Last week's episode of "Terrace House" made it look like the housemates were on the verge of pairing off into couples: Emika and Ruka; Haruka and Peppe; and Hana and Ryo. The commentators love how harmonious and lovey-dovey the house has become (with the positive mood making their own lives feel stress free). But just as things are settling down, everyone's shot at love is starting to slip away.

The couple I'm rooting for, Hana and Ryo, make some progress, going from cordial to friendly. Hana, who says she is usually petrified when trying to talk to a crush, finally starts to open up with Ryo, bantering with him while shopping and cooking in the kitchen — and without hiding behind any pillows this time! She has a cute moment where she asks Ryo the "amount" of food he wants, using the Japanese word ryō. To someone not paying close attention, this could sound as if Hana is addressing Ryo without using a suffix like -san or -kun, which can come off as rude or overly familiar in Japanese. Hana panics and tries to explain what she meant, but Ryo doesn't seem to care. I think he's more concerned about all the dirty dishes piling up as they make dinner.

Hana's infatuation moves from the kitchen to the basketball court, as we see her in the stands at one of Ryo's games, screaming "Kakkoii!" ("Cool!") throughout the game. But it looks like she's about to have some competition, because there's someone else in the bleachers vying for Ryo's attention: Emika.