Single’s Inferno
Episodes 1 & 2 Season 3 Episodes 1 - 2 Editor’s Rating Previous Next» « Previous Episode Next Episode Single’s Inferno
Episodes 1 & 2 Season 3 Episodes 1 - 2 Editor’s Rating Previous Next» « Previous Episode Next EpisodeAh, yes. It’s that time of year again. It’s getting colder, so what better way to warm up than by watching a bunch of hot people play some heated mind games? For the third winter in a row, Netflix has dropped a new season of Single’s Inferno, a South Korean dating show where participants try to escape from Inferno (an island where they get only basic necessities and can’t reveal their ages or jobs) and make it to Paradise (a luxurious hotel where successfully matched couples can share more personal information). A five-person panel of Korean celebs, notably now including former contestant Kim Jin-young, offers commentary throughout the show.
Season three comes out swinging with an intro montage of intriguing sound bites, including “She’s a conniving little fox” and “How does it feel to be a cheater?” Whew. We don’t see any of that yet; the first pair of episodes cover only introductions and three first dates. But don’t worry — thanks to some big personalities and a shocking twist, we’ve still got plenty to take in.
Let’s start with our contestants. Soft-spoken Kim Gyu-ri explains in a confessional that she’s a little cautious around new people, which can make others initially think she’s cold or shy. Her first impression is certainly different than that of the two women who join her: Choi Hye-seon’s resting facial expression seems to be an open-mouthed smile, while An Min-young is chatty and bubbly. Our male contestants are Choi Min-woo, Lee Jin-seok, and Lee Gwan-hee. Hye-seon seems particularly gagged by Jin-seok’s muscles, but all of the guys clearly work out.
There’s not much else to say yet, to be honest. We won’t know what anyone does for a living until they make it to Paradise. The contestant’s self-introductions are mostly about how often they get hit on or what physical features they’re complimented for. Gwan-hee (who happens to really look like the rapper Beenzino) delivers the most memorable confessional, explaining without a trace of embarrassment that he’s attractive because he’s Lee Gwan-hee.
We’re starting with these six people. I’m sick on their behalf at the lunch menu: raw carrots and canned chicken. Min-young wins me over when she digs up a plant with a hand rake because she thinks they’re supposed to find more food. (They are not.)
After everyone eats, a voice announces that it’s matching time. I’m still trying to remember everyone’s names, but all right! Our first successful couple is Gwan-hee and Hye-seon, who bantered a bit while sitting together at lunch. Gyu-ri then chooses Min-woo. It’s looking good for her, since he said in a confessional that she made the best first impression. But he walks past her to instead pick Min-young, explaining that he changed his mind because he prefers someone a bit more outgoing. In the end, it doesn’t matter because Min-young and Jin-seok end up choosing each other. The two matched couples hold hands and leave for Paradise, while Min-woo and a nonplussed Gyu-ri stay behind. Awkward!
Gwan-hee and Hye-seon have their Paradise date, and it’s … fine, I guess. The Single’s Inferno panel seems to think this couple has good chemistry, but I don’t understand why. Their conversation trails off awkwardly more than once, and Gwan-hee almost appears to be avoiding eye contact. He says he likes to joke around and pull pranks when he’s dating someone, but I’m not seeing that energy. Maybe it’s just nerves? Anyway, it’s time for our first job and age reveals. Hye-seon is a college student studying life sciences, and Gwan-hee is a pro basketball player. He incorrectly guesses that she’s 28, which, come on, dude. Always guess lower than what you actually think. (She’s 26, he’s 36.)
We also get a flashback to earlier in the day when Hye-seon wanted to drive, which Gwan-hee was a little taken aback by. Apparently, he tends to “take the lead” in relationships. In the hot tub, Hye-seon splashes water to keep Gwan-hee’s top half warm. When he brings up the possibility of him picking other people, Hye-seon says it’d actually be more meaningful if someone still likes her best even after spending time with others. It’s a gentle hint that she doesn’t want to make any commitments yet. Gwan-hee, however, says that he’s pretty sure nothing will change on his end. Hmmm … we’ll see. It’s suspicious to be too sure too early.
Meanwhile, Jin-seok and Min-young have been flirting and giggling since they left the island. I like that Jin-seok is attentive, helping her with everything from buckling her seatbelt to cutting up her dessert. Min-young is a 26-year-old Pilates instructor who runs her own studio (and apparently has immaculate blush even when she’s working out). The 33-year-old Jin-seok runs several bakery cafés, handling everything from business to making desserts. They casually bring up visiting each other and have no problem holding eye contact. In the Paradise pool, Min-young jumps on his back in her bikini and even whispers something in his ear.
The next morning, Hye-seon is oohing and aahing over breakfast with Gwan-hee, who turned down her offer to sleep in the same room. He’s done some sweet things for her — he gifted her some expensive aroma products to help with sleep, plus vitamins after she mentioned chapped lips. It’s all very thoughtful, but is it romantic? I’m still not convinced.
But never mind that, because there’s a surprise announcement: Hye-seon isn’t going back to Inferno with Gwan-hee — a new male participant is waiting to pick her up in a car. New Guy looks shocked when she explains that she came to the hotel after matching with someone in Inferno. “As for us …” he starts, and Hye-seon picks up on the plural immediately. “Us?” she asks.
It’s a weird, unsettling moment. New Guy describes eating chicken and carrots before matching with someone, and it becomes clear that there’s a completely separate Inferno. What in the Spider-verse? This second island has been hiding in plain sight, visible from the first island’s beach. It’s an inspired way to introduce the rest of the cast, and it also forces everyone who has already got a match into a fresh start. Props to Netflix for figuring out how to shake things up three seasons in.
All this to say, we have another first day to watch in episode two! New Guy is officially introduced as Park Min-kyu. The two women on Inferno II are clearly both interested in him and his giant shoulders. Just to make things more fun, these women already know each other — Yun Ha-jeong is close friends with Yu Si-eun’s younger sister. (We honestly don’t see much of the other men, Son Won-ik and Yun Ha-bin.) Ha-jeong is very confident. When Si-eun says she thinks she’s more charming than Ha-jeong, she laughs as if she’s a little embarrassed to brag about herself. But when Ha-jeong asserts that she’s “classier and better than [Si-eun] in every way,” she’s smiling with zero shame.
At lunchtime, Si-eun is excessively positive. This place is Paradise! She could eat raw carrots for an entire year! The water is sweet! I know she’s trying to make a good first impression, but it’s too obvious. Ha-jeong helps Min-kyu find less bitter carrots and asks him to get her water when he volunteers to. Si-eun channels her inner Victoria Justice — I think we’re all thirsty and should get water — and gets up to help Min-kyu. But it’s the carrot thing that Min-kyu remembers, and he and Ha-jeong pick each other. Si-eun seems close to tears as she power-walks to her room. This probably doesn’t feel great for Won-ik, who picked her. I feel like it’s a little dramatic to be so upset about the first match, but maybe it hits different when your competition is someone you know so well.
On the helicopter, Ha-jeong touches her shoulders and glances at Min-kyu, who offers her a hoodie and blanket. The funny thing is, it doesn’t even cover her allegedly cold shoulders. I see you, girl. I see you. In Paradise, we learn that she’s a 26-year-old office worker at a company that makes medical clothing, and he’s a 34-year-old rescue worker with the Korean Coast Guard. We also learn that whenever Ha-jeong wants to flirt, she pulls her chin down so she can look up alluringly. And she wants to flirt often, apparently.
In the hot tub, she confesses that she picked Min-kyu for his looks but now thinks he’s got a fun personality. Over breakfast, he tells her that he wants to come back to Paradise with her. He also says she can talk to other guys when they go back if she wants. He probably thinks that will earn him some bonus points for understanding. But Ha-jeong is just like, Yeah, duh, I’m going to. And honestly, she’s kinda real for that. As long as she’s being transparent about keeping her options open, I don’t see a problem.
Their morning chat is interrupted when Ha-jeong finds out there’s a new male participant waiting for her. She covers her mouth and says, “Oh, no,” but is clearly smiling. In the confessional, she reveals that she is 60 percent excited and 40 percent disappointed. When she meets Gwan-hee, it only takes a few minutes before the flirting starts — he asks where she lives, and she says he should come to Paradise with her if he’s curious. (Dex rolls his eyes.) They playfully bicker on the helicopter ride as a completely unbothered Min-young snoozes next to them.
Upon Ha-jeong’s return to Inferno II, Ha-bin, who picked her, asks if she had fun in Paradise. She says vaguely that it depends whom you go with, noting in a confessional that she wants to let all the guys know they still have a shot with her.
The new arrivals waste no time debriefing. Gwan-hee gives the guys a lukewarm evaluation of Hye-seon, noting that he thinks he needs to go to Paradise with other people. In a confessional, he adds that he felt like he couldn’t match her energy. He’s entitled to his feelings, but what was the point of telling her he didn’t think his feelings would change? It’s a good thing Hye-seon was dubious about that and didn’t take him at face value. Min-young tells the girls that her date with Jin-seok had sibling vibes. Huh? If that’s really how she felt, then it seems like she’ll be hard to read going forward. Si-eun pokes fun at how clearly excited Ha-jeong gets by Min-young’s description of the guys on the other Inferno, particularly Min-woo.
Meanwhile, Gyu-ri seems to be getting along with all the guys on the original Inferno, including Min-kyu, the transplant from Inferno II. She laughs at his corny cucumber jokes, and Min-kyu likes how responsive she is. But the fun is interrupted when a voice announces that there’ll be another matching in an hour.
Min-woo immediately takes action, asking Gyu-ri if they can talk while nodding meaningfully with slightly widened eyes. He directly acknowledges that he’s hoping to score points with her by asking to talk right away. He says he regretted his decision last week and doesn’t want to make the same mistake. (Bit harsh to Min-young, no?) Especially after having dinner on Inferno together, he wants to go to Paradise with her, not anyone else. Gyu-ri is polite and smiley but doesn’t promise anything. Thankfully, Min-woo doesn’t push her to answer and just seems relieved to get these thoughts off his chest.
This time, instead of directly handing a ticket to each other, the singles are asked to put their tickets in a mailbox. Sometimes, after the hardest flop comes the biggest slay: All three men pick Gyu-ri. She’s back, baby.
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