Note: Unlike past episode recaps, I’m not going to do a complete play-by-play. This is because I’ve found that writing style to be too time-consuming and tiring.
Instead, I will point out some of the episode’s most important highlights and plot points and if my wrap-up encourages you to watch the full episode to catch the little things, then great.
If not, then these condensed recaps should keep you caught up.
Queendom 2 – Episode 0
The second season of Queendom unofficially started on March 24 with Episode 0. It is the first part of the introduction of this season’s contestants.
Brave Girls (Looking fine AF, I would like to add.) were the first team on set. As they entered, a video on the wall behind them showed their debut date of 2016.
They immediately noticed the largeness of the set and the fact that some of the other teams had many members. As they pondered, who would be joining them, the camera zoomed into a chess piece graphic.
Cue a dramatic, crime show-like introduction for Queendom 2.
After the introduction, we get a flashback to 15 days before the show started and a look at how each of the six artists found out they would be part of Queendom 2.
Three former members of GFRIEND (Umji, SinB, and Eunha) reformed under the name VIVIZ in 2022 and were the first to be profiled. They were concerned about being able to show what they are capable of as a 3-woman unit separate from their past as members of GFRIEND.
With a music show win under their belt and encouraging messages of support, the members of VIVIZ felt confident going into the upcoming battle.
The second group was none other than Kep1er, a group birthed from Mnet’s last girl group survival show, Girls Planet 999. This fresh-faced group wanted to prove their worth despite being the least experienced among the competitors.
They want to hear people say, “Kep1er is good.” when they see them on Queendom 2. Their only fear is that they would not be recognized by their seniors and get the “Which group are you?” treatment.
Their fears were alleviated when LOONA members told them they liked their song WADADA. That got all the Kep1er members excited and happy knowing that their seniors were aware of their existence.
Team number 3 is LOONA. A 12-member group that has recently gone through many struggles because of their company’s financial issues. It got so bad that the assumption was that the group would disband.
After one of their concerts, LOONA was surprised by the announcement they would be part of Queendom 2. However, they looked at this as an opportunity to be acknowledged for their hard work and would not let it go to waste.
LOONA’s profile was the longest, so one would assume they will be treated as the group that has to overcome the odds to reap the rewards of the show.
Their counterparts, Starship Entertainment’s WJSN, were the next team to be featured. Like the other groups in this competition, they want Queendom 2 to be a launchpad for further success. However, they haven’t endured any significant hardships, unlike LOONA, so their profile was pretty short.
Speaking of adversity, the fifth group to be featured is Brave Girls. Still riding high off Rollin’s success, they enter the competition with the ambition to make it to the top.
The sixth competitor is a soloist, this time Hyolyn. The former Sistar member is a veteran of K-Pop, and survival shows. She looks forward to going to war against the other competitors.
The remaining 30 minutes of Episode 0 had each group do their walk-ins, introduce themselves to the others and do their best to intimidate each other.
WJSN and VIVIZ were the main shit disturbers in this episode doing everything in their power to make sure we, the viewers, get some tremendous evil edits. I didn’t expect to see such good stuff right from the start.
So thank you, WJSN and SinB, for doing your duty to create the drama we so severely need out of these shows.
Of all the competitors, Brave Girls were the most awkward. Similar to how MAMAMOO kept to themselves at the start of Queendom 1. Hopefully, they come out of their shells a little more as the competition moves forward.
Kep1er’s youth, on the other hand, had them bouncing all over the place, getting excited over trivial things like blankets and timetables. Whether they tone that hype down is yet to be seen.
The next talking point is the hosts for this season. This time it’s everyone’s role model, Taeyeon and Lee Youngjin. They explain how voting works and what prize the show’s winner receives. That is a live global comeback show—a rarity for girl groups.
That means there is a punishment for finishing last. The team that finishes last twice in the first three rounds gets kicked off the show and will not participate in the live finale. Of course, the odds of that happening are low, but who knows?
Lastly, we get to more drama as each team is asked to name their rival. After some deliberation, Brave Girls were called out first by Taeyeon. Their choice of a rival was VIVIZ, but no reason for it was given. All that fun stuff will be revealed in Episode 1 along with the other group’s choice.
I’m very curious about who Kep1er will choose as a rival. Will they be bold and point at everyone or make the safe choice and point at themselves or no one at all? I don’t expect any arrows to be pointing their way but stranger things have happened on these kinds of shows.
I wasn’t expecting much from episode 0, even after reading some Reddit spoilers. I tend to keep my expectations low since each fandom likes to skew their points of view towards their favourites. Thankfully this lived up to the hype, and I am looking forward to more of this season of Queendom.
