Subestimado
Agora que finalmente terminei o drama, vou dar uma opinião bem sincera: eu gostei muito.Ele parte de uma premissa simples e objetiva, e o maior mérito da obra é justamente se manter fiel a ela do primeiro ao último episódio.
Tudo gira em torno da vida e da ideia de gerar: um médico obstetra, uma astronauta responsável por experimentos de reprodução de roedores no espaço, a fecundação secreta na estação espacial para que o sogro do protagonista continuasse sua linhagem, enfim, a trama nunca foge do que se propôs a discutir. Gerar é a base de tudo, e isso dá uma coesão muito bonita à narrativa.
Dentro disso, nada mais natural do que desenvolver um relacionamento entre o médico e a astronauta, o que acrescenta justamente a possibilidade de gerar vida no espaço também no plano humano. Eu gostei bastante de como essa relação foi construída. Ele é um personagem que nunca havia se apaixonado, e dividir um espaço tão íntimo e extremo com uma mulher tão dedicada, tão focada em criar e preservar a vida, acaba encantando ele. Ela, por sua vez, vive um tabu profissional ao se envolver com um turista espacial enquanto comandante, e as situações constantes de risco e quase-morte são fundamentais para despertar esse vínculo entre eles. Tudo isso fez sentido dentro do contexto.
O drama é muito gostoso de assistir. Tem um ritmo fácil, é acessível, não se perde em termos científicos nem tenta parecer mais inteligente do que é. Apesar de ser sci-fi, ele não foca em estudos técnicos, mas nas relações humanas. Acompanhar a rotina dos astronautas enquanto pessoas, convivendo, trabalhando, trocando experiências naquele ambiente tão específico, foi algo realmente prazeroso.
A mensagem do drama é bastante clara, até óbvia demais em alguns momentos, e eu nem concordo com ela. Mas, olhando como ficção, isso não me incomodou. Toda obra quer dizer alguma coisa, seja política, social ou emocional, e aqui o diretor escolheu passar a mensagem dele de forma direta. Eu gosto de assistir às coisas de forma crítica, e isso não me impede de aproveitar, pelo contrário, enriquece a experiência. Dá para perceber as intenções por trás de algumas falas e acontecimentos, especialmente quando lembramos da crise demográfica que a Coreia enfrenta hoje. Ainda assim, isso não estragou minha experiência, deu para discordar e, ao mesmo tempo, aproveitar personagens, diálogos e situações.
Um bom exemplo disso é a cena em que ela joga as mórulas fora e ele a chama de assassina. Eu discordo completamente da visão dele, mas o personagem foi construído exatamente para pensar assim. Ele é coerente consigo mesmo e com seu papel na história, e isso torna a cena válida dentro da lógica da narrativa.
Outro ponto forte é como o drama foi soltando pistas sutis desde o início sobre como tudo terminaria. O final não parece jogado, aleatório ou inventado às pressas, a história caminha para ele desde o começo, construindo aquele desfecho aos poucos.
Sinceramente, eu não entendo por que esse drama foi tão criticado. A trilha sonora é ótima, a fotografia é linda, os efeitos especiais são muito bem feitos e deixam tudo visualmente prazeroso. As cenas de tensão no espaço me deixaram com o coração na boca, e as cenas mais leves me fizeram rir à toa.
Ele não é complexo, não é profundo, mas também nunca prometeu ser. Isso não significa que seja vazio. Pelo contrário, achei interessante como o drama insere de forma natural aspectos reais das missões espaciais, a rotina, os exercícios diários por causa da perda de massa muscular, os enjoos, as sequelas físicas, inclusive ligadas à gravidez, sem transformar isso em algo técnico demais ou didático demais. São fatos reais inseridos com leveza, que enriquecem a trama sem sobrecarregar.
A química do casal é muito boa, e embora eu ache que o sentimento deles avançou rápido demais, relevei isso pelo contexto. Quando você confina pessoas em situações extremas, os sentimentos realmente se intensificam, basta ver como isso acontece até em realities como Big Brother.
Mesmo na simplicidade, os personagens conseguiram me emocionar, me fazer rir e até chorar (muito, em especial no último episódio).
Agora, se alguém me disser que se frustrou porque criou expectativas muito altas por causa da roteirista, eu entendo. Pelo peso do nome dela, esse realmente é um trabalho mais simples e modesto, poderia ter mais nuances, mais subentendidos, relações mais complexas. Mas claramente houve uma escolha do diretor por uma mensagem clara e uma narrativa linear. E, dentro dessa proposta, ele foi muito bem-sucedido.
No fim, é isso, um drama muito bom, coeso, linear, fiel à própria proposta e tecnicamente muito bem feito, que entrega exatamente o que promete, sem fingir ser algo que não é.
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Lovely
I came across this drama because as I always enjoy Lee Min-hos acting skills despite usually not being too keen on space themed dramas and admittedly largely watching romantic comedies/romance or action dramas.I thoroughly enjoyed Lee Min-hos acting and the chemistry between him and Gong Hyo-jin was perfect for me. I just love how much range he has in terms of his roles and his ability to express a lot of emotion just with his eyes.
The story itself was a tad far fetched for me in terms of logical reasoning as to why what they were doing was necessary to do in space but it didn't take away from the casts dynamic acting so I enjoyed it anyway and to be fair many shows I like are not on the realistic side (I'm escaping from reality after all xD)
I am more of a happy ending person myself so I would just add that for those who want a pure happy ending over a sweet/tragic one it may be not on the top list.
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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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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 is my first ever review here. This drama was visually stunning, and it had some potential with the acting for the cast they got, the space premise itself is interesting, but the story and message is just... ew.I could not make it through even the first 10 minutes of the 6th episode.
This drama really seemed promising at first but was ultimately disappointing, in terms of the plot/story/writing and the unrealistic-ness of Gong Ryung "falling in love" with Eve in such a short time. Also, some of the (un)ethical themes in this drama I just couldn't get behind, but maybe that's just my opinion.
The visuals and outerspace premise were the best part. It's sad that the story didn't quite hold up.
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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.Was this review helpful to you?
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ILLOGICAL BUT BEAUTIFUL
I don’t care how absurdly ridiculous this whole space ride of a drama; seatbelt clutched, spacesuit on. Brain turned off, only feels and emotions —take off: When The Stars Gossip. ride it with an open heart. Because the galaxy, in its vastness, is as chaotically beautiful as this drama.There are countless things I could pinpoint just how much this drama objectively do not work. It genuinely feels like all the food you eat, congested and ground messily in the stomach, forming a big clamped turd as it ends up in one’s rectum. To put it simply, it’s as shitty as it could be. But what Korean MSG did the production put in for me to completely ignore all logic and be able to enjoy it as questioningly as I did? Yes, I was bemusedly amused through and through. One of the comments I read said, “You just gotta turn off your brain when watching this.” and it works! I was introduced to a new level of zany that ends up capturing hearts instead. In this drama, you open a new sense of wonder, a strange affection for the chaos that doesn’t make sense but somehow feels real. It’s like the mess becomes a kind of magic. Absurd and messy and utterly predictable and yet, you can’t help but hold on tight in this wild, messy story. It’s like getting your heart broken by someone with a clear red flag, but you just let it be because you felt happy, and you enjoy the moments of rawness only you could understand. Those imperfect flashes that cut deep but also shine bright, the kind that make the whole mess worth feeling. Maybe this was what the new album of Katseye meant. BEAUTIFUL CHAOS.
I love how everyone here shined in the embodiment of their roles. No one felt like they were stealing the spotlight, because the story allowed each of them to hold it. There was a rhythm in the mess. Llike constellations in a sky you didn’t expect to understand, but still found comfort in tracing.
Take Eve. Setting aside my immense love for Gong Hyo Jin, her character here hits hard to the core. You see a woman — driven, obsessed even — with creating life. And not just creating it, but preserving it, chasing it, almost romanticizing it. A woman so ambitious in giving birth to life in the most unexplored of environments, at her root, is an infant who was left alone on Christmas Eve. abandoned by the very person who gave her life. That moment with her biological mother, who stood there so audaciously, spouting excuses about just wanting to live and saying the child was nothing but a hindrance in front of Eve’s face. I really felt my whole heart break into pieces. Hearing that, you catch a glimpse of why Eve clings so desperately to the idea of life.It’s a rebellion. A beautiful, aching rebellion from someone who eagerly wants to let everyone know the miracle of life, and how this miracle should be nurtured and protected even despite being denied the same privilege from the one that birthed her. Thankfully enough, she got adopted by a loving man who molded her into becoming the Eve that she is. She is such a strong woman, so admirable. I mourn for her character, deeply..
And we have Gong Ryong. This, by far, may be Lee Min Ho’s best role and performance in my opinion up there with his character in Pachinko. Gong Ryong is a man with the unwavering need to save lives, even when he doesn’t quite know what to do with his own. It was so refreshing to see him as such a destitute, emotionally weathered character which made the performance all the more remarkable. Here, even when he's fumbling, hurting, scared, you believe him. You believe in him. Because despite everything, he believes in life. And in a drama where the science bends like gravity for how inaccurate it is, his resolve rings so loud and clear, it becomes the one thing that actually feels real, and you hold onto that. So even if the plot fails on logic and rationality, the characters don’t. They were played with heart. And Gong Ryong, I believe, was created and portrayed so beautifully.
We also have Chief Kang my most favorite character in the series, played wonderfully by Lee El. Her level-headedness and leadership are truly admirable. Even when her feelings were toyed with by Dong-a, who was in a relationship with Eve, of which two are her precious companions, she didn’t let her emotions interfere with her duty or cloud her judgment. Instead, she handled the situation with such cool composure, showing that her respect for both Dong-a and Eve was far greater than the role their feelings played in the ordeal. The level of emotional maturity she showed breathed a leeway for the plot to shift through motion more conveniently allowing the narrative to keep moving without drowning in melodrama. This, in retrospect, is a brilliant move from the writer and Lee El was able to portray it convincingly.
Dong-a, who was a jerk for playing with my two girls — Eve and Chief Kang, and although another convenience for the writer to play the whole cheating thing off, had a redemption when he — as I dare say — was so poignantly sexy as he risked his life taking off into outer space just to save Eve, including Gong Ryong. I was laughing and crying when the video was played of him crying for Eve’s life on his flight up to save her. And the whole flight down on Earth with the three of them, I was on edge the whole ride! My soul almost left as swift as their whole ride. But lol, before that, the way I screamed when he found Eve and Ryong naked in one thermal tent cuddling for dear life almost lifeless….and it being broadcast in the KSC headquarters, aaaaaaaaaaaaaa ahhaahashflsahfs 😭😭😭😭😭 The whole episode with those three on that particular flight made me pray for a preproduced drama hadahdfahs 😭 Dong-a was a real hero for what he did for real. Well, cheating aside.
Kang Kang Su, played by Oh Jung-se, I have to say, it feels like he wasn’t quite able to wash off his character embodiment from It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, which was a bit of a downer for me. I would’ve loved to see another side of him as an actor. But that aside, I have mixed feelings about the character he played here. He came off as selfish, strict, and nonchalant at first, but as the plot progressed, you start to see that he’s actually a really hardworking man despite his wealthy background. His dedication to his work — even at the expense of his love life, which later fell into the cliché of a man desperate to get back with his ex still made his development compelling. The gradual unfolding of his layered personality was a good sight. I even felt bad for him when he got fired as an astronaut and stripped of his long-invested fruit flies space project, and yet no one stood up for him. Everyone was so ready to let him take the fall, but selfishly helped Gong Ryong using the lottery ticket that belonged to Kang Kang Su himself. That was a total what the heck moment. And the fact that Kang Su didn’t even blame them? Wild. Not to mention the enormous amount of money he personally spent for the robot arm and other things– and not even a pinch of gratitude from them. I mean, he deserves the punishment as per protocol, but the team’s loyalty was just nowhere to be seen.
I love the characters individually, but as a team, they’re bad.
Go Eun, played by Han Ji Eun, is the most rational character out of everyone. Not the typical selfish chaebol brat you mostly see on TV, she was a solid grey character here and I really liked her. As for the rest of the space crew; Mina, Seungjun, and Santi..they were great companions, but they really screwed up when they got choked up by greed over Kang Su’s lottery ticket. They tried to make up for it later, but the fact that they stayed silent when Kang Su was being interrogated ust to protect Gong Ryong, whom they initially refused to help for selfish reasons, that part stung. Still, their trio added so much charm and life to the series. Flawed, yes, but undeniably lovable.
The whole team in the KSC headquarters was actually my favorite. Although they didn’t get the same level of character progression as those in space, they were personas I genuinely loved. Do-na with her snobbish energy but deep down is a pro-life softy, Eun-so as Eve’s mouse companion ust as obsessed with mouse copulation as she is, and Han Si-won, who always looked like he was one minor inconvenience away from quitting. He literally had that “of course that happens” look as everything was just a problem after problem. Their presence kept the ground scenes alive and entertaining in their own right.
Some may say the characters in this series are bad and senseless, but isn’t that the very nature of humans? Flawed, imperfect… yet still, they try. They continue to take each step into the unknown future, just as vast and uncertain as the universe itself. There’s no perfect way to live life, and maybe that’s fine. The decisions we make, the roles we try to mold ourselves into. They’re messy, confusing, and sometimes laughable. But in that chaos, there’s something honest. Something that mirrors the way we stumble through our own lives, holding on to meaning wherever we can find it. Maybe that’s what When The Stars Gossip was trying to tell us all along: life is absurd, beautiful, and heartbreakingly human. And somehow, that’s enough.
The drama explores motherhood in so many brutal, quiet ways. Eve wondering if her unborn child will ever understand why she chose to go down to Earth — knowing full well it could kill it. Fearing that Gong Ryong would hate the child because of the choices she made. Doctor Na, pleading with the universe to just give her one chance to become a mother. Women breaking under the weight of creation, trying to hold on to something that might love them back. All of life on Earth is carried in the hollow space of a woman’s womb… and the --sometimes too incomprehensible desperation of some to be a mother, a parent. All of which sits between nature’s supposed blessing, the selfishness of some to abandon, and the selflessness of others to love and protect what was left behind. The instincts of it all tangled, wild, and deep. And this drama tackled it in the most quietly devastating way. It didn’t scream about motherhood or glorify it blindly. Instead, it showed the ache, the desperation, the contradictions. It showed how creating life isn’t just biological. It’s emotional, spiritual…and terrifying. And in between all the chaos and absurdity, those moments hit the hardest.
All of which may have seemed like prolife propaganda by Korea, but honestly, they did well. Because it makes you reflect on your own being. Not just on producing life, but on being the life itself.
All in all, this drama was beautiful to me. Science is grounded in facts, yet it can be falsifiable. So you have to accept the absurdity of the drama’s scientific background -- its imagination giving birth to a theory. But they captured something meaningful: the connection between space and birth. It reminds us how small we are in the vast universe, yet how lucky we are to exist. To become something from nothing. A speck beside the brightest star. Living and breathing. The poetry of placing space and birth side by side. Both show how tiny we are, yet how miraculous our existence is. Even in the silence between stars, there is room for pain, forgiveness, and love. That feeling may be small, clamped tight inside us, but when we look up, we see it reflected in the night sky; clear, clean, and still shining.
Maybe that’s why this mess made sense. Despite the chaos and red flags, I held on. Because it made me feel something real. And maybe, that is all we needed.
I am beyond glad to give this series a chance. I would have let one of the most beautiful productions in Kdramaland.
Thank you so much, When The Stars Gossip Team! You all did a great job. 끝!
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Hooked.
Kept me hooked until the ending (which I hated). Really interesting sci-fi space drama reminiscent of Apollo 13 but more romance and exploring ethical questions. I'm not a Lee Min Ho fan, but he was good in this one. I have yet to see anything that Gong Hyo Jin has done that was not spectacular. She always impresses.Was this review helpful to you?
Every Life Is Precious
The story is about an astronaut that wants to create a life in space which is illegal to do since nobody knows what will happen. But they manage to create it and hide the research until they got caught when landed on earth. That's how the story begins and it's quite intense to watch how they survived.Was this review helpful to you?
NOT WORTH YOUR TIME
let me start by saying, I Love Love love Lee Min Ho and MOST of his career choices. this for me was a major fail. I’m not sure what he saw in the script but for me it just failed big time. apart from the fact that the FL can justify the reproduction of fruit flies and mice in space but then turn around and destroy human life as a justification of the ‘roles’ shows just where this world is at regarding life choices. put aside the huge lacking of chemistry in any of the romantic interests particularly the 2 leads. I just didn’t find this one worth continuing past episode 5. my daughter and I have a 3 episode rule, give it a chance but if by episode 3 it’s not got you tgen we can drop it. I found myself pushing ahead, wanting it to get better because of Min Ho, however it just wasn’t worth it for me……the storyline goes from bad to worse and that’s not the actors fault
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