Show Review: Produce 101 Season 2 Episode 1

Have you ever just watched a show that you know is trash but you have to keep watching it because you live for the mess?

That’s Produce 101 for me.

It’s a mess of a shit show and I absolutely adore it. Having watched season 1 (and promptly getting addicted to it and to IOI), I’ve been hyped for season 2 and the dudes.

Now, I’ve already watched the first 5 episodes as of writing this, but I’m going to go back and review the episodes.

God help me.

Episode 1 is just trainees being introduced. That’s it. But it does have its moments of awesome and amazingness.

And lameness. And cringe.

If Produce 101 was a multiple choice test the answer for the question “How would you describe the show?” would be “D”: All of the above.

Anyways,

Episode 1 starts off with BoA (#Queen, the nation’s representative) talking about what the word ‘trainee’ means. It’s boring and doesn’t matter.

The trainees all come in agency by agency.

Yeah basically the only real introductions are the ones that got popular before the episode airs this episode is real boring that way.  

Except for the MMO boys. They are the most important because they have Daniel “Harry Pote” Kang and Yoon Jisung, Lord of the Memes. Also I’m pretty sure only Daniel had momentum before the show started and that was mostly from I-Fans who can’t even fucking vote anyways so what’s the point of me caring SO GADDAMN MUCH?!

Anyways they’re memes.

Notable Auditions:

Yuehua

This is the first audition they show in the actual episode and it’s alright. Mostly it’s used as a precedent to show that the trainers are going to be harsher this season.

But fuck them for giving Jung Jung a ‘C’ when he does a motherfucking flip like a fucking badass and fuck MNet for then literally not giving him any screentime until episode 5 literally FUCK YOU.

Also I don't know who the fifth trainee is I don't think he was ever seen again after this episode. 

Park Sungwoo

Basically his entire shtick is that he’s an attractive 30-year-old with good abs. That’s it. He can’t sing and he can’t dance.

I was so disappointed because I saw his tiptoe picture and was like “JESUS CHRIST I’M IN LOVE” and every episode that has passed by since then I like him less. This entire performance made me want to unstan so basically I’m a #FakeFan

Samuel

So I’ve been following this kid since pre-debut Seventeen and he’s a very talented kid and everything but I need to stop there about him because he’s also literally 8 years younger than me and he does an underage ab shot.

Also this episode tries very hard to make him this season’s Somi but just because they’re both young, biracial allrounders doesn’t mean that they’re the same person. For one, Somi has had some sort of a personality and Samuel’s has been edited out like is it there I DON’T KNOW.

Cube

Okay so their fans will go out on a tizzy and tell you that Cube just wants them to gain experience since they’re both so new and neither of them even sing in their audition but Cube knew what they were doing. They knew that their two handsome trainees would get fangirls and that’s literally why they’re doing so well.

Cube knows what they’re doing.

Nu’est

Okay so I know nothing about Nu’est but I’m guessing this is not the best they can do as a group.

At any rate this performance is used to give Nu’est pity and it works I pity them, all the other trainees pity them, the entire audience pities them as well.

I will also say that Dongho just reminds me of Super Junior’s Kangin (and I feel terrible for making that comparison I’M SORRY) from his entire look to his vocal tone I’M SORRY.

Ong Seongwoo

I fucking love this kid. I fucking love him. I love him from his dancing feet to his oversized ears everything about him is perfection and this was the best audition of the episode.

Important moments and notable events:

Jisung, whom I’m pretty sure was on nobody’s radar at this point instantly becomes a crowd pleaser. Instantly. Like he widened his eyes into our hearts.

Scary Dongho 

This is also the start of Mnet’s constant and belligerent editing of Dongho (Nu’est’s Baekho) into someone scary. A quick google search will tell you that not only is he a teddy bear but his dream is to become a princess.

God Bless. God Bless.

(I will say that this is no way helps the Kangin comparison in my mind and makes me wonder if MNet did this on purpose).

Moonbok and his everything

King Jang Moonbok gets a standing ovation and sits on the highest #1 seat.

Don’t get used to this though because Heo Chanmi FUCKING CURSED THAT SEAT LAST YEAR and the King keeps falling.

Great introduction though.

Woojin 

This needs no words.

Pick Me 

Ahn Hyeongseob decided to get his own screentime by doing this. This is literally his most memorable thing and it gained him a bunch of fans.

I wasn’t impressed though.

Also why on earth would they blur out his ranking he had already been ranked by the time this came around as in it was literally shown like 20 minutes prior HONESTLY. 

Additionally notable is that this is the most screentime Starship trainee Not-Sewoon gets like ever. I’ve been told he looks like a hamster but honestly I couldn’t even recognize him in a crowd. This is also the most screentime Actual-Sewoon gets in the first 5 episodes.

As well, I was wondering why fans gave the Cube trainees the nickname “Chick Trainees” but it turns out this is actually how Seonho introduces himself and I just skipped over it the first time around.

I was wondering how fans came up with such a godawful nickname but I guess it truly could only come out of the mouth of a 15 year old.

Moral of the story with this episode is: fuck Mnet’s editing and give Jung Jung more screen time. 

See you next time for episode 2 or for something completely different I haven't decided yet.