The recent episodes of Running Man was pretty disappointing. Having watched Running Man from episode one till now, I must say that the Running Man members are experiencing variety fatigue and the PD writers are running out of more innovative ideas now. I am not complaining about the structure of the programme and I do appreciate the efforts of the whole team. Running Man came out with some concepts and ideas for the games which were very interesting. With that i really think that Running Man really works hard to entertain us every week.
Some people say,"let's not compare the previous episodes." However, as a fan of Running Man, I need to point out some areas which need improvement. Not critizing the variety show but just want to highlight some areas which PD need to take note. I hope that Running Man will continue to 'run' for as long as possible. Because I simply love the cast, their chemistry and games. I understand that the show need to go through changes throughout the years otherwise, it will be boring. Be it good or bad, changes are bound to happen, example; the exit of Lizzy and Song Joong Ki. The decision to move from indoor shopping mall to outdoor games. Changes are always welcome in variety world. Despite the changes, I can feel that Running Man are a family and that makes the show watchable and even caught the attention of the international viewers, especially Asia.
Sometimes 'less' is more
Episode 150 Avengers theme sound so good, especially when I had watched the Christmas special when the super powers were introduced and the soccer match with Park Ji Sung. I have great expectations for this theme and it seems to be fun using all the superpowers. However, I was disappointed with this particular episode simply because everything was in a mess during the last mission. The PD started to introduce many guests (villains) during the final match. Everything was scattered everywhere and Running started to panic and hide themselves instead of fighting back. I understand that is to make the match more exciting but too many guests results in lost of focus and I did not get to see all the super power. Either they are still getting used to the power or they simply did not get to use it and was eliminated. As in the case of Kim Jong kook, he was eliminated very easily and that is another area which I am disappointed with.
Betrayal Vs Team work
Yoo Jae Suk was the Running Man captain and he did not gather the members together to fight against the enemies. I supposed the PD did not state the mission clearly because they wanted to see the Running Man reactions - team work or betrayal? Unfortunately, they chooses betrayal which is the motto of the variety show. Some people may feel that i took the variety show too seriously but i beg to differ because i really love the show from day one and i seriously think that Running Man is losing its touch on certain factor such as team work. I cannot blame the members for been suspicious of each other, especially after been 'betrayed' by their team mates so often that they became guarded against each other. The Pds were not satisfied with the results of the Running man and only approved Song Ji Hyo which makes me think is that scripted to let Ji Hyo be the main character in the Avengers part 2? Is she going to be the only heroine to gather all the members for a good fight? I am keeping my fingers crossed.
Kim Jong Kook became weak?
I supposed many people agree with me that the recent episodes of Running Man is nothing spectacular as compared to the past. Yes there were moments of fun every now and then but the excitment is not as intense as before. Whoever followed Running Man since it first aired would agree with me that Kim Jong Kook was not in his 100% best. Where is that spartakook who scared the pants out of the members? I believed he is a gentle and nice hyung in actual life but his onscreen persona is SpartaKook/Mr Capable/Trainer Kook. His character is fading in these past episodes and i think is because of the injuries, thus he choose to take it easy with the games. I simply wish that he will take some time off to rest or even skip some episodes. Yes, he enjoys Physical activties and Running Man but he looks like he was in pain especially in Episode 149 - The nine-tailed fox. He had to carry a lady guest while running the race. Eventually he lost the game and came in last, which i think hurts his pride a little. Hope he will recover fast and come back with a 'bang' in one of the future episodes. Despite all the negative comments, Spartakook is needed to make the show more interesting. Even the children like superhero Kim Jong Kook, and we know Kookie is just a strong man. However, that is his character onscreen so i guess he gonna be strong even if that is a burden.
Bad editing ruin the flow of the variety show
There were some urguments about the nametag issue in episode 145 - The jungle team vs. Running Man.There were some comments which stated that Yoo Jae Suk had torn Byung-Man nametag but was allowed to join in the game again. There were spectaculations that Running Man is scripted totally and the winner was decided before the race. In my opinion, most of Running Man is scripted in terms of the Pd telling them what to do and the rest is up to the members to carry out. The winner is not scripted but they do give in to the guests to a certain extend. I also do not like the editing in Running Man episode 151, they totally skipped the scene of the second mission where Ji Hyo was supposedly eliminated from the game. I was left wondering what type of mission is that and is it so boring to watch? I guess it is becasue the mission is not interesting.
Classic moments
Despite some flaws in the programme, there were some classic moments such as the Monday Couple. Don't they look compatible at every angle? Interestingly, Ji Hyo sang LeeSang song in episode 150 when she was acting as a indie rock singer. After that, Gary joined in by rapping the song and i really love this couple! Their chemistry is fantastic and it is more natural now since they know each other better throughout these years.
Betrayal club shines
I think the best improvement Running Man member is none other than Lee Kwang Soo. He used to be easily targetted and eliminated. However, nowadays, he knows how to play his game and proved to others that he is not as weak as what other people think he is. He also did some personal grooming which make him look much better than the early episodes. Ji Suk Jin on the other hand, is still considered the weakest link in Running Man. Despite been a 'race starter", he did put in effort in games and sometimes he proved that he can be a survivor as well. The leader of Betrayal club, Haha always projects a cunning betrayal image and he did used his wit to win games.
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