Let's swing right into it!
What a familiar scene: Jungkook on a swing, just like in the Blood, Sweat & Tears MV. And then the swing comes back burning.
FLYING & FIRE
In my Blood, Sweat & Tears symbolism blog I aligned Jungkook on the swing with a desire to fly, both because of a passage in Herman Hesse's 'Demian' and the constant references to the story of Icarus.
Sum up:
Icarus and his father were trapped on island. To escape his father fashioned wings for them to fly away but warned Icarus not to fly too close to the sun because his Wings would melt off. Of course Icarus didn't listen, flew too close to the sun, Wings fell off and Icarus fell to his death.
In 'Demian', the main character, Sinclair tells his mentor that he is afraid of dreams in which he is able to fly. His mentor responds:
"[...] most people shed their wings and prefer to walk and obey the law. But not you. You go on flying. And look! You discover that you gradually begin to master your flight [...] Lacking that, you would be drawn up to the heights, powerless - which is what happens to madmen."
Drawn up into the heights - powerless..? Isn't that exactly what happens to the boys moments later in this trailer?
Jimin, J-Hope, Rap Monster, Suga, and Jungkook all levitate. The only two who don't are V and Jin (and we will get to the why of this in a bit).
The way they levitate almost exactly follows Pistorius' words of warning:
"drawn up to the heights, powerless - which is what happens to madmen."
They have gone mad with the knowledge of the evil world. The theme of an evil and good world is one that keeps coming back.
Through this entire storyline, from I Need U, until now, I feel like Jungkook gradually takes on the role of a young Sinclair from 'Demian'.
He is in the process of realising that there are two realms. A luminous and good one, and one of evil, and he is gradually drawn to the world of evil and mystery.
In his short film, and in the MV, he drew a bird beginning to fly, just like Sinclair does in 'Demian', and then the drawing is set on fire, again, just like in the book.
Jungkook craves flight, but he is worried and scared of these wishes of his (as is Sinclair) because he is scared that he will burn up like the bird he drew - and like Icarus.
The trailer shows him burning up from the desire to fly (with the swing coming back burning), following, somewhat, in the footsteps of Icarus and following the same fate that he drew for himself.
If we continue to look at 'Demian' to interpret the trailer, then we have another subtle reference to fire.
Suga, Jimin, J-Hope and RM are all lying down in their respective settings, staring straight ahead as if in a deep dream or reverie.
A particular passage from 'Demian' comes to mind. It is a passage when Sinclair first enters the home of his organ-playing mentor, Pistorius:
"Meanwhile my acquaintance [Pistorius] had lain down on the floor and was busying himself with something.
"Come," he called after a moment, "we want to practice philosophy. That means keep your mouth shut, lie on your stomach and meditate." "
In my Blood, Sweat & Tears theory I've mentioned the similarities between Pistorius and Suga's character.
They both playing the organ, and the piece that Suga plays in Blood, Sweat & Tears is actually a piece that is named in Demian as a piece that Pistorius plays for Sinclair.
In their past storylines during the HYYH era (I Need U + Prologue + RUN) Suga and Jungkook were paired off. Although the pairings have shifted for the latest comeback, there are still parallels to be made between the old pairings.
Jungkook seems to follow the path of a young Sinclair who is barely beginning to discover Abraxas and the existence of both a good and an evil world. In 'Demian' Pistorius acts as a mentor and guide to young Sinclair to open his eyes to the truth of the world, much in the same way that Suga is a mentor figure to Jungkook during their HYYH era, during which Jungkook's character seems to realise that there is something very wrong with his world.
STATUES & APPLES
J-Hope's setting in the trailer has the statue 'Pieta' by Michelangelo in the background. The statue was also in the background during J-Hope's scenes in Blood, Sweat & Tears.
Notice the difference between the statue in the trailer (top) and the MV (bottom). In the first one Virgin Mary holds Jesus in her arms, but Jesus hasn't been sculpted out. He is in the process of being created.
In the trailer, Jesus' body has been fleshed out, and furthermore, the Virgin Mary's face is gone, as it cracked during the ending of BST after Jin kissed the statue.
What's significant about it?
Remember the end of the BST mv when Jin walks to the mirror? Above it is a German phrase by philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche that translates to:
"You still have to have Chaos inside you in order to be able to give birth to a dancing star."
This is when the statue of the weeping Virgin Mary that was behind J-Hope falls to pieces.
In the lore Virgin Mary is pure and good, but she gave birth to a dancing star (Jesus), and hence she has to have Chaos inside her. In the trailer, she has given birth to the Jesus in his arms (he has been fleshed out from the rock) but in order to be able to give birth to a shooting star, she has lost her purity, which is what she is especially known for. Her purity is her face; her main feature.
Another reference back to the Blood, Sweat & Tears mv is the Apple in Jimin's hand.
The blindfold that covered Jimin's eyes slips off. The apple rolls out of his hand.
This refers back to the MV when Suga tied Jimin up to keep him in the blind.
Jimin had already eaten from the apple of truth/Apple of discord and he knows that there are two worlds, an evil one and a good one. Jimin wanted to share the truth of the world with the others (the last supper scene in Blood, Sweat & Tears) particularly with Suga (Chatroom scene in Blood, Sweat & Tears), but the others don't want to see what Jimin does.
They prefer to stay blind, and Suga wants to make Jimin go back to being blind to this truth, like before, which is why he ties Jimin up inside the Chatroom and blindfolds him.
After the Apple rolls out of Jimin's hand, an apple floats up to the surface of the water in Jin's scene.
This is key! Because it ties in their stories with Jin, who has often been on the sidelines in the last few MVs!
REFLECTIONS & MIRRORS
Jin watches his own reflection in the water. Unlike like the others, Jin is standing up and looking down, almost as if he looks at the other members from above, except he is actually looking down at himself.