Quick As Lightning
In an interview with Twenty Five Twenty One, Min-Chae reveals that she is quitting ballet because she is not seeing any progress and believes continuing like this is futile. She expresses her frustration with the current program and how it does not seem to be working for her.
Her mother is quick to point out that progress is not linear. In fact, it’s closer to steps, with progress slowly improving over time rather than really quickly. If Min-Chae likes ballet, she should consider this carefully and rethink quitting if she wants to keep progressing. ..
Hee-Do’s father encouraged her to follow her dreams, and as she holds her fencing sword for the first time in 1999, a beautiful shot dissolves forward to the present day, showing Yu-Rim and Hee-Do fighting it out. ..
Yi-Jin notices that the man he spoke to in the restaurant last episode is actually the referee for this bout. This small world indeed. ..
Hee-Do is fighting in this match with a lot of personal stake. She remembers her father and the lessons he instilled in her, and unfortunately he couldn’t keep his promise due to passing away. However, this also explains Hee-Do’s never-say-die attitude, given part of the reason she’s fighting is for the memory of her father. ..
Yu-Rim’s sword breaks as the score is poised on a knife-edge. The scores are tied 14-14 with the next point to win. And it’s Hee-Do who comes out victorious, battling back from a losing position to win and take gold.
Yu-Rim’s mother happens to watch the event from her office, but her initial pleased look soon dissipates as controversy washes over the event. Yu-Rim is convinced she got there faster than Hee-Do, complaining to the referees. Via the slow-mo replay, it’s really hard to see what happened. ..
Yi-Jin interviews Hee-Do after the duel, in which she admits that she was thinking of her father and that this exact moment is the one that she’s struggling with.
The referee’s decision to slow the video down seems to hint that Yu-Rim was actually faster, although it’s very hard to see for real. So it seems the referee made a mistake or the race was too close to call. Thanks to Yu-Rim though, this looks like it’s going to blow up massively across the country. And it’s not helped by Yu-Rim leaning into this and claiming she was robbed. ..
Hee-Do reframes the game in a way that only piles on the pressure for her. In fact, it becomes too much and she drops the medal on the table and walks away.
Yu-Rim follows, pointing out that it was the referee’s fault and she genuinely believes she was faster and was robbed of her medal. Unfortunately, this has also had the knock-on effect of tarnishing the gold medal for Hee-Do, believing that it has lost its honor. ..
Yi-Jin tells Hee-Do that she doesn’t want to see him again, but he won’t stop calling her. She’s scared and doesn’t know what to do.
Given she left without her team, she’s going to be in trouble. Hee-Do is having none of it though and continues to walk. Yi-Jin follows, telling her that he believes Hee-Do is a victim too, not Yu-Rim.
As the fencers fence together, Hee-Do uses it as a demonstration that the fencers always know who is faster, even if the ref isn’t sure. Hee-Do is adamant it was her and Yu-Rim are just being a bad loser.
Yi-Jin finally understands why the referee won’t talk to him. He’s been trying to protect the athletes from the man, but the referee won’t listen. Yi-Jin decides to catch up with him later.
The referee insists he was not paid off and that he was assigned the day before. Yi-Jin urges him to speak up in order to save Hee-Do’s livelihood. ..
Hee-Do and Yu-Rim return to their coach where they are both punished for the press conference. He promises to discipline them both, with the pair forced to head home and think over what happened.
Hee-Do is on her way to the Olympics when she notices all the papers vilifying her. She decides against sitting in her chosen seat, choosing instead to walk around.
Hee-Do remembers her father getting her some noodles on the way back from the station. Hee-Do’s father almost lost him as the train departed, and this has been a big focus of the episode.
Yi-Jin’s exclusive interview with the media shifts public opinion in her favor, as the public come around to her work and gold medal. A group of elderly men congratulate her on her hard work and tears stream down their faces, leading Hee-Do to start weeping at the table. It’s a tear-jerking moment, and a welcome one after everything that’s happened.
That night, Hee-Do sneaks into school after hours to listen to Yi-Jin’s tapes. Unfortunately, she gets locked in the storage cupboard by the janitor. ..
She rushes to ring Yi-Jin to let him know that Da-Eun and Yi-Jin have been broadcasting their love on the old broadcasts. As they break in, Hee-Do overhears them professing their love for one another.
The Episode Review
Twenty Five Twenty One delivered an excellent episode this week, one that is poignant and has a consistent theme surrounding overcoming adversity. There is a nice undercurrent of social commentary regarding the media too and how they are like vultures, circling around their prey and feasting off the scraps. ..
Despite the initial setback, Yi-Jin manages to turn things around and get the referee to speak up about the injustice of it all. This leads to Yu-Rim being called out for her part in all of this. ..
Yu-Rim’s actions in claiming that the game was cheating diminished her credibility. If she had taken it on the chin, it may have actually helped her in the future but now it makes the potential redemption arc that much harder to accept if she continues on this way.
This episode of “Running Man” was very interesting. It showed how the team’s dislike for one another is amplified when they are forced to work together. The ending leaves everything wide open for tomorrow’s follow-up though, especially with Da-Eun and Yi-Jin confessing their love for one another on tape. If tomorrow’s episode is anything like this one, we could be in for a real treat.
