad (he doesn’t need to) and if Dae Young has called anyone (the person he would call is here).
Myung Joo comes in with her dad General Yoon on the other line but she hangs up on him when she sees Dae Young is also there. Dae Young hears that Myung Joo’s dad wanted to talk to his future son-in-law Shi Jin and wonders what they are doing behind his back. Shi Jin tells him to hash it out with Myung Joo and heads off to go see his doctor.
Dae Young asks if Myung Joo enters a man’s room so casually but she’s happy that he’s jealous.
Daniel has fixed the broadcast system on the base and Mo Yeon plugs in her cell phone to play music from the playlist. All the patients, doctors, and soldiers listen to the song and the feels come up.
Myung Joo asks Dae Young if the song is setting the mood but he’s still got a total poker face. She pouts and walks close to him but he backs away and goes to do his rounds. Dude, you’re giving poor Myung Joo the lady equivalent of blue balls.
Shi Jin goes to hand out with Daniel and gives him a thumbs up for the music. He wonders what the next song will be?
Suddenly Mo Yeon’s recordings play, including her cliff side confession to Shi Jin. She wonders why he hasn’t come rescue her yet, and how her heart pounded for so long to be kissed by a guy as amazing as him.
Shi Jin smiles as Mo Yeon frantically races through the base to get to her phone and turn the most embarrassing public announcement in her life off.
Thoughts of Mine:
I loved loved loved the ending of this episode, what a nice lighthearted break from the more somber mood of the last two episodes. Even if I think it’s highly unlikely that her cell phone playlist will play her voice recorded message no matter how inadvertent, I’m fine with such a stretch because it’s such a small moment but delivered with such broad impact for Mo Yeon, to have her deepest thoughts on Shi Jin aired for everyone around her to hear. She’s the more closed off one of the two and also more mindful of what others think. Not that anyone on the base was clueless to the budding romance between the capable captain and the pretty doctor, but to have her deepest darkest hidden away feelings for Shi Jin laid bare will certainly have ramifications. I think it’s good for Mo Yeon, after the embarrassment passes it will have done what she can’t bring herself to do consciously, which is to take her honesty with Shi Jin a step higher. Witness how she didn’t answer his last confession, whereas the first two times she did reject him. It’s becoming harder to stick to her practical side when Shi Jin is more and more integrated into her world.
The rescue operation in this episode continued to be interesting to watch even is nothing terribly interesting in set up. It delivered the emotions and for a K-drama aiming so high on the disaster scale I consider it a success. It meant a lot to watch Mo Yeon pass along Team Leader Go’s final words to his wife and continue her grieving process, which felt genuine even though she only had a few passing interactions with him. As a doctor she has witnessed death before as well but his passing was more than just table death in the OR, she had a decision in it and he was able to connect with her before he went. More than just Mo Yeon, Chi Hoon is also having his world rocked by this disaster and I feel bad for the young doctor who had the heart but not the experience or fearlessness to follow through under any circumstances. I don’t blame him for running out of the danger zone when the aftershock hit, and neither should Min Jae if he was more mature about it. I appreciated Mo Yeon’s assurance to the team that they should feel free to choose to go home and not be judged by it. Doctors and soldiers have jobs and certain duties but it shouldn’t be forced upon them beyond the parameters set.
There was a lot more down time for the various characters to connect in this episode, allowing the nice character development beats to continue. For a drama with such a big cast, even if Mo Yeon and Shi Jin get disproportionately more screen time, it doesn’t feel like the other characters just serve a purpose. I like Dr. Song and Nurse Ha’s interactions and many personality differences, as the older ones on the medical team it’s nice to have mature professionals who can play around when duty isn’t calling. I’m totally able to recognize more than a few of the soldiers not named Shi Jin and Dae Young, especially puppy Ki Bum who feels the most like a useful plot device but one who has a nice memorable charm. Dae Young and Myung Joo continued their status quo but at least he’s not avoiding her which Myung Joo seems to take as a huge step forward like I also see it. His jealousy over even the hint of a future between Myung Joo and Shi Jin needs to be the angle she should use. If he’s going to be a noble idiot then make him stew that she’s moving on, even if he knows it’s not happening but he needs to have his emotions prodded more otherwise he retreats into stoic robot soldier mode. I see parallel paths in the two main love lines and it’ll be interesting to see which couple makes a breakthrough progress first.
My gut tells me it’s going to be Shi Jin and Mo Yeon and likely in the next two episodes. Basically Dae Young just needs to get General Yoon to agree to marry Myung Joo to him and still believe her military career can flourish, which could happen if he performs some incredible feat of bravery and gets a big promotion or commendation. Theirs is not as complicated as Shi Jin and Mo Yeon, but also could wait for near the end of the drama to resolve. Shi Jin and Mo Yeon need some togetherness soon because I know more danger lies in wait for them, and one or the other is always on the brink of running off to another country. They interact on borrowed time and currently Shi Jin smoothly makes the most of it, which remains such an incredible act of restraint on his part not to take a more forceful tack with her especially since his alpha male side is so very very macho. I love their give and take, the dialogue isn’t the most memorable in DotS but everything flows so effortlessly that it’s a genuine pleasure to watch their relationship develop slowly without the need to rush them on. But I wouldn’t be surprised if Shi Jin steals a few more kisses from Mo Yeon whenever he can, who can blame him for trying after the most adorable heartfelt confession first confession from her.
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the confession part is actually quite realistic though.i usually recorded some of the lectures I’ve heard and that somehow got played along with my other playlist.hahaha
the fact that we have to wait another week to see the flirty duo is killing meee!!!
thanks for the recap!!!
That has happened to me too
The part where Moyeon said she’s going to abandon Shijin when he asks if she’s leaving feels so out of place. Her tone doesn’t sound like she’s joking with him and it’s a line that carries quite a bit of emotional impact on Shijin but there is no follow-up so I don’t understand its purpose. Anyone has any thoughts on this? 🙂
A little petty payback because he’s always the one leaving her.
Sharp observation
Ahhhh makes sense. Thanks!
I think Mo Yeon’s human failures are that she can be a little gossipy and hold on to grudges.But that makes the character so much more relatable and lovable? In one translation I viewed, she said something to the effect that this is her chance to abandon him..a bit more cryptic and open to Shi Jin’s interpretation. The effect may good learning for Shi Jin since he always seemed a bit more macho and cavalier about leaving her behind. Shi Jin can come across as too macho/cavalier/egotistical(?) as in the way he answered her before,on that part of his being good in his job is that he would not get hurt..maybe it’s fun to hear a man say that to another woman, but it would drive a real girlfriend crazy if her boyfriend consistently gives that kind of answers.
I thought that after Shi Jin’s last confession, Mo Yeon was more open about her feelings and concerns towards him. And it was good to see that she mentally and physically readied herself to run to help him,when they thought that he was badly hurt or even died in the rubble.She has guts and would go to help her man whenever and wherever needed. I think that she is the more serious of the pair, so she balances his sometimes precocious boy-man characteristics in that relationship. We should be so proud to have Mo Yeon as a representative for women.
@Pohyoke Interesting perspective! 🙂 I agree with you about Shijin being a bit too cavalier in his answers whenever Moyeon asks him questions related to his job. Besides his personality, I think it’s possibly intentional on his part as he wants to shield her from understanding the actual gravity of his job. His reservations may stem from his observations of her crying often, making him think that she’s emotionally weak. But we know that Moyeon is emotional but definitely not emotionally weak, so I’m pretty excited for him to realise that in the weeks ahead and be more impressed + fall more crazily in love with her 😀
@pohyoke
Yes, I think she was a lot more open. Smiling when he said let’s run away together and being openly worried about him. People mistake her coldness as rejection (he did too), but she was cold because she was annoyed with his behavior. He was making light of his injuries, and making a joke out of the whole thing. I can understand why, but I can also understand why she was upset with him.
The part about her leaving didn’t need be resolved, and he left her alone immediately because she wasn’t really leaving and it was to prove a point that he does the same to her (while asking her to date him all the time).
Wow. You speak my mind pohyoke
@ okray: I think it’s a good sign that by epi 8, Mo Yeon is the one woman who could control Shi Jin, even making him stay in bed when his commanding officer came visiting. Shi Jin could not meet her eyes when she reprimanded him for joking after is ‘life and death’ incident, was cute.He was like an errant boyfriend/husband scolded by his girlfriend/wife. The commander/army has a lot of problems with Mo yuen who would followed her principles and not fell obliged to follow their rigid rules and hierarchy.But Mo Yuen would fight tooth and nail for her man if she thinks he is not wrong as even from the beginning,she stormed to see Shi Jin’s officer about what she thought was possible unfair ‘imprisonment’.Shi Jin would be so lucky to marry such a beautiful, smart and brave woman.So yes, we wait for Shi Jin to be so crazy in love with her, and give his life some other meaning.
my thought is maybe…she just want him to feel how is it to be abandoned this time..just like what he always did to her back then…
I agree. If the translation is correct, she felt ‘abandoned’ each time he left suddenly, without any notice or reason given. A terribly sad and lonely feeling? How does one cope with that repeatedly? He was never abandoned.. he who rappels down ropes from planes with comrades to save the world..he always has a ‘greater’ and ‘nobler’ mission to follow. And the danger before your eyes must be frightening as even MJ would have stopped DY from going back into the rubble if she could and she is a soldier.
Wow, it’s intersting to read all your comments. You guys must have done well in Creative Writin. XD
Arn’t we silly, discussing the characters as though we are taking a university course on literature 101? Hmmmm..but are you serious are just being flippant and speaking tongue in cheek like Shi Jin always does? Should we glare at you from the corner of our eyes like Mo Yeon does?
@pohyole, I meant both way. hahahaha, why can’t one be playful and serious at the same time? That’s why Shin Ji’s charm is immensely irresistible and mesmerizing. His quipps do not downplay his sincerity. Actually a guy who’s eloqent at banters in regular dialogues has become an endangered species nowadys. So women all find it charming with witty jokes here and there. You’re aĺl welcome to look at me as MY does to SJ. LOL….It’s my honor. I actually think MY enjoyed SJ’s repartee a lot. That’s part of the reason why SJ is appsaling to her.
@okray it’s an emotional revenge by Moyeon that Shijin has to feel how it is to be left behind.
The end scene was honestly one of the best things I’ve seen in a very long time. So brilliant. I think SJ/MY breakthrough. Dae Young isn’t there yet at all.
I love the drama, i love this episode and i love your recap. Thank you!
One word : DAEBAK.
I too am grinning, my husband throws me a bewildered look.
Nice recap Capt. K
Ahm, that phone went down with her right? Must be a water proof phone. ^^
Great point! Maybe she soaked it in rice and revived it? Though I don’t know how salt water would affect the phone.
MAybe doctor Daniel fixed it? Lol was thinking about this too…
Omg! My chingu told me about soaking my ipod in a rice overnight, and sure enough it works like a miracle. 🙂
It’s Samsung 7 even in “marriage contract” with shown example :))
It was samsung. Off course its waterproof. Thats PPL for you.
Samsung has water-resistant phones. Another subtle PPL? 😛 JK
It has been so so long I have watched such a good drama. Or I have never watched such a good drama before.
When koala falls head over heels with a drama …
I like this drama very much but I’m a little frustrated with the very obvious weak delivery of SHK. Her eyes does nothing when the scene called for a delivery of unspoken emotion. She’s supposed to be conflicted and I can’t see and feel that in her.
What I can see is that she’s not overacting. She does just fine.
I don’t agree. She says a lot through her eyes. She also should be hard to read. She’s controling her emotions. This episode she’s also purposely cold in her actions at times because of sjs attitude
What do you suggest?lol..she is doing her very best.This has the most lovable character she portray and i guess its her inner self reacting too.
When is there any acting rule saying actors must show emotions outwardly like frowning all the time when confused, for example?
I love this drama. I especially love the female character and SHK’s deep but very nuanced acting here.
Thanks for the nice recap. I’m surprised that you only come to love SHK’s in recent episodes. To me, she has been great from the beginning showing a character with integrity and capacity, lively but thoughtful, strong but emotional, adventurous but cautious, realistic but dreaming.
Yay! Thank you! This is the first and only drama my mom is watching with me on a weekly basis!
I totally agree! I was watching and enjoying but not really super into it until this THIS episode. The last part! I watched it twice and squeed twice and my husband thought I was mad. And I keep shooting him these silly random grins when I think of the show. He is going to send me to the nut house soon. Haha.
I also love the humanness they portray the doctors to have. I really like that they brought in the emotional and ethical dilemmas faced by doctors in crisis situations. I’m a doctor and we really do struggle emotionally every day during emergencies to do our best and we are always our harshest critics when things don’t go well or as planned. I feel for Chi Hoon because you never want to feel like you didn’t do your all. 🙁
But all in all, I’m loving the show and it’s making me squee and I haven’t felt this way about a show in a long time!!
Seems like I am the only one that was disappointed in this episode. I really loved the ending, actually laughed out loud. But the rest of the episode was a little too.. draggy, for me. Am I too impatient? It seems like a lot of fillers and the plot isn’t moving forward. And Chi hoon’s emotions and reactions were something I just could not relate, like isn’t it the right thing for him to leave the unstable area first before coming back to rescue. Sounds like the correct protocol to me. May be he could have said he will come back or sth so the guy won’t be scared to death. But otherwise he did the right thing and I just don’t get why he is going nutcase about it.
It was fun to watch but the episode didn’t draw me into the story.
What I can see is that she’s not overacting. She does just fine. Chi Hoon was a bit over the top to me. I wish he would be more authentic..
Yup, I think mo yeon was doing just fine too
I liked this episode more than episode 7, but I am in just for the lead relationship (because honestly the secondary love story is pretty minor). It seems KES knows her bread and butter of this drama is the Song/Song relationship. I do like that it is treated as a mature relationship between adults trying to figure things out that we don’t always see in other k-dramas that focus on chaebols etc. Yet the pacing for me is definitely off, but I guess KES is right because Song/Song are keeping me invested in this drama.
The disconnect might be due to two writers present. Lets not forget the other writer. Most KES dramas focus on the main lead to the exlusion of everything happening around them. Yet here, their day jobs take a precedence over their love lives, which is how it should be. In real life we are not at the center of the universe, neither are the drama characters.
I think it was a bit of a filler/transition episode. Really, the last 10 minutes were the best part. I also liked MY being the disappointed GF and not taking SJ’s shit for most of the episode too.
LOVE this episode. Actually I love all episodes. SHK is really bringing her character more depth. Cant wait for next Wednesday.
Love your recap! I feel like the ending of this episode is a nice, subtle payback for all of SJ’s love persistence.
If what happened to MY at the end of this episode happened to me, I’d wish for the ground to open up and swalllow me whole. She, though, deserves it for being so rigid?
I LOVE YOU, MS. KOALA. <3
new music?? great <3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQpilOfEh_Y
Love! Love! Love! I didn’t expect that I would return to this state ever again after Cheongdamdong Alice’s 6th episode. I’m loving this!!!!!!!!!!!!
Can’t wait for next Wednesday..
I think Chi Hoon is suffering from a bout of PTSD. I think the part where Min Jae scolds him is actually a hallucination, because right after, you can see the camera pans out and shows that the area he is in is empty and Min Jae is actually still inside the surgery room/ICU area.
Woah, nice observation. Poor guy he just isn’t build for this kinda work environment. He will need a lot of counciling and he needs to go home immediately before the baby is born.
I will.have to go back and watch this part again.
Oh then that would make sense. Otherwise it just seems over the top for me. I hope they develop this angle a little further so we all can understand his reaction.
@jejunee: Maybe I have a different perspective, and can offer some insight? I don’t find it that crazy how Chi Hoon is reacting, even if it may be a bit dramatic. I don’t think it’s just guy he let go of, but in general he has been extremely out of his element for many patients, like the first one who died because he triaged him “wrongly” and then he suddenly collapsed and died. I cannot even explain to you how awful and terrible you feel when a patient you thought was ok, suddenly turns sick and dies. It’s soul wrenching because you blame yourself and wonder if you could have done anything else and changed the outcome. But Chi Hoon cannot let his fear/self reproach stop him so he buries it and carries on. He feels better about himself after he helps the pregnant lady, but then after he “fails” to save the guy in the rubble, it’s like all his guilt comes back and hits him. It’s not his fault, but he will still feel lots of guilt. And I actually can believe it that the injured guy would come back and blame Chi Hoon, because he is scared and injured and he is responding by lashing out at people who he feels “abandoned him” or haven’t given it their all. But yeah, @shapby could be right and it was all his imagination (I haven’t gone to rewatch), but to me that part wasn’t super unbelievable.
This was a cute episode. KMY still throws me off with her comments about SJK’s job. His own superiors are not going to make him do something that’s dangerous to his Job unnecessarily. She really needs to understand why discipline and command is important in the military. Besides that I’m happy she cares enough to be mad at him when he is just joking about the dangers that sorrounds him. I can’t blame him though because soldiers need to be optimistic and have the kinda personality that YSJ has or else they would be on constant depression over all the death that sorrounds them. If she want YSJ to be vulnerable and open up about his fears to her she is going to need to do the same thing first.
I love all the characters in this drama, especially the female characters. I think that I really understand where KMY stands and that makes her very relatable to me. SHK is really a talented actress,
Thanks K!
Hi Koala! Greeting from Portugal!
It’s my first time posting a comment here, although I come a lot to this blog, because I love your news and recaps.
I’m loving, loving, LOVING this drama. I already saw a lot, but I have to confess that, besides I’m a fan of SJK since the Nice Guy drama, I’m really enjoying the story line, also because is full of such strong characters. I really like the OTP, since he they are like the opposite, but that only seems to draw each other more and more.
I have to confess that I quite admire SHK character, and I think that she is an example as an woman.
I loved this recap, and I was so much looking forward to it. It’s always a mess to find a decent episode on the web for me, and even to wait fro the subtitles, makes me even more anxious! I can’t wait for Wednesday. I really feel that the amazing ending of this episode, with the confession of Mo Yeon revealed, and in the way that it was revealed, will encourage that flirty and naught side of Shi Jin, that I love so much, even more, and I really think that she can’t escape anymore from what she feels. Basically she is trying to escape from her own feeling, and not exactly trying to escape from Shi Jin. She quite enjoys his company, his humor, but it seems that shes afraid of what shes feeling, mainly because of his job, and the danger that is involved. But, fortunately for us and for Shi Jin, she lost the battle, and it’s only a matter a time that she will admit it. I’m just loving it!
And I also love your blog and the comments. I’m sorry if I wrote worng any name, but my Korean sucks. I can’t even memorize the names well, they are quite complicated for a person that speaks a latin language.
Well, we have a week ahead, and I only hope that Wednesday comes really fast.
Greeting to all! 🙂
Love your comment regarding SHK character! Yup, she’s strong, it’s not that she’s wishy washy about her feelings towards SJ…she’s probably contemplating of what kind of relationship will they ever have considering the line of job she has and of course SJ too. I love the adult conversation in this drama. I love love the ending!!!
this is one of drama that feel better when you watch than read recap but still feel good after doing both,
I like that this drama make me feel good after watching it, like so relax and I am gonna tune in next week
i love the reaction on her while running towards grabbing her phone…OMG!!! she will be teased a lot by him on the next episode…i hope Wednesday will come fast…cant wait:-)
The ending running scene was epic and hilarious. I replayed several times just to get a laugh. Lol
Koala what a BEAUTIFUL recap of DOTS! You are killing it darling <3 many other recappers who are recapping this show are not putting half the emotion and thoughts that you are! Love you!
Second I seriously screamed for 10 minutes after that ending. KES u genius!
The ending for this episode made my heart flutter! His smirk and mischievous eyes indicted to me that he now has the upper hand in this relationship again. Song hye kyo character wants control, now that everyone heard her confession, maybe she can’t lie to herself anymore. This episode and the last episode foreshadow lots of things that I hope don’t indict what would happen to our leads. The next preview to the drama indicted that again their date would be ruin by external factors. I really hope they can get to be in a date together without being disrupted and it better not be the last date between them. The second lead was funny. At least he was jealous. The scene where she walks into doing ki room calling him son-in-law was just histerical. The comic relief and the closeness between them was sweet. Loving this drama!
I get u when u said that many scenes maybe foreshadow of bad things to come…. I was thinking that too. Especially the scenes between Team leader Go’s death and she having to break the news to his wife… I wondered what went on inside MY’s head to have to repeat Team Leader Go’s dying words to his wife of spending more time with each other’s pictures than spending time together. Much like how she feels about SJ’s job taking time away from them. Although, to me, it will be poetic story telling if writers used these scenes to show us the circle of life and how things foreshadow things and nothing is new under the sun, I’m not ready for it. Simply because I have a soft spot, a very soft spot, for Song Joong Ki’s portrayal of SJ. Those big innocent eyes…. Nothing bad must happen to him.
I have read many of your recaps and this is the first time that I can really feel the heart. It seems like you finally found a drama that can touch your heart and I finally found a recap of yours that touch my hear. Thank you.
one question: How did the phone survive drowning? I remeber it fell on the floor on the passeng side, didn’t it?
waterproof
the part where Min Jae scolds Chi Hoon was a hallucination
I’m very much looking forward to next week when episode 9 shows us new revelation of the romance between SJ/MY couple. LOL @ the ending running scene and super love SJ’s smirks. He delivered it well. I would expect SJ to take more aggressive approaches to his love interest, just like an Alpha male who charges to take control of his cases in battlefields. We’ve seen quite a lot of our Alpha Captain Yoo as a commander-in-control of his squad at ad hoc scenarios. Now I want to see the Alpha side of SJ in his dating battlefield, yes, before all the ominous events loom large in later episodes.
I pray the writer, who usually loves fairy tale endings regardless of all the hell mishaps through drama runs, will once again deliver another fairy tale ending, for the sake of my poor heart. LOL…Yes, Captain Yoo, please stay safe and healthy and don’t vanish into ashes and live happily with your Dr. love forever and ever in the dramaland. I may cry a bucket along with your Dr. MY if you dare die at the end.
I love this drama. I loved the endings to both episodes.
Have you read article, Ms Koala? http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/entertainment/my-new-love-from-the-sun
I heard the ending is sad for the song-song couple. Is it true? No fun! I think I don’t want to watch this
As usual Ms. Koala, you nailed it. There is no one who can recap a drama as good as you.
I simply love DOTS, no amount of words can describe it. Can’t wait for the next episode.
As rumor is going around regarding the ending, I’m pushing it at the back of my mind and just enjoy the two leads continuous travel on life.
I enjoyed your recap of DOts…. I was bored with so many korean drama until i’ve seen DOts. First because of Song Hye Kyo.but after episode 2 the story become more interesting. Not boring at all. They all act almost naturally. I really love this episode 8 because SJK n SHK made a progress on their relationship. Sometimes a nature disaster can bring couples closed to each other because they don’t want to loose each other. That’s why they can cry, smile, expressed their feeling even more. I agree with the conclusion that SjK n SHK should make a lot of scenes to decide how they should be. I hope in a romantic way?. About the rumors of sad ending… I hope it won’t happen. But SHK known in some sad ending korean drama. Too bad if this happened with DOTS
Well, the reason you couldn’t connect with KMY, was mostly, because of your bias against SHK, so that’s fine.
Glad you’re loving this drama now. 🙂
Do you know the name of the song played over the PA system via her mobile phone? The song is really nice.