KayVee

Watched the last 2 episodes today. Episode 11 had me cringing constantly, but the secret reveals in episode 12 provided an endearing palette cleanser. I have things to say about each housemate. I'll go in the order of who I liked to who I really didn't.

Haneul is probably top of my list. It could be argued that she was too passive and that she spent too long entertaining Hanu when she should've shot him down when she saw him chasing after Daon. That said, I respect that she was genuine throughout the show and given her secret, I can understand her deciding Hangyeol was the ideal kind of person she was looking for, despite never really attempting to appeal to him. I think it takes a lot of strength to walk out on two men waiting for her, to go to a guy who'll definitely not choose her. I've often felt people in dating shows try to end up with someone for the sake of the show and Haneul going against that... Yeah, I really like her.

Hanui is hard not to feel for. Her story is quite tragic, especially coz the way she framed it, it seemed she was almost groomed into the profession. It's also quite sad that she had to go through this unrequited love over a misunderstanding with Hanu. I definitely place more blame on him for this, especially for the blunt "no" that he gave her during the drinking game, which I thought was unnecessary for the setting. It would've been good if she'd have tried to approach Taeyang, based on them both being of similar age. They could've made for a couple who could understand each other's situation well. I feel she was genuine, despite carrying quite a burden. This show was essentially built for her, so it's sad that she didn't find love, but I commend her bravery nonetheless.

Bareum and Chansol were probably the nicest men on the show. It was fun to see that the also related to each other after their secrets were revealed. I feel they both behaved respectfully and were the most honest housemates on the show... The coincidentally were the only ones who ended up with girls at the end. Both of them never really swayed from their love interests. In Bareum's case, it seems that dedication really made the difference with Seulbi's final decision. With Chansol, I'm a bit doubtful whether he picked Dahae just to end the show on a high note. It really did seem like Dahae's true persona was a dealbreaker.

I see Seulbi somewhat positively coz she didn't betray Bareum, but that doesn't undo the fact that she deliberately flirted with Hangyeol in front of Bareum. It really did seem like she was trying to build on a reason to reject Bareum at the end, which is why it's puzzling that she didn't. I wonder how genuine her feelings for Bareum are.

Surpisingly, Taeyang is next. I wasn't a big fan of him initially, but I respect him for realizing that he didn't have feelings for Daon when he had all but won her over. I don't fault him for going on the overnight trip coz Daon was not his first pick. I can also see his attraction towards Hanuel being based on him realizing he had better chemistry with her than Daon. I feel Taeyang got unlucky in many ways. His secret was certainly prominent and could've been a big reason why Haneul didn't pick him in the end. Really, I feel Taeyang was fine. I still didn't like that whole argument he got into with Daon, but besides that, he was fine.

Dahae probably should've been a lot higher on this likeability list... but then she had to go an pull out her Chanel bag. But really, it's kind of a big deal. Coz you don't just do something so socially unaware out of nowhere. Dahae's the one housemate who's true persona was the most divergent from the version we saw for most of the show. As Chansol fears, I feel Dahae's just incredibly immature? Probably not of her own fault, coz she's grown up with endless luxury. Hiding her identity likely made her more appealing of a person that she might be irl... which is really something, coz she pulled it off effortlessly. I don't think Chansol x Dahae is long for this world, but who knows, maybe she can learn to be a normal person for him.

Daon is next. She was like the female lead of the show. Certainly looked the part, which is why I find it ironic that she ended up alone at the end. I don't really dislike her. For all the accusations of being a fox, I can see her side of the story to be the most understandable. I feel she was just in the unfortunate position to get tangled with Hanu. That said... she lost me when she essentially confessed twice in 2 episodes. Did she talk herself into believing she liked Hangyeol? Coz I can believe that she did like him all along, but she picked Fire when it mattered. I struggle to see her sincerely having feelings for both the men. Maybe she did, or maybe she just didn't want to end up alone.

Hangyeol finds the bottom of the list, partially thanks to the clunky way they went about his secret. If the show's goal is to show people the "real you", you do not go about it by acting like a different person because you had to hide your age. I feel he was a bad fit for this show, because he was the only one who had to reveal his secret early to properly take part in the show. Then there's him approaching Seulbi while holding out hope on Daon... I can sorta see that more positively now, since he at least showed there was some sincerity there by picking Seulbi over Daon. Then again, was that done just to be shocking? I don't know with Hangyeol coz they broke the rules for him, which has me considering that he's just a paid actor? Who knows... I don't have anything against Hangyeol's character. I just find him somewhat artificial.

And finally, there's Hanu. I was so glad Haneul left this guy in the dust. It was likely the highlight of this season for me... coz this guy was pretty much the focus of Pink Lie. He started off being endearing and I'd even cheer for him coz he seemed to have a good personality... But then as the season progressed, he got mired in misunderstandings, which then escalated in him just behaving like a douchebag. Saying you *have* to date all 5 girls is a sign of pure narcissism. I don't even really believe it coz he didn't look like he wanted to date Hanui. He could've used those wasted dates to sure up his feelings with the girl he actually liked, be it Daon or Haneul. Eh, did he ever like Haneul? Coz that whole thing seemed like him desperately rebounding after getting shot down by Daon. I'm sure that shattered his pride and his trip with Haneul was really tough to watch. I hated the way he'd speak to Daon. It was like he felt entitled to her, which is just absurd. I feel he also could've been more clear with Hanui, more sooner. As she said, he shouldn't have sent her a message if he wasn't romantically interested in her. Overall, I just don't like guy. I hope he learns he's not the center of the world and treats people better.

Seems I went on for longer than I thought I would. Ah well, I can probably come back and read this if I ever need to remember what I felt about this show. Probably one of the more memorable concepts for a dating show. I should say that the 4 commentators were pretty fun throughout the season as well. Will definitely check out season 2 if it happens.

So... 3 Money Catchers is a huge improvement over last season. I'm sure Sung Bum is one. I'm afraid Soo Ro might be one. And the last one... It's either Soo Ji or Hyo Jin. The Yong Ho - Soo Ji - Hyo Jin situation is kinda awkward. I don't think Yong Ho meant to expertly entice Hyo Jin with a poetry book of all things. I can see her jumping on that thread so easily as a sign that she could be an opportunistic Money Catcher. On the other hand, Soo Ji's kinda tough to read. I find it odd that she said that she's still 50-50 between Yong Ho and Sung Bum when she's earlier said that her heart says Yong Ho and it seems evident that she's more comfortable with him. I think she's picking strategically, which is kinda sus.

Correct. The rule only applied if you went to Paradise the previous day. They announced it before the picks took place. I remember this rule from Season 1 too coz there was a couple who had some problems because one of them picked to go to Paradise and the other picked to stay in Inferno.

I actually liked her talk with YJ at the end. It impressed me coz it was evident that she was speaking from the heart. It definitely swayed YJ's feelings coz he said that there's still a chance, when he was trying to reject her unambiguously earlier. That said, I think the chance is slim. I don't know if Seo Eun and Hanbin will hit it off (kinda doubt it), but otherwise it's safe to say YJ will keep pursuing Seo Eun.

There was a rule that you can't pick the same person you picked earlier, so Yoong Jae was not allowed to pick Seo Eun. He probably picked Nadine deliberately so that he'd stay behind on Inferno, in case Seo Eun also didn't go to Paradise. I also think this was his way of rejecting So E. He knew he had a guaranteed flight to Paradise with her, but thought going with her would probably lead her on when he had no feelings for her. He probably also knew that Nadine must've gone with Dong goo. At least based on what's been shown so far, I don't think Yoong Jae has any interest in Nadine.

For people curious about the new guy (Jin Young), he appeared as a contestant on Bloody Game (https://kisskh.at/710951-game-of-blood), earlier this year. It's a survival show that can be described as Big Brother meets The Genius with a tinge of Parasite. Basically, you lie and betray your housemates to make sure you won't eliminated at the end of the day. In this show, Jin Young (DEX) went out of his way to prioritize loyalty and honor, which had me rooting for him the most. There was a vague romantic angle with him and a female rival too. It was obvious that the girls really liked him for his good looks. IIRC, he described himself as a youtuber and also had a military background. Ultimately, I kinda like the guy, but he's made some baffling decisions. Seeing him pop up here made me scream. Watching him be this stranger to the people on the island is weird, coz I felt like I knew more about this guy than the people there... and I've never been in this position while watching a dating show before. I wasn't feeling the "Main Character" vibe from any of the guys this season, so he's certainly made things a lot more interesting.

As for the show, I'd recommend it because it has a fun gimmick. The first half was pretty good. I think they dropped the ball towards the end, but there's still a lot to like, at least up until episode 10. The somewhat mediocre rating on MDL is probably coz of the ending feeling anticlimactic.

nvm, I eventually found it. The ones I was looking for were My Days by J.UNA and If I could read your mind by Wendy, both from Yumi's Cells.

Anyone have a list or recognize the OSTs that are commonly used in the show (besides the official ones released ie. Overlap and I warn you).
The songs are very familiar. Maybe from kdramas I've watched, but I spent a lot of time going through several kdrama OSTs and wasn't able to find them.

Hangyeol's lost me with epiosde 9 and with him being made to date his 4th pick, I think he's essentially lost the "game" as well. In Pink Lie, you're concealing a fact about yourself that might draw prejudice towards you solely for that fact, so that people can see you for who you truly are. Hangyeol chose to hide his age being 37 and then actively pretended to be 25. Just by virtue of doing this, he's pretty much defeated the purpose of the show. To go even further, he then reveals he's actually 37 because all of a sudden, since it's time to show everyone the "real Hangyeol", when that's what he should've been doing from the beginning. Yeah, it's great for a TV reveal, but it just flakes the show with another layer of artificiality coz I can totally see him being cast specifically for this payoff. Before this, the only major issue I took with him was him not waking Taeyang up. I was even rooting for him coz I could relate to his quiet/shy demeanor, but then he essentially rolls the dice on Daon while using Seulbi as a fallback. Nah, that's ridiculous, especially the Seulbi part. I wouldn't be surprised if this was why neither Daon nor Seulbi picked him as their 1st pick. If this was Love Catcher, I'd say Hangyeol had outed himself as a Money Catcher. I don't think I'll believe him if he now pivots to Hanui all of a sudden. Age wise, it makes sense and for Hanui, he's a big upgrade over Hanu's indifference, plus they seemed close anyway, but I'll struggle to find Hangyeol genuine going forward.

Speaking of Hanu... There were times I used to cheer for this guy, but he's essentially gone past redemption this episode. He treats the women like props. The whole "I'm going to date all 5 women to give them an equal chance with me" is pure narcissism. You're not doing anyone favors by going on a date just for the sake of it. I guess getting so many texts in your letter can really push you into thinking you're the main character. It's sad that he still gets to go with Haneul, coz she definitely deserves better.

What a bizarre show... I watched this after Love Catcher S1 and in comparison, the production here seemed so half hearted. There were barely any challenges, which lead to the love-money angle of the show kinda falling by the wayside. With the first season, you had sort of a round robin of dates. Here, I think they just ran out of budget after the first 4 days and the show kinda petered out. The Haneul-Suwon story sorta carried my interest in watching it... which is why it was pretty unsatisfying that Haneul was just faking the entire time. That slight chuckle she let out after revealing her identity... man, that's probably what the devil would do right before stabbing you in the back. I mean, this girl had Suwon meet her mother (?) as if it wasn't abundantly obvious that he would pick her no matter what. This really bothered me, coz I feel like the show broke my heart like it did Suwon's. I dunno. Anyway, the other couples were kinda miserable as well. It was just absurd that the men voted out the one Love Catcher amongst the women. They couldn't have failed any harder. The Dana triangle seemed kinda forced. It was also weird coz she entered the game late. It just felt like pieces were landing up wherever they could for the sake of couples to be formed, coz there were no challenges for them to bond over. At least the rich idol guy was fun to just behold. I think my life is better knowing a person such as him simply exists. Or does he? Coz he was a money catcher. Did the production just invent his persona for the show? Y'know, I'm happy not knowing and just believing he's as awkward as he is, irl. And finally, I'll return to this point... All 4 women were money catchers. Yeo Min and Dana were at least obviously so, but man... as a production team, you probably ought to have filtered out some of them. I felt like entertainment was somehow stolen from me after watching this mess.

Episode 10 left me quite deflated. With this show, I felt like DEX was pretty much the protagonist character from day 1. I guess the way he carried himself and his playstyle suited that image. Him deciding to eliminate himself was pretty anticlimactic. I get that there's no script and things can't always go a certain way in a reality show, but it's annoying because DEX wouldn't have gotten eliminated if he didn't actively wish for it. In a sense, his team won that money game through an alliance with Jimin's team, so I don't get him being so hard on himself. I certainly don't view what he did as something cool or respectable and I wonder if he's regretted what he did after having some more time to think. I found the entire situation quite disappointing...

I don't think the town is at fault for trying to convince Dong Seok to grant his mother's dying wish. They hold both of them very dear but were certainly missing some context behind their relationship, as Dong Seok too pointed out to them. From their perspective, Dong Seok has always been the stubborn one of the two and you see characters like Ho Sik and In Gwon empathize with him holding a grudge that just isn't worth it, based on their own feud.

As for Ok Dong, I think the last episode does a great job showing you just how broken of a woman she was and the kind of life she's lived. Poor, illiterate, working since her early teens, probably married soon after and all that followed was death. Her husband died and then three years later, her daughter drowned, something she blamed on herself. Maybe it's because I've seen this happen, but I find it very believable that a mother losing her child can drive her insane. That is the explanation Ok Dong gives Dong Seok. She prioritized what she considered her obligations as a mother: to provide him a roof, food and education, but was too broken to show him affection after all she'd been through.

I also didn't really pick up on her being an abuser. I think the main reference for that would be her slapping him over and over, which she did because she thought it'd cause him to resent her and perhaps confide in the household they were moving into. As for why they were moving into another household, it's because that was the only option she saw at the time to ensure Dong Seok would be taken care of, as she didn't have the capacity to do the same by herself and he was still too young to be independent. Going back to her slapping him, I know it isn't progressive by today's standards to hit your children, but I had to deal with a fair bit of that while growing up and do not harbor any negativity towards my parents for it. So, even if we're being uncharitable, you can certainly afford Ok Dong some leeway in that regard, especially given that we're talking about a different time/culture. It wasn't a recurring thing that she just did out of spite. Plus she was in a bad mental state, but still had some reasoning/good intentions behind doing it.

I'm sure that after the years passed, Ok Dong was more than willing to mend things with Dong Seok. We see her try to reach across to him in multiple scenes sprinkled throughout the length of the show, but by then he had shut her off completely.

Personally, I thought the final 3 episodes were masterfully portrayed. I couldn't stop bawling my eyes out on the final episode for most of its runtime. Just thinking about Ok Dong's life, her losing her husband and daughter and out of desperation, having to cast aside her son for his sake, only to be punished to live a life being resented by him. I'm glad she got her dying wish in the end. It was a bit troubling to see them try to fake out her death a couple times before it actually happened. It'd have crushed me if she didn't get to see Dong Seok's video from Mount Halla. The way they sent her off was, thankfully, well done.

I think you've got it right, but they might have Gi-hun break the cycle in season 2 and bring the whole operation down.

No, the movie's plenty mature. It just follows two characters who lack that maturity.

You can confidently infer that they do not end up together. Bo young's character is somewhat of a loose cannon. One moment she impulsively wants children, then next she'd rather go abroad and focus on padding out her resume. The fling she has with Hyeok was likely just that... a fling. Hyeok realizes this the moment he hears her voice her intentions, which prompts him to go back to Da eun, realizing that he did, in fact, pick the wrong girl. At the end, Bo young predictably rejects the ring while being perfectly willing to go to Jeju with him, further affirming Hyeok's fears, finally causing him to look at the camera and swear out of frustration.

I'm certainly not trying to take her opinion away from her. She doesn't like the female lead and that they went for a more childish teenage character. There's nothing I can do about that, but I think I can certainly point out definitively when the reasoning doesn't match up to how things were portrayed in the show coz it ends up painting a vastly different picture of the events that happened. What I said in the second paragraph is also valid in that it's more of a "you" problem than something the show did wrong.

"The female lead, super manipulative, and toxic towards a dude who ain’t even that interested in her. Watching her obsess over this dude is just sad."
^ You do realize that the ML always did like her, but just never showed it because of the kind of character he was? It should have been obvious the entire time, but they even explicitly state it with the credits scene, iirc, by showing the ML's perspective of various scenes in the past.

As for her being childish, that is not inherently a flaw. It's perfectly fine not only coz she's a teenager for the first half of the show but also coz the story is trying to portray a very particular type of character, which Shen Yue played perfectly. I don't really remember how they handled her post the time skip coz I watched this show years ago, but I don't think she obsessively chased after the ML since it's then the ML who does the chasing.

As I said, not our business at all. Same as it shouldn't be our business to build a hate mob to demand that he is forever penalized for mistakes he made in the past. The ideal position would be to stay neutral.

If you're asking why I'm on the side of forgiveness, it's because of a little thing known as empathy.

It absolutely is in our place to decide whether he deserves forgiveness or not. We were wronged as well and it is up to us to rationalize whether he is worth forgiving. If he was only 16, I really don't think he should have this hang over his head for the rest of his life. I'd say he's already paid his toll. His career has probably taken a permanent hit and I don't know where he'll go from here, but I think we've done enough. We should leave him alone. How he atones for his actions against his victims is between him and them. It shouldn't be any of our business.

Based on the first episode, I'm not happy with the casting of the female lead. I just can't see this female lead in the role of Shen Yue. She's supposed to be cutesy and clingy but this female lead makes it come across as very forced, unlike with Shen Yue's acting where it comes across as genuine. As for the other characters, I don't mind as much. Looks aside, I feel the Chinese actors played their parts extremely well so there isn't much leeway for the Korean cast to outdo them in that regard. Besides that, I got the feeling that the male lead is more overt about his feelings towards the female lead in this, than in the Chinese version. Small differences like this make the experience of watching this feel uncanny. I doubt I'll continue through with this since I'm perfectly satisfied with the original.