Crime Scene Returns / TVING 

Yun Hee-seong: The greatest enemy to modern entertainment would be time. Watching streaming content at 2x speed or scroll through videos for only the key scenes has become the norm for seeking efficiency. Cutting out the most gripping and provocative scenes into short clips, adding exaggerated titles and fussy subtitles before sharing them; watching these and feeling like you've consumed the content. These are no longer unfamiliar. That’s why the return of Crime Scene, in which the cast competes their detective and reasoning skills through a series of role-playings, seemed like a challenge against the "conventions of our times."  Since Crime Scene Returns lasts for an average of over two hours on two episodes covering a single event, the game provides a greater sense of thrill to those who’ve examined it as meticulously as possible. Its rule—the ones who gather more information and find out more secrets, dominate the story and get closer to the right answer—applies equally to both the cast and the viewers. The production team chose to put more effort into the drama surrounding the game to keep the tension throughout the whole journey, which is by no means short. There’s more than the set structure and the corpse figures that have become more detailed. Rather than allowing the guests, they use the cast in closed settings, enhancing focus. And instead of focusing on profiling or investigative techniques to look into cases, each character desperately defends themselves, placing emphasis on conflicting energy. This is how Crime Scene Returns achieves "immersion." Since the second case of “murder at a goshiwon," many viewers have been filling in unexplained stories with their imagination; and the relationships between the characters in the fourth case, “the murder of a religious leader,” have garnered a lot of attention apart from the case itself. These are proofs of how Crime Scene Returns is winning in the battle of time. In today's world, where it’s difficult to keep viewers in front of the screen for just a few minutes, Crime Scene Returns makes them watch every minute and second, unable to forget about its horrible incidents. It seems there are sufficient reasons for its return.

Dune: Part Two

Jung Seo-hee (film journalist): Dune, another name for the planet Arrakis. Here, “spice mélange”—the only substance that can’t be priced—floats in the air with the sand, and is coveted by every “House” in the universe, as if they’re plagued by hunger and thirst. As old as the imbalance between supply and demand, Kwisatz Haderach, Lisan al Gaib, and Mahdi—alternate names for faith—all denote the same concept: the Messiah. “The Savior will come and show us another way.” Such belief grew among the “native” Fremen of Arrakis and the religious group of Bene Gesserit, each in their own distinct manner. Dune: Part Two follows the political strife between those who have long awaited a “paradise” beyond the long destruction. Director Denis Villeneuve employed various types of Y axes, such as cliffs and canyons, to visualize the full-scale winner-takes-all hegemony within a vertical mise-en-scène.  The images of extreme slopes and vivid vertical sections, along with the sounds of battle, are organically connected to the story, enhancing the audience’s experience. Paul (Timothée Chalamet), the child of a concubine to the debased House Atreides, is at the heart of the drama. He takes caution against following his own path before finally accepting it. In a world divided by superiority and inferiority, Paul wanted to be equal to Chani (Zendaya Coleman) and aspired to be an undelusional idealist. However, with genes inherited from and having been trained by Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) of the Bene Gesserit, he is the “hero” of Dune, a world with a system of governance. While remaining faithful to the original work, Dune: Part Two also introduces characters that take different directions from the original storyline, which is a significant achievement for the film. Bloodline, birth, and origin no longer serve as advantages but as clues to new possibilities (Anya Taylor-Joy). It leaves out the outdated setting and dramatizes Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh) and Lady Margot (Léa Seydoux) as not only knowledgeable but also insightful, agile, and resolute, as they stick in their own flag. “Beauty and fear”. There was a stir in the desert. Superstition isn't a path to get to the other end of a fight; rather, it’s a cause for the fight they believe they must go through. The “holy war” starts out as grand. However, the director positions the characters like microbes and disrespectfully emphasizes with double layers the illusion that bloodshed achievements of an exception would be “green”. Since futility breaks down when its emptiness is revealed, there exists a moment of intricacy.

Beyoncé - “Texas Hold 'Em”

Kang Ilkwon (Music Critic): Beyoncé, an icon of trends and shock, seems capable of pulling off whatever she sets her mind to. Still, this was hard to predict: traditional country music. It starts off with a cheerful banjo, and for a minute or so into the song, I thought it would soon transition to a dance-pop or a trap music banger. In other words, I initially thought the title and the country genre were just coy setups for thrilling twists. However, the song maintains the same production throughout. Towards the end, it even added whistling sounds to highlight its genre identity. The song itself is a significant twist. I burst out with laughter—not because it was funny, but because it was so fitting. In fact, if you examine Beyoncé’s background, there’s a significant connection to country music. She was born and raised in Houston, Texas, where the genre has deep roots. Thanks to her grandfather, she grew up listening to country music as a child, and the city’s cowboy heritage also played a crucial role in her upbringing. Also, in 2007, she arranged and performed a country version of her hit song "Irreplaceable" on her album B'Day (2006) with the duo Sugarland. Moreover, for her album Lemonade (2016), she released a song titled “Daddy Lessons,” which blended country with Zydeco (note: a genre created and developed by Creole in Louisiana in the early 20th century). Back then, there were controversies surrounding the Grammy Awards. Beyoncé submitted “Daddy Lessons” for the country category, but it was rejected by the Grammy Country Committee. Anyhow, “Texas Hold 'Em” began its sail smoothly. It not only topped Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and the Hot Country Songs chart, but also received rave reviews from various music media outlets. In particular, Beyoncé became the first woman artist to have hit number one on both the Hot Country Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts since the lists began in 1958. How she brilliantly “Beyoncéfied” country music is, once again, making history in the realm of global pop music.