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The Cuffing Game by Lyla Lee
55 Plays10 hours ago
What if Pride & Prejudice was set at an American film school? What if our Elizabeth Bennet is a student who recruits her Darcy to star in her reality TV show where students confront their crushes on camera? What could possibly go wrong?
Melinda and Stefanie discuss the dramatic twists and turns of reality TV, men dancing shirtless on social media, and the definition of ‘cuffing’ in The Cuffing Game by Lyla Lee.
Links & Mentions
If you're still confused about the definition of 'cuffing' you can read more.
If the world of K dramas is new for you, read up on the tropes in this helpful summary.
If you need subtitles or a transcript, these are available through Apple Podcasts. Please note, they are auto generated so we apologise in advance for it not correctly understanding our accents on certain words.
As always, you can find us (and our memes) on Instagram @janeaustenremixed and you can contact us via janeaustenremixed@gmail.com.
Join us every second Monday to hear all about a new adaptation of our favourite classic novel. Next episode we will be reading The Shadow of Anubis by Adele Dixon. If you're reading along, we encourage you to buy secondhand or support your local independent bookshop, where possible.
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Transcript
Content Warning and Introduction
00:00:00
Speaker
Hey all, before we start this episode of Jane Austen Remixed, a content warning for this week's text, The Cuffing Game by Lila Lee. This book contains broken parent relationships, emotional abuse, and homophobia. we won't go into these topics in depth, but they will be referenced as they relate to the book's plot and themes.
00:00:18
Speaker
If any of these topics might be uncomfortable for you, please feel free to give this episode a skip. Otherwise, let's begin. Hey, Stephanie. Hey, Melinda. What if Pride and Prejudice took place at a college in America and Mr Darcy was a contestant on a reality dating show that his Elizabeth is producing and he has to go on dates with Caroline Bingley in front of her?
00:00:43
Speaker
Oh. I'm not a big reality TV person, so I'm very, very intrigued to see where this one goes.
Podcast Introduction and Episode Focus
00:01:05
Speaker
Welcome to Jane Austen Remixed, the podcast where we examine the drama-filled and OMG world of Pride and Prejudice adaptations. I'm Melinda. And I'm Stephanie.
00:01:16
Speaker
And today's book is The Cuffing Game by Lila Lee. It was published in 2025. Here is the blurb in case you would like to read it for yourself before listening to the episode.
00:01:27
Speaker
It is a truth universally acknowledged that when there is a hot person, there is also someone with a crush on them. Mia Yoon has a plan for everything.
00:01:38
Speaker
Get a full ride to her dream film school in Los Angeles, behind her mum's back, and escape her middle-of-nowhere hometown. Check. Produce her own dating show starring other people and their crushes.
00:01:50
Speaker
But everything goes off the rails when she has to enlist the help of her own secret crush, Noah Jang, a boy she'd rather hate. Despite being a campus celebrity voted Most Eligible Student Bachelor,
00:02:06
Speaker
Noah can't remember the last time he was in a relationship, and he's perfectly content with that, thank you very much, especially since just the word feelings makes him uncomfortable.
00:02:18
Speaker
But he can't stop staring at Mia, who keeps glaring at him in class. And when she asks him to be on her dating show, as one of the contestants, he can't say no.
00:02:30
Speaker
As Noah goes on more and more romantic dates on The Coughing Game and Mia watches from behind the camera, something feels off. With the showrunner and contestant slowly falling for one another, can the show still go on?
Exploring the Concept of 'Cuffing Season'
00:02:46
Speaker
Oh my god. I mean, my guy, if you've got a crush on someone and they want you to date other people in front of them, you really can say no.
00:02:58
Speaker
As it says in that blurb, guy doesn't really do feelings, so it does take him a little while to figure out what's actually going on. That last sentence probably relates to like the last 50 pages of the book. Okay. Okay. That makes more sense.
00:03:12
Speaker
It sounds like he's being held hostage. Not really. Sort of. He's very uncomfortable, let's put it that way, but we'll get into that in the discussion. Okay. Now, before we get into that discussion, Stephanie, when I told you about this book, I mentioned that I was confused by the word cuffing in this context, and you told me it was a dating term?
00:03:33
Speaker
Yes. Yes. Explain it to us, please, for anyone who doesn't know. Okay, so hopefully I get this right. From what I learned from being terminally online, cuffing season in the US in particular is when it's winter. So it's cold outside and you don't want to be going outside and going on dates and all that sort of thing. so you find someone. a boyfriend, a girlfriend, a friend with benefits that you can snuggle up with over the cold season. And then you break up with them once it comes back to summer.
00:04:08
Speaker
And that's cuffing season. Yep. That was a wild conversation when we first had it. I think I was like, what what? You were very confused. And I was like, oh yeah, like it makes sense. It's that like internet thing. And you're like, no, what internet thing? Internally online in very different spheres of the internet. Yeah. very different parts of the internet. Although that's not normally a part of the internet that I'm on, so I don't even know how I came across it. No, that's true.
00:04:32
Speaker
So the marketing describes this adaptation as a, quote, deliciously fun YA K-drama remix of Pride and Prejudice, end quote. So if this book sounds like your thing, please go and support the author and read the book before listening on.
00:04:49
Speaker
And now it's time for some spoiler chat.
Reality TV and K-Dramas: Personal Reflections
00:04:51
Speaker
I have mixed feelings about the Cuffing Game. I had fun reading it, but I'm not a fan of reality TV. and I haven't seen many K-dramas. The only reality show I used to watch was So You Think You Can Dance from the 2000s because those dances were amazing. I have a massive issue with reality dating TV shows like The Bachelor, Bachelorette, Farmer Wants a Wife, and especially Married at First Sight.
00:05:14
Speaker
For me, I find it really gross how these shows make love a commodity, something that can be used for ratings. It's so manufactured and inauthentic, which makes me feel gross. My experience with K-dramas, so those are Korean drama TV series for anyone who doesn't know anything about them, is also limited.
00:05:31
Speaker
I watched my first one earlier this year and I watched Business Proposal because it stars the actor who voices Genu in K-pop Demon Hunters. Melinda. I know.
00:05:41
Speaker
i couldn't believe how many melodramatic twists and turns it had. While I had fun, i haven't watched another one, so I don't think they're really for me. if you're K-drama fan or reality TV show fan, no shade from me. We all have different tastes, but they were my hang-ups going into this book.
00:05:57
Speaker
I have to agree on reality TV shows. i have a real problem with, oh, we we found true love and that true love just happens to translate into a whole lot of brand deals. And it's so obvious that half of them are just there to raise their profile.
00:06:15
Speaker
I also have issues particularly with things like Married at First Sight and for non-Australians, it is exactly what it sounds like. It is one of our worst exports. It's available in the UK. I think it's actually relatively easy to get your hands on in the US as well. It's awful.
00:06:33
Speaker
I have not watched any K-dramas and that is because I am really bad at watching TV shows. Even ones I really like. I will watch two episodes and be like, this is great.
00:06:45
Speaker
And then I will just forget that it exists. I never watch it again. So I'm much more of a movie person rather than a TV person. which is fair. So while reading a K-drama adaptation of Pride and Prejudice with a reality dating show, as much as I had fun with it, i realized pretty quickly that it wasn't going to be for me. That doesn't make it bad. It's just not for me.
00:07:07
Speaker
So, let's begin. Our Elizabeth Bennett is named Mia Yoon. She's a bisexual Korean-American from a small town in Texas who is attending film school in Los Angeles. And in the prologue, we learn about her crush on social media star Noah Zhang, our Darcy.
00:07:24
Speaker
She's been following him for years online and says his most notable characteristics are his abs and shoulders. He attends the same film school as her and her roommate, Celine Hwang, invites Mia to a party at Noah's fraternity.
00:07:37
Speaker
We are treated to a thirsty description of Noah as he dances shirtless at this party. The whole scene gives me vibes of the Huntrix girls seeing the Sarja boys for the first time and melting down over Abby's abs.
00:07:50
Speaker
Yes, yes. As you were saying that, I was getting the image of like crying popcorn in my mind. That is exactly what it is. ah Excellent.
00:08:01
Speaker
Now, Stephanie, I won't get you to read out that section, but I will get you to read out some parts from Mia's very own she's barely tolerable
Mia's Journey: From Embarrassment to Ambition
00:08:10
Speaker
scene. For context, this starts with one of Noah's frat dudes talking to him.
00:08:14
Speaker
Okay, let's start with frat dude number one. Hey, what are you doing for the rest of the party? There are so many hot girls here. We did good. Noah ran a hand through his hair as he scanned the area.
00:08:27
Speaker
He did a double take when he saw Mia standing by herself in the middle of the yard. Oh no. She froze like a deer in headlights waiting for imminent death.
00:08:37
Speaker
His eyes widened. Her cheeks flushed. They're alright, Noah said, turning back to Kyle. Not really my type, though. I'm going to head back upstairs and call it a night. Not really my type.
00:08:49
Speaker
Noah had looked at her twice before saying those words. Indignation rose up inside Mia. This is why some crushers are better off a secret. Mia cupped her hands to her mouth and yelled, Put a shirt on!
00:09:03
Speaker
A chorus of ooooh erupted from the crowd. Noah turned back around to face her, raising his eyebrows. He'd said nothing, but had somehow still got the last word.
00:09:16
Speaker
Cheeks burning, she spun and ran as fast as she could back to her dorm. And then, in the safe comforts of her own room, she dealt with her crush on Noah Jang by doing what she did best. She planned out a TV show.
00:09:28
Speaker
So you can already see the K-drama elements at work in that quote. I love it. The long looks, the blushing, the melodrama, and the character work.
00:09:39
Speaker
The author really commits to this premise, which is fantastic. I love it when authors commit to their vision. Sadly, we don't have time to discuss all the K-drama elements in this book.
00:09:50
Speaker
If you're unfamiliar with the K-dramas and their style, I've popped a link to a mini rundown in the show notes. And yes, the barely tolerable scene inspires the rest of the story. This book flips narrator perspectives between chapters, so we now meet our Mr. Darcy, Noah Jang.
00:10:05
Speaker
He's from South Korea and has moved to the US to study. He's in his fourth year, is a respected member of his fraternity, and is a massive social media star. This semester, he's doing a first-year class, which is how he meets Mia.
00:10:18
Speaker
They spend most of their classes verbally sparring. Mia has some very serious opinions about film, while Noah more loose and prefers short-form social content. Funnily enough, in this opening, despite being Elizabeth and Darcy, Mia and Noah's personalities are almost reversed, where Mia is the one who is serious and Noah is the one who is more playful.
00:10:39
Speaker
Noah sees a casting announcement for an upcoming show called Campus Crush, which follows four college students as they confess to their crushes. It's described as a documentary cross-reality TV show, and Noah realises Mia is behind the project.
00:10:52
Speaker
Okay. Now, before we go any further, discussing the plot of this adaptation is going to be tricky. Because it is mostly based around a reality show, the plot follows its own path. We don't have time to discuss every dramatic twist, and I assure you there are a lot.
00:11:10
Speaker
So I'm only going to be talking about the Pride and Prejudice characters and story beats in this novel. I am skipping... So much. So if this sounds like something you'd like, please go support the author and read it.
00:11:23
Speaker
Mia finds out the campus crush has been cancelled because they can't get enough people to join. Funny that I can't imagine volunteering myself to confront my crush on camera at university. Sounds. Oh boy.
00:11:36
Speaker
oh my God, I'd rather die. i think that shows our personality types rather than these guys, but it's, uh, yep. They can't get anyone to join. Mia calls her older sister Jeanette, so this is our Jane character.
00:11:50
Speaker
Mia tells Jeanette she feels like a failure because her TV show idea from her first year at film school has been rejected. Mia's parents weren't supportive of Mia going to film school, so she sees herself as the black sheep of the family who has to prove her family wrong.
00:12:06
Speaker
Ah, hello, high-achieving perfectionist with something to prove. Can't relate in any way whatsoever. Not at all. Mia mentioned she has three younger sisters here, Marie, Cara and Lola. Other than this phone call and another towards the end, the Yoon or Bennett family don't really feature in this book, so we're really going to talk about them.
00:12:27
Speaker
When Mia hangs up, her roommate Celine Huang arrives home. Celine is a beauty influencer. Mia asks Celine if she has a crush on anyone at their school. She says yes. My crush is Noah Zhang. Celine tells Mia she'll come on her show if she can convince Noah to join.
00:12:43
Speaker
Think about it. With all of our combined followers, it's bound to be popular. Mia thinks that watching her crush date someone else will be awful, but decides Celine has a point and agrees to ask him.
00:12:54
Speaker
Why is everyone she knows an influencer? Film school, America, Gen z I don't know. Okay. There's only really two. all right.
00:13:05
Speaker
Quick sidebar here. I think Celine is our Caroline Bingley. She isn't super close to Mia. They are roommates. They're not unfriendly, but I don't think that makes her a Charlotte. She's not practical or friendly enough. And since she's romantically interested in Noah, our Darcy,
00:13:22
Speaker
I'm calling her Caroline. In some foreshadowing, she does have some mean girl tendencies that come out a little bit later, so I think it tracks. All I can think at this point is that quote from that really famous vine. Oh my god, they were roommates.
00:13:36
Speaker
What's that from? Oh, it's a vine. It's, oh, this guy's sitting in a cafe and this girl walks past on the phone and he's filming her. And she's like, and they were roommates. And he flips the camera around himself he's oh my God, they were roommates. And that sound became like a meme in and of itself. And I may be wrong, but I believe that was the only vine this guy ever did. And it didn't look like it was a setup.
00:14:01
Speaker
It looked like he just was randomly filming this girl. There you go Very, very early days of meme culture here. But anyway, that's just playing in my head. I do know what vine is. i have only ever seen vines in other places because it was like dead and buried before I ever thought to look at it. Yeah, pretty much.
00:14:21
Speaker
Mia chats to Noah and practically begs him to be on the show. now we're going to pause here for a little bit to discuss Noah's pride and Mia's prejudice. Mia is prejudiced against Noah as the cool, popular guy at school, though I think most of that is driven by her unrequited crush.
00:14:38
Speaker
She takes things seriously and he doesn't. Now, Noah's characterization is interesting. He's seemingly very outgoing and likes pulling Mia's metaphorical pigtails. But our Mia reads Noah very well when she's trying to get him onto the show. And I've got a quote here for Stephanie to read, which is from Mia's Pitch.
00:14:59
Speaker
Campus Crush isn't like your usual content. It'll have quiet moments and heart-to-heart conversations that will give you space to be vulnerable and open. Something you can't do with your normal unattainable cool dude online persona.
00:15:13
Speaker
in Savage. Savage. But in this adaptation, the Darcy pride is translated, I think, as Noah's social media facade, the image he projects out into the world. When he's narrator, we see that Noah has a vulnerable, deeper side that he doesn't let people see.
00:15:32
Speaker
He'll dance shirtless in front of a crowd, but won't have a deep conversation about feelings. Just like Fitzwilliam Darcy, who seems proud and closed off, but has a much kinder soul underneath. actually quite like this switch. It's a nice way to translate it into a modern setting.
00:15:47
Speaker
I like it. It makes sense. I think it's a good modern way of translating it, particularly in an adaptation that is so heavily playing into online culture tropes.
00:15:58
Speaker
I think it's great. Back to the story. Noah says he'll go on the show, but he asks for some really big changes. He says that the reality TV dating show format will be far more successful with their target college student audience. They want fast, flashy, and dramatic stuff, and the documentary style just isn't going to cut it.
00:16:17
Speaker
Noah suggests that since they will be filming during cuffing season, they should call the show The Cuffing Game. Ding, ding, ding. There it is Cuffing Season. Mia's team love the changes and Noah joins the show.
00:16:31
Speaker
Noah knows that doing longer content with real conversations will be challenging for him, particularly when he won't be in control of the editing, which is another fun part of the social media angle.
00:16:42
Speaker
Thanks to a series of videos that Noah films, they get a record number of applicants for casting and meet their budget, so the show gets officially greenlit. It's important to note here that Mia does not mention that she has a crush on Noah to her production team.
00:16:57
Speaker
I'm not really naming them because they don't line up with any Pride and Prejudice characters. They're a nice group of friends who support each other while producing this massive project. Now, the rest of the book is about filming the TV show.
00:17:09
Speaker
I'm only going to discuss the show as it relates to adapting Noah and Mia's relationship. And there are a few other small plot elements worth mentioning. So to start, the Cuffing Game has nine contestants.
The Dating Show Dynamics
00:17:22
Speaker
Five contestants have crushes and the other four are the crushes, the ones who are crushed on. I'm not sure of the terminology. I like crushy. Let's go with it. Crushy.
00:17:33
Speaker
Yeah. They cast this show for maximum drama. Celine's crush on Noah is the least intense of the whole show. One guy and one girl have a crush on the same guy, a famous college footballer. There are also two best girlfriends where one has a crush on the other. So it's very, very dramatic.
00:17:54
Speaker
So messy. Yeah. The contestants must cuff with one another to become a couple with mutual consent by the end of each day's filming or they're eliminated.
00:18:06
Speaker
If someone with a crush confesses to their crushee and they're rejected, they're automatically eliminated. There is also voting on YouTube episodes and it will finish with a live stream in about a week's time.
00:18:19
Speaker
Sounds like the Hunger Games. Hunger Games for dating? May the odds be ever in your favour. That was not a very capital accent. May the odds be ever in your favor. That was better.
00:18:30
Speaker
That was better. ah People with crushes do confessional style interviews where they say who their crush is. The show is filming across six days and the episodes are being uploaded to YouTube.
00:18:41
Speaker
Six days? Yes, this whole thing happens in six days. Oh, we've got another one of those on our hands. Okay. All right, let's do it. Celine's up first with her confessional interview.
00:18:52
Speaker
After, of course, plugging her YouTube channel, she says she has a crush on Noah because he's the closest thing that campus has to a K-pop star and she can't wait to meet him. They're filming the show at a cabin and as Noah arrives, he notices cameras hung on the ceiling that feel very much like Big Brother. He also starts noticing wherever a Mia is around the cabin.
00:19:14
Speaker
So at this stage, Bro doesn't know that he likes Mia, but over the course of the filming, there are lots of moments where he looks for her off camera to try and find her. Very Darcy. This is extremely Darcy.
00:19:26
Speaker
It's like that bit in Darcy's story where he's like, anyway, I'm just like super aware of her. I don't know why. I'm sure it's nothing. It's like all of those beginner balls, right? The ones where he's like, oh, i can't help but notice she's dancing with someone. Yeah, that's what's happening.
00:19:40
Speaker
During Night One's filming, Selene immediately goes to talk to Noah. Mia is filming them so she has to listen to them chat. Selene keeps breaking the fourth wall like she's filming a YouTube video and Noah keeps using his polished social media smile which Mia can see straight through.
00:19:56
Speaker
Selene gushes about how handsome and genuine he is which Mia finds hilarious because she can see the content face. Oblivious as ever is our Caroline. Absolutely. It tracks.
00:20:09
Speaker
So in this first chat, Celine blurts out that Noah's her crush. We swap to Noah's point of view and he's panicking. This was supposed to be speed dating as an activity to get to know a few different people.
00:20:24
Speaker
But if he says no, Celine immediately gets eliminated. That's so manipulative and super on brand for Caroline. She's forcing him to reciprocate, surely?
00:20:37
Speaker
Because she doesn't think he's callous enough to get her eliminated straight away, right? I hadn't actually thought of it like that. You're right. I think that probably fits. This is one of the details I'd skipped over. She kind of realizes what she's done after talking with him. I think what it comes down to is she's really enthusiastic, wants to get to know him, and then just decides to blurt it out. But she does panic. There is like this, Celine gets a panicked look on her face. So she realizes what she's done. I'm not sure if it was an intentional, but it is still on brand for Caroline. Okay.
00:21:06
Speaker
So after the confession, Noah agrees to cuff with Celine because he feels it's too mean to get her eliminated, especially on night one. Selene, though, spends the rest of the night talking a million miles an hour at him and is really touchy-feely, which makes Noah super uncomfortable. Oh no, I can understand that. Especially with someone you've basically just met.
00:21:28
Speaker
The first episode goes up on YouTube and the show is immediately popular. Everyone votes for their favourite couple of episode one, and of course, it's Selene and Noah. We then get this hilarious situation that Stephanie is going to read out, and for context, this is Mia's internal narration.
00:21:45
Speaker
Everyone cheered as Selene and Noah got up from their seats. Mia had known what was coming, but nothing could have prepared her for how absolutely awkward it was to stand in between her crush and her roommate.
00:21:58
Speaker
As the cameras panned from Noah to Mia to Celine and back again, she wondered what she'd done to deserve this highly specific and laughably tragic experience of having to third wheel on her own show.
00:22:12
Speaker
Yeah. Knowing that you did this to yourself is really going to make that sting. Yes. But also very K-drama, right? Like we're extremely well into the dramatics. I love it.
00:22:23
Speaker
Mia isn't the only one having an existential crisis. Noah is as well. He realises what started as an act of kindness has escalated and now everyone's infested and he doesn't want to come out as the villain in the edit.
00:22:37
Speaker
So their second date starts awkwardly and Noah keeps watching Mia behind the camera, but they turn it around enough and Noah and Selene mutually ask and share a kiss.
00:22:48
Speaker
Late that evening, once filming is completed, Noah can't sleep, so goes for a walk. He runs into Mia outside, who's setting up stuff for the show. For a reason he can't quite explain, cough, cough, you like her, cough, cough, he lights the fire pit and they sit and chat.
00:23:04
Speaker
They have this really genuine conversation, chatting about Mia's family life in Texas. Mia talks about how her family is traditional and her mum wanted her to study something simple and marry a rich guy. Even in her small appearance, Mama Bennett is still going to Mama Bennett. Oh, yes.
00:23:20
Speaker
Mia asks Noah about his life in Korea. Noah shares his older brother is gay and his father was really horrible about it. And when his brother moved out, his father was awful to Noah instead.
00:23:31
Speaker
His father funded Noah's education abroad to get him away. Rough stuff, really. Yeah, that really sucks. He has a pretty awful backstory, which again, i don't have time to go into.
00:23:44
Speaker
but yeah, the glimpses you see are pretty bad. And while he dances shirtless on social media, this conversation with Mia is the most vulnerable he's ever felt. When Mia leaves, Noah feels confused.
00:23:55
Speaker
We were just talking. Talking doesn't mean anything, right? Oh no, my abs are no longer protecting me from my feelings. What will I do? Oh no, I can't just take my shirt off anymore. What is this?
00:24:08
Speaker
Sharing words. Oh my God, everything is terrible. we get Mia's take on the chat as well. Noah just kissed Celine. Why did you talk to him when he's clearly not interested in you?
00:24:21
Speaker
She chooses not to tell the production team that she spent the night chatting with Noah. She thinks the weird tension between her and Noah is just in her head and doesn't want to create unnecessary drama at the show.
00:24:32
Speaker
At that day's filming, Selene gets super grumbly with Noah after they lose a challenge, and he and Mia keep smiling at each other off camera. Uh-oh. The production team mentioned that all of their people with crushes are paired with their crushes, and it's only day three of filming.
00:24:51
Speaker
Reminder, there's going to be six days. So they decide to recruit some gate crushes from their other casting talent to mix things up. Classic reality TV trope. Love it. During the next date, Selene is weirdly silent and starts giving Noah something he recognises as a fake social media smile. He can't understand why Selene has become so standoffish and finds himself thinking he wished she would talk about what's on her mind like Mia does.
00:25:18
Speaker
After that date, Selene comes to see Mia so they can chat roommate to roommate. Selene wants to vent about Noah and Stephanie's going to read this part out about what Selene says.
00:25:29
Speaker
Then, in a rush of air, she blurted out, Noah is really different from how I thought he'd be in real life. Different? How so? Celine frowned. I mean, don't get me wrong, he's so hot, and he's a good kisser too, but he's more reserved?
00:25:46
Speaker
On social media, he's such a daredevil and seems so fun and outgoing, but I'm not getting any of that in person. This is the classic, you start dating a hot guy and then you discover he has no personality.
00:25:59
Speaker
I'm not saying that about Noah at all, but it's also like a classic romance trope. Like this guy's so hot and then you discover his entire personality is just being hot. She's obviously getting it wrong because like his actual personality is very different to his online personality.
00:26:15
Speaker
Exactly. Yeah. So Celine is seeing behind Noah's social media facade and she isn't a fan. Also, Celine finishes that speech by saying after his performance in That Day's Challenge, which they lose really badly, it's given her the ick because how can he call himself a man?
00:26:38
Speaker
Celine, what are we doing? My girl. No, we are not promoting toxic masculinity, girlfriend. Absolutely not. What was the challenge?
00:26:48
Speaker
Oh, they had to shovel snow. He's lived in units his whole life in Korea, so he's never had to shovel snow before. He's a pretty dude with abs from the internet. Why would you ever think that he could shovel snow?
00:27:01
Speaker
the two footballers do it really well. But, you know, again, if you've done this before. Yeah. Yeah. So this is that turn of Celine's character towards more of a Caroline Bingley.
00:27:12
Speaker
She's been pretty nice so far, but from this point her mean girl tendencies start to show. Celine is expecting Noah to be the same outgoing extroverted guy he is online, and he isn't. Just like Caroline Bingley, Celine is seemingly after the trappings of dating someone with status and not the actual guy.
00:27:32
Speaker
Now, to be clear, Selene reassessing her feelings as she gets to know the real human Noah and not her idea of him is very healthy. She's mean about him. She even says to Mia, oops, was that too mean?
00:27:45
Speaker
Like she knows it. Oh girl, come on. That's such a classic mean girl move. Oh, ha I was just being truthful. Was I being too mean? hu there It's completely fine to reevaluate your feelings when you get to know someone because they turn out to be very different. That's really normal and natural and healthy. The unhealthy part, you're right, is being a cow about it.
00:28:08
Speaker
Now, the show is getting around 50,000 views per episode on YouTube, which is very substantial, really. And it's getting tons of mentions on social media. It's going viral, baby.
00:28:21
Speaker
And the next day, the production team confront Mia, asking if she's sneaking around with Noah. Apparently, their mini ceiling cameras... caught the two of them returning from their fire pit chat.
00:28:33
Speaker
The team realizes that Mia likes Noah and Mia assures them that Noah does not feel the same way and she'll avoid him from now on. Uh-oh. oh Then the three gatecrashers arrive. One of them is Carl Yoshida, a guy who had been kicked out of Noah's fraternity.
00:28:53
Speaker
Noah's guard immediately goes up and realizes no one knows he's bad news. So, Kyle is our Wickham. Now that Kyle is here in a larger way, he's been mentioned before. He was frat dude number one who said that quote right at the beginning.
00:29:13
Speaker
Oh no, what did he do immediately after that? Basically, he has a history of lying and trying to get away with stuff in the frat, which is why he got kicked out. He also just speaks really gross. Like that first quote, he's like, we did good. Look at all the hot chicks.
00:29:29
Speaker
That quote gave me the immediate ick. You were right. Here's our Wickham. Noah tries to make eye contact with Mia to warn her about Kyle, but true to her word, Mia is avoiding Noah.
00:29:40
Speaker
We get a super creepy Kyle intro where he basically leans right in to Noah and says, come on, man, you're famous. I've had a crush on Celine for like forever. Give me a chance with the hot girl.
00:29:53
Speaker
It's super creepy. you Kyle heads straight for Celine, admits his crush on her and asks to cuff and Celine says, yes.
00:30:03
Speaker
Oh, where does that leave Noah? Well, he's now on a date with another student, so one of the other gatecrashers. But he abandons this gatecrasher to follow Selene and Kyle to make sure Selene is okay.
00:30:17
Speaker
Noah confronts Kyle on camera but speaks directly to Selene and says, look, this guy is bad news. And Selene goes full reality TV show diva. Why are you stalking me now I'm interested in another guy who actually likes me?
00:30:32
Speaker
I DM'd you on Instagram and you ghosted me. You've just been leading me on this whole time. Oh, gross. Also, who looks at their Instagram DMs from randoms when you're famous? Hold that thought.
00:30:46
Speaker
Noah realises he sounds like the villain and says while they had a nice first two dates, she's in the woods kissing another guy. She can't like him that much. There's a lot more to this confrontation that we just don't have time to discuss, but Noah basically has a panic attack and runs into the woods to escape the cameras.
00:31:05
Speaker
That's fair. That seems like a very normal reaction to me, actually. Yeah. A few hours later, Noah calls Mia from a nearby cabin and asks if Mia can come and pick him up. And as soon as she arrives, they get snowed in.
00:31:17
Speaker
Yes, there might be only one bed with two college students, but this is all very clean because it's a K-drama, so it's limited to blushing cheeks and lingering eye contact.
00:31:28
Speaker
Mia and Noah get to chat some more. Noah says that what Selene had said was actually true. He did engage with her comments and DMs on Instagram because it's his job to interact with people to boost engagement on his posts.
00:31:42
Speaker
He gets flirty with everyone in the comments and on the show he genuinely tried to be interested in her. He wouldn't have kissed her if he wasn't. but they're just not compatible. Noah says he's good at performing, but not at being genuine. And Mia laughs and saying, well, when we chat, you're super genuine and relatable. And it finally dawns on Noah that he might actually like Mia.
00:32:04
Speaker
Oh no, the feelings, they're coming back. Oh God, no, make it stop. Drums, drums in the deep. A reference that you will not understand, Miss I've Never Seen or Red Lord of the Rings.
00:32:17
Speaker
I had no idea what you meant talking about. There's a scene and it's like drums, drums in the deep. And it's followed up by them saying, they are coming. And then everyone dies. Oh, okay.
00:32:27
Speaker
That's sad. Not everyone in the present, the people who are relating the story that they are reading in the present. Oh, right. Okay. During the filming of the final cuffings before the live streamed finale, Selene picks Kyle to cuff with instead of Noah.
00:32:42
Speaker
And when faced with his choice, Noah decides to drop out of the competition so to not interrupt the other
Noah's Confession and Relationship Uncertainties
00:32:50
Speaker
couples. As he walks off camera, he asks to talk to Mia before they leave.
00:32:57
Speaker
Oh, are they going film it? Are the film crew going to like secretly film it? Spoiler alert, no. God damn it, I should write these things. The finale is being live streamed at a beach house back in LA. So Mia finds Noah sitting shirtless in the hot tub for their chat.
00:33:12
Speaker
To his credit, Noah does actually offer to get out and put a shirt on if that will make Mia more comfortable. But Mia sits down the edge of the hot tub and dips her toes in and we get proposal one.
00:33:28
Speaker
I love that it's in a hot tub. This is the most reality TV thing. It's so funny. Mia asks Noah why he sacrificed himself on the show and Noah says he wasn't interested in breaking up any of the other couples or he's not interested in any of the remaining contestants.
00:33:47
Speaker
But it turns out he does have a crush on someone. And Steph is going to read this out just because it's quite sweet. So this is Noah talking. All right.
00:33:59
Speaker
I have a crush on you and I wanted to tell you before I left. I thought I hated you at first. You took yourself so seriously in class, and I loved making fun of you for it.
00:34:09
Speaker
But then I got to know you better, and I realised you're actually really cool. And after seeing you work on the show and witnessing first-hand how much you care about everyone and everything, I tried my best to ignore my feelings for you.
00:34:23
Speaker
But I can't deny them anymore. It might sound impossible, but I really admire you, Mia. And I like you. ah ah I realize you're actually really cool. What every girl wants to hear.
00:34:39
Speaker
So there are some like soft insults in there. Like it's not perfect, but I feel like in tone, it's actually a lot more like proposal two than it is proposal one, but it is absolutely still proposal one.
00:34:51
Speaker
It's very funny, but it is more sweet and more genuine than a lot of the others that we get. Agreed. So at this point, Mia slides down into the hot tub. She's fully clothed. So well done. The whole thing is really quite sweet. So let's see how he stuffs it up, shall we?
00:35:07
Speaker
Mia points out that he was just kissing Selene, so surely he can't like Mia. Yeah, but Selene wanted him for the clout. Once she saw the real him, she wasn't interested.
00:35:21
Speaker
She dumped him for Kyle, who desperately wants to be Noah. This is a whole side plot that I haven't mentioned, but it's relevant here. He's basically like a super fanboy and wants to be the super popular social media star.
00:35:35
Speaker
I can see how that tracks onto the original. Yeah. Because like Wickham is functioning basically from a lot of jealousy of Darcy. Like he wants what he has. He wants that level of clout and social influence and yes, money. So I think that fits really well. It does fit nicely.
00:35:54
Speaker
But when Mia hears this not knowing the context, she gets angry. He's so full of himself. Noah says, I've been truthful with you the whole time. Why is it so hard for her to believe that he likes her?
00:36:08
Speaker
Mia calls him a pretentious frat boy who has argued with her all semester and in five days has done a 180 in his opinion of her. She says that the only reason he's at film school is because of his dad's money, which, ouch, even Mia realises she went too far with that one and apologises.
00:36:28
Speaker
Yeah, that was a low blow. But neutral face Noah is back. Is that what you really think of me? I thought you might like me too, but I guess I'm wrong. And he leaves. So in terms of proposal one, little bit of insulting.
00:36:42
Speaker
And to be honest, I don't think Noah stuffs up too much here. I think it's Mia is the one that stuffs up. But I do understand after arguing with someone all semester why you'd be hesitant to trust them.
00:36:53
Speaker
Yeah, I feel like her scepticism is healthy because, yes, she does feel like he's been genuine with her, but she's also seen him turn the charm on and off on cue.
00:37:05
Speaker
Perhaps not the best way to approach it, insulting him about his awful dad, but I feel like a bit of healthy skepticism here is the right approach. Yeah, a agreed.
00:37:15
Speaker
So a few things happen next which aren't super important, but Noah ends up on the phone with one of his frat pros who's like, Yo, are you still on that show? It's blowing up. We all love it But like, mate, who's this Mia chick? Isn't she the host? Because she won't stop staring at your bro. Noah heads back to school to finally watch the episodes.
00:37:38
Speaker
Yes, we stan a himbo. Really, the whole frat are really invested in this dating reality TV show. They sound much nicer than actual frat boys. I was very skeptical at the beginning when you were like, he's in a frat and he's really well respected. I'm like, does anyone respect frat boys? I think they're awful, but I'm happy to be corrected.
00:37:58
Speaker
Well, there's this one and then the one from Accomplished where Charlie Bingley is in a really nice frat. I think it's because it's a romance book. Yeah. Women writing about frats.
00:38:08
Speaker
Yeah. Like women writing about hockey players. Yeah. We then get a final filmed confessional interview with Kyle, though the book notes that this isn't used in the final episode. Kyle says that his crush is Celine, which we already knew.
00:38:23
Speaker
He started liking her because she was hot, but now realizes they're super compatible. He tells the person filming he is taking Celine to Vegas to quote, do what Noah couldn't do, end quote. Weird phrasing, on purpose.
00:38:38
Speaker
And it's fine because he totally got permission from Mia to leave the show. So, history of lying, trying to get away with stuff. So as well as our Caroline Bingley, Celine is also our Lydia.
00:38:51
Speaker
Oh, oh my gosh. I'm very nervous about Kyle. Hold that thought. It's still a K-drama. It's dramatic. It's not too bad. Mia arrives at the next filming location and there's big party. Mia notices Kyle and Selina missing and asks where they are. When she's told Vegas, she's like, what can they even do in Vegas? They're underage. And what if the other students randomly says, well, they could elope.
00:39:17
Speaker
Oh my God. It's an Elvis wedding. So the production team immediately stopped partying and have a crisis meeting. Selina or Kyle haven't been in contact with anyone, so no one knows if they're safe. Back at school, Noah finally sees the four released episodes of The Cuffing Game.
00:39:32
Speaker
He thinks he's come across like a massive jerk in his edit. No wonder Mia hates him. But he also notices, like his bro, how much Mia keeps looking at him.
00:39:43
Speaker
And he looking at her. Even the comments on YouTube are noticing. Noah is contacted by another contestant he was friends with, who lets him know that Kyle and Celine have left the show and headed to Vegas, and everyone is worried. And, like the other Darcys before him, Noah springs into action.
00:40:01
Speaker
What a good man. At 2am the following morning, Mia finally gets a call from Celine. They haven't eloped. Why would we do that? Kyle wanted to take her to an EDM concert? Oh my god.
00:40:15
Speaker
Oh my God, college students. Celine says she didn't think Mia would care. They've been roommates, but not really friends. And after watching the show, Celine also saw how much Mia liked Noah. She's even seen fan edits shipping the two of them online. Those clippers work fast.
00:40:32
Speaker
Oh my God. I was going to say that before when you were like, no one noticed. I'm like, fan edits. The internet's going to be covered in fan edits set to like romantic songs. Yes.
00:40:43
Speaker
The two women apologize, reconcile, and vow to be better friends moving forward. So it's much better resolution for our Lydia Caroline in this one. Selene isn't really into Noah anyway now they've met, but she does really like Kyle, so it's all worked out.
00:40:57
Speaker
And Kyle's not as bad as Noah says. Here's what she thought Noah would be from his online persona. Then we get this, let's say, resolution to the Wickemark that is so on brand for this adaptation.
00:41:10
Speaker
It's incredible. And Stephanie is going to read this one out. Celine said, oh, also, Mia, now that we've cleared the air, can you tell Noah to please go back to LA?
00:41:20
Speaker
He and Kyle had a pretty intense dance-off at the end of the concert we were at, and now I'm watching them trying to one-up each other outside of the car. I feel like I'm third-wheeling on my own trip.
00:41:31
Speaker
Wait, what? Noah is in Vegas right now, with you and Kyle? Oh, I thought you knew. yeah he got here an hour ago, and he kept pestering us to tell you I'm okay, which is why I called you as soon as we got out of the show.
00:41:46
Speaker
Dance-off, bro. I just don't even know how to process this. A dance-off. Wow. There are influences and it's a gay drama. Of course, there's a dance-off for the EDM concert.
00:42:02
Speaker
If only the crew had been there to like, capture that as well and build it into the show because I couldn't wait to see the fan edits of that with just ending with, and now kiss. Oh, they absolutely would be, yeah.
00:42:17
Speaker
So this is so funny. For the K-drama adaptation, of course it's a dance-off. Mia then calls Noah and is like, why are you in Vegas? You were upset and i wanted to help.
00:42:28
Speaker
Mia says it's the nicest thing anyone has ever done for her. Noah says he's reconciled with Kyle and Kyle's not as bad as he thought he was. And we get the quote, now do you believe that I like you? End quote.
00:42:40
Speaker
Noah's a little bit more direct here than Fitzwilliam Darcy, but it still works. Mia replies there's something Noah needs to know about her before they start anything, and he should watch tomorrow's episode. Oh, okay.
00:42:55
Speaker
Final episode of The Cuffing Game begins with Mia doing a confessional-style interview, and Mia admits she has a crush on Noah. She's inserting herself into the show. Ooh.
00:43:07
Speaker
Oh, bold move. Give the people what they want though. The fan-edited people is what they want. This is true. He's leaning into the ratings. Mia admits that she wrote the show because of her crush on Noah, and then she apologizes on camera for pushing him away. Apparently chatting to him the night before was not good enough.
00:43:28
Speaker
While waiting for the live stream to begin, Mia re-watches the completed episodes and realises how often Noah and her are looking at each other. Her family then FaceTime her and give her a pep talk before the finale.
00:43:41
Speaker
Turns out they've all been watching the show, including her disapproving parents, and they've loved every second. Aww, that's really sweet. Kind of weird, but sweet. Just like the Bennets.
00:43:52
Speaker
Yeah, pretty much. Everyone's dressed up in formal attire for the finale, and there are so many people watching. The audience vote for their favourite couple and they're about to announce the winner when a loud voice yells, WAIT!
00:44:05
Speaker
And of course, it's Noah, running up the beach. He asks Mia to join him and says she's amazing and caring and even though it's weird she made a whole TV show to avoid talking about her feelings, he gets it because he's been a jerk from the start. Noah then asks Mia to formally cuff with him. They do so and then kiss in front of the live stream.
00:44:26
Speaker
I mean, cute, but also the implication of cuffing is that you're going to break up. I think the real world definition of cuffing, yes. But in the show, it's supposed to be like couples. So for the conceit of the show, it's fine. I'll allow it.
00:44:41
Speaker
Noah steps to the side, Mia announces the winners, and then the live stream ends. Noah asks if he can steal Mia away. He reaffirms that he meant everything that he said publicly.
00:44:51
Speaker
Now listeners, Stephanie and I are quite different in some ways, but we're also very similar in others. The book ends with the following dialogue, and I have pulled together a few key quotes that Stephanie is going to read. And I feel like Steph is going to have the same reaction to this that I did, so she has to read it out loud
Conclusion: Love Language and Relationship Sealing
00:45:08
Speaker
too.
00:45:08
Speaker
This starts just after Noah says he's committed to trying to make their relationship work, even though he's graduating soon and might be returning to Seoul. Before Mia could respond, Noah ran his hand through Zaheer.
00:45:21
Speaker
God, he said, we literally just kissed for the first time and I'm talking logistics. Not exactly sexy. Should I just shut up and take my shirt off? Mia snickered. The real Noah was definitely not the unobtainable devil-may-care boy from his social media.
00:45:37
Speaker
But he was perfect. Or at least perfect for Mia. What are you talking about? She asked. Logistics are so sexy. They're practically my love language. And Melinda's put in an editor note, then they kiss.
00:45:50
Speaker
I want to give this my all too, Mia finally said. I'll create a shared calendar for us. Noah leaned closer, peering up at her from underneath his dark eyelashes. In a low voice, he said, Okay, you were right.
00:46:03
Speaker
Logistics are sexy. Okay, considering how much taller he is, the mental image of him trying to get at an angle so he can look up at her from underneath his eyelashes I had the same thought. We ignore that part.
00:46:16
Speaker
we We're going to ignore that part, but I just had to call it because knew you would be thinking the same thing. Why? Why do all of these books, after they fall in love over just seven days, why do they all end up as like serious long distance relationships? Long distance relationships are really hard.
00:46:36
Speaker
No. oh my God. they may not be long distance. That hasn't actually been figured out yet. They just know he's about to graduate. I think there's so much more detail that I could not go into. Like this conversation does go on for several pages. But yes, there is a chance he'll have to go back to Seoul because that's where he's from. He can't just stay if he's graduated. So they have some stuff to figure out.
00:46:59
Speaker
Visas, also not very sexy. But logistics are sexy. I thought you'd find that funny. That was the bit I was just in there cackling. I loved it. But that's how it ends.
00:47:10
Speaker
Logistics are sexy. Logistics are sexy. I remember when we were just dating and my husband invited me to have a shared calendar. Really? Extremely sexy. ah Okay. There you go, listeners.
00:47:22
Speaker
Logistics are sexy. now it's time for our rating. For me, this adaptation is not actually Austen. An adaptation we loved but didn't really resemble Pride and Prejudice.
00:47:34
Speaker
Teetering towards, barely tolerable. An adaptation that wasn't my cup of tea, but it might be yours. I want to be clear, this book was fun, but it is very much not my sort of thing.
00:47:46
Speaker
I think this book will have a wide appeal because it's cute and twisty and fun. Having said that, the plot and the characters are not actually Austen. The adaptation elements of Pride and Prejudice are just references here.
00:47:58
Speaker
Yes, Mia has four sisters. Yes, we get a she's barely tolerable scene. There is witty, flirty banter between Mia and Noah. We get a first proposal scene, and yes, we get a half Wickham arc and half Caroline Lydia character, but you could cut most of these references fairly easily. They just don't have a massive impact on the plot trajectory.
00:48:20
Speaker
Mia is a fine Elizabeth. She's sort of prejudiced against Noah because of his popularity and love of mindless short content, but most of that is abandoned to her crush. Noah isn't okay, Darcy. He's not proud, but it's replaced by an extroverted content creator persona, hiding a quieter, more troubled guy underneath.
00:48:38
Speaker
He does, and I'm using air quotes here, save Celine by checking on her after she leaves with Kyle. But Noah actually has a character arc where he grows and learns how his actions impact others. Mia jokingly says these become self-aware by the end. And honestly, that growth makes him more of a Darcy than some of the other Darcy characters we've looked at.
00:48:58
Speaker
Yeah, it certainly seems like it. I agree. It sort of like nods at Pride and Prejudice rather than adapts it. Particularly because the Bennets are missing. And again, strong female relationships.
00:49:10
Speaker
There are a couple of those in the production team, but they're not massive. And our third main character is Selene. She's an influencer who has a crush on a guy. They go out on a couple of dates, but she realises he's different and lets him go. She does turn into a mean girl towards the end to be more like Caroline, but her time with Kyle turns her into a Lydia as well.
00:49:30
Speaker
This is a fun YA romance with a brief Frenemies to Lover's arc, some queer representation, and lots of fun, juicy drama. And the Pride and Prejudice parts feel more like fun references, kind of like what happens in the novel Bridget Jones's Diary as a callback.
00:49:46
Speaker
And that's it. We hope you enjoyed this episode of Jane Austen Remixed. We love exploring this wonderful corner of the literary world with you. Please share the podcast with your friends, family, literary fans, and other Janeites. And we would love it if you could leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you are listening.
00:50:02
Speaker
This helps us reach other fans of Pride and Prejudice and build our community. You can follow us on Instagram at Jane Austen Remixed. And if you have a question or a suggestion for a book, movie, or something you'd like us to review,
00:50:15
Speaker
Drop us a line. You can email us at janeaustenremixed at gmail.com. Join us in two weeks as we examine The Shadow of Anubis by Adele Dixon.
00:50:26
Speaker
And now, Melinda, it's time for the most important question of the podcast. Does this Darcy dive into a lake? Does the hot tub proposal scene count?
00:50:39
Speaker
Noah is shirtless in that hot tub and Mia joins him in the water fully clothed, so she probably has a wet shirt. Anyway, regardless, water, abs, wet clothing, it counts. Also, as a bonus tidbit, there is a reference to the hand flex in the 2005 movie, but you'll have to read the book yourself to find that one.
00:50:57
Speaker
Oh, cliffhanger. See you next episode.
00:51:33
Speaker
you