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catch-me-hello · 3 months ago

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Debut’s Plan, Episode 4: Big Names and Power Moves

MAN, it’s hard waiting each week for new episodes! Welcome to Episode 4, with our so-called “Weakness” Plan, a chance to find out why Haru has lost all hope, and the possibility that we’ll finally get to see Minhyuk hosting this thing. Let’s goooooo!

We open with everyone rehearsing for the Plan 2 performances. Meanwhile, a blurred-out person is walking through the campus. He’s impressed with the whole setup. The camera pulls out, and – HEY! It’s Johnny from NCT 127!

The trainees see Johnny walking past their rehearsal rooms and start freaking out. They all gather to sit with him. Johnny asks them how they handle the stress of being on this show. They confess to eating snacks. Johnny wants to show them another way and asks for a full-length mirror, which the production team scrambles to get him.

Johnny sits in front of the mirror and gives himself a pep talk. Then he has Legendary Trainee Kim Ji Yong give it a try, and I can tell our boy is uncomfortable doing this in front of a group. Hey trainees, I’m sure this is a healthy and positive way to deal with stress, but if this isn’t your speed, I have an American method. It’s called the Denial, Avoidance, and Stress-Eating Method. All you need is a bag of Fritos and a Netflix series, and you too can forget all your troubles.

Moving on.

The aespa Girls Vocal Team is rehearsing. They choose Kim Min Jae as their leader and start dividing up the parts. At one point, Kim Min Jae decides he wants to be the Main Vocalist as well, which is quite the power move. The rest of the team looks off-camera and asks the crew of that’s okay and get a yes. So Kim Min Jae gets both stickers. I’d like to see him start gunning for the Lead Dancer and Center positions and cause some REAL drama.

Now we hop over to the IVE Shine With Me vocal group. This team has my pick Kaira as the Leader. He tells the others he chose them for his team because he believes in them. Then, in a confessional, he says he chose them because he can beat them. I couldn’t help laughing. I know it’s mean, but I do like this kid.

We get some tension as they choose a Main Vocalist. It’s the usual ego-bruising. As they rehearse, we get some great shots of the campus. This place really is amazing.

The Shine With Me Team stumbles a bit in the midpoint eval, with Seok June struggling to stay on tempo and Park Jun Hwan veering wildly off-key. Kaira’s evil plan may be working. The vocal coaches are NOT happy, telling the team they don’t think it’s possible for them to be ready to perform by the deadline. DUN DUN DUNNNNNN….

As Team Shine With Me goes back to rehearsal, we get two more blurry figures approaching their practice studio. Who are the new guest stars? It’s Rei and Liz from IVE! The very group whose song our team is rehearsing! It looks like they’re bringing pizza.

I have to hand it to our trainees – they are able to speak to women. Yes, they’re a little shy and nervous, but they’re able to talk to Rei and Liz without trying to tunnel out of the building and flee the campus.

They talk about the song and how emotional it is. As they discuss expression, the other trainees spot the two idols through the windows and gather around the building in shock. The women invite them in. They all eat pizza and drink from Pepsi bottles with the logos facing the camera and taking up half the screen in extreme close-ups. Rei and Liz give them a pep talk about overcoming their weaknesses, because we have to stick to the theme of this mission.

Both women are very sweet, especially Liz when she talks about dealing with anxiety. I mean it as a compliment when I say that here, they seem less like idols and more like relatable, likeable human beings.

Now for Team So Good, led by our Starship Trainee Legend, Kim Ji Yong. We jump ahead to their midpoint eval, and Liz and Rei are joining the coaches. We learn that this team has been a mess all week, spending more time on changing parts than learning the actual choreo. Kim Ji Yong was scolded by the coaches during this time for his lack of leadership. He took it very hard.

The midpoint eval goes much better. I love the song. Now we jump ahead to the final performance on D-Day, no setup or anything. Okay, I guess we’re doing this!

This is a total summer jam, and I love it. The choreo has a breezy, laid-back vibe to it. If this is the kind of choreo Kim Ji Yong writes, he might be the next legendary choreographyer on these survival show judging panels. The judges love it, too. Even K.Will has nothing but praise. That seems out of character. Can someone make sure he’s okay?

Speaking of okay, it’s time for Dance Team We’re OK to perform. (They’re shortcutting the name “I’m OK You’re OK,” which is fine with me because these song titles are already giving me carpel tunnel.)

We get a flashback to their midpoint eval, which, judging by everyone’s reaction, isn’t going so well.

This group is kind of all over the place. You know it’s bad when they finish, and after a long pause, Choreographer Choi Young Jun’s first words are, “I will try to control my rage.” Kim In Kyu says, “I feel like we’ve been tricked.”

I’m embarrassed on the group’s behalf, even though I know this is just the Flashback Formula at work. Choi Young Jun is so mad, he replaces Jeong Se Min’s lead position with Haru. It’s clear that Haru is carrying the team. Later, in rehearsal, Haru breaks down from the pressure. This is why we saw him crying last week. He doesn’t want the lead spot and have to do the formation over again, especially since the final performance is the next day.

We don’t get to see them resolve this. Instead, we skip ahead to D-Day. If I know the Flashback Formula, this will be a perfect performance. The group tells us in voiceovers that they were up all night changing the choreo. It looks like Haru is now the lead dancer. Let’s do this.

It’s fabulous. The judges are cheering and laughing all through it. It’s bouncy and happy and fun. The judges applaud wildly at the end. This group has redeemed themselves, which is a big relief for me because two of my voting picks (Jo Min Jae and Haru) are on this team. (Don’t forget to vote at newkids.co.kr!)

But these shows don’t let us be too happy for long. Jeong Se Min starts to cry because he made a mistake during the performance. I didn’t even catch it, but I guess the judges did. I would never, ever want to be a K-pop trainee. Then Haru breaks down. All these guys need a good night’s sleep immediately.

Now for the vocal group doing aespa’s “Girls.” My pick Park Won Bin is in this group, as well as the all-powerful Kim Min Jae, who is both Leader and Main Vocalist. In a flashback, we watch them bicker over the other vocal parts. This goes on for a while.

As the flashback goes on, both vocal groups meet for a training session, and we get another celebrity visitor.

Oh my God, it’s Soyou! I remember her from No Mercy! Of course, she’s more well-known for being in the group SISTAR and being an amazing singer. But I’ll always remember her as the No Mercy judge that Minhyuk had a crush on. Does Minhyuk know she’s here now? How romantic would it be if they reconnected on this show? Someone write that and turn it into a K-drama! Call it “No Mercy on My Heart.”

Our group performs the song for her, and they are awful. I actually had to turn the volume way down until they were finished. Soyou does NOT look happy. Back into rehearsal they go.

But wait – we’re back to the “Trade Day” gimmick from the last episode, where the team leaders can choose to swap teammates. Not this again.

I’ve already made it clear in the last episode’s recap how much I hate this. In the end, Jin Bo Min gets sent to Team Shine With Me. No exchanges, just booting him over to the other team.

Back to D-Day. Time for “Girls.” Let’s see how they do after kicking Jin Bo Min to the curb.

Badass. Totally dark, mysterious, and badass. Also, their costumes rock. Park Won Bin steals the show for me, but the trainees backstage say Kim Min Jae carried the whole team. The judges love them all, singling out both Park Won Bin and Kim Min Jae for credit. A huge success.

Now for Team Shine With Me. The bar has been set sky-high. We get a flashback of them working with Soyou. Remember, this is Kaira’s team that he picked to be worse than him. And boy, are they. While Soyou nods in approval at Kaira’s singing, she visibly cringes at the others. It’s so bad that Soyou finally cuts the music and puts a stop to the whole thing.

After the session, Seok June looks traumatized.

He says he knows he’s not a good singer. He didn’t need a famous vocalist reminding him of that. So why is he trying to get into K-pop if he can’t sing? I know we’ve covered this before, but it’s so cruel for entertainment companies to shove these trainees without talent onto these survival shows.

During a rehearsal in front of the judges, the team walks onstage without Park Seong Hyeon because he’s sick. As they rehearse, Seok June actually sounds worse than before. Kaira, your team appears to be cursed.

I just hope they don’t crash and burn. We’re now at D-Day. Showtime.

Gorgeous, sad, and beautiful. Kaira holds a long, powerful note, and I had no idea he could sing this well. When the song ends, he’s actually crying. The judges are moved. They say that this group has potential as vocalists, even though it’s not their strongest talent. I think I finally see the point of a Weakness Mission.

Okay. Performances are done. Time to find out who are new Top 7 is. Everyone gathers in front of the 7-spot podium. We see the overall rankings, but again, I can’t read Korean. Our new Top 7 is:

Park Won Bin, one of my picks. He stays on the podium.

Wu Hao, our passionate performer and another one of my picks.

Kaira. He’s improving with every episode. He stays on the podium and will keep getting my vote.

Park Won Bin, Wu Hao, and Kaira

Kim Min Jae. This is his first time in the Top 7.

Starship Legend Trainee Kim Ji Yong stays on the podium. So far, one person will be getting kicked off the podium, but we don’t know which one yet.

Lee Woo Ju, our 14 year-old maknae. It’s his first time in the Top 7, so that’s two trainees who are about to lose their Top 7 rankings.

Kim Min Jae, Kim Ji Yong, and Lee Woo Ju

And finally,

Baek Jun Hyuk. First time in the Top 7.

So that means Chu Yoo Chan, Jang Kyu Hyun, and Jang Yong Hoon have all lost their Top 7 status.

Baek Jun Hyuk, Chu Yoo Chan, Jang Kyu Hyun, and Jang Yong Hoon

Here are the overall rankings, for those of you who can read Korean.

We’re reminded again to vote for our Top 7 favorites at newkids.co.kr. I have a bad feeling about my top pick, Six Singers trainee Jo Min Jae. I really don’t want to see him miss another shot.

We get a preview of next week, and finally, Minhyuk will be here! And oh my God – is that I.M, also from Monsta X?!

OH MY GOD IT IS!!! IT REALLY IS!!! I CAN’T FRIGGIN BELIEVE IT I FEEL DIZZY – <CRASH>

#kpop #recaps #survival reality shows #Starship Entertainment #Debut's Plan #NewKids #NCT 127 #IVE #Soyou #Minhyuk #I.M #Monsta X

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