The most controversial drama of the decade
I was a defender of When the Stars Gossip until... well, things went off the rails. I genuinely loved the beginning of the drama. The concept was fresh, and I found myself laughing a lot. The idea of setting a K-drama in space was unique and exciting — something I hadn’t seen before. I also thought the casting was solid (as someone who does not like Lee Min-ho) ; the main leads had great chemistry, which added to the charm of the early episodes.
The fact that the entire mission was morally questionable was obvious, so I was curious to see how the show would handle that. Ryong breaking up with his girlfriend in space (still a major L move) was at least somewhat resolved and through the other guy’s cheating, clearing up that particular love triangle. And even though the CGI was mediocre and the storyline was absurdly over the top, I could still laugh at Ryong’s ridiculous plot armor that let him jump into space and survive. It was silly, but in a fun way.
However, once the show left space and returned to Earth, everything just became utterly ridiculous. The writers opened way too many plot lines: everyone was suddenly a cheater, the illegal aspects of the mission were exposed, long-lost mothers reunited with their daughters, and someone was even sent to space while pregnant. It was just too much, all while the show continuously ignored basic SCIENCE principles.
The ending was the final blow — a complete train wreck that left me feeling uninspired. This experience is a perfect example of why I don’t like watching dramas while they’re airing. The week-long wait between episodes leaves too much time to think about where the story is going, and more often than not, my own theories turn out to be more satisfying than what actually happens.
In short, When the Stars Gossip had a promising start, but its descent back to Earth was a chaotic mess that failed to stick the landing.
The fact that the entire mission was morally questionable was obvious, so I was curious to see how the show would handle that. Ryong breaking up with his girlfriend in space (still a major L move) was at least somewhat resolved and through the other guy’s cheating, clearing up that particular love triangle. And even though the CGI was mediocre and the storyline was absurdly over the top, I could still laugh at Ryong’s ridiculous plot armor that let him jump into space and survive. It was silly, but in a fun way.
However, once the show left space and returned to Earth, everything just became utterly ridiculous. The writers opened way too many plot lines: everyone was suddenly a cheater, the illegal aspects of the mission were exposed, long-lost mothers reunited with their daughters, and someone was even sent to space while pregnant. It was just too much, all while the show continuously ignored basic SCIENCE principles.
The ending was the final blow — a complete train wreck that left me feeling uninspired. This experience is a perfect example of why I don’t like watching dramas while they’re airing. The week-long wait between episodes leaves too much time to think about where the story is going, and more often than not, my own theories turn out to be more satisfying than what actually happens.
In short, When the Stars Gossip had a promising start, but its descent back to Earth was a chaotic mess that failed to stick the landing.
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