When the Stars Gossip

Not great but def not a 1 or 2 rating! (Spoilers indicated)

I simply don't get the super low ratings for this series. No, it's not great, but compared to a lot of other more highly rated dramas it is on par.

The Good:
- Mostly good acting. I particularly liked Gong Hoo-Jin. Super good job! Lee Min-Ho was good too, but the way his character was written made it hard to like him in this role (not his fault!).
- Interesting story - different

The Sub-Optimal:
- Plot holes you could drive a space station through
- Irrational choices by characters were so annoying :-(
- Bad science (although they obviously did their homework).
- LOL there are no noises across distance in space and it would have tightened the tension if they had not fouled this up. My undergrad degree was physics so this is hard to ignore ha ha.
- The ending clips were a tad to "artsy" for me and kind of didn't fit the rest of the show
***Spoiler***
- Very sad ending which I did NOT like at all. I'm not saying it's "bad" but I don't watch 16 hours to be bummed at the end.
***Spoiler***

In any even, this is NOT a 1 or a 2 rating. Not sure why people dislike this so much. It is very comparable to other KDramas that are more highly rated. I'd say give it a watch, but it is not worth a second watch.

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This is a rant

Putting logic aside, I was really rooting for this rom-com until the final episode. The English name in no way prepares you for the mess of this drama. After the first 6-8 episodes, this drama was tolerable until the final episode. Overall, this drama reeks of propaganda and misogyny. Were the actors black-mailed to do this?

This show is polarizing. If you suffer from infertility or know any science - basic or a full blown astronaut - it's triggering. Even to the layman, it's unbelievable. The happy ending was there, they even shown us a glimpse of it, just to swerve left and jump off a bridge.

Issues/Opinions

1. Science without objectivity. The one good thing about this drama is that it can show how unchecked emotions/beliefs/etc. can ruin Science. Human beings are fallible in all that they do. One must take this into consideration in all things.

2. The science is not believable. I can explain further but I don't want to discuss the plot too much here.

4. With the creative liberties this drama took, it should have embraced the fantastical - went full on fantasy/anime.. in the world of Cowboy Bebop for example. That way the idea of humans having the technology to comfortably procreate in space would be more believable.

5. The whole premise was selfish. I understand wanting to be a mother but asking people to risk their lively-hoods and break international law was selfish and peak rich asshole entitlement.

6. The MOST triggering thing about this drama: "Counting your eggs before they hatch."

7. I read a review that this show was pro-life propaganda. I tried to rationalize it in another way but... yea. The themes of "having a child regardless of any consideration for said child and mother" is pro-life propaganda. Also, the "mother's sacrifice" propaganda. All the things the FL worked hard for an tried to preserve became not as important. It reinforces the ideology that women are only good for giving birth. I even agree with another user's review in that Eve's ending was probably recompense for destroying the morulas.

8. As someone who worked in labs, the way they disposed of biological material bothered me. No biological red bags or incineration. Not important but I noticed.

I liked the soundtrack but I liked Jin's song long before I watched the drama.

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Trauma inducing

First few episodes actually fascinated me, bringing associations with Tarantino’s movies but sci-if and killing moroulras instead of humans. The potential was 10/10 and I was wondering where the bad reviews come from. Yes, the leads chemistry was below zero and the team had a member who doesn’t speak Korean, yet all conversations and orders was given in that language but, hey! it’s zero gravity rom-com, let’s be forgiving.
There were some really dark comedy moments scattered around a nice space station setting.
I really liked it… until the time skipping ruined everything finishing with the most traumatic ending in my Kdrama watching (extended) experience. EVER!!! It’s not the sad/bad ending, I can handle that, it’s the absolute nonsense of the decisions and reactions.
What bothers me the most: (spoiler warning ⚠️ warning ‼️ warning ⛔️ )
1.Lacking any sense in the mother/daughter micro plot between Eve and Jung Na M! Why they build that plot just to ruin it in meaningless unforgivness?!?!
2.Why the end was that rushed and bad? Forget the script disconnection, plot holes, and sad ending, they might of made it at leas meaningful? Did I missed the point of all main characters dying/suffering. There is dark movies and there is pure cruelty, this drama being the cruel one.
3. What was the point of exploring infertility/maternity/hope for life just to kill them all (except the fruit flies). Even the mice babies didn’t survive the massacre. Did someone notice that even the promised space infertility clinic was actually based on the Kong Ryon’s space work (that obviously was disrupted).

Honestly, I write the review to get any personal conclusions and move on with this drama. It brings me tremendous trauma!
Would I recommend - if you like meaningless character killing and constant suffering, go ahead it was pleasing to watch zero gravity setting!

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"When the Stars Gossip" is a drama about astronauts who use space to conduct research on reproduction and fertility, which can only be done on Earth in zero gravity. Gong Ryong is a gynecologist who goes to the station on a secret mission: to fertilize the egg of the daughter-in-law of one of Korea's wealthiest families.

It's a drama I was really looking forward to watch, but I ended up being disappointed because the story is poorly developed. The drama's biggest problem lies in the romance between Gong Ryong and Eve, which is not only unnecessary but also completely boring. He fell in love with Eve almost instantly, like a boy, without even knowing her properly. These two have no chemistry on scene. I understand the whole situation of them having sex in space; they thought they were going to die, they didn't consider the consequences. But was really necessary for Eve to be pregnant, in addition to the whole process of her giving birth on the space station and dying? No.

Eve just didn't work as the main character. She's incredibly hypocritical. She didn't hesitate to betray Kang Su, her coworker, for the fertilized eggs, but she helped Ryong bring his to Earth simply because he was the person she was in love with. She discarded Min Jeong's eggs twice, the second time to protect Ryong and her colleagues. I agree that was the right decision, but when she discovers she's pregnant, she decides to keep the pregnancy and have the baby in space. Eve has a very clear standard. There are ethical and moral values, but they're only valid when they don't directly affect her, and that's not something I'd expect from a commander.

The astronauts' part is incredible; it reminded me a lot of "The Silent Sea." If the drama had focused on that—on the astronauts' day-to-day lives, their work, research, and discoveries—it would have been much better than this pathetic attempt at an epic space romance.

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Interesting premise that is ruined by the execution

While the premise sounds interesting, and the show kept me entertained at first, the overall execution is lackluster and disappointing, which is why I finally decided to DNF this 15 minutes into episode 5. The “conflict” between the male lead and Eve went on and on, but it’s the phone call between the twins that kind of killed it for me. I don’t even know what their thing with the lottery ticket is, but they are both so annoying: space twin is oddly whiny and shrill/childish, and planet twin is oddly dominant and both of them maximized the annoying effect they have on me.

Episode 4 was already quite weird to be honest. Why would the space tourist, untrained and unprofessional as he is, be Eve’s savior… out of all possible people that could have helped her? Makes no sense. Everyone, be it in space or on planet Earth, wasted precious minutes “monitoring” and asking the same, tired questions instead of stepping in and getting their commander back inside… like,… I don’t know?

The whole … reproductive propaganda is also done distastefully. Korea has low birthrates at the moment, and this show is not really promoting having babies in a good way: the female characters concerned with the space reproduction don’t even have a say about the doctor (Kang Su or the male lead) treating their eggs and they generally have no bodily autonomy as of right now. So far, in 4 episodes, the CEO has just decided everything or fired everyone in the women’s stead, which is so icky. (Also, him blaming the male lead for Go Eun’s baby loss made no sense, her pregnancy was literally not viable and life threatening??)

Anyway, there is maybe more to say, but the show just didn’t do it for me. Moving on to the next👋🏻👋🏻

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This drama is unique! It has an unusual plot with a perfect balance of humor, comedy, and truly touching moments that will captivate viewers from the first episode. The excellent acting and well-structured storyline make you realize how amazing and fragile life is. Similar to Titanic, love and dangerous situations aboard a space station are intertwined in this story, creating a wide range of emotions—from joy to dramatic tension. Each episode takes your breath away, and you’ll be eager to see the continuation. The rare combination of genres, fantastic acting, great direction, staging, and well-written script make this drama a masterpiece.

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Unfair low ratings

I don’t understand all these low ratings! I quite enjoyed this drama. I feel like people were judging & rating this drama as if it were based on fact! It’s not factual! It’s fantasy, sci fi, fiction! There was a WHOLE lot of “creative license” taken in making this drama. A lot of illogical, nonsensical , “that would never happen in real life”, scenes! It’s not any different than any other sci fi, fantasy drama. You have to watch with that mindset! I was engaged from start to finish. There was humor, romance & heartbreak, and a number of “on the edge of your seat” moments! Reviews are always subjective and I always read them with a grain of salt! Don’t let low reviews keep you from watching any drama. Watch & decide for yourself!

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I'm Enjoying This Show EDITED TO---->An Ending No One Wanted

The ending caused me to downgrade my rating on this series significantly. Not since Iris have I been so disappointed in the way a series ended. At least Iris had a bit of reality to the series, but this series demanded that we accept all sorts of fiction as truth along the way, with the final episode being something of pure fantasy. So why choose the ending that they did? We were in make-believe land anyway, so why not just put a pretty ribbon on it and let everyone live somewhat happily ever after? An image I've seen recently while watching an IU video on YouTube comes to mind: The crowd is smiling and singing along, all except this one woman who is just staring blank-faced. No smile, no joy. Yep, she's the one who might have enjoyed this ending. I suspect that the collage of newborns at the end was added to try and soften things a bit.

My advice: Stop watching before the finale and write your own ending. You will definitely like it better than what I just watched.

My original review after 12 Episodes is below:
Different strokes for different folks, I guess. So many haters writing reviews! On the other hand I don't think this show deserves 10s. I don't know that I have seen the ML in another series and definitely think he is kinda dorky and unattractive in this show. I suppose it comes down to expectations. I didn't have many going in, other than to be entertained, which I have been so far. It's ridiculous and stupid at times, but so are most people, myself included. Looking forward to the last 4 episodes!

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The show is too good to be so poorly reviewed

I am genuinely surprised by the negative reviews of "When the Stars Gossip." The show excels in so many areas. The CGI is top-notch, the space environment is so much like NASA in real life, and the science depicted is quite accurate, something you can easily fact-check, and of course the script is good. Virtually every episode has you gripping the edge of your seat, they either end with suspenseful cliffhangers or life-or-death situations. Lee Min Ho's acting skills are particularly noteworthy. He can easily switch between goofy to profoundly anguished but he makes each emotion believable and impactful. Gong Hyo Jin, with her innate ability to elevate her co-stars, makes Lee Min Ho shine, much like she has done with her male leads in her past dramas. The OST is also beautifully composed and thoughtfully integrated in each episode. I cannot help but wonder if the criticisms might be manufactured or orchestrated by fans who think Lee Min Ho is a competition to their male idol. Or perhaps I am just a nerd who loves science. Either way, the show is too good to be so poorly reviewed.

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