Running Man: Episode 228

by gummimochi

It’s a winter wonderland on Running Man this week, where bizarre weather forces our cast to find the one spot on Earth that will save them from the elements. Getting there turns out to be a feat in of itself because all kinds of weather conditions stand in their way. Despite the freezing cold, this episode is sure to warm you with the laughs and might even leave you fanning yourself at the close proximity only subzero temperatures can bring.

EPISODE 228. Broadcast on January 4, 2015.

Happy 2015, Running Man! Our cast sends their warmest new year greetings to the viewers, then turn to the snow globe behind them to greet our first guests of the year: Lee Seung-gi and Moon Chae-won, co-stars of the upcoming movie Today’s Love.

Kwang-soo’s chivalrous attempts are shut down since Seung-gi is already taking care of his leading lady. At least he isn’t the only one since both Suk-jin and Jae-suk are shoved off, too.

It’s been awhile since Chae-won has been on the small screen, and Jae-suk’s hot temper has her remark in a quiet voice that he’s changed quite a bit since they’ve last met. “He’s a variety show gangster!” The others call him.

Seung-gi helps Kwang-soo out with the reminder that the giraffe and Chae-won were former co-stars on KBS’s Nice Guy. She admits that Kwang-soo drops a line with a polite text every so often, and that he’s the one who starts the conversation. Lol.

She says she would initiate the conversation first, but the others fill in the blanks for her. Perhaps she found out that Kwang-soo wasn’t that impressive? Or that she felt burdened by his forwardness? When Jong-kook says Kwang-soo commonly mistakes a little kindness for romantic interest, she has a moment of realization. Kwang-soo: “No, it’s not like that!” Hahaha.

Time to announce teams and all the guys drop blatant hints to Taek PD about whose team they want to end up with. Both Jae-suk and Kwang-soo are noticeably disappointed to be teamed up with Seung-gi, who returns the sentiment: “I’m not all that happy with it, either!”

When Chae-won retreats towards the trio vs. the others, Seung-gi astutely points out that his co-star doesn’t want to be with any of the others. Her presence even as Gary momentarily forget about Monday Girlfriend Ji-hyo, who’s not expecting anything either.

Chae-won is teamed with Gary and Haha, who are allegedly enamored with women. That leaves SpartAce and Suk-jin as the last remaining team. Thus, our three teams will be duking it out in Today’s Weather race.

Currently, the world experience all sorts of unusual weather, a premise that makes our cast crack up. Even Seung-gi has to question the absurdity of it all: “Why is [the premise] always like this whenever I show up?”

There is of course, one place on Earth that will remain safe, and their mission is to collect hints and find that location. Once they step outside into the freezing cold, Jae-suk says that Seung-gi always comes to visit in the dead of winter. Haha hopes that they don’t end up in the water today.

In the car, Seung-gi is told that Chae-won is in good hands with Gary and Haha, who will make sure to break the variety ice. Sure enough, they start with the compliments and encourage Chae-won to send adorable heart gestures towards the camera. Cut to: SpartAce and Suk-jin sitting in silence. HAHAHA.

It’s sunny out on their walk to their first mission as Seung-gi recalls his flying chair experience from last time made the best use of his fear of heights. Jae-suk can’t stand to see Kwang-soo act like he was once close with Chae-won, which prompts her to ask how long Kwang-soo’s texts usually are. Short, Jae-suk replies, and Chae-won says she gets pretty long ones.

That only fans the flames about Kwang-soo’s intentions, and they even question whether Wang Ji-hye had it right about that dongsaeng co-star with whom there was a little something going on.

Our teams’ jaws drop when they’re met with a shrubified container and a muddy pool below. They immediately gripe alongside Seung-gi, saying that they always have the most difficult missions whenever he comes.

After suiting up, everyone climbs on and no one is excited. Chae-won climbs towards the front of the container upon hearing the words “drastic incline.” As the incline increases, Jae-suk rages at the staff and almost slips down. The rules are simple: last man or woman standing wins one point, and the first team to win three point, wins.

With that, the incline slowly rises and so do their fears. One by one, they start sliding off until Kwang-soo, Ji-hyo, and Chae-won are left. The latter kicks Kwang-soo to loosen his grip, and Ji-hyo uses that opportunity to attack.

But Chae-won hangs on and the container grows steeper. She grabs onto Ji-hyo and they both slide into the water simultaneously, both earning their teams the first point.

The ladies sit out for the next round, and when Jong-kook catches Haha and Kwang-soo exchange glances, he says you can practically hear the sound of their scheming eyes. Suk-jin is targeted as soon as the whistle blows, but then Jong-kook takes the opportunity to push allll six of the other guys off the container.

While that picks up another point, it also leaves Suk-jin to fend for himself with the others. After Jae-suk wins the third round, the other four crowd around Suk-jin. All of them end up in the muddy water, but it’s Seung-gi who’s the last to fall in.

Another round later leads to a Betrayal Trio battle between Suk-jin, Haha, and Kwang-soo in a current 2:2:2 tie. They push and shove one another as the incline grows steeper… and it’s Haha who starts pushing the other two off to win it.

There are two hints available, and it seems like Seung-gi may have caught a peek of Team Ji-hyo’s hint. Team Chae-won’s hint suggests a place that gives off oxygen, prevents global warming, and the weather is always clear, which makes them think of a tree.

Team Ji-hyo’s keyword is “tourist attraction,” the same word Seung-gi saw, along with the word for “high pressure.” He and his teammates must win the next mission or they’ll be really clueless. Seung-gi: “We’ll turn the car keys then.”

Then it’s time to take on an Ice Age-themed food mission at an ice rink, and the team that succeeds first will take first place. Jae-suk and Kwang-soo freely admit that Seung-gi knows bits of the hint, which he gladly shares with the class.

It’s the first time Chae-won’s hearing the keywords (since they belong to SpartAce and Suk-jin) and while it initially seems like Seung-gi’s trying to get her to come clean with hers, he’s the one telling her exactly what he knows instead. SpartAce is none too happy that other teams stole glances, so they’ll do the same.

Seung-gi’s team sits down first for their main course (“Ramyun!” “Sujebi!” “Steak!”) and uncover to see a plate… of a steak-shaped ice. Ha, it’s a block of ice. Seung-gi: “I usually have my steak very well-done. Please cook it some more.”

They’ll need to divide and eat the ice steak in thirds, all within 60 seconds. Kwang-soo stuffs the small third into his mouth, and there’s melted ice-spit flowing out of his mouth. Needless to say they don’t succeed, but their brain freeze expressions are pretty priceless.

Chae-won’s team has the ice steak too, and Haha speedily cuts a small piece for her. While he and Gary flail as they eat, Chae-won takes quiet bites. She even goes ahead to feed him a small bite, but her team can’t finish in time, either.

None of the teams succeed in the first round, so they’ll be playing the Pepero game with their next item: a stick of ice. The team with the shortest ice left wins, and they mustn’t use their hands nor let the ice fall. Seung-gi says he’s got weak front teeth.

Jong-kook worries that the melted spit can travel along the ice, but that’s not anything anyone wants to think about. So Kwang-soo and Jae-suk start biting, even turning their heads, to everyone’s shock. Hahahaha.

They leave behind a small piece (and momentarily lose it on the ice, ha) and drool as Taek PD tries to measure its longest side. It’s 1.4 cm. Chae-won initially tries to avoid playing with Gary, but the people wanna see what they wanna see.

So she decides to just go for it, to Gary’s delight and possibly Ji-hyo’s disappointment. Everyone is surprised when she admits she hasn’t played this game since her college days, and she clarifies that they had to pass along ice cubes with their teeth. Gary’s expression is all, I wanna play THAT game.

Gary and Chae-won take bites on both ends and draw near, but the ice slips at the last second. Haha jokes that they should do a do-over with the remaining 4.5 cm. Ji-hyo points out that both her male teammates have said no, to which Gary offers, “Shall I? I could do this a hundred times with Ji-hyo.”

Playing rock, paper, scissors has SpartAce paired together anyway. It’s the first time for these two, and Gary seems surprisingly okay with it. Just as the others start teasing that unknown feelings can arise, the rod breaks in half. Aw, c’mon!

Anyhow, that’s how Team Seung-gi wins first place and Team Ji-hyo in second. Everyone is eager to sneak a glance at each other’s hints, and I’ll say that Haha’s pretty clever for looking through a camera in hopes to get a close-up.

They grow upset when they’re told to take the hint with them: “Why were we trying to sneak around then?!”

The clue that says something is at its original place twice a day has Seung-gi thinking of a clock. Ji-hyo wonders if their clue hints at lake or ocean.

I love how even Taek PD finds his own premise ridiculous, seeing as he can’t keep it together as he says the world is experiencing unusual weather and the people are also undergoing strange changes. At least the rest of the production crew cracks up, too.

Here, they must find the R-stickered vaccine to stop the mutations. Jae-suk gives Seung-gi the gentle reminder to stop talking like he knows what’s going on when he actually doesn’t. Kwang-soo yells out when he discovers a box, only to find it empty.

Jae-suk stumbles upon a jail, wondering why it’s here when they’re just assigned to search the place for a vaccine. It certainly is strange, so Jae-suk decides that they must hurry. And that’s when they hear the first announcement—Jong-kook is eliminated.

Just a minute ago, SpartAce was traveling together when a masked “Monster” grabbed Jong-kook, catching him off-guard. Aha, so this is the consequence of the mutation, exhibiting itself in extreme aggression.

The “monster” picks up Jong-kook like a doll (!!!) and pins him to the ground. Ripping off the Monster’s nametag does nothing, and the monster stamps Jong-kook’s foot. Seung-gi wonders if this game requires using their noggins vs. strength, an idea the flashbacks quickly shut down.

Jae-suk, on the other hand, feels surprisingly good since he won’t have to deal with Jong-kook now. A little later, the Monster attacks Haha—after looking into the Kwang-soo runs from the scene and Jae-suk has witnessed the event from the window. Everyone’s reactions: “What the…?”

Ji-hyo is on her toes too, since she’s the Monster. She screams in terror… and the camera zooms out to reveal Seung-gi. Caption: Noona, it’s me. She still runs. Hahahah.

When they run into Chae-won, they fill her in about the mysterious man on the loose. But just as they reach the end of the stairs, Gary is attacked and they scatter.

They regroup and share descriptions about the masked rotund man whom Ji-hyo says is a MMA fighter. She adds that they must find that vaccine. Meanwhile, poor Cha-won is the only one left for her team. She jumps a foot when a VJ unexpectedly pops out of the corner.

At the sound of her terrified yelp downstairs, Jae-suk and the Easy Brothers decide to head upstairs. It happens to be another VJ, but then a burly yell has them running. It’s the Monster and they find refuge… in Ji-hyo’s hiding spot. Ha, way to lead the Monster to you.

She wonders how they can oust the monster (Kwang-soo: “Can’t we punch him in the gut?”) and suggests Kwang-soo. But then they hear more cries and Kwang-soo tells the VJs not to go out to film because they’ll just get reeled in.

Those sounds were of Suk-jin’s elimination, and we catch up with Kwang-soo to see him marking up his foot so that the Monster doesn’t have anywhere to stamp. He and the others scour the grounds, and then Jae-suk makes a quick U-turn at the sight of the Monster.

Jae-suk and Kwang-soo run in circles until the Monster literally drives them into a corner. Then he peels off Kwang-soo’s sock (the clean one without the markers) to eliminate him.

Though out of breath, the Monster starts running when he spots Ji-hyo. She hides, and he discovers her on her knees, pleading for mercy. He kindly stamps her hand. Ha.

And then there were three: Chae-won, Seung-gi, and Jae-suk. Seung-gi checks behind a bookshelf to discover the vaccine—a bracelet they must put on the Monster. He puffs up with pride and runs past Chae-won to look for Jae-suk.

Seung-gi shows her the bracelet, which she pulls out of his hand. He suggests that she lure the Monster in, but she smiles and tries to coax him into handing the bracelet over. After taking it from him, Chae-won feeds him the chocolate she was going to use as bait in exchange. Haha, they’re adorable.

He suggests that they should stick together, but that’s when she reminds him that they’re not on the same team. He tells her to return the bracelet then, so she says, “I gave you my chocolate. Spit it out.”

Seung-gi tries a different tactic — if she succeeds, they’ll share the hint. But Chae-won doesn’t find that fair if she’ll be doing all the work and putting herself in danger. Which leads to more bickering of “Give me back my bracelet!” and “Give me my chocolate then!” between them.

What’s even cuter is that Seung-gi is more than willing to buy her some chocolate right then and there, telling the staff to look into whether the grocery will deliver.

Jae-suk finally re-joins them, and Chae-won’s argument basically boils down to that Seung-gi may have found the bracelet, but she can have it now because she gave him a chocolate. This really has become The Chocolate Scandal, hasn’t it? Seung-gi: “Wait here, and I’ll throw it back up.”

Jae-suk’s counterargument that Seung-gi should use the vaccine bracelet since he found it only leads back to more chocolate demands. So they decide to hunt down some chocolate to bargain with.

Just then, Seung-gi has second thoughts and lets her take it, but he won’t help at all. That has her singing a different tune, so they agree upon sharing the hint if she succeeds.

Once they lure the Monster out of the darkness, Chae-won tries to get him to expose his wrist. It doesn’t work, and the Monster starts running. He doesn’t get far either, and when Jae-suk falls on his butt, the Monster takes his chance.

He misses Jae-suk though, and his dedication has Chae-won remark that the Monster is working too hard. When the Monster targets Seung-gi, it’s a team effort but Jae-suk finally secures the bracelet onto the strong man, mixed martial arts fighter Kim Ji-hoon.

As promised, Seung-gi shares the hint (“Running Man’s favorite location”) with Team Chae-won. Everyone racks their brains in their respectives cars, and the final mission location shows nine various landscapes, including mountains, oceans, etc.

Again, the teams must correctly identify the one place in the world where the weather is sunny and safe. All the teams seem certain about their guesses, though they’re warned that an incorrect guess will lead to “rain,” as in, a downpour.

Everyone climbs onto the mud flat platform, and we see why: the “Running Man’s favorite location” was a key one for Haha and Seung-gi, the later of whom realized that the tide comes in twice a day. It took at all of the landscapes for Team Ji-hyo to make their guess.

Well it’s all or nothing, and the cast stares in awe at seeing the “rain” that falls behind them in the other landscapes. After a long, suspenseful pause, the mud flat is the correct answer, and Suk-jin remarks that they’ve all come so far now.

What a great way to start off 2015 on a high note, and it looks like we’ll get more of Seung-gi and Chae-won next week with our favorite grump: Seojinnie.

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