1 Night 2 Days: Episode 350

by javabeans

Who knew it could be so entertaining watching a show introduce 101 people, literally one after another? And yet, it’s funny and heart-warming and compelling. Also the magic of this show.

 
EPISODE 350. Broadcast on September 4, 2011.

girlfriday: Oh man, just the intro of what’s to come in the Viewers’ Tour is getting me teary-eyed. The first two were great, but I have a feeling the third time’s the charm.

javabeans: It’s only my first time watching one, but I can already tell the production has pulled out all the stops. It’s like everything was selected just so, from each viewer participant down to each set piece. At least they got the oldest possible kid for Hyun-moo’s 0-9 age range, with the infant born on January 1.

girlfriday: The cast trickles in so early in the morning it looks like the dead of night. Na PD introduces each member to their team’s PD and writer, many of whom are lent out from other variety shows for this massive undertaking. Hyun-moo balks at being paired with a main Happy Sunday PD, which basically means he’ll be working alongside his boss’ boss all weekend. Though it turns out he’s better off than Jong-min, who gets paired with the chief PD who runs all of Happy Sunday. No slacking off this weekend!

javabeans: Talk about adding to your already sizable performance anxiety. The CPs are the ones to be scared of most, since they’re the senior honchos at broadcast stations. Think of them as executive VPs, or in that ballpark. Don’t you love how Hyun-moo found the time to go to the beauty salon this morning, at the not-even-yet-crack-of-dawn, to do his hair and makeup? Shi-kyung arrives with obviously done hair, and he admits sheepishly that he was provoked by Hyun-moo.

girlfriday: I love that no one else on any other show would be mocked for going to the salon, but the guys on this show are such dudes about it. Seung-gi arrives, and the boys all oooh and aaah that he looks like a celebrity. Ha.

javabeans: He IS all dolled up. They call it his Michael Jackson look.

girlfriday: Su-geun cracks, “He’ll age someday,” getting a big laugh from the boys. Na PD introduces more guest PDs, this time from MBC. It turns out they were SO short-staffed that they even went to other networks to borrow their PDs.

javabeans: I enjoy how the other guys like Su-geun are wondering why Seung-gi gets paired with the non-KBS producers, and Ho-dong jokes (but not really jokes) that that was the deal they had to make to bring in people they don’t know — tempt them with the chance to work with Seung-gi, the bargaining chip. Ha. Well, I’d take that deal. Although really, you’d think it wouldn’t be hard to find PDs jumping at the chance to work this gig.

girlfriday: Some of them are clearly fans. It’s so cute — Ji-won’s writer gets all embarrassed when they introduce her as his biggest fan. Hee. After the opening, each team leader introduces their group, starting with the 0-9 kids. Aw, they’re so cute!

javabeans: The kids are adorable. And excited. And even their parents are visibly excited. Some of them are barely awake, here at 5am. Isn’t it cute how some of the adults are like, “The camera’s running! Look!”

girlfriday: I love that the two-year old has an ajusshi face. It’s so disconcerting. The five-year old little girl says she likes Tae-woong the best because in the farming episode, he helped Ji-won with his potatoes, and she thought that was nice. Aw. How After School Special! The 8-year old that Hyun-moo talked to on the phone turns out to really be a Little Kang Ho-dong — he’s a mic hog who does Su-geun impressions.

javabeans: Okay, when did 9-year-olds get so tiny? Were they always that small? This is so disconcerting.

girlfriday: Ha, did you do all your growing before middle school?

javabeans: Then again, that 4-year-old is just about the size of that 8-year-old, so…

girlfriday: Ji-young introduces the teens next, and the guys start getting annoyed that everyone’s favorite is always Seung-gi. And I’m thinking, it’s only the second group. If you’re already annoyed, it’s gonna be a loooong day. Seung-gi goes to give a hug, and Shi-kyung grumbles offscreen, “He’s like a prince. He’s even dressed like one!” I love the petty rivalry.

javabeans: Plus, this IS the adolescent group. Seung-gi’s their only legitimate oppa/hyung, the one who’s the cool sibling rather than the adult ajusshi who tells you what to do. Heh. Woo, there’s a national athlete here, a 19-year-old luge…ist? Racer? His dream is to go to the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics — if he does, can you imagine how many times this footage’ll be replayed?

girlfriday: Ho-dong calls out the 20s team, and the screaming girl is as crazy as ever. I love that everyone’s reaction to her is the same, even from the little kids — a look of horror, followed by laughter. She says she can do an Lee Su-geun dance, and then proceeds to horrify everyone with her rendition of his dirty dancing, and then Su-geun joins her for a bout of double dirty dancing.

javabeans: I love how the captions for the other kids’ expressions are all, “Who is this noona and why is she crazy?”

girlfriday: The 25-year old is a short-track gold medalist in speed skating, and Ho-dong gives her the chance to run up and hug any member she chooses. She hugs Seung-gi, and Ho-dong’s face falls, as he confesses that he got his hopes up, just a little, because she’s a fellow athlete. Ha. Yeah, but she’s still a 25-year old girl. He tries again with the 27-year old, who’s a wrestler, thinking he’ll get a hug from a hoobae, but gets passed up again, this time for Ji-young.

javabeans: Ha. Know your audience, man. I love how he takes a moment to fuck with Ho-dong, though, who’s playing up this moment and holding out his arms, baiting him to come to him — he heads for him, then changes direction at the last moment. *snerk*

girlfriday: The 29-year old is here representing her mom who has Lou Gehrig’s disease, and is a big fan of 1N2D. Apparently even mom chooses Seung-gi, heh. She sends her mom a tearful but happy message and the 20s crew joins in. As they take their seats, Ho-dong asks Little Ho-dong what he thought of the noona’s dirty dancing. He looks back at her, “DAEBAK!” Cheeky kid.

javabeans: The 30-year-olds come out, and somehow this turns into a handshake line, haha. Is this just one of those things that happens impromptu? Since most of the host/members are in their thirties, now it feels like a big ol’ party, which is fun.

girlfriday: I like how Tae-woong introduces the 30s (his own age group) as the ones who are realizing the dreams that they had in their 20s. There’s a wide range — teachers, civil servants, a firefighter, a cop, a chef, and a doctor. Looks like we’re covered in any emergency. One of them is here with her father, who’s representing the 60s group. Aw, how cute! Father-daughter pair!

javabeans: I kind of like when Tae-woong is forced into speaking, because he actually does pretty well — it’s just that he prefers to stand back when there are stronger personalities at play. I’m looking forward to seeing him come out of his shell more (six more months! *sob*), and his age helps with that since he’s on the upper end of his group, too. And I think the family pairs are a nice touch — there’s the pre-teen girl interpreting for her teenage brother (with a cochlear implant), and that great-great-grandfather/great-great-granddaughter pair in the first and last groups.

girlfriday: Seung-gi introduces the 40s group, and the ajumma that he spoke with on the phone turns out to be a hoot. She adorably waves at Na PD and calls him “that yangban,” like he’s just a neighborhood ajusshi. She’s the same age as Ho-dong, and turns out to be just as feisty, slaying everyone with her enthusiasm.

javabeans: She’s so energetic, it’s like she’s a host herself. I love those kinds of ajummas — they make everything so fun with their infectious energy.

girlfriday: I know! I want her and Ho-dong to MC the show together. She can represent the viewers.

javabeans: When the mike gets passed along before she’s done talking, Seung-gi offers her his lapel mike, and she about dies leaning into his chest to speak. “Is it okay if I keep talking like this?” And I die laughing.

girlfriday: Hey lady, hands off my puppy! Once we get to the 50s group, the Ho-dong fans start to come out of the woodwork. One of the ajusshis asks to shake his hand, and says that he saw Ho-dong at the airport once, “You were smoking, right?” Ho-dong immediately rushes back to the line, waving about in a panic, “You can’t say things like that!” Pfffft!

javabeans: Lol. Remember when every K-drama lead ever was a smoker, because it was considered cool? Now it’s an image-breaker. Amazing how trends and public opinion changes so completely in such a short time. I love how there’s an unconscious social mechanism built in where the fan does his 90-degree bow to Ho-dong, the famous celebrity. But then Ho-dong bows even lower, because he’s the recipient of praise and the younger man, and then the man bows even lower — it’s all split-second, not even something they’re probably aware of, but totally visible as they’re both doubled over. And it’s adorable how happy Ho-dong is to finally get his hug.

girlfriday: Even if it comes at the price of outing his bad habits. HA. One of the 50s ajummas is a bus driver who was widowed young, and started to drive buses to raise her kids on her own. There’s something so awesome about a tiny, feisty ajumma driving a giant bus around Seoul. Aw, Su-geun introduces the 60s group, and the ajusshi from the daddy-daughter pair shows up in a couple tee that matches his daughter. So cute. She’s the eldest of his children and adopted, and they didn’t tell her so until she was 25. There’s something about them that’s so sweet, I think because the daughter is so upbeat and smiley, and wants her dad to get out more and not be so lonely.

javabeans: Oh man, how adorable is it to watch the grandpas and grandmas teaching their peers the whole “1 Night!” “Two Days!” chant? They’re like, “When he yells ‘1 night,’ just hold out your fingers and yell, ‘2 days’ like this!”

girlfriday: It’s so cute. I love that each group has a maknae, and once you get past the 30s, all the maknaes are super excited about being the youngest in their groups.

javabeans: I think that’s a real treat of this manufactured hierarchy by dividing the groups up by decade. You have 60-year-olds who’d otherwise be the elders now in roles they probably haven’t been in for decades, while people in the upper reaches of each decade (19, 29, etc) are given the responsibility of being the unni or hyung. It’s a way to bridge distances really quickly — the social customs encourage that kind of bonding. So you’re no longer just an individual out of 100, but have a place in “your” group.

girlfriday: It’s great watching grandmas and grandpas ask each other their ages, trying to figure out who’s the bigger unni, as if they’re in grade school. Some things never change. Everyone’s surprisingly youthful, even in the 80s group. One of the 80s grandpas runs marathons at his age, which is just crazy. So there’s a wheelchair marathoner in the 50s group, and a grandpa marathoner in the 80s.

javabeans: And one Olympian, and one potential future Olympian.

girlfriday: It’s pretty cool.

javabeans: Oh, Jong-min. He tells the others, ‘This grandma watches 1N2D regularly!” Then turns to her: “Grandma, do you watch 1N2D regularly?” He cracks me up.

girlfriday: And then it’s time to introduce the final group, 90-100.

javabeans: Why you gotta make their seats at the very top? They’ve got the most stairs to climb.

girlfriday: Yeah that was not the best planning ever. I get it in theory, but no one on the PD crew was like, um, that’s a dumb idea?

javabeans: It’s sweet how everyone gives this group a little extra respect, and even the other guests all stand to watch curiously. Some of them even come dressed up in hanbok, like it’s a special occasion. Which, I suppose, it is.

girlfriday: It’s so cute how prettily she’s dressed. I like how the eldest, the 100-year old grandma speaks of her age: “I’m chock full.” Like a jar full of pennies or something.

javabeans: I love how 100-year-old granny says she’s found someone else who’s lived as long as her — I assume it’s pretty rare in these grandpas and grandmas’ daily lives to find people of their own generation. They bond right away. Aw, 91-year-old granny’s name is Kim Sam-soon.

girlfriday: Wow, someone actually named Sam-soon! People always ask what the deal with Sam-soon’s name is. I guess this proves how old-fashioned it is.

javabeans: Dude, Grandpa 92 looks young.

girlfriday: Seriously. All the grandpas in this group look crazy young, but 92 grandpa looks 62.

javabeans: He comes wearing a medal, and explains that he was part of the independence movement during the Japanese occupation years, and spent some time in prison. And now he runs an orphanage. I dunno what Shi-kyung was so worried about, he’s doing awesome.

girlfriday: I know, right? He’s perfect for the job. He’s articulate and polite. He gets to the 97-year old grandpa, who’s the great-great-gramps of the 3-year old, sitting right behind him. I’m still so amazed at five generations living under one roof. They show the two of them waking up and leaving the house together at the crack of dawn, all excited for their trip.

javabeans: Grandma 100 is so cute, and her name actually means “king” or “monarch.” Ji-won puts on his cap upside-down and says in sageuk intonation, “Your grace is immeasurable, Your Highness.”

girlfriday: Hahaha. Oh, choding. I love his makeshift yangban hat.

javabeans: Ho-dong announces one extra special guest: Grandpa 102, whom they couldn’t leave off the trip just ‘cause he didn’t fit their age chart, could they? He comes out all decked out in a fancy white hanbok (and sneakers), and spry as all get-out. Seung-gi bows respectfully and introduces himself, but Grandpa just chirps, “Seung-gi!” all familiar-like. Then Ho-dong appears and he cries, “Kang Ho-doooooong!”

girlfriday: Wow, he’s unbelievably youthful. He’s decked out like a 100-year old P-diddy, and they even give him this little opening like he’s on his way to Music Bank to perform.

javabeans: The producers introduce him to a granny in her nineties as “oppa.” Hahaha. And then he asks, “So is there a man in your life?” HAHAHAHAHA.

girlfriday: Pimp daddy! He’s hilarious! She answers with this wave of her hand, signifying that her husband’s gone, and Grandpa quips, “He’s looking down from heaven… and wondering why’s that grandma sitting next to another man?!” LOL.

javabeans: They didn’t include him because he’s old, they included him because he’s a riot. He’s all, “Am I the oldest here? I’m the oldest. Everybody should come greet me!” and he tells Grandpa 95 that he’s “way younger.” The 80s group comes up to shake his hand and he’s all, “You young folk!” Ho-dong interviews him on big moments in Korean history, like he’s amazed and curious to see a living person who clearly recalls things like the Korean war (1953) or the liberation (1945). Grandpa 102 retorts, “Heck, I was 10 in the independence movement [of 1919]! I was one of the people shouting Manseh [hurrah]!”

girlfriday: How does a 102-year old man stay so hip? It’s so cute because he’s basically like an elderly choding, relishing being the eldest because he gets to tell everyone what to do. I love that he never once uses jondae, because what the hell else is the benefit of being 102?

javabeans: I love that Grandpa 92 is so amazed he takes a picture. HA. Now comes time to reveal the location and transportation, which turns out to be…Busan. Not that Busan isn’t a fine city, but it’s not really out of the ordinary, is it? Ho-dong wonders if the people from Busan are going to be disappointed, but they’re just happy to be here. But what DOES excite everyone is the method of transportation, which is special chartered plane, which everyone will take together. And Ho-dong and Su-geun play beverage cart attendants, haha.

girlfriday: It’s crazy. They joke that they’ve starved the members for years, and this must be the reason why, to charter a plane. Heh.

javabeans: Then Ho-dong suddenly pipes up that even though they get the chartered plane, who knows what the nefarious production will plan, in withholding food later. He therefore leads the 101 guests in a rallying cry for “Lunch! Lunch! Lunch!” Haha, talk about using the guests to secure your own agenda.

girlfriday: Haha. Poor Na PD. It’s 111 against 1.

javabeans: Na PD assures them lunch is coming…but that it’s not exactly equal lunch for all. Of course not. It’s time for bokbulbok, and a big wheel o’ doom is brought out, on which the slots bear differing amounts, ranging from 10,000 won (about a buck per person) to 100,000, with one teeny sliver for zero, and one for 200,000. Gulp. Shi-kyung argues strenuously for his own age group, wondering if they’ll actually force babies and 100-year-olds to starve. Na PD answers calmly that this is up to the team leaders to handle. Aie.

girlfriday: Evil mastermind strikes again. No pressure! I’m sure Grandpa 102 will be like, “It’s cool, baby!”

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