Single’s Inferno Recap: Commitment Issues

Single’s Inferno

Episodes 4 & 5 Season 3 Episodes 4 - 5 Editor’s Rating 4 stars ****

Single’s Inferno

Episodes 4 & 5 Season 3 Episodes 4 - 5 Editor’s Rating 4 stars ****

Okay, yes, these people have only known each other for a couple of days. In the grand scheme of things, they’re basically still strangers. And yet, the power of Single’s Inferno is that it somehow still feels like a betrayal when a cast member makes bad relationship choices. This week’s episodes are immensely satisfying because we finally get to see some consequences catch up to Gwan-hee and Min-young, who don’t seem to understand that there’s an issue with keeping your romantic options open but also wanting other people to be fully committed to you.

We pick back up with the Paradise dates. Even though it’s only the second day, Gwan-hee and Ha-jeong’s interactions already feel predictable. Of course she tries to sit on his back while he’s doing push-ups. Of course he jokes that she’s too heavy. Gwan-hee wins a game and decides that he’ll sleep on the bed while she has to sleep at his feet on an ottoman bench.

Gwan-hee makes it clear that he wants to explore a potential connection with Gyu-ri, yet gets incredibly salty when Ha-jeong doesn’t say right away that she’d choose him over Min-kyu to return to Inferno with. He says he’ll be offended even if she picks him because she hesitated. I personally would’ve picked Min-kyu right then and there to humble Gwan-hee. Instead, she defends herself and explains that she takes time to organize her thoughts and doesn’t usually give reasons for why she likes someone.

Gwan-hee stops pouting, but his vibes are weird at the end of the night. He holds Ha-jeong to sleeping on the ottoman, gives her some ointment to help her sleep, and then abruptly leaves the room to crash on the sofa. The panel generously assumes that he is trying to be considerate to Ha-jeong while also wanting to honor the outcome of the game. Maybe it’s because he’s an athlete and cares about winning? I don’t know, but I doubt any other guy this season would’ve taken this approach.

Meanwhile, we’re finally seeing some of Won-ik and Si-eun’s date. We learn that he’s a 31-year-old Realtor and she’s a 27-year-old freelance model. During their rose-petal bath, their conversation is pretty surface-level. Won-ik says she’s his ideal physical type but that he has appreciated her thoughtfulness as they’ve talked more. Si-eun says she finds him cute and easy to talk to (but she keeps comparing him to a robot, so that last part rings a little hollow).

Gwan-hee and Ha-jeong start playfully arguing first thing the next morning. As it turns out, Ha-jeong told Gwan-hee the night before that he didn’t have to sleep on the sofa, but he said she’d feel uncomfortable if they were in the same room. So far, both women he’s been to Paradise with have told him it’s okay to share a room. Looks like he’s the one who’s actually uncomfortable, eh? And hey, it’s totally fine if Gwan-hee has certain personal boundaries. But if that’s the case, he should just say that instead of framing his actions as some sort of chivalrous sacrifice.

Dex gives us the inside intel that we should look carefully when the couples travel back to Inferno because what happens in the helicopter is “real.” Ha-jeong leans on Gwan-hee, while Min-kyu and Gyu-ri appear to automatically reach for each other’s hands. Compared to these pairs, Won-ik and Si-eun just seem like polite friends.

Now that the Infernos have fully merged, the women debrief. There are no real surprises here: Si-eun tells Min-young that she’s not sure if she’s attracted to Won-ik, but that it’s not in the we-could-be-siblings way that Min-young has described with Jin-seok. (“If it was, I would’ve at least felt comfortable,” Si-eun says. Ouch.) Gyu-ri says she had a better time than expected in Paradise with Min-kyu and didn’t really click with Min-woo.

And now, game time! Min-woo is the unlucky man, while the rest of the men compete to do the most squats while holding their randomly assigned partners. The results:

Ha-jeong and Won-ik
Gyu-ri and Jin-seok
Hye-seon and Gwan-hee
Min-young and Min-kyu
Si-eun and Ha-bin

The Realtor has the stealth build! Unfortunately, this doesn’t earn Won-ik much extra screen time — we don’t get any footage of him enjoying his prize (lobster and cold beers) with Ha-jeong.

Gwan-hee catches up with Hye-seon and seems to suggest that he liked his trip to Paradise with her better. He notes in a confessional that Hye-seon is expressive and replies quickly, which makes him like her more than Ha-jeong. But when Ha-jeong comes to find him for a one-on-one, he’s impressed by that initiative. He tells her he’s more attached to her than Hye-seon. Gwan-hee declares in a confessional that he’s exactly 33 percent into Gyu-ri, 33 percent into Hye-seon, and 33 percent into Ha-jeong. (One percent is open.) This is all fine, except for the fact that I’m 100 percent certain that Hye-seon and Ha-jeong would be shocked by these percentages.

Min-young is still working through her feelings for Jin-seok. She’s uncertain that she really likes him, and also doesn’t like that other guys might not approach her because she already seems to be in a solid coupling.

Ha-jeong and Hye-seon both feed Gwan-hee at dinner, but before anything too dramatic can happen, a voice announces that the cast should go put a piece of candy in the mailbox of anyone they’re interested in. Multiple selections are allowed, which gives us these results:

Gyu-ri: 4
Hye-seon: 3
Si-eun: 2
Ha-jeong: 1
Min-young: 1

Ha-bin: 5 (everyone)
Won-ik: 2
Gwan-hee: 2
Min-kyu: 2
Jin-seok: 1
Min-woo: 1

I’m just glad no one got zero. That would’ve been humiliating.

The group begins asking pointed questions in a drinking game. Ha-bin drinks rather than reveal how many candies he got or gave. But he knows that Ha-jeong picked him because she says she only chose one person (Gwan-hee missed out because he made her feel like a backup, she says). Min-young piques everyone’s interest by admitting she gave out four candies, which seems to finally clue the men into what the women already knew: She’s not set on Jin-seok. But the real shocker of the night is Gwan-hee, who gave out one candy but claims to be equally interested in three people. When pushed, he points at Ha-jeong, Hye-seon, and Gyu-ri … but initially only identifies them as “this one, that one, and this one.” Not a good look.

When the crowd disperses, Gyu-ri and Gwan-hee start chatting. Apparently, they knew each other before the show. He feels that she has been avoiding him, which she denies, also pointing out that he could’ve approached her, too.

Meanwhile, Jin-seok assures Min-young that it’s okay for her to be interested in other people. She tells him she was a little annoyed because he made their connection so obvious early on. He says he’ll pursue her less even though she’s still his No. 1; that way, other men might feel more comfortable approaching her. But she’s disappointed he said that and eventually starts crying. The poor guy is doing his best but just can’t win: Both backing off and not backing off make her upset. And how is he supposed to facilitate an open dialogue when she herself admits in a confessional that she isn’t sure why she’s unhappy? Just like Gwan-hee, she seems to be expecting a lot from someone she herself isn’t sure about. Granted, Min-young had a few drinks, so it could’ve been the alcohol kicking in … but either way, I’m giving Jin-seok props for not getting more frustrated.

The women trade notes and find Ha-bin’s behavior a little off-putting, especially once they realize he received candy from everyone. But it’s Gwan-hee who comes off looking the worst, as his three targets piece together past conversations to realize that he wants someone to pursue him even though he never guarantees any commitment back. Hye-seon’s jaw drops open, and Ha-jeong says she wants to confront Gwan-hee.

But first, there’s a new female contestant on the island. Min-woo crosses the island to meet the bubbly Cho Min-ji, which kicks off a chain of her speed-dating all the men on Inferno. Gwan-hee says she seems like his ideal type — who knows where his percentages are at now, sigh. He also compares her dress to grass? Hey, it’s better than Ha-bin, who asks if she was trying to emulate Dipsy from Teletubbies.

As a late arrival, Min-ji is allowed to take two men to Paradise, and she chooses Min-woo and Jin-seok. (“A puppy and a wolf,” Hye-seon assesses.) Si-eun, who has been making eyes at Min-woo all day, is bummed that she is missing the chance to spend time with him. Min-young is also clearly worried about Jin-seok.

And now, it’s finally time for Gwan-hee to face the music. He tells Ha-jeong that he’s confused that none of the three women in his callout have made a move, so she explains why that’s an offensive expectation that makes him come off as rude. She says if it’s not already clear how much she’s interested in him, then she’s done trying. “I think I’ve done enough, but you’re asking for more,” she says. “You say you’d return the effort, but you’re asking for more.” Even though he apologizes, he doesn’t sound sorry at all. She’s still trying to hammer home that it’s about his behavior, not jealousy. But he tries to end the conversation by holding out a hand and telling her to come with him. Ha-jeong, thank God, has enough self-respect to decline and walk herself out.

In the limo to Paradise with Jin-seok and Min-woo, Min-ji recaps some of her speed dates with other guys on the island. (Funnily enough, despite saying that Gwan-hee looks like his name, she has evidently forgotten who he is since she mixes up things that he, Won-ik, and Ha-bin told her.) Min-ji is also told to pick one person each for the dinner and swimming portions of her date. She chooses to have a meal with Min-woo, which we later learn is partially because he kept mentioning in the limo that he was hungry. Min-ji is revealed to be a 26-year-old econ major (at the same college as Hye-seon!) who is studying to be a news anchor. Min-woo, a 24-year-old model, becomes the youngest guy revealed so far. Their conversation is pleasant but awkward.

Min-ji explains that she likes people who are fun and witty. Even just in the past couple of days, we’ve seen how much Jin-seok can add to a conversation, from his impression of Ha-jeong’s chin move to his quip about setting cockroaches loose. So it’s not too shocking that the pair hit it off. She asks if his ideal type is in Inferno. “Not anymore,” he says, which, wow. From a straight shooter like Jin-seok, that feels final.

It’s as if Min-young can sense him slipping away because the camera cuts to her ruminating over the possibility that Jin-seok might move on. Min-kyu points out that she must have feelings for him if she’s feeling jealous and that she’ll feel “empty inside” if Jin-seok stops the PDA that used to annoy her. She used to be worried that her relationship with Jin-seok felt a little forced, but it looks like she’s starting to worry about whether she’ll have a relationship with him at all.

On their pool date, Min-ji asks Jin-seok if he’s the type of person who plays games, and he admits that he’s an all-or-nothing type. In case it wasn’t clear, he’s all in for Min-ji now. I’m rooting for Jin-seok to be with someone who doesn’t take him for granted, and I feel like he’s honest enough that he can clearly communicate a change of heart to Min-young. Here’s to hoping he doesn’t make me look like a fool for believing that he might actually be a good guy.