going seventeen | insomnia zero
premise:
each member of seventeen tries to fall asleep while the other members distract them -- each round, the members with the most stable heartrates get to leave
comments:
one of the earliest episodes of the great going seventeen variety show shift, march 2020, with the herald of monthly going seventeen, so the transition from the more casual style from 2019 and prior (with going seventeen, of course, starting as a vlog series) to increasingly higher concept activities organized by the staff is apparent. they haven't really adapted that professionalism or the variety show personas for each of them, so there's a little bit of an awkward air, but at the same time, there's also a higher sense of earnestness and sincerity (even if that's just my perception and not what's actually going on).
insomnia zero came from hoshi's idea of a game where the prize would be the member getting off work, or finishing filming going seventeen, earlier (and something notably cut out of 'the secret life of going sevong' where they planned monthly going seventeen). i think the idea that fits this premise most is actually the guest who left secretly, which wouldn't happen for another few years, but i'm glad we got insomnia zero anyway because it truly is one of the legendary episodes of going seventeen. out of the recurring gose episodes i'd say the landmark recurring concepts are a) debate night b) don't lie and c) of course, insomnia zero.
insomnia zero's concept just sets up an arena for the members of seventeen to play around with each other, revealing not only things about the member trying to 'fall asleep' but with the members talking about them. because, sure, the gray towel stories are hilarious (and the most hilarious brick joke with the new gray towel merch coming out six years later). i couldn't help but burst out laughing with the way jun exploded at everyone teasing him about his "it's not spicy," which, itself, has become another running gag. surprisingly enough, jihoon stuck out most in these exchanges because he just has so many stories to tell. it makes me miss him even more and hope he comes back from the military soon ㅠㅠ
aside from the stories, gossip, and rumor spreading, i love that the staff even planned for downtime in case the members ran out of jokes. sure, the members plan for that themselves at first with the dad jokes (i love seeing woozi being unable to control himself with them and vernon's deadpan delivery), but the mukbang was just another level. we got the legendary TASTY and the less well known, but just as memorable "this is the sound of hoshi's foot being slapped" in this episode. truly just an iconic one.
and the ending, which i won't spoil, just felt perfect for what this episode was the whole time. they really struck gold with this concept, and i'm glad it's been brought back so many times, because it really is the gift that keeps on giving.
ranking:
concept: 10; one of the greats
chemistry: 10; literally a great interaction breeding ground. it's remarkable how, even when members begin leaving, the comedy doesn't stop. it's like each member of seventeen getting to do stand up about each other one at at time it's beautiful
enjoyment: 10; it has been five years since i've seen this episode but i think it's even better on rewatch. truly.
overall - 10/10 (the first one of my rankings so far!)