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(Written May 15, 2025)
Well, that last episode was brutal. Losing Lee Know was tough, but we knew he was coming back. I just thought he’d come back before we also lost Felix. With both of them gone, this just doesn’t feel like Stray Kids anymore.
I think our remaining seven feel the same way. We open Episode 9 with them practicing, and
their hearts just don’t seem to be in it.
The energy in the room feels down.
Then we get a visitor. Oh, goodie, it’s JYP again. I’m guessing he thought of some more ways to
destroy this group and make Bang Chan regret his life choices. By all means, JYP, get to it.
He’s here to tell the boys about their final mission. It will be a live broadcast in which the audience and viewers will give their feedback and opinions. Hey, that’s a great idea! Let’s start now. As a viewer, I’d like to offer the opinion that JYP’s hair looks like he styled it with a police taser. There. Was that helpful?
JYP says this performance will help him determine the final members for debut. We already know nine members will debut, so this will be the mission where the audience tells him to bring Lee Know and Felix back, and maybe buy a comb. (Sorry, I’m just really pissed off.)
The man finally leaves, and the boys get to work. They have to reorganize the “YAYAYA” choreo for seven members. It won’t be easy because Felix had a lot of parts in this performance, including being the group’s Center. For new K-pop fans who don’t know what a Center is, walk up to any bookcase loaded down with books and just yank out one of the shelves. See that mess? THAT’S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU REMOVE THE CENTER FROM A K-POP GROUP, MR. JYP.
The group assigns Changbin to
handle Felix’s part, including the difficult dance sequence that almost made
him fall. Changbin tries it and almost
falls. They try several more times, and
he keeps losing his balance. He tries to
stay positive, saying, “Even if I fall during the live broadcast, I’ll just
keep going like nothing’s wrong.” Um,
Changbin? That’s exactly what Felix did,
and look where it got him.
They try the choreo again from the beginning, and it’s a mess of spilled books. They bump into each other. Changbin keeps falling. After every big move, they have to scramble to find their places in the formation. Despite his best intentions, JYP wound up sabotaging his new boy group.
Bang Chan is frustrated. He’s still dealing with the guilt of losing two members. He tells the others they will just have to practice more to make this work. As Seungmin tells us in a confessional, seven people now need to make the same energy as nine people.
My heart is breaking for Bang Chan. When he does a confessional, he can’t even
look up.
He’s hunched over, weighed down with the guilt of convincing two trainees to take a chance on his boy group project, only to see them get kicked out. We the viewers know it’s not really his fault, but try telling that to a devoted group leader. We saw Shownu do the same thing on No Mercy. Willingness to take the blame is the mark of a solid leader.
We cut to the next day, when Bang Chan is working alone on music samples. He’s interrupted by a visitor. Hey, it’s BamBam from GOT7! We saw him at the concert in the last episode.
BamBam convinces Bang Chan to
take a break and grab some lunch. It’s a
beautiful day outside. We learn that the
two used to train together and would sneak out to go skateboarding. They reminisce for a while. It’s great to see Bang Chan relaxed and
happy. We’ve rarely seen him like this
on the show.
I’m surprised when BamBam says he was supposed to debut with Bang Chan, but then he went into a battle contest with YG Entertainment and wound up debuting right after that. I had no idea. If the YG battle hadn’t happened, would BamBam have been recruited into the Stray Kids project?
After a few minutes of
playful banter, BamBam asks how Stray Kids are doing. Bang Chan tries to stay upbeat, but he
confesses that he feels the weight of responsibility as a leader.
“What kind of team do you want to become?” BamBam asks.
“A team that can do everything by ourselves,” is the response. Bang Chan also wants the group to be one as a family and get along well, but he’s worried that it’s not working out. He thinks it might get easier after the debut, but the more experienced GOT7 member tells him that will NOT be the case.
BamBam is giving us some insight into what this business is like, and he’s giving Bang Chan a lot to think about. He’s also probably given Bang Chan his first dose of sunlight and healthy food in weeks. I don’t see a single Coke can on that table, although for some reason, the un-labeled food is still blurred out.
Back at the JYP building, Seungmin meets with a vocal trainer. We find out he’s one of her most diligent students, consistently doing his physical and vocal exercises and keeping a journal of his progress. I love this kid.
Seungmin sings the Shawn Mendes song “Stitches” for his coach. I’ve said this before – I love his expressive voice. He and I.N are my favorite singers in the group. The coach calls Seungmin’s voice “warm,” and I agree. When he hits the low notes, it’s like velvet.
In another part of the
building, Woojin is also doing vocal exercises.
He’s worried that his voice has been unstable lately. He was almost eliminated after the concert
because of it. Thankfully, he’s drinking
a lot of water instead of Coke. I’m
sorry, but a soda company should not be sponsoring a show about a singing
group. Soda is terrible for the vocal
cords. It’s like when the candy M&Ms
was the official snack food of the Olympic Games. Just … no.
In his vocal class, Woojin sings the Adam Levine song “Lost Stars,” which I’m only bringing up because I love that song. It’s on the soundtrack of one of my favorite movies, Begin Again. It stars Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo, and I HIGHLY recommend it. The movie is a love song to music and musicians. On an unrelated note, Adam Levine himself plays a complete jerk in the movie. I’m not implying anything there. (Side note: I’m totally implying something there.)
Next up, we check in on Hyunjin. It’s not even 5am. He’s wearing his school uniform. I’ve said this in so many of my recaps – when do these trainees find time to do schoolwork?
We learn that he practices until 2-3am, and then at 5am, he takes the first subway and then a bus to school. I’ll say it again: I do not remotely have what it takes to be a K-pop trainee.
And, of course, we get this
mandatory shot:
Drink more water, guys! Seriously. Soda triggers acid reflux, which damages the vocal cords. Yes, I’m drinking root beer right now. I’m a writer, not a K-pop artist. Piss off.
I.N also takes a vocal class. Another gorgeous singing voice. Between his vocals and that adorable face, I can’t believe he was actually threatened with elimination on this show.
We also get a really sweet
moment when I.N calls his mother with the good news of his improvement on the
show. True to parental form, her first
question is if he’s been eating enough.
She also says, “After every episode of the show, your aunt always calls
me, asking why they’re always yelling at our Jeonginie.” I love this woman.
I.N’s mom then puts his dad on the line, and the first words out of his mouth are, “Have you eaten?” Then he asks if his son has enough money. Both his parents tell him to work hard and listen to the hyungs (his fellow bandmates). The show gives us a photograph of his family. I hope that pop idol fame and fortune hasn’t changed I.N from the sweet, kind-hearted person I see on this show.
Back at the JYP practice
rooms, GOT7’s JB and Jinyoung stop by to help with the choreo.
The date of the broadcast is getting closer. On top of all the rehearsals and vocal training and going to school, the group is also working on a new song called “Young Wings.” Our GOT7 boys tell them the choreo needs to be more dramatic than what they’re seeing now. I personally think the problem is that the choreo is missing two group members, but what do I know?
Now we go to the JYP head
office, where the boys enter a recording studio to record “Young Wings.” I always like watching these recording
segments. Getting the vocals down
exactly right is way harder than it looks.
From the recording studio, the show suddenly wants to take us back a few days. We’re getting big, dramatic music. Something is happening. We zoom in on the JYP building and find the man himself waiting at a conference table.
With the increasingly loud and intense music, I expect no less than the President of South Korea and his entire Cabinet to enter the room. For their sake, I hope they bring earplugs.
The door opens. Two people walk in. They are – OH MY GOD.
Sorry – I fell off my
chair. It’s Felix and Lee Know,
everybody! Felix and Lee Know are back!
I just want to hug them and
ask if they’ve eaten and if they have enough money. Sorry – I’ll calm down. Let’s see why they’re here.
JYP tells them he knows they’ve been working very hard since they were eliminated. He says, “I thought a lot about it. After you two got out, there’s something about what all nine are doing, it feels different.”
Yeah, no kidding. I’ve noticed that as well. So this means JYP is putting them back in the group, right?
Not so fast. He’s giving them a second chance, but he still has to decide if the group is going to debut. At the final broadcast, he wants to see the whole group of nine perform. Put a pin in this for now.
“As such, you may get one more chance,” he tells them, “or cruelly, you’ll have to suffer through this upsetting experience again.”
Now we cut back to the very
beginning of this episode, when JYP is telling the remaining seven about the
broadcast mission. We see footage we
weren’t shown before of JYP telling them that Felix and Lee Know are being
given a second chance. Then he opens the
door, and our nine are reunited.
As always, JYP has to be a buzzkill. He tells the boys to prepare a 7-member and a 9-member stage for the final broadcast. After watching both, he’ll decide on the final members. Remember that pin? Let’s jab JYP in the face with it.
He leaves the room. Once he’s safely gone, the room explodes with
joy.
Bang Chan is more cautiously
optimistic. He’s been given a second
chance to keep this whole group together, and he’s determined to make it
happen.
Now we cut back to the
recording studio session. Felix and Lee
Know join the group. The room is getting
very crowded.
We end on this happy scene. And given that we already know how this ends, we can enjoy the finale even more. We have so much to look forward to in the 10th and final episode!
I’m excited. I may even get a light stick. See you at the live broadcast finale!
Episode 10 (FINALE): from the start, it’s been all ours
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