I-Land, Episode 6: Injuries and Ampersands

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(Written October 18, 2024)

Okay, time for this show to pick up the pace.  We are officially in Part 2 of this series.  Votes need to be counted.  Math needs to be done.  Trainees need to be cut.  Everyone left needs to be living in one place so I can track them better.  Let’s do this.

When this episode opens, global voting has been going on for a week.  The votes are for the twelve finalists who will be competing to be in the final group.  Here’s where they show the results of the voting from over the past week, and you’ll recognize the slide below from last episode’s recap.  The only update is that we now know Sunoo got the majority of the votes from Korea.

We’re told there will be six eliminations and six survivors, which still doesn’t math its way to a final twelve considering we have 23 trainees, but let’s just see how this works out.  Test 4 is about to begin. 

We open on the control room with our six coaches, including Wonderkid.  They are ready to get started.  The I-Landers head for the stage.  As they walk through the gate, they take one last look at the I-Land, because six of them won’t be coming back.  We already know that Seon will be saying goodbye for good.

The I-Landers get into formation.  It’s GO time.  Except it’s not.  We bring the momentum to a screeching halt once again as we learn that Heeseung has replaced Jungwon for the 5^th Part/Center position. 

In the control room, Zico explains to the other judges (and us) that the midpoint check showed that Jungwon wasn’t doing well in that part, so Heeseung replaced him.  I’m willing to take his word for it.  Seriously, that’s a simple enough explanation, and we really don’t need a flashback.  Please don’t give us a flashback. 

We’re getting a flashback aren’t we?  (sigh)  Of course we are.  A survival reality show without flashbacks is like pizza without corn. 

I just want to get to the performance, so I’m pretty much fast-forwarding here, and basically it’s just like Zico says.  There is one touching moment, though.  The team has a meeting after the midpoint check to discuss Heeseung replacing Jungwon, and as Jungwon is dealing with the blow, Jay reaches over and takes his hand.  Jay has been in this same situation.  I love that Jay, Jungwon, and Heeseung are going to be future bandmates.

We also get a few funny moments where are trainees think the place is haunted, but this flashback has already gone on for ten minutes.  PLEASE let’s go back to the performance. 

But no, this flashback will not end.  We now move to the Ground.  We’ve already seen their midpoint check, so why are we here?  Sunoo is worried that he’s so far back during the performance that the camera won’t show him.  Meanwhile, EJ’s legs are in so much pain from the constant practice, he can’t sleep.  He’s always being told he has potential, but he wants to be great.  So he goes back to the practice room in the middle of the night to keep dancing.  I don’t want to think about the damage he’s doing to his leg muscles.

We get clips of various trainees in confessionals, talking about how nervous they are.  The show seems to be dragging this out, but I think global voting is still going on, so this may be a last chance to appeal to voters.

Finally, the flashback ends.  We return to the stage, where the I-Landers stand in formation.  Showtime.

It’s a wonderful performance, and their expressions are fierce.  I even like the song, which may be a first for songs written specifically for a show.  It’s a near-perfect performance, and the coaches love it.

The I-Landers return to the giant egg timer, unable to celebrate because now they have to vote to send three of their own to the Ground.  The coaches are choosing their three as well.  K has other concerns.  He wasn’t feeling well before the test, and now he’s feeling worse.  From injuries to illness, this show is taking a real toll on our trainees.

Everyone packs their things to be ready to move to the Ground.  One by one, the announcer calls them to go to the voting room and choose three teammates to eliminate.  To help them choose, they are shown all the team members’ scores from the Test 4 performance.

Jay scored 76, which puts him in third place.  Sunghoon comes in second with 81, and Jungwon is first with 83.  Our three top scorers are future Enhypen members.  I love that Jungwon comes in first after having to give up the Center position.  The low scores are K at 61 and Geonu at 60.

Once the voting is done, it’s time to find out which six I-Landers are being sent to the Ground.  They are:

Youngbin, with 11 votes.  This is his second time being sent to the Ground on this series.  He’s struggled with learning choreo, having to do individual assessments, and getting low scores.  He does not look surprised at this turn of events.

Kyungmin, also with 11 votes.  Again, not a surprise, even if you don’t already know who’s going to win this thing.  He started at the Ground and managed to get into the I-Land, only to get the 12^th part in the final test.  He just hasn’t been able to stand out.

Jaebeom, with 10 votes.  Like Youngbin, this is his second trip to the Ground.  His performances have generally been weak.  Other than a solid performance in the Signal Song Test, he hasn’t been doing well.

So much for the trainees the I-Landers voted out.  Now let’s look at the coaches’ decisions.

EJ.  He’s actually been doing consistently well on the show, despite already being sent to the Ground once before.  The coaches just haven’t been feeling it with him on the recent tests.

Seon.  We already knew about this one.  He’s had a lackluster track record on this show, and the coaches even say they don’t think he’s cut out to be onstage.  That’s harsh, but I get it.  I barely have any notes on him because he’s just kind of been there all this time. 

And finally, Geonu.  He was doing so well there for a while, and then he blew the

final test and got the lowest score.  He is devastated.  Kyungmin takes his hand and tries to reassure him, saying they’ll make their way back up to the I-Land.  

The announcer tells the eliminated ones to remove their name tags from their chairs and go to the Ground, where it’s about to get very crowded.  Now we get all the crying and hugging scenes we saw in the previous episode’s previews.

If I may digress for a moment, I’m writing this during the RIIZE / SM Entertainment blowup involving toxic and abusive K-Pop fans, entertainment companies with a long history of failing to protect their idols, and a huge worldwide merch boycott that could end the careers of the members of RIIZE.  The rose-colored glasses I was seeing K-pop through a year ago have fallen off and shattered over the past several weeks. 

What this means is that these scenes of trainees crying over being eliminated don’t break my heart like they used to.  I feel like trainees who get cut from these shows are dodging a bullet.  When I think of sweet, innocent souls like Ta-Ki, I want him as far away from this industry as possible.  I’ll be relieved when he gets cut for good from this show, although if I Google his name right now, I’ll probably find that he’s joined a different group or just been signed to another label.  Let me check.

Okay, Ta-Ki is 19 years old now and a member of a group called &Team.  That’s not a typo.  The group is actually called &Team.  He made it into that group through another survival reality show he did after this one called &AUDITION – The Howling.  What is K-pop’s obsession with ampersands? 

Anyway, the group is signed to HYBE, which is the home of BTS.  I thought the name &Team sounded familiar, but then I checked my K-pop playlist and saw I had them confused with a group called Amper&One.  I just can’t with K-pop.

&Team includes three other eliminated I-Land trainees:  K, Nicholas, and EJ.  Kyungmin was also part of the group, but he quit four months after being signed due to what sounds like creative differences.  &Team is doing quite well.  Their first album was certified platinum.  I wish them continued success, but more importantly, I hope they stay safe and protected.  I hope they have good people looking out for them.

Okay.  Back to our show.

Our six eliminated trainees make their way to the Ground.  The dropouts are surprised to see eliminated I-Landers walk in because they haven’t done their own performance yet.  Everyone’s crying, hugging, confused, and happy to be reunited with old friends.

Now the practice room screen lights up, and the announcer tells the dropouts there will be a final test for the Ground called “The Final 6.”  For this test, everyone at the Ground must perform together, all seventeen of them.  After that, global voting will decide which six of them can go to the I-Land and be part of the final twelve.  And everyone will be staying in one location.  Hallelujah.

They have three days to prepare.  They will need to redistribute the parts and rehearse, as well as figure out how to add new parts to the existing choreo.  This will be exciting and chaotic.  Except wait – there are only sixteen people at the Ground.  Did someone leave?

According to the show’s Wikipedia page, yes.  Yoonwon left after the 5^th episode due to a worsening ankle injury.  I looked him up, and he’s gone back to his street dancing team with over 700,000 YouTube subscribers.  Netizens think he may have gone back into training to be an idol, since he hasn’t appeared in the dance team’s more recent videos.

So our sixteen dropouts have to revamp the routine in three days.  This is Seon’s first time at the Ground, so he’s still getting used to the fresh air and greenery.  He looks like I do after I’ve spent several hours working on these recaps and then step outside to get the mail. 

Auditions start again for the different parts.  Everything’s going smoothly until Geonu auditions, and suddenly he collapses.  My heart almost stops.  I know nobody died on this show, but still, he does not look okay.  The others rush over to him.  It looks like he’s injured his leg.

We don’t get to see what happens next because suddenly we cut to D-Day.  We’re about to see our dropouts perform.  But then we get screen text telling us the six participants of I-Land are also practicing.  Wait, for what?  They’ve already performed.  I’m starting to think this show isn’t being translated very well. 

Never mind that – here come the dropouts!  Their approach is filled with all the slow-motion drama and intense music of a Game of Thrones battle.

And now, It’s showtime. 

 

Seeing this large group move with perfectly synchronized precision is pretty amazing.  Despite the injuries and exhaustion and everything else they’ve been through, they give a mesmerizing performance.  Now all they can do is wait for the vote.  The global fans have 36 hours to decide the fates of these remaining dropouts.

In a jarring transition, we close out with confessionals in which the trainees talk about how much they love BTS, how BTS inspired them, and how much they want to be like BTS.  Call it a hunch, but I think we may finally see BTS in the next episode.  

Oh – we get one more clip.  We actually get an interview with Yoonwon, talking about why he left the show.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen this happen on a K-pop survival show, except that one time on Wild Idol when we saw an injured trainee remove his number badge and leave.  Usually they just vanish with no explanation. 

Yoonwon’s injury was more serious than Wikipedia described.  He says his leg and foot were hurting from the very beginning of the show, but he wanted to keep going, and now he can barely walk.  He decided to leave and wait for the next opportunity.

This episode has been a lot, and the drama is about to get even more intense with the results of the global voting.  See you next episode.

Episode 7:  Our First Houseguests

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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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I-Land, Episode 4: Tears

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(Written October 12, 2024)

No time for an intro.  Let’s see the Dropouts perform “Fire.”  I’m fast-forwarding through the recap.  I stop at one point where we get to see the I-Landers group score from their performance.  It’s 80.  If I’m remembering the chart correctly, that means four of them are being sent to the Ground.

So now we pick up where we left off, with our dropouts heading up to the stage.  Jay needs this win.  I want the dropouts to blow everyone’s minds.  Let’s. Do. This.

Right off, their voices aren’t just singing.  They’re ROARING.  Zico looks surprised and says, “They’ve got spunk!”  With all due respect, sir, that’s not spunk.  That’s fire.

Their dance moves are synched perfectly and are so violently energetic, the whole team almost bursts through my screen.  This is a defiant, raging song, and these trainees are are snarling and punching the air.  Right now, all eleven of them deserve to move up to the I-Land.

After the performance, Rain says, “Everybody only has anger left.”  Damn right.  I’m surprised that stage is still standing.  Both Rain and Zico marvel at the group’s final formation.  They have remained in position, glaring at the camera.  Rain exclaims, “If they came to me like that, I think I’d run away!  They are scary!”

Then Rain says, “If I’m being totally honest, I want all the Grounders to replace all the I-Landers at once.”  High praise from the man who was scolding the same group earlier this week.

Our dropouts return to the Ground, feeling good about their performance.  They sit on the benches in their practice room and wait to see who’s being promoted.  Jay says, “Let’s try not to cry today when somebody goes up to the I-Land.  It’s a hassle.”  Love that attitude, Seattle.

In a confessional, Jay tells us, “I was just the Leader by name, but honestly, I felt a bit lost.”  Maybe in the beginning.  But in the end, he led a team that gave an amazing performance that impressed Rain and Zico.  He needs to give himself a little more credit.

Now we cut back to the I-Land.  Last time, the trainees found out their individual scores in private.  But now, the announcer says the I-Landers with the Top 6 scores will be revealed here and now, in the giant egg timer room.

The Top 6 trainees are:

EJ, in sixth place, with a score of 70.

Sunoo, in fifth place with a score of 71.  I just love his happy face.

In fourth place – woah.  It’s Ta-Ki, with a score of 75!  I was not expecting that.  Once again, our sweet boy looks positively stunned and bows in gratitude.

In third place is Sunghoon, with a score of 80.  Our figure-skating trainee has made one of the highest individual scores in the I-Land so far.

Heeseung is in second place with a score of 83.  That’s three future Enhypen members so far, including Sunoo and Sunghoon.  Heeseung has managed to stay in the I-Land since the very beginning of the show.  Given this score, he may never visit the Ground.  He may need Vitamin D supplements at some point if he doesn’t go outside every once in a while.  Someone check the pantry.

And finally, who got the top score of 88?  This is the trainee who will get the exemption pass.  That person is … K.  that’s a surprise.  I was hoping for future Enhypen leader Jungwon.  He’s the only Enhypen member in the I-Land who didn’t place in the Top 6.  Maybe K will use the exemption pass to save him if he’s chosen for elimination.

Of course, there will be time to deliberate and vote.  The giant egg timer displays a countdown of two hours.  K is reminded that the exemption is a double-edged sword.  If he saves someone, the person with the next lowest score will be eliminated.

Everyone walks around the I-Land, talking anxiously about the vote.  Jungwon is especially nervous.  I know it’s going to work out in the end, but I want to see all Enhypen members in the same place.  

For some reason, K is worried that Ta-Ki will get voted out and wonders if he should use the exemption to save him.  It may sound weird that he thinks the fourth highest score earner will get voted out, but I kind of get it.  Ta-Ki just doesn’t seem ready for all this.  But everyone loves him and says they’ve learned a lot from him.  Ta-Ki is just an odd fit for this show. 

Ta-Ki seems to think so too, because he’s packing his stuff.  Even though he has the fourth highest score.  I really have no idea what to expect from this vote.

The two hour countdown expires, and it’s time.  Each I-Lander has gone down to the room with the touch screen to vote, and now the announcer is going to tell us who the four people are who will be heading down to the Ground.

The first eliminated trainee received eleven votes.  So EVERYONE voted this guy out, which really has to suck.  It’s Yoonwon.  This poor guy.  He makes it to the I-Land for one test, only to get kicked back downstairs.

The second trainee got ten votes, which isn’t much better.  It’s Taeyong, our former child actor.  He also got to stay at the I-Land for just that one test, and now back down he goes.

The third one, with eight votes, is … Sunoo?  Seriously?  This future Enhypen member got the fifth highest score!  Why would they vote out one of their best teammates?

We get a voiceover from K, who said he voted for Sunoo because he thought, and let me quote here, “it would be nice for him to work a bit harder.”  Dude, he’s one of the top six.  And since K voted him out, it’s unlikely he’ll use his exemption card to save him.  This is frustrating.

The fourth guy out, with five votes, is … Jungwon.  Oof.  So that’s two future Enhypen members kicked out, and only one has the potential to be saved by K. 

Speaking of K, he’s surprised that Jungwon got voted out.  Everyone seems to like Jungwon, and it was generally expected that he was safe.  We find out Sunoo voted for Jungwon because he didn’t think his performance matched the high-ranking part he got in that song. 

Our four eliminated I-Landers stand up and prepare to go through the gate.  The announcer voice stops them and says it’s time for K to make his decision.  K does not look happy.  If he saves someone, he will risk sending Ta-Ki back to the Ground.  He doesn’t know how many votes Ta-Ki got, so it’s a possibility.

K struggles with the decision.  I would not want to be in his shoes right now.  He finally announces that he will use the exemption.  He votes to save Jungwon.  We know Jungwon is grateful but probably dreading to find out who’s been kicked out in his place.

That person, we find out, also received five votes, but he got a higher score than Jungwon, which is what initially saved him.  And of course, it’s Ta-Ki.  K has just sent his friend back to the Ground.  Ta-Ki looks stunned.  This show is so mean, but then again, it’s a survival reality show.

K is devastated.  He’s sobbing.  Our four eliminated trainees say their goodbyes and head for the gate.  Ta-Ki is stoic until the last minute, and then he cries.  Watching his face crumple like that is so painful.  This ray of sunshine keeps getting kicked over and over.  K hugs him and apologizes through his own tears, saying, “If you got eliminated, I was going to save you no matter what.  I’m really sorry.”  Ta-Ki promises K he’ll come back, but we know it won’t be long before both of them are eliminated for good.

So now the four eliminated ones include a future Enhypen member, which is going to delay having all the members on the same side, which I find really frustrating.  What about MY feelings?  I’m the real victim here.

The dropouts welcome the four with open arms.  The newcomers slump onto the practice room bench while the dropouts gather around the screen to find out which ones are about to become I-Landers.  Then we suddenly cut to aerial shots of these four and their joyous return to the I-Land.  They are Youngbin, Kyungmin, Jay, and Jake.  

So here is our new chart.  We have five future Enhypen members at the I-Land and two at the Ground.

Once everyone at the I-Land is settled, the announcer chimes in again.  It’s time to reveal the third test.  Everyone at both the I-Land and the Ground gathers around their screens.

The words “Representative Unit” appear on the screen.  The coaches in the control room tell us that instead of teamwork, this time they want to see how much the trainees can sacrifice themselves for the team.  Wow.  Sacrifice.  We’re plowing right into Enhypen territory already.  This show got real dark real fast.

Back to the announcer.  In this test, the I-Landers and dropouts will pick representatives to compete in vocal and dancing challenges.  Each side will pick two vocalists and three dancers.  The rest of the members will not be performing onstage.  The total score of the vocal and dance challenges will determine the winning side.

If the dropouts win, six I-Landers will be eliminated.  If the    I-Landers win, then there will be no eliminations.  Okay, I love this rule.  It means that the dropouts will be absolutely gunning for the I-Landers. 

But here’s the other thing for people like me who already know the final band members.  Future Enhypen members make up almost half of the I-Landers.  With six eliminated, I don’t see how at least one wouldn’t be cut, even though I already know the final group and know that won’t happen, because that’s how crazy stressful these shows are, even if you know the ending.  I know it’s not rational.  All K-pop fans know it’s not rational.  Just deal with it.

The dropouts are excited because they have the best dancers.  But Sungchul brings them back down to Earth by saying, “Honestly, the I-Landers are way better than us.”

Even though the dropouts just gave a way better performance than the I-Landers, I get it.  Four of the trainees responsible for that performance, including the Leader, are now part of the other team.

Now the announcer will reveal the vocal test song for the I-Land team.  The song is OH MY GOD IT’S “BUTTERFLY” BY BTS!  Regular readers of these recaps already know how much I love this song.  The trainees on Boys Planet did a beautiful stage of this song, and now we get to see another one. 

The trainees are VERY excited.  And nervous.  Because if you’ll remember from Boys Planet, this is a very vocally demanding song.  The I-Landers will have to be careful choosing their representatives to perform this, because yes, there’s some choreo as well.

Now for the dropouts’ vocal test song.  It’s another BTS one, “Save Me.”  This song has a bit more power, but like “Butterfly,” it’s also a challenging ballad.  BTS never phones it in.  Their songs require talent, discipline, and passion.  Right away, the dropouts are worried that they may not have a teammate who can handle this.  But Sunoo is up to the challenge and quickly volunteers.

For the dance test, each team gets a medley of three songs.  For the I-Landers, it’s “Rainism” by Rain, “Three Dopeboyz” by Dynamic Duo, and “One of a Kind” by GD.  Unless we’ve seen these songs performed on other shows, I’m not familiar with any of them.  it will be nice to hear one of Rain’s songs, since we’ve already covered a Zico song.

For the dropouts, the songs are “Warrior’s Descendant” by H.O.T., “Reversal” by X-Teen, and then a repeat from the I-Land, “One of a Kind,” by GD.  These are hip-hop songs with insanely complicated dance moves that I’m throwing my back out just watching.

Now the announcer tells each group to select the members who will represent the fate of the team.  Representatives may be changed at any time before the final performance.  They have six days until the test.  Oh, good.  I was worried the giant egg timer wouldn’t have a deadline to count down to.

The trainees pick their reps.  For the I-Landers in the vocal competition, we have Geonu and Heeseung.  Sunghoon wanted to be one of the dancers but didn’t speak up because he didn’t want to take someone else’s spot.  He decides he’s going to practice the steps on his own, just in case.

Now we switch to the Ground.  Ta-Ki wants one of the dance spots and auditions for it.  He really is talented, but unfortunately, he doesn’t get chosen.  Jaeho will be one of the dancers, but this scene is weirdly edited, so I don’t know who the other two are yet. 

As for the vocal auditions, Daniel tries to sing, but he lost his voice during the “Fire” performance.  The vocal reps will be Sunoo and Sungchul.

Night falls, and up in the I-Land, Geonu and Heeseung are practicing the vocal part.  I love hearing them sing “Butterfly.”  K is also up late dancing.  There’s a lot at stake in this upcoming test, so I’m not surprised they can’t sleep.  We see the I-Land vocal and dance teams up bright and early the next day, still practicing.  I wonder what the others are doing.  They should be learning the routines too, in case someone loses their voice or gets injured.  

Meanwhile, Sunghoon and Seon are talking in the dining area about how they wish they could all be performing together.  Um, guys?  You can still rehearse with them.  In fact, Sunghoon, didn’t you say you were going to learn the dance parts anyway?  Get to work!

The non-reps finally decide to get involved … by bringing snacks to the reps during a break in rehearsal.  Okay, that’s one idea that should have gone on the “maybe” pile.  FINALLY, everyone decides that they should all be learning the parts, just in case.  They’ve already lost one day of rehearsal when this occurs to them. 

We jump ahead to just three days left.  Our I-Land dance team decides to call themselves “The ’02 Team” because they were all born in 2002.  I am so freaking old.

Now we finally check on the dropouts and learn that the dance team is Jaeho, Nicholas, and Ni-Ki. 

Ni-Ki is leading the dance team and tells us in a confessional that Nicholas is doing well with the choreo, but Jaeho isn’t keeping up.  He thinks someone else could do better.  He’s focused on Hanbin.

Hanbin doesn’t want to step on anyone’s toes, but  Ni-Ki tells him his dancing style would be a better fit with him and Nicholas.  He says to Hanbin, “If it’s the three of us, it will be the ‘Jopping’ members.”  Oh, that’s right – Nicholas, Hanbin, and Ni-Ki came in as the International Unit in Episode 1 and performed “Jopping” by SuperM.  They’re used to performing together.  They click as a team.

But Hanbin doesn’t want to join them.  I don’t blame him.  I can’t be sure, but it looks like this is being done behind Jaeho’s back.  Ever since the beginning of the show, I haven’t liked Ni-Ki’s tactics.  If he’s supposed to be getting a redemption arc, I haven’t seen it yet.  Hanbin is also concerned about all the time and effort Jaeho has put into practicing.  This would crush him.  “It breaks my heart thinking about Jaeho,” Hanbin says.

Ni-Ki pushes back.  “I’d like for you to think of the team,” he says.  Ni-Ki, there’s a less sneaky way to do this.  Jaeho needs to be part of the conversation.  Don’t blindside him.

We end this scene with Hanbin struggling with this decision.  Now it’s time for the I-Land’s midpoint check with Son Sung Deuk and Rain.  I approve of Rain’s new hairstyle.  He compliments Jay and says, “You got much better after I scolded you.”  

Rain asks the trainees who are not performing if any of them wanted to step up, and Seon explains that they’ve all been practicing, just in case.  Rain is impressed and has them give themselves a round of applause.  I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.  These shows never let us feel happy for long.

The vocal reps, Heeseung and Geonu, are up first.  They both sound nervous, but they keep their voices steady during the choreo.  We only get to see a few seconds of the rehearsal.  Rain, who gets to see the whole thing, is impressed.  He thinks the vocal team is good enough to win.  He has no notes.  Our vocal team is downright giddy as they join the others.  I’m downright suspicious.  Why is Rain being so nice all of a sudden?

Then Rain asks the backup vocal team to sing.  Jaebeom and Seon step up.  “Who knows?” Son Sung Deuk says cheerfully.  “You guys might be better!”  He may as well be winking right at the camera as he says it.

Again, we only get to hear a couple of lines, but I think there’s more passion in their delivery.  They are singing in the breathy, delicate style this song needs.  I think I know what’s about to happen.  But nope, I’m wrong.  Rain thinks they overdid it.  He didn’t hate it, but he says that nothing had better happen to Heeseung and Geonu before the the final performance.  THERE’S the Rain we know!

Moving on to the dance team – Jay, K, and Jungwon.  We get a few seconds of them dancing to Rain’s song.  The coaches are impressed.  What they’re doing is b-boy dancing, which is like breakdancing on steroids.  These three are so good, but for some reason, Rain showers praise on K and Jungwon but has no feedback for Jay.  It’s a little weird.  Jay looks confused. 

We don’t see the coaches review any backup dance teams.  Rain just has everyone do a group cheer, and then they all leave.  This whole segment was either just strangely edited, or the coaches were having an off day. 

Now we go to the midpoint evaluation at the Ground, with Doobu, Zico, and Pdogg.  The vocal team is Sunoo and Sungchul, and the coaches ask of anyone else had wanted to sing.  Daniel hesitantly raises his hand.  Zico takes note of it but says nothing for now.  He asks who the dance team is, and they raise their hands.  It’s     Ni-Ki, , Nicholas, and … Hanbin.  Oh, no.  Ni-Ki, you little twerp, what did you do?

Doobu asks why Hanbin has replaced Jaeho.  We get a flashback to the earlier discussion when Ni-Ki was trying to convince Hanbin to join the team.  Hanbin says he’s not confident enough, and Ni-Ki says, “We can help you with that.”

Jaeho is sitting at the table now and suggests everyone vote again.  I can’t tell how he feels about any of this.  They re-vote, and Hanbin replaces Jaeho.  This is frustrating because I have no idea if Jaeho is upset about being replaced.  It’s like they’re all doing this because the production team told them to, which is very possible. 

So anyway, our vocal team, who as far as I know hasn’t stabbed anyone in the back today, steps up to sing.  Sungchul is especially nervous.  The two singers start off strong, but then Sungchul’s voice cracks.

Zico is very pleased with Sunoo’s performance.  As for Sungchul, he thinks the key may be too high for his voice.  Sungchul’s voice was unstable, and he didn’t sound confident.

Zico asks the rest of the trainees if any of them want to sing in Sungchul’s place.  No one volunteers, not even Daniel.  I can understand why.  They’re loyal friends, and no one wants to push Sungchul out.  Zico asks, “Didn’t you raise your hand before, Daniel?”  Poor Daniel.  Not only has he been put on the spot, but he’s been struggling with a sore throat.  He does not want this.

Pdogg insists he give it a shot.  Daniel gets up, and his voice is beautiful and expressive.  You’d never know he’d been having trouble singing for the past few days.  Pdogg tells him, “It’s like you completely understand the song.”

Sungchul looks crushed.  But the coaches are right.  Daniel should be singing instead.  But we don’t see them making the final decision, so I don’t know what happens next.

Now the dance team of Hanbin, Nicholas, and Ni-Ki steps up.  And something’s wrong with their performance.  As they dance, they’re not really in sync, and their formation falls apart.  To make matters worse, Hanbin can’t keep up.

When they finish, they know they’ve messed up.  Hanbin faces the criticism for not knowing the choreo well enough.  He was nervous and didn’t have enough time to rehearse, and he didn’t seem to want to do this in the first place.  It’s almost like this was a bad idea, NI-KI.

The coaches ask to see the choreo again with Jaeho instead.  He jumps up eagerly and with a smile.  Now I know he didn’t want the switch either.  When exactly is Ni-Ki’s redemption arc support to start?

To make things even more embarrassing for Hanbin, the coaches just want to see him and Jaeho do the choreo, side by side, for comparison.  Jaeho’s performance blows Hanbin’s out of the water.  Hanbin does not deserve to be embarrassed like this.  The coaches tell the trainees to reconsider their dance team.

Now for something new.  Sitting in their living room, the I-Landers watch a video of the dropouts practicing.  Geonu asks if that’s what the Ground facility really looks like, and I remember he’s never seen it before.  He’s been at the I-Land the entire show, along with Jungwon, K, Sunghoon, Heeseung, and Seon.  Wow.  That’s six who have never been to the Ground, and half of them still won’t make it to the final group.

Back at the Ground, the dropouts watch video of the I-Landers, and Hanbin, Jimin, and Jaeho have never seen the I-Land.  There are some who got there in the first episode and then got voted out immediately because there were too many people, so I’m not counting them.  For those trainees who have never seen the other facility, it’s like they’re seeing footage from another planet.

I’m not sure why each group is seeing footage of the other’s rehearsal, unless it’s to intimidate and/or motivate them.  Each side is genuinely worried after seeing the other rehearse. 

Now we’re down to two hours before the test.  Our two sides have been rehearsing almost nonstop.  As the minutes tick down, Heeseung’s voice suddenly starts to crack.  He and Geonu exchange panicky looks.  I’ve said this before about these shows:  Is no one telling them how to take care of their vocal cords?  They could do serious damage.

We cut to the control room, where Rain, Zico, Pdogg, Doobu, and Son Seng Deuk are waiting for the test to start.  I find it curious that we have not seen Wonderkid at all since his first appearance.  Someone actually started a thread on Reddit where everyone could give their opinion on each coach.  People had lots to say about Rain, Pdogg, Zico, and everyone else except for Wonderkid.  His section literally has zero responses.

Interestingly, Sunghoon is part of the I-Land dance team.  We know that he had been disappointed about not being chosen but decided to learn the choreo on his own.  We learn that he’s replacing Jay, the one who got ignored by the coaches at the midpoint check.  I really wish we could find out what happened there.  In the control room, the coaches express surprise that Jay is out.  Um, you guys blew him off.  Maybe that had something to do with it?

The Ground team joins the I-Landers onstage.  And what the hell – Jaeho is back.  After the team pushed to have Hanbin replace Jaeho, and then Hanbin couldn’t keep up at the midpoint check, they brought Jaeho back.  I hope he made them crawl and beg. 

And there’s another change on the Ground team.  The vocalists were originally Sunoo and Sungchul, but now Daniel has replaced Sungchul.  I can hardly keep up with this.  The chart I made to keep track of each trainee is now eight pages long, and we’re only on the fourth episode.

The coaches comment on how determined and fired up the dropouts are.  Nicholas especially looks like he’s ready to kill someone.  The coaches say his eyes are on fire.

We’re starting with the I-Land team’s vocal unit, Heeseung and Geonu.  The beautiful opening notes of “Butterfly” float in the air.  I love this song so much.

I’m in tears when the performance ends.  It’s so beautiful.  They hit each note perfectly, keeping their voices soft and light, moving perfectly with their music, looking like butterflies themselves. 

I don’t understand it when people say they hate K-pop.  This song could move even the hardest soul, no matter what you usually listen to.  I’m not a big country music fan, but I can’t say I hate country music, because there are some songs in that genre that I love, and if you come at Dolly Parton, you’re gonna have to go through me.  There’s something in almost every genre that can touch any soul.

The judges are impressed.  The I-Landers let out a huge cheer, and the dropouts look worried.  But they don’t have time to stress out.  It’s their vocal team’s turn.  Sunoo and Daniel take the stage to perform the BTS song “Save Me.”

It’s perfect.  I can’t pick a winning team because they are both so moving and beautiful and heartbreaking.  Daniel deserves to debut, and I hope he found success after this show because he absolutely deserves it.  In the control room, the coaches can’t stop talking about how much Daniel has improved.

The coaches now have to decide on the winning vocal team.  As the four singers stand onstage and wait for the results, the pressure gets to Daniel, who starts crying.

Our fifteen year-old show maknae has been through it.  He and his friend EJ got voted into the I-Land in the first episode, then EJ tried to vote him out, then he got the second highest score in the Signal Song Test and got sent to the Ground anyway.  His nerves must be about to snap.

In a voiceover, he tells us he thinks he could have done better.  I wish he could hear what the coaches are saying about him in the control room.  Daniel tells us he feels like he let his fellow dropouts down.

We finally get the scores.  The I-Land team gets a score of 81.  As for the Ground … we’ll find out in the next episode.  Like I haven’t already been through the emotional wringer.

Pass the Kleenex.  I need to recover before the next episode.

Episode 5:  Failure to Communicate

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