No Mercy: Episode 10: Confetti at a Funeral

Back to Site Table of Contents

(Written on March 28, 2024)

Settle in, class, because we have a LOT to cover today.  It’s the final mission and the reveal of Monsta X.  We’ll find out what happened to those who were cut from the show. We will also learn how this show revealed way more about the Korean psyche than I had expected.  (I had expected none.)  It’s been a lot, so let’s just dive right in.

We kick off with a highlight reel.  The original twelve.  The K-pop Thunderdome.  The sailor hats.  The cranky expert guy (remember him?), the abs, the rotating number badges, the confessionals, the slingshot move, the shopping districts, the amusement park, the barbecue, the timelines from hell.  I can’t believe I’ve covered all this in a two-week period.  Seriously, I just looked at the calendar, and I wrote the Episode One recap two weeks ago.  I was so young and well-rested then.

So now we’ve arrived at the CJ E&M Center.  The show has built a whole new stage for the finale. 

 

This place is HUGE.  Exactly how big is this television station?  Never mind – that’s not important.  Do you realize what this MEANS?  (tingling with excitement)  It means I get to come up with a new venue name!  Let’s see … the stage is massive, with tall LED panels reaching to the ceiling and glowing steps leading from a higher stage in the back to the main stage up front.  This is wild.  This is exciting.  It’s big enough for chariot races. This is … THE K-POP HIPPODROME.

Oh come on, that’s a great name.  I originally was going to name it the K-pop Big Top, so consider yourselves lucky. 

Back to the show.  Our boys, dressed in black and white outfits, are waiting backstage to perform for the crowd they can hear screaming and cheering.  There are 600 people in the audience this time.  We see them lined up around the block with their banners and lightsticks and signs and cute animal masks.  We watch them file into the Hippodrome and surround the stage.  A lot of their signs glow in the dark, which is really cool. 

 

When everyone is in, the lights go down to start the show.  Are we really moving forward with this?  No flashbacks?  Dare I hope?  YES!  The LED screens light up to introduce our trainees like they are already major K-pop stars.  We are watching a live concert about to begin.  This is over the top, and I love it.  Stage fireworks shoot up into the air.  No Mercy did not skimp on the stage production.

The LED doors open, and our nine trainees stand like rock stars before their adoring fans.  I know it’s the end of the line for #GUN and Seokwon, but at least they get to be a part of this amazing performance and see how much the fans love them.

Hyolyn is back at the judges’ table, as well as Mad Clown, a guy I’m actually going to miss.  What a weird dude.  We get some information flashed on the screen, saying that these finalists have survived three months of missions.  Three months of living crammed together in that dorm, rehearsing at the North Pole, doing confessional interviews, being told by their own mentors that they’re terrible and deserve to be eliminated … (sniff)  good times.

K.will welcomes the crowd.  We learn that the winners will be chosen by 50% audience votes and 50% judges’ votes.  And, of course, because No Mercy loves faking us out, we are doing a flashback after all.  I will not miss the raging alcoholics at No Mercy who created this show’s timeline.  I hope they all find recovery. 

Our trainees are at a photo shoot for 1st Look Magazine with their celebrity mentors.  This magazine features famous celebrities and models, so they’re very excited to be included.  They look amazing, as always.  We then move to the North Pole for final mission rehearsals.  Junggigo meets them there.  He tells them that in order to find the seven who will form our final band, the mssion will be a 3:3:3 unit battle.  And the teams are:

We start with Unit 3.  At first, I’m a little concerned that Hyungwon’s low, mellow, smooth vocals wouldn’t hold up against the combined force of Jooheon and I.M’s rapping, but it sounds like they’re trading lines.  I can’t wait to see the final performance. 

We see our team backstage at the Hippodrome.  I.M says, “I wish people would see me as No Mercy’s I.M instead of the guy who came in midway through.”  I.M, soon they will be seeing you as the savage maknae of Monsta X.

Time for the performance.  They are doing Yella Diamond’s “Interstellar.”  We start in pitch darkness with a single flashing light in the middle of the stage.  A slow, sexy beat brings Jooheon to the stage as the LED walls show a universe exploding around him.  The beat picks up, he starts to rap, and we are off and running.

Hwungwon joins him and trades lines – a smooth vocal and then a rap line, and back and forth.  I love it.  Then the LED doors slide open, Jooheon yells out I.M’s name, and here he comes, rapping, “No mercy, OK I have no mercy.”  Chills.  Total chills.

The crowd is swept up in this. Hyungwon comes back and holds his own against the power rap duo.  He’s the smooth, soulful center that the rappers swirl around, physically and vocally.  He looks more confident than I’ve ever seen him on this show.  The song is a total groove, and it’s over far too soon.

The judges, who are giving their critiques in front of the audience, agree with me about Hyungwon’s confidence, and I love seeing him get singled out for praise.  They loved the whole performance.  This and the prison break are my two favorite performances from this series. 

Now for Unit 1:  Kihyun, Wonho, and Seokwon.  They’ve chosen the song “Hug Me,” by Crush.  We see them rehearsing with the female dancers.  (These dancers were also with Unit 3, but they mostly marched around in space uniforms with blank expressions, like the models in Robert Palmer’s “Addicted to Love” video, so I didn’t mention them.  They really weren’t necessary.) 

Wonho is in full flirt mode with the dancers.  Kihyun and Seokwon are blushing and stammering, which is kind of weird for K-pop idols.  Later, when they are in a confessional together, Wonho says the theme will be “sexy.”  Seokwon agrees and then blushes again.  Wonho demands to know how Seokwon is going to pull off “sexy” if he keeps blushing like that.  “I mean, I’m BORN sexy,” Wonho says.  “I’m NATURALLY sexy, so I don’t know how to ACT sexy.” 

Wonho, as someone writing from the future, I am happy to report that you have not changed.  I’m hoping you never will.

We go back to the Hippodrome, and our boys are dressed in all black.  Wonho stands up, and his jeans are so tight, I don’t know how he was able to sit in the first place.  They hit the stage, and we’re swept up in a steamy R&B grind.  Kihyun and Seokwon seem to have found their swagger, and of course, Wonho is in his element.  The girls in the audience are swooning.

The dancers are way better utilized in this performance.  In Unit 3’s performance, they felt more in the way.

There’s an interlude where the guys dance in a maze of green lasers, and it’s electrifying.  I really hope this is an age 20+ show.  This is the sexiest I’ve seen Wonho all season, and he doesn’t show his abs once.  

When it ends, the girls in the first few rows may need medical attention.  Mad Clown is the first judge to weigh in, and he has nothing but praise.  Now I may need medical attention.  He says he “had a lot of fun” watching the performance, and then he smiles.  Mad Clown, you are a deeply bizarre man.  I do hope our paths cross again in my recaps.

Okay, now for Unit 2:  Minhyuk, Shownu, and #GUN.  We flash back to rehearsals.  I will not miss the North Pole.  When No Mercy packs up and leaves this place, it needs to be torn down and replaced with a tanning salon.  Anyway, Unit 2 renames themselves Age Flip as the result of a rock/paper/scissors game, the stakes of which I do not understand, and I’m pretty sure if the translator writing the subtitles tried explaining it, my screen would just be a wall of text.

The song they have chosen is “So Good” by Jay Park.  I like the song, but it’s obvious why #GUN is going to be eliminated.  The poor guy just isn’t a dancer.  He needs to debut as a solo rap artist.

We get to the stage.  This is the most elaborate set design yet – a city street with a marquee and street lights.  They have male dancers this time.  This is a bright, happy pop song.  This puts me in such a good mood.  They throw roses out to the audience, and I’m surprised none of these girls have been carried out on stretchers yet. 

The performance is not as high-energy as the first two.  The song choice may be partially to blame since it’s not very challenging.  It just feels a little off.  Even watching backstage, Jooheon comments, “Shownu tried to be a lot brighter than he is.”

The feedback from the judges is the same.  Honestly, if I were watching No Mercy when it first aired back in 2015, my predictions for the eliminated trainees would be #GUN and Shownu.  Thankfully, the judges see the potential in Shownu better than I would have.

Hyolyn says that #GUN should have worn a suit like the other two.  The writing is clearly on the wall for #GUN.  I respect him for trying the boy band thing, but he’s more of a hardcore rapper.

It looks like we are going to get one more performance from the entire group of trainees. We flash back to the North Pole, where Shownu, Jooheon, and Wonho are  watching music videos for inspiration.  One of the videos is EXO’s “Overdose,” which is one of my favorite songs and videos from that group.  EXO is also one of the first groups that got me into K-pop, so this is a nice bit of nostalgia. 

Back to the Hippodrome. K.will announces the final group performance.  The song is “No Exit” by Rhymer.  The stage lighting is stunning.  The dancing is stunning.  This looks and sounds like an honest-to-God Monsta X song.  The pyrotechnics kick the energy up even higher.

It’s a brilliant final performance, ending with a real bang.  I can feel their exhilaration and exhaustion as they take their final bows.  Rhymer, one of the judges, praises their performance and says, “If you get eliminated, come to Brand New.”  Wow.  That’s his own label.   

We all know what’s next.  Time for the voting.  The members line up onstage and say their final words of thanks.    I really think Hyungwon believes he won’t be in the final group.  There’s a quiet resignation about him.  I’m getting that vibe from Minhyuk as well.

They go backstage and wait while the audience and judges vote.  Each ballot has all nine trainees’ faces, and voters mark the seven they want to be in the group.  The production team interviews some of the women in the voting audience (I hardly see any men).  They offer words of support and encouragement to their favorites.  Finally one girl just shrieks, “Goooooo!”  Yes, sister!  I’ve felt that way all season.  Let’s do this already.

I’m guessing the judges heard this woman from all the way in the balcony, because they decide it time to form the band.  The trainees return to the stage.

Now, here’s where the vibe drastically changes.  The audience is not there when the judges announce the winners.  The room is silent except for the tense music No Mercy plays over the proceedings.  I was expecting the audience to be there to cheer the winners.  Without them, this whole thing feels different.  Yes, seven trainees are finally about to debut and have their dreams realized.  But two of them are about to be devastated in a way that only K-pop trainees can understand, and the silence of the room is really underscoring that.

In American shows, contestants audition, and if they get picked and don’t win at the end, they may be upset, but it was a fun ride for however long the show lasted.  On Korean shows like No Mercy, these are trainees who have been in the system for years.  This is a chance they’ve sacrified their youth to finally get access to, and if they don’t make it, they have to question whether it’s worth putting themselves back into the system again.  This is a way of life that doesn’t really happen in American show business. 

As an American, I could spend my entire life trying to make it into show business in Los Angeles or New York, but I would decide my own schedule.  I would have a personal life while deciding what auditions to go on, which part-time job to take to keep me financially afloat, and when to take days off so I don’t burn out.  That is not the life of a K-pop trainee.  If you make it into the trainee system of an entertainment company in Korea, they own you.  They own your time, your energy, how many hours you sleep, and whether or not you get one or two precious days off a year.  Many trainees have their cell phones taken away.  I can’t think of any system in the United States that does that, or even if it would be legal for them to do that.  As with many other things I’ve seen on this show, there would be lawsuits.

So when the winners on No Mercy are chosen, it’s not a huge spectacle.  When a winner’s name is announced in this finale, the winner does not cheer and dance, because it means that the other trainees just watched another spot get taken away, and the winning trainee is VERY aware of that.  This may be an extreme way of describing it, but to me, it looks like survivor’s guilt is mixed with the shock of realizing they’ve won.  And to help preserve whatever dignity they can for these trainees, the show takes the audience out of the room.

I wanted to write all this to explain where my head was at while watching the winners get announced.  So now that I’ve turned this into a total bummer, let’s see one of the best K-pop groups in music history come together!  Yay?

K.will gets ready to announce the final winners.  Each one will walk down the steps and stand on a lighted platform.  The announcements begin:

Number One:  Jooheon.  Boy, did he keep that promise to guard his Number One spot.  All the way to the end.  He bows, thanks the judges, and makes his way down to the first platform.

Number Two:  Shownu.  He looks stunned.  No more standing back to watch others debut and walk away, surrounded by fans.  It’s finally his turn.  Not only is he about to debut, he’s going to be a dad to six crazy kids.

Number Three:  Kihyun.  Makes sense that the mom would be next.  He is overcome with relief.

Number Four:  Hyungwon.  I really wanted to see his reaction.  Those beautiful eyes widen in shock. 

Number Five:  Wonho.  And now I’m about to cry.  All I can think about is his mom.  He’s fighting back tears.  And it’s at this point that #GUN knows.  I can see it in his face. 

Number Six:  I.M.  When his name is first called, we don’t get a close-up shot of his face because he’s got his hood pulled up, and besides, his reaction is in the way he staggers backward a step.  He seems dizzy.  He collects himself and takes his place on the platform, keeping his head down. 

Number Seven:  Minhyuk.  He’s frozen in shock.  Seokwon has to nudge him to get him to move.

Seokwon and #GUN are devastated.  Just a few feet in front of them, all the spaces are taken.  They both thank the judges for the opportunity and leave the stage.  

We are left with seven shell-shocked trainees, and I’m realizing that they are still not a band.  They will need to bond and become a family.  Right now, they’re a mess.  Kihyun struggles to speak and then just bends over in tears. Jooheon, who has been looking back hopefully at #GUN after each name is called, turns his back to the camera as he cries over his friend not being chosen.  I.M keeps his hoodie on and his head down.  Even the judges look drained.  This is the most traumatized winners circle I’ve ever seen.

K.will tells our band that there’s a lot of work ahead of them.  The debut may be guaranteed, but not the success.  The judges congratulate them, and now silver confetti rains down from the ceiling.  It’s a bit jarring, like a celebration at the scene of an accident.  Our idols-to-be shake off the survivor’s guilt and transition into people who realize they get to call their parents with the good news.

We do get to end on an upbeat note, one that brings a smile to my face.  Offscreen, the group has been told the name of their band.  They gather in front of the camera to introduce themselves with their band name.  They are clumsy, all bowing at different times, completely out of sync.  They laugh, and Jooheon says, “We’re a mess!”  But they pull it together, and we get this great shot:

And boy, did the fans ever support Monsta X.

Okay, so let’s find out what happened to the trainees who got eliminated along the way, according to what I can find on the web.

Kwangji and Yoosu
After being eliminated in Episode 5, both Kwangji and Yoosu completed their military service.  Both have been mostly quiet since then.  According to posts on his Instagram account, Kwangji seems to be building a small home studio. 

Minkyun (Mosquito)
Minkyun was eliminated in Episode 7, but he’s doing fine.  He moved from Starship to WM Entertainment, took the stage name MK, and debuted with a group called ONF (pronounced “on and off”).  He’s a lead vocalist and sub rapper with the group, and according to Wikipedia, he eventually dropped the stage name and went back to using his real name, Minkyun.  He did have to put his career on hold to complete his military service.  He was discharged in June 2023, and ONF made a comeback in October 2023.  As I type this, ONF will be releasing their eighth EP Beautiful Shadow in just a few weeks.

Yoonho (the fossil)
Yoonho was eliminated in Episode 9, after being the first one to show kindness to I.M and surviving that weird prank his bandmates played on him.  He also left Starship and joined A Team Entertainment, and after so many years as a trainee, he joined a group called VAV (Very Awesome Voice) in 2017.  The band had already debuted, and he took the stage name Ayno.  He had a big role as the group’s main rapper, dancer, vocalist, and visual.  They had some moderate success and won a couple of awards in 2018 and 2019.  However, just last month, A Team Entertainment announced that they were terminating the group’s contract.  No word on what Yoonho will be doing next, but I’m rooting for him.

#GUN
Good news here.  #GUN stayed at Starship, and happily, he debuted in 2016 as a solo rapper.  He has released several singles, his first one (“Crazy Guy”) making it to number five on the South Korean music charts.  He also did two collaborations with Mad Clown (that really surprised me) and others in 2016, with one song going to number twelve and the other to number six.  As far as I can tell, he’s still making music, and I hope his mother and grandmother are happy and well. 

Seokwon
Things initially went well for Seokwon.  After No Mercy, he got his military service out of the way, and then he moved from Starship to RAIN Company.  He finally debuted in March 2021 with a group called Ciipher. He was the group’s lead vocalist under the stage name Tan.  Ciipher had a couple of their songs hit the top ten on the South Korean charts.  They also won a Korea Culture Entertainment Award in 2021.  However, in August 2023, he and several other members left the group.  I can’t find what he’s doing now, but thanks to the overabundance of information about K-pop celebrities available online, I can tell you that his blood type is B.  Tragically, his Myers-Briggs Personality Type is not available. 

Next up, I will be recapping Wild Idol, the show with real outdoor survival challenges that brought us the group TAN.  I will be taking a break first to go outside and touch some grass.  I’ll be back in early April.  

Whew.

Back to Site Table of Contents

No Mercy: Episode 9: Hot and Cold Rematch in the Coliseum

Back to Site Table of Contents

(Written on March 27, 2024)

I am so psyched for this.  We have both teams onstage in the K-pop Coliseum, in front of 300 screaming, adoring fans, ready to do battle.  We are just two episodes away from seeing Monsta X emerge victorious.  Let’s gooooo!

But first, let’s come to a screeching halt and do a flashback, because no one hates forward momentum more than No Mercy.  We’re back in the waiting area right before the mission begins.  The red team is getting ready, and Kihyun takes out a small tin and says, “It’s time to bust out the magic powder.”  They all swallow some, and I.M almost chokes on it.  I’ve spent several minutes Googling and can’t figure out what this stuff is.  I found powders on Amazon that vocalists use, but you’re supposed to mix them with water.  We’re less than two minutes into this episode, and I’m already down an internet rabbit hole, and the red team has almost killed I.M.

We then flash back even further, because why the hell not, it’s not like we have an exciting music battle to get to.  We’re back to the week before, when everyone is working on their songs, and Jooheon and I.M are bonding.  Jooheon is now like a mentor, pep-talking I.M and giving high-fives.  My monbebe heart is happy. 

We then cut to Wonho working out.  He tells us he wants to work out because he’s thinking about taking his shirt off onstage.  Okay, it’s just … maybe work on your singing instead?  Last week, Mad Clown said your singing sucked and threatened to eliminate you before the show.  How do you say “priorities” in Korean?

Wait, now he’s saying Mad Clown is the one who suggested he take his shirt off and throw it to the audience.  Mad Clown said that?  Was he maybe being sarcastic?  We are now less than five minutes into this episode, and I’m thinking Mad Clown is trying to sabotage the mission.

We watch more footage of Wonho doing sit-ups and lifting weights because this is WAY more exciting than watching a music battle.  

Now we’re at final rehearsals.  I.M looks completely at ease and part of the team now.  Both teams look and sound great.  Can we see them on stage now please?

FINALLY we are back in the Coliseum.  K.will introduces Giriboy’s team, the red team, whatever you want to call them LET’S JUST GET THIS THING STARTED ALREADY.

As the red team gets ready, we hear for the very first time I.M saying, “I am what I am,” and now my little monbebe heart just explodes.  I am so happy.  The team has a real band behind them, so this is going to kick ass.  (Just a heads-up:  While the famous K-pop celebrity mentors are a part of this, I’ll just be focusing on our trainees.)

I.M opens with the line, “I fell out of nowhere,” which is a good way of describing how he first appeared on this show, and then we’re off and running.

I wish I knew enough about music to describe why I love this performance so much.  I love the back and forth between the smooth vocals and the punching-the-air raps.  I love how they move out into the audience, bringing the energy with them.  It’s so exciting to watch.  They have really jelled as a group.  I wish I had been in the audience for this.  The crowd is having so much fun.  We also hear Kihyun layer that gorgeous voice over the rapping chorus, something that will be his trademark in Monsta X.

Oh, and Wonho whips off his shirt at the end and throws it to a deliriously happy fan.  Yay.  The red team then introduces themselves to the adoring crowd, and when they get to I.M, he gets an especially loud cheer from them (and from Jooheon, who cheers with them). 

Speaking of Jooheon, he gives his first show of aegyo (cute baby behavior).  He will become so well known for this in Monsta X, he will eventually decide, wisely, to retire it.

Time for the white team!  But first OH COME ON, SERIOUSLY we’re doing another flashback to rehearsals.  I want to kick this show in the nuts. 

All right, let’s speed through this.  Our trainees watch music videos by Junggigo and Vasco to pick up dance moves and tell us in confessionals how much they look up to those guys and then they rehearse their performance and the mentors don’t like it and tell us they suck and then they practice more and they’re still not 100% confident there we’re caught up now back to the show.

The white team is getting ready backstage.  Minhyuk’s hair is at DEFCON Fabulous.  Hyungwon still looks stunning.  They’re ready to go.

They take the stage while the red team moves up to the balcony to watch.  A group of fans gather on the floor under the balcony to scream and wave.  Jooheon says he’s never had fans do this and never even thought he’d have fans.  Oh, sweetie.

So the white team is onstage with a weird set design of mannequins, boxes, and appliances, all painted white.  They put on white masks.  They have a deejay instead of a band. 

Hyungwon sings first, and he looks like a god.  His voice is smooth and seductive.  Any jitters he showed during rehearsals and in the recording booth are long gone.  Minhyuk picks up the next verse, but he’s a bit hard to hear over the siren noises and other sounds the deejay is making.

The dancing is okay.  The sound is a bit annoying.  Just about a minute in, I realize I’m having the same problem with this that I had with the Mission Three dance competition.  The prison break was red and hot and high energy.  The science fiction was cold and low energy.  That’s exactly what’s happening here.  White has the potential to be white hot, but they’re using cold, sterile props and a deejay instead of a band.  

Halfway through the performance, they take white baseball bats and take halfhearted swings at the mannequins, knocking some of them over.  Their performance picks up a bit more energy after that, and the crowd does seem to like it.  When it ends, the crowd is still enthusiastic, and the red team is impressed enough to look nervous.  But I was right about the dance competition, and I think I’m right about this one too.  Even without Wonho’s abs, the red team has the white team beat.

The audience casts their votes by putting their wristbands in either a white or red box.  The teams wait in the dressing room, looking like they’re awaiting the results of a biopsy.  These poor guys.  And one of them will be eliminated tonight. 

K.will takes the stage and asks both teams to join him.  There’s some good-natured trash talking between between the teams through gritted teeth because they are ANXIOUS AS HELL, and then it’s time to announce the winner.  And, wow.  The vote was close.  The winner, by only eleven votes, is the red team.  Wonho, I.M, Kihyun, Jooheon, and Seokwon.  I was right about the winning team but wrong about it being a landslide decision. 

So on the white team, either #GUN or Yoonho will be cut.  I know we will have to lose both in the end, but Yoonho was the first one to show kindness to I.M when he arrived, so I don’t want him to go just yet.

K.will announces the one who will be eliminated is … a fakeout.  He takes a long pause, then says that the eliminated trainee will be announced when the show airs.  The audience laughs at how they fell for it.  If that had been an American audience, they would have rushed the stage and beaten him senseless with their light sticks.

The audience then leaves.  The mentor artists are the judges, sitting up in the balcony and deliberating while the trainees sweat it out onstage.  Finally, K.will announces the eliminated trainee will be … Yoonho.

Okay, this one stings.  This is his seventh year of training, and he’s shot down again.  I knew he would have to go eventually, but it’s still hard to watch. 

Yoonho handles it so well.  He’s probably had so many disappointments over the past few years, he’s used to it.  No tears.  Just gratitude for the opportunity to work with such great people.  He’s the only one on the stage not crying.

In a confessional, he’s asked if he will continue to train.  He says, “Of course, how could I not?  I devoted my teen years to training.  How would I quit now?” 

The remaining trainees need a break after that.  We cut to a day or two later, at an amusement park.  It’s good to see them having fun like big kids, eating junk food, dancing, and enjoying a parade.  They go on a scary-looking ride that looks like a tilt-a-whirl on a roller coaster track, which means they probably should have filled up on funnel cakes and ice cream AFTER the rides. 

They also ride the bumper cars, and all I can think is that I desperately wish the Pavillion in Myrtle Beach hadn’t been torn down.  It’s a childhood memory thing.  I’ll be okay.  I’ll just live vicariously through this footage for a while.

They also get recognized as No Mercy contestants and take many selfies with fans.  Everything looks fun and sunny and fine, which means the Jaws theme should be playing right about now.  Seokwon says it first:  “I know No Mercy doesn’t just let us have fun.”  I agree.  The other shoe must be about to drop.  The trainees are dangerously close to feeling contented and at peace with the world.

The other trainees are getting paranoid as well.  I have the biggest laugh of the entire series when two park employees in mascot costumes approach to get pictures with them, and our boys accuse the mascots of being K.will and Hyolyn in disguise.  We know neither one is Ga In, because Jooheon isn’t getting dragged away into a Foto Fun booth.

But something is up.  Just before they take the picture, the mascots hold up a banner behind them that says FINAL MISSION in big red letters.  The instructions on the banner are as follows:

1.       Leave your number tags behind.  (See, I told you no one cared.)

2.       Get ready for the final mission.

3.       Seven trainees will be able to debut.

4.       That means (and it slowly dawns on the trainees) that two more will be cut.

 

Back to the confessionals.  Everyone is anxious again.  An interviewer asks Shownu why it’s so important that he debut now.  He says, “This is going to sound sad, but I’m pretty old.  If I get eliminated, I don’t have any more chances.”  He’s 22 or 23 by now, and after everything he’s been through, he probably feels way older than he actually is.  I’m guessing the issue of military service is also a factor.  When you know that you are going to be sacrificing eighteen months of your life and won’t be able to spend that time chasing your dream, time really is breathing down your neck.

Jooheon is asked the same question, and he fights back tears when he says he’s doing this for his mom.  He wants to take care of her.

Now for Wonho.  Same question.  Right away, I’m thinking of all kinds of snarky answers, like he wants to be rich and famous so that his abs can have their own seat on the private jet.  But the real answer punches me right in the gut.  His mom spent too much money on him while he was in the trainee system, and he wants nothing more than to pay her back.  His mom had called him several times, crying, telling him not to come home, but of course he did, and he found that their furniture was being repossessed because his family had gone bankrupt.  

Wonho begins to cry and says, “I feel so frustrated and upset that I can’t debut any faster.  I realized my mom keeps sitting in front of the fridge because the house is so small, she has nowhere else to sit.  That’s where she sits all day, in front of the fridge.  I don’t know, I just have to debut.”

Thank Christ he’s going to make it to the end.  I want nothing more in the world than to get this recap written and watch the final episode so I can see him make it to the end.

Episode 10:  Confetti at a Funeral

Back to Site Table of Contents

No Mercy: Episode 8: The Battle Offstage

Back to Site Table of Contents

(Written on March 26, 2024)

Let’s get right to it.

No Mercy is back to its timeline shenanigans again.  We open this episode a few minutes before K.will tells the group the big news.  They have some housekeeping to do first.  He is going to announce the new rankings, right there in the restaurant.

K.will takes out the numbered badges.  I’ve reached the point where the rankings aren’t even important to me anymore.  The last rankings were done in Episode Three, and then everyone got new numbers after the first cuts, and that was never explained.  Plus, no one, not even the judges, are calling them by their numbers anymore.  But sure, fine.  Let’s do this.

Jooheon is still at Number One.  Still guarding that number, just like he promised. 

Wonho is Number Two.  Wow, that’s quite a leap in the rankings.  Or maybe it’s not.  I have no idea what his rank was after the first round of cuts.  So … congratulations?

I like seeing four Monsta X members clustered at the top, but these rankings officially mean nothing because Minhyuk is at the very bottom.  He was on the winning team in the dance mission.  He was on the team that took the video project seriously.  His hair has remained fabulous, even after hours of dance practice in that igloo of a building while dressed for snowboarding.  I officially reject any more of these rankings as Monsta X canon. 

The trainees don’t seem to care either, as they go back to eating that incredible-looking dinner.  According to my DoorDash app, I can have Seoul Garden delivered in thirty minutes.  If this scene goes on for much longer, I’m hitting send.

As the boys are finishing their food, and the empty bowls are piling up, K.will brings us to where we ended the last episode.  The news is that the show is bringing in a new trainee.  Another rapper.

The resentment at that table can probably be felt all the way to the shopping districts.  Jooheon in particular feels threatened.  He tells us in a confessional, “What?  Have I not met his expectations?  I don’t know, I think this is beyond being merciless.”

K.will tells them to consider this another mission.  The trainees stare sullenly at the table and barely nod, like teenagers who have just been grounded.  K.will gets up and leaves to bring in the new trainee.

We get a confessional of the new guy with his face blurred out.  He says, “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and there’s no reason for me not to take the chance.  So I decided to join the show.”

The trainees are grumbling, wondering what the point of eliminating Minkyun was if they were just going to bring in someone else.  The sadness of losing Minkyun is now turning into bitterness.  No Mercy may as well slather the new guy in barbeque sauce and throw him into a tiger pit.

“It won’t be fun if I get eliminated as soon as I join,” says Blurryface in the confessional.  I don’t think that should be his biggest worry.  There are probably knives on that restaurant table and nine angry trainees with access to them.

Back at the restaurant, everyone turns to see the new guy enter.  We get one last confessional, where he says, “I’m sorry, but I want to debut as well.”

We finally see his face as he enters and bows to everyone at the table.  He gets halfhearted bows from some of them in reply.  Others, including his own future bandmates, don’t even get up from their chairs.  One of them is Minhyuk, who tells us, “This isn’t his spot, so what’s he doing here?”

The new trainee introduces himself.  He’s twenty-year-old I.M (no period after the M).  He looks very nervous, especially in the face of open hostility.  Still, he remains polite.  “I’m a rapper, nice to meet you,” he says and bows again.

K.will has him join the others at the table.  Yoonho won’t even look at him.  Yoonho is about to embark on his seventh year as a trainee, so he must really resent this new guy.  Nobody at the table will speak, but we’re getting an earful in the confessionals.

Yoonho:  “I wanted to tell him to piss off, get out of my face.”

Kihyun:  “To be honest, I didn’t like him.  I felt like he was freeloading on what we’ve set up so far.”

Minhyuk:  “I couldn’t look at him in the face, I was too upset.  I was in a terrible mood.  I lost my appetite.”

#GUN:  “I imagined destroying everything in sight.  Throwing the table over, hitting him over the head with a spoon.”

Me, in America:  “Oh my God, SERIOUSLY?  Grow up, you petulant little boys!  If you’re going to be mad at anybody, be mad at the show!  You would have said yes to this opportunity just like he did!  He would have been an idiot to say no!”

No Mercy:  “What the hell – how did you get into the confessionals?”

Me, in America:  “I’m the writer!  I can be wherever I want!”

No Mercy:  “No you can’t!  This is OUR show!  We’re cutting off your internet access.”

Me, in America:  “DON’T YOU DARE – “

Okay, after several hours on the phone with Spectrum Cable, we are back. 

So we’re sitting at a table with a nervous new trainee and a bunch of entitled crybabies.  K.will now gets up and announces that he’s leaving.  He tells them to get ready for the next mission before he heads out the door. 

The room is silent.  The restaurant is silent.  I’m pretty sure the wait staff are hiding in the bathrooms.  Finally, Wonho speaks up, telling I.M that he came in at the worst possible time.  Kihyun says they really can’t welcome him right now because they lost Minkyun yesterday, and it looks like I.M is replacing him.

Now that they are at least communicating, I.M relaxes a little.  He still looks like he’d rather be anywhere else, but he’s not hunched over anymore with his head down. 

Still, there are walls up.  Jooheon tells us, “What else can we do but hate right now?  Just hating and hating.”

This goes on for a while, but you get the gist.  I don’t want to write hateful words anymore. Let’s move on.

The trainees get back to the dorm and realize that Minkyun has already packed his stuff and cleaned the living room on his way out.  He’s gone.  Now they’re even more upset that they didn’t get to say goodbye to him, and I.M is still standing there awkwardly.  

I can’t be mad at the show.  No Mercy has already established itself as cold-hearted.  We are at Episode Eight, and these trainees still haven’t figured out what show they’re on.  They really suck at this.  And maybe if they hadn’t spent so much time in the restaurant being total dicks to I.M, they would have gotten back in time to say goodbye to Minkyun.  WHY AM I SO MAD RIGHT NOW, THIS SHOW AIRED NINE YEARS AGO.

Hyungwon speaks up and says the one halfway sensible thing so far this entire episode.  “We are such idiots.  We were so happy eating BBQ.  We should have known.  Why else would K.will buy us dinner!”  Okay, so he’s starting to get the hang of this show.  Now please invite I.M into the room, because all of you are huddled together, and he’s standing out in the hallway by himself, and I hate this.

Shownu tells Seokwon to go talk to the new guy, saying, “He’s your age.  Tell him where his bed is and stuff.”  Shownu, you’re one of the leaders.  Do your damn job.

Finally, someone says, “I’m sure the new guy didn’t want this to happen either.”  Seokwon responds, “Well, I’m not mad at him or anything.  I’m just frustrated.”

The group agrees that I.M didn’t do anything wrong.  Okay, great.  Then someone go talk to him already.

Kihyun makes the first move.  He invites I.M to sit in the living room with everyone, which would be a promising start, except that when I.M goes in and sits, the other trainees get up, one by one, and leave the room.  Except for Yoonho.  He stays.

We cut to one of the bedrooms, where the group has gathered around Minkyun’s empty bunk like they just came back from his funeral.  #GUN winds up pep-talking the others, telling them how hard this must be for I.M.  (They still call him “the new guy.”)  

Back in the living room, Yoonho asks I.M if he’s watched the previous episodes.  I.M says yes.  They have an open and honest conversation.  Yoonho, one of the youngest, uses the maturity and insight he has gained as a fossil to get through his resentment and welcome I.M, saying it will be nice to have another person his age on the show. 

The other trainees still aren’t completely sold, as they keep bitching and moaning in the confessionals, which I am now fast-forwarding through.  Sorry, but we’re almost fifteen minutes into this episode, and I’m getting a little tired of hearing these survival reality show contestants complain that they are on a survival reality show.

I.M sits alone, looking very uncomfortable.  As someone whose family also moved around a bit when I was a kid, I know that kind of isolation.  I.M’s situation is worse though, because I was dealing with other kids, and I.M is dealing with GROWN MEN WHO AGREED TO BE ON A SURVIVAL REALITY SHOW.  Okay, I’ll stop.  I promise I’ll stop.  But jeez.

Thankfully, we leave this pity party and follow our trainees back to the North Pole, which is what I’m now calling the buildings where they rehearse.  They are greeted by several famous K-pop artists, many of whom we already know as judges, including our good buddy Mad Clown.  He is smiling again.  How come every time he smiles, I worry that a heist is going down somewhere?  The other artists are Giriboy, Jooyoung, Vasco, Junggigo, and Genius Nochang. 

We learn that for the 4^th mission, there will be 300 people in the audience, and their votes will determine the winning team.  Our trainees are split into two teams, and each one will have three of the professional artists working with them.  The winning team will be able to release the song they perform.  The losing team will have one person eliminated while the rest of the trainees sob uncontrollably at the idea that someone could get eliminated on a survival reality show OKAY I PROMISE I’LL STOP THIS TIME.

On Giriboy’s team (the red team):  Wonho, I.M, Kihyun, Jooheon, and Seokwon.

On Genius Nochang’s team (the white team):  Hyungwon, #GUN, Shownu, Minhyuk, and Yoonho.

They split into their teams and meet in separate rooms.  Giriboy’s team is relaxed and trash-talking the other team.  Genius Nochang, on the other hand, is not happy that the lowest-ranked members are on his team.  Someone please tell him the rankings are irrelevant at this point.  Genius Nochang also says he can’t remember any of Yoonho’s raps.  Okay, I’m done ragging on Mad Clown.  Genius Nochang makes him look like a Disney prince.

Over on Giriboy’s team, they are discussing the song.  Mad Clown says he has heard I.M’s rapping and asks if he can beat Jooheon.  Come on dude, really?  Jooheon is standing right there, and I.M is facing enough resentment as it is.  However, I’m surprised and impressed when I.M says yes.  He clearly has not been cowed by this group. 

Mad Clown asks to hear him rap.  I.M rises to the challenge and performs in front of a room full of trainees who still don’t like him.  His talent is obvious.  He earns their begrudging respect.  The trainees clap, and Mad Clown says his rapping is more stable than #GUN’s.  The mood in the room seems to have become warmer toward the new guy. 

Back to GN’s team, and everyone in that room still looks miserable.  Someone should send I.M in there to rap.  But GN tells them to cheer up, they can do this.  The mood lightens when they hear the song they will be doing.  Then #GUN says he wants to diss Mad Clown in the song because of how he said he wasn’t a good rapper.  NOW we’re cooking!  They start planning other parts of the song, and it looks like Yoonho is going to get a chance to shine.

Now we get a really weird scene.  I think the producers of the show realize that this episode has been mostly a bummer up to this point, so they decide to throw in what they consider fun.  Try to follow me here.

GN’s team is working on their song.  #GUN is disappointed that he only gets four verses, and then suddenly he doesn’t like the entire song, and then he’s insulting Yoonho, and the others have to rein him in.  Then #GUN is nervous that what he just said is going to be aired on the show, and yeah, there’s a camera right there in the room.  The argument escalates, and Hyungwon stands up and drags #GUN outside.  Yoonho, the youngest one in the room, is bewildered and asks the camera crew to stop filming.  Of course, they refuse.

We follow the fight through the hallways of the North Pole, and finally they return to the rehearsal room.  The argument isn’t over.  #GUN stands up and throws his hat at Yoonho.  Minhyuk swats #GUN with a rolled-up paper, and suddenly they are all laughing.  Turns out this was a prank on Yoonho.  He takes it well, but I hope he finds success as a solo artist and never has to deal with this group again.

Once they settle down from whatever that was, they decide that since I.M is Yoonho’s new rival, they really need to diss him during their performance and try to get him eliminated.  They wanted to get Yoonho’s mind off the stress of the performance by playing a prank on him that would stress him out even more.  (checking notes)  Wait, that can’t be right.

Thankfully, we go back to Giriboy’s team.  I.M and Jooheon go into a separate room to work on their part, and here’s what I really want to see.  In Monsta X, these two are like brothers, and they often trade bars in their songs, which is really exciting to watch.  (The rap bridge of “Alligator” is a great example.) 

Jooheon learns that I.M has been a trainee for two years.  He tells I.M that he has calmed down and wants to work with him.  Rather than start writing immediately, he wants to talk so they can get to know each other better. 

As they talk, Jooheon brings up a point I hadn’t even considered.  He suspects I.M was promised that he would debut if he joined the show.  Considering the circumstances, it actually makes sense that I.M must have been offered one hell of an incentive to come onto the show this late in the game, knowing the rest of the trainees would not be happy about it.  This possibility makes Jooheon’s earlier vitriol a bit more understandable.

I.M assures him no one promised him anything.  He is taking the same chance as the rest of them.  He’s also grateful that Jooheon is talking honestly with him.  He knows how hard it is for the other trainees to open up to him, and here’s where his voice suddenly catches, and now he’s fighting back tears.  It’s been almost 24 hours since he joined (if I have the timeline correct), and the stress is taking its toll.  It’s a very moving scene. 

I.M tells us in a confessional that it’s been hard and lonely for him, but he feels hopeful now.  He wants to reach out to the other trainees and see if they will eventually warm up to him.  

We move on to the recording sessions.  For some of these trainees, it’s their first time in a recording studio, and they’re struggling to adjust.  The professionals are getting frustrated and making them record their parts over and over again.  Mad Clown suggests that the recording sessions should be part of the mission, and they should just cut the trainees who aren’t doing well.

Just from my experience working on the air at a radio station many years ago,         recording in a sound booth is not easy.  It’s hard to get used to hearing yourself through the headphones.  It took a lot of practice until I was able to read a news report with confidence instead of sounding like a hostage being forced to read the news at gunpoint. 

Hwongwon and Wonho, who sound absolutely amazing when they sing on Monsta X songs, sound hesitant and feeble here, singing in a recording booth for the first time.  They need confidence, and they’re not going to get it when their mentors are getting exasperated and talking about cutting them before they even get to the final performance.  This entire episode is pissing me off.  Can we go back to the shopping district footage?  That was fun.

Things are looking up in the next scene, when it is D-Day 4, and we are back at the CJ E&M Center.  I think it’s a different stage, but I’m still going to call it the K-pop Coliseum.  The live audience is lined up to come in, and they are super excited and waving lightsticks.  

Our boys get an upgraded dressing room and are getting their hair and makeup done.  My God, Hwungwon looks stunning.  There will be many interviews and column inches devoted specifically to how impossibly good looking Monsta X’s Hwungwon is, and this is why.

I.M, who has made a lot of progress connecting with the other trainees during the recording process, also looks amazing.  And nervous.  He has to prove himself tonight more than any of the others.  The other trainees have been onstage together and established a chemistry.  He also doesn’t know if the show’s audience resents him as much as the other trainees initially did.  If I were him, I’d be swallowing Xanax by the handful.

The lights go down in the Coliseum, and a huge wave of female screams rises up through the darkness.  These girls have been watching the show and are excitedly pointing out their favorites as the spotlights reveal both teams.  Jooheon is surprised to see his name on some of the fans’ signs.  I.M tries to smile, but he’s too nervous.  

I’m glad we’re stopping here, because we need a break.  We’re not ready to start the onstage battle after watching I.M do battle all week on his own.  See you next episode.

Episode 9:  Hold and Cold Rematch in the Coliseum

Back to Site Table of Contents