Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Cosmic Spider-Man card details

    [EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW] The Spider-Man Set Gets A 5-Color Legendary Spider

    09/02/2025
    Lee Corso from College Football GameDay in EA Sports games

    EA Sports Always Understood Lee Corso’s Legacy

    09/01/2025
    Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 2 But Why Tho 10

    Spider-Man Is Coming To Magic And It’s Just Like The Comics

    08/29/2025
    Star Wars Visions Volume 3 Black

    ‘Black’ Sets The Tone For A Bold New Mixtape In ‘Star Wars Visions: Volume 3’

    08/28/2025
    Olivia Colman in The Roses

    ‘The Roses’ Is A Reimagining, Not A Remake, And That’s Why It Works So Well

    08/27/2025
  • Indie Games
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Apple TV+
But Why Tho?
Home » TV » REVIEW: ‘Celebrity’ Loses Steam but Compels with Its Mystery

REVIEW: ‘Celebrity’ Loses Steam but Compels with Its Mystery

Sarah MusnickyBy Sarah Musnicky07/05/20235 Mins Read
Celebrity But Why Tho
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

Celebrity - But Why Tho

In recent years, we’ve seen the rise and resounding impact influencers have on our society. Cultivating a glossy image that triggers FOMO, influencers can move mountains of product. But it’s not all glitz and glamour. There’s fierce competition, backstabbing, and deals made left and right to get to the top. In the latest Kdrama, Celebrity, we’re taken into the world of influencers with the lure of solving a mystery. Much like a livestream gone on too long, the lure isn’t enough to try to maintain viewer interest. But committed performances and a well-developed lead keep things afloat when things run cold.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Celebrity follows top celebrity and influencer Seo A-ri (Park Gyu-young). Monologuing via livestream, she dangles the lure of spilling much-needed tea about the influencer community. More specifically to unveil the deep dark secrets surrounding the members of the Gabin Society: Oh Min-hye (Jun Hyo-seong), Jin Chae-hee (Han Ga-in), Angela (Han Eu-ddeum), and Gina (Kim Si-hyun). From adultery to fraud to illegal drug use, A-ri spares no one in her livestream. The thing freaking everyone out the most? She’s been dead for three months.

Therein lies the bait dangling to keep viewers interested. How can a dead woman now give a livestream? That is the mystery that propels curious viewers keyed in. With each episode of Celebrity leaving us with a cliffhanger, the scenario feels natural in keeping the mystery going.

Unfortunately, much like many livestreams conducted by influencers, the writers drag out the mystery surrounding Seo A-ri long enough to lose momentum. By the time we get to the interesting parts of Seo A-ri’s influencer journey as it begins to implode, the story has run out of steam.

Part of the issue is that so much time is spent focusing on Seo A-ri explaining influencer culture and impact. Most viewers watching the series likely are on social media and are aware of the cultural impact of influencers already. The monologuing from A-ri gives social media 101 at times. It also reads as the writers not trusting their viewers to know any better. Instead, these moments are used to fill up space. This inadvertently slows down the pacing and makes episodes feel bloated despite their 45-minute runtime.

The character of A-ri is multi-faceted, so she is a compelling enough draw. Fused with Park Gyu-young’s performance, which oscillates between surprise, awe, disgust, and rage, it’s no wonder that she is the focus of the story rather than the members of the Gabin Society. The character’s frankness when it comes to discussing things is refreshing.

For a culture that emphasizes artifice, A-ri’s combination of curiosity and reluctance towards this e-celebrity lifestyle is also understandable. Anyone familiar with influencers or involved in the culture will understand the double-edged sword A-ri walks. In order to get ahead, she has to embrace what she finds distasteful. This internal struggle makes her relatable but also makes for a good watch.

What drags down Celebrity further are the influencers that it sets out to criticize. Part of this is due to a lack of overall development, so the characters feel one-sided. Their hyperfixation on Seo A-ri becomes ridiculously comical after a certain time, but also annoying. It takes away necessary time from the overarching story. It also makes it seem like the writers were trying to find ways to drag out things to hit that twelve-episode order. If these parts were shaved down along with the expositional bits from A-ri’s live stream, the pacing issue might be less apparent.

Honestly, Celebrity could have easily told its story if it condensed down the episode count to maybe 8 or 10 episodes. Other series that have embraced the soap opera-style dramatics have succeeded well in maintaining the flow necessary to keep viewers wanting more. Clocking in at twelve episodes, you feel the dip in energy halfway through easily.

By the time you get to the final episodes of Celebrity, it feels like an absolute whirlwind. Things escalate quickly but, because of how the pacing staggers in the middle, we’re left running to try to catch up. While some storylines conclude nicely, others due to lack of development, feel shoehorned in and slightly out of place. With its conclusion, the door is left open for Seo A-ri’s continued impact but it’ll be up to the viewer to decide if it is truly satisfactory or not.

For a tale highlighting influencer culture, Celebrity goes above and beyond to bring this dramatic world to viewers. People familiar enough with the behind-the-scenes reality will find elements believable. However, the over-explanation of the lifestyle on top of stretching out the story past its potential undercuts the full effect of its soap-opera dramatics. Thankfully, a compelling protagonist and the committed performances from the cast helped get us over the finish line. Just be careful of whiplash as you barrel toward the end.

You can catch Celebrity now on Netflix.

Celebrity Review
  • 7/10
    Rating - 7/10
7/10

TL;DR

For a tale highlighting influencer culture, Celebrity goes above and beyond to bring this dramatic world to viewers. People familiar enough with the behind-the-scenes reality will find elements believable. However, the over-explanation of the lifestyle on top of stretching out the story past its potential undercuts the full effect of its soap-opera dramatics. Thankfully, a compelling protagonist and the committed performances from the cast helped get us over the finish line. Just be careful of whiplash as you barrel toward the end.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleREVIEW: ‘Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon’ Episode 1 — “The Vending Machine Travels”
Next Article REVIEW: ‘Secret Invasion’ Episode 3 — “Betrayal”
Sarah Musnicky

Sarah is a writer and editor for BWT. When she's not busy writing about KDramas, she's likely talking to her cat. She's also a Rotten Tomatoes Certified critic and a published author of both fiction and non-fiction.

Related Posts

Travis, Ned (Domnhall Gleeson), and Adelola in Season 1 of The Paper
6.0

REVIEW: ‘The Paper’ Season 1 Lacks Conviction

09/03/2025
Mitsuki Yamato Invasion Season 3 Episode 2 still from Apple TV+

RECAP: ‘Invasion’ Season 3 Episode 2 — “The Message”

09/02/2025
John Cena in Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 2

RECAP: ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2 Episode 2 – “A Man Is Only As Good As His Bird”

08/29/2025
Foundation Season 3 Episode 8 promotional still from APple TV+
9.0

RECAP: ‘The Foundation’ Season 3 Episode 8 — “Skin In The Game”

08/29/2025
Ateez featured in KPOPPED
6.5

REVIEW: ‘KPOPPED’ Has Potential But Loses Its Spark

08/28/2025
Sydney Chandler in Alien Earth Episode 4
8.0

REVIEW: ‘Alien: Earth’ Episode 4 — “Observation”

08/26/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Cosmic Spider-Man card details Features

[EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW] The Spider-Man Set Gets A 5-Color Legendary Spider

By Kate Sánchez09/02/2025Updated:09/02/2025

An exclusive look at a new 5-Color Spider entering Magic: The Gathering’s Spider-Man set, and Cosmic Spider-Man is going to be a tough one to take on.

Hololive EN at Radio City Music Hall Events

Hololive EN At Radio City Music Hall Was A Pure Expression Of Fandom

By Adrian Ruiz08/31/2025Updated:09/03/2025

Hololive EN turned Radio City in New York City into the pure expression of fandom: chants, penlights, and community in perfect sync.

Karl Anthony Towns in NBA 2k26 But Why Tho
8.5
PS5

REVIEW: ‘NBA 2K26’ Brings Basketball To Life

By Kyle Foley09/03/2025

NBA 2K26 combines improved visuals with some important tweaks to keep the series feeling fresh in the latest yearly release.

Cronos: The New Dawn Nest
8.0
PC

REVIEW: ‘Cronos: The New Dawn’ Does Post-Apocalyptic Psychological Horror Right

By Mick Abrahamson09/03/2025Updated:09/03/2025

While not particularly sacry, Cronos: The New Dawn is a lot of fun as a survival horror that puts you in the futuristic armor of the Traveler.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here