I Am A Running Mate – K-drama Episode 5 Recap & Review

The Review Geek

10 hours ago

Monster
Episode 5 of I Am A Running Mate starts five days before the elections with Sang-hyeon's team holding their rally. The whole school is talking about Se-hoon's accident.
Gyeong-tae thinks that the accident is staged to help Se-hoon get pity votes. Ui-jun disagrees and warns Gyeong-tae about spreading fake news. Sang-hyeon's team picks up the momentum at the rally. They are more prepared and more enthusiastic.
However, when Won-dae's team took the stage, they staged a skit of one of their pledges: set up an umbrella rental in school for rainy days. Yu-Gyeong and Ji-hun stage the skit together, which makes Se-hoon angry.
The blue team (Sang-hyeon) are stunned by the red team's (Won-dae) efforts. Regardless, Sang-hyeon's popularity increases to 47 per cent while Won-dae's drops to 52 per cent.
Later, Tae-oh tells Se-hoon about his important findings. Earlier, Tae-oh had gone to the music room to complain to the teacher about using singing to grade their exams. He thinks some students are disadvantaged since being a singer is a talent.
While waiting for the teacher to finish talking to a student in her office, he saw a note on the table. It contained a list of top performers in their class, and beside each name were notes on why they were or were not suitable candidates.
Se-hoon's note said that he was not an appropriate candidate since his reputation was ruined, but he would be a great tool to bring in pity votes. Tae-oh then saw Won-dae take the note and his notebook, meaning the notes were his. Se-hoon's anger towards Won-dae increases.
Sang-hyeon and Se-hoon join one of Won-dae's campaigns for an interview. Later, they walk into the election office to find Gyeong-tae submitting some posters of Won-dae that were to be used for a media interview the next day.
Sang-hyeon is angry because Joon-Gyu had failed to inform him about the media interviews. He thinks Won-dae is cheating as he uses his Brave Citizen award to manipulate the media. However, Joon-Gyu thinks that everything Won-dae does is within the boundaries of the election competition.
Se-hoon tries to encourage Sang-hyeon, but Sang-hyeon only gets more irritated. He scolds Se-hoon for doing nothing to help the campaign. He says that all Se-hoon does is talk, watch, and cheer on his friend Ji-hun. Sang-hyeon tells him to stop talking and do something. That night, Se-hoon sneaks into the elections office and destroys Won-dae's posters.
The following morning, Joon-Gyu calls the red and blue teams about the disfigured posters. Gyeong-tae tries to say that the blue team is responsible, but Se-hoon retaliates.
He accuses the red team of staging everything to frame the blue team, just like Gyeong-tae had spread the news that Se-hoon's accident was faked for charity votes. Joon-gyu warns the teams to stay low-key as they investigate the issue.
Won-dae calls Gyeon-tae aside after the meeting and punishes him for disrespecting the seniors right before a teacher. He warns Gyeong-tae to behave better and not to do anything that harms the red team's image.
Following the vandalism of their posters, the red team holds a silent protest for the third rally. They hold up posters asking the school to investigate and punish the trespassers.
The blue team continues their push for premium pledges by promising each student a smartwatch if they win the elections. By the end of the rally, the blue team's popularity had declined to 41 per cent, the red team to 47 per cent, and 11 per cent of the students were boycotting the elections.
The following day, Gyeong-tae posts a declaration of guilt implicating Se-hoon in the sexual harassment picture he had drawn of Yu-Gyeon. Se-hoon is enraged and plans to confront Gyeong-tae, but Jae-won stops him on Sang-hyeon's orders. Yu-gyeong confronts Gyeong-tae for bringing up the issue again and humiliating her.
Gyeong-tae says he would do anything to crash Se-hoon for Won-dae since he is a traitor. Later, Gyeong-tae meets up with Won-dae, who applauds what he did. Won-dae says that Ji-hun and Yu-Gyeong are not important to him since they are his backups. However, Gyeong-tae is like Won-dae's shadow, so he is more important.
At the end of the episode, Se-hoon calls Jong-su to meet in the bathroom. Se-hoon is fuming with anger that he can barely breathe. He angrily yells at Jong-su, telling him to do anything to Gyeong-tae to ensure he stops messing with him. He even suggests hitting him with a motorbike or killing Gyeong-tae.
The Episode Review
What a turn of events! Se-hoon's crash-out was so unexpected that it shocked us to the core. You can also see that Jong-su is concerned since he never expected Se-hoon to ask him such a thing.
The stress of the election is getting to everyone and bringing the worst out of all of them. Whatever Gyeong-tae did, violence is not the solution. Won-dae was wrong for slapping him. We are seeing these candidates and their supporters in a new light, and it is not good.
Se-hoon is committing crimes and brazenly denying it. Sang-hyeon is showing his hidden, deeply unsettling side, and Won-dae is slapping his number one supporters. The only ones who have their acts together are Yu-gyeom and Jeong-hui.