The Zone: Survival Mission (2022)

I was expecting a lot when I watch this show because of Yoo Jaeseok, Lee Kwangsoo, and Yuri combination also Jo Hyojin PD, who was the original Running Man PD and Busted PD
but the production team was lazy with the concept for this show, especially the first two episodes
the zombie, horror, and gamble episodes were okay too good
the war episode was somehow okay, the rest were really hard carried by the three casts
it seems like Disney would gearing up for season 2, if it's true I'm good with Yoo-Lee-Kwon combination, but I hope the production team won't just relying on "survival" alone

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I'm glad I survived This Zone

When I saw KwangSoo and JaeSeok with YuRi as a bonus, I immediately thought to myself this would be fun however seeing Running Man as the variety show standard, this fell short for me. I understand the rules about what they needed to do to win the zone and also that additional 'fun fact' about future scenarios where it might happen but I really can't get the essence of it all. It makes sense but at the same time, it doesn't. Kind of reminded me of Busted (however Busted is well-written for me)

It was still fun to watch though. I'd definitely regret it if I didn't see Lee-Yoo's antics and bickering and all the fun stuff but the 'storyline' or purpose of the whole show is kind of meh for me. Like what's the point of the Z Coins? Why are they doing this? And it kind of felt scripted at some point like they're in a new place but it felt like they kind of know where to go so I don't know about that.

A fun watch and I definitely recommend specially for RM fans but don't expect too much.

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Very Entertaining

I will watch anything with Lee Kwang Soo and Yoo Jae Suk together or separately at least once. I love their chemistry. The only times I've ever seen Yuri are guest appearances on Running Man. What stands out is the episode where it was 8 vs 1. I thought she was charming with a good sense of humor. I'm on the fence about her in The Zone. She was bossy, sometimes funny, and at others a little boring. She took the fun out of some scenes. At times it felt like a light bulb went on and realized she had to entertain. However, I do realize being the third wheel on the YooLee (bogosipeo) wagon is a tough job. She handled it well.

The concept is putting mankind's representatives (Yoo, Lee, and Yuri) through 8 challenging simulations in which they had to survive for a specified number of hours. The base time was 4 hours, but in some zones they could accrue or cut their time. If they survive until the end they are given Z coins for a reason we are never told other than it tells you who is winning. Basically, it's the 3 stars against The Zone and each other. They have watches that allow them to quit at any time. Quitting ends the simulation for everyone, but 2 of them need to quit.

The Zones themselves weren't exactly imaginative, but I felt most were presented creatively. Were some Zones more entertaining than others? Heck yeah! I was even bored with one, but that didn't deter me or change my opinion of the show overall. It's just that watching people gamble just isn't fun to me. The best (hands down) was the haunted house because Scaredy Yoo and Fraidy Lee are hilarious when they're scared. Episode 8 is a War Zone, which was edited really well. The tension was great. My zone ranking from best to worse: Z4: Safety, Z3: Virus, Z8: War, Z1: Eye, Z5: Brain, Z2: Water, Z6: Money, and Z7: Fire.

Since it's not a drama, there wasn't music per se. There's an ending theme with our threesome "dancing," which is fun to watch. It has a very high rewatch as I've already rewatched the haunted house.

Personally, I really enjoyed The Zone: Endure to Survive (or Survival Mission). I hope it comes back for a season 2 with the same intrepid trio.

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