On February 12, 2020, PENTAGON released their first full-length album UNIVERSE : THE BLACK HALL and the music video for title track “Dr. BeBe.” This marked the longest gap between PENTAGON releases, with previous release SUM(ME:R) released July 17, 2019. Due to member Yanan’s hiatus that began prior to SUM(ME:R), the group continued to promote as eight. 

The Music Video

While many fans equate PENTAGON’s music with bright colors and the positives of love, the music video for “Dr. BeBe” is the total opposite. Revealed during an M2 episode of Into the MV, Kino explained that the music video for “Dr. BeBe” features him as the main character and the other members acting as his alter egos in two realms: the Upside and the Downside. The Upside is reality, where one foolishly waits for their loved one while slowly going mad. The Downside is the person’s true inner feelings and how they tried to escape from the pain of love. Throughout the music video, the members are each seen holding or near a metronome, which connects them to the Upside and the Downside. The metronome also acts as a way of stirring up certain memories of their loved one, which is why at times in the music video, PENTAGON fears the metronome.

During their showcase for the release of the album, rapper Wooseok revealed that he injured his back while preparing for the comeback. While he did take part in the music video, his role was limited; Wooseok was absent from the group choreography shots, appearing with the group during his lines and for the plot-driven scenes. 

Following the release of the “Dr. BeBe” music video, a lyric video, a dance practice, and a performance video were released.

The Comeback Performances

PENTAGON had their comeback on February 13, 2020 on M!COUNTDOWN, where the group performed B-side “Camellia” alongside “Dr. BeBe.” For their performance of “Camellia,” PENTAGON wore white tops with black slacks, though Jinho’s top also included a floral image in the center resembling a camellia, and performed in front of screens depicting camellia trees with petals falling down.  

For “Dr. BeBe,” the group performed on a relatively simple set, with the stage resembling a cage, showing how they were trapped in love. PENTAGON wore dark outfits similar to the Downside outfits seen in the music video, with Hongseok’s backless jacket and leader Hui’s one-sleeved shirt standing out. Just like with the music video, Wooseok was only on stage for his lines. 

The Legacy

UNIVERSE : THE BLACK HALL peaked at No. 3 on the Gaon Weekly Albums Chart, but none of the individual tracks appeared on any of the Gaon songs charts. “Dr. BeBe” peaked at No. 18 on the Billboard U.S. World Digital Songs Sales Chart, and marks their last appearance on the chart with their lowest ranking. However, there is some positivity among all the seemingly poor rankings: the music video for “Dr. BeBe” was the fastest PENTAGON video to reach 10 million views, accomplishing this feat in four days.

Later in the year, PENTAGON took part in the survival show Road to Kingdom, where the group competed against The Boyz, ONF, ONEUS, VERIVERY, TOO (now known as TO1), and Golden Child to see who would gain a spot on Kingdom, the male counterpart to Queendom. PENTAGON ultimately won third place, with The Boyz winning first place and moving on to compete on Kingdom.

Sadly, UNIVERSE : THE BLACK HALL and “Dr. BeBe” were not nominated for any end of the year awards, but PENTAGON did win “Best Icon Award” at the Asia Artist Awards and “Best Artist - Japan” at the Ten Asia Global Top Ten Awards. The group was also nominated for “Main Award,” “Popularity Award,” and “Hallyu Special Award” for their subsequent release WE:TH at the Seoul Music Awards but did not take home any of those awards.

While “Shine” remains the group’s most popular track, “Dr. BeBe” and UNIVERSE : THE BLACK HALL marked a clear shift in the group’s musical stylings that was able to capture the attention of many very quickly. It’s just a shame that the group wasn’t able to ride that wave of attention into their first music show win, though that win would come later that year during promotions for “Daisy.” After “Dr. BeBe” and their Road to Kingdom release “Basquiat,” it would be interesting to see PENTAGON return to a darker concept. Until then, we will continue to enjoy the group’s bright and fresh concepts.