[Drama Recap and Analysis] D-Day Episode 4

D-day (2015, South Korea) 

[SPOILERS BELOW!] This is a recap and analysis of episode 4

Episode 4 starts off right from when the hospital building collapses to the ground -gasp- and Lee Hae Sung is lying crawled up on the ground, just a few meters from the ruins. He stays still for a moment in full shock until he recalls the two old men and jumps right back up in a desperate attempt to find survivors. When he hears a faint groan from underneath the rocks, Hae Sung starts to dig after them while repeating, more subconsciously to himself than to them that "he will save them".    

He finds a gap between the two layers and tries to press his hand to grab the survivors, but the gap is too small. The others arrive to see if Lee Hae Sung is okay, and Lee Hae Sung quickly tells the dad of the twins to help him remove the blocks so they can save them.

They find a iron stake and use all their strength to push away the big rocks, but their attempt take a tragic turn and instead of removing the rocks, the layer on top of it collapses and burries the two men underneath alive. Hae Sung walks up to the ruins in disbelief, unable to give up just yet, and tell the others "to continue to dig". The dad of the twins tries to stop him by telling him that "there is no way they can dig in concrete with their bare hands and that they won't be able to help them now. They are most likely dead anyways" but Hae Sung doesn't listen to him and keeps repeating like a mad-man how they must save them. Ddol Mi and Nurse Ji Na arrive at the scene as well and Ddol Mi tells him to snap out of it, and that even if it hurts he must realize that there is nothing they can do. They have to move on, as there are so many other patients who need his help. Hae Sung, still in a state of shock and with tears in his eyes, finds strength in their words and decides to move on.

The scene switches and instead we see the fire fighter team rush through the city while carrying big water buckets. A old woman stops them and begs them to help save her "baby". The firefighters rush inside the pointed out building but return with a small dog. (lolz, now I love animals and all, but that was such a random moment xD) 

However the somewhat funny and cute scene is gone rather quickly and we jump right bacK into the serious tragedy as Captain Choi receives a call from Headquarters where they tell him that the hospital building has collapsed. Woo Sung overhears this and for the first time we see his usually calm face drop. He pulls out his phone ready to dial Hae Sung but stops midway as he realizes that his brother might be dead ( I can't even imagine the shock Dx Poor guy. I wish I could reach out to him and tell him that Hae Sung is alive, but I can't).

The scene switches again we follow Hae Sung & the others as they reach the boat. Hae Sung and the father of the twins then run off to the commando-room to find a way to start the fuel, they succeed but the father tells Hae Sung some not so good news: the boat might not have enough fuel to cross the entire river. (great....so there is a chance they might have to swim over...Maaaan just how unlucky can these people be? Dx)

After they start the boat, Hae Sung goes up to the upper deck and watches the remains of Seoul as they cross the Han River. Ddol Mi shows up and gives him a can-coffee but makes it clear that she doesn't give it to him "because he is good or anything" (lolz these two....I just can't xD) but their sweet moment is quickly ruined as they pass under the destroyed bridge and tears form in their eyes as they finally start to realize the effects and casualties caused by the earth quake.

A helicopter flies over them and we see a quick glimpse of the President of South Korea who also stares at the remained ruins of Seoul as his subordinates tell him that "they need to convene a committee to take the appropriate measures for his nations safety". The president agrees and orders that they use whatever method possible to contact Assemblyman Goo Jae Hyuk immediately.

Meanwhile Lee Hae Sung and Ddol Mi go back down to check up on the twins and their mother. They seem to be doing good but at the same time the twin's state is still critical since they're not in a proper incubator. Ddol Mi tells Hae Sung that the best solution for this would be to take the boat out of Seoul and go to a hospital in Incheon which has an incubator, but Hae Sung then delivers the sad news to everyone that the boat won't be able to go much further and that they'll have to get off soon.

The scene switches and we see that the other Mirae Hospital is just as crowded and that people are lining up outside as they're held back by guards who prevent them from entering. As there is no room for everyone inside the building they've built small tents. Doctors are stressed and tell the patients that not everyone can receive their helps as they're running out of blood. Some relatives to the patients get angry and start to pick a fight with the doctors.

The doctors who are working inside the hospital are just as stressful and intern Ahn Dae Gil only adds up to it as he knocks over everything he touches due to his clumsiness. The nurse gets frustrated and tells him to just go get the blankets and how she'll fix everything instead. Meanwhile in the basement where the blankets stored, Ahn Dae Gil takes a moment to sit down and rest, but gets interrupted by a nurse who followed to help him. He is surprised that she doesn't scold him for slacking and they end up casually talking. (I sense a shiiiiip ~)

The scene switches and we see that Hae Sung and the others have finally arrived on the other side of the river. Ddol Mi asks Hae Sung if the new hospital can receive everyone, but Hae Sung isn't one to beat around the bush when he tells her straight up that there is no way that everyone here will get treatment. She shots him a puzzled look and asks what they should do then, and he replies that they'll have to go to Mirae Hospital because they are probably the only hospital that still has electricity (knowing fully well that they might receive help there either, but it's their only chance).  

Suddenly Nurse Ji Na calls for Hae Sung to come quickly as the twin's mother's health has suddenly worsened. Hae Sung checks on her and tells the nurses that she needs to get more drops. Sadly, there is no more drops left. To this Hae Sung finally snaps and starts to kick everything around him. Feeling so powerless and helpless he falls down to the ground and starts to yell at "God" about how he left them with nothing and that not even doctors, who are supposed to save lives are just standing on the side unable to do anything and how this entire mess is so damn unfair. 

He wobbles up to his mom and collapses in front of her as the two nurses and Ddol Mi go up to him and try to convince him not to give up just yet because they've followed him all the way here because they believe in him. "Don't be shaken. We still want to believe in you" and with those words, Hae Sung grabs the little bit of strength to get up again.

Meanwhile the President has gathered all the ministers to try to come up with a solution for this mess. As they try to come up with a good plan he ministers start to toss around the responsibily among each other which causes the president to snap and tells them that this is no time to bicker about it and that every minute is important, therefore he's decided to open up a hotline and that Assemblyman Goo Jae Hyuk will be the head of the operation as he's the closest to an expert in the topic. The doors open and Goo Jae Hyuk steps inside and announces his first order as the special chef: to mobilize all medical personnel in the destroyed parts of Seoul.

Hae Sung and the others arrive at Mirae Hospital but quickly realize that maybe that wasn't the best idea as they see the lying masses of people waiting to receive treatment. The chief of security goes up to Hae Sung and tells him that they can't take in any more patients and that they'll have to go to the emergency room and wait for a doctor (whenever he may arrive). Hae Sung tries to explain that they don't have much time and that some patients are in a critical condition but the chief insists that they can't break the hospital's policy and that the hospital is closed off because they neither have enough personnel nor room for everyone. Hae Sung then asks him how a place like this can be called a hospital? and asks to see Director Park.

Director Park is of course super happy to see his favorite doctor again (not) and tells his secretary that they should just take that one patient (the minister) and then block off the hospital again. (what an ass <_<) He then goes down to meet with Lee Hae Sung who asks him if he intends to just let the other patients die on the street? But just like the chief of security, Director Park insists that they can't take in any more patients and that they'll have to go look for another hospital. He also adds that they can't take in the patients because they're a "private" hospital, and that therefore they don't have any responsibility to take in everyone (bullshit <_<)

Suddenly Dr. Kang shows up, wounded and exhausted, and tells the director that they need to open the hospital since Seoul has been struck by a 8.5 magnitude earthquake. The director is shocked to see the doctor in that state and tells her to come up to the office so they can discuss the matter.

While in the office, Dr. Kang tells the Director that the hospital's reputation has already hit rock bottom when the news came out how they rejected a patient and how it'll only make the matter worse if it came out to the media that they're rejecting the victims of the earthquake too. She tells him that seriously injured patients will arrive soon and that they must vacant the patients who don't need intimidate treatment out from the hospital. Prof. Han Woo Jin shows up and quickly rejects her idea and asks her how they can throw out already existing patients for some who they aren't even sure will survive? They don't have even 10% of the personnel they normally have, and there is no more blood in stock either, so how will they guarantee the safety of the patients they decide to treat? Dr. Kang stands up and yells at him that they can't ignore the emergency patients nor lock down the hospital while Han Woo Jin insists that the Mirae Hospital was never revolved around the emergency department in the first place, it was the cancer treating department that was their main priority.  Director Park tells them to stop arguing and agrees to Dr. Kang's idea, but makes it clear that it is only going to be temporarily, so that the media doesn't put them in the bad light.

However Director Park also adds a brilliant (sarcasm) little detail to Dr. Kang's idea. The guardian of every new patient who gets to be treated at Mirae hospital must sign a paper which states that Mirae Hospital will not be held responsible if anything happens to the patients while at the hospital (wow...so basically that means that they can pretend that they helped everyone and then just say "oh but we did help them" but you can't sue us for not doing "enough" when in fact it'll be known that they didn't even try <_< how is that hospital even a hospital? They're so inhuman! Gosh ._.) He then tops the cake with the perfect cherry on top by saying that Dr. Lee Hae Sung and everyone from his team doesn't even need to sign the paper since Mirae won't be able to accept them all (wow...nice way of twisting your words....jerk) and that providing a room for a coma-patient is pretty much impossible. He is just about to leave when the father of the twin's grabs his jacket and begs him to help his wife. The Director orders the guards to pull him away.

Meanwhile the fire fighters keep rescuing people from ruins and we see Woo Sung escaping death by a mere second thanks to his colleague. He is still in shock from the news that his brother and mother might be dead and is unable to concentrate on his work (poor guy :/)

The scene quickly switches back to Mirae Hospital where Hae Sung does the unthinkable. He kneels down in front of Director Park and begs him to take in all the patients. In return he promises that he'll never go against the Directors orders again. Dr. Kang tells the Director that if the media finds out that they've rejected the new mother and her two twins it'll be a disaster and she also promises that she and Hae Sung will take full responsibility for it. After much thinking the Director agrees but tells Hae Sung and the twin's father to come to his office. While in the office they get to sign a paper that states that if anything happens to the twins and the mother, Dr. Lee Hae Sung will be responsible.

Han Woo Jin stops Hae Sung on his way back and asks him if he can think rationally for once? But to this Hae Sung says that he only cares for the best of his patients to which Han Woo Jin replies that he also only cares about his patients. Dr. Kang shows up and asks them what they're arguing about but Hae Sung quickly waves it off by simply saying that he just wanted to know if "heroes really are created during troubled times". He then runs off to check up on his mother which leads him to recall the momory of how she ended up in the coma. We only get to see the small glimpse of the past, but it seems to be adding up. In this clip we get to see how while Hae Sung is being rushed to the Emergency room, Dr. Han Woo Jin leans worriedly over him as Hae Sung begs him to save his mother. Woo Jin replies that he will do everything he can to save her. The scene then switches to Woo Sung and Hae Sung. Woo Sung just got released from the mandatory military service and tells Hae Sung how their mother won't wake up since she's been in this vegetable state for months now and also asks him if it was malpractice. Hae Sung then asks Han Woo Jin, not as a surgeon nor a guardian but as a doctor to a doctor, if anything went wrong during his mom's surgery to which Woo Jin asks Hae Sung if he's accusing him of lying, since he told him everything went well during the conference. Hae Sung replied that he trusts him, but we can clearly tell that he is confused as to why his friend is lying to him. The flashback ends and Hae Sung runs up to the twin's parents and tells the husband that he should go look for more fuel to the boat since the twins need to be moved to a place with an incubator and that Mirae Hospital can only help them with a temporary solution. 

  

Ddol Mi meets up with Hae Sung and tells him that since she's not familiar with how this hospital works she feels like she'll just be a hindrance and therefore it might be best if she left. However Hae Sung says that "after seeing what kind of state the hospital is in, wouldn't leaving be inhuman? And jokingly calls her a traitor" Suddenly the scene switches and we see Dr. Kang finally implementing her idea into reality as she announces that from now on electricity will be shut down in all areas except for the Emergency room, operation rooms and ICU rooms and that all patients who aren't in critical conditions will have to leave the hospital so that the critically injured patients can get treatment. The patients and guardians start to protest immediately but there is nothing that can be done about the situation. The episode ends with Dr. Kang standing outside and speaking in the speaker to all the patients who are leaving how Mirae Hospital hasn't abandoned them and begs for their understanding and forgiveness.

My Thoughts: 
Man was this episode an emotional roller-coaster. It wasn't as action-packed as the previous ones, there were no sudden operations, tense and adrenaline pumping moments, but this episode really had me question morality and go down into the core of the human mind. Especially Director Park's. Like seriously dude... that scene when he first said that they'd take in everyone and then went down to pretty much slap everyone's face with his statement how they still won't take everyone and especially not a coma-patient....I was speechless people. Speechless. Not as much that there truly wasn't any room for a coma-patient, that wouldn't been understandable, but we all pretty much know that he just wanted to be an ass towards Lee Hae Sung. Where the fuck is your moral you cruel human being? On the other hand Dr. Kang's idea..hm...I really don't know how to react to that. Sure I understand that in emergency situations one must prioritize but it was still done in a pretty sudden and cruel way. I understand her, but at the same time I kind of wish it would've been done in a different, more human way. I'd still take her reasoning over Han Woo Jin's and Director Park's any day of the week, but yeah....I'm just so torn. I guess this is what this drama is trying to show. That there is no black or white, right or wrong in emergency situations. In the end you have to coop and do whatever you can with the little supplies you have and prioritize and try to keep your humanity in check. I guess that's the last thing one must loose, humanity is essential, especially during hard times. Hae Sung's humanity is almost a bit extreme, but I love it, because I love those idealistic-hero-type characters, people who truly want to make everything good again, no matter how reckless it may seem. I don't know why, I'd probably question those type of people more if I were to stand in front of one in real life, but watching them on the screen is very interesting xD especially to see how they react to sudden situations. I guess I like to observe the human mind or something and cheer those people on through their journey, through their ups and downs. Talking about ups and down,s in this episode Hae Sung finally snapped. He's been through a lot of pressure previously as well, but in this one the water that was slowly filling the cup was slowly tilting to the side. It was almost scary to see a calm and positive person collapse like that. I felt so damn sorry for him Dx but that's what sudden cruel situations do to nice people, they try to crush them, from the inside and out, but luckly for Hae Sung he had mental support from the two nurses and Ddol Mi, but I keep thinking that if he were to snap again and they're not there to help him, what will happen then? This is just the beginning and there is no telling what will happen to the group next. They are already in a pretty shitty situation and it keeps getting worse, so yeah....I wonder how much Hae Sung will be able to handle :/ poor guy. He just needs a hug Dx
And also his brother, he needs a hug too. I really like how we got to see a different side of him in this episode. I mean, sure he was clear on the fact that he only cared about "that his mother might be dead" but I think that deep down he was worried that something had happened to Hae Sung too. Just admit it, you care about your brother <_<. Anyhow, it was nice to see him show a bit of an emotional side too, since he was just Mr jerk-let's put all the blame on Hae Sung-type of character until now.