Recommended: Running Man

Especially from episode seven onwards.

I know that I only wrote about this a few days ago, but things have changed since then. To be exact: I saw episode seven. If episode one was clunky and unsure, and the following shows were entertaining and fun, in episode seven they suddenly pushed the accelerator down to the floor and hit top speed. It’s more exciting than most Hollywood action movies! I tell you: I had to stop watching halfway through to go for a bit of a walk, because I was getting too carried away.

It’s helped by the addition of CNBlue’s Jung Yong Hwa for that episode. I’ve always liked him in We Got Married, and now I know he’s not just good with the ladies – he’s also pretty useful in a large public space when looking for tiny clues. The new rule of the hunting team having to wear bells so the hunted can hear them coming adds to the tension. As if they’d adapted a survival horror videogame for a family show.

The finale of the Running Man section for ep07 has to be seen to be believed. If I was cynical, I might say it was scripted, but given that no other episode (before or since) has ended on such a twist, I’m guessing not. Also, if it was scripted, it was written by someone who’d make Speilberg jealous.

Since episode 7, something changed. Perhaps it's because of my unashamed (and ever increasing) crush on Song Ji Hyo, or because of the very funny host Yu Jae Suk, or a growing fondness for the other regulars. Whatever the reason, this has got me addicted. I’ve watched several episodes per day since then and the only bad thing is that soon I’ll run out of old episodes and I’ll have to wait for one a week, just like everybody else. That’s going to be Hell.

Seriously, go to iSubs, hit “download and streaming” at the top of the screen (you'll need to register first), go to episode seven, and download it. If you want to get straight to the action, go to 25:25, but actually the first games are pretty funny too. Either way, there are no losers in this game. This is all gold.

[Edit, 19/1/11] I've got to cut down on watching this - it's starting to effect my mind. I just went to the supermarket for some food. I picked a couple of packets off the shelves, and then I quickly moved the other packets to one side so I could see if there was anything behind it! What was I expecting? A Running Man ball?