When we left off in Episode 4, Chang Min's mother was zooming to the hospital in an ambulance, apparently the victim of a self-inflicted overdose. Whenever she shows up, it is never a good thing. Even with her as a patient, I can tell this is not going to go well.
Chang Min goes to Chief Guk and tries to accept responsibility for the throat patient's death. Dr. Guk berates him, telling him he has no power to take responsibility. Jin Hee responds to an ER summons, and it turns out it's for Chang Min's mother, Sung Sook, who has been declared a VIP Patient.
Struggling to return to consciousness, she and Jin Hee recognize each other, and both are shocked. Chang Min and Ah Reum race to find some resident who can help them with the new patient; all of the residents are at an emergency meeting, trying to determine who is at fault for the death of the laryngeal cancer patient in the last episode.
I love the look on Jin Hee's face when she discovers the identity of the OD patient. I practically spit out my coffee when I saw it. Song Ji-Hyo's eyes looked like they would literally fall out of her head, a classic goggle-eyed expression.
I do find it a bit hard to believe that someone would not be left in charge at the ER. The episode's implication is that all the residents are there, yet to leave patients at the mercy of unsupervised students could open the ER up to a bigger lawsuit. For my own part, I think there would be some shift-shuffling to arrange for supervision, just to be on the safe side.
At the emergency meeting, Dr. Guk takes responsibility for the incident, weathering the difficult questions. The people at the meeting seem determined to crucify Dr. Guk, and appear to be doing a bonzer job of it. It seems that they're looking for a scapegoat, and the fact that an intern performed the surgery autonomously is all they need to hammer the nails into the coffin.
Jin Hee examines Sung Sook, and, at Ji Hye's prompting, makes a diagnosis and orders the necessary tests. One thing I love about Jin Hee is that she does her job, irrespective of who she's examining. Ex-husband clinically dead? She saves him, despite the fact that he is against her even being there. With Sung Sook we see the same. Six years later, this woman bears nothing but umbrage for her, and yet Jin Hee examines Sung Sook and even makes a diagnosis about the best way to save her. Jin Hee is surprisingly and refreshingly devoid of malice, which blends nicely with her character.
Slowly and deliberately, Jin Hee enters the room where they are holding the emergency meeting. Chang Min tears in and quickly strides to the podium. Both attempt to assume fault. It finally ends with Director Hoon saying the ER will take responsibility for the lawsuit and any reprimand. Shortly after, Professor Ahn is informed that Chang Min is the nephew of the Yoon Hospital's director. In light of this news, Prof Ahn tells the doctor that they need to make sure Jin Hee is blamed for the tracheotomy, and not Chang Min.
Up until now, we haven't seen much in the way of power plays, but it appears they're in full swing here. There was some of that previously, in Sung Sook's dealings with the rest of the family, but now we see the ripple effect in this episode with Chang Min's privilege being a factor. There are more doctors that are aware of this, and regard him coldly because it. Chief Guk, to his credit, doesn't seem to care much, he treats him as he would any other intern.
The other interns speculate as to the relationship between Jin Hee and Chang Min, both of whom hide their previous married status from the ER staff, including Chief Guk. I'm not sure why, unless there's some kind of "guilt by association" type thing that neither of them want in their careers; if the other makes some major mistake, the other one doesn't want to be blamed for it as well? That's the only reason I can think of for why you'd want to hide the fact that you're divorced.
In the VIP Room, Chang Min keeps watch over his unconscious mother, and attempts to call his father to no avail. Chang Min leaves for a moment to get some food for her and arrives just in time to see Jin Hee attend to his mother, straightening her blanket and slippers. This shocks him, as in his mind the only thing she'd be doing to his mother is harm. I think Jin Hee saw Sung Sook at her most vulnerable, and did what she could to make her comfortable.
Chief Guk meets with the others to review the panel's decision regarding the deceased patient. The plan is to settle the lawsuit out of the ER's budget. The ER is an easy target, though the hospital is ultimately to blame due to budget cuts in the first place.
When the nurses hear of the budget cut, they assume someone will be let go. Jin Hee goes to Dr. Guk and informs him she'll resign to make up for the budget shortfall. Dr. Guk accepts her resignation, but while he finalizes it, she is to stay with Sung Sook as her intern until the patient is discharged. She tries to shift the burden to Chang Min, but Dr. Gook tells her he needs her there as Chang Min is assigned elsewhere.
In the VIP room, Sung Sook awakens as Jin Hee ministers to her. She recognizes Jin Hee, and slaps a tray from her hand scattering the food to the floor. Chang Min hears the commotion and bursts in, telling his mother to calm down. Sung Sook grows increasingly agitated, insulting and haranguing Jin Hee and questioning why Jin Hee is even here. Jin Hee angrily explains that she's a doctor, and she can't leave because Sung Sook is her patient. Jin Hee leaves the room to regain composure while Chang Min and his mother talk. Sung Sook assumes that Jin Hee is there to ruin her son's future and makes plans to get rid of her. Chang Min warns Jin Hee harshly not to go near his mother.
Dr. Guk reviews Jin Hee's dismissal form, anger in his eyes at what events have been forced into play. It is interesting, because while she offers to take responsibility and resign, this scene suggests that it's a foregone conclusion, and the ER wants to be rid of her in any case. It is compelling, because getting rid of her would completely go against the point of the show, so it will be fun to see how they get out of this pickle.
Jin Hee and her mother comes home to an apartment in disarray. The only thing missing? Jin Hee's wedding ring. She suspects her sister, Jin Ae, stole it in order to pawn it. Later in the episode we get confirmation that her sister did steal the ring. Jin Hee gets a call from her and Jin Ae says her ring wasn't worth much, and demands money now that Jin Hee is a big time doctor. I don't even remember Jin Hee having a sister, but maybe that's just me. I wonder if she'll play a larger part, or if she pops up for a couple episodes and then is never seen again. I think it would be funny if she had a crush on Chang Min...
Sung Sook rings Director Hoon and demands another intern for her room. When she hangs up, she notices Jin Hee with a needle. Jin Hee needs to set up the ECG and administer a shot. Sung Sook resists and hurls things at her to drive her away.
Jin Hee grabs her wrist advising her to calm down, and Chang Min and Dr. Guk enter just in time to see Sung Sook slap her.
Sung Sook seems to be playing the difficult patient here. She is a surgeon herself, with cutting remarks and her obvious dislike of Jin Hee as her intern. There may be another motive, as she has been trying to get Ah Reum and Chang Min together. Dr. Guk did warn that VIP patients are difficult, and she is proving that quite well.
I like the direction the characters are heading. Jin Hee seems to need a little prompting to be all she can be. She needs more confidence, which I think Assistant Prof Jin Hye is trying to instill. Initially, she seemed mousy and now they show her becoming stronger while interning. What has bolstered her confidence that she's made it that far? Or has an absence from Chang Min's domineering nature allowed her to bounce back? Chang Min just seems to be getting himself into more and more trouble. Now that politics is a factor, I wonder if that's enough to bail him out?
The cancer patient's death leaves aftershocks through this episode. I love multi-episode story arcs -- it makes a show seem more realistic, gives it more depth, and Emergency Couple is no exception. A skillful story arc is not merely a two-part episode, it is something that's thrown into the melting pot to be blended with other plot points and characters. The loss of the patient is keenly felt by Jin Hee, who blames herself. Dr. Guk is obviously under tons of stress from it, and the other staffers at the hospital are on edge. Chang Min looks even more haggard in this episode and as this installment of the series ends, this arc will extend into yet another episode. I like this approach far better than episodic formats, which restore the status quo by the end of the episode. I hope this show continues this trend.
Emergency Couple airs Fridays and Saturdays on tVN and DramaFever.
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