The On1y One – Season 1 Episode 2 Recap & Review

Episode 2

Episode 2 of The On1y One begins with Tian getting told off for not doing well in lyrical writing. The teacher says lyrical writing is all about bringing out emotions and Tian has written his like any other matter-of-fact essay.

While talking on the phone, Xie advises Tian to give his difficult math problem to Tian. Since he’s an ‘older brother’, he should be able to solve it. Wang thinks he’ll use the question to break the ice between him and Tian. But when he goes to his bedroom door, he’s not able to knock.

He decides to try again and suddenly finds Tian, shirtless after a shower, standing outside his door. Apparently, Tian heard him walking outside his door. Wang makes an excuse and says he wants his pen back.

In the morning, Auntie Jian gives Wang breakfast. She encourages the boys to talk but Tian rushes off to school. Before leaving, he tells his mother that Ji Huanyu (his father) has sent them money. Wang tells Auntie Jiang that it’s okay, he’s used to being an outsider.

Later we learn that Tian saw Wang holding the exam paper behind his back. He writes the answer to the question on a post-it and hands it to Wang. But also mentions that he should have minded his own business and not called Tian when he was leaving the house that night. Wang crumples up the post-it but second guesses his decision when everybody fawns over Tian getting the right answer.

Afterwards, a classmate tells Wang that the next class is Mandarin, taught by a teacher known as Fortune. The class begins and the teacher praises Wang for his poem and essay in the exam. As opposed to Tian, who she complains writes emotionlessly. When class ends, everyone runs to the cafeteria. Fortune catches Tian correcting his English paper during the class and tells him to see her in her office later.

In the cafeteria, Tianyang teases a female classmate for caring about Wang so much. A flashback shows the class teacher pulling up Qi Jiahao, Wang and Tian for writing the exact same equation for one answer. He suspects them of copying each other but Wang proves that he understands the answer. At present, the female classmate praises Wang for this. The boy named Qi Jiahao seems upset.

Meanwhile, Tian says there won’t be any food left at the cafeteria. He goes to a nearby shop instead and Wang follows. Tian seems to know the shopkeeper and his family well. But he leaves Wang there alone and goes off to eat elsewhere. Wang has his food but then realises he forgot to bring his wallet.

The owner, Uncle Zhao, doesn’t allow him to just leave and calls Tian to pay instead. Zhao makes Wang take Tian’s number down. Tian arrives in a foul mood and pays for the meal. At the same time, Wang gets a friend request from an account which has no name, just a period.

Next, the students have their physical education class. When the teacher is called away, Tian subtly encourages the others to play truth or dare. The game begins and after a couple of rounds, it’s Wang’s turn. He chooses dare and he’s told to kiss the next person that rounds the corner for ten seconds. Of course, that person is Tian.

Taunted by his friends, Wang walks up to Tian and kisses him for the full ten seconds. Tian looks furious. When they get home, Wang tries to explain but Tian slams his door on him. Later, Wang tries to explain and apologise again. He also tells Tian to stop being petty and that the kiss is practically nothing. Tian asks if this is really nothing and then kisses Wang again.

A final scene shows that Tian told the others to play Truth or Dare so that Tian would be included. His comment about being an outsider seems to have got to Tian at the end of The On1y One Episode 2.

The Episode Review

The On1y One Episode 2 continues to bring Wang and Tian closer to each other through a variety of situations — a difficult math problem, the cafeteria being out of food, and the truth or dare game. These are classic tropes generally used to bring people together but the show executes it fairly well. Both actors are doing a great job of portraying Wang’s easy-going nature and Tian’s cold exterior.

The dynamic between the leads is clearly the show’s highlight and what will keep people coming back to the show. The classmates around Wang and Tian make good foils around the two leading characters as well. The pace is a bit slow but so far, The On1y One is on strong footing.