Roommate 12 - It's Always Darkest Before Dawn
This week we get to complete the camping trip that started out so precariously for half our roommates. The drive from hell behind them, the roommates work together as a team setting up the tents and making dinner. Let's hope we can get to the campfire games without any more drama!
JoAnne: I hope the editors got some rest so they don't make the glaring continuity errors anymore. And that whatever it is they've got against Min Woo has been settled so that they don't make him look like the only asshole in Korea.
bcook: Yes to everything Jo said! I like Min Woo for some reason but it's getting hard to justify my feelings.
Chan Yeol and Ga Yeon are given the task of preparing the fish for dinner, with Chan Yeol teaching Ga Yeon how to clean them. Only thing is, he just learned it himself from the internet and it not enjoying it one bit! Poor Chan Yeol is visibly shaken as he cuts out the guts of the fish,while Ga Yeon is a natural at it, having no problem at all gutting and cutting the head off. True to form, Chan Yeol admits that they're growing from it, haha.
JoAnne: He was genuinely grossed out, hahahahah
bcook: I was grossed out too. Those fish weren't getting cut in the most sanitary of conditions. Yes they were going to be grilled but come on!! Yelch.
They bring the fish over and everyone starts grilling shrimp, pork belly and the fish. Out of the blue, Se Ho says Ga Yeon is cute and wants her to call him Oppa. She looks at him like he's crazy, as does Mama Shin. Se Ho then says watch how NaNa does it, and of course NaNa is ready to ready to pull his chain by answering with a rather flippant "Wae?" Se Ho then asks Kang Joon to call the girls, who each answer with a sweet "Dae, Oppa" to him. Poor Se Ho. Mama Shin notes that Ga Yeon has come a long way, and she replies that the team will laugh at her when they see this.
JoAnne: It was funny, but they barely have been filmed together so I think they're hardly on Oppa-terms!
bcook: It doesn't take long to go Oppa mode I think. It just implies you feel comfortable around the person (from what I understand).
Se Ho always bounces back from his awkward moments by asking the group to give Kang Joon and Chan Yeol a round of applause before they eat their dinner. I am amazed at all the food that is out on that table! Se Ho then suggests they do a commercial for the trout (which I swear is salmon, unless they have trout with pink colored flesh in SK)(it's definitely trout, the mouth is different and so are the fins) as if they were on the Home Shopping Channel. SoRa jumps right into the part of hostess. When she says the fish will help your child get into the best college and boost your husband's libido, Chan Yeol almost dies laughing. Great thinking on your feet, SoRa!
JoAnne: She was GOOD at that! And I swear I heard a noise like Chan Yeol hitting his head on the table when he collapsed down like that!
bcook: That was really funny. It's nice to see SoRa fooling around since she has that regal demeanor.
Next it's time for fun and games to decide who has to clean up the dishes. Oh, I love to watch them doing games! Chan Yeol is explaining how they'll do hackey-sack first, when a big moth comes along and sends him into a frenzy and gives me my first lol moment of the episode! I especially like how he goes to hide and then hits his head on the camper (but not hard enough to keep him from smiling, hehe.) They break into their teams to strategize on what order they'll use to compete.
bcook: I feel you Chan Yeol. Insects are the worst invention. I hate them. They always want to fly into me. I think they sense my fear.
Mama Shin is up first, and with a little cheer from NaNa, kicks it 7 times. Not bad for the oldest. Bom is a no-go for her team with just one kick. When SoRa is up next, Se Ho goes over to her and tells her to pull it together, lol. For a little incentive, he reminds her that there are a TON of dishes that they don't want to have to do. After taking forever to try and figure out which foot to use, SoRa is an epic fail. Soo Hyun manages 2 kicks, while Chan Yeol only gets in two kicks also. But watching all the shenanigans in between is pretty funny.
JoAnne: Everything is going according to plan!
bcook: I have never played. Seems like fun. I may have snorted inelegantly when SoRa failed.
Kang Joon brings his team within one point with his try. The girls clearly never played hackey sack, as NaNa can't even hit it and Ga Yeon only kicks it twice. But it's enough to put Kang Joon's team in the lead for the first time. Then Se Ho, true to his word, kicks the hackey sack around 30 times. This guy can pretty much do anything, it seems. Kang Joon's team heads for the table, but they at least want Min Woo to have a chance, and he does respectably well, though not enough to take the lead. As Most Valuable Player of the game, Se Ho gets to make one wish, and he bravely wishes that NaNa would go out with him on a date to the movies. Surprising? Well, maybe not as much as Soo Hyun still being able to do a split! Ouch
JoAnne: Chan Yeol made me laugh, 'The MVP, one wish they want to fulfill on this trip.....' '....we'll listen to it.'
Kang Joon's team cleans up cheerfully. After dinner, Se Ho is deeJaying in - surprise - his pajamas! He calls out people to dance. NaNa is first,who of course does something similar to one of her routines. Which leads me to think - these girl groups aren't really overflowing with talent. They work really hard tho. Next is Mama Shin. Ok, this is just hilarious. He's embarrassed but does a cute little something. Kang Joon is next, and the laughs keep coming. He does his Kang Dash Man dance. I'm guessing that's why he skipped the boy band and went straight to acting! Soo Hyun does some kind of crazy hair flinging thing, but just then Wookie returns from his shoot and another game begins.
JoAnne: They call it the Dooly Dance, and we met Dooly during Master's Sun -he was a cartoon character, a little dinosaur. I looked for a clip of the dancing (not too hard, though) and didn't find anything of that specifically, unfortunately.
bcook: How did the other campers feel about all this noise and lights? Dooly! He's very good for learning korean. I'm at 3nd grade level coz of him. I think Oppahjusshi did his version of an orange caramel dance. (He's so cute!)
The game they are playing is a pop the balloon game. They must team up in pairs, with the girls picking a guy to partner with, and break as many balloons as they can in 30 seconds. This game does not disappoint. First up are NaNa and SeHo. Watching them try and break the balloons between them is too funny. I literally had to stop and take a breather because I was laughing so hard my stomach hurt.
JoAnne: This episode confirmed for me that these two genuinely are friends; whether it's accurate that Se Ho has a romantic interest in her that she may or may not be coming to feel as well, we will probably never know. But she appreciates him, and he appreciates her, and they are friends, and that makes me happy.
bcook: I just smiled really wide during this sequence. *checks face* yup still smiling.
JoAnne: I hope the editors got some rest so they don't make the glaring continuity errors anymore. And that whatever it is they've got against Min Woo has been settled so that they don't make him look like the only asshole in Korea.
bcook: Yes to everything Jo said! I like Min Woo for some reason but it's getting hard to justify my feelings.
Chan Yeol and Ga Yeon are given the task of preparing the fish for dinner, with Chan Yeol teaching Ga Yeon how to clean them. Only thing is, he just learned it himself from the internet and it not enjoying it one bit! Poor Chan Yeol is visibly shaken as he cuts out the guts of the fish,while Ga Yeon is a natural at it, having no problem at all gutting and cutting the head off. True to form, Chan Yeol admits that they're growing from it, haha.
JoAnne: He was genuinely grossed out, hahahahah
bcook: I was grossed out too. Those fish weren't getting cut in the most sanitary of conditions. Yes they were going to be grilled but come on!! Yelch.
They bring the fish over and everyone starts grilling shrimp, pork belly and the fish. Out of the blue, Se Ho says Ga Yeon is cute and wants her to call him Oppa. She looks at him like he's crazy, as does Mama Shin. Se Ho then says watch how NaNa does it, and of course NaNa is ready to ready to pull his chain by answering with a rather flippant "Wae?" Se Ho then asks Kang Joon to call the girls, who each answer with a sweet "Dae, Oppa" to him. Poor Se Ho. Mama Shin notes that Ga Yeon has come a long way, and she replies that the team will laugh at her when they see this.
JoAnne: It was funny, but they barely have been filmed together so I think they're hardly on Oppa-terms!
bcook: It doesn't take long to go Oppa mode I think. It just implies you feel comfortable around the person (from what I understand).
JoAnne: She was GOOD at that! And I swear I heard a noise like Chan Yeol hitting his head on the table when he collapsed down like that!
bcook: That was really funny. It's nice to see SoRa fooling around since she has that regal demeanor.
bcook: I feel you Chan Yeol. Insects are the worst invention. I hate them. They always want to fly into me. I think they sense my fear.
JoAnne: Everything is going according to plan!
bcook: I have never played. Seems like fun. I may have snorted inelegantly when SoRa failed.
JoAnne: Chan Yeol made me laugh, 'The MVP, one wish they want to fulfill on this trip.....' '....we'll listen to it.'
JoAnne: They call it the Dooly Dance, and we met Dooly during Master's Sun -he was a cartoon character, a little dinosaur. I looked for a clip of the dancing (not too hard, though) and didn't find anything of that specifically, unfortunately.
bcook: How did the other campers feel about all this noise and lights? Dooly! He's very good for learning korean. I'm at 3nd grade level coz of him. I think Oppahjusshi did his version of an orange caramel dance. (He's so cute!)
JoAnne: This episode confirmed for me that these two genuinely are friends; whether it's accurate that Se Ho has a romantic interest in her that she may or may not be coming to feel as well, we will probably never know. But she appreciates him, and he appreciates her, and they are friends, and that makes me happy.
bcook: I just smiled really wide during this sequence. *checks face* yup still smiling.
Ga Yeon and Kang Joon use a different approach. Kang Joon rams into Ga Yeon's arm to break the balloons. I have to say they are pretty successful at it by doing it that way. Se Ho and NaNa are disappointed. Next is Min Woo and SoRa. They are both tall, so are a good match. However, they are freaking hilarious. Every time they pop a balloon, SoRa lets out this high pitched squeal. I have to keep pausing to take a breath. Once they get the rhythm down they are pretty good, though.
JoAnne: Her screaming was funny, she was so worried about her face!
bcook: I'll admit I squeed when Bom chose Wookie and he was just standing calmly with his eyes closed. *sigh* He's cute too (but we didn't see them play). SoRa really sounded like she was being abused.
The last couple they show is Soo Hyun and Mama Shin. Soo Hyun decides the roles will be switched and she'll be the one to collect the balloons and run into Mama Shin. This girl is a powerhouse! I think Mama Shin is amazed! But they easily win the challenge with a total of 10 balloons in 30 seconds.
JoAnne: Every week I'm so glad she's here, because I disliked her so intensely because of her roles and it's really nice to see that she's a kind hearted, fun loving, open person. (Agree 100%)
bcook: I have not seen any of her shows so this is a good first impression.
They skip Wookie and Bom. I fear it is because she is being edited out of the show as I just read that next Sunday will be her last episode. I also read it's because of a legal controversy, but I'm very sorry to see her go, especially knowing how fragile emotionally she is. Sad.
JoAnne: I will miss our tiny Bommie.
bcook: I hope she comes back soon. It's not like her not being on the show will improve ratings /snark so I hope she realises that knetizens can go drown in jjigae and comes back to the show.
The evening ends with a movie of the older housemates, SoRa and her top model days, SungWoo in his early singing and acting days, and Dong Wook and his many kissing scenes in dramas. The roommates end up chatting amongst themselves with words of advice and thanks for each other. It's hard to believe this all happened in one day - they must be exhausted as they all head to bed.
JoAnne: She was gorgeous - man, the vitality of 20, right? There's no mistaking it.
bcook: I'm in my 20s...it takes work yo! I wanna watch my oppahjusshi's show but if it made SeHo cry that means it was makjang and I don't do that. *in a dilemma*
Poor NaNa and Min Woo. Misunderstandings abound.
The next morning, travel agents Kang Joon and Chan Yeol get up early to make breakfast. They make curry, but can't get the rice to cook as it should. Maybe they shouldn't have kept more water in the pot instead of washing their faces with it!
bcook: Rice water IS supposed to be good for your face... right*makes note* cooking rice on the stove is much harder then with a rice cooker. More room for mistakes.
This morning some of the roommates have to leave for work obligations, while the rest of them are going bungee jumping. The bungee jumpers, NaNa, Chan Yeol, Bom, Min Woo and Ga Yeon, all head out in one car driven by Kang Joon. They play some kind of word game but unfortunately, you can put me in the same category as Kang Joon because I don't get it at all. (anyone think Pretty Eyes is still acting for the camera?) At least I have an excuse as I don't understand Korean.
JoAnne: I understood the answers and why they were the answers, but if there was a clue as to how to get to them from the earlier questions, THAT I couldn't get. But 'butterfly' is nabi, and Na Bi Ya SOUNDs like 'I am rain' although it wouldn't be spelled that way. Or actually said that way, I don't think. And Ji Woo gae sounds like 'Ji Woo dog' although I guess jiwoogae (or some variant) must mean erasure. That kind of thing. I notice the Korean language has LOTS of opportunity for word play of the 'sounds like' variety. Much more than English, I think.
bcook: Na Bi Ya is actually "I am rain" in banmal Na = I, and Ya is what you put at the end e.g. Naega Star Ya. It love those kinds of games. Always good vocabulary. According to naver dictionary dang can also mean this so the answer to "how would the grape introduce it's self" is Podo-dang! is like "This is Grape!"
The place they chose to bungee jump is the highest in South Korea at 63 meters. Chan Yeol thinks as the team leader he should go first, even though he is a "little" afraid of heights. OMG. My hands are sweating just thinking about this. He rides the cart up and after a few minutes of hesitation, he does it! Wow. And this is why I can never be on the Amazing Race. Well, this and because my husband would have to do every challenge besides sewing a ceremonial dress out of rice bags and performing any task where musical rhythm is involved, as he has none. Chan Yeol's jump is amazing, and he's so proud of himself that his little infectious puppyness make me so happy, too.
JoAnne: He is a sweetheart, through and through. His parents must be so proud of how well their boy turned out.
bcook: bungee jumping *shivers*
NaNa is next, with Bom going up with her for moral support. It takes quite a bit of time for NaNa to get up the courage to jump, and before she does it turns into Bungee Jumping Platform Confessions as she tells the camera how she's sorry for misunderstandings and will try harder, and gives a short out of thanks and love to her parents. It's good to cover all your bases when you're staring what must seem like death in the face! Then she, too, jumps, and says she feels better about herself for having done it.
JoAnne: I like this girl. I always have. I'm sorry she's getting such hate from jealous narrow-minded people. I'm really glad that her roommates adore her and have her back.
bcook: I hope this episode shut those people up. Coz it says something that the people you work with would go on national tv to defend you. They didn't have to.
Min Woo is next, with his own set of confessions, including that he's sorry for the way he's acted and that he thinks he's learned a lot about himself (let's hope so Min Woo, your popularity is going down these days.) With a big "sarangha, Roommate!" he jumps off the platform. Afterwards, he's grinning from ear to ear. Min Woo, it's good to see your dimples showing again! Let's hope things get back on the right track from here.
JoAnne: I don't think he did himself any favors along the way, but I also think that how he's been portrayed has been manipulated, too.
bcook: I'm just glad his management finally said something. I'll say again. Min Woo sadly has resting bitch face. It's not his fault. He does have some self esteem issues but who wouldn't in that industry.
Ga Yeon, due to a shoulder injury, and Kang Joon, due to fear of heights, were not going to jump, but all of the sudden Ga Yeon has a change of heart and talks Kang Joon into jumping, too. Ga Yeon goes first, saying she wanted to challenge herself. But of course she is a natural at it, and does it adorably as well. But poor Kang Joon. He is telling the others that he wants his jump edited with a sunset behind him and playing "You Lift Me Up" as background music. He is literally beside himself when he gets up there. His fear is almost penetrating through the screen. But he decides to dedicate the jump to Min Woo, because they had had a misunderstanding.
JoAnne: You aren't kidding...he was absolutely terrified. And yet he made himself do it. That is determination for you!
bcook: *snarkly snarkly* Sorry Kang Joon. That was hilarious.
It takes a few cheers of Kang Dash Man for Kang Joon to finally get the nerve to step off the platform. Next we see everyone laughing, because Kang Joon's technique was so unique that he actually did a straightline somersault in the air and started screaming "Mother" on the way down, lol. But he did it, and it was probably the most difficult for him, so it's quite OK if his knees are wobbly for a good time afterwards...
JoAnne: So proud of that pretty Puppy! And I thought that somersault was pretty cool looking!
bcook: I would probably scream mummy too. Actually I think that's what I did for my first roller coaster ride. #notashamed
ChanYeol is so pleased that everyone jumped today. OK, now I'm really mad/sad. Why didn't they show Bom at all? She clearly jumped because she has a certificate in the picture. Maybe that is why she went up in the cable with so many of them, so she'd get some air time. But I'm not happy at all that she's been cut out of most of this episode. I would have loved to have seen her jump.
JoAnne: I really don't approve of the editorial decisions they've been making for a while now - they really detract from the show and are glaring in their obviousness.
bcook: Maybe they want to get us used to not seeing Bom? Like a slow weaning? I don't like it and I don't approve.
To finish up, we have Se Ho filming a commercial with another comedian, Honor. They have a lot of repartee and you can see that he is someone Se Ho looks up to. The commercial looks goofy but the director is pleased. After they are finished filming, Se Ho takes Honor aside and asks him about how he approached his wife He also wants to know how to handle his feelings for someone he really cares for, which of course we all suspect is NaNa, but then Honor says it out loud. Why am I starting to feel uncomfortable watching this? Is it because I'm afraid poor Se Ho will embarrass himself and get his feelings crushed by NaNa? Or is it because I'm afraid the whole thing is really just producer manipulation? Either way, I'm hoping this won't become a long drawn out mess of emotional awkwardness.
JoAnne: Well I don't know about any of what we just watched, how much of a set up that was...but I do think that in reality NaNa and Se Ho would make a great couple in a few years - she's in career mode right now, it's not time! And I don't think she's uncomfortable at all with what's going on. She looks very at ease with Se Ho and the joking. I'm going to file it away and in 5 or 8 years if we hear that they have remet and begun dating and are thinking of marriage, I will be a happy girl. (Like me with Yoon Han and Lee Seo Yeon--still hoping I'll hear news in the future)
bcook: Oh lafer, that ship is lost in the bermuda triangle. I think NaNa and SeHo have a good relationship. She claims they're like brother and sister. I'm not sure SeHo is the kind of person to be so public about his love interest (based on what he said at the campsite) so I'm going for 100% producer set up. People still like to laugh at the idea of the not hot guy getting the smoking hot girl. SeHo is good at practically everything thing he does though so he might end up having the last laugh.
And now, to end on a pretty note: I just couldn't resist this picture of Mr. Pretty Eyes himself, who looked so darn good here!
JoAnne: Ah, the Puppy. Do you love a handsome, shy man? I do. I like him to be able to talk and drive at the same time, though, there is that.
bcook: Or think. Sometimes it's nice to have a guy that thinks. I think I prefer Wookie's beauty over KangJoon's tho. There's something off putting about him (apart from the dumb). I look at Wookie and I want his babies. I look at KangJoon and think "he is pretty isn't he?" Maybe it'll come with age?