Running Man: Episode 133

by gummimochi

Our Running Man cast go overseas once again in a multi-stop Asia Tour. When Jo PD said that he was planning something BIG for 2013, he definitely wasn’t kidding. We first head to Macau where the mission starts as soon as they arrive. It’s time to climb new heights, conquer your fears, and hunt down the nine daggers hidden all over Asia.

EPISODE 133. Broadcast on February 17, 2013.

Destination Macau. As our cast arrives at the airport one by one, we’re shown snippets of what’s to come in this episode. I’m just going to say it now – it looks AWESOME.

Gary says that he’s still jetlagged from his concert tour in America (♥) and it looks like Jong-kook will join the cast later (he injured his leg in this leg of the tour).

Mr. PD announces that their teammates are currently sitting next to them. Thus we have: Yellow (Jae-suk & Haha), Blue (Easy Brothers), and Green (ex-Monday Couple).

Jae-suk doesn’t miss an opportunity to tease the ex-Monday Couple, asking if they’re going on their honeymoon (Gary: “It’s our farewell trip!”). Suddenly, a flight attendant hands Kwang-soo a tablet, to which he asks: “Phone number?” As in yours?

But no, it’s a mission card telling them to find the secret agent and head to Fisherman’s Wharf. And that mission will start as soon as they step foot on the runway. Shocked faces all around.

The cast’s arrival is surprisingly a quiet affair compared to their other greetings but Jo PD reminds them that the mission starts now. Time to run.

They run around the terminal, trying to hunt down their secret liaison. As expected, it’s Ace Ji-hyo who finds one first and the ex-Monday Couple darts out the door… where dozens of screaming fans scream in excitement.

That’s more like it! Crowds of passionate international Running Man fans never fail to make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

When the Easy Brothers finally grab their case and head out, the crowd chants Kwang-soo’s name. It’s so nice to see Giraffe gettin’ some love! Aw, and a couple of them dressed up as one! So creative.

The ex-Monday Couple arrive at Fisherman’s Wharf first where they’re told to find another secret agent who holds the key to their locked case. Oh and that person is located anywhere from here to the end of this looooooooooooooong road.

Ji-hyo strolls down the lane, enamored by the beautiful buildings and pier. They drop by a jewelry store and Gary says the one phrase every woman dreams of: “Choose one you like!”

So he asks how much the ring Ji-hyo picked out is and the store employee responds to them in Korean. HA. That’s pretty awesome. What’s not so awesome is the price: over 280 million Won (~$280,000 USD).

The employee doesn’t so much know about a key, but the couple tells him to put it on hold. Ji-hyo: “The name is Kang Gary.” Gary: “For Ji-hyo.”

The cast keeps running into people who hand them their personal keys (granted, yelling just “Key!” can be confusing). We check in with the Easy Brothers who have a small crowd tailing them.

Not only do they know the “Feel! Touch! Cross!” chant, they even know the Easy Brothers’ song composed by JYP. That’s fan dedication right there. Unfortunately, that fan love is short-lived because word breaks that Jae-suk is somewhere down the street and they all run to catch a glimpse of the Grasshopper.

We cut away to two mysterious guests whose voices sound awfully familiar…

Back to the ex-Monday Couple who heckle a man for the small keys he has on his person. Gary: “You liar!” *tries keys* *doesn’t work* “Okay, you ‘ahn’ [not] liar! I’m liar.” Ha.

One of our mystery guests get caught by Haha and Jae-suk and she darts away before they can recognize her. But Jae-suk catches up to her in no time and gapes: “Hye-jin?!” He means actress Han Hye-jin (Syndrome, Thorn Birds).

They bombard her in a Healing Camp-esque way (she’s one of the MCs) about a key just as the Easy Brothers arrive. The Yellow Team sits down with Hye-jin, who hands over the key, and Jae-suk figures that there must be another guest.

Kwang-soo spots the other guest from the corner of his eye and gives chase while the Yellow Team reads the mission card inside. They’ll need to meet Gladiator Maknae FD and carry their new teammate to their destination.

But then they hear Kwang-soo’s cries mere feet away from them. Whoever they are, they sure can run, eventually losing him. Only to walk right into the same store where the ex-Monday Couple is.

Helloooo Lee Dong-wook (Wild Romance)! What’s with ex-Strong Heart MCs coming to visit lately? Not that I’m complaining of course.

He’s completely out of breath and his teammates offer to buy him a drink. And wait what? Dong-wook has friends in the hip-hop community? Ha – then he raps a little with Gary. You certainly learn something new every day.

That “carry the guest” clause worries the Yellow Team. Is it that she’s possibly too heavy or that they’re too weak? My money’s on the latter. After a few failed attempts, the third time’s a charm and they hoist Hye-jin into their arms.

I love it how they’re both like, “Relax, relax!” and when she sort of does, they immediately respond, “Never mind! Don’t do it!” The PD instructs her to lean back (for the camera angle of course) and she does, even showing a little clavicle. She asks, “Is this sexy?” HA.

Surprisingly, the ex-Monday Couple are able to lift Dong-wook, who seems equally surprised at the feat. But it’s the Yellow Team who arrive at the gladiator arena first.

Hye-jin already cracks me up. Gladiator Maknae FD hands her a dagger for arriving first and then she pokes him with the end with it. That flusters both Haha and Jae-suk who ask, “What kind of ‘style’ are you?”

Meaning, what kind of variety skills do you have so we can complement it? Jae-suk takes the dagger and marvels: “Who thinks of stuff like this?”

When everyone gathers together again, Mr. PD explains that anything can happen from here on out, so their team members can change (Kwang-soo’s eyes light up in hope). Jae-suk make a joke that that’s what makes the show so entertaining and then Hye-jin unsheathes the dagger. Point taken.

Entitled “The Secrets of the Nine Daggers,” all nine are hidden among Asia (*jaws drop*) and their mission is to be the first team to find them all.

Their next mission location, Macau Tower, is cause for worry since it also houses the highest bungee jump in the world. Dong-wook informs us in a matter-of-fact tone that you have to sign a waiver and “wear a black t-shirt because it represents death.”

That freaks everyone out. Omg, you were the kid who told horror stories around the campfire at night, weren’t you?!

Kwang-soo drinks in the popularity of his “Asia Prince” status, though one placard refers to him getting eliminated by Jong-kook. So maybe it’s not necessarily positive popularity, but it’s better than nuthin’.

The Green Team settles the age hierarchy (Dong-wook and Ji-hyo are both 1981-ers) and Gary says that he’ll speak informally to Dong-wook, but he can’t bring himself to. Cute.

The cast is greeted by two startling sights: (1) the massive number of fans and (2) the 338m tall Macau Tower. Um, if it makes you feel any better, the bungee jump is only 233m?

None of the cast can really believe it – the staff wouldn’t make them jump from this height, right? The Yellow Team remains silent as they ride the elevator to the top.

Jo PD explains the rules and he’s all, It’s simple. They’ll just need to do three separate missions that give them a letter and then guess the word. At least they have options: bungee jump, sky walk, and a mast climb.

The members can only laugh at the tall tasks asked of them. It’s times like these where I start thinking of the poor VJs who have to position themselves to get a great viewing angle. And that doesn’t always mean it’s safe. Eek.

They ask what happens if they jump and forget to read the letter, and Jo PD’s like, “You jump again.” Like it’s no big deal.

Then he tells them that their female PD did a test jump. She’s gives a thumbs up: “I’m alive, see!” Incriminating Kwang-soo: “You’re crazy! Your face has changed [since then]!”

Jae-suk argues that he still has nightmares from the last jump, so they decide to forgo the bungee and try to figure out the word from the other two characters.

Oh that’s right – the Easy Brothers are on their own and they go back and forth about who will go twice.

It cracks me up that Hye-jin’s so confident and offers to do the skywalk first, whereas Dong-wook gets put on the spot (“You do the bungee jump!”) and he breathes, “I can’t…”

Then when they egg him on that he’s GOT to do it because he’s an actor (so it’ll be cooler and boost his variety image), he’s like, “I’m a variety entertainer! I got an SBS Newbie Award!”

Dong-wook still insists that his heart’s racing and his teammates put a hand on his chest to check. Then with determined eyes, Ji-hyo checks Gary’s chest. He naturally just stares at her and she gives him a slap: “Pay attention!”

It really does sound like Dong-wook has a legit fear of heights because now he’s just throwing out answers (they’re wrong). Ji-hyo asks if he wants to walk the skywalk ten times or bungee jump once, and he immediately answers: “Skywalk!” So she slaps him too.

Dong-wook has a solemn blank look on his face for a moment. Then he suddenly declares that he’s going to bungee jump. That earns immediate praise from everyone.

They weigh him and when they ask how much he weighs, Kwang-soo pipes: “42 kg!” Jae-suk: “It like your spirit’s left!” Dong-wook crumples. Hee.

Jae-suk, Kwang-soo, and Ji-hyo head out to the mast climb and it’s no surprise that she steps out to get a better view at this height. And the two scaredy cats badger her about how it’s unsafe.

Then there’s Hye-jin on the skywalk and she strolls along, calmly as you please. Haha slowly follows behind her, rattling on a mile a minute to mask his fear of heights.

But they don’t spot anything on their walk and Hye-jin asks if she can go around again. Why do I get the feeling you have to look over the edge?

Dong-wook stands at the landing with the cast cheering him on. He tries to compose himself but his knees buckle beneath him. He takes a few more minutes before they call the official countdown (and Jo PD reminds him of the mission)… and he does it. Yay!

The courageous act lifts his spirits and he looks up to find the character ‘na.’

Back at the mast climb, Ji-hyo marches on a few more flights before she stops and asks, “This is too tiring. Can I do something else?” I love the Ji-hyo say what? expressions on Jae-suk and Kwang-soo’s faces. They try to talk her out of it but she’s like, “I’m falling asleep here.”

It still doesn’t compute with the guys, so she strikes a deal: she’ll do the bungee jump and they’ll exchange hints.

Ji-hyo keeps her word and before you know it, she’s suited up and ready to go. There isn’t the slightest hint of a hesitation and she even asks for a helicam. Meanwhile, Dong-wook sticks his head out and asks if she can stall for a bit like he did. Heehee.

Helicam in place and with a broad smile on her face, everyone counts down. And she jumps. She squeals: “This is totally fun!” Daebak.

She skips once her feet touch the ground and the crowd chants her name. She is one amazing lady.

When she rejoins her castmates, she revels in how much FUN it was before adding that it probably wasn’t too attractive for her to just jump without hesitating like that. Girl, you are my hero.

Then Hye-jin says she kinda wants to jump too. The guys are like, What’s up with all the ladies today? Haha’s missing when she’s all ready to go, but that’s because he’s crying a river on the skywalk. Aw.

He manages to get both clues (they form the character ‘sae’) and he freaks out when he tosses the second one over the edge again. “Even seeing that fall over is scary! Don’t ever make us do this again!”

He makes it back for her jump and she yells: “Healing Camp, fighting!” Double daebak. I especially love how she closes her eyes and drinks in the moment.

Cut to our mast climb boys who finally make it near the top. They can barely hold onto their nerves let alone listen to the PD’s instructions. Jae-suk climbs the last bit and furiously scratches the surface for the clue: “do.”

And as luck would have it, Kwang-soo’s is taped upside down.

Ashen-faced, they rejoin their teammates. Now that everyone has all the clues, they race to answer the question and it’s the Green Team who gets it: Senado Square.

Night falls in Macau, and in the taxi, Jae-suk curses the tower and specifically points at the needle: “That’s how high I climbed! That thing!” Haha tells him that Jae-suk can cry if he needs to, and he does: “Kwang-soo and I were completely tricked!”

Kwang-soo mentions a souvenir photo they saw of someone smiling at that height: “It’s CG.” Cut back to Jae-suk, his sobs heard ’round the world.

At the same time, someone else arrives in Hong Kong: Jong-kook. He smiles wide despite a noticeable limp, and gapes when he learns he’ll be taking a helicopter to Macau.

He gets in the taxi and when he hears from Mr. PD that there are two special people waiting for him, he’s like, “Who?” Cut to: The Easy Brothers.

But back to the mission at Senado Square, where each team will need to find seven natives who can either speak Korean, are taller than Haha, or wear glasses. Seems easy enough.

The excited smiles on the Easy Brothers’ faces are so cute when Mr. PD tells them to find a mysterious someone with a flower bouquet. They immediately think of another guest and Suk-jin expectantly asks, “Is she an idol?” Does 90s idol count?

Jong-kook: “NO WAY!” Omg, it is SO adorable to see how excited Kwang-soo is and he literally showers his hyung with hugs and kisses. Eeee! They worry about Jong-kook’s injured leg (Kwang-soo: “Can I kick it to check?”) but Jong-kook shows us that he’ll do just fine.

They cry that they don’t have any daggers and because no one talks to them, “This is the first time we’re being filmed this episode!” Caption: What are you talking about…

The teams finally head out and it cracks me up when Haha asks how tall one guy is and Jae-suk answers: “He’s taller than you!” Then the Green Team find people who can speak… Kpop. Ha, close enough.

It’s like the crowd grows bigger as the night progresses and the cast members are all surprised to see Jong-kook. Then Mr. PD announces the mission as a three-way tug-of-war. The Blue Team cheers – they’ve got this in the bag.

As soon as the whistle blows, we know that this is one epic battle. Each team tugs hard and it goes back and forth as the cast members on the ends try to reach for the bell they need to ring.

Haha misses a few times by mere inches and the other teams tug hard… and then surprisingly, Haha rings the bell, winning it for the first round.

The second round is just as intense and the Blue Team’s strategy to stick close to the middle means that Suk-jin wobbles around. But it’s Haha who looks closest and with a final burst, he rings it. His teams earns the third dagger of the night.

The cast heads back to the hotel but it’s not over yet, because they need to find a flag in order to acquire the fourth dagger. They ask around but it’s a huge hotel/shopping mall.

Then just on top of the escalator, Suk-jin sees a statue with the flag… only to find out that it’s a living statue and freaks out. At least you finally got a flag for your team!

Everyone wakes early the following morning (Jong-kook limps behind, aw) and they’re all confused when they arrive at the airport. Where’s Hanoi, Vietnam you ask? Well Kwang-soo, you’re about to find out.

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