I-Land, Episode 5: Failure to Communicate

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(Written October 17, 2024)

We ended the last episode on a cliffhanger, but Episode 5 begins with Namgoong Min giving us important information.  Millions of people around the world have been watching this show, and starting at midnight after this episode airs, they will all vote to narrow down the field to twelve candidates.

Okay, that clears something up for me.  All this time, I thought that if the dropouts win the current test, and six  I-Landers get kicked out, those six will be eliminated from the show.  Turns out they will just be sent to the Ground, and the worldwide vote will decide who gets cut.  But then Namgoong Min says six people will be saved by the global viewer vote.  So … that will leave six trainees at the I-Land, and then there will be seventeen trainees at the Ground, and the voters will decide to save six, which is how we get to the final twelve.  Hey, I did math!

Now we get a recap of the last episode.  The vocal teams competed, and the I-Landers got a score of 81.  We were waiting for the dropouts’ score, and Daniel had broken down from the stress.  Now, the Ground score is revealed.  It’s 74.  Geonu and Heeseung have won the vocal competition for the I-Land.  But this is just the first part.  The vocal scores will be added to the dance scores to determine the overall winner.

The reps from both teams hug it out.  It’s a sweet moment, and I hope that Daniel’s okay.

Now the dancers get ready to compete.  The Ground team is going first:  Ni-Ki, Nicholas, and Jaeho.    After everything he’s been through, I really hope Jaeho stands out here.  It’s up to these three to give the dropouts a higher score and maybe win this thing.

It’s insane. It’s wild.  One of them does a back flip I’m sure they had to sign a lot of insurance release forms for before the show would let them do.  Then there’s a sky-high jump, and I’m starting to think these guys are genetically part bird.  The whole routine is thrilling, scary, and crazy fun to watch.

Let’s see if the I-Landers can beat that without winding up in the hospital.  Our dancers are Jungwon, K, and Sunghoon, who is replacing Jay.  I’m guessing the reason Jay dropped out is because the coaches ignored him at the midpoint check.  That must have shattered his confidence and made him drop out, thinking he wasn’t good enough.  He has to think of the team.  They have a winning score to defend.

But not yet.  Everyone, from the coaches to the other members of the Ground watching on their practice room monitor, are buzzing, wondering why Sunghoon has replaced Jay.  Does nobody talk to each other on this show?

Rain asks the other coaches why Jay dropped out.   Son Sung Deuk doesn’t know, saying the original lineup with Jay was perfect.  Then why didn’t you tell him that at the midpoint check?  Every single person on this show needs to take some Dale Carnegie-level communication skills training before we go any further.

We flash back to the evening after the I-Landers’ midpoint check.  They’re watching the Ground dance rehearsal on the big living room screen.  Jay, who is still one of the dance reps at this point, tells the others he’s nervous because Ni-Ki is really good.  His team goes back into their practice room.

Jay is having trouble learning a jump that Jungwon is trying to teach him.  He keeps falling over on the landing.  I know Jay can do better than this and has probably gotten rattled watching the Ground rehearsal.  He keeps practicing, and he finally lands on both feet, but he’s landing really hard.  Jungwon is worried that he’s going to hurt himself.

Sunghoon, who was a figure skater for eleven years, is watching.  He gives it a try and nails it.  He practically floats in the air for the spin and lands lightly and easily on both feet.

Jay is getting frustrated, and I’m starting to understand his temperament because I get frustrated easily when I can’t figure something out.  He’s actually starting to feel pain in his feet from the hard landings. 

Our dance trio keeps practicing while Sunghoon practices on his own on the other side of the room.  All the dropouts notice that he’s doing better than Jay.  K is concerned.  He’s the dance team leader and realizes he’s going to have to make a tough decision.  

K leaves in the middle of practice and runs upstairs to talk to Seon.  I check my notes and remember that Sunghoon and Jay came into this show in the same unit.  K tells Seon that Jay just isn’t able to get the steps.  Why isn’t he talking to Jay about this directly?  Why can no one on this show COMMUNICATE DIRECTLY WITH EACH OTHER?

K tells Seon he thinks Sunghoon should replace Jay.  They run back down to the practice room together, and here’s where I think K is going to have Seon talk with Jay, because maybe he’s better at difficult situations like this.  But no.  Instead, Seon takes Sunghoon aside and tells him, “K wants you to be one of the dance reps.”  I feel like I’m back in middle school, where girls would send their friends to tell someone they were mad at them.  What is wrong with these people?

Sunghoon is worried about what Jay will say.  If this were Jersey Shore, here’s where they would write Jay an anonymous note and hide it in his underwear drawer.  Instead, Seon suggests having all the I-Landers take a vote.  If that doesn’t work, I’m guessing the next step will be to bring in the coaches and the film crew and Namgoong Min and Wonderkid and Jay’s parents and random passers-by, anyone other than JAY HIMSELF.  Just sit down with Jay and discuss this!  You’re all adults, right?  (checking notes)  Yes!  All four of you are over eighteen years old!  ACT LIKE ADULTS!

Thankfully, before getting all the I-Landers involved, just the four of them meet in the practice room.  Now maybe we’ll get somewhere.  But no, all four of them go through the choreo again while I throw my notebook at the wall.  Then Jay and Sunghoon keep dancing while K and Seon stand outside the door and anguish over the decision they have to make.  Guys, we’re still in a flashback right now.  Can we PLEASE move this along?

Finally, with only 20 hours until test day, all the I-Landers gather in the practice room.  At least eight of these twelve people do not need to be a part of this.  For some reason, Seon is leading the meeting.  K, you are 24 years old and the leader of the dance team.  Why aren’t YOU leading the meeting?

It also looks like Jay is being blindsided.  I hate this.  He looks like he wants to sink into the floor and vanish.  This sounds really mean, but I’m glad Jay wins in the end and K and Seon don’t.

Jay tells us in a voiceover that he feels like his team is trying to get rid of him.  Hang in there, Jay.  I know this sucks, but you’ll get through it.

Sunghoon tells us in a voiceover that he can’t look at Jay right now, because, and I’m quoting here, “Jay has too much pride.”  JAY has too much pride?  You think JAY has too much pride?  How about the THREE OF YOU have too little MATURITY, COMPASSION, and RESPECT for Jay, not to mention the COURAGE to face a situation head-on?  THIS IS NOT JAY’S FAULT, YOU SPINELESS LITTLE SH – 

(quietly seething)  okay.  let’s get this flashback over with.

Everyone agrees that Jay and Sunghoon should audition.  Jay snaps, “Why are you guys overreacting like this?”  YES.  THANK YOU.  The others say the fate of the group depends on this dance team, and Jay responds, “It’s not a big deal.  If it changes, then it changes.”  With this attitude, if K had just talked to him in the first place, this whole thing would have been resolved hours ago.

They do their auditions.  Jay stumbles on some of the key moves.  We already know he’s going to be replaced, so I’m just going to try to get through the rest of this flashback without punching my computer screen.

Sunghoon does better, everyone votes, Sunghoon replaces Jay.  In a confessional, Jay rubs his eyes in frustration and says, “Of course I’m disappointed.  I’m human.  But I accept it.”  He says that not accepting it won’t get him on that stage.  He then goes and hugs it out with K, and then he mentors Sunghoon by teaching him the choreo and making sure he’s ready for the performance. 

I don’t think I have a bias in Enhypen, but Jay is the one I understand the most.

Now we finally leave the flashback and return to the stage.  Time for K, Jungwon, and Sunghoon to perform.

They do a good job, but they’re not as acrobatic as the dropouts.  It just looks like a series of regular breakdancing moves.  I was able to get some really good, action-packed screenshots from the Ground performance.  The I-Landers just weren’t as exciting.

When they’re done, both dance teams take the stage, and the announcer tells us we’re about to get the final score for each team, combining the dance and vocal parts.  The I-Land’s total is 154.  The Ground gets 139.     I call no way.  I know I’m fed up with the I-Landers after that flashback, but the dropouts’ dance performance was clearly better.  It was more exciting and daring.  The I-Landers didn’t do anything special.  Put a pin in this for now.

It’s official.  The I-Landers win, so no one gets eliminated.  We’re almost halfway through this series.  It’s time for some people to go.

The announcer tells everyone they will learn about the next test in two hours.  Both teams are told to return to their living quarters.  At the Ground facility, the dropouts are puzzled because they know their choreo was better, and I agree.  Then I go on Reddit and find that most viewers disagree.  The general consensus is that the I-Landers were better and deserved to win.

The Ground reps return to their facility in the pouring rain.  Daniel is still very sad.  All five reps are angry and upset with themselves.  Their Ground-mates greet them with cheers and hugs, which is sweet.  I like the spirit of the Ground facility.  No matter which trainees are staying there, it’s always a scrappy bunch.  They’re already looking forward to the next test.  They’re determined to win this time.

Suddenly, Rain and Zico show up at the Ground.  This is a surprise.  They tell the dropouts they did a great job and not to feel defeated.  Rain sees that Ni-Ki is crying and tells him it’s not over yet.  He gives the reps constructive criticism on their performances.  Hearing his feedback, I get why the I-Land won the dance part.  I got distracted by the acrobatics.  The I-Landers were doing choreography, and the dropouts were more like showing off.

Rain tells Ni-Ki to channel his frustration and disappointment into winning next time.  He wishes them well and leaves.  Taeyong is starstruck because this was his first time meeting Rain.  He and Rain have never crossed paths on this show because of how some trainees keep moving back and forth between the Ground and the I-Land.

Now it’s finally time for the announcement of the fourth test.  Everyone in both facilities gathers around their screens.  The fourth test is called The Final Twelve.  Finally, we are getting some cuts.  Proceed.

This test will determine the final twelve members.  Only these final twelve will be able to go on to compete to be in the final band.  I really hope that these twelve will all be staying at the I-Land because I’m tired of keeping track of the whereabouts of each trainee.  My tracking chart is up to nine pages as I write this.

The evaluations won’t just be done by the coaches.  From what I understand of this, I-Landers will be voting as well.  Viewers around the world will also be voting.  Three trainees will be eliminated by I-Lander vote, and three by the coaches.  So a total of six will be eliminated.  Wait, that leaves seventeen.

Okay, so it looks like maybe the dropouts will face the same process.  I’m still figuring this out.  The rules for each mission usually aren’t very clear in the beginning.  I feel a little better when I see that the I-Landers are also confused and trying to figure out how this will work.  I’ll be along for the ride with the rest of them.

Namgoong Min appears again, but the rules still don’t make sense when he explains it because he’s just repeating what the announcer says. 

Speaking of which, we go back to the announcer voice.  The I-Landers are sitting around the giant egg timer.  Now we learn the song for this mission.  It’s an original song written for this show, which is a bummer.  I was hoping for another BTS song.  Nope.  This song is called … (heavy sigh) … “I&credible.”  That’s how it’s spelled.  With an ampersand.  This song title is going to be a pain “&” the ass to type, so I’ll just call it the Mission Four Song from now on.

Bang Si Hyuk is back in the control room with Rain and Zico, so I’m guessing he either wrote or produced this song.  Nice job, sir.  Aren’t you supposed to bring BTS on this show at some point?

The trainees see a demonstration video of the choreo, and everyone wants the 5^th part because it gets a lot of solo work.  Vocally, Part 1 has a lot of lines, along with being the Center.  Tension is rising among the trainees.  This isn’t just a fight to avoid being sent to the Ground.  This is a fight for survival.  But there’s a flip side.  More responsibility and attention means a bigger chance of messing up.

After some discussion and voting, K gets the 1^st Part/Center for the I-Land.  Kyungmin, who keeps raising his hand for every single part as they vote, winds up getting Part 12.  He has to know the writing is on the wall for him.  

Now we go to the Ground as they figure out the parts for their team.  Interesting, Ni-Ki doesn’t put up his hand to be considered for the 1^st Part/Center.  In a confessional, he tells us he doesn’t think he’ll be a good fit for that part, and that if he gives up that part, the whole team will give a better performance.

Are we SURE this is Ni-Ki?  Is this the start of his redemption arc?  Did losing the Rep Test humble him a bit?

Hanbin gets the 1^st Part/Center for the Ground.  That’s an odd choice, but okay.  He’s been at the Ground for the entire series and hasn’t stood out much except for when he almost replaced Jaeho on the Rep Test.  Sunoo has actually made it to the I-Land once and did an amazing job performing “Butterfly” in the Rep Test.  But we’re going with Hanbin.

Back up at the I-Land, they’re discussing the important Part 5.  Jay, who’s been beaten down so many times already, wants that part.  Five of the I-Landers want that part.  Everyone votes, and Jungwon gets it.  As disappointed as I am for Jay, this makes sense.  Jungwon has been a top scorer on previous tests and just helped win the Rep Test for the I-Land.

Now the Ground team votes on the Part 5 person.  And I’m happy that Ta-Ki gets it.  He wanted that part so badly.

The Ground team asks Ni-Ki if he wants to be the dance leader, and after some hesitation, he says yes.  I wonder what’s going on with him.  I went on Reddit and found that there was a lot of online hate for him at this point in the show.  The producers may have realized that they’d pushed this 16 year-old’s villain arc too far and were pulling it back.

We return to the I-Land, where our trainees are thrilled to see more clothes added to their wardrobe, which, I’m sorry, still mostly consists of black, white, and gray.  Someone please explain to me what’s so great about this place.

Night passes.  The I-Landers gather in their practice room and talk about the global voting.  Jaebeom points out that the international trainees will have an advantage with the global voting, as fans from their countries will be voting for them. 

Jay wonders if anyone from America will vote for him.  Jake says the people of Australia probably won’t vote.  Fun fact:  I found an old Twitter post from an Australian fan of the show, reminding her fellow Aussies to vote for Jake.  I also found Mnet’s worldwide voting statistics compiled after this episode aired.  The total Australian vote did go to Jake, but the Americans went for Korean American Daniel, who didn’t even make it to the final band.  It would seem that Jay just cannot seem to catch a break, except that Nepal votes went for him.  Has Jay ever been to Nepal?  Why was he a favorite there?

Our Seattle-born trainee is determined to make it to the end.  We see him learning the choreo while the others are still studying the steps on their iPads.  But there’s a problem.  Teamwork has fallen apart.  Since the votes will come in for individuals, everyone is working on their own performances instead of coming together as a group.  The trainees have made the same mistake before on this show.  Rain is going to blow a gasket at the midpoint check.

To make things worse, this is the hardest song of the show so far.  The trainees are struggling to learn it.  Since Jay is learning it so quickly, he starts teaching the others.  Seon starts getting anxious at how long it’s taking him to learn this.

Over at the Ground facility, they’re also stressing over the difficulty of the choreo.  Ni-Ki, who is supposed to be the dance leader, wants to focus on his individual part instead of helping everyone else.  He’s also stressing out.  Trainees will be going home this time.  But without leadership, the other dropouts are starting to argue with each other and go into separate areas to work on their own parts.  Both I-Landers and dropouts are breaking down from the stress.

Taeyong finally confronts Ni-Ki.  He asks if Ni-Ki will lead the team if they all agree to give him time to practice his own part.  Ni-Ki is hesitant.  In a confessional, he tells us, “I feel like I’ve been making only the wrong decisions, so I’m really worried.  I was the Center for the signal song, and the team got a bad score.  I lead the dance for ‘Fire,’ and I tried really hard for the team, but I didn’t make it to the I-Land.  I was a dancer in the Rep Test, but we lost.”

Ni-Ki has completely lost faith in himself, and I can’t be mad at him anymore.  He goes over to Ta-Ki, who still worships him, and explains all this.  Ta-Ki says the team would still be better off if Ni-Ki led them.  Since Ta-Ki hero-worships Ni-Ki, he’s not exactly objective and may have been the wrong person to ask.  Is anyone here still mad at Ni-Ki?  Let’s talk to them instead.

Back at the I-Land, Jay now has all the moves down and is practicing by himself.  The others go to him for help, and he starts working with them.  He seems to have found the right way to split his time.  Still, it’s wearing him out.  Exhausted, he takes a break and runs upstairs to the huge bathroom, where another trainee finds him and asks for his help.  But the good news is that as the others learn, they start teaching others, so Jay can focus on his own part.  It’s a K-pop ripple effect.

I-Lander Jaebeom is still struggling.  He’s feeling hopeless.  Overall, he hasn’t been having the best of luck on this series.  Kyungmin, on the other hand, is modifying his minor dance part so he can stand out more, which might backfire on him. 

Time for the dropouts’ midpoint evaluation with Rain and Son Sung Deuk.  As the two coaches walk over to the Ground facility, Rain admits he feels a tiny bit more attached to the dropouts.  When they arrive, Rain sees Ni-Ki blowing up a balloon as a breathing exercise and gives him a thumbs-up.

Rain asks who their group leader is and is met with a collective shrug.  That tiny bit of extra affection evaporates as Rain scolds them for their lack of confidence and organization.  “What the hell are you guys going?” he demands.

He makes them line up in front of the practice room mirror and look themselves in the eye.  He shows them how spineless they look.  This is a hard lesson, but these guys need it.

Time for the run-through.  Our newly-chastised dropouts get into formation and show Rain the performance.  Overall, he’s impressed.  He works with Ta-Ki on his solo part.  Then he has them run through it again without the music while singing.  He stops them at each mistake and gets into the formation with them, coaching them through it.  This is the most intensive and immersive coaching I’ve seen so far on this show, and it’s fascinating to watch.  It hits me that this is also the best communication I’ve seen on the show so far.

When the midpoint check is over, the dropouts have a lot to think about.  Ni-Ki heads over to the dining area and starts writing.  He then takes his notes back to the practice room and tells everyone to gather round.  He’s decided to step up and be a leader.  He will watch the performance and look for areas of improvement, like Rain did.

The mood in the room changes to hopeful and excited.  Everyone moves with high energy.  Ni-Ki speaks with the kind of authority we haven’t heard from him all series.  He’s also learned to tackle issues head-on and communicate.

And suddenly, it’s D-Day.  We have maybe five minutes left in this episode, so I don’t think we’ll see any actual performances, but let’s at least see these teams get ready.  I wonder why we didn’t see the I-Landers’ midpoint evaluation.  

The coaches are gathered in the control room.  The I-Landers are pacing nervously in front of the giant egg timer.  Then the announcer tells the trainees to report to the stage.  It’s GO time.

The I-Landers take the stage and get into formation. We still have a few minutes left.  Are we actually going to see their performance?

And then suddenly, the screen goes black.  We get text reading, “Two hours after the performance.”

Uh oh.  What happened?

We open on the dark hallway leading from the I-Land to the Ground.  We hear a trainee sobbing.  We cut to the chairs around the giant egg timer, where one trainee holds his head in his hands.  I can’t see his face.  We just know that eliminations have been announced.

Trainees are hugging each other goodbye, but we don’t know who’s actually leaving.  And OH GOODY, WONDERKID IS BACK.  He’s telling the other coaches that one of the trainees is getting out of shape.  Dude, how did you even get back on this panel?

The remaining two minutes are just previews of trainees crying and hugging each other goodbye.  We could have fit an actual performance into this slot.

Wait – we do get one more bit of information.  As the eliminated six trainees head down to the Ground, we are shown the face of one of them.  It’s Seon.  He’s crying.  I feel like I’m watching footage of a horror movie.  Plus, spoilers.  Why are they telling us this now?

I have no idea why the show is edited like this.  All I know is that Part 1 of this series is officially over, and we’ll be down to a final twelve in the next episode, unless they keep not eliminating people and just moving them to a new facility with a name like The Treehouse or The Airport Hanger. 

We’ll sort this out next episode.  See you then.

Episode 6:  Injuries and Ampersands

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