My name is Gabriel (JTBC, Disney+)
Bae Jiahn: To go on a dopamine detox means to intentionally block out mentally stimulating things in order to escape the modern life plagued by an addiction to instant gratification. It might sound counterintuitive to try and avoid dopamine hits by watching TV, but My name is Gabriel fits the bill perfectly for when you’re looking less for excitement and more for something therapeutic. Created by producer Kim Taeho, the series can be seen as an extension of The life of other special from his flagship show, Infinite Challenge. Park Myung-soo, Hong Jin Kyung, Yeom Hye-ran, Ji Changwook, Park Bo Gum, Gabee, and Dex each spend 72 hours in other countries as Gabriels they’ve never met, completely taking over another person’s life—that’s everything from eating the same breakfast to taking over their friendships and being a part of their family. Traveling to Chiang Mai in Thailand in the new show, Park Myung-soo is as open-hearted with his temporary six-month-old daughter, Nallan, as he was with Yejin in The life of other, greeting her with a big hug. Meanwhile, Park Bo Gum heads to Dublin, Ireland to fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming a musician. He's loved playing the piano and singing ever since he was a kid, so he’s able to quickly step into the life of choir leader Gabriel, leading the other singers with the power of the music running through his whole body. Rather than becoming another person, these Gabriels experience a new take on life that really reflects who they’ve always been, so the idea of them being able to say Gabriel is “my name” is incredibly apt—and you’ll feel it when Park Bo Gum sheds a tear while singing “Falling Slowly.”

Perfect Days
Jeong Seohui (Cinema Journalist): The simple sounds of sweeping in the alleyway signal the start of a peaceful morning. Listening to old pop songs on cassette as they flow out from his car stereo, public toilet cleaner Hirayama (Koji Yakusho) makes his way to work in the Shibuya ward of Tokyo. He spends his life performing this same routine on repeat, every day the same. What might come across as obsessive adherence to a simple pattern is his way of taking control of his life. His jumpsuit on, Hirayama tracks down dirt—in the deepest corners—thanks to his trusty handheld mirror. Just because you can’t see dirt doesn’t mean it isn’t there. Now and then, he smiles to himself. He enjoys komorebi—the sunlight flickering through tree leaves. He keeps a film camera by his side like an old friend to capture such scenes. He leaves that job up to the camera lens, not the naked eye. He grabs those moments on his camera, develops the photos, and lets them sleep quietly at home. Little cracks in his life appear unexpectedly and quietly here and there, but there’s no grand despair. It's about coming away from suddenly seeing a familiar face with the capability to manage the lingering feeling of emptiness, a feeling equally as strong as how happy the encounter had made him in the moment, and embracing a sadness beyond the forces of humanity—that’s all. The spirit wavers, working towards something presentable today while knowing it’ll be dirty again by tomorrow. But the jam-packed routine he has dedicated himself to building keeps him in high spirits. He starts each morning—never truly simple—just like the start of any other perfect day. He can console himself, with a smile on his face and a tear in his eye, so long as he can tell himself that an unforeseen dark cloud is no different from another speck of dirt hiding just out of sight.

The Deep, h4rdy - 'Taste' (feat. Honey)
Na Wonyoung (Music Critic): Around this time last year, I wrote about “Salad Days” by iiso. I talked about the track’s oddly referential relationship with Humming Urban Stereo’s original version, and the tendency in South Korea for songs originally in one of several different electronic music subgenres to be reimagined as alternative dance songs, often with a more familiar vocal style. The recently released “Taste” is another entry in this trend, with its perfect blend of fluid, modern R&B vocals and grating, sloshy 2-step beats. Featured artist Honey’s vocals, shimmering synths, smattering of record scratches, and highly elastic funk add a good amount of seasoning to the otherwise laid-back 2-step BPM, resulting in an all-around well-crafted pop song. A deeper look at the two main artists shows how the song is a carefully planned out joining of forces between two artists who work in different styles of UK garage. The Deep has been moving toward a more pop-sounding R&B/soul direction with recent singles, fully embracing the early-2000s feel through her work with producers like Weissen on her most recent EP, Messy Room, and placing it with other British-style Korean dance pop like BÉBE YANA’s SPACE MULAN and iiso’s COMI. h4rdy, meanwhile, has done everything from knockout remixes of NewJeans songs to laying down fantastic beats for Deadbois’ compilation album Mantra. He's also played a major part in fleshing out Rhythm Power’s British-style Korean hip hop sound on their releases, drawing on the original UK sound, since “Bangsaneung.” Seen another way, “Taste” fully exemplifies the symbiotic creative process between a producer faithful to the foundation of the genre and a singer-songwriter more than capable of adding a pop flare with their vocals. The catchy, repetitious melody and smooth, push-and-pull, four-on-the-floor rhythm would be right at home in clubs, playlists, or even on the radio. Alongside CCOLA’s song “LOVE2000” and I-Rohm’s album Usually, “Taste” gives us a chance to savor the fresh 2-step sound that’s found a new home here in Korea in the 2020s—one now tightly woven with the vocal stylings of a number of strong women on the mic.