Fever Road. Hidden in amongst the laughter and silly challenges there were some serious plot reveals. Here, I'm going to break down each of the boys' prologues and epilogues, as well as try and tackle that weird ending phrase. Here goes nothing! (Videos and captions from ATEEZ's official YouTube channel, extra videos from Querenciateez on YouTube!!) (The analysis of the segments is at the bottom of the post, before the final ending--I would've done it at the end of each section, but some things only make sense with the other information.) Episode one : Hongjoong Prologue : Hongjoong's Time All of the intros are similarly filmed, consisting of the members sitting in rooms surrounded by mirrors. It seems that each one of the scenes also shows at least one of the mirrors having a crack (think Diary Film!). When Hongjoong closes his eyes, he sees the warehouse--papers scattered across the floor like fallen leaves and the boys surrounding him. (Looks like the shot from the Diary Film, so even though we only see 5 of the boys' faces I think it's safe to assume the other 2 are there too. Plus, I can see Wooyoung's head in the corner.) After this shot, it does a series of fast cuts between Hongjoong's face and the hourglass, practically (over-) confirming that Hongjoong is the one linked to the hourglass the strongest. Epliogue : Hongjoong's Epilogue It starts with that same shot from the Diary Film, showing us all the boys (told you they were there :3) and Hongjoong is now holding the hourglass. His narration plays over the scenes. "A place just for us. We laugh, cry, dance, sing..." Hongjoong is standing in front of the boys, watching them as they joke around. He's still holding the hourglass. "...and sometimes argue for our dreams. Our hideout where our dreams were connected and hid us from the adult world. We're here together again in our world." At this point, everybody takes a step in, closing the circle substantially. (Gotta admit, if I were Hongjoong, my anxiety would be through the roof.) He doesn't look concerned, though, just...sad. (order: Jongho, Wooyoung, Yunho, San, Hongjoong, Yeosang, Mingi, Seonghwa) "We don't know what's waiting ahead of us, but we're back together, and that's enough. We will get through this, so it's all right." He glances at the hourglass and then back up at the boys. And that's Hongjoong's part done. Episode Two : Yeosang Prologue : Yeosang's Yearnings The mirrors are back, and now it's Yeosang's turn to see them. Of course, with the mirrors comes cracks...for some reason. (Say My Name, anyone?) (cr: 'Say My Name' Official MV) When Yeosang closes his eyes, he sees himself tugging on a door. It appears to be the door of the warehouse, but whether he's trying to get out or get in I can't tell. He's banging on the door as well. The other thing he sees is a violin, confirming his tie to the instrument. Each one of the members has a thing they're connected with, and you'll see those things reveal themselves through these prologue shots. Epilogue : Yeosang's Epilogue "That moment when I felt alive, that joy that constantly captivates me." He's in some sort of music room (reminiscent to me of Yunho's brother's studio...?). The violin and bow lay discarded on the ground and he looks at them before going back to the door, tugging on it and trying to get out. (He wants to get out, confirmed.) "I have never let my parents down, but now I want to be myself, not the person my parents want me to be. I want to run towards myself that I wish to be...." He gives up on trying to get out and sits down instead, noticing the music sheets and the violin. After a moment of hesitation, he reaches over and...smashes...the violin...on the ground. (Please, someone help me because as a violinist this is hURTING MY SOUL.) "...even if my heart bursts into fears." Yeosang runs back to the door and pushes through it--it's now open. A note: Yeosang and Wooyoung are the only two members that do not see the boys all together during either their intro or outro. Episode Three : Yunho Prologue : Yunho's Dream Mirrors, cracks, yes yes. Same thing. Yunho closes his eyes and sees somebody walking, the neck of a guitar, the reflection of his brother's studio, and the scene from the Diary Film when the train is hurtling towards him. Yunho's thing is his guitar. Epilogue : Yunho's Epilogue "With Hongjoong hyung who looked a lot like my brother, and our team who resembles me a lot, thanks to them, I can smile." All of the boys are messing around on the couch in the warehouse, playing with a basketball and with each other. (order: Wooyoung, San, Jongho, Yunho, Yeosang, Mingi, Seonghwa, Hongjoong) "For my brother, and for us, I can't stay sad any longer." Obviously, this takes place after his brother's incident. "I will make my and my brother's dreams come true. To do that, I will keep moving forward without any hesitation. For our dream." The first part shows Yunho and Hongjoong standing alone in a dark building, similar to something from the Diary Film. The second part is back to Yunho with the team. He has built up a familial relationship with the boys, shown in his choice of words. Episode Four : Seonghwa Prologue : Seonghwa's Liberty *sigh* Do I even have to introduce these at this point? Mirrors. Cracks. Have at it. Seonghwa actually sees something before he closes his eyes, and that is his many many to-do lists from the Diary Film. After closing them, however, he sees himself crossing the STOP line, also from the Diary Film. Obviously, his thing is the to-do lists. Epilogue : Seonghwa's Epilogue "From now on, I will plan what I will do. I'm going to run away from this world stuck in a rut to do what I really wish to do." During this phrase, we see all of the to-do lists. He's also writing something at the same time. The most interesting thing about this scene is that he is tied to the chair. "The music in my ear will be the one and only plan for in life." A close-up on the "Be Free" bracelet from the Diary Film...intriguing... "Because it's what we, we want." The ending shows all the boys happily cutting up in the warehouse. (order: Wooyoung, San, Jongho, Yunho, Yeosang, Mingi, Seonghwa, Hongjoong) Episode Five : Jongho Prologue : Jongho's Despair You know what I'm going to say. After he closes his eyes, he sees Mingi and him fighting in the warehouse with San and Yeosang trying to stop them. There's also a basketball net and somebody holding his hand, which will make sense in a few minutes. Basketball, music, and Mingi--one of these things is Jongho's thing. Unfortunately, I can't pinpoint which. Epilogue : Jongho's Epilogue "Everything seemed to stop when my dream was broken." We see scenes from a school basketball game...in which Jongho is not playing. "Can't I hold onto my broken dream ever again? When I was about to give up on everything, it was Yunho hyung who held my hand." During this part, we see shots of Jongho in...what looks like a bathtub? Which is...kinda worrying... (I mean, my head jumped straight to, um, BU-Jimin level stuff, if you understand my meaning.) I'm not quite sure how to take this. "He spoke to me. The moment I heard what he said, I realized how precious the time I was about to give up was." *starts singing Precious* "We must be together. All I have left is us." Interesting. Sounds like Jongho's dream has changed a lot over the course of the story. Originally, it was basketball (or sports, in general). Then, it was music. Now? It's the boys. (order: Wooyoung, San, Jongho, Yunho, Yeosang, Mingi [stuck under Yeosang], Seonghwa, Hongjoong) Episode Six : Mingi Prologue : Mingi's Wound Mirrors. Cracks. WE GET THE IDEA, ALREADY. Mingi also sees something before he closes his eyes, and it's a cut from the Diary Film. When he closes his eyes, he sees scenes from both his fight with Jongho and his fight with the unnamed person in the Diary Film. Are the fights his thing?? Music (the headphones) also plays a large role, as shown by the Diary Film. Epilogue : Mingi's Epilogue Before the epilogue even starts, there's an odd glitch at the very beginning. That's intriguing to me as none of the other VCRs except San's have glitches in them. "I ran recklessly, avoiding people. I was scared and afraid." Mingi is being chased by an unknown person through what looks like many dark alleyways in like not the nicest place of the town, considering the piles of trash and dishelved-looking houses. Another person joins the first. This scene likely has to do with him getting into fights and stuff. "At that moment, someone's hand caught mine." Jongho reaches out and grabs Mingi's shirt as he runs past, pulling him--hard--into a side pathway. The people run by without notice. "It was Jongho, who threw punches towards words that said our time is meaningless, who had his eyes on me more than anyone else." "I stared at Jongho's face blankly at that moment. His eyes were telling me that we are the most beautiful being." Example 29452457 of Mingi being smarter than all of us. (order: Jongho, Wooyoung, Yunho, San, Yeosang, Hongjoong, Mingi, Seonghwa) Episode Seven : Wooyoung Prologue : Wooyoung's Fair No comment. -_- When Wooyoung closes his eyes he sees himself at the dance competition from the Diary Film. He also sees himself, Hongjoong, Yeosang, and San; as well as a second shot that includes Seonghwa and Yunho. Mingi and Jongho are not shown. The two lights flash on and off for a minute. Interesting...is this showing a time split? Epilogue : Wooyoung's Epilogue "Because I was scared and afraid, everything about myself was a lie." It starts with Wooyoung leaving the warehouse and going left under the flickering light rather than under the stable one to the right. And a lie? The heck is he talking about? "Before they came back to me again. I couldn't escape from the fear." It shows Wooyoung at the dance competition. This confuses me, as he went to the competition in the Diary Film and did a fine job. "But now I can stand up again because they have come, just for me. I'm not scared anymore." Hongjoong, Yeosang, Wooyoung, San. An important pairing? Probably. "Now I'm going to find myself and complete the word, 'us.'" A note for the last scene of Wooyoung's face: They definitely filmed these two sides of his face separately. The slight movement shows us that. Episode Eight : San Prologue : San's FEVER ROAD San also has a bit of weird glitching at the beginning of his prologue, similar to Mingi's epilogue, but in a less-staticky way. San's is more like flashing between scenes very quickly, with a couple "actual" glitches. All San sees when he closes his eyes is the boys in the warehouse, but there's more of that odd glitching. Epilogue : San's Epilogue "I acted based on my instincts. I ran again to somewhere that my body led me." The return of sweaty San on the back of the truck. He hops off of it with those shoes. He also turns and runs back up the stairs of the escalator. "I could not know what would be at the end of it. I heard laughter where my footsteps stopped." He opens the door of the warehouse and waves at the boys. The members, sitting on the couch in the middle of the room surrounded by THOUSANDS of papers on the floor, wave happily back. No biggie. (order: Jongho, Wooyoung, Yunho, Mingi, Seonghwa, Hongjoong, Yeosang, San) "My heart pounded like crazy and only then was I able to smile. Where my feet stood were us." "WE." Why is we so important that it comes up again separately...? Too long, didn't read? Alliances and strong friendships have been revealed. Yunho and Hongjoong are close, with Yunho looking up to him as a hyung and mentor. Jongho and Yunho are also close, with Jongho seeing Yunho as a comfort and someone that was there in his darkest moment. Mingi and Jongho have an obvious tie, even though I have some doubts on the order of their timelines. Wooyoung has his dance crew from the boys, which consists of Hongjoong, Yunho, and San. Seonghwa seems to be standing on his own, but using the boys as his support. All of them mention the boys as one of their strongest ties...with the exception of Yeosang and Wooyoung. These two are also the only two members that do not see a shot of all the boys together in the warehouse in either their intros nor their outros. Now, San... San is the only one involved in everyone's plotline in one way or another. He's in Wooyoung's dance crew. He's breaking up Mingi and Jongho's fight. He's obviously with all the boys when Hongjoong, Yunho, and Seonghwa see the scenes. Yeosang's plotline seems to mirror (no pun intended) many scenes that have been shot with San. (Yeosang was the only one I couldn't find a strong tie for.) Now, I'm not saying this is related, but during the Fever Road games, there was one spy during their matches. It was San. That...seems to be an odd coincidence, don't you think? Perhaps...San can see all the plotlines that Hongjoong is creating? I'll dive into deeper detail with this when I reveal my character introductions for the ZU characters. The hourglass and the moon have been highlighted as important. During the games, the members would win prizes which were pieces of a puzzle. In episode 5, Hongjoong realized that the symbol on the finished puzzle would be the same symbol that is on the book in the Diary Film. When they finished the puzzle in episode 8, the message read as follows: "This [referencing the hourglass, I believe?] changes its function according to the changes of the moon. When the crescent moon rises, it can deliver messages through dreams, and when the full moon rises, it can move dimensions." Hongjoong can use the hourglass to move through dimensions when the moon is full. When the moon is a crescent, he can send dream messages. (Think Inception, anyone?) So it stands to reason that if Hongjoong can move through dimensions during the full moon...so could others. So could people like Halateez, the Man in the White Mask, or the Man in the Black Fedora. (We seriously need shorter names for those figures--) The games possibly are hinting at a darker plotline coming up. During two separate games that they needed to play, both Wooyoung and Mingi were 'kidnapped' [read: taken somewhere else--Wooyoung in plain sight and Mingi under cover of night] and the boys had to play to get them back. Before Mingi's disappearance, the members were warned to "protect what [was] precious to [them]." Is it possible that Mingi and Wooyoung could have a lot of plotline trauma coming up? Thanks for reading! - Ilona O'Connor
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