Running Man: Episode 311

by gummimochi

Our cast will cool off at the ice rink before racking their brains over puzzles and games. It’s time to get moving on the ice and try to keep those body checks in line, but I’m sure everyone will turn a blind eye if that means one gym rat gets to be closer to a very pretty lady. They’ll stay on their feet the next day trying to crack a mystery cube that will take them all over Daegu, meeting some helpful strangers, and getting a taste of even more delicious food.

EPISODE 311. Broadcast on August 7, 2016.

We pick back up on the bus, where Haha makes up an excuse so the budding lovebirds — Su Ae and Jong-kook — can sit next to one another. Nearly everyone is playing matchmaker, and per Suk-jin’s suggestion, Su Ae asks, “What do you think of me?”

Once they arrive at the ice rink, there’s a warm up exercise prior to the hockey match. It’s a spinoff of Musical Chairs, where a pair from each team will dance before trying to fight over one seat in the center. Myuk PD makes the sly mention that the “lovers” should participate, and Yeon-seo points out how Jong-kook can’t even look in Su Ae’s direction.

Everyone else picks apart how each and every little body language involuntarily speaks of his affection for Su Ae, and then Haha makes Jong-kook dance next to her when the music comes on.

He gets teased for literally swaying his hips around her, then we finally get to see Jae-sook’s rockin’ moves. Everyone clamors toward the seat when the whistle blows, but Jae-sook secures the first win.

Jong-kook is told to stay out of the next 3:3 match so he can chat with Su Ae in the sidelines. She’s the one who offers to do the arm heart (the one we caught a glimpse of last week) to encourage her teammates.

Just like before, everyone tries to sit on the seat, but when Jae-sook sits on it, there’s a definite crack. She cries over breaking the chair, so Team Su Ae is given the win.

Then it’s time for the hockey match, but Kwang-soo remarks how there’s no point… because they can’t even see the mini goal behind Jae-sook. This match will be 15 minutes long, and there are gold medals on the line.

After Jae-suk loses the puck, Jong-kook literally picks it up with shoe tongs and carries it to the other end of the rink. Suk-jin blocks the shot on goal, but Jong-kook won’t give up, so Jae-suk resorts to hitting him with his plunger.

Kwang-soo gets to show some of the hockey moves learned from the drama special Puck!, but the puck skives off back to the other end. Su Ae passes to Jong-kook, who picks up the puck just as Jae-suk slides toward him. He then reaches over to drop it into the goal.

Suk-jin blocks two shots on goal, and Ji-hyo is issued a warning for fist-checking Gary. Su Ae sends the puck to Haha’s way, but he completely misses the goal. A little later, Jong-kook uses the tongs to run away with the puck, and Kwang-soo hits him with a plunger.

It’s at that moment Jae-suk bends the tongs to render them useless, but no matter since the crew has a backup. Jae-suk hollers, “How many of those do you have?!”

Both teams take issue of how their “hockey sticks” make for an unfair game, but as soon as Jong-kook asks that he give Jae-suk a taste of his own medicine, the latter backs down.

The score 2:0 in favor of Team Su Ae, Team Yeon-seo has an opportunity when the crew switches out the other team’s goal for a regular-sized one. Jae-suk sees an opportune moment, shoots… and scores.

The celebration is interrupted by an echoed smacking sound, made by Kwang-soo destroying the remaining shoe tongs on the ice. After Team Yeon-seo ties up the score, Jong-kook picks up the puck to give an opportunity on goal for his teammates.

Suk-jin blocks the first attempt, but then Jong-kook picks it back up and chucks it into the goal.

Jae-suk makes an impressive shot on goal to tie up the score 3:3, then we see that Jong-kook has destroyed Suk-jin’s body pillow in retaliation for his shoe tongs. Both are given different sticks, and Jong-kook fixes Su Ae’s helmet.

There’s 90 seconds remaining on the clock, and Suk-jin blocks two attempts on goal. Soon Jae-suk gains possession of the puck and shoots. He’s right there for the rebound, and scores the winning goal.

After a blazing end to the hockey match, our cast is told that tomorrow’s mission will start promptly at 9 AM. He adds an aside that Su Ae left her Running Man-issued shirt behind, so yunno, Jong-kook should just take it. Suk-jin: “If you rip it off, you’ll find a phone number.”

A new day begins, and everyone looks ready to go when the crew knocks on their doors. Today’s race is entitled “Mystery Cube Race”, inspired by the Rubik’s cube invented by the Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Ernő Rubik.

Everyone is given a Hungarian-Korean dictionary along with a cube where one of its sides reveals a clue: Hotel Oasis. Problem is, there is no “Oasis” part of the hotel, though Kwang-soo wonders if it refers to the sauna or the swimming pool. Now that’s using your noggin.

Everyone thinks of the pool too, and sure enough, there’s a flag waiting for them. Here they must try to eat the dangling fruit within 20 seconds; should they fail, they just have to record a video apology message and try again.

So when both Kwang-soo and Jae-suk fail, they run to find the camera. Kwang-soo gets there first, but then Jae-suk pushes him out of the way saying, “I’m sorry for pushing you out of the frame, Kwang-soo.”

Kwang-soo sends his apologies to Jong-kook, who pops up as soon as he finishes. Haha gets a clue (“N”) for completing the mission and peels back another side for yet another clue. Everyone peels off different sides which sends them into different directions.

Jae-suk’s clue is a “cow doll” which he finds outside of a braised short ribs restaurant. Here Jae-suk will need to call a celebrity to get them to say “braised short ribs” then immediately engage in a Cham Cham Cham battle (where you lose if you look in the same direction as your opponent). All he needs to do is win one of these matches to complete his task.

Jae-suk calls up Daegu native Kim Je-dong, who immediately catches on that Jae-suk needs a certain phrase. Je-dong says it right away, but Jae-suk loses the first round. So he makes another call to “Seung-yeop” — is this Samsung Lions’ baseball player, Lee Seung-yeop?

Nope, just Je-dong again. Ha, Je-dong plays along, and Myuk PD lets it slide. Jae-suk gets to attack this time, but the crew member is lightning quick to defend himself.

Jae-suk gets him the second time around and acquires the letter “O”. Hmm.

Jong-kook’s clue leads him to an outdoor stage, and he recruits a Daegu resident to play charades. Unfortunately for him, she gets close but not at least 10 correct answers.

He enlists the help of another resident, who blazes through the questions. Desperate, Kwang-soo tries to distract her, even blocking her mouth at one point. Still, Jong-kook finishes and gets his second letter.

His third clue is “hidden camera” where he must slyly take a photo of a cast member so that their face fits in the hole. So he stands by the camera as Kwang-soo takes a crack at charades and captures his face to get his third letter, “E”.

Tired of trying to find a fellow Ji, Suk-jin decides to eat lunch. Jae-suk sits down next to him, trying to keep his hidden camera mission card out of view. He keeps Suk-jin talking until he boldly holds up the card to the camera. HA.

Suk-jin gives up on his current mission and gets the hidden camera mission. Jae-suk is no easy target and runs away from both Suk-jin and Ji-hyo at the next mission location. She flags him down and pins him to the ground to get her shot.

Both Kwang-soo and Jae-suk complete the mission here rather quickly; the fourth letter and final letter is “P”. They’re both headed in the same location that contains a chance card that can be used against another cast member.

They’re mere minutes away from the cafe when Jae-suk is told to freeze, because someone has targeted him. He’s instructed to finish a bread before getting to move on.

Haha is at the braised short ribs restaurant, and he too calls up Kim Je-dong, who tells him what he needs within seconds. The crew member has met his match in Haha, and they go back and forth until Haha finally gets the hit.

Kwang-soo tries asking for a photo when Jae-suk joins him at the cafe. He whispers to Jae-suk that it was Jong-kook who targeted him twenty minutes ago. Kwang-soo swears he used his on Haha, but Jae-suk isn’t so sure.

So Jae-suk calls out Kwang-soo’s name but doesn’t get the Hungarian phrase quite right. That sparks a battle between Jae-suk and Kwang-soo to try and say the phrase quicker than the other. And as soon as they part ways, they attack one another simultaneously.

Which means they BOTH have to eat bread. Together. Muhahaha.

We catch up with Gary and Haha, who have completed all the missions. Kwang-soo wonders if the letters add up to “OPEN”, just as we see Jong-kook arrive at the venue for the 20th Daegu Open International Wheelchair Tennis Tournament.

But then Haha has a different idea: What if he opens up the cube? Aha, there’s a note inside that states the first person who brings someone else’s nametag will win. At that very moment, Kwang-soo breaks open his cube too…

…and turns to Jae-suk. They swipe at each other but are civil enough to climb into the same taxi, where Jae-suk grabs Kwang-soo’s back. Then Myuk PD chimes in: “BOTH of you don’t need to go. Only one of you needs to.”

Suk-jin has been trying to complete that hidden camera mission for hours now. He runs into Haha, who happily agrees to help him out since he can get Suk-jin’s nametag out of the deal.

Haha rips off Suk-jin nametag and takes off. Suk-jin gives chase by bicycle, but then Haha hitches a ride and leaves a PD behind.

Gary and Ji-hyo are eating when he breaks open the cube and reads the mission note. He reaches over as if to help, then rips off her nametag. He collects his things and begs for her forgiveness before running off.

Gary, Haha, Kwang-soo, and Jae-suk are all headed to the same destination. Kwang-soo and Jae-suk are wrestling in their taxi, and periodically take a break before suspecting the other again.

It’s all about which taxi gets there first… and that’s Kwang-soo and Jae-suk’s. As soon as they pay the fare, someone else pounces on Kwang-soo. It’s Jong-kook, who tears off the Giraffe’s nametag before running away.

Jong-kook gains entry into the building, where he inserts the Rubik’s cube to take the win. A flashback teaches us that Jong-kook had opened the cube and waited around until someone showed up.

That just happened to be Kwang-soo and Jae-suk, who are left in shock. Kwang-soo: “It’s a nice day to be eliminated.”

Jong-kook is granted two gold badges and a chance to eat some Hungarian cuisine (maybe with a special someone?)… both of which Spartakooks has left behind. Dun dun dun.

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