It's been a long time since I binge-watched a Korean drama. The last Korean drama I finished in one sitting was "Duty After School" Season 1 (so it's not really been a long time yet lol). I actually had no intention of watching Netflix's freshly dropped series "Celebrity", but the plot piqued my interest, so I gave it a go. And boy, it was a mistake: I had to stay overnight to finish it. The good thing was the meeting I had the following day was canceled. LMAO.
Anyway, "Celebrity" is about Seo A-Ri (Park Gyu Young), an 'e-celebrity' who is supposedly dead but returns from death to do a live stream and expose the true and ugly side of the glitzy and glamorous world of influencers. This is what I read somewhere (I could not find it anymore), which hooked me to watch this new series. It is soooo addicting to watch especially when I couldn't really tell what will happen next. Everything is so fresh and new and surprising that I questioned my 'ability' to know how Korean dramas usually end. After watching all 12 episodes, I kept grinning because of how well-written it is.
Warning: Spoilers ahead!
FIRST SURPRISE: THE DEATH OF THE ARAGON STAFF
The moment A-Ri admitted she was liable for the death of a man, then it was immediately cut to Han Jun-Kyung (Kang Min Hyuk), I really thought he was the "man" A-Ri was referring to. (I seriously got scared at that moment lol.) I was ready to fight A-Ri for killing him, feeling disappointed that Min Hyuk might not appear until the last episode.
But when the male Aragon Club staff got comatose due to a drug overdose, I realized it was not Jun Kyung A-Ri was talking about and A-Ri was not really liable for what happened to him. It just so happened that she was on the scene.
(Though I almost lost it again when Jun-Kyung was involved in a vehicular accident lol. I was not expecting it.)
SECOND SURPRISE: YOON SHI HYEON IS ACTUALLY KIND
I might have trauma with characters who appear to be kind at first but would later betray the main lead I could not believe it when I realized Yoon Shi Hyeon (Lee Chung-Ah) was actually really sincere in helping A-Ri. I was waiting until the last episode when she would betray her, but it did not happen and I was in disbelief! Shi Hyeon is kind. Period. I feel like I need to apologize to her for jumping to conclusions about her character.
THIRD SURPRISE: BETRAYAL OF A-RI'S BEST FRIEND
This was what I did not anticipate! Yoong Jeong-Sun's (Park Ye-Ni) betrayal---creating a hate account of A-Ri---was something I did not see. I knew she would feel insecure about how big her best friend had become as an influencer, but it was unexpected. A-Ri must say so!
Still, how Jeong Sun helped A-Ri following the latter's "death" was a good character redemption.
FOURTH SURPRISE: THE LIVESTREAM WAS DEEP FAKE
So we came down to the fourth unexpected turn of events: it was not A-Ri who was doing the live stream---it was Jeong Sun! Yes, her! It was later revealed that they did it with the help of A-ri's brother who seemed to be knowledgeable about computers. Anyway, they had Jeong Sun dressed as A-Ri and probably used a filter or software from the deep web to make it as if A-Ri herself was doing the live stream.
I think they did that just in case they will be traced and it was a genius move.
FIFTH SUPRISE: THE REAL FACE OF bbbfamous
The account that started all the chaos: bbbfamous. This one was also a real surprise. I kept on thinking and believing that the person behind that account was biniimom, trying to return to the social media influencer world by using Seo A-Ri. But no. When Wang Ro-La, biniimom's rival, suddenly appeared before A-Ri, I then thought it was probably bbbfamous. Again, no.
So who's bbbfamous? A massage therapist in the spa that the Gabin Society frequented and who was insecure about these e-celebrities. It's sooooo surprising, but understandable considering she worked closely with these influencers and could get easy access to their lives. Talk about keeping your enemies---or rather the people you hate close.
BONUS
So, I do not need Season 2. I am okay with how this series ended. I think that's enough surprise for me. LOL.
But one last surprise "Celebrity" offers is 2PM Lee Jun-Ho's cameo at the end! I mean, Gu-Won-ssi, are you planning to get A-Ri as King The Land's endorser?