Season 1 |
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Episode Guide
Episode 1 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 2 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 3 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 4 -| Review Score – 3/5
Episode 5 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 6 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 7 -| Review Score – 4/5
Episode 8 -| Review Score – 3/5
Episode 9 -| Review Score – 3/5
Episode 10 -| Review Score – 3/5
Episode 11 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 12 -| Review Score – 4/5
Korean dramas are all the rage right now. But in a sea of romantic comedies and crime thrillers, Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born offers something off the beaten track. The K-drama revolves around a sprightly young girl named Jeong-nyeon, who loves singing and lives in a small, rural town.
A gukgeuk star named Moon Ok-gyeong happens to spot Jeong-nyeon’s talent and invites her into the world of gukgeuk — an all-women musical theatre art form that combines acting, dancing, and pansori (a traditional form of Korean singing).
Jeong-nyeon ends up joining Maeran, the theatre troupe, where she befriends a trainee named Joo-ran and sparks a rivalry with another trainee named Yeong-seo. The drama then traces all of their journeys as they struggle to become gukgeuk stars.
At first glance, Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born Season 1 comes across as a show with a lot of heart written by an unsteady hand. The writing feels uneven and pulled in several directions. A lot of this is because of the series’s focus on subplots. Jeong-nyeon, Yeong-seo, and Joo-ran are all written so well and with such nuance that their character arcs are compelling enough to fuel the drama.
However, the K-drama insists on involving a string of subplots such as a troublesome mean girl, a stealing accountant, and a misunderstanding that gets Jeong-nyeon temporarily kicked out.
It’s almost like the creators didn’t realise that they were adapting a 100+ episode webtoon into a 12-episode limited series and that, maybe, these subplots aren’t required anymore. Because the core of the drama is truly captivating. Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born isn’t just a story of a small-town girl chasing big, starry dreams. In following Jeong-nyeon’s journey, the series dives into the world of gukgeuk itself.
The drama indulges in the art form and all the preparation that goes into it. We learn about the story the plays are based on and we watch the girls analyse their characters, understanding their personalities and motivations.
And Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born Season 1 does this fascinating thing where a scene from the play is performed multiple times as the girls practise and each time we see a different actor perform the same character with a new tone and different mannerisms. For some, this could be monotonous but for anyone with an interest in the performing arts, these scenes offer a keen look at the nuances in acting.
The plays are not standalone elements either. They are crucial stepping stones in the drama’s narrative and often reflect what the women are going through in their real lives. In fact, they tend to take up a third of the run time of the episode they feature in.
And no expense has been spared here, the production value of the plays is top-notch and makes them a spectacle to watch even if we’re watching it on screen and not on stage. Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born is ultimately a story about the art form just as much as the artist.
Another interesting aspect of the series is the romance. Now, Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born is based on a GL (girls love) webtoon of the same name. Initially, the drama ran into controversy when it was revealed that a key female character who plays Jeong-nyeon’s love interest in the webtoon would not be included in the drama.
The decision reflects a lot about Korean entertainment media’s hesitancy to embrace queer stories and I expected Jeongyeon: The Star is Born to be the standard straight version of a queer piece of media. However, the drama offers a pleasant surprise with its queer undertones.
The romance between the girls may not be explicit, but it is undeniably there. Jeong-nyeon’s dynamic with the other leads, Yeong-seo and Joo-ran, is like any other K-drama love triangle. The girls’ relationships are marked by tenderness, sentimental words, and promises of forever. Heads rest on shoulders, hands cradle faces, fingers tuck locks of hair behind ears, and there’s an abundance of gazing into each other’s eyes — all the classic signs of romantic love.
Despite not having the label, Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born is very much a queer drama. Even the older women of the troupe, Ok-gyeong and her co-star Hye-rang, have a romantic relationship that isn’t even subtle by the end of the series. Even a child is involved!
And the best part? The romance isn’t there for the sake of romance. It’s intertwined with all the other parts of the story — the pressure of ambition, the fear of failure, the bitter jealousy of someone else being naturally talented, and the joy of good storytelling.
In fact, this complexity is what gives Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born Season 1 its charm. Each character has a definitive arc. The cold, arrogant trainee becomes vulnerable and empathetic while the inspiring mentor shows a darker side to themselves. Describing further would only veer into spoiler territory and it is a joy to watch these transformations occur on screen.
It’s just a shame that the writing wobbles and meanders despite the actors doing a stellar job. Kim Tae-ri, in particular, deserves high praise for this one. She catches your eye in every scene, infusing Jeon-nyeon with bouncy, joyful energy or impassioned rage and distress. But her talent truly shines during the scenes in which Jeong-nyeon is acting.
Whether Jeong-nyeon is playing a manipulative general or a peasant sculptor, Tae-ri easily, almost magically, slips into those roles and then switches back to being Jeong-nyeon in the blink of an eye. She’s captivating and if there’s one reason you should watch this K-drama, it’s for her.
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Verdict - 7.5/10
7.5/10
We need a season 2