Running Man Episode 658 - 659 pt1 Review

Guests: Han Jieun (actress), Lee Sehee (actress), Dex (youtuber)

My Entertainment Score: 2 out of 10 laughs

What Happened: 

Theme: Find Your Variety Partner

I’m going to be doing this article a little differently for a couple reasons. 

First, episode 658 has been removed from the streaming sites in my region. My best guess as to the reason is that there was some dispute about copyright…the episode relied pretty heavily on Single’s Inferno and another popular reality dating show’s concepts, so I think that’s a pretty safe guess. No matter the reason, I am incapable of providing timestamps for the vast majority of this race.

Secondly, I was taught that if you have nothing nice to say, you should consider saying nothing at all. In this case, I can say that at least one of the guests did an admirable job of bringing some sense of suspense to the episode and there was an attempt made to recycle games that have been popular for Running Man in the past, unfortunately, with rather lackluster results in my opinion. 

This episode received the lowest ratings of the year domestically and I am not the least bit surprised, although there seems to have been a more positive international reception. Personally, I think attempting to use a dating show as a concept was a poor choice for Running Man. Admittedly, they claimed to be looking for a variety partner, but they still split the group in a boys v girls fashion and did the one-shot, talk-about-feelings asides between games. This is just too awkward in this group. Three of the men are married with children and Jongkook is easily a decade older than the female guests. It was one thing when Haha was still single and Gary was unabashedly able to deliver the cheesiest lines known to man, but now these couple races are simply uncomfortable.

I have given this much thought in the last couple weeks as my overall ratings of each show have been so much lower than past years and I’ve come to a couple conclusions. First, the fault is not entirely with the new PD, although I do think the emphasis on talk and travel concepts are not the best decision ever. The show is called Running Man and running has been noticeably absent from the recent shows. I have a feeling this has to do with the ever increasing median age of the members. Bringing in Somin and Sechan helped, but didn’t solve the issue. I adore Seokjin and Jaesuk, but I’m not sure this show is where they belong at this point. 

The other problem is that there is not enough incentive. The water couple-picture game in episode 658 is a prime example. There was a bit of nudging, but none of the desperate battles that the classics episodes had. The members all but lined up for their turn at times. Why? The prizes are not novel enough to tempt the members lately (beef set, fruit set, etc) AND there is not a punishment that the members hate enough to fight to avoid. Somin even stayed behind for one recently because she thought it was fun. Short shorts to eat ramen at a convenience store have all but passed from memory at this point. Either the prizes or the punishments could do with a refurbishment in my opinion to stimulate the members. 

Preview: A very short race fills the rest of episode 659 where the members are looking to get to some magic numbers that can earn them a prize!

Note From Steven: Having not seen the episode, I agree fully with Chelsea on this article in two different aspects. First: If you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all, something that stuck with both of us because we’re siblings and raised the same way. I started this website with this adage in mind, while I don’t mind our variety articles being more critical than the articles I write because I like that our reviews have a healthy diversity in approach, you’ll notice that I have never reviewed music that I view as less than a 5 out of 10, because that means I think it’s below average, and I’m not here to be mean. Just because I’m a critic, that doesn’t mean I have to be rude; you know? Second: The aging cast of Running Man. I used to be a weekly watcher of Running Man, but while Chelsea stuck with it, I gave up a few years ago. As the cast aged and time went on the group has felt increasingly tired. I think this show really could use a cast revamp with half the cast or more turned over for some new blood. I adore the current cast, but it’s time for change, and that has been true for years. That may not be a popular opinion, but I think healthy longevity also requires a healthy ability to change and adapt, not just in music and television, but also in life.