The Trainee 1×04 Review: “Backup Files”

I think we’ve truly got a great series in The Trainee. The acting is fantastic and the storytelling is great. “Backup Files” continues to deliver, as our interns get themselves into yet another pickle.

“Backup Files” showcases the excellent (not really) teamwork of our intrepid interns. Pah comes to Pie and Ryan to ask for help with the invoices. Pah tries to help rescue the hard drive when Ba-Mhee makes Tae drop it. And they all come together with a plan to fix the drive without anyone finding out what happened. That they’re unsuccessful really doesn’t matter. Even with their differences, they can come together when necessary.

Unfortunately, it seems that their first instinct is to hide their mistake rather than come clean. (Except for Tae, who kept insisting that he admit he broke the drive.) I kept having to remind myself that it was still only the fourth day (really, I hope there are some time skips at some point, I’ll explain later). Still, one would think that after what Pie did in the previous episode – which was only the day before – that she at least would understand the importance of being honest.

However, zany hijinks are a vital component of a workplace series, and “Backup Files” gives us that. Pie’s scenario involves a knockout drug and scanning their way into a room, which Pah points out sounds more like Mission Impossible than anything helpful. But then Pah’s plan – which they end up implementing – isn’t any less of a spy plot. It involves Pah masquerading as Tae while Tae takes the drive out to be repaired and the others run interference, especially with Jane, who has been waiting for the drive.

The others worry that Tae will lose his internship if he comes clean, and then he’ll never get the chance to fulfill his dream. I can fully understand this belief, particularly among students who don’t have much work experience yet. It’s admirable that they want to do everything they can so that Tae doesn’t have to admit that he broke something important. But it’s also vital that they understand that everyone makes mistakes, and covering it up is worse in the long run.

I’ve highlighted before how Jane is an amazing mentor, particularly to Ryan, who needs more help than the others. But I think it’s important to note how great the other mentors are as well. Judy is patient and indulgent with Ba-Mhee, even allowing her to run an errand to the editing room so that she can see Tae. However, she’s not afraid to lecture her – kindly – when the occasion calls for it. And Wan explains to Pah and Tae that the reason he’s angry is not because they broke the drive, but because they didn’t go to their mentors for help. Even Baimon is kind when he talks to Pie about her mistake with the extra.

But I am still kind of side-eying this company in the first place for giving interns important tasks without any direction. Yes, “deliver the hard drive to Jane” was a simple instruction, and it was only Ba-Mhee being a nuisance that caused the problem in the first place. But earlier in the episode, when Pah was coming to Pie and Ryan for help with the invoices – why was the intern filling out the invoices, and having to ask the other interns for help? I wouldn’t let someone who had only been on the job for four days fill out invoices.

We get to see some different dynamics in “Backup Files”. I feel that the best by far is the girl bonding that we got with Pie and Ba-Mhee. Ba-Mhee was particularly annoying in this episode, with the way she whined at Tae about taking his vitamins. It would be so easy to make a character like that a mean girl. But she was so laudatory of Pie, telling her how talented she was, when Pie confessed that she was afraid she was going to get fired. And both girls stood up for each other with the creepy guy from the props department.

That scene, where the creepy guy was harassing them, was one of my favorites of the episode. Behavior like that is still so normalized in media but also in real life, and I loved that Pie and Ba-Mhee confronted it. Given the fact that they were trying to hide a mistake so as not to lose their jobs, I can understand if they would have been afraid to call that kind of behavior out. It can be terrifying to do, especially when you’re an intern and you have no real power. Kudos to the rest of the props team for backing them up and apologizing for their coworker.

As for Ryan and Jane, they didn’t have much interaction in this episode, but you can see them clearly laying the groundwork for their relationship. I loved Ryan giggling at Jane’s acting; I think Ryan is already sort of crushing on Jane – especially after last week – but something like this, which humanizes Jane, will go a long way towards further developing his feelings.

And of course, they have a typical romcom moment in the closet, when they find themselves face to face in close quarters. They even have a kabedon moment that naturally gets interrupted. I’m fully aware that this is going to be a slow burn, as their current working relationship needs to be navigated carefully, which is why I’m hoping that we get some time skips in the future. If this whole series takes place over 10 days, I’m not going to be able to buy such a dramatic shift between Ryan and Jane.

I have seen some complaints that “Backup Files” was a filler episode. Back in my day, filler episodes were important because they offered necessary character development. I can understand, with such a short episode run, wanting to move the plot along. But I’m actually enjoying seeing these characters grow. I can understand how it might feel repetitive to see the interns screw up each episode, but every time, they learn a different lesson.

Without episodes like this, we wouldn’t get to see the interns growing closer. I thought Pie was annoyed by Ryan, as he clearly doesn’t know anything about the job yet seems to be getting the opportunities she wants. But after her meeting with Baimon and Jane, where she learned they wanted her to fully assist Jane on a shoot, she immediately went and hugged him. And Ryan was so excited on her behalf.

Plus, we got a very important moment where Pie was honest about her motivations in the previous episode. She was annoyed because she felt shafted, and she thought she knew best and didn’t bother to check with anyone. I appreciate that she was self-aware enough to know that’s why she did what she did, and also that she was honest enough to admit it to her supervisors. It gave Baimon and Jane the opportunity to remind her about the importance of teamwork, which is something I’ve mentioned that she seems to lack.

I do wish the episodes were longer. “Backup Files” was only like 44 minutes; it felt way too short! They are packing a lot into these episodes, but there are only ten total. I’m trusting that the team knows what they’re doing. So far the pacing has been great, although as I said, I’m really going to need them to skip ahead a bit. Just for my sanity, if nothing else.

Author: Jamie Sugah

Jamie has a BA in English with a focus in creative writing from The Ohio State University. She self-published her first novel, The Perils of Long Hair on a Windy Day, which is available through Amazon. She is currently an archivist and lives in New York City with her demon ninja vampire cat. She covers television, books, movies, anime, and conventions in the NYC area.

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