Mel

This is a level of goofy I didn't know I needed.

The exciting part of the messiness has officially worn off.

Side note: I scrolled down and wow, I was not expecting this type of comments section. Maybe because I binged it and didn't view it weekly, it didn't occur to me to pick a side or a fav. I just saw it as a complicated friendship between two very different people with very different perspectives and circumstances.

I started this blind thinking it was done and managed to watch 11 episodes in one sitting. You can only imagine the range of emotions I went through when my dumb ass realised that tomorrow is the finale. This is the perfect drama to binge, it takes you on an emotional rollercoaster.

The easiest 10 i've ever given, this was a masterpiece. I'd also like to thank the extremely thoughtful MDL commenters who have been sharing their perspectives whilst this has aired. You've only added to my viewing experience as week after week I considered new perspectives and started to see certain cinematic choices in a new light. Y'all have made this an absolute pleasure!

Side Note: if any of you stumble upon the beautiful post someone made about the subtle but central role the women play on the show please tag me, i'd like to re-read with the finale in mind.

I feel like in every survival show i've watched there is always someone who the producers portray as the villain or antagonist. They are usually undeniably talented and around the episode 7/8 mark (65%-70% of the way into the show) they have their redemption ark, win the general public over and either debut or make it very close to the final debut team.

I've truly never seen a character like He Zhong Xing on competition TV before. I've been through all the emotions, "this must be evil editing", "this is too much that it can't be evil editing", "does his talent outweigh his portrayed persona", "is this the start of the redemption ark", "nope, never mind it just got worse", "personality aside, he's talented and can put on a good show".

Honestly at this stage i'm just really confused and a little concerned. I'm trying to look at this in a nuanced and understanding way even though every fibre of my being is telling me that this guy isn't built to be a part of a team and is honestly quite arrogant. Either way the other members of his team are being overshadowed by his alleged antics or the drama the producers are leaning into and it's gotten old.

I'm not up to date with the social chatter and perception of him so I have to ask does anyone else feel this way? Is he receiving backlash or does he have fans defending every action regardless of what he does? Or are we all just keeping our fingers crossed that he isn't involved in any more drama, for his sake, his teammates and honestly ours.

I've watched a lot of Korean Dating Reality TV Shows in the past year and everyone always had such strong reactions to this one so I tried to manage my expectations going in. I think if I had watched this live I would have gone crazy, because there were points when I screamed at my screen watching this. From cast members leaving too early, to watching exs crash out and run around in circles only to end up back in the same spot! Oh and the drinking, sooo much drinking!! It was an emotional journey, at times it was a hot mess and sometimes it made me shed a tear. It's not perfect but i definitely get the hype! It has a unique ability to make you feel something and also it left me really trying to understand perspectives/reactions/emotions that are vastly different to mine. For that alone it was a great watch.

I've truly never been so sad to let a drama go. This was the highlight of my week and watching it in real time instead of binging it felt like a honour because i had time to think about how I'd react to certain themes or situations. It's rare that i feel like a piece of art or content has changed me as a person but i think this truly did. I can't wait to watch this back in a few months.

Every time I watch this I can't stop thinking about how the ML is essentially just a massive stalker. Is that the point, is it a central theme or am I viewing this differently? We are watching a man quit his job and upend his life to hyper fixate on his childhood crush, the same woman his mother and his community did dirty. Is this a show more about obsession and guilt or is this a romance, I can't tell yet.

Other than that, I'm actually enjoying the drama so far! I don't mind the pacing or the simplicity of the scenes but maybe it's because I don't see this as a love story, i'm just watching a man project his emotions onto a woman he doesn't even know.

Usually in the MDL comments people criticise every little action of the female lead unnecessarily. I think this is one of the few times where the criticism is fully justified!

Ryeoun's acting in the latest episode was so superb that it broke my heart but equally made me deeply uncomfortable. I think it's because Jin Woo's situation felt a little too real! I understand that a core theme of this story is the directors' and writers' attempt to portray the real horrors and dangers young people face in the entertainment industry. However, my issue lies with the show's emotional pacing. Does anyone else think it feels a little off!

In some episodes, heavy issues are treated lightly, then you're slapped in the face with them down the line! And although I'm grateful that this aspect of the story is finally being told with the emotional weight it deserves, I can't help but wonder if there was a better way to handle this throughout the show. If it boomerangs back to a more upbeat tone again in the next episode I feel it won't do justice to the real people and issues the show is trying to highlight.

Maybe I'm crazy, maybe that's the point the show is trying to make, how easy it can be to overlook warning signs and blindly accept or pretend that everything is okay. Every character has been deeply hurt and is hurting, and they've done things to themselves and others from that place of hurt and right now I don't see this ending well for anyone. Regardless, I'm really rooting for this drama and I can't wait to see how it ends.

This one will break your heart in a beautiful way.

If you're contemplating whether to watch it or wait just watch it! Do it! This is the sign you needed, it's that fun. This show has a lightness to it that will brighten up your day but it's not vapid or surface level. You'll want to be on the journey with everyone else watching, maybe i'm crazy but I feel like we're all rooting for this show.

well... what an utter waste of time. I hope to see some of the talented trainees who didn't debut soon, hopefully in other groups or more legitimate survival shows. Something seriously fishy is going on, I hope the show gets audited.

I hope mnet is reading this, these changes would make an already incredible show, ten times better. Thank you for writing this, you helped me cement some thoughts and feelings I had about the show.

This is the kind of show that makes you wish you could watch it for the first time again.