Frankly Speaking: Episodes 5-6
by DaebakGrits
Filming for our writer’s variety show has begun, and we’re introduced to a whole new cast of characters. Competition and romance are the nature of the game, but our poor, truth-telling news anchor is an awkward fish out of water when it comes to both. Will the real him be enough to win over his cast mates, the audience, and — most importantly — our writer’s heart?
EPISODES 5-6
If the suspense of finding out the new concept for Woo-joo’s variety show is killing you, the wait is over. She turned her (ambiguous) previous idea into a — wait for it — dating reality show. Hear that? That’s the sound of me deflating like a balloon animal. Even when you exclude all the real dating shows that exist in the world and are left with only dating shows within K-dramas, Woo-joo’s idea is not as original as she was making it out to be. Certainly not race-through-the-city-to-find-Ki-baek-because-she-must-tell-him-immediately levels of excitement.
Then again, her eagerness for her new concept may have less to do with the dating backdrop and more to do with her main stars: Jung-heon and Ki-baek. She’s picked up on the fact that there’s tension between the former high school classmates, and she intends to exploit it in front of the camera. And to get Ki-baek on board with her little plan, she agrees to become his switch flipper with the added promise of potentially helping his career with his variety show debut. Ki-baek’s often put-upon doctor (repeat guest appearances from Kwon Yul) serves as the reluctant witness to their deal, sealed with a pinky-promise.
And so filming of the not-so-fresh dating show begins with the cast arriving — scripted, of course — one-by-one at the pension where they will all be staying for the duration of the show’s run. Joining Ki-baek and Jung-heon on Team Testosterone is a French cuisine chef, who is certainly no Chef John, and a men’s clothing designer. The four men are all vying for the attention of three lovely ladies: a swimmer-turned-TV-personality, a graphic designer, and a lawyer.
As you may have noticed, the numbers are imbalanced, leaving one man to be the odd one out, and initially that man is awkward Ki-baek, who doesn’t know how to charm the ladies — or the PD crew — on a good day. And because Ki-baek must play this real-world dating sim on expert mode, he’s all truth and no lies, as Woo-joo assures him his quirkiness will be refreshing for the camera. Is honesty refreshing? Yes, but when you can’t fudge the truth about your current unemployment status, it diminishes your appeal on the dating market — especially when everyone’s favorite son-in-law, Jung-heon, is your competition.
Ki-baek is immediately at a disadvantage against the other men who are not only gainfully employed, but more skilled at hamming it up for the audience. Behind the scenes, though, Woo-joo gives Ki-baek a crash course in how to win the hearts of the ladies and their viewers. It all boils down to three traits: victory (winning challenges), loyalty (picking one lady and sticking with her), and “yutori” (a flexible personality or relaxed mind).
With these three traits in mind, Ki-baek enters the first challenge: a mud wrestling match. Again, not an original idea, but it triggers the men’s aggressive need to win. And when the four men are narrowed down to the three that will compete with a woman at their side in round two, that competitiveness turns into a sense of protectiveness that naturally bonds the men and women — or so Woo-joo theorizes. I don’t see much of the protectiveness Woo-joo was talking about, but after Ki-baek loses to Jung-heon in the final round, Ki-baek and his mud wrestling partner, Ms. Former Swimmer, do form an alliance. Admittedly, their partnership has nothing to do with instinctive responses and everything to do with the fact that he overhears her breaking up with her boyfriend on the phone.
With this alliance, Ki-baek ticks off another appealing reality TV quality (loyalty) from Woo-joo’s list, but the real woman Ki-baek is loyal to is Woo-joo. When he overhears crew members speculating that he’s on the show solely because he’s sleeping with Woo-joo, his true protective instincts kick in to prevent her from overhearing the gossip. He grabs her hand, places it on his chest, and flips off his truth-telling switch so he can put on an act of pretending he and Woo-joo are only casual acquaintances to spare her reputation. (FYI: It’s very worth noting that he’s previously suffered through the awkwardness of telling the truth despite the hit he took to his own reputation, and it was only when Woo-joo’s honor was on the line that he took the initiative to regain his ability to lie.)
Even though Woo-joo doesn’t know that Ki-baek came to her rescue, she’s clearly starting to fall for our awkward hero. She simultaneously feels bad for him (when Jung-heon tries to break up Ki-baek’s alliance with Ms. Former Swimmer) and jealous (that Ki-baek gave the last of his parents’ rice drink to Ms. Former Swimmer instead of her). In the editing room, she also lingers on footage of him, a sign so obvious that even her bestie coworker, CHAE YEON (Kim Sae-byuk), calls her out on it.
As much as Woo-joo denies the truth, her feelings come to head when Ki-baek gets lost — and possibly injured — in the woods on the latest bonding activity for the contestants: a horror-themed walk through the forest. Woo-joo doesn’t hesitate to run into the woods after him, and her relief at finding him in one piece leads to her confession that he makes her heart flutter. (Omo!) However, knowing her own feelings jeopardize the show and her career, Woo-joo takes back her words and touches Ki-baek’s chest so he can’t tell her his feelings and sway her. The show is her priority.
Speaking of the show, it’s time for a surprise twist. Since the start of filming, the cast has been told that all members of Team Testosterone have something in common, and it’s an ongoing challenge for them to identify that mystery something. Winners of the various challenges are given hints as prizes, and eventually Jung-heon is the first to figure it out: all the men on the show have the same first love, MIN CHO-HUI (Han Dong-hee). And — surprise! — she’s joining the show to round out the numbers!
If you, like me, thought Woo-joo’s dating show concept was lame and unoriginal, well, it’s time to eat humble pie because this twist is pretty good — both for our K-drama and the dating show within it. As soon as Cho-hui walks on set, the dynamics change. The ladies immediately feel threatened, believing all men have a soft spot for their first love, and Mr. French Chef and Mr. Clothing Designer prove the ladies’ theory correct with the way the fawn over Cho-hui. Ki-baek and Jung-heon, however, are less enthusiastic given that their former high school love triangle brought about the end of their friendship. Plus, you know, there’s the fact that they both currently only have eyes for Woo-joo.
Now that Cho-hui has been added to the show’s cast, it’s time for her to go on a date with Jung-heon, the man who correctly guessed the show’s mystery. But wait! There’s more! In yet another twist, Cho-hui is given the option to select another person to join them on the date. And, just as Woo-joo predicted, she picks Ki-baek. While Woo-joo’s coworkers give her a pat on the back and commend her for her genius idea, she looks reserved and guilty. Very, very guilty. She knows she did Ki-baek dirty by exploiting the contents of his journal.
The show comes first, though, so after a hasty apology to Ki-baek, who tells her he’s fine — he’s totally not fine — the cast and crew head to a theme park. Unfortunately, the on-camera date does not go as scripted. It starts going downhill when the writing team joins Ki-baek, Jung-heon, and Cho-hui on a ride to make it appear less empty on camera. Woo-joo loses her grip on the safety railing, and Ki-baek unnecessarily comes to her rescue. Yeah, that’s a whole bunch of footage they can’t use.
The calamity continues when Jung-heon is cornered by a group of fans who start hounding him for selfies and other freebies. As the growing crowd of theme park goers closes around Jung-heon, his panic rises. Fight or flight is trying to kick in, but because he’s conditioned to be the guy who everyone loves, he freezes instead. No worries, Jung-heon! A well-timed sneeze triggers Ki-baek’s truth-telling ability, and he steps in to defend Jung-heon from his harassers.
Of course, there’s such a thing as going a bit overboard, so Woo-joo drags Ki-baek away from all the gawkers filming the scene with their cell phones. Once they’re alone, Ki-baek turns his truth bombs on Woo-joo and admits that he feels betrayed by Woo-joo’s decision to exploit his personal life for her television show. At the same time, though, he rationally understands that he gave her his private journal as inspiration, and he can’t entirely fault her for her choice. His truthful communication is wonderfully mature, and I adore how his inability to lie is used to highlight the complexity of human feelings and our ability to feel two dichotomous emotions at the same time. (Can you tell this drama is growing on me?)
I’m not the only one with a new appreciation for Ki-baek, though. His actions at the theme park made him a favorite with not only the crew but with Cho-hui. And just when you thought being caught in the middle of a love triangle between Ki-baek and Jung-heon was the only thing Cho-hui and Woo-joo had in common, it is revealed that they share a birthday — awkward. Well, maybe not as awkward as the look on Cho-hui’s face when she confesses her interest in Ki-baek, and he straight up ditches her to go celebrate Woo-joo’s birthday with her.
His impromptu surprise birthday party for Woo-joo is not — major emphasis on not — a confession. I mean, it totally is, but Ki-baek doesn’t say the words that they’re both feeling because he knows her career is riding on the success of this dating show. And if they say the words aloud, it complicates things. So instead of admitting their feelings, they eat spicy food, watch fireworks, and pretend that they aren’t crushing hard on each other.
Sounds like a perfect end to Woo-joo’s birthday, right? About that… It wouldn’t be a reality television show without some behind the scenes hiccups and drama, so when Woo-joo returns to the pension, she is met with chaos. Ms. Former Swimmer has unexpectedly left the show, which means they’re short one female contestant. But the show must go on, and that, dear Beanies, is how Woo-joo finds herself stepping in as Ms. Former Swimmer’s replacement.
Overall, this drama has grown on me with the same steady and natural progression of Woo-joo and Ki-baek’s romance, and — I don’t know about y’all but — I love the fact that Woo-joo is going to be in front of the camera now. She and Ki-baek may have agreed to hold back their feelings for the sake of the show, but now that they’re both a part of the cast that should theoretically no longer apply to the situation since finding romance is the nature of the game. What was an otherwise boring dating show concept is about to get super interesting now that Ki-baek and Jung-heon’s second love has entered the arena.
Of course, Jung-heon and Choi-hui are still around to cause conflict, but since last week, I’ve downgraded Jung-heon from a potential villain to probable nuisance. Choi-hui, on the other hand, seems kinda suss. Or maybe that’s wishful thinking on my part because, so far, she’s rather boring. She needs some spice, and I’m kind of hoping she’s the reason Ms. Former Swimmer left the show.
As much as I love the OTP’s progression this week, my new guilty favorite side-couple is Yeon and Ki-baek’s brother SONG EON-BAEK (Hwang Sung-bin). Dude rode in on a boat to deliver rice drinks to the cast and crew and just stuck around, silently performing menial tasks and making Yeon’s life easier. Clearly, his love language is acts of service, and this week, we saw him direct his love towards Yeon and Ki-baek. We all saw you grab that first aid kit and go stomping into the woods to save your brother, Eon-baek.
RELATED POSTS
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- News bites: April 8, 2024
- A Frankly Speaking Go Kyung-pyo spells mayhem for Kang Hanna
- News bites: April 3, 2024
- News bites: April 2, 2024
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Tags: Frankly Speaking, Go Kyung-pyo, Joo Jong-hyuk, Kang Hanna
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1 Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️ Underpants buddies for life. 😎
May 17, 2024 at 12:16 PM
Thank you for the recap @daebakgrits.
'Hear that? That’s the sound of me deflating like a balloon animal' This made me laugh out loud as I could literally hear the sound!
I am enjoying this drama big time and hoping that the second female lead character is going to be entertaining and not annoying for once.
I was also wondering how the neighbours don't seem to know each other as that little boy seems to spend a lot of time at Woojoo's mum's house and yet the brother's don't seem to know his mum who I am pretty confident is a regular there too.
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Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️ Underpants buddies for life. 😎
May 17, 2024 at 12:48 PM
Is it me or did two Korean shows have VW Beetles featured in them Frankly Speaking (it had a different badge so I wondered if it was actually a different car but similar styling) to emphasise it was old and the last remnant of the ex couple's relationship and Lovely Runner to emphasise how he was rich enough to afford what would have been a 'brand new' foreign convertible. It seems like a strange coincidence they both choose such a distinct car.
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2 Kurama
May 17, 2024 at 12:34 PM
So how the plot gets from a news announcer who can't lie to a boring dating show? I felt scammed.
It wasn't nice to the women in the show to add a new who has a connection with all of the men... They are the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th wheel of the carriage at this point.
Just give me a spin of with Chief John and Ji-Wan.
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vienibenmio
May 17, 2024 at 12:41 PM
Seriously, who do we have to speak to in Korea to get a Chef John/Ji-wan spinoff?
I have been burned by this setup too many times (okay, twice, but still) to feel great about it.
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Elinor, Team Glasses team co-captain
May 17, 2024 at 1:14 PM
Scammed, indeed. I literally made the “balloon-going-pfffft” sound at the dating show development. For a minute I thought I’d missed an episode - that Woo-joo had developed an original idea and it didn’t work out for some reason, and then she’d been forced to do the dating show. I barely made it to the end of episode 5, when she pulled a vintage Hong-jo move by running into the horror-themed woods alone in the dark.
I’m going to sit out episode 6 and keep an eye on the next recap, but this writer has already betrayed us and it’s probably a drop for me if I’m being realistic. On the plus side, the May schedule is suddenly looking wide open! 😂
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hacja
May 17, 2024 at 1:29 PM
Do all dating shows have exactly the same "games," so that there's a wrestling game, a horror hike, a cooking competition, etc? Because those were exactly the games in Love for Suckers. Or is this show a parody of love for suckers, which was a parody of dating shows, which which are a parody of ritualistic courtship tests, which are a parody of the unconscious ways we choose our romantic partners? Or the biggest, most important question: is Kang Hanna going to have to start wearing ugly long-sleeved jersey tops, which even her beauty, like Lee Da-hee's , cannot overcome?
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Kurama
May 17, 2024 at 1:39 PM
At least, the horror part in the old school was funny in Love for Suckers with Ji-wan doing the whole game alone and Chief John barely surviving 😂
If she needs to change her style, she should take the one of the badass PD!
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vienibenmio
May 17, 2024 at 2:57 PM
The "throw the person out of the circle" thing just made me think of Love is for Suckers when Ji-wan won, but then Chef John pushed her over to check on Tae-mi or whatever her name was. God I love their part of the drama
zindigo
May 17, 2024 at 8:13 PM
The badass PD was my favorite part of that show. I wish the actress would be cast in more shows. I really like her!
zindigo
May 17, 2024 at 1:45 PM
😂😂😂
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GySgt213
May 17, 2024 at 2:08 PM
Maybe it's a parody that does know it's a parody and is just losing itself along the way to who knows where.
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Dylan [is crying bc of Umi no Hajimari]
May 17, 2024 at 5:48 PM
'vintage Hong-jo' DWY seems so long ago... what a wild ride that was...
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3 vienibenmio
May 17, 2024 at 12:40 PM
Frankly Speaking treads on dangerous ground - we're getting into Love is for Suckers and Oh Young Sim territory, and we know how that went. I'm just kind of joking, I really have faith in this drama, but this is now the third "guy is on reality show and PD is actually falling for him." Granted, we haven't had it done well yet, so: huiating!
I don't know what the 2ML's deal is. I know that I have a natural hatred of 2MLs, but I don't trust him at all. Also, how the heck did this woman have FOUR men considering her their first love? That is just bananas to me.
I love how Ki-tae is gradually winning everyone over. I'm not thrilled with the decision to put Woo-joo on the show, it just feels like it's breaking the concept too much for me. But, hey, I get why they did it.
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DancingEmma
May 17, 2024 at 12:57 PM
It is unfortunate to say the least that they might be going down the ‘calculating/evil vixen but presenting as pure as driven snow’ road as I think she got back at the contestant - who tried to belittle her by pointing to her age - and made her leave so she is going to be the disrupter.
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Dylan [is crying bc of Umi no Hajimari]
May 17, 2024 at 1:18 PM
She played the exact same character in May I Help You - ex who comes back and tries to stop the leads getting together - but that character had a lot of nuance. here, she seems antagonistic? idk, maybe they'll redeem or do some twist with her character.
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vienibenmio
May 17, 2024 at 2:58 PM
Edit: Ki-tae? Where did I get that one from? I meant Ki-baek
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loveblossom🌸
May 17, 2024 at 3:52 PM
LOL yeah, the FOUR first loves had me scratching my head a bit. One guy was from a different country so they knew each other from a different school/place than the other 3 guys. Maybe Woo Joo looked up the classes/yearbook info and found info on who had crushes on who, etc. Or Cho Hui was the IT girl back then.
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vienibenmio
May 17, 2024 at 3:57 PM
Right? Like, sure, four guys in love with her, but each one of them didn't love anyone else before her??
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abalyn
May 17, 2024 at 4:00 PM
"I have a natural hatred of 2MLs" --lol, dramaland faults. I think I also have this. I almost always just want them to go away from a combination of second-hand embarrassment, annoyance, and frustration at how unrealistic it is.
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vienibenmio
May 17, 2024 at 4:04 PM
Yes! They just get in the way at best. Even in the latest season of Bridgerton we had a 2ML-like character and I was like "UGH, go away."
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DancingEmma
May 17, 2024 at 5:54 PM
But Tae in LR is precious and we ate hanging on to him for dear life!
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abalyn
May 18, 2024 at 4:55 PM
Yes, he's probably as good as they get. I like the bromance, but I don't want to have to feel sorry for him.
4 DancingEmma
May 17, 2024 at 12:46 PM
A thank you @daebakgrits from me too for your beautifully-written, interesting and amusing recap.
I really enjoyed these eps and have come to like both OTP characters so much. Thank you also for giving a shoutout to Yeon and Eonbaek. The latter clearly has a deep love for his older brother but that has been coloured by resentment and feeling rejected so I hope the dramas does justice to how the rupture happened and deepened but also can be - ahem - healed. And, what about the mangne (makne)? He seems to be largely an afterthought which is a pity.
And, a callback to @T who mentioned that the little kid has superpowers, he does seem to read other peoples’ minds or perhaps just has very good observational skills and strong empathy?
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vienibenmio
May 17, 2024 at 12:49 PM
He should join the cast of The Atypical Family, LOL
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Dylan [is crying bc of Umi no Hajimari]
May 17, 2024 at 1:19 PM
I think this drama's family unit is already a little bit atypical, lol.
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DancingEmma
May 17, 2024 at 2:57 PM
Btw, on a different topic, I recently discovered that the name kee/kiho means to ‘to excel’ so wanted to mention it to you given your love for “Castaway Diva”. It really suited him, especially as the adolescent version.
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vienibenmio
May 17, 2024 at 3:01 PM
That is delightful to know, thank you! How fitting for him.
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Seon-ha
May 17, 2024 at 1:36 PM
I think he's a mind-reader too, that kid. Or maybe the reincarnation of someone important? So, instead of a serial killer to pad out the remaining six episodes, we'll get sudden ghost possessions or something?
I mean maybe I'd watch THAT variety show :)
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DancingEmma
May 17, 2024 at 1:48 PM
That variety show could be both fun and frightening.
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tabong
May 17, 2024 at 6:16 PM
The dad looked so freaked out when the kid talked about his guilt, lmao. I wonder what is the show planning to do with those powers.
I also want more family bonding! Eon Baek seems really hurt by how much Ki Baek is embarrassed of his family situation, but he still cares about his hyung.
Oh, and I definitely do him with the kid's mom. Their flirting was cute.
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DancingEmma
May 17, 2024 at 6:32 PM
Comment was deleted
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DancingEmma
May 17, 2024 at 6:40 PM
T, I deleted my comment as worried it might be spoilerish. Mum’s the word for me.
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tabong
May 17, 2024 at 8:11 PM
Woo Ju's mom? She's cute! I love their relationship. I hope we get to see more of her romance too.
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DancingEmma
May 17, 2024 at 8:18 PM
No, just an expression!😊 but Wooju’s mum is a good character for sure.
tabong
May 17, 2024 at 8:46 PM
Ohh.
My dumb brain read "mum's is the WORLD for me", so I thought Woo Ju's mom was your new favorite character. 😂 Oops.
DancingEmma
May 17, 2024 at 8:55 PM
Your brain is nothing of the sort! I like your brain! I didn’t want to take the risk of revealing something that I’ve found out so was declaring my intention to be silent on that front.
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tabong
May 17, 2024 at 9:09 PM
Don't worry. I get it now. ^^
5 Dylan [is crying bc of Umi no Hajimari]
May 17, 2024 at 1:07 PM
I really like that Ki-baek has three possible love interests, not by being conventionally attractive or "cool", but just by being kind. He's not flashy or loud about it (except for the crowd scene*), he just quietly helps anyone he sees having a hard time, even when's he preoccupied with something else. It's really wholesome.
I was wondering who the first love lady is... turns out it's the SFL from "May I Help You"! Afaik, this is the second time she's played the exact same type of character!
And who is Yoo-young played by? She also looks super familiar!
* He doesn't even like Jeong-heon that much! But he saw what the man was going through and still helped him, despite the risk of humiliation or getting beat up.
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DK-Drama 🫘 Giffing n Space Cadetting🍉🌱
May 20, 2024 at 8:04 AM
He is pretty goodlooking, though. But the show doesn't focus on it. You don't see the ladies turn their heads when he walks past, though IRL, they probably would.
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6 hacja
May 17, 2024 at 1:14 PM
I will continue watching this, but the problem with it for me right now is that its generally about humiliation--humiliation of the two leads, humiliation of the second male lead, humiliation of the dating show contestants, humiliation of the FL's mother, and for all we know, soon humiliation of the child, whose story will presumably come back after the dating show plot line ends.
Now, I know to soften the blow we've had moments of redemption for everybody, especially Ki-baek, whose general kindness is winning everybody over, including the FL, and in the end, everyone will be happy. But any humor in this process depends how funny you find humiliating experiences--like the ML's face getting smeared with red dye and then him tripping and rolling down the hill; or the FL getting tumbled around on the amusement park ride. These are not incidents I find particularly laughworthy; on the other hand, because of the fantastical premise, its not that painfully cringeworthy, either. Like most everybody else here, I'm watching for those moments of sentimental sweetness, but those moments aren't yet so meaningful that they counteract my feeling that so far this show is something of an emotional downer.
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7 Seon-ha
May 17, 2024 at 1:33 PM
I guess it's fair to say that my disappointment right now is centered on the fact I was here to watch a show about a female director of variety shows, not to watch the variety show itself--no matter how narratively framed with in a frame of a frame it is.
I was here to watch a story about a newscaster who cannot lie--but now he's not a newscaster so...who cares if he can't lie?
Also, I note that I can't keep track of when the "switch" is on or off, and I don't quite care about that either.
Feh. With luck this dating reality show will end in the next episode or maybe two, and we can get back to a story about a director who's lost her way and a man who adores the
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Kurama
May 17, 2024 at 1:46 PM
I feel so naive thinking I will get a show about ethics in journalism and the fact he can't lie would make things change...
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vienibenmio
May 17, 2024 at 2:59 PM
I don't get the switch thing at all and I've stopped trying to track it.
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GySgt213
May 17, 2024 at 3:29 PM
Almost like the writers forget about themselves and then remember it again.
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psycho 🍉
May 17, 2024 at 3:36 PM
I wonder if he'll get his job back as an anchor at the later half or they'll completely drop it.
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8 GySgt213
May 17, 2024 at 2:01 PM
How the heck does the head writer get on the friggin show? This makes no sense whatsoever.
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9 GySgt213
May 17, 2024 at 2:04 PM
I guess limping out of the forest doesn't rate a piggyback ride or even a helping hand. Only getting blind drunk does.
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Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️ Underpants buddies for life. 😎
May 17, 2024 at 9:30 PM
They had the brother carry Kibaek away at a later point so maybe they wanted to try a different version of that trope instead.
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dlrgy
May 18, 2024 at 7:20 AM
Woo hoo and the brother were the ONLY people who went in to find him as well! The entire crew and emergency services were just waiting outside the forest with their fingers crossed.
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loveblossom🌸
May 19, 2024 at 1:02 PM
I think they went off before or while the emergency services were contacted. It was a little weird that they were standing there when Woo Joo and Ki Baek arrived unless their hike back didn't take long or some of the emergency crew were searching and some were at the base.
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10 kay4625
May 17, 2024 at 2:12 PM
Despite the ridiculous situations they are put in, there's something so natural and soft about this romance, and I love it.
It's all not very original, or deep for that matter, but I continue to have a lot of fun. The theme park ride had me on the floor.
Also totally on board for the secondary romance between Cha Yeon and Eon-Baek. Also, she's totally the mother of that kid, isn't she?
Now, I just have one question... How many hearts did Cho-Hui break exactly?
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11 psycho 🍉
May 17, 2024 at 3:09 PM
I would rather have Jung Heon as a potential villain rather than a probable nuisance, that just means he'e going to be annoying and meddlesome.
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12 loveblossom🌸
May 17, 2024 at 3:42 PM
I was worried about the dating show concept and thankfully, I haven't watched the other dating show kdramas, but it wasn't too bad so far. The first challenge was a bit thrilling with the action. Maybe it scratched my variety show itch (it's been a while lmao). The twist with the guys' first love was a good move to spice up the dating show. When her face was hidden in the past, I thought if she was somehow Woo Joo and I was bracing myself for a childhood connection trope. So I don't mind that we were introduced to a new character. However, she revealed a mean girl vibe that I bet Ki Baek and Jung Heon are unaware of.
She might actually be meaner than Jung Heon. I can't tell with him yet. I was initially wary of his fake smiling facade, but he was a little more vulnerable this week.
I like the leads and all of their honest, heartfelt scenes. I wish there was some fun humor though... It's lacking and different compared to the first week. I want some wackiness.
Random cute moment I liked: Ki Baek and Woo Joo hearing Ina praise him after he defended Jung Heon and calling him Oppa. ^.^
And I'm TOTALLY excited for the new romance brewing! I liked how Eon Baek had a lot of sweet actions and hints that he is interested in Yeon. And they're not CHEESY. I also liked him taking care of his hyung, again with his actions. Carrying him away when he needed it, but didn't ask for it lol.
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13 abalyn
May 17, 2024 at 3:48 PM
I thought about dropping this show in episode 5, as it was so boring. There was just a lot of Ki-baek holding his tongue rather than being himself. I also had the same, oh no, not a dating reality tv show moment. But the twists in episode 6 were very interesting. I loved that Woo-joo was not Ki-baek's first love, and that the flashback videos were different than the normal childhood connection of the OTP. Having Woo-joo join the show also solves the confession dating problem.
I loved when Ki-baek told the truth about how Woo-joo invaded his privacy and hurt his feelings and also how he understood. My students often want me to tell them the "truth" about their artwork, which in their mind is how lacking it is. I keep telling them that honesty is both positive and negative. I was scarred by a lot of critiques in college where the honesty was supposedly for my own good, and was all negative. I'm so glad the show is showing honesty as complex.
That was a really cute birthday scene. I loved the "candle" being blown out. I'm super curious about how the former contestant got kicked off. I bet it was Choi-hui too as payback for how the other girl was being passive-aggressive or for hitting on Ki-baek.
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14 Blue (@mayhemf)
May 17, 2024 at 4:08 PM
At times I feel the show forgot the com part of his frankness. I still like the show. The reality show gave me the jitters but thankfully they have a twist that made me perk up.
I love the leads. They are just so sweet. KIBaek to me is now a baby penguin. lol.
I hope the first love 2FL is not scheming. She probably is and had a role to play in the exit of one person.
I am looking forward to the siblings break ice. in Beok is so adorable. The way he helps out the director and the way he protect Ki Baek!
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15 Aigoo-ka-choo
May 17, 2024 at 4:29 PM
This show sits in the 'good but not great' column for me. I often find it genuinely fun, cute and entertaining, but perhaps a bit lacking in depth.
Maybe I've been spoilt by Flex X Cop, whose writer managed to combine goofy fun with real character depth and emotional connection - It's the latter that's somewhat missing here for me.
But I do always love me some Film/TV/Production stories, since unlike other beanies who work in various industries (esp medical?) that get so badly represented, these are obviously worlds that the writers and PDs know well, so they are usually pretty accurate.
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Aigoo-ka-choo
May 17, 2024 at 4:32 PM
As a PS if anyone is interested in a Western behind the scenes of a reality show - try UnREAL (based on the experiences of a producer on The Bachelor, US). I've only worked on one reality show and honestly the exploitation of the 'contestants' was horrific. Sadism as entertainment is not my bag.... In comparison what our FL does here is positively benevolent 😁
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DancingEmma
May 17, 2024 at 6:36 PM
“Unreal” was so good. I never thought Sheree Appleby was a good actor until I saw her in this.
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DancingEmma
May 17, 2024 at 6:37 PM
I hope you were ok and managed to get much more rewarding and much much less exploitative work.
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Aigoo-ka-choo
May 17, 2024 at 8:02 PM
That's very sweet of you- thanks :) Yes it was early in my career and I've been lucky enough to work on lots of wonderful shows/films since then.
TBH it's easy to see how it happens (the format sort of forces you to see the participants as 'commodities' for good drama and give zero figs for their psychological health), but I got quite close to some of the contestants as well, and they were not in a good place at the end of it all.... left a bad taste for sure.
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Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️ Underpants buddies for life. 😎
May 17, 2024 at 9:36 PM
It’s sad how there are too many examples where the entertainment value is more important than the person’s psychological health.
16 Kafiyah Bello
May 17, 2024 at 5:05 PM
I do declare I like this drama. It is fluff and that is what I want from it. I adore Ki Baek and Woo Joo and their utterly adorable romance. I like that they both know they like each other and are professionals about it. It makes sense and it still allows them to get to know each other. I also really like the secondary romance as well, it was so random, but so nice.
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17 Bunny Sonaki
May 17, 2024 at 7:52 PM
Yeah Growing on me is the best way to describe the show.
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