Last week we reviewed episode four of BBC’s Made In Korea: The K-pop Experience Documentary series. Make sure to read the reviews for episode one, two, three, and four first. There’s six episodes in the series and each week will see us revisit the show with a summary breakdown and review on each episode.
Episode Five aired on Saturday 14th September 2024 on BBC One. We look back on the show that formed the group and the start of their journey.
If you haven’t already, read our ultimate guide on dearALICE here.
Made In Korea: Episode Five Summary
- This week sees the group perform the vocals to pretty ballad, Time With You.
- Stamina is the main theme for this week. The group must work on their fitness if they are to perform their very own concert one day.
- But to really immerse themselves into their idol training they must complete an assault course which is fit for military training. Every male idol has gone through the process, and the group is no different.
- To put a real spanner in the works, a surprise evaluation from Hee Jun makes the group uneasy as they come to realise that their stamina is not quite there yet after performing five routines.
- Another important theme this week is teamwork. The band sees further friendships developing as they continue to build stronger connections.
Training definitely requires an enormous amount of stamina. Stamina isn’t just about physical endurance; it’s also about mental concentration.
Anton from RIIZE on the training regime of a K-pop idol.
Made In Korea: Episode Five Review
Episode five of BBC’s Made In Korea focuses on stamina. Throughout this episode we witness the group put through their paces in military training practice – something all idols have to master to be successful. But the group also take a much-needed break and visit Mount Namsan in Seoul. They then later prepare for a vocal evaluation of their latest song, Time With You.
But this week the band must also deal with a major twist. There’s a surprise Hee Jun evaluation in the works. And it’s much tougher than they could ever imagine. The group must perform five of their routines back-to-back as Hee Jun evaluates their dance and vocal performances and in particular their stamina and fitness level.
Blossoming Bromances
We see the members forming their own friendships within the group. James and Olly in particular receive their own montage featuring their time together in Korea. They eat together, go to a pottery class, and even create a snippet of their own song together. Of course, we also can’t forget about other friendships in the group like Blexter (forming Blaise and Dexter from episode three) as well as an underrated friendship dynamic between Blaise and Reese.
Of course, fans of the group will know that since the show special ‘ship names’ have been created for some of their friendship dynamics. Popular ship names include Dolly to represent Dexter and Olly, and Blexter to represent Blaise and Dexter.
As Made In Korea often discusses the important role teamwork plays in building a cohesive group, it’s understandable that we eventually see their key dynamics play out. After all their friendships form the foundation and strong backbone of the band. There’s certainly a heartwarming tone created from the outset.
From a personal perspective, it’s quite clear that they are all worthy members, not just for their strong friendships but for the different talents they each bring to the band too. For example, in the show whilst Reese is said to be the strongest vocalist, Blaise is credited as the strongest dancer of the group. They each bring various specialised musical talents which forms this strong brotherly bond.
I don’t have a brother. So I don’t think I wanted to tell James – but I think it was really sweet of him.
Olly Quinn on his brotherly relationship with James.
A Reality Show With Heart But Without the Grasp
Made In Korea episode four had such a strong jumping off point to move into episode five. But it slightly lost its momentum here. There wasn’t a great pull to this episode, and the edits are less flowy and more stop and start. Despite being its target audience and after countless re-watches, I’m still not completely enticed by the show. I desperately want to like the series more but it’s missing that extra spice that would make it more enjoyable to watch.
There’s no doubt the show has heart. At its core there’s the members and their blossoming friendships, the hardships they face together, and the tough feedback evaluations from Hee Jun. But it’s the show’s structure that weakens its heart’s core. Which makes it memorable up until a point. It leaves me slightly confused on how I should feel as a viewer.
But the best part of this episode comes from the messages from family members. We get small glimpses into each of their lives. And it creates a memorable scene from the show that doesn’t really need to be explained where Reese infamously claims, ‘they’re all just good friends.’
(Olly is) such a talented, hard-working, loving boy.
Olly’s mother on his personality.
Stamina Means Success
As this episode focuses on stamina, most of the activities this week tests the group’s fitness. They sing an acapella rendition of Time With You where they must work together to sound cohesive. It’s five vocals trying to work together. But first they must complete an intense military training assault course run by Sergeant Young Jae Choi – a former special forces captain.
Just like the group has different vocal and dance talents, they also showcase their different skills across the assault course. Blaise excels at the strength challenges including carrying eight sandbags up the steep hill, whilst Olly is super-fast at crawling. Their teamwork is then tested in carrying a heavy tree log and completing a ‘capture the flag’-type course whilst being pelted with paintballs by precision marksmen, Young Jae Choi. These challenges help the group reflect on their goals and how they face hardships together in the future.
As a vocal-focused week, we see each member learn different vocalisation techniques. Whilst James works on his stamina, and Dexter talks through his worries to wellness coach, Jeanie Chang – Olly works on learning diaphragmatic breathing, Reese feels the pressure to hit the high notes, and Blaise works on raising the placement of his voice.
Surprise Evaluation
But just like previous episodes, the members each experience their own struggles. This is even further highlighted in Hee Jun’s evaluation of their vocals. Whilst Reese struggles with a hoarse voice, Dexter’s voice is too powerful, and he must work to blend in more with the rest of the group’s vocals. Meanwhile, Blaise needs to work his lower vocal range into the team’s style, and Olly is advised to add more emotion to his singing. James is credited on his vocal stability after working on his fitness and stamina.
Out of the group, Blaise has something to prove perhaps more than the others. Maybe for himself. At times we see him disappointed with himself if he goes below his high standards. It’s all in his perfectionist mentality whilst Dexter feels down when he doesn’t receive any positive feedback.
But we soon learn it’s the cultural differences in teaching between England and Korea. Whilst England tends to focus on the positives, Korea is always looking at how next to improve. Reminding us how there’s always room to be better.
Episode Rating: 3 Stars
Where To Watch?
For UK viewers, episode five of Made In Korea: The K-pop Experience is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer and on Roku TV for US viewers.
But we’re not finished with Made In Korea! Our review of Made In Korea: The K-pop Experience – episode six is coming out next week. You won’t want to miss our review on the last episode of the series!
Don’t forget to check out our ultimate guide on dearALICE here.