No Party For Tea Party
Episode 6 of Imitation begins with Ryeok rushing after Ma-Ha to give her bag back. Only, midway through talking they’re forced to hide from Hyun-Ji and Ri-A. Well, the jig is up and they spot Ryeok and Ma-Ha together. The girls take Ma-Ha away while Ryeok heads back to his car. Only it’s been towed in his absence and he immediately despairs over what this means. Meanwhile, Hyun-Ji and Ri-A exhibit their concerns over Ma-Ha’s bubbling romance. With the Fins on the loose, the pair worry that these dedicated fans won’t take kindly to Ma-Ha’s romance – or to Tea Party’s image. In the morning, the group discuss the future of their group, including various adventures beyond music. While Hyun-Ju and Ri-A aren’t too fond of acting, Ma-Ha continues to enjoy it. For now, she heads out and buys a new phone to show that she’s serious about doing what’s best for the group. Ri-A visits Ha-Seok after, telling him she’s curious about music and wants him to help teach hers. While Ryeok is taken out to film for a program called “Men In Nature”, the rest of Shax are berated for putting on weight. Ryeok is taken to the set and does his best to keep his cool, especially when he’s isolated up in the mountains and forced to make a fire and cook all by himself. Eventually shooting comes to an end and he eagerly heads back to the car, desperately messaging Ma-Ha and trying to get through to her. Of course, she has a new phone so she’s not receiving the messages. Ma-Ha meets La Ri-Ma and admits that she’s her role model and that’s why she copied the dance moves. Although she’s flattered, Ri-Ma also tells her she can’t allow her to have Ryeok given she likes him too. After their meeting, Ma-Ha shows up for the sitcom meeting but Ryeok isn’t involved, much to her disappointment. However, she eventually runs into him in the corridor but Ma-Ha is quick to keep her eyes away from him, trying desperately to honour her team’s wishes. Later that evening, Ryeok does his best not to exhibit jealousy, especially when he learns about the sitcom. When Ryeok heads out that evening to find Ma-Ha at the studio, Yu-Jin is the one who gets there first. He watches from his car as the pair flirt lightly and cheer. That obviously makes him jealous and he storms up to Ma-Ha, telling her he’ll take her home. Eventually she agrees to go with him, where Ryeok admits that he missed her. She refuses to give up her new number though, and tells him to drop her by the side of the road. Ryeok immediately finds himself questioned by Jae-Woo when he heads back to the apartment. He apologizes to the group but refuses to open up and admit exactly what’s going on. As he heads to practice, Ryeok gets stuck in to his work and practices the action scenes. While filming commences, Tea Party show up to watch. Ryeok gets distracted though and flips his car. It’s pure anarchy as everyone races down to make sure he’s okay.
The Episode Review
Imitation returns this week with another decent chapter, this time with Ryeok and Ma-Ha doing their best to hide their true feelings for one another. That’s easier said than done of course, as both characters try to go about their busy lives. The episode also sheds more light on the nature of fandoms, especially through the Fins who continue to be a dominating factor in this drama. Through them, the show sheds light on the toxicity extreme fans have toward their favourite idols.The celebrity culture and obsession with looks is a real driving point for depression and suicide too, which is pretty shocking when you think about it. Of course, the heart wants what the heart wants and by the end of the episode it seems like both characters have accepted that they have real feelings for each other. Unfortunately the image of Shax and the goals of Tea Party are enough to make sure these two won’t be together in the foreseeable future. It’s difficult to see where a happy ending will come from with this series. Either way, Imitation is a well written drama that sheds light on the worst parts of K-drama and K-pop celebrity culture. It also highlights how difficult this is for those artists within both worlds. Will this one have a happy ending? We’ll have to wait and see.
