This was one perfunctory episode of Descendants of the Sun and it came so unexpectedly, an hour that felt more like a crawl at really no fault of any particular element. The story line was pushed forward in ways that seemed to check off boxes – contain viral outbreak, check; little girl in peril, check; bad guy makes his move, check; guys worried about their girlfriends, check; mopey doctor gets absolution, check. Don’t get me wrong, the drama is still hella sleek and entertaining to watch but too much went on in episode 11 that came across as staidly plotted and with nary a well crafted twist in the mix.
Shi Jin and Mo Yeon either got less interesting now that they are dating, or their sizzle is predicated on flirting and banter and there was very little of that in this episode. Myung Joo and Dae Young missing each other was nicely played even if the odds of her dying from the M3 viral was next to none. Maybe Argus is the negative x-factor, anytime he’s got more screen time everything just comes across stilted and forced, and it’s not because everyone needs to speak English for those scenes. If the soldiers were able to thwart him that would help but he’s so brazen it’s hilarious how he’s always one step ahead even when people should be on guard against him. I really hope this is a mid-series hump and the next episode gets back to business.
Episode 11 recap:
Mo Yeon and Myung Joo stare at the bloody diamonds retrieved from the Manager’s stomach and teases that they should each take one since only they know how many were in there. Myung Joo gets serious and brings up how she said that she’s not scared of anything as long as she’s under the same sky as Dae Young.
Their talk is interrupted by Dae Young and Shi Jin returning, and based on Dae Young immediately grabbing Myung Joo for a tight hug, it’s clear to the doctors what the test results are. Of the two doctors exposed to the M3 virus, Myung Joo is the unfortunate one who tests positive and Mo Yeon dodges this virulent bullet.
Shi Jin and Mo Yeon look devastated as Dae Young numbly hugs Myung Joo tightly. She asks that Dae Young be taken out of the room but he won’t go anywhere and wants to stay with Myung Joo. Both are crying and Myung Joo is the first to pull apart from the hug, ordering Dae Young to do as she says. Next scene shows that Myung Joo is now isolated in the same room as the Manager.
Mo Yeon takes Dae Young’s blood to test and explains to him about the M3 virus – it’s even more deadly than Ebola with no known cure, but the chances of death are lower for younger people with stronger immune systems. Dae Young thanks her for the explanation.
Shi Jin and Mo Yeon discuss how certain people can have an adverse reaction to immunizations, and maybe Myung Joo’s strong immune system might become a problem.
Mo Yeon directs the medical staff to set up the case as ground zero for the M3 virus spread, preparing quarantine zones and taking the blood sample of every person to check for exposure. Shi Jin mobilizes the soldiers to stay healthy by keeping sanitary while reminding them that their mission here remains unchanged.
Dae Young is now in quarantine in the storage room and Shi Jin pays him a visit. Dae Young is apologetic for being out of commission during such a critical time but Shi Jin just wants him to buck up. He hands Dae Young a walkie talkie so he can communicate with Myung Joo in the hospital quarantine.
Dae Young calls Myung Joo with her own walkie talkie and two basically try to cheer each other on but end up crying with how much they miss each other.
Nurse Ha tends to still sick Dr. Song but he’s well enough to flirt with her, teasing her about the much improved blood drawing skills, which she reluctantly admits is thanks to Dr. Song. He whines about missing her and she promises to be back before that thought crosses his mind.
Mo Yeon calls Daniel to confirm that the requested vaccines are being sent to the base. He also hears that the UN is tracking all the people who may have come in contact with patient zero the Manager.
Shi Jin updates Colonel Park on the situation on the base and the Colonel wants Shi Jin to take a big step back. Colonel Park wants the Manager and Myung Joo sent to the US hospital for treatment but Shi Jin refuses because patients can’t be moved. Shi Jin insists on sticking to protocol and doing the right thing in this battle with an unseen enemy that is the M3 virus, otherwise there is greater risk to everyone. Colonel Park warns Shi Jin not to let any of the soldiers get sick otherwise none of them are going back to Korea.
The doctors in Seoul see on the news about the M3 outbreak in Urk and try to call their colleagues there but no one is picking up.
The hospital Managing Director is freaking out but not as much as Chi Hoon’s mom who grabs him by the suit lapel to order his son back and he promises to do that when she threatens to pull funding on the hospital.
Ji Soo gets a text from Dr. Song asking for her to do research and send it to him, so they work in tandem to get the latest medical updates on the M3 virus. Ji Soo sends texts of the research while Dr. Song works in his quarantine hospital room. Cool beans.
Min Jae and Ki Bum visit Dr. Song and are wowed by how hard he’s working even though he’s sick as well. He likens this to sick soldiers still going to battle. Min Jae and Ki Bum deliver items to Myung Joo and the Manager and hear that he’s stable but appears to have difficulty breathing. Talks goes to the diamonds taken from his stomach and Min Jae is shocked to hear how much its worth, and how much a person could risk life and death for that much money.
Shi Jin joins Mo Yeon outside to update her on the shipment of vaccines coming tomorrow. She’s relieved so he lightens the mood by asking her blood type. Mo Yeon answers matter of factly “your ideal type” which gets a huge grin out of him. He tells her to be serious so she says the pretty type, or the doll type. They chuckle with each other and she promises to win this battle. He wants her to win it soon because he wants to be able to take her hand and hug her.
Mo Yeon checks on the remaining kids from the smugglers village and confirm the measles outbreak is over. The electricity goes out and Mo Yeon realizes that the machine helping the Manager breath won’t work.
The Manager is foaming at the mouth and Chi Hoon goes to hold him down so that he can be sedated. Chi Hoon holds him down and orders Sargent Choi not to come in otherwise he will be exposed. The Manger bites Chi Hoon on the arm in his struggles and both Ki Bum and Min Jae cowering in the corner see that. Myung Joo sedates the Manager but his heart stops so Chi Hoon starts doing chest compresses. Chi Hoon keeps doing chest compresses and revives the Manager.
The electricity comes back on the Mo Yeon tends to Chi Hoon’s arm bite. She tells him that he saved the Manager’s life and is a real doctor now. Ki Bum and Min Jae leave after cleaning up and Min Jae locks eyes with Chi Hoon. He asks if Chi Hoon is infected now and hears that he needs to be quarantined to check. Min Jae says to Chi Hoon before walking out that “you looked like a real doctor back there” and Chi Hoon starts to cry. Chi Hoon assures Mo Yeon that he’s not upset and is very happy because now he can finally make a phone call.
Chi Hoon is back to being happy go lucky and calls his pregnant fiancée too assure her that he’s fine. She chews him out for a month of phone silence and was worried she would be a widow. Chi Hoon tells her many times how much he loves her.
Mo Yeon sends the kids off with Daniel who is transporting them to safety.
Min Ji brings great news that all the blood test results are back and everyone tested negative. Dae Young is released from the storage room quarantine and he immediately runs to check on Myung Joo who is sleeping. Shi Jin has even better news that there are no further outbreaks in the public, and after everyone gets vaccinated then the level alert can be lowered.
Shi Jin and Dae Young are called away to the dining room to tend to a situation. After they leave Myung Joo sits up and checks her phone but it hurts her eyes and looks blurry.
Shi Jin arrives at the dining hall to see Argus and his men there with the people from town here to get blood tests. He greets Shi Jin and the little girl and assures them that he’s been tested negative for the M3 virus already by the US army who has been watching out for him lately. He wants to see his old friend the Manager who he hears is very sick. Shi Jin declines the request and tells him to scram.
Argus is willing to leave but leaves word that he has something very expensive and shiny being kept here and asks to check on it. Shi Jin won’t since this isn’t a lost and found and tells Argus to leave in ten seconds. He starts counting down and Argus reaches inside his suit jacket which makes all the soldiers grab their guns.
Argus pulls out two vials of vaccine to leave as gifts, asking the doctors to save his friend the Manager because he has a lot of things to discuss with him.
Argus saunters off and Dae Young can tell that Argus knows the US army is using him and also knows the capabilities on this base. Mo Yeon tells Nurse Ha that the results of the M3 blood test are back and she worriedly asks about Dr. Song’s test results.
Nurse Ha pays Dr. Song and visit and he’s all ready to leave because he knows his result must be negative, he just got a regular cold. Nurse Ha grabs him for a hug for worrying her and for that gets a wrist grab and hug back from Dr. Song. She gruffly orders him to let go but he has something he most wants to do since he was quarantined. He hands Nurse Ha a note which turns out to be a medical research he wants to quickly discuss with Mo Yeon.
Dr. Song sits with Mo Yeon discuss how this experimental drug has been used in West Africa with the M3 outbreaks with a high success rate. He wants Nurse Ha to contact Daniel to ask for the drug which she already did before walking away annoyed at him.
Myung Joo is getting sicker in quarantine and places a call to her dad to tell him that she’s sick. He’s gotten the report so she asks why he hasn’t called her. He knows that the survival rate is only 50% and there is nothing he can do as either a dad or a superior officer so he can only wait for her to call. Wait helpless as his daughter fights the battle.
Myung Joo vows not to lose the fight and asks for two things from her dad. She apologizes for saying that he was going to lose her as a daughter before she deployed. She also tells him not to ask Dae Young to change jobs if she survives and gets better. She heard what he said to Dae Young, turns out she hid outside to eavesdrop.
Myung Joo pretended not to know but she ended up crying when she was alone because she knows what he had to agree to to be with her. She knows her dad cares about her, but in the same way she cares about Dae Young. Her dad is happy that she’s acting like his daughter because she’s making him worry about her. Myung Joo hangs up the call and then passes out.
All the doctors convene to treat Myung Joo by putting her into an ice bath to lower her body temperature. Dae Young and Shi Jin are all worried and here that a new experimental drug is arriving soon from Daniel. She then gets a call that the Daniel was carjacked with all the medicine.
Argus calls Shi Jin to make a deal, the medicine for the diamonds. Shi Jin and Dae Young go to meet with Argus’s henchman to exchange the diamonds for the medicine. Daniel goes to check on the truck to make sure the medicines are accounted for before driving it to the base.
Dae Young is in a pissed off mood and beats up Argus’s henchman.
Myung Joo is suffering in the ice bath when Mo Yeon is called outside because the little girl is being taken away by local authorities for stealing medicine after being outed by the guy she was going to see. Mo Yeon says they gave it to her but the local authorities still want to take her in for attempting to sell it on the black market, including Mo Yeon for giving it to her.
Ye Hwa is talking with Ki Bum as she prepares Oriental medicine to help Myung Joo, even if it’s not proven they need to do anything they can to help. Min Ji and Nurse Ha help Daniel unload the medicine and start treatment on Myung Joo and the Manager.
Shi Jin and Dae Young return to base and Dae Young immediately goes to check on Myung Joo. He takes her cold hand in the ice bath reassuringly and keeps her company until her temperature drops by the next morning. Dae Young plucks Myung Joo from the bath to move back to her bed.
Shi Jin is looking around for Mo Yeon and hear that she went to the local police station. Shi Jin rushes to the local police station and along the way pass the little girl with her mouth and hands taped together walking on the side of the road. She suddenly falls to the ground with a gunshot wound to the knee.
Argus’s henchman walk out with Mo Yeon also bound and gagged and Shi Jin puts his gun down. Argus pulls up and feigns concern for the little girl as he tourniquets her leg. Argus asks if Shi Jin wants to die or wants his woman to die? Now is Argus’s turn to call the shots so Shi Jin asks what he wants.
Shi Jin watches as Mo Yeon is shoved into a car. Argus explains that there is an arms delivery tonight and he knows that afterwards the US will kill him because he’s of no use anymore. He wants Shi Jin to guarantee his safe departure from Urk and he’ll keep Mo Yeon to make sure Shi Jin delivers. Shi Jin says in Korean that he promises Argus will die in his hands and Argus laughs that he is considering learning Korean because of Shi Jin.
Argus tells Mo Yeon in the car that he has a lot of good memories in Urk and Mo Yeon is the perfect woman to spend his last night in the country with. Shi Jin uses his walkie talkie to assure Mo Yeon that he will save her. He’s a very capable man of his word so she needs to be brave and not cry and wait for him. Argus takes the walkie talkie and radios to Shi Jin that he’s also waiting for him. Mo Yeon tearfully stares at Argus throwing the walkie talkie out the car window.
Shi Jin’s eyes are red rimmed and filled with tears as he reports to Colonel Park that he needs to rescue a hostage. Colonel Park reports to the Blue House who has heard about the kidnapping. Colonel Park tries to deescalate the situation but Shi Jin says it’s for sure a kidnapping. The aide wants Shi Jin to do nothing until things are verified but Shi Jin yells back that there is no time!
Shi Jin insists that he’s going on a hostage rescue mission but he’s told to put the interests of the country first and stop acting on his own accord. Shi Jin says “if it’s a country that doesn’t care about the life or death of its citizen then it’s not a country that matters to me”. He storms out of the tent but is prevented by soldiers from leaving the main base.
Shi Jin is ready to bust down the army gate door to drive off and takes a call from Colonel Park that he has three hours. In this three hours Shi Jin will not be Captain Yoo or a member of Alpha Team or even a Korean citizen, so he has three hours to be off the grid.
Shi Jin gets an update from Dae Young that Myung Joo is still unconscious but her fever has broken. Shi Jin tells Dae Young that he’s heading out for a bit. Shi Jin puts on his all black incognito outfit and buys arms from the waitress at the bar. She wishes him luck on the mission.
Argus takes off the tape on Mo Yeon’s mouth and she tells him in Korean that he’s not going to get anything from her. He hits her with the butt of the gun and orders her to speak English, he’s a scary man and she should be aware of that since he warned her of the dangers of being around men who carry guns.
Argus says Big Boss is a funny capable man but also a man of many secrets. He often disappears and can’t be reached, and one day he’ll just poof never come back. She should break up with him, this isn’t a warning so consider it advice. Mo Yeon keeps speaking in Korean, calling in trash who doesn’t need to know what she’s saying to him.
Dae Young tries to contact Shi Jin but gets no response. He hears from Sargent Choi that Shi Jin left the base and Mo Yeon hasn’t been seen since last night when she went to the local police station. Dae Young knows something bad has happened as he sees Shi Jin’s army uniform and dog tag on the bed.
Shi Jin places a call to the bodyguard of the VIP patient they rescued asking to use the other card now to ask for a helicopter. Shi Jin drives towards the sunset.
Thoughts of Mine:
This was the first episode of DotS that I’m not too keen on but even that decreased affection doesn’t have a significant impact on how much I’m still enjoying this drama. The doctors response to the M3 outbreak felt so low key, and the quarantine appeared so grade school in safety. How the heck does Chi Hoon think running inside without gear on to help stabilize the coding patient makes ANY sense? Even in life and death situations the doctor would take a minute to put on necessary gear especially if it’s available in the facility. I’m glad Chi Hoon is a happy puppy again but his redemption story was poorly executed and Min Jae being around was so awkwardly shoehorned since he has no reason to be helping with either the soldier or medical duties around the base. At least that puts an end to scenes of Chi Hoon crying, which juxtaposed with awesome Dr. Song being sick but still all around professionally doing his job makes me wish the medical mission just sent senior docs on the trip and leave the green ones back in safe Seoul.
Mo Yeon is capable as a doctor, no doubt, but she is totally idiotic as a person making non-medical related decisions. Why why why would she go with the local police when they tried to take the little girl, and do so without bringing soldiers along for protection. It’s so ridiculous I almost couldn’t make it through her kidnapping scene because I wanted to tell Argus to scare some sense into her. If she was just doing her job and Argus barged in to kidnap her then so be it, but to deliver herself to blaring danger makes me want Shi Jin to break up with her and date a less impetuous type. I don’t know why Argus needs Shi Jin to guarantee his safe departure from Urk after the weapons deal goes down, he must have resources in his means to handle his own logistics, and involving Shi Jin seems so risky since it’s always a bad idea to force people to do one’s bidding. This whole thing went down like Kim Eun Sook was writing a rescue plot from her romance novel tower.
The good parts of the episode were the down time to see characters doing things, like Dr. Song and Nurse Ha interacting, or Myung Joo’s call with her dad when they hashed things out. Perhaps her brush with death killed two birds with one stone, making Dae Young understand just how deeply he loves her, and forces her dad to see the bigger picture that his concerns over Dae Young are not that important. Since Mo Yeon escaped getting infected with M3, the kidnapping story line puts her in a different kind of danger and the type that special forces soldier Shi Jin can try to resolve with his own ability. I hate solo rescue story lines because it’s inherently unrealistic, only in small doses does it skate by my snark meter but a long scene shakes up the rhythm too much. Shi Jin does look ahhhhhmazing in all black with that cap on his head, going rogue and even buying black market weapons. Mo Yeon’s defiant attitude with Argus is pretty pointless and I wish she would just refuse to speak with him and wait quietly to be rescued. But then again, that wouldn’t be as dramatic, and goodness this drama needs a steady stream of stuff to happen like on an IV drip schedule.
This might be my first less than enthusiastic recap but I still love the drama overall and this episode really wasn’t all that. It also served as a stark reminder that this drama hasn’t hooked me completely on the characterizations and interactions, to the point where I am viscerally engaged even when the going gets bumpy. There are plenty of lesser quality dramas that have me in a gut hold hostage so that anything happening would send my blood boiling, but I remain a sane and sensible watcher with DotS, and this episode was mostly all sorts of nonsensical. The things I liked took a backseat to narrative progression, sadly it progressed to the very plot point that remains weakest in the story, namely Argus and his band o’ gang of mercenaries. He’s such a larger than life caricature of a villain, even his tanked bromance with Shi Jin doesn’t mean anything because we never feel for him as a person with feelings and complexities. The drama remains solid in execution but I want more of the plot elements that go to the heartstrings, like the earthquake aftermath and the romantic posturing. If ever there is a side character that should die in this drama, whether deservingly or not, it’s gotta be Argus just so his arc doesn’t need to get rehashed yet again. I’ll suspend my disbelief further in the next episode so that Shi Jin going all Rambo on Argus and his men will feel thrilling rather than fantastical.
Click here to watch Descendants of the Sun.
Thank you very much for your quick recap of another amazing episode. I have been refreshing this page like crazy to read your views. There are people out there saying that Dr Kang is such a liability to Captain Yoo and and blaming her arrest for what Captain Yoo having to go through. Perhaps when she saw the local police coming to take away the little girl, she should have just run away and called Captain Yoo to help. But what she did was also consistent with her characteristic: she understood that the local police would not wait for Captain Yoo to come back; she was not afraid and dare to confront the local police to defend the girl. Unlike Captain Yoo, she has been in Uruk for a short time, how could we expect Dr Kang to expect that she would eventually be kidnapped by Agus so that Captain Yoo would help him to escape at night? And if we talk about liability, one can also say that Captain Yoo is her liability. But I don’t think one should consider the other half a liability if one loves the other half.
I have to agree with you that she did not know the local police was working with argus because well isn’t it one of the plot line that YSJ kept from her (to the point he lied the kids are safe withe local welfare). The girl is completely in the dark about the corrupted police system .
However i have to agree with ockoala that this episode was the least engaging one with plots holes so big.. i can’t even.
on a more medical note, the solution to a M3 viral outbreak was an antibiotic.. ( i know medical ppl sighed at the revelation )
But then the drama does do best when expectations are low. like ep8 . So hopefully this can b resolved. come on pre produced dramas , i have faith in u.. still..
Totally agree
I agree. The rest of the doctors also didn’t see it was a big deal for her to go with the cops. She doesn’t know the cops are shady and working with Argus. If anything she should have been warned. And lord help her if she ran to her boyfriend for her lol. People would be calling her useless. I do with Fatima was more worth the effort or we had more emotional connection to her in general so it would seem like a good thing to follow after her.
I guess the plot of this episode is too fast for your taste but for me I love it. I can see all of these developments taking place in an unstable and conflict area.
And about Dr LCH, I would agree with your criticism about him not wearing gear in normal circumstances. But in this case, when the electricity went out and the patient could die in any second, what he did was understandable to me.
I have no problem with that too. the boy ain’t rational but the vindication from min jae was abit off. Plus the boy starts to get on my nerve on the previous episode. Sorry but not all patients will be so appreciative and grateful even if u did save their lives. We definitely need the awesome drs like Dr. Song
Disagree. For every patient’s room with isolation precautions, masks, gowns & gloves are always by the door, one MUST put on and these only take a minute. CH is too childish and immature to being a professional… I fast-forward his parts always… not worth watching on an entertaining standpoint…
sorry, I must add that I disagree on the plot on CH, not with the commenters… I thumbs up Dr. Song, he is amazing and his acting is great! Hope he will have more screentime.
Agree
Finally. Thanks for fast recap. I’ve been waiting for this moment to vent. I actually find this episode kinda sloppy in many aspects. I agree with Koala about Chi Hoon’s emergency response to Manager Jin’s critical condition. It’s so against the standard protocol. And what drove him to be so overlooking his own safety is also beyond my reasoning. From the very beginning until this part, I’ve never got it why that power plant worker trapped under the debris had so great impact on his perception about himself as a qualified doctor, to an extent he seems seeking for his approval.
This is also the first time I’m not so much positive about Dr. MY’s character. She’s always been so rational and sensible. How the heck did she end up in the hands of the villain Asparagus and became such a great liability to Si Jin? How could such a sophisticate female professional be so gullible of local police in a infrastructure-shattered country? Did she just leave the safety zone protected by Korean Peace Corp without 2nd thought? Her decision to follow the local police was an act of lacking judgment. Giving her so preoccupied with life-and-death issue most of the time (at least that’s her biggest concern to date Si Jin), how could she be so insensitive to possible corruption of local police and safety threat without the protection of Korean force? This part of the plot is a bit weak.
I can see your point, but she also doesn’t know the police are corrupt. SJ never told her she should watch out for the police. Should she have guessed they are bad news? I guess, but they did have “legit” charges against Fatima.
I do think the best thing would be to get help, call for SJ or someone else and follow the police and not go with them though. Not follow them in the car. She has seen enough in this country to know not to do that.
I found it more annoying though that the head doctor during a huge outbreak can be gone all night and into the next day before the nurse/anyone else bothers to question where she is. If SJ didn’t ask, would anyone have noticed at all?
That’s my point. KES or another co-writer made this episode so unconvincing and not cohesive. MY is not a teen or at her 20s, but well into 30s and has been through her thin and thick in the real world for so long. On top of that, she’s a head of the medical team. C’mon, don’t tell me a smart, highly educated, and accomplished professional with certain decision-making power in her field has no a tiny bit of knowledge and so ignorant of what a war-torn, third-world country could be like in their governmental infrastructure. Who with common sense would follow local ppl (even they are police) in a country safe-guarded by UN Peace Corp without any bodyguard? She must have been too busy to read any world news. LOL…Don’t tell me she’s all that naive and only concerned about the teen girl without thinking about her own safety. Then that would be typical K drama noble idiocy repeating again. DotS has been so well scripted so far until this episode that shows a lot of inconsistency in the characters and lack of common sense.
I disagree with many points in your analysis about this episode. I was actually writing a long comment but decided just to drop it because I don’t think I can change your mind anyway. But thanks for your time in recapping.
I guess you guys are asking for too much rational thinking from the people who are facing crisis after crisis. The world does not always operate that rationally as much as you want it to.
amen for this comment haha
While in reality there are a lot of protocols not followed in this episode, lets just remember that never yet was there a well written story or plot that went perfectly executed. Even in the Harry Potter series there were a lot of flaws so lets just enjoy and see how the whole story unfolds, afterall its suppose to be entertaining.
in the dark on emergency room, yes people will looked for mask and appropriate costume that will make them late to address the patient since at the time he is the only doctor there, and add to his mental shocked of dying patient, that’s exactly what chi hoon would do and he understand it’s wrong when he said not to enter to the souldier,
it’s when he realize “ah I am too reckless but whatever it happen”
Idk why it’s that hard to understand
This drama is just keeping getting better and better. And look at the first photo in the recap. Song Hye Kyo’s acting by eyes is the best.
Agree. Koala does not always choose the right photo, but that photo is the best acting in this episode and the best part in this recap.
SHK is consistent and awesome all the way. But what Koala and ppl (including me) are critical of is not the acting of the cast, but the characters the writer has depicted in this episode. Dr. MY’s decision making is not consistent with her level-headed personality.
Yes, SHK’s acting is undeniable. But to be honest, sometimes she is too beautiful and that may become a distraction.
BTW, Captain Yoo’s all black getup does remind me of Healer comeback. LOL. Song Joong Ki si looks so cool in black.
Now that you said that about Healer, yes!
I have just finished this episode. Yes, I agree that the episode about M3 is NOT as strong as the two episodes about the earthquake. But it is not that bad. I still think that the plot is entertaining. The characters’ act make sense to me. And execution is still good.
I just went back to read Koala’s recap after dropping my own comments bcos I couldn’t help lashing out my slight disappointment first. There’s never been a time like now that my thoughts about this drama and this episode are so much on the same page with Koala. I also think ep 11 is the weakest episode so far and I hope the dynamics will be back in next episodes. I also think that the scheme to have MY abducted isn’t convincing enough. It’s a bit out of place and phony as if something (whatever it is) must happen in order to have drama within drama. To this point, my feedback about DotS changed from WOW to fine….this is it. Still, I think DotS is the best K drama I’ve watched so far. I did not expect it to be so good with a film quality. I only wanted to see my bias Song Joong Ki in his comeback after military service. But DotS has exceeded my expectation even I’m now whining a bit.
This is what your bias SJK said about the criticism: “The drama is public art, and I think if everybody loves it, that drama becomes something less charming”.
I honestly still don’t get what he meant by that. LOL….Can’t read his mind. 🙁
Maybe he means that art should be controversial, art should elicit emotions and discussions. But if everyone just singularly loves it without any dissent, it becomes something less interesting?
I think MY kidnapping has been hinted several time, It bound to happen by argus no matter what
Just to share with fans of Song Joong Ki:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MRb_unDKzc
Non fans or antis can bypass.
Sorry, disregard the link above. This is the right one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srj3cVEWDB0
Thank you so very much for posting this. It is because he behaves like that, that I strongly feel that his success is so well deserved. He is not a politician, however I kept thinking “this guy would make a great ambassador.” In many ways, he is one already.
And he is so humble, never bringing the attention to himself, not even once. And he sounded sincere in his answers as well. I thought it was interesting how he handled the “are you dating SHK?” question. He was very diplomatic in his answer, neither acknowledging nor denying whether or not they are dating. That guy is smart, and he makes you want to respect him.
He really handled this interview well. He is a great ambassador for Korea. Even the way he walks is so dignified. Thank you again! 🙂
@Sylvie, I’ve been watching so many interview clips of SJK and following up with his news since he’s my favorite K actor. I’m happy to say I’ve never stanned a wrong bias these years (since his drama Deep Rooted Tree). What I like most about this interview is his answer to the question when he was asked which actor he would like to look up to. Instead of referring to a specific actor, his response shows his insight and how savvy he is about acting. He’s very brainy (straight A student and had a very high SAT score to be admitted to a reputable college program in S. Korea. And that’s part of the reasons why he always got to pick right scripts for himself. I feel so proud as his fan at this point of his huge success. I also like many other K actors but have always rooted SJK as my #1 bias of his generation. Sometimes I felt a bit lost when fans of other Hallyu stars like LMH or KSH were so vocal about their faves on social media like this blog. But now SJK’s popoularity is on par with other top Hallyu stars if not dethroning them. I’m so happy for my man. hahahahahaha…Finally his career takes off like this….
And thank you for this one as well (the link).
You’re welcome. 🙂 I’m glad to spazz about my fave with other ppl. He’s the first celebrity in K history to be invited for an interview on prime time news hour. I really didn’t expect DotS to be such a huge hit. I’m more than satisfied as a fan just waiting for his comeback after military service. This has far exceeded my expectation.
Oh WOW!!!! I didn’t know he was the first korean celebrity to be invited to the 9pm news. Are you sure of that? (Sorry, maybe they mentioned it, and I forgot. I don’t mean to insult you). Please keep those links coming, of articles and video clips. I’m learning more about him. I already loved him before, and I am seeing more and more why 🙂
I think the virus was overdone right after the earthquake, and not done nearly as well I’d have to agree. It was basically done solely so GooWon can be sad about missing each other and Gen. Daddy can get a wakeup call. Seriously DY it takes a deadly disease for you to admit you miss your girlfriend? I have to laugh a bit about their overblown melodrama going on in the background. I get they love each other. Just go be there and stop the pain. The threat was never real so it’s hard to get too worked up about the whole thing.
MY is a bit naive about the danger around her, but I also hope this doesn’t swing her back into thinking SJ is too dangerous. Been there, done that. If we want to be fair, SJ is also no better at bringing her into situations a doctor should probably not be in. It’s a dangerous world out there and she’s a civilian doctor.
I do think the last 10 minutes did save this episode though. SJ is just so cool and I love seeing shades of SJK more intense acting. SHK still remains the best crier in the business.
I thought I was the only one who didn’t love episode 11. I felt much better reading this recap and fellow readers’ comments. Despite higher ratings it’s among my least favorite episodes.
Firstly we’ve gone 2 steps back with shijin and moyeon’s romance. Their only memorable scene was d shot side side of them instructing their underlings to do their best. Their light banter didn’t struck the usual chord with me. And suddenly the two of them seem insignificant to the running plot of Argus’s visit (which strangely was so easy to infiltrate their base to be inside the cafeteria) Argus warning and then the hostage scene. Too much going on that I lost focus on the humans in the story.
Although I have to agree Dr Kang wasn’t rational in going along with the girl to the police station, I find it still acceptable to Chi How’s rescue scene. Back to Dr Kang I think it’s still passable as its her impulsive nature plus she has already taken the girl under her wing and acting like a guardian. Furthermore she had no idea the local police are in cahoots with Argus. Skip back to Chi Hoon, complete stupidity to rush in without protective gear. And the odds he wasn’t infected after getting bitten in the arm.. I really couldn’t comprehend.
I was looking for emotional connection but it’s all high drama and jungle of events in this episode. My only hope is after the rescue. We can have a respite from Argus and the Captain and his doctor can pick up on their emotional connection again.
My favorite scenes this episode is Dr Song and his nurse. And walkie talkie conversation between the secondary leads. Like a said no progress in my book with our primary leads.
and could somebody please change the ‘little red rose’ dress. even the doctors are changing cloth 3-4 times already but the poor girl still wearing the same red dress.
Hahaha u make me laugh, you read my mind. I was asking my self here what the hell she’s still wearing that dress? While I saw MY changed her’s how many times. The red dress distract me lol
Thanks for the recap! I’ve always been an avid reader of your recaps and I look forward to it HAHA. In this case however, I’ll have to disagree with you about what you said for this episode. Personally, I felt that this was the episode that I could relate to the most. Regarding Chi Hoon’s slip up about entering the isolation room without necessary gear, I felt that in times of emergency operations, the doctor’s priority is to save the patient. That being said, in Manager Jin’s case, he was already foaming at the mouth, and is in critical condition at that time. Had I been the doctor, i would’ve done the same. Mo Yeon’s kidnapping however, centered around her independent and headstrong personality. It shows that she was willing to deal with these issues herself without always running to YSJ for help. If she had done that, many would have criticised her for being too weak and helpless as a supposed heroine. Also, she hadn’t possibly known about the police being corrupt there (YSJ didn’t warn her in Ep 10) and it is indeed legit that Fatima did commit those crimes. Hence, her believing the lies and going along with them made sense to me in that situation. On a side note, YMJ and SDY’s relationship are finally looking on a brighter side. And Captain Yoo in black OH GOD FAINTS
Thanks Koala for the quick recap..
I feel my heart a bit at ease that you put what I was feeling into words about this episode. I didn’t know how to explain it and reading other comments on other sites nobody agreed. All the scenarios you pointed out and which everyone is dissecting, is maybe enough to suspend disbelief on their own but together it felt so jarring that I was taken out of the story. And I agree with koala that this just mean I wasn’t that in love with the characters that I go so annoyed this episode. There were episodes in the past that had the same moments of ‘why did that need to happen except for sake of manufactured drama’ like when MY s car was teetering off the cliff. And really why is Argus manipulating Shi Jin? He should at least know him well enough that he wouldn’t give up so easily. If he had the police on his side why not use them? Or just don’t make the deal at all so they still gave a need for you, or don’t show up du the exchange and just run. What he really needs is fake identities and papers, not a lone South Korean soldier. I also hate seeing shi jin on a vogue solo mission. Hot as he is in black, it’s just so unbelievable and laughable when they were doing pretty decently on the realities of war. We just went into James bond mission spy. Surprisingly I’m ok with MY this episode cause really she doesn’t how anything about the police and she doesn’t have the authority to oppose them. And thank God Chi Hoons arc was over, his crying was annoying and his redemption was handled so neatly and pat. Ok last thing, minimize the English as much as you can please. I’ve seen pronunciation a lot worse in other dramas but its more like they can’t act as well in English. They lose the tone and attitude. One scene shi jin went from English to Korean and it was like switching on a light with how alive and fierce he became. So stick to your strengths!
I disagree with you about the language part. Perhaps you’ve never been around ppl who speak English as 2nd language. The actors/actresses in this drama were still on point when they tried to spell out their lines in a 2nd language. That’s exactly how I feel about ppl around me who’re not born or raised in the US. Ppl who are not fluent in a language always think in their mother tongue and have to translate their thinking into the 2nd language in their brain lobe that control language and logic. It takes more time for this linguistic process in one’s brain. So of course that will slow down or even freeze facial expression or body language. That’s reality. The English spoken by the cast in DotS is most decent in average so far among all the K dramas I’ve watched. Therefore you’re either nitpicking or lacking understanding.
agreed with you totally
Thank you for saying that, and for explaining. Also, we ALL have an accent when we speak, regardless of the language. And what they did was very realistic. When I try to speak a language I am not good at, I do think more, and I’m a little slower. I also feel more self conscious, and that doesn’t help.
@Page – hahaha, totally agree with you about CH’s annoying crying scenes… on the other hand, I think the English spoken by the Korean actors are good, at least I can understand half the storyline without any subtitles 🙂
I loved what you said about you at least being able to understand half the story line without needing subtitles. I watched On the Wings of Love, a Filipino drama, and I loved that about the language aspect. The male lead does not fully master Tagalog yet (from the comments I read), so some of his lines were in English (his dad is from Australia). I was always happy when he or the other characters spoke in English, while I was waiting for the subs to come out.
Haters are gonna be haters, sigh
Wrong context. Commenters are only expressing what they don’t like. It’s fair to have different opinions. Keep the hater comments for someone who’s really being irrational and insulting.
Those who say something like “overrated” are real trolls and antis. But many including me are fans of Song Joong Ki or other cast or DotS as a whole. We love this drama and the cast. We only expressed our opinions about the plot, the writing of this episode that’s nonsensical in many ways.
The writer for her plot sake, make the doctors stupid (CH entering the room without any appropriate clothes/mask ~ for dramatic effect )
Or MY going with Urk local police. People are blaming it on MY for being stupid, but what about the soldiers? I mean, they couldn’t even protect one doctor ?? They let her go without anyone? And it wasn’t even the police, why they didn’t track or asked for their IDs? They just let anyone come and go?
The writer made even the soldiers stupid, for dramatic purpose.
Yup! It’s nonsensical with the entire direction where this is going. Doctor violated protocol for emergency; medical team leader lacked judgment in decision making; Korean Peace Corp failed to identify potential threat to a Korean citizen residing in their base. All these plotholes collapsed all at once just to make the drama more intense.
oh let me fight,
CH went inside by his own when the electricity off and it’s instant situation since he realize that when he said to the soldier to didn’t come, yes he is reckless but at that moment, He is still in mental breakdown and he can’t saw anyone die in front of him, isn’t that understandable for his character?
MY went when she is approaching alone as the soldier know it because of that girl thing and the local police had authorities for that, they don’t know that the police and the mafia is in one hand.
it wasn’t stupid, you maybe just under informed about things in society
I loved that, “oh let me fight…” kind of funny.
Thank you for your recap.
People aren’t wrong when they point out inconsistencies….some bother me more than others, but I’m suspending reality for the most part about these issues.
I liked the violin music at the beginning of the episode instead of the …I loooooove you which I find to be overused in the drama. I thought the best Argus section so far was his conversation at the end of the drama with the doc. Usually we get a full backstory on the villain in k-dramas, and I think a weakness of the Argus character is that we know he was good and then he went bad but there is a bridge to go from a patriot soldier to a money grubbing arms dealer, and I don’t get what it is. I actually think they could have had a compelling drama without the whole diamond/guns/Argus scenario. There are plenty of other things that could have moved the story along just in the normal course of peace keeping, and no disrespect to the guys playing the bad guys, but I think that story line is weak.
Lastly, the captain played his card already….now he’s using hers. The audacity of some people!
Oh, and that was full on Healer ensemble at the end.
Wow. It looks like we are having too many movie critics and rational thinkers here. Relax, guys! Seems that whatever they do, they can NEVER satisfy you.
cause now, DoTS is super popular and it have to be perfect to be loved by so many people, right?
I don’t think all of people here are haters, but I can say that at least some have been waiting for a recap like this to jump in. This actually makes the watching less fun.
OMG, the first 20 minutes of ep 12 caused me indigestion. It was so intense that my stomach hurt while eating and watching. But at the end I’d never seen such a lame villain in K drama. LOL…Please Ms. Koala, looking forward to your recap again. Now my anxiety is up again after watching ep 13 preview. I thought Asparagus would be the last villain. But obviously I’m wrong. arghhhhh