Spoilers: Dream High 2] Who wins Part 1 of the Super Idol audition?

After a successful and heartwarming performance from the ‘ugly duckling team’ with Shin Haesung (Kang Sora) and Jin Yoojin (2AM‘s Jinwoon), the professional idols rocked the stage this time with a unique performance. Creating a medley of three songs with the concept of ‘rain’, the idol groups, I:den and HershE, sans Rian (T-ara‘s Jiyeon), performed to B2ST‘s “On Rainy Days“, John Park‘s “In the Rain“, and Kim Tae Woo‘s “Love Rain“. Showcasing their strong vocals and elaborate choreography, the idols illustrated their superior skills, until the performance hit a hitch at the climax.

As Nana (SISTAR‘s Hyorin) had been experiencing vocal problems since the beginning of the series, she lost her voice in the middle of her solo, halting the performance to a screeching stop as the audience and the other members were shocked with silence. Although the performance was able to continue till the end, the other idol members threw worried glances at Hyorin throughout the performance.

At the conclusion of the performance, talent producer Shin Jae In (Yoon Hee Sook) unveiled the ultimate theme of the part 1 audition. With the concept of ‘B’, he revealed, “All the teams’ concept was teamwork. Today, Shin Haesung made a small mistake.” Jae In then applauded the team’s agility to flawlessly utilize Haesung’s misstep in the choreography to their advantage. Emphasizing the teamwork in the performance, he stated, “But because of her teammates, the audience wasn’t able to see that mistake. That is the Plan B I had wanted. The quickness to correct the unexpected mistake, that is the pro.”

However, the idol team was criticized for the lack of teamwork. Rather than relenting the stage for her team members, Nana had wanted to take the stage because of her ego, even while knowing her vocals were in a bad condition.

With the ‘ugly duckling’ team winning first place, the second task was set upon them: to create a video to be uploaded online in 24 hours, in which the video with the most views would win.

Check out the performance by the idol team!

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Comments

[Note: This post reflects the opinions of the author and not necessarily those of allkpop.]

The twist in the Part 1 of the audition seamlessly integrated the significance of friendship and teamwork, not only creating a launching pad for the rest of the episode’s conflict, but also touching upon Shin Haesung’s transformation. What really struck a chord for me was Haesung’s mistake. In novels, TV shows, movies, too many times has the writer dust his/her hands and tie a ribbon over the character’s transformation to show that the character is perfect now. But, the writers again embed that little shard of reality, that Haesung still has flaws and still needs a lot more practice and hard work to achieve her dream.

But, with the revealed theme of teamwork, I wish that the writers had capitalized on that teamwork in the previous episode to show the growth. Apart from Haesung and Yoojin, the rest of the team didn’t show the growth in becoming united that was present in this episode for the idols. Although there were enjoyable dinners and conversations between the teammates, there was the lack of emotional poignancy. Rather than surprising the viewers with, “Oh, look what happened here! Teamwork!”, viewers would cheer on how much the team learned to value friendship throughout “We Are the B” performance, rather than only cheering for Haesung’s development.