#to1 jermone

[boysplanetrecaps]

Boys Planet Recap, Episode 7 part 3 - Rush Hour 

This recap will cover the Rush Hour rehearsal and performance from Ep 7! People have said they were looking forward to my thoughts on this, so I thought I’d go ahead and put this part up by itself rather than paired with another team. Here we go!

Huta introduces the next song and out comes team Rush Hour.

Left to right: Ma Jing Xiang, Hiroto, Takuto, Ricky, and Oh Sungmin

I’ll remind you that our commuters are:

Trainee name (rank)   Star Level test /Challenge 1 /age final star level

Ricky (12) Kick It - G /Back Door - G /18 ⭐⭐

Takuto (15) Instead Of... /Danger - G /15 ⭐

Hiroto (21) Conduct Zero /Very Nice - G /20 ⭐⭐

Ma Jing Xiang (32) Reveal /Very Nice - G /19 🚫

Oh Sung Min (34) Bloom Bloom /Love Me Right - K /21 ⭐⭐⭐

They introduce themselves as “Awesome Hour.” There is clearly a very loud cheer after Ricky introduces himself, but it is also very clearly cut off by the editing. Ma Jing Xiang’s intro is actually cut off a split second before he finishes saying his name, and the conspiracy theorist in me says they cut off his cheer, too. They pan the audience and we see signs for Ricky, Oh Sung Min, Ma Jing Xiang, and Hiroto -- I think I see more signs for MJX than for anyone else, but that’s just what I see.  

Huta asks Sungmin, “Did you have any difficulties leading the team?” 

There’s a long pause. In the judging room on the space station, vocal judge Onestar says “This team was all over the place.” Solji says, “They should work as a team,” and I’m already on edge. 

I’ll remind you that when we first saw this team rehearsing in episode 6, there was already some bullshit going on. Takuto was having a hard time with the choreo, which happens. But Oh Sungmin was insisting that everyone stay together while Takuto practiced the same line over and over, and the editing tried to make it seem like both Ma Jing Xiang and Ricky were both selfish jerks for wanting to work ahead a bit. I’m not convinced, but we heard from Sungmin and Hiroto talking about how they need better teamwork. 

We get a flashback to the song selection day, to something we didn’t see the first time, and find out that as Ricky approached the Rush Hour team, the sign fell down.   

This whole moment is such a multi-layered metaphor for the way this show works. MNET is trying to present this as if Ricky is a bad luck omen, or as if the sign falling off the wall is symbolic of the troubles the team would have. And yet, the truth is that the signs were poorly applied to the wall, because MNET is cheap and shitty and lazy, and the sign falling had nothing whatsoever to do with these trainees. So the metaphor here isn’t that Ricky is a bad luck omen; the metaphor is that the sign is cheap the way that MNET is cheap. The metaphor is that MNET blaming the trainees for their own sign falling down symbolizes the way they for trainees to do emotionally difficult things and then blame them for their emotional response. The metaphor is that MNET blaming a set design failure on a Chinese trainee is symbolic of how they blame  everything on Chinese trainees. The metaphor is that MNET sucks as bad as this set sucks.  

(I put the preceding in its own post because I felt so passionate about it. Anyway.)

I think the bigger news is how happy MJX is to see Ricky.

Aww! We barely know either of these trainees, so I had no idea that they were friendly. He’s so happy! It’s so cute. (Me in the future knows that this will turn out to be important later, too, though when I screen capped this I had no idea.)

So, we cut to a day or two later. The trainees are in a rehearsal room. MJX is practicing the dance while listening to headphones. Ricky has an idea for a new thing they could do with the choreo, and suggests it to Hiroto. I think Hiroto has a hard time understanding him, and Oh Sungmin isn’t there, and Takuto isn’t helpful, so Ricky tries to ask MJX to help him demonstrate his idea. 

MJX basically refuses even to take out his headphones at first, and then when pushed to it, says that they don’t have enough time, and it’s more important to practice the choreography than it is to make changes to it.

Ricky interviews that he didn’t understand MJX’s perspective, because at that point it was D-6 and in Ricky’s view, they DID have time to make changes. MJX then interviews that they didn’t have time, because in his view, they didn’t. Then Oh Sungmin interview that he finds them both inconsiderate.

Sigh. This is like one of those “Am I the asshole?” posts on reddit, and I want to vote, “NAH” -- no assholes here. 

Ricky is a strong dancer and has a lot of cool ideas, and besides, part of what the trainees are demonstrating in this battle is their choreography skills. The upcoming elimination probably isn’t that scary to him --- he knows he has a solid fan base and is likely to make it, so he’s not stressed out. He knows intellectually that MJX and Sungmin aren’t in that position, but it’s probably too much for him to stay constantly focused on. Also, he probably assumes that if their team wins the position battle, the extra votes will help save them too, so he’d better make their performance as cool as possible! He just wants to share what he’s good at with his teammates, like a gift… Why shouldn’t they utilize his skills, if he has them? 

Meanwhile, from MJX’s perspective, changing the choreography all the time is making a difficult situation even worse. He’s not a strong dancer, and I assume he’s terrified of being scolded by the psychopath dance teachers. He also, presumably, doesn’t want to put on a bad performance that gets mocked online. And of course, he doesn’t want to go home, but he’s ranked 32 and things don’t look good for him. He probably resents Ricky a little bit, subconsciously -- Ricky is a good dancer, Ricky is super popular, Ricky speaks Korean better than he does (though MJX speaks it decently), and Ricky is ALWAYS trying to change the choreo. MJX is stressed out and ready to snap, and Ricky is just piling on more stress. Yeah, the level to which he’s angry isn’t great. But it’s understandable, if you get me. He’s scared, and fear often can manifest as anger. 

Meanwhile, what Sungmin sees is bickering and time-wasting while he’s trying to lead. Chinese culture is really different from his, and even their normal interactions probably seem brash and rude to him -- not saying that he’s racist, just saying that it’s hard to NOT view people through the lens of what you’re used to in your own culture. Also, Sungmin is already so stressed out trying to get Takuto on track with the dance, and meanwhile he himself is actually the lowest ranked on the team and probably scared of going home. He’s down to his last nerve, and they’re getting on it. 

Yes, it would be great if they could say to themselves and each other, “Wow, the stress is getting to me. I’m sorry. Let’s try to find a compromise.” I think a leader like formerly blue-haired Park Hanbin or Mr. Sexy Kim Jiwoong could, each in his own way, resolve this -- Hanbin by keeping control from the first minute, and Jiwoong by using his emotional intelligence to get everyone talking honestly about how they’re feeling and encouraging compromise. (Though Jiwoong would haaaaaaaaaaate being in this situation.) 

But Oh Sungmin isn’t quite up to the challenge, and it’s a lot to ask from these stressed out teenagers that they exert that kind of control over their emotional responses. We see Sungmin trying to smooth things over by reminding them of their common goal. But things have already gone too far, and they need a bigger intervention than that. 

That night, Takuto -- who has a little set of plushie letters spelling his name in English, and has his official red and white pjs still on his bed -- is getting pretty upset. 

Remember, he’s 15 -- to him, having the hyungs all fighting probably feels like when your mom and dad fight. They’re also taller than him, and he doesn’t understand their language very well. And meanwhile, the dancing is already really really difficult for him. He’s got to be near collapse.

The next day, MJX is still really prickly and difficult to work with again. He won’t budge an inch, even when Sungmin tries to offer a compromise. There’s a bit in the choreo where Ricky is supposed to playfully push MJX out of the way, and MJX is saying that he “knows” that Ricky will push him really hard later on -- something he can’t know, because it’s in the future. In other words, he’s irrational. It’s not easy to watch.

The formerly blue-hared Park Hanbin, who has been sharing a rehearsal room with them (why can’t each team have its own room???) has noticed, and interviews, “The Rush Hour team can’t communicate with each other. To be honest, I don’t think they’re willing to do it.” 

I think Hanbin is on to something there. I mean, maybe I’m wrong, but I theorize that for MJX, it’s easier to stay angry, because while you’re angry, you have a shield up. As long as he’s blaming Ricky for making things difficult, he’s not thinking as much about how poor his own skills are. Sitting down and having a talk, a real talk, would involve admitting how scared he is and how sad he is and how envious he probably is. It’s not something he really wants to do. Angry is safe. Don’t get me wrong - he’s acting like a complete jerk. It’s just that I can understand why and empathize with him anyway, because I’ve been in his shoes. I think we all have.

Takuto starts to cry out of frustration and probably hopelessness, and Sungmin tries to comfort him (Sungmin speaks a bit of Japanese to him, which is sweet). MJX doesn’t acknowledge what’s going on -- he just wants to keep going. Oh Sungmin tries to have an actual group conversation, but MJX says, “Sungmin-hyung, You don’t have to explain, we just have to practice.” He’s quite close to Sungmin as he says it, and tensions feel high. Hiroto tries to say that if they don’t resolve the situation, it’ll keep happening, but MJX isn’t listening. He’s found an emotional level to be on that feels safe and he’s going to stay there. Finally, Sungmin has to walk away to calm down. I noticed that MJX immediately pulls a piece of paper out of his pocket and begins practicing his rap the second that Sungmin is just a few steps away. You can feel the anxiety vibrating out of MJX, but that doesn’t help Sungmin, who is hiding in a stairwell and trying not to cry.

Time passes, and now it’s day D-1 -- dress rehearsal. What have the the boys been doing for three days? We’re left to assume that they’ve been in this exact same tense state the whole time, and if so, that’s awful. I guess they’ve just been running rehearsals with MJX in this emotional state the whole time.

They perform their dress rehearsal -- we don’t see much of it -- and when they’re done, the judges say, “it’s not fun because you’re not having fun.” Presumably they’d have other feedback, but we don’t hear any of it. The storyline isn’t about whether Hiroto is pronouncing Korean correctly or not, or whether Ricky wrote a fun rap or not, or whether Takuto did the dance well or not, or whether Oh Sungmin looks cute up on stage or not. It’s about how MJX is a jerk, and so the only feedback we hear is the feedback that pertains to that. 

That night, they have a meeting in the dorm room. (We can see that a few of them are wearing their official pajamas.) Oh Sungmin says, “I left my group (T01) to be here, and I feel like my life is in danger -- if I don’t make it here, I can’t be an idol.” I don’t know if that’s true, Sungmin -- you’re signed to WakeOne. But anyway.

Hiroto says, in essence, “Me too, this is my third shot, and I feel like it’s my last chance.” And MNET isn’t doing you any favors, either, Hiroto-kun. Ganbatte kudasai, Hiroto-kun! 

MJX says, “I don’t want this to prevent us from giving a good performance, either. I’ll trust everyone and keep going.”  I still feel tension radiating from him, but I can see he’s trying to take it down a notch. 

Ricky says, “I’m so, so, sorry.”

It’s interesting that we don’t see MJX apologize -- I feel like he would have? He’d have to, right? But MNET doesn’t show it. 

MJX and Ricky give each other an awkward hug, which seems to be initiated more by MJX than by Ricky, and there’s some awkward laughter. MJX interviews that they said what they needed to say to one another -- it's easier for him to forgive the others than I think it is for them to forgive him, I think. Also, I think he and Ricky really are friends, so their arguing, while uncomfortable to everyone else, probably felt "safe" to them -- they knew they'd make up sooner or later.

The meeting probably helped, but I think it was like shoving stuff into drawers and saying you've cleaned. Just like how you have to get all the junk out from under your bed if you're really, really going to clean, I think they needed to have a real knock-down drag out FIGHT, with full on yelling even, if necessary, get it all out, and then talk it out. But I think they were all kind of scared to go there, and sometimes it's easier to just make up than it is to talk it out.

Anyway.

It’s D-day, and they huddle backstage. Sungmin says, “it doesn’t matter what our process was -- we just need to have fun. I love you all.” Ricky says, “I love you all” too, and they do a “hana-dul-set, FIGHTING!”  

So, that brings us to the performance. And before we get there, I’ll just say my final thoughts on all of this squabbling. As I said above, no one here is an irredeemable asshole. This is a group of extremely stressed out young men. They’re put in a situation in which they are competing with each other constantly, and yet are expected to get along with each other perfectly. They’re supposed to put on a team performance, and yet they will be ranked afterward, with the best team member winning extra points. It must be so stressful and draining. I know I couldn't do it!

Did MNET “evil edit” MJX? Well, yes and no. I mean, he did do those things, just as Lee Da Eul really did treat his team like they were his underlings. Those are things that happened. MNET “evil edited” them by… showing that. However, MNET created a situation in which power dynamics would be all out of whack, in which constant competition leaves everyone scared and constant rehearsal leaves everyone physically exhausted, and in which constant berating from psychopath judges leave everyone traumatized. In other words, my earlier statement holds: MNET makes trainees do emotionally difficult things and then blames them for their emotional response. 

So, what’s the solution? Well, for starters, I think it would be good if MNET gave the boys a few more days to rehearse, which would lead to decreased stress AND better performances. That’s win win! I think they need to provide more access to translators -- they could start by installing google translate in those tablets the boys have. I also think that it wouldn’t hurt to have some sort of guidance available from the staff -- counselors, mediators, something like that. Even just a sort of “dorm mother” who is there to look after especially the younger members -- if there was someone watching over the 15 years olds, there would be less pressure on the 18 year olds. And the upper management really has to reconsider what is acceptable and what isn’t acceptable when it comes to the judges’ behavior. I have friends who do theater, and they tell me that being a sociopathic asshole is “normal” from dance teachers, but it shouldn’t be.  

Ultimately, though, a show like this is going to do this. Any real pressure on MNET to improve conditions will probably have to come from the Korean population, not from us Global fans. I console myself in knowing that I’ll support these trainees on their stages to come. 

The performance

If you’re curious as to what they actually say in their raps, I found these lyrics. Lyrics that were in English and didn’t need translation are in green. Note that the first line of Ricky’s rap was already in the original song.

Ricky:

Yo I’ve been walking on the street yo From UN Village to Hangangjin Station, Ladies know my name, Mr. young and rich ya, Pop champagne take a chill, feel my feel, everyone get out of the way

MJX:

People ask me to look at my reflection in the cold mirror from a few years ago, Man in the mirror, now it shines, my natural flow, You gotta get some to the top, child you’re doing well

Sungmin

Now I’m feeling like a funky boy dance like this, Everyone follow me, look carefully, even if I rap. I’ll go to a higher place than others

Takuto: 

Even if I’m not confident, the star protects me, it’s dark to me, there’s no future, I’m still very young, still I’m worried about the challenge, so I’m going to watch Toyonaga Takuto.

(much later in the song)

Hiroto:

I’m a homebody, but on stage, I show and prove, Once you see me, you can’t forget me, We living live in busy planet, Sooner or later we’ll be filling up in our name

My Take

I wish I’d thought to watch the performance on Youtube before I watched all the behind-the-scenes stuff, because I’m sure it colored my view. But really, I think it came out ok. The song and general choreo style are both so high energy that even a remotely decent performance of it will be fun to watch. I don’t think I would have picked up on their backstage tension just by watching this. 

MJX is bubbly and fun on stage, and did a surprisingly decent job at both rapping and dancing compared to what we’ve seen in the past from him. I think he may have actually been the best rapper on the team, which is a wild statement to make, but, yeah, I think so. He looked like he was having fun, too. 

Oh Sungmin’s rap was surprisingly basic for a native speaker, but I actually liked his flow despite that, and despite the fact that he is a vocalist, not a rapper. He was ranked pretty low and probably got pushed out of the song he wanted. He has a lot of charm on stage -- this might be the first time that I’ve really seen what he can do on stage this way, because he was so overshadowed in Love Me Right. 

Speaking of first times, I think this is the first time I really got it why people like Ricky so much. He looked a lot more comfortable on this stage than I’ve seen him in the past, and he owned that center position even when he was on the side of the stage. Also, he’s really a master of looking super serious and then dropping a smile that catches you by surprise. I still think he’s a bit stiff, but it’s hard to do choreography in time with others when you’re taller than them. Also, he makes that microphone disappear into the sub-ether after he uses it. I’ve watched that part like 10 times and I can’t figure out where he puts it! That’s some stage trickery right there. No matter whether he makes it to the top 9 or not, the Yuehua group that will debut out of this show will be stacked! 

Hiroto’s a cutie pie. His rapping wasn’t anything to write home about, but I think his Korean is still pretty shaky and it must be tough. His little dance solo at about 1:53 was a lot of fun and perfectly in line with the feeling of the song -- I wonder if he choreographed it? 

I know Takuto is trying his best, but his dancing is weak it looks almost half-hearted, and throws off the syncing for the group as a whole. You can see some of the adjustments the team made for him -- they gave him a microphone to hold while he rapped, to give him something to do with his hands (it was pretty funny when he held the mic out while he said the last word and it was super obvious the mic wasn’t on). They also gave him a little mini dance solo in which he did the main repeating dance move, just by himself. They also let him do his one big move, that back flip he also did in his star level test, and he landed it much better this time than he did the first time. I really hope he doesn’t pass through this next elimination round, since it is clear to me at least that there are more deserving trainees here, but I’ve come around to liking him. He’s a genuine, hard working, well-intentioned kid, and while he is obviously not ready to debut, who knows, in a few years he might be.

The editing

There’s a lot of focus on how handsome Ricky and MJX are, and how cute Takuto is. Predictably, Sungmin and Hiroto are largely neglected. We see Takuto’s flip several times, but there’s no focus on Hiroto’s dance break, for example.

Afterward, the judges talk about how the team didn’t look like they were having fun on stage, and I really think that their opinion was colored by knowing the back story. They also say that they think Hiroto has had bad luck -- which, yeah, I don’t know if it’s luck exactly that happened to Hiroto. 

The voting 

Ricky takes the win with 745 votes, and we see a real genuine smile from him, not a stage smirk, and it’s very charming. 

Oh Sungmin can’t quite bring himself to smile about it, though -- he worked so hard and is probably not going to see much reward for it. But you’re WakeOne, lovey! You’ll redebut with Kim TaeRae and Park Hanbin and Anthonny and Haruto and it’ll be ok… I hope.   

We find out that Takuto came in last with 569 votes. That’s a decent tally, though, for him. He interviews, in Korean, that he was a little bit sad, but satisfied because he did everything he could. He’s learned an insane amount in a short period of time and really defied my first impression of him. 

In an interview, Oh Sungmin responds to a question that must have been something like, “how did it feel to perform together?” 

He says, “It just felt like were performing together. A lot of things happened, but I’m glad we’re done with it.” After a brief pause he adds, “I think we did well.” 

Yeah, there’s still a lot of resentment there. Really, I feel bad for everyone on this team. This was just sort of a clusterfuck.

And that's it for this recap! I'll pick up later with my thoughts on Limousine and whatever song is after that!