When The Stars Gossip- Episodes 1-2
Welcome to the thrilling debut of When the Stars Gossip!
The highly anticipated premiere of When the Stars Gossip has arrived, and it’s as wild and dramatic as we’d hoped. Episode 1 sets the stage for an emotional and action-packed journey, balancing earthbound tension with the perils of outer space. Let’s dive into the episode’s highlights.
Space Vomit & Cut Toes
The episode opens on October 25, 2024, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The G.O.-10 shuttle crew is prepping for launch, a moment filled with nerves, excitement, and a heavy dose of suspense. Among the three astronauts is Commander Eve, whose leadership will prove crucial as events unfold.
Gong Ryong, an OB-GYN awkwardly labeled a “space tourist,” stands out as the most reluctant astronaut. Funded by MZ Medical Centre with a jaw-dropping 70 billion won investment, his mission involves researching unsolved medical challenges like dementia. However, Gong Ryong’s unease is evident as he struggles with his role, even hesitating to select a take-off song.
The launch is a tense success, and as Korea collectively breathes a sigh of relief, things take a humorous turn. Gong Ryong vomits mid-air, with water droplets floating in zero gravity, leaving his crewmates scrambling to contain the mess. Amid the chaos, his thoughts drift to his turbulent past.
Through flashbacks, we learn that Gong Ryong was raised by his eccentric aunts, who ran a bar and raised him after his mother’s death. Despite hardships, he excelled in school, scoring a perfect CSAT and eventually becoming a celebrated OB-GYN. His journey to stardom as a baby-delivering “miracle worker” is showcased in a montage that’s both hilarious and heartwarming.
However, his professional success didn’t protect him from personal tragedy. Gong Ryong’s involvement with Choi Go-eun, the daughter of the powerful Chairman Choi Jae-ryong, turned his life upside down. After a car accident brought them together, Gong Ryong became Go-eun’s doctor. But when she lost her baby during surgery, her father blamed Ryong for ending their family line. The Chairman’s wrath led to Ryong’s dismissal and blacklisting, leaving him desperate for revenge.
In a shocking twist, Go-eun confessed her feelings and proposed marriage to Ryong, leaving viewers to question whether their relationship is driven by love, revenge, or something more complicated.
Back in space, the drama escalates when a frozen astronaut’s corpse crashes into the station, causing a near-catastrophic spiral. Commander Eve stabilizes the situation and saves Gong Ryong’s life after he chokes on debris, injuring her toes in the process. Their growing connection is palpable as Eve relies on Ryong to patch her up.
Despite his boasting, Ryong struggles to perform surgery in zero gravity, threading the needle clumsily. Eve, in contrast, completes the task effortlessly, showing her strength even in pain. The moment is intimate and telling, as Ryong begins to feel genuine attraction for Eve—free from the baggage of revenge that defines his relationship with Go-eun.
The episode doesn’t stop there. Go-eun’s ex-boyfriend, Kang Kang-su, is revealed to be onboard the station. Still close to Chairman Choi, Kang-su is determined to win Go-eun back, creating a love triangle (or perhaps a love square?) that’s brimming with tension. Meanwhile, Eve’s romantic involvement with Park Dong-a, a mission control officer, adds another layer of complexity.
Park Dong-a’s old spacesuit, which fragmented into the deadly “corpse satellite,” ties him to the unfolding chaos. This subplot hints at a tangled web of relationships and loyalties, both on Earth and in orbit.
The episode ends on a high-stakes and emotional note. Eve expresses gratitude to Ryong for his help, while Ryong awkwardly compliments her toes—a humorous yet tender moment that captures their evolving dynamic. For the first time, Ryong seems genuinely drawn to someone without ulterior motives, setting the stage for a potential romance.
Fruit Flies & Mice
Episode 2 of When the Stars Gossip takes us deeper into the drama unfolding aboard the space station, blending high-stakes experiments with personal tension and a dose of comedy. Let’s break down the key moments of this eventful episode.
The episode begins with the G.O.-10 crew—Eve, Gong Ryong, and Santiago—finally reaching the space station. However, docking proves tricky, as alignment issues delay their arrival, providing an excellent showcase of the precision required for even the simplest tasks in space.
Once inside, the trio is greeted by their new crewmates: Mina Lee, Kang-su (Go-eun’s ex-boyfriend), and Seung-joon. Ryong’s grand entrance is hilariously awkward, as he clings to Commander Eve, struggling to adjust to zero gravity. His housewarming gift? A batch of ice cream, a hit with the crew—until it becomes central to a much bigger subplot.
Adding to the chaos, Santiago’s bag of fruit unleashes a swarm of houseflies into the station. Eve becomes engrossed in watching the flies mate under a microscope, delaying critical tasks and irritating ground control, especially Chairman Choi Jae-ryong, who’s impatiently awaiting updates. Ryong, ever cheeky, suggests naming the flies “Public” and “Indecency,” much to Eve’s amusement.
Back on Earth, Chairman Choi’s ulterior motives come into focus. Determined to continue his family line after the death of his son Dong-hun, the Chairman has devised a bizarre fertility experiment. His plan involves smuggling preserved sperm and eggs to the station, hoping the zero-gravity environment will “straighten” the sperm and improve the chances of conception.
Ryong, reluctantly recruited as the delivery man, learns the eggs are hidden in a container of vanilla ice cream. The problem? Eve claims the vanilla ice cream for herself, leading to a comedic standoff where she tests the container for drugs, while Ryong desperately tries to recover it.
Just when it seems the plan has failed, we discover the eggs were actually in Kang-su’s container all along. Kang-su secretly updates the Chairman, assuring him the mission is proceeding as planned. Meanwhile, Go-eun and Min-jung confront the Chairman, shocked that Kang-su is now the key player in his scheme.
As the episode unfolds, we learn that the station’s primary mission revolves around breeding and fertility experiments, making it the perfect setting for Choi Jae-ryong’s underhanded plans. Tensions escalate when Ryong confronts Kang-su about his role in the scheme. Kang-su, already hostile toward Ryong due to his relationship with Go-eun, easily overpowers him, promising to win Go-eun back.
Through flashbacks, we discover Ryong struck a deal with the Chairman before the mission, hoping to establish a space-based fertility clinic to help others struggling with conception. While the Chairman agreed, it’s clear he has no intention of honoring this promise, further deepening Ryong’s resolve.
The episode’s climax involves another experiment onboard: a group of mice brought to study their reproductive behavior in space. However, the male mouse becomes aggressive, attacking the females. The team debates whether to euthanize the mouse, with Kang-su advocating for policy adherence and objectivity.
Before they can act, the mouse suffers a heart attack. In a surprising display of teamwork, Ryong and Eve revive it, earning admiration from the crew and ground control alike. Even Chairman Choi is impressed, albeit begrudgingly. Eve, thrilled by Ryong’s quick thinking, calls him a great doctor and hugs him—a touching moment that hints at a growing bond between the two.
As the episode concludes, Ryong basks in his newfound camaraderie with the crew, a stark contrast to his strained relationships back on Earth. Go-eun attempts to call him, but he chooses to ignore her, signaling a shift in his priorities and possibly his feelings.
DramaZen's Opinion
OMG, this drama is everything I didn’t know I needed! LEE MIN HO is back!!!!!!!! 🥰
After watching the first two episodes, I’m already hooked. When the Stars Gossip has this crazy mix of space adventure, family drama, romance, and straight-up chaos that somehow works perfectly.
Let’s start with Gong Ryong—he’s such a mess, but in the most relatable way. His backstory? Heartbreaking. His awkwardness in space? Hilarious. Watching him try to adjust to zero gravity while throwing up and fumbling through every task had me laughing so hard. But then you get these really deep moments, like when we learn about his tough childhood and how he became this super-successful OB-GYN. It makes you root for him even when he’s being a little petty or revenge-driven.
Commander Eve, though—she’s a queen. She’s smart, capable, and lowkey hilarious with her obsession over fruit flies. I loved how she stood her ground and still showed her vulnerable side, like when she let Ryong help with her injured foot. I don’t ship them yet, but their dynamic has so much potential. Ryong being all flustered around her is adorable, and I can’t wait to see where their relationship goes.
And can we talk about the DRAMA? The frozen astronaut corpse, Go-eun’s messy history with both Ryong and Kang-su, and that absolutely bonkers fertility experiment with ice cream—it’s all wild in the best way. I mean, who thinks of sending eggs and sperm into space for “better results”? Only in a K-drama, right?
The production is so good, too. The space scenes feel super realistic, and they did such a great job showing how awkward life in zero gravity can be. Plus, the way they balance the tension in space with the drama on Earth is chef’s kiss.
Overall, When the Stars Gossip is off to a stellar start (pun intended). It’s funny, emotional, and unpredictable, and I can’t wait to see how all the tangled relationships and secrets play out. This show has me glued to my screen, and I’m definitely staying on board for the ride. 🌟🚀
