Emergency Couple

Summary: Emergency Couple is a 2014 k-drama produced for TvN. This series follows the couple Oh Chang Min (Choi Jin Hyuk) and Oh Jin Hee (Song Ji Hyo) as they rush into marriage and ultimately divorce. Several years later, the couple is reunited as doctors when they both land internships at the same hospital. All of their unresolved issues suddenly resurface as they are forced to work together in the emergency room under the watchful eye of a demanding department chief (Lee Pil Mo). Both Oh Chang Min and Oh Jin Hee soon realize that both the good and bad moments of the past have made them who they are in the present. Over the course of 21 episodes, the audience waits for the answer to one question: Will they find a way to rekindle their love?

-1 heart for too much verbal abuse

Recommendation: This is an easy recommendation for me to make. I loved this k-drama and I am happy to recommend it to others as a must watch for 2014. While it firmly stands in the RomCom category, I felt that there were some painfully honest and very sad moments as the couple's marriage unravels and eventually falls apart. The writers, director, and cast did a phenomenal job of depicting the difficulty and complexity of managing not just the relationship with a significant other but all the circumstances that surround it: family, work, money, fear of failure, and personal aspirations. Choi Jin Hyuk, Song Ji Hyo, and Lee Pil Mo carried this series with really strong and touching performances.

Other Thoughts (And Possible Spoilers): Emergency Couple has one of the best first episodes that I've come across in a k-drama in recent history. The thrill of first love and the desperation of a dying love are all perfectly captured in a series of scenes that are sometimes difficult to watch. I felt like I was intruding on a deeply personal moment when Oh Chang Min and Oh Jin Hee finally reach their breaking point and start destroying one another verbally while simultaneously destroying the physical world that represented their marriage.

After the couple finally reunites in the emergency room, I admit that I was taken aback by the way that Oh Chang Min constantly belittled and insulted his ex-wife. It was borderline abusive and felt too over the top for what the show was trying to accomplish. Still, Choi Jin Hyuk did a wonderful job with it because, as an audience member, I felt bad for Oh Jin Hee and I wanted to slap Oh Chang Min on her behalf. Also, to his credit, I didn't recognize that he is the same actor that played the role of Wol Ryung in Gu Family Book. Talk about a transformation!

I absolutely loved Song Ji Hyo as Oh Jin Hee. She's a beautiful woman but not in a traditional way and I think she brought something fresh to the screen in this role. There was a very "every woman" quality about her that fit this drama well. I hope to see more of her in the future.

Final thought: Best. Scene. Ever. CPR 101.