THE PRODUCERS - EPISODES 3 & 4

Okay. It just got better by leaps and bounds. But gawd what an awkward start!  It was like watching a newborn calf try to stand up on its own and walk. You'd think, "great, he's doing it!" and then he'd stumble again. This time the calf is walking fine and only occasionally unsteady.

The 1D2N shoot doesn't go well for Cindy. It rains on her and she fails to get any dinner. She also fails at speed quiz due to the cryptic clues dropped by Seung Chan. After drinking at the 1D2N party, Seung Chan, Joon Mo, and Ye Jin head back home and start drinking more. There are occasional bumps in the road where both Joon Mo and Ye Jin give their own spin on things for the docu-crew, and finally they're left alone. They continue drinking till they're passed out. The next day, Ye Jin tasks Seung Chan with spying on Joon Mo. Seung Chan sits up all night with Joon Mo, editing the 1D2N episode. And after a few more round of office follies, Seung Chan picks up dinner for Joon Mo at the tented restaurant they were at the night before. While there, the ahjumma reminds him he was very drunk last night, and that he tried to stop Joon Mo from taking Ye Jin home. "I hate that she likes you," he said, before passing out. In the present, Seung Chan confronts Joon Mo about it, asking if he remembers the conversation from that night.


Get a room, you two!

Back in the editing booth, things get tense, as Seung Chan starts being mean: not laughing at Joon Mo's jokes and deliberately botching the coffee order. That night, Ye Jin and Seung Chan hang out in the park, and Ye Jin confides in him, mirroring times when, as a teen, she would confide in Joon Mo. The next day, Joon Mo is revealed as somewhat of a joke, that when he has a recommendation, the crew does the opposite. Seung Chan gets a reputation for having oracular powers, as he correctly predicts the ratings for the premiere of 1D2N's new season. Things fizzle when Joon Mo finds out Ye Jin is looking into finding new accommodations. Soon, true to form, bad luck hits, and Ye Jin saves Cindy from being hit by a mechanized platform, only to fall victim to it herself. In the hospital, Joon Mo rides Ye Jin for being clumsy and injuring Cindy, and Ye Jin blows him off and goes outside to cry. Seung Chan apologizes to Ye Jin for what he's about to do and holds her close...

So Seung Chan has a crush on Ye Jin. I wasn't sure because the clues weren't all there. But given these two episode, I think it's pretty clear. I knew Joon Mo has feelings for her, too, so I'm not sure how that's going to play out. But I love how, in exactly the same way as Cindy, he misinterprets her actions. When she takes him by the hand to lead him through a crowd of Cindy fanboys, he blushes. I like how protective he is of her, but I'm fairly sure it's a doomed romance.


No, you pink-shirted thugs won't take him! You won't!

The love quadrangle between Cindy-Seung Chan-Ye Jin-Joon Mo is comedy gold. Cindy is taken with Seung Chan, who likes Ye Jin, who loves Joon Mo, who is oblivious to the whole thing. That cracks me up. They're matched up with entirely the wrong people. And Joon Mo goes on dates even when he has someone that he could date living with him the whole time.  

There is an interesting change in Seung Chan. He seems to have a vague handle on the office politics, but is still smart enough to keep his mouth shut. Especially when talking with his sunbaes, who are too busy to fact check what comes out of their mouths most of the time. I'm actually glad to see the change in him. In 'My Love From The Stars,' he was inscrutable. It's delightful to see his expressions here.


Sign language is more effective when it can be seen, Seung Chan.

Cindy is shaping up to be an almost tragic character. No one loves her, the CEO harangues her for being in the hospital when she could be promoting, and she's abominably bad at excelling at anything. Part of it is that she doesn't really try and is more concerned with looks and image than with actually being good at what she does.

Really, though I was initially bored by this, it's improved a lot. I'm glad because it's sad to have a drama that you slog through. There were parts I didn't like in 'Emergency Couple' and 'Heirs' too. Now I can't wait to see what the fallout will be like from hugging Ye Jin. :)

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