Link Click – Season 1 Episode 2 Recap & Review

Secret Recipe

Link Click Episode 2 opens to their new job. Restaurant partners split after 10 years, now with opposing plans for the future. The guys are tasked with identifying the secret recipe that one has kept hidden from the other. Xiaoshi ponders whether he and Lu Guang would ever break their friendship over a disagreement. Then he dives into client Yu Xia’s body in year one of the partnership.

Lin Zhen makes noodles and Xiaoshi tries to discern the secret ingredient but he’s disrupted by a delivery. When they dine, Xiaoshi instantly falls in love with the dish, but can’t place the refreshing flavour. It’s the end of the night, so the guys decide to try another photo, diving into a later time period. But another fail. And then another. Xiaoshi begins to get frustrated and fed up with noodles.

He then dives into Lin Zhen’s body, the moment when they split as partners. The women argue and Xiaoshi heads home, still without answers. He looks through Lin Zhen’s phone seeking clues and a chat with the taxi driver gives him an idea. Qiao Ling reports the potential secret ingredient to client Yu Xia. She immediately recognises it once it’s said. Mission complete.

Xiaoshi craves the unique noodle taste and as the guys find a photo left behind from the mission, against Lu Guang’s judgement, he forcibly dives into the photo for a taste. As university roommates, the women talk about opening a noodle shop together someday, wanting to work together and share fabulous food with others.

It’s Yu Xia who brings the secret ingredient out of her own bag, something brought from home. She notes that the flavour is meant to evoke memories. Meanwhile, in the present, Yu Xia heads home for a visit to her family – where she’d originally gotten the ingredient. And there she finds her friend Lin Zhen, who’s gone back to the beginning.

The Episode Review

In episode 2, we’re gifted a little more on how the Time Photo Studio works. There’s a ‘script’ that Xiaoshi must follow. But if Lu Guang isn’t involved in the dive, Xiaoshi is without support. Additionally, Lu Guang can read through presumably 12 hours from the photo moment onward to identify clues. With that, he’s able to guide Xiaoshi to find whatever information they’re seeking.

As they satisfy another customer, Xiaoshi contemplates friendship and whether he and Lu Guang will always remain close. He prods Lu Guang, saying he should never lie to him to maintain their relationship. But from what happened in episode 1, we know there are things Lu Guang can’t and won’t tell Xiaoshi, for his own good. But will Xiaoshi see it that way? As he takes a little something from each of his dives, how will he evolve?

Compared to the first chapter, this round seems less intense. But I suppose there’s no accounting for the client’s wishes. Maybe Lu Guang was relieved to get something a little less harrowing. While the light-hearted Xiaoshi plays, it’s Lu Guang who holds the responsibility of getting him through each mission and out safely. As much as Xiaoshi may be impacted by the memories he gains, it’s Lu Guang who carries each mission’s weight.