Run BTS Rewatch Episode 55: When The Moon Hits Your Eye
방탄 야유회 3, BTS Short Trip 3
We remain inside of the short trip to the mountains, where BTS have been driven to perform activities for our entertainment. Having faced off against Sports, in which Sports took a decisive victory against them, BTS is now moving to the challenges of board games and cooking, two things at which they may yet be able to triumph. Or at least some of them!
Setup:
Two games will be played to decide who will cook their dinner that night (one loser from each), then there will be free time for poetry / whatever, then there will be the dinner portion. Each of these activities could be an entire episode at other times so they’re going to race through them like you just won’t believe!
The Moments of Pure Love:
Hoseok announces the Monkey Tumbling game will decide who cooks dinner
This is a game with a plastic palm tree full of spiky colored toothpicks, from which hang plastic monkeys
You remove a toothpick in turn based on what color you roll and have to take all of the monkeys that fall down; the person with the most monkeys loses
This sounds complicated in words but when you see it it’s so straightforward that all of them get it instantly, a rarity
They RPS to see who has to go first, and it’s Jimin
The karaoke machine begins playing the Mic Drop music video and everyone except Minimoni start dancing with varying levels of enthusiasm
Jimin gets a monkey, and he is very smug
Hoseok is next, because they’re going counterclockwise in turn order, specifically to make me insane
Hoseok throws the dice with a high pitched sound effect, then takes a big risk with a floor full of monkeys but gets only one; they call this destiny
Yoongi’s next, and he removes his toothpick so deftly that the monkey on it hangs off of another, and they all get a little cranked about his skilled hands
They start going in speed rounds, quick and decisive
Namjoon fucking loves this game, it’s scratching some kind of itch inside of his brain, and while everyone goes he’s discussing possible futures and tactics and which colors are the difficult ones and which colors are the easy ones in a steady monologue that everyone just lets happen
Namjoon then pulls off a sweet move with a pink toothpick to safely deposit monkeys onto another stick, very self-satisfied
Jin is like “this is what smart people are like!”
Jimin has near-perfect body control and does a risky move with exactly zero consequences
Namkook’s faces are at peak delight and fear at how many monkeys are left
Hoseok declares the real game starts now, which means he needs to scream as he throws the dice
However his anxiety creates a sad monkey situation that nets him four more, leading him to announce that he has a lot of monkeys now!
Yoongi, a patient craftsman, moves slowly and deliberately to avoid monkey
Taehyung doesn’t give a single fuck as he continues to pull out sticks rapidly with absolutely no consequences
Jungkook and Jin both get a couple but avoid disasters on their turns
Namjoon gets the last orange stick, a very dangerous one, and everyone begins predicting his doom, but Namjoon deftly wields his stick to end up with only two, saying “see, I’m good at this”
Jungkook grins and says Hoseok, the biggest Namjoon doubter, is gonna be last
Since there are no orange left, if you roll orange you get to skip your turn, so this is now a coveted color that is rolled five times in a row to more and more shouting each time
Yoongi asks if this is even possible, and I’m hear to announce that there’s a 0.4% chance of this occurring
Jin rolls pink, which is better than the dreaded green (per Namjoon), so he escapes with just one
Namjoon rolls his dice like an anime character throwing a pokeball, then holds his hand out to guide it towards orange
Jin, quietly, is like wow he really likes this game?
Hoseok throws the dice so high in the air that it bounces a dozen times before settling on orange
Hoseok is so overcome that he stands up with his hands in the air, then throws his pelvis in wild circles while yelling
Taehyung thinks this might be the funniest thing he has ever seen in his entire life
Yoongi continues to roll orange every time, which makes Jin wonder if there’s a bug in the Matrix simulation
Taehyung gets pink and now has to make a considered move, which he does expertly and only ends up with three
The situation is now that there’s a green stick near the top crossed with a pink stick, with very few monkeys, and a pink stick at the bottom with a lot of them, and that’s it
Jungkook gets green and manages to leave a bunch of them in the tree, so it’s still anyone’s game
Namjoon has decided his anime protagonist poses are the key to victory and does them with each roll
Yoongi says, in a deep monotone, that he is showing active reactions
Jimin calls him a cute baby
Jimin gets pink and they all lean close to the tree to watch him at work
Taehyung gets so invested he lays on the floor at eye level
Jimin gets quite a few monkeys, and I think we’re at a situation where Hoseok, Jungkook, and Jimin are all in some kind of danger
Hoseok decides he now needs to dance with the dice in his hands for the proper throw; Namjoon declares this passion will be helpful
Hoseok gets orange and falls backwards in excitement, his socked feet kicking in the air as he shrieks
Yoongi just throws the dice like a regular human and also gets to pass
Namjoon is puzzled that this might contradict his theory of passionate throwing equaling good results
Taehyung also passes, and Jinkook are sweating like pigs
Hoseok, very betrayed, is like wait a second is everyone going to pass and I’ll end up losing after all?
Taehyung declares that Jungkook will get pink, and he is exactly right
Jungkook hangs his head in absolute shame, covering the back of his neck with both of his palms as the rest of them celebrate, because he is the first cooker
They bring out the next game and say Jungkook won’t play since he already lost
Jungkook, very offended, says that he wants to play????
Jin decides that he can play, and if he loses again he can pick his cooking partner, but he has to play for real and not fuck around to lose on purpose; Jungkook agrees
This game is Don’t Break The Ice, which is where there’s a penguin on top of hexagonal “ice” tiles, and you have to break them with hammers depending on your spin; if you knock the penguin off you lose
Jungkook starts as the loser, and everyone is very decisive with their hammering
That is until it gets to Hoseok, whose hand is properly shaking as he tries to hit the ice
Yoongi’s fond smile behind him is enough to break your heart
Yoongi gets to pass on his turn, which everyone is slightly salty about because he’s too lucky
Jungkook is so excited for this game that he starts speaking in satoori and going for dangerous ice blocks with glee
Jin also shows off with a risky tap, and he yells that he studied architecture when he succeeds
Yoongi doesn’t know what that has to do with anything
Namjoon hits some extra blocks down on accident and apologizes with his most pitiable face
Hoseok, again, is so cautious with the hammer that he almost fucks himself, but he finally gets past with a hguge sigh of relief
On Jin’s turn the penguin starts to rock, causing a disturbance across the room as they all tense up, but he makes it past
Namjoon realizes that he’s been left in what’s known as the Devil’s Ice (it’s not known as this I made it up) where they’ve destroyed most of the blocks except for a couple of lines across the board, increasing the tension in the remaining blocks and making them hard to tap out
Yoongi encourages him to think about physics
Hoseok is focused on the newness of the game, and how it’s not his fault
Namjoon thinks he’s going to end up cooking
Taehyung, full of the confidence of the prophet says to trust him, the penguin won’t fall
Jimin says Namjoon cooks deliciously
Namjoon finally passes, and the moment is diffused
Jimin, for his turn, hits a block with a single stroke as hard as he can and succeeds
Hoseok, full of spirit, hopes to get a pass, but he has to hit a block
Taehyung says that the penguin won’t fall, exactly as Hoseok knocks the penguin off to become the second cooker
All of them yell J-Hope!!!! to make it more celebratory
The staff gives them free time, which they can use to write their poems for later, and the room immediately divides into diligent students and slackers
Taehyung, Namjoon, and Jin sit at the dining room table and start composing
Jungkook and Jimin start playing pool on a tiny table on the floor
Hoseok sits on a chair to watch them and scroll his phone
Yoongi goes to sleep
Jungkook, as he sits down, says “why don’t you have fun first and THEN write a letter”, so he’s fortunate he’s a world famous global superstar
Yoongi, in his blackout curtained room, makes sure the temperature and bedsheets are just right before getting under the covers with his phone
Hoseok heckles Jin for how hard he’s thinking about his poem
Jin admits it’s because he has no idea what to write
Namjoon, poem done, also heads to his room to rack out; laying on top of his covers with a pillow under one foot and another pillow to hug as he looks at his phone
Hoseok, finally caught up on all of his messages, composes his poem
Jimin suggests that he and Jungkook play a video game, namely Mario Winter Olympics
Jin is suddenly struck with the temptation to write a chain letter and claim it started in the UK
Jin is then distracted by the video game, which he is an expert in, and says running is fun
Hoseok wants to know if there’s curling, because he fucking loves curling
Jin does a little sweeping demonstration for him
Jin announces to the camera in the central area of the bedroom zone that he’s going to bed
Jin crawls under the covers as he complains over and over again about his sore back, presumably from walking up the mountain earlier
Hoseok wanders out with a huge bag full of cylindrical… chips? cookie pieces? and marvels at Taehyung, who’s still working on his long poem
Taehyung covers the paper to stop anyone from copying off of him
Hoseok settles in with his snacks to commentate the Jikook virtual curling battle
Hoseok tries to give Jungkook strategy tips, but Jungkook is laser-focused on the food he has in his hand
Hoseok tries to tell him he’ll ruin his dinner, but Jungkook is determined to feed
Jungkook finds a chair, the better to sit back and give unsolicited advice to the youngsters
Jimin follows his advice to great effect, then turns with a look of betrayal when Hoseok gives advice to Jungkook as well
On Jimin’s next turn, Hoseok gives more advice but Jimin ignores it, prompting Hoseok to drop into satoori as he scolds him for not listening
Taehyung also arrives to watch the heated battle
Jungkook muses that it’s cool that people can do this in real life and not just by shaking a Wiimote
Jungkook ultimately wins, delivering this news to Jimin by telling Jimin his score is 0
They show shots of Yoongi, Namjoon, and Jin totally passed out in their beds while Hoseok and the maknaes play video games
Jimin gets angry as he tries to do speed skating, very badly, and walks away pouting
Hoseok asks Jimin to play pool with the little pool table
Jungkook, now left to his own devices, has turned to thoughts of food, and he asks Hoseok if he will cook pork ramen
Hoseok asks if they bought bibimmyeon, which they did not, and Hoseok looks at him like he just said the most ridiculously stupid thing in the world but I don’t get why
Jimin, left to his own devices, has come up with a game that they can play and a penalty that can be applied, namely that they each hit a tiny pool ball and try to get it as close as possible to the back bumper, with the loser getting hit on the head
Hoseok amends the hit to a spanking, and everyone is super into it
Jimin starts out poorly, but is assisted by Hoseok’s shot hitting his ball
Jungkook hits it too hard and gets into a fierce pout-off with Hoseok where he insists they’re tied even though Hoseok says Jungkook is clearly losing
Taehyung takes his shot and hits Jimin’s ball with the stick, which Jungkook declares means the entire round is invalid and they have to go again
Jimin is like dude, are you really this mad about losing, and Jungkook giggles because he is
They start again, and Jihope add a rule that if anyone laughs during the spanking then they also get spanked
Hoseok loses the second round decisively, and Jungkook is very happy with this outcome
Hoseok goes to change into shorts for this process, and Jimin has the slow realization that once again no one asked them to do this
Jungkook was the winner, so he gets to do the spanking, and Vmin try to think themselves into a very serious place to avoid laughing
During the spanking Taehyung keeps his head bowed, desperate to contain himself, but Jimin makes the mistake of looking Hoseok in the eye and it’s all over
Jimin goes to put on his spanking shorts after spending a brief period laughing prostrate on the floor
Taekook are already laughing as Jimin assumes the spanking position, which bodes ill
Hoseok comes in with an overhead spanking slap, and Taehyung simply cannot hold his giggles in, which pleases Jimin who leads him over to the spank zone
Hoseok tells Jungkook that he bets he won’t laugh, despite all historical evidence
Jimin slaps Taehyung’s ass very hard, then gives a weird look to Hoseok and Jungkook, who stand stoically
Taehyung starts snickering from his bent over position instead, melting the whole room
Jimin turns around to find Jin sitting in a chair at the dining room table watching this all go on - he snuck in during the Taehyung spank section and no one noticed
Jin, in flashback, cackles in silent disbelief as he watches Taehyung get spanked for no reason at all
Koobi begin their dinner preparations, Jungkook rolling up his sleeves with intent
Jimin wanders into the pool, fully clothed, and starts doing a little wiggle dance
Taehyung, self-assigned the duty of waking Namgi up, starts in Namjoon’s room with a very loud Korean version of Frere Jacques blaring on his phone
Taehyung flips on the lights and Namjoon simply refuses to acknowledge him
Taehyung tries Yoongi’s room next, and Yoongi pulls the covers up over his head and tries to escape into the ether
Taehyung slaps Yoongi’s ass, does a dance, then pulls the covers up and tells him it’s 7:50 PM so they have to make dinner
Yoongi says he has to pee first, and Taehyung asks if he’s awake - he gets an affirmative, so Taehyung leaves, and Yoongi curls up again resentfully
Hoseok enters the deck and announces that he is J-Hope, who is responsible for grilling this evening, then loudly compliments the charcoal arrangement
Jin, Jimin, Namjoon, Yoongi, and Taehyung are choosing karaoke songs, Jinmin loudly and the rest of them sort of staring at them in fear
Jungkook dances to their singing in the kitchen, where he is making ramen
Jungkook calculates how much water he needs for six ramen packs, then talks to himself as he discusses how much water he has poured and if it’s more or less than he needs, then sings a little song
Hoseok is very scared of how much fire is coming off of the grill, and Minimoni come out to provide encouraging words
Jungkook gives us his ramen recipe which is:
Put the flavor packet into the water before it boils
The flames are increasing out on the deck (where now everyone is except for Jungkook)
Hoseok’s worried sounds are also increasing in volume and intensity as he pleads for help
Thinking quickly, Hoseok closes the lid of the grill to lower the oxygen, and when he opens it there is slightly less fire
Jin realizes they’re going to need sauce unless they want some dry-ass grilled pork
Hoseok decides the pork is done and calls out for scissors in a the commanding manner of a surgeon asking for a scalpel
Everyone now leaves the deck on various missions
Jin and Namjoon: Sauce creators
Jimin: Number one scissors locater
Taehyung: Helpful observer
Yoongi: Silent ghost who wanders
Jin begins instructing Namjoon on how to make the sauce, which is that the instructions are on the packet
Jungkook is very touched that his hyungs are helping him cook
In the background of this shot you can see Namjoon putting something in the microwave
Jimin sprints back out onto the deck with the scissors, asking Hoseok why he didn’t already have them
Hoseok is insulted that Jimin would ever doubt him and his abilities to get someone to get him scissors when he needs them
Jihope then argue if the meat is cooked, Hoseok saying yes and Jimin saying no, Jimin adding the ominous info that they all got sick eating undercooked meat recently
Jungkook is trying to spice up his ramen and asks Jin if they have chili peppers
Jin says they only have onions and garlic
Jungook says that you can’t add onions to ramen unless it’s Japanese ramen
Taehyung comes into the kitchen looking for the rice, which Jin informs him is in the microwave per Namjoon’s efforts
However, this prompts scrutiny of the microwave, which reveals that Namjoon opened the lid on the rice before microwaving
Jin laughs his deep laugh of resignation and says he should have done it himself
Jungkook, philosophically, says some people like lid-off rice and some people don’t, and that all types of people are people
He then picks up the rice bowl and shows it to us, saying but honestly who would ever do this
He then burns himself on the liquid still inside as it spills out
Back on the deck Hoseok announces that he’s reached the Final Grill
In the kitchen Jungkook looks at Taehyung, who is standing shoulder-to-shoulder with him staring into space, and asks if he’s bored
Taehyung, startled, says absolutely not, then tickles the underside of Jungkook’s chin
Jin, sick to death of whatever this is, tells Taehyung to pick up some damn sauce and follow him to the deck
Taehyung only registers the last bit and starts to follow, until Jungkook gently turns him to the sauce and reminds him to pick it up
Jungkook puts a lid on the pot to make it boil faster, like a pro
On the deck, Taehyung asks with deep concern if the meat is cooked well, because he has dark memories of the prior sickness; Jin assures him that he tasted it
Jimin, in a reversal of fortune, is now the one offended by their lack of trust in his cooking
Hoseok, sadly, says it’s almost overcooked
Jimin asks if someone is making rice, which reminds Taehyung that the whole point of his trip to the kitchen earlier was for rice and he heads back in
Jungkook is finally able to cook some ramen, and he’s very excited about it
Taehyung says that he thought Jungkook looked lonely so he came to hang out with him
Jungkook says he is not lonely
Taehyung slaps him on the ass and calls him dude
On the deck, the production team, still reeling from their sports performance, gifts them all of the food that they didn’t win earlier
Jin begins backseat grilling for Hoseok, telling him to not overcook the sausages and use the steam not the fire
Taekook fuck around with the camera in the kitchen, putting it really close to their noses so they look like dumb fish boys
Jungkook’s next cooking tip is that it’s better to boil ramen without the lid on
Yoongi hums a little song as he comes into the kitchen with them to get some vegetables
Jungkook asks how Grill Team is doing and Yoongi says they’re doing great and almost done
Jungkook repeats the tip of not using the lid when making ramen, and Taehyung is like “you just did though” and Jungkook is like “you can use it when you’re getting the water to boil but not once it’s boiling” then puts the lid on again, and Taehyung is hopelessly confused
Jungkook does a little dance then suddenly remembers Yoongi with the potholder from the kimchi episode and imitates him
Taehyung brings the rice out to the deck, where Jin has joined Jihope at the grill because he couldn’t take it anymore
Jihope force Jin to sit down because Jin always has to cook for them and he needs a rest
Jungkook tastes a noodle and declares it perfect
Hoseok spins to the side to make a pronouncement about the perfection of his meat and lightly brushes Taehyung, who reacts like he’s been stabbed
Jungkook brings out the ramen very quickly, causing a stir
Taehyung asks if anyone needs chopsticks before realizing he’s standing in front of the camera with his back to it, so he turns around and stares into camera before asking again if anyone needs chopsticks
Namjoon tries to give Hoseok a bowl of ramen to add meat to but Hoseok and Jimin are dancing in front of the grill and cannot be disturbed
Namjoon looks directly in camera, like he’s on the office, with a very nonplussed look on his face
They’re all eating standing up wherever they are, shoving stuff in their mouths like they are starving, which they might be since it’s been awhile since snack
Some of them sit down at the table like civilized people, but Namjoon, Jungkook, Jimin, and Hoseok eschew chairs
Jungkook says ramen tastes better when you eat it outside
Jin compliments Hoseok on his meat cooking
Jungkook realizes he should have upped his ramen packets from 6 to 14 because it’s going way too fast
Taehyung has poured his ramen into a cup and Namkook like the creativity
Yoongi is back at the grill to grill some shrimp and gets jump scared by a piece of salt that flies up from the heat; he makes a very displeased face
Jungkook points out the full moon, which is really pretty, then sings a little song about it
Namjoon, quietly, worries that the staff didn’t eat dinner yet, and even after they say they did Jungkook is like “but are you sure?”
All of them start feeding the camera operators lettuce wraps, very sweetly
Taehyung demands good reactions from them, multiple thumbs up and dances, and he’s very pleased with all of them
The staff, fed whether they wanted it or not, say that it’s time for the campfire and the poetry reading
Jungkook, eyes wide, says he didn’t write a poem
Namseok get their disappointed dad faces on as Namjoon said everyone else finished
Jimin, from the side, is like I did not either and stands up to high five Jungkook
Yoongi, still seated, also holds his hand up for the high five because he didn’t do shit, and we’re out!
The Finish Line:
This was an action-packed episode! I really feel like they could have made this into about six parts in the usual Run BTS schedule, so in some ways it’s nice that they compressed it, but in other ways it’s like… how much content was left on the cutting room floor?
It did make me wonder what the younger ones got up to in green rooms and on photo shoots, and explains a lot about how many Bangtan bombs we got from those locations. These guys are masters of inventing ways to torture themselves via competition during down time, Jimin the ringleader, and their invented pool game with spanking penalty was inspired!
You could also sense how tired they all were around this time, especially Namjoon and Yoongi, who I suspect were deep in the throes of production on Love Yourself: Tear and not sleeping a ton. This was also around the time where I think they were considering disbandment, which is wild to consider when you see how much they all love each other in these moments. But it’s exhausting, and you can see it, and I’m glad they took a break here that ended up being just a break and not a permanent stoppage.
Here’s to no one getting sick from undercooked meat, and next episode will bring the season 2 finale and possibly some tears to all of our eyes. Will your lovable procrastinating college friends Jimin, Jungkook, and Yoongi finish their poems? See you there to find out!