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Queendom: Season Two – Episode Seven Recap and Ranking

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Queendom Season 2Warning: This recap is not spoiler-free. Proceed at your own risk!

EPISODE ONE RECAP // EPISODE TWO RECAP // EPISODE THREE RECAP // EPISODE FOUR RECAP // EPISODE FIVE RECAP// EPISODE SIX RECAP

We’re at the point in any Queendom/Kingdom series where I check the episode running length before watching and audibly cheer if it’s under two hours. Today was a victory, and thank goodness for that because after last week’s 150-minute bloat-fest we deserve some brevity.

Following that drawn-out vocal unit competition, it’s time for the dance units and voting results.

VOCAL UNIT RESULTS

3. Team Sun & Moon
2. Team 33
1. Team Galaxy Embracing the Universe

I’m kind of shocked at the results of the top two. I mean, I had them tied in my own ranking, but I fully expected Team 33 to take an easy win here. I guess the Brave Girls Queendom curse continues…

UNIT BATTLE: DANCE

Disclaimer: I’m watching the full show, not just clips on YouTube. So, the editing of each performances may inadvertently factor into my rankings. But, I’ll be embedding the full YouTube performances in these posts.

MY RANKINGS

3. KEV1Z – Purr

As their unit name suggest, KEV1Z is composed of members from Kep1er and Viviz. Before their performance even started, there was someone shrieking bloody murder in the audience. It’s nice to hear the enthusiasm, but I hope the medics were on standby.

This round is going to be weird because it’s hard for me to be impressed with choreography if I don’t enjoy the accompanying song. Musically, Purr is pretty dang boring. The girls sell the attitude, but nothing really stood out to me. They could’ve leaned into the whole cat theme. Instead, it just felt like the same moves every other group does, rearranged and re-ordered.

Then again, MNET cut to an audience member losing her mind and the shrieker from the intro re-emerged when the girls struck their final pose. So, what do I know?

2. Ex-It – Ka-Boom

This unit is made up of Hyolyn and two members from WJSN, making it the smallest configuration of this round. That has its plusses and minuses. I tend to consider smaller units a benefit when it comes to standing out.

This was another awful song, but I found the performance more engaging than KEV1Z’s. With less performers, it was easier to focus on their expressions and individual energy. Still, there’s nothing here that compels me to go back and watch it again. The fashion was… interesting.

1. Queen Is Me – I’m Tempted

This unit is comprised of members from LOONA and Brave Girls, which feels like an unexpected but fresh combination. Poor Eunji represents Brave Girls on her own, outnumbered four-to-one by LOONAs.

In a relatively weak round, this was definitely my standout. The song still wasn’t for me, but it felt different enough from the others to stand out. The simple staging (black & white + red is always killer) gave this a much more iconic feel. And though the choreography didn’t deliver anything super striking (there was a lot of posing), It was more exciting to watch than the previous two stages. Eunji absolutely owned the stage. What a star.

DANCE UNIT RESULTS

3. KEV1Z
2. Ex-It
1. Queen Is Me

My ranking usually differs substantially from the final vote, so I’m feeling like I did well this week!
I guess the Brave Girls Queendom curse is… broken?

FINAL RESULTS (VOCAL + DANCE)

3. Kep1er
2. Hyolyn, LOONA, Viviz
1. Brave Girls, WJSN

Wow! I guess the Brave Girls curse isn’t just broken… it’s smashed to pieces!

(That is, until they’re forced to perform their absolute worst song during next week’s round…)

19 thoughts on “Queendom: Season Two – Episode Seven Recap and Ranking”

  1. I really thought that the KEV1Z’s and Ex-It’s choreographies were remarkably free of dancing. They were mostly walking, standing, and waiting for the next part. When they were actually doing something, it was, as you say, the same moves we’ve all seen over and over. Queen Is Me was, at least, trying to do something particular. There was posing, yes, but there was also a sequence of precise, coordinated movements. What we humans know as dancing.

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  2. Now that the song choices are revealed for Round 3, I can FINALLY scream about them after seeing the leaks like, two weeks ago. Which consists of two main reactions:

    1) HOLY S*** PANTOMIME!!!!!! LETS GOOOOO
    2) WTF why is Brave Girls performing RED SUN??? Out of all the songs?? A CF song???

    I’m absolutely ecstatic for Pantomime (I had my hopes up for it being WJSN’s Round 3 song from the beginning ever since Exy mentioned it as a song they recommend viewers to listen to in one of the pre-show interview teasers), I can’t wait to see what they do with it! And on the other end of the spectrum, what are Brave Girls’ fans doing 😃?? I’m also excited to see Butterfly, was entirely expecting Bop Bop, not much opinion on See Sea, and just amused at Kep1er getting SNSD’s The Boys…they already ran out of songs to perform! I mean, of course, any group could have gone with a cover here, as long as it was fan-chosen – from what I remember, Bom covered Eyes, Nose, Lips in QD1? Ah well.

    Oh, the dance performances, right. They were quite disappointing, to be honest. I would have the same ranking, though KEV1Z and Ex-It were basically interchangeable with Brave Girls/Loona were a clear cut above the other two. By far my favourite choreo, whose clear concept and more contemporary/modern dance style made it stand out a lot versus the other two choreos which felt messy and just a random mess of various hip-hop moves. Also helps that the song is tolerable while the other two songs are just…no. And, having not watched SWF, Monika has gained a new fan. I loved her style of mentoring. Very hands on, strict but only because she’s so passionate about wanting the girls to do well.

    Was also caught off guard by the vocal unit results, but I suppose I should have been suspicious the moment Mnet ended Ep. 6 aggressively hinting at a Hyolyn/Minyoung win, which was an editing fake-out as usual. Glad that the results ended up turning out the way they did for the dance units. Go Brave Girls! Now to maintain that momentum for Part 2 of Round 3…

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    • Hmm…rewatching the performances again, I might put KEV1Z over Ex-It – at least KEV1Z was doing choreography the whole time while Ex-It had far too much walking around and posing with backup dancers for a supposed dance-focused performance. Might as well have been singing throughout…did LaChica perhaps tone down their choreo thinking that they needed to do that for idols? It really was quite underwhelming.

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    • It’s so unfair that kep1er gets to do a song that’s so iconic and not even theirs. They should’ve made everyone do an SNSD song. Taeyeon’s literally a MC. I had a similar reaction to you with the other songs.

      I’mma go listen to pantomime now lol

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  3. While I may wish for LOOΠΔ to win this, I’m not disillusioned enough to think it will happen; still.. ..all appendages crossed.

    I’m starting to lose interest in Queendom because I don’t get it. What is it? What is it suppose to be? I get the whole pit performers against each other schtick, but I don’t understand the logic of the groups chosen to compete.

    For season 1, the only square peg was Bommie. While I absolutely love her, putting on this type of show was cruel. All of the other acts weren’t that far apart, even though they each had different styles. I remember watching each episode and occasionally thinking it was unfair for groups that were struggling because MNet seemed to adopt the “pulling wings off bugs” approach of continuing to kick groups when they were down. Groups having to pick a group they think is less than them, or getting to take away a song or stage slot, or force another group into a performance they didn’t want. It was one cringe moment after another.

    So why did I keep watching? Well, it wasn’t for the voting, or the ranks, or the drama. It was always about the stages. AOA “Egotistic”, (G)I-dle “Put It Straight”, OMG “Destiny”, et al all made watching worth it. Making good songs better through stage craft and theatrical story telling. THAT is why I watched. Competition? Pffft! If Queendom did one thing right, it was to give performers a chance to bring storytelling to some of their iconic releases.

    Which brings us to Q2. Same shit editing? Check. Same cringe drama tactics? Check. Same kick in the gut when they’re down? Check, check! However, this season seems really off versus Q1. As far as voting goes, this season is all over the map. You’ve got LOOΠΔ starting in the crapper before they even hit the stage. You’ve got a 12 year vet jousting a group that isn’t even 12 weeks old. Brave Girls is too focused on votes so they need to stop worrying about being like the other groups and focus on just being themselves. I like VIVIZ, but I’m not sure they should be on this season because they have less than a handful of new material, so they end being 50% of GFRIEND without the power vocals. And then there’s WJSN, whom I love, but I just don’t recognize them any more.

    So.. ..like season 1, I’m done with the drama, the competition/voting, the maudlin chicanery, everything. Just give me those stages please. Lots and lots of lots.

    This challenge? Queen Is Me “I’m Tempted” was my favorite. Yes, it has LOOΠΔ, but anyone with eyes would pick this one.

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  4. Honestly, I wondered if it was still Queendom and not a Produce episode. The new songs that aren’t good, the teacher with strong aura, the one member who is struggling and needs help from another team member or the teacher, the result being meh… The best part of Queendom and Kingdom, it was their agencies behind the artists and not Mnet’s producers.

    The camera work on the performances wasn’t so good.

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  5. I thought it was funny how hard they tried to make these results a surprise even though we all knew where this was going before the episode even aired…

    I was disappointed by the first two performances, yes. I find myself wishing this round had been managed like in Kingdom— a true mix of groups and all groups being given their choice of songs or self-composing, etc. As it is, the girls had to work with what they were given, which means this outcome feels like it’s Monika’s victory as much as it is Loona/BG’s. I thought Heejin was a clear standout and she’s an incredible performer based on this stage… but I have to wonder if a similar energy could have been brought by the other groups if they’d all received the same coaching.

    In general I saw somebody bring up a really great point when comparing Queendom to Kingdom… the live audience makes a huge difference. I’m happy for the idols getting to perform for their fans again after years of empty rooms, don’t get me wrong. But the lack of audience on RTK/Kingdom opened up opportunities for the kind of dynamic staging we have come to expect. Think of SKZ God’s D4– the constant switches in camera angles, the visual tricks that made that work. That sort of thing would not have worked with a live audience at all. Kingdom probably would have been a very different kind of show.

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    • Yes, at least for Kingdom, without an obvious stage front and audience, they could do more of a black box theater-in-the-round style production which added some novelty. At times they switched back and forth too much from one scene to another as novelty for novelty’s sake, walking around for walking around’s sake. But on balance the long venue allowed more creative freedom.

      The giant pirate ship for Ateez “Wonderland” comes to mind easily, complete with the music remix including the Dvorak “New World” reference more obviously and awesomely.

      Also, iirc it was BtoB who used a lot of back stage – front stage – walking through a corridor with different “rooms” staging which worked out well too.

      Also, props. Kingdom used a LOT more props, and that is sorely missing here in Queendom. Not just a decorative flower swing, but a full flying door in one choreo (which one?). When I think of the big movie musicals, its all about the staging and props, viz every Gene Kelly dream sequence ever. Every dance in just Singing in the Rain alone, uses props. Make em Laugh, Good Morning, Moses Supposes, what else can we do with a desk, a couch, a chair, and a broomstick?

      Anyway, here is giant pirate ship:

      And here is “Good Morning”, gah I know this scene by heart:

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  6. Last place once again for the production. “Purr” and “Kaboom” were at time almost unwatchable, with all the lights flashing and the fast zooms, bouncy close-ups. “I’m Tempted” had the cool black and white with red thing going on, but that alone is not enough to lift the rest of it. At least they didn’t even bother with headset mics, because they wouldn’t be turned on anyway.

    To be honest, the choreo for all came across as a daily music show-style performance in a bigger venue. The same moves, the same styling, with wider shots, the post-production black-white-red thing, and the one time use of the island stage. There was nothing in any of these three that made them special or even special+.

    Three-way tie for me.

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  7. I wish the dancing unit format was the same as Queendom 1 where the members from each group have their own performance section and then everyone comes together at the end. I liked how everyone got to show their own style there, as opposed to already-made choreo and the songs that we have here.

    (I’m beyond excited for the fan round though, wonder how WJSN’s Pantomime will be rearranged.)

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  8. I just watched the clips on YouTube.

    3. Purr
    I wasn’t getting much from all the girls. There were a few moves I liked quite a bit, but ultimately I wasn’t really wowed. The song is also pretty cringe in some places which didn’t help

    2. Ka boom
    I really liked the charisma these three gave, especially Hyolyn. I got 2ne1 vibes at end. This choreography is just my least favorite, they elevate it when they can though

    1. Tam I na
    I think the fact that this style
    has been largely absent from the rest of the competition is a big part of why I liked this performance the most. The effect on the camera helped to. If it wasn’t for yves at the end, I would’ve put this second.

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    • Yves and Eunji saved it for me. They both kept the important details like pointing their toes, extending their movements all the way through their arms and legs, creating tension, etc. The others weren’t bad, but they were in a different league.

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  9. So happy for brave girls getting a first place win. Sorry I didn’t watch the episode…. They’re performing red sun??!! Noooooooooooooo. They have high heels, after we ride, deepened, nowadays you, easily…. Even yoo-hoo would’ve made for a better choice. They shouldn’t count CF songs…. Maybe they’ll do something really cool with it? I don’t know, I really can’t see this going fantastically, and we need fantastic at this point

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  10. I desperately missed the dance format from S1. This just felt like a ratings grab from Mnet after the success of SWF. Even if the groups chose more than one member, it was just so much more fun and creative to see what they could come up with on their own

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    • And of course I hut send before finishing. I hate you WordPress! continuing..

      *** and tackle styles that they want to showcase. We already know K-Pop lead and main dancers can generally do whatever choreography is thrown at them, so this felt like a wasted opportunity. If they do desperately wanted to include 3 group songs, they could have shortened them and mixed the members up even more. The camerawork was also horrible for most of it.

      —-

      Other random thoughts: I can see why 33 didn’t win. It’s a bit too mature and different from idol vocal stages. Lowering the key a bit for Minyoung might have helped, but I’m still proud of her.

      Yeonjung low key worrying about Eunha not being able to hit her part was pretty hilarious.

      SinB being arguably the weakest link in Purr was a huge surprise. She’s good at learning choreography and even helping to teach it, but the actual performance felt phoned in and sloppy. Even Umji outperformed her imho. Umji just keeps improving every year.

      If they did stages without mixing groups together, I can’t imagine how badly Hyolyn would have wiped the floor with everyone else lol.

      Eunji deserves more credit for her dancing skills, and Brave Brothers needs to give her more opportunities to demonstrate it.

      I can’t believe they let minors record the song Purr! Bwahahaha 😹😹

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  11. The main problem I see with the Purr and Ka-Boom choreos is that they seem designed for idols to sing the songs on stage. But. This is the dance unit battle. Purr and Ka-boom have far too many moments where the performers aren’t doing much more than lipsyncing.
    Kepler and VIVIZ were trying to pull off a hip-hop choreo as idols. And the thing is, idol choreographies are constantly integrating hip-hop moves, but not on the same level as professional dancers. I think that’s why their performance looked somewhat generic. Xiaoting’s part and Umji and Dayeon’s duet looked better, but the chorus was underwhelming and no other parts really shone out to me.

    I think WJSN did better at learning the technicalities of a dance style they don’t usually perform, with their moves including more of the amplitude and more grounded stances of hip-hop. There was a bit too much focus on Yeoreum’s rap which came as a bit of a gimmick to me in this DANCE unit battle, and though WJSN’s expressions started well, they kind of reverted to fairy mode when interacting.

    Meanwhile, Monika casually broke LOONA to pieces and rebuilt them for this. Or in less hyperbolic terms, not only does Tell Me Now / tamina / temptation / desire have the advantage of a contrasting style, but the dancers also had to perform an unusual style for idols, and especially to don a different on-stage persona for this. Their stances are completely different and these moves require a lot of control, and since the choreography is very fluid, they stay “on” the whole time. So it all comes across as putting more effort into the performance.

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  12. I’ve done dance lessons for fourteen years in various styles- ten years of ballet, eight years of jazz, six years of tap, and eight years of contemporary. Out of these, contemporary is my favourite both to perform and to watch and a style I wish was incorporated more into k-pop choreography. So Tell Me Now easily was my favourite from the unit dance performances; it used contemporary dance and blended it with the idols perfectly, and the Loona members and Eunji are all incredible dancers and performed the hell out of this. A truely standout performance from this season of Queendom

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