Running Man: Episode 220

by gummimochi

What would you do if these twelve were the last remaining people on Earth? It’s survival of the fittest in this week’s episode, as our six couples fight tooth and nail for scraps, glory, and the chance to escape this tiny island. Some of our couples are just downright adorable while others can be difficult to handle. There’s no room for love when it comes to making it out alive, but I’ll gladly take the tiny affectionate moments when they do pop up, anyway.

EPISODE 220. Broadcast on November 9, 2014.

Nearly all of humankind has vanished by the time we meet the last of humanity that remain: six men who wander aimlessly through the thickets and six women who call this tiny island their home.

Ignoring the fact that they’re giving interviews as if there’s a viewership out there in the end of days, there are some hilariously familiar faces like Kwang-ja (Kwang-soo) and Jong-sookie (Jong-kook) along with new personalities like Hana (Haha), Gae-eun (Gary), and Jae-soon (Jae-suk).

These “ladies” admit that it’s difficult living with other women all the time, and now they’re starting to smell like guys (also a PR pitch to Gary’s single “Human Scent”). Jong-sookie takes pride in building the ladies’ shelter, and she thinks that the lack of men has triggered a spike of male hormones within her.

Hana’s higher-pitched voice cracks me up, and all the ladies collectively agree that it would be nice to have some guys around. Kwang-ja: “There’s never been a moment in my life where I haven’t had a boyfriend. Even when I was in an incubator, I dated the baby in the neighboring incubator.”

Then it’s time to meet our six remaining men of mankind: Suk-jin, comedian Jang Dong-min, actors Kim Min-kyo (Saturday Night Live Korea) and Song Jae-rim (Surplus Princess), the energetic idol Kangnam (M.I.B.), and last but not least, MC Park Soo-hong.

I sorta love how Jong-sook hugs Jae-rim in greeting, then goes straight to pat his butt. And don’t think I didn’t see you stroke Kangnam’s hair, Jae-rim.

And then Mr. PD asks everyone if they’ve had a good week. Taek PD say what now? We rewind to exactly one week ago at dawn, where the heavy rain put a literal damper on filming day. After exchanging greetings, no one was particularly keen on the concept that these people were the last twelve people on Earth.

The look on everyone’s faces when Taek PD simply asked if everyone was free a week from now is absolutely priceless. The staff had blamed the weather and Dong-min’s busy schedule for postponing filming, and Jong-kook’s all, No wonder we had to get here at dawn! It’s not like he’s Jang Dong-gun or anything!

Just like that, everyone was sent home, and Suk-jin had joked that now he’s got time to kill and the wife won’t know about it. Now we pick up right where we left off, and it just so happens to be Soo-hong’s 45th birthday today. As such, Jong-kook steps forward, prepared to give him a birthday punch, to Soo-hong’s genuine surprise.

Soo-hong basically dates himself when he says he hasn’t been able to celebrate yet, using the phrase “birthday feast” versus the more hip “birthday party” (or the abbreviated slang, ssaeng-ppa).

In any case, our cast and guests will pair off today for today’s games, where the last couple standing will be able to escape this island. Jae-soon declares that the ladies have already chosen their picks, so it’s up to the guys to woo them otherwise.

It’s cute how earnest Kangnam is, though he’s thrown off by the question of whether he can treat any of them to a meal. For a moment I thought they were referring to his sad bank account (I vaguely recall reading a news headline of the show I Live Alone where he barely had five dollars to his name), but it turns out the ladies are wondering if they have to go dutch if they go out with him.

So I can’t blame him for being completely perplexed by the question: “Why are you suddenly asking me to treat you [all]?” Aw, give the variety rookie a break.

One by one, our couples of the day get together: Kwang-soo & Jae-rim, Haha & Min-kyo, Ji-hyo & Dong-min (to much scolding), Jong-kook & Soo-hong (to much griping), Jae-suk & Suk-jin, and Gary & Kangnam.

I proudly admit that I’ve been watching We Got Married again lately, so it’s pretty great to see flashes of his WGM behavior in action here with Kwang-soo, like calling him “jagi” (honey, sweetie) and interlocking fingers a minute later.

Today’s first game will test their stamina, where the ladies will need to sit on the spools whose ropes the men will drag out behind them. Afterward the dizzied ladies will run, and the first one to grab the foodstuff wins.

Seeing Dong-min and Ji-hyo still act a bit awkward with each other only riles Jong-kook up (“You think we came here at 4AM for you to act like this?!”) and Jae-suk to ask, “This is the first time you’ve seen a beauty, isn’t it?”

Dong-min says her flirty behavior makes him all confused, to which Gary chirps, “That goes on for four years!” Seeing Dong-min act like a kind boyfriend towards Ji-hyo either frustrates the others (who are used to seeing a more callous persona) and triggers Gary’s jealousy.

It’s pretty great how the older girls don’t stand for their boyfriend’s aegyo-filled cheers (“You’re deadmeat if you don’t do this game properly” “What d’you mean ‘oppa,’ ajusshi?!”), and neither do they stand for Dong-min milking his tender boyfriend character for all it’s worth.

Whereas Kangnam hollers his love for Gae-eun despite her ugliness, Jae-rim says there’s no need for words and makes a heart gesture at Kwang-soo, who reciprocates (that little thumb-index finger gesture is a heart). Once the whistle blows, poor Kangnam is left behind in the mud.

The guys run towards their ladies and pull, and around and around the girls go on their spools. One by one, the girls are free, and although Haha’s the first one who arrives at the other end of the field, he’s too short to grab the bread hanging above him.

Kwang-soo has the greatest advantage with his height, but none of the girls are going to let him win that easily. He eventually becomes a literal step for Jong-kook, who knocks the bread out of the way and into the mud. In the end, Jae-suk finds it and grabs first place.

The couples switch roles for the second round, and Kwang-soo points out how Gary’s wig is in a ponytail now, Kangnam frankly asks, “How can he become progressively uglier?” Dude, he’s your music sunbae—be careful of where you tread.

At least they make it into a running joke, as he yells back before the start: “You look like my fourth aunt [in that ponytail]!” Haha and Min-kyo take the cake on being legit cutesy adorable, while Jae-rim screams that he and Kwang-ja should go to the sauna afterwards. Kwang-ja: “Why would we go there?!” I wish Kim So-eun was available for this episode.

Jae-rim is among the first to be freed first. He jumps… then lands with his face in the mud. Hee. The guys push and shove under the dangling bread, and Min-kyo says he doesn’t have a shot in the first place given his height.

Then Soo-hong jumps, grabs it by the corner, and takes the bread for the win. That is one happy Jong-sookie, to whom Soo-hong plants a big ol’ kiss on the cheek. And then Kwang-soo grabs the bread in the next round to snag third place.

The teams are told to place their namecards by pairs of scarecrow dolls joined together by different colored rope. Suk-jin and Jae-suk think out loud, trying to figure out what it means, and when Soo-hong asks if they always do this (which would mean unentertaining TV), Gary says they never get it right anyway.

The teams move onto their next survival game in a nametag ripping tournament. Suk-jin: “It’s a good day to tear off some nametags.” Jae-suk: “Don’t you mean it’s a good day to get your nametag teared off?” Ripping off the other couple’s girlfriend’s nametag first wins the round, and the foodstuff will continue to collect until the tournament is over.

The staff leaves it up to the couples on determining which two couples will face-off and then move on to the finals. Jae-suk suggests that the boyfriends all grab and squeeze each other’s hands. Those who yelp in pain will be eliminated, and the last two men will fill those spots.

Suk-jin is eliminated first, so the others move on to sideburn hair-grabbing, which lasts all of five seconds. On to the tickling contest, where Jae-suk and Soo-hong succumb to Jong-kook’s tickling rather quickly. Min-kyo withstands eleven seconds while looking bug-eyed.

Dong-min squirms around silently until he can’t take it any longer, and Jae-rim wears a peaceful expression until he beats them both. Then it’s time for the actual tournament, and everyone’s eyes go hungry for the instant ramen and kimchi at stake.

All Suk-jin needs to do is rip off Jong-kook’s nametag… not if Jong-kook will let him, that is. Soo-hong’s feeling so confident that he chases Jae-suk around playfully until the latter’s nametag is removed.

Min-kyo holds Haha in a backhug so that Haha’s free to use both hands to attack. Heh, that’s pretty smart. It’s a pretty intense battle where Gary tries to hold both opponents off, and a minute later, Kangnam comes out with Haha’s nametag.

After Haha and Min-kyo wonder aloud whether or not there’s any other games in store that doesn’t involve strength, the next match we see is Kangnam and Gary vs. Jong-kook and Soo-hong. Soo-hong put on hand lotion like before, citing that his hands are dry, but the other couple see it as an advantage.

Soo-hong and Jong-kook charge them, and in his haste, Gary accidentally rips off Kangnam’s nametag. Whoops. So Gary has to face off both opponents on his own, and that goes as well as you might expect. He’s out, too.

It’s the final round between Soo-hong and Jong-kook versus Ji-hyo and Dong-min, and Soo-hong legitimately feels bad for targeting Ji-hyo… only she rips off his nametag first. Ha.

A 2:1 battle is nothing for Jong-kook, who eliminates Ji-hyo and then spins Dong-min to the ground. But Dong-min won’t go out without a fight and reaches wildly until he’s out of breath. After a knee kick to Jong-kook’s groin, Dong-min tries to headbutt him, only to be eliminated moments later.

So while Jong-kook and Soo-hong get to feast on snacks, the others go for a bonus round for some coffee. Jae-suk is the only “lady” in the bunch, and despite being the primary target, he evades his attackers several times.

After taking out Jae-rim with a spin, Jae-suk then turns to Kangnam, who starts backing away. Haha wonders what the fuss is all about when it’s just coffee on the line, but this is a matter of pride—no one wants to come out as the loser.

Jae-suk attacks, but then both guys lose their balance. As they fall to the ground, it’s Jae-suk who comes out victorious.

After the top three teams can switch up the namecards, the victors settle down to eat. Soo-hong lights up to hear that his health-conscious “girlfriend” doesn’t eat ramen (read: more for him) and digs in. The other hungry cast members play rock-paper-scissors for one gulp, and Haha makes off with a rogue noodle. Heh.

Afterward, everyone travels further up the island for their third survival game in a six-way tug of war, which again requires their strength. Here the boyfriends will work hard to deliver the goods to their ladies, who will stack them in a tower. First couple to do so, wins.

All the guys start running as soon as the whistle blows, only for all six of them to snap backwards simultaneously. Hahahah. One by one, the guys try to use whatever distance they can gain to their advantage, and we see that Kwang-soo and Jae-rim are the only ones who haven’t started their tower yet.

Haha is the first to stack four clementines in a tower, but it quickly tips over from the wind. He hurries to fix it, and this time it remains. Aha, so Min-kyo was able to remain standing through the initial snapback, giving him an advantage to use his center of gravity.

The girlfriends are strapped together for the second round, where Dong-min steps in for Ji-hyo. Something seems to go down just before the start, and then we see Kwang-soo, Jae-suk, and Gary all work together to off-set Jong-kook’s strength.

Both Jae-rim and Kwang-soo have been struggling at this game, so Suk-jin suggests that they help each other out — if Kwang-soo helps them with stacking four (of five), then they’ll repay the favor in kind.

Of course Suk-jin and Jae-suk have no intention of doing so once they get what they want, and Kwang-soo pins Jae-suk to the ground. That result only helps the others, and soon Kangnam is the first with five items.

It turns out stacking yogurt bottles is easier said than done, as bottles topple over left and right. Suk-jin thinks of stacking his bottles by matching tops and bottoms for better stability, which helps him snatch second place.

Our couples are given one last chance to choose their set of scarecrow dolls, and despite Soo-hong and Jong-kook’s desperate cries, Min-kyo switches up their nametags, leaving the former with the metal chained dolls.

Then at the final mission location by the shore, we find out what those varied ropes and chains were about. Here, the first team that unties their canoes from their posts wins. Those thick ropes look pretty doable whereas the metal chain and rubbery cords look like a nightmare to work with.

With that, our couples get to work with their tightly-wound cords. Jae-rim’s hands are pretty nimble with the thin cords, swiftly working out the knots. It looks like Haha and Min-kyo are in the lead, their knots coming loose pretty easily.

It looks like it’s going to be a pretty tight race between Haha vs. Jae-suk vs. Jae-rim, as all of their ropes come unknotted. But it’s Haha and Min-kyo who runs and lifts their canoe up over their heads first for the win.

Now back to safety, everyone settles down to dig into some PPL dessert and drinks, which I admit looks pretty enticing right now. Haha and Min-kyo share their own special dessert together, which contains a gold ring.

And awww, the staff prepares a birthday surprise for Soo-hong, who’s genuinely touched. Ji-hyo hopes that he gets married this year, and he jokes in return: “Do you want to [get married]?” Soo-hong digs in his cake for a ring too, but alas—’tis just a sweet surprise.

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