Ron Does Stuff

We already saw the looming presence of military enlistment in the previous episode, and with this final one, I’ll finally get to see that one shaving scene that was all over social media at one point. Let’s go!

We’re definitely barreling towards the enlistment at the start of this episode, as Jungkook’s hair is noticeably shorter as he adjusts the camera inside the bathroom where he’s shooting whatever this is. And I thought that this scene was actually going to happen at the end of this episode, but not, we’re right into the scene where the BTS hairstylist is cutting Jungkook’s hair as he prepares to enlist. Talk about a gut punch.

Then, right as the shaver fires up, the scene flashes back to when Jungkook had more hair. Oh, they definitely knew to leave that scene to the end. They want you to sit down and watch the whole thing. Jungkook is exercising, because David Stewart has suggested that they make a performance video with Usher before Jungkook enlists, and while “3D” is still huge.

Usher definitely has a lot of complimentary things to say about Jungkook, saying that he’s looking forward to what else Jungkook can accomplish once he’s done with enlistment and that he’s happy that they’ve been able to shoot this. But what I’m more struck is how the individual members of BTS have been complimented by different artists in their different documentaries, and that it’s so amazing that they’re still together and will have new music out by next year.

At this point in the docu, it really is just treading the same ground in the previous episodes, but this time the song being recorded is “Standing Next to You”. I think this is why they had that scene at the start of the episode, because now it gives everything that’s happening a sense of urgency. He’s got to get all of this done before he has to hang it all up temporarily to go into the military.

I do like the new to me insight that it still wasn’t clear at that point in time that “Standing Next to You” was going to be released. I would have loved to see the behind the scenes stuff that went into the decision to finally release it, but knowing how some segments of the fandom blow up minor things, I can absolutely understand why that hasn’t been shown.

We then get to the day of the Times Square performance and enlistment is definitely in the air, especially when Jungkook runs down his schedule and says that after the performance, it’s “the end”. He may have meant the end of the promotional run, but it could just as easily have been the end of his life as a civilian.

Jungkook performs in Times Square, which we can watch in its entirety on YouTube, and of course the value add of this docu is we see what happens after. That shot of Jungkook from the back while he’s on this phone on the bed looking at reacions to the performance? The maknae is maknaeing. And the shot of him in bed, face peaceful, singing “Yes or No”, happy that the promo tour ended happy? Endearing. Poignant. No notes.

The docu then wallops you with the one-two punch of Jungkook performing “Magic Shop” and then the continuation of the scene from the start of the episode. It’s already been shared multiple times on social media, but even then, it still makes my heart ache a little. Good thing I’m watching this now that Jungkook and the rest of BTS are out of the military, because I think this would have been an extremely emotional scene for ARMY watching this while Jungkook was in the ARMY.