Kingdom: Legendary War – Episode Five Recap and Ranking

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

Other Recaps: Episode One // Episode Two // Episode Three // Episode Four

ROUND TWO: MY FINAL RANKINGS

One thing I’ll say for Kingdom is that it wastes no time getting started. Unlike the Produce 101 franchise, this series doesn’t spend endless minutes on formalities. We get right into the performances this episode (or rather, the behind-the-scenes footage preceding the performances!).

Disclaimer: I’m watching the full episode, not the unedited clips on YouTube. I’ll be embedding the full YouTube performances in these posts, but my ranking is determined by what was shown in the episode itself.

6. SF9 – The Stealer

Read my thoughts as part of last week’s recap.

5. iKON – Inception

Read my thoughts as part of last week’s recap.

4. ATEEZ – Rhythm Ta

It’s crazy to watch ATEEZ reminisce about being young students looking up to iKON. I guess I just never picture iKON is being “old” compared to other groups. But, they’re approaching their sixth year now, which is practically a senior citizen by K-pop standards.

MNET wisely focuses on some bromance during this behind-the-scenes package. The producers clearly know where their bread is buttered, and I like how lighthearted ATEEZ’s discussions of iKON’s music come across.

They decide to cover Rhythm Ta, which plays to their strengths even if I think it’s a missed opportunity to tackle something more outside their comfort zone. I would have loved to hear them beef up Apology or Goodbye Road in their own way. They change some of the lyrics and learn the new choreography, and also find the time to go to a shooting arcade to “prepare” for their performance. I think they just wanted to have some fun. I don’t blame them!

After last week’s performance, ATEEZ have a lot to live up to. And, the opening of this performance was super creative. I’m disappointed that the storyline moved quickly into gun play, as I think that theme is getting more and more played out during this show. But, I loved the staging of the car.

Unfortunately, I think things went downhill from here. The rope climbing stunt was kind of cool, and I liked the parts that focused on choreography. But, the actual music wasn’t too memorable. I’m not sure there’s all that much you can do to make Rhythm Ta sound different from the original. Adding a Latin influence was a cool idea, but overall I think they should’ve picked a different song.

I know the performance’s finale was supposed to be anthemic and inspiring, but I found it a bit cheesy (especially the blow-up blimp). You can’t go wrong with Jongho standing front and center, rattling off a power note like it’s the easiest thing in the world. I just wish the entire package had a more iconic feel to it.

3. Stray Kids – I’ll Be Your Man

Stray kids choose I’ll Be Your Man, which in my opinion is one of the better BTOB singles of the past few years. The bromance of this episode continues as the guys sit down with BTOB to discuss their song choice. It’s odd that these two groups seem to have so much on-camera time together, while most of the other groups seem to be more sequestered. I’m not complaining about the interactions, but I wish each group would have had this face-to-face chance.

As a self-producing team, Stray Kids definitely have an advantage when it comes to conveying their individual color. My hope is that they use this show as an opportunity to widen their spectrum, exploring genres and styles they may not feel comfortable tackling in their own title tracks.

While 3RACHA re-arranges the song, the other members head off to make their own rings, which seems like a somewhat superfluous activity. But, I guess it’s nice to see some variety in these behind-the-scenes packages. You can only watch a group toiling away in their practice room for so long before it all starts to look the same.

I found the vocal recording portion of this video particularly interesting. In general, I love Stray Kids’ music, but I don’t think of them as a vocal-oriented group. Tackling a demanding song like this is a big challenge, but also a chance to show fans a side they might not hear often. I give the guys kudos for performing in the original key, even if they know they can’t compete with BTOB in this realm. And, that’s okay. They have their own charms. But, Kingdom is a great opportunity to push outside your comfort zone.

From a performance aspect, I think Stray Kids sold the song well. They certainly captured a forlorn energy. Han was especially impressive. He really is one of the group’s best vocalists, even if that’s not his official position.

My only concern about this performance was that it felt like more of the same from Stray Kids. They do what they do really well, and the bombastic arrangement of the track enhanced its energy. But, I hope they pull a 180 and switch up their tone for the next round. At a certain point, it becomes so dark and menacing all the way through that those qualities start to feel monotonous.

Still, there was some cool staging here and a few of the camera angles captured the emotion in unexpected ways — even if that emotion was often overwrought.

2. BTOB – Back Door

BTOB covering Stray Kids is perhaps the most interesting prospect of this entire round. On the surface, the two groups seem like polar opposites. But, I think a lot of people forget about BTOB’s early years. Their music used to be a lot more upbeat and even based in hip-hop at times. Of course, they’re older now, but they have some skills and quirks that none of the other groups possess. They’re more than capable of surprising in this round.

Speaking of surprising, I didn’t expect them to pick one of Stray Kids’ hype tracks. Back Door seems like an odd fit when compared to a more vocal-heavy song like Levanter, but making unexpected choices is what this show is about. I’m glad they’re challenging themselves.

This behind-the-scenes package had some fun interplay between BTOB and Stray Kids – a lightheartedness that’s been sorely missed in some of Kingdom’s episodes. From what I can remember, they’re the only two groups who had an actual conversation with each other about song choices during the lead-up to this round. The dynamic between the guys was pretty fun, and reminded me of the prank-pulling between The Boyz and Golden Child during Road to Kingdom.

Although I love the song Back Door, I’ve always cringed at its choreography. It’s so on the nose, and unintentionally funny. Given that BTOB can sometimes be overly goofy, I’m glad they ditched most of the original choreo.

For their concept, the guys go with a classic “backstage-to-onstage” flow. It’s not particularly original, but it always works well in the context of these shows. It’s easy to stage and refreshingly lighthearted.

They divide the performance up into individual scenes, which is smart. I like how the genre switched between these scenes, allowing for a dynamic arrangement that was constantly in flux. Some parts were stronger than others, but the fact that it kept changing made it engaging throughout.

I also appreciate how BTOB completely reinvented the song. You could hear the original swimming around inside the arrangement, but at times it sounded like a totally new track. The climax was also great, flanked by a series of standout vocals. But, my favorite part of this performance might have just been Stray Kids’ reaction to it. They looked so genuinely happy to watch BTOB performing their song. That’s really what the show should be about. Eliminate the competition entirely and just have these groups celebrate each other’s music.

1. The Boyz – O Sole Mio

Read my thoughts as part of last week’s recap.

THE EXPERT AND GROUP RANKINGS

Overall, I thought this round was weaker than the last. No performance stood out as something I’ll remember in a year, though no performance was objectively bad either. Because of this, my final ranking is pretty neck-and-neck.

But, here were the votes that actually mattered:

Expert Evaluation:
6. Stray Kids
5. BTOB
4. SF9
3. iKON
2. The Boyz
1. ATEEZ

Group Evaluation
6. The Boyz (zero votes?!?)
5. Stray Kids
4-3. ATEEZ/iKON (tie)
2-1. BTOB/SF9 (tie)

Combined Result (Expert + Group):
6. The Boyz
5. Stray Kids
4. iKON
3. BTOB
2. SF9
1. ATEEZ

As with the last round, the global fan vote will be revealed later, and will likely upend everything due to the way this whole competition is structured. It’s probably best not to put much stock into the results this week. Even so, I thought this ranking was really weird.

Also, does anyone else miss the public group vote of Queendom? Yes, it was awkward, but seeing the groups reveal their votes in front of each other made for some really good TV.

Original Article