going seventeen | 21
premise:
seventeen play a game combining blackjack and a chase, where additional cards can only be obtained by 'tagging' the member who is in possession of it.
comments:
THANK YOU WORLD. we continue to piggyback on the gose staff reflecting on what made some of the best gose episodes work in the past and creating an all new concept. here, we have the members play a strategy type game (of course, simple blackjack - but if i had to come up with similar episodes in the past, i'd probably bring up good offer or rock scissors paper) with a good old simple chase (mousebusters and the chaser come to mind). and i had a lot of fun!
honestly, i was sad that this episode was so short and that the rules were a lot more straightforward (compared to the constant reshuffling of rules and elevation of stakes in red ball, blue ball. at the same time, i was really pleased it didn't drag like its predecessor mousebusters, and i'm sure the going producers were cognizant of that going into this episode. still, watching the members come up with such great strategies to prevent the other teams from winning (going from teaming up and going against the other teams depending on the round), as well as watching just how silly their hiding spots can be, was super fun. unlike the first rendition of good offer, though, there is some more chance in the game thanks to the dealer, one of the core components of blackjack, preventing something like a runaway game and truly keeping you on your toes on which team will win.
this season of going seventeen has been a blast so far -- and i'm not watching the next episode til part two comes out next week, but i can say i'm caught up to going seventeen for the first time since 2023 and i couldn't be happier. i can't wait to see what's next!
ranking:
concept: 8.5; i can tell the producers put a lot of thought here.
chemistry: 9; round 4 and 5 perfectly encapsulate this
enjoyment: 9; nothing but bangers this year so far!
overall - 8.8/10