First Impressions – Dad! Where Are You Going?: Ep. 1 – 8 – 아빠! 어디가?: 1회 – 8회

1 NIGHT 2 DAYS, JR.

I realize I’m a bit late with this review.  Later than I wanted it to be but anyway here goes.  1 Night 2 Days seems to have met its match and it comes in the form of cute celebrity kids with big personalities.  The premise is simple.  Take five entertainment celebrity dads and have them take their kids on an overnight trip without mom.

Previously, I introduced all the celebs and their kids in my Banana’s post last week.  I’ve mentioned how I love how different all the dads are.  Whether it’s their occupation or their parenting personalities and so it’s no surprise that even the kids have such different personalities.

From the get-go, Hoo stood out the most because of his talkative and precocious nature.  Though outwardly friendly nature makes it easy to like him, the one kid he took to right away was Ji Ah.  So much so that Yoon Min Soo teases his son about liking her which he promptly denies.  It’s funny to see him attend to Song Jong Guk (aka future father-in-law?) rather than his own dad.

Despite the friend-like nature between Yoon Min Soo and his son, the nights proved to be hard for Hoo as he suddenly began to miss his mom.  Even after they returned from the first trip, Yoon Min So othought they had really gotten close but the truth was that it takes more than an overnight trip for it to set in; a lesson that many of the fathers are learning not just Yoon Min Soo.

Since that first trip, I think Joon has grown the most closest with his dad, Sung Dong Il, or at least it’s evident on screen.

Known for being the strict authoritarian, it seems that Joon had always found comfort with his nurturing mother.  However, I’m loving that both father and son are discovering things about each other that they previously didn’t understand.  I think that’s partly due to the way Sung Dong Il talks to Joon during their car or sleeping quarter conversations.  You can clearly see a difference when you look at his body language.  He doesn’t talk down to Joon but he listens to Joon’s thoughts on a matter while explaining his own reasons.

It’s different from the way Kim Sung Joo talk to his son, Min Guk.  Kim Sung Joo lets Min Guk behave the way he wants to based on his own thoughts.  Sung Dong Il does not.  Plus, both children take orders differently as Joon readily accepts his father’s directions while Min Guk may have questions.  Of course, I’m not saying one method is better than the other, it’s just different.

Ji Ah has clearly got her father wrapped around her finger.  In the scene where she was fidgeting and not eating breakfast, he scolded her but he immediately comforted her when she started crying.

But I wonder how that’ll work out when she’s a teenager and brings a boy home.  Oh wait, she’s already brought her boyfriend home.  At first coy, the Lunar New Year’s episode showed that she had no hesitation in hugging Hoo so that he wouldn’t leave.

Or what about the dual love arrows they sent each other during the ice fishing camping trip?

Luckily for Song Jong Guk, Ji Ah is still super sweet and loves anything her dad does for her.  Even if he does have questionable cooking methods.

Then, there’s Jun Soo.  His charms lie in that mischievous smile and the twinkle in his eyes.  Incredibly curious and very imaginative, he and his dad are more like playmates.

Jun Soo’s not afraid to stir up a little bit of trouble.  Still, my favorite scene of his is when he and Joon are tasked with getting items for dinner.  The 2^nd story house they visited happened to have harvested and dried beans scattered all across the living room.  Joon stayed at a respectful distance but Jun Soo did not hesitate to dive right in to show off his various swimming strokes.  The kid is truly a kid’s kid in every sense and it’s hard not to smile when you see him.

I love the mini missions in where the kids behaviors are tested by the staff.  I hope the producers and writers keep this part of the show fresh because it is so fascinating.  The first test is what I like to call the “honey trap”.  The parents instruct the kids that they must protect a ceramic pot which contains treasure.  They must not let anyone touch or look inside it because it is fragile.  The pot is actually made out of sugar so that it’ll break easily.  But what happens when one of the other dads comes in and tempts them?

This week, the kids were given a lesson in overcoming your fears with the “haunted shack” mission.  All the kids are given a map and head out together to retrieve treasure.  I was so happy to see who was instrumental in pressing the boys on.  However, I wished we got an aftermath from one of the parents after he insisted his kid would not be brave enough to put his hand in the pot.

I could go on and on about this show and analyze it to no end because I enjoy it immensely.  But for now, I’ll wait patiently for this weekend when we will get to see if the dad’s have enough skills to cook for the members of the village.

Rating