I finally got around to finishing up Where Stars Land (aka Fox Bride Star) and I’ll give it a “meh.”

There are things to like about the series. It is set in a fresh environment (we’re to assume it’s Incheon International Airport), but that’s as much a plus as a minus because too often dramas with a lot of workplace-related storylines turn into proselytizing pseudo-training pieces, which happens here more than I find entertaining. Do I really care about display signage blocking gift shop entrances (and potentially harming – gasp – small children)? But I appreciated the potential of the location, if not the execution.

Lee Je-hoon is talented and almost carries the drama (with his bionic superstrength, it was needed at times) because the young man can do vulnerable and tender and confused really well. But I was confused about his interest in Chae Soo-bin’s character because it seemed as if her often obtuse, blockheaded earnest peppiness mixed with a dollop of generational cluelessness about what a job entails (work) did not especially endear her to me. I like Chae Soo-bin, but she was not endowed with the most appealing character.

I liked the storylines with a number of the “older” workers/managers at the airport, especially that of the exes who manage different teams and don’t make a huge drama out of their past, but sadly Lee Dong-gun’s long legs and sharp glances can’t save his paint-by-the-numbers role of a step-hyung who isn’t a good guy (until he is).

While I liked the introduction of the supporting young co-worker/security guard/romance couple, particularly Kim Kyung-nam’s attempt to be a good supervisor/role model, the youthfulness of the characters strained credulity. It felt like some highschool or college kids were thrown into the workplace and told to put on costumes and “act.” They did not have the skillset to pull this off.

By now you should be able to see why this was indeed a “meh” drama in my books, but if you love Lee Je-hoon you’ll love it. But oh, by the way, when it comes to the final moments, be prepared to be puzzed. (And that’s all I’m saying…)

#chao-soo-bin, #fox-bride-star, #kim-ji-soo, #kim-kyung-nam, #lee-dong-gun, #lee-je-hoon, #where-stars-land