‘Single’s Inferno’ season 4 premiere: A golden ticket to paradise

A little trip to an inferno is just what we need for this new year. And by that, we mean Season 4 of Netflix’s smash hit dating show, Single’s Inferno. Beaches, survival, longing looks – bring it all on! If you’re not familiar with the Korean reality TV series, it’s a dating show that brings singles to an abandoned beach to fend for themselves while finding love along the way. In each round, if a pair makes a match, they’ll be whisked away to a fabulous hotel (i.e., “Paradise”) to learn more about each other and expand their spark. Think of it as a cross of Bachelor in Paradise meets Love Island, but more wholesome.

Single’s Inferno Season 4 is already shaping up to be one of the best iterations so far. These singles aren’t holding back from exploring their options and making their intentions known. Based on the fourth episode alone, every relationship gets flipped on its head (we’ll get to this later on!). Though, in the first batch of four episodes, the pacing kicks off with a slower start until the entire group combines. Single’s Inferno spends two episodes getting its feet wet by introducing the cast and exploring early romances. However, if you stick with it, the momentum shifts gears quickly and kicks off into the show we know and love.

A tale of two Infernos

The fourth season starts with a new twist of having the men and women in separate Infernos. Right out of the gate, the men compete in a challenge to decide which two will get to select the women of their choice to go to Paradise. It’s an interesting twist because it shrouded everything in mystery; we didn’t know what would happen next or what happened at the other Inferno. And in support, Single’s Inferno loved to play with the editing trick of doing flashbacks. This trick made the editing feel refreshing and something different we don’t typically see often. The series should consider playing with mystery more as it kept us at the edge of our seats for what the cast does.

However, the separate Infernos? Let’s keep this twist a one-and-done. I understand the idea of building mystery and first impressions between the cast, but this move dragged out the pacing for the first two episodes. There’s more focus on some singles while the rest are left to float in limbo at the camps. It’s not exciting to watch when a majority of the players have nothing to do. Maybe it would’ve worked better as a one-episode twist? By continuing it over two, the game didn’t feel like it truly started until the groups combined.

Devilishly good treats

Speaking of the game, Single’s Inferno isn’t Single’s Inferno without its tried-and-true staples. The cheesy and fun challenges, the critiques from the celebrity panel, the glamorous hotel date, and the mystery candies – these are all must-haves. The games look so simple at first; something like you could play in gym class, but they get tougher when the singles become competitive. For instance, the men fighting over a falling ball in the pool; they’re practically wrestling each other for those balls! And even something as simple as walking over a log barrel caused plenty of laughs. Seriously, how could most people not walk past Yuk Jun-seo? He took out half the women.

And the celebrity panelists deserve credit for the magic of Single’s Inferno. From the premiere episodes alone, their chemistry felt so upbeat and natural now. When Dex joined the panel during the third season, their dynamic was strong and they got along; most likely because he’s a former single they watched. However, it had a few stepping stones since the dynamic changed. But this time around, all five panelists got into their rhythm together and felt like friends. Their banter seamlessly flowed and brought the needed critiques.

A date with destiny

From the four-episode season premiere, Single’s Inferno treated us to six Paradise dates. All dates typically follow the same pattern of talking, swimming in a pool/doing a light activity, lots of eating, and sleeping. Nothing stood out from one another, except that the hotel looked absolutely gorgeous! The true takeaway is witnessing how the pairs spark once they’re alone and learn more about one another.

For example, Lee Si-an’s separate dates with Kim Jeong-su and Theo Jang. Si-an had a quieter, more subdued date with Jeong-su, while her date with Theo was filled with laughs and stronger flirting. But when they left Paradise, her heart was drawn more to Jeong-su’s tenderness from the helicopter ride (i.e., he rubbed her hand due to her motion sickness). It’s always interesting seeing how the singles process their dates once they leave Paradise, and what they truly value in a partner that draws their eye. She liked that sweet moment, but she let it cloud her judgment from the red flags Jeong-su sent her way.

Compared to this, Jun-seo’s separate dates with Chung You-jin and Kim Min-seol also had a similar tone. The date with You-jin was filled with laughs and jokes, while the Min-seol date was more talkative and sweet. Both worked with the goofy and stoic Jun-seo, but it wasn’t until they left Paradise that the realities came true. I felt bad for You-jin because she made every wrong move in her pursuit of Jun-seo. He’s an introverted and quieter guy; playing mind games with him and doing big gestures was not the way to his heart. It’s one thing to be nervous, but it’s another to be completely off-beat with someone else.

Min-seol both doing a subtler approach and being direct with her wanting to go back to Paradise might be the winning strategy. She has a crush on Jun-seo and made it known that she’s curious about him. By the finale, it won’t be surprising if this pair becomes one of the couples. Unless either completely changes their mind, they seem like a perfect match.

Chaos at the campfire

The highlight of Single’s Inferno Season 4 premiere has to be the mystery coins and the resulting drinking game. Did anyone expect this much drama? We need more open and truthful casts like this in the future. I agreed completely with the panelists – this hangout changed the pacing of the couples for the rest of the season.

Si-an and Jeong-su? That pairing seems done; she shouldn’t explore it any further. Kim Hye-jin was right on the money: Jeong-su wants to keep his options open and breadcrumb people to keep them interested. Why call Si-an his number one but also push him and her to explore other options to see what’s out there? He’s putting her on a shelf to come back to … and that’s not good. The only benefit is that it may have led her to be open with Theo again; she’s looking at him in a new light.

The same goes for a few of the outside couples. I felt bad for Kim A-rin when Kook Dong-ho accidentally brushed her off. She was so direct about wanting to go to Paradise with him, but he couldn’t even give her an answer. It’s good they met to clear their miscommunication. They have a spark that deserves exploration. Just like Bae Ji-yeon and Kim Tae-hwan; they’ve got chemistry and something under the surface. I cheered when Tae-hwan directly said he wanted to take Ji-yeon to Paradise, and then he asked her! You can’t get more of a rom-com moment than that! Tae-hwan may be all stoic and robotic, but Ji-yeon may be the one to bring out his personality.

The season 4 premiere of Netflix’s Single’s Inferno picked up the momentum for what will be an exciting season. From the early onset of dates and challenges, the group’s dynamic has changed so drastically heading into the second batch of episodes. A few potential couples emerged giving us hope for who could be standing together at the end. But a few singles have stumbled hard. Single’s Inferno came back as the must-watch series ready to romance our hearts. It’s still early in the season; anything is possible while in the Inferno.

Single’s Inferno airs new episodes on Tuesdays on Netflix.

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Images courtesy of Netflix