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Kim Young-dae and Lee Sung-kyung’s Shooting Stars, aka Sh**ting Stars, are in troubled waters as the show received extreme criticism for the first two episodes. The anticipated drama premiered on April 22 but has attracted major flak for showcasing two sensitive scenes.
One scene was termed racist and had a ’white savior complex,' while the other was a s*xual assault played for laughs.
Many viewers took to Twitter to express their disappointment at the drama’s narrative. Some even stated that they had lost interest in the series after the first two episodes.
Kim Young-dae’s Shooting Stars under hot waters as fans criticize the show
Shooting Stars was released under much anticipation of seeing The Penthouse’s Kim Young-dae return to screen. The actor’s introduction as Gong Tae-sung, a stubborn celebrity, and Lee Sung-kyung as Oh Han-byeol, an equally stubborn PR head of the company the actor is under, elicited a positive response from the trailers.
While fans waited to see the never-seen-before pair on Shooting Stars, with high expectations, the show soon became the target of criticism. One of the scenes receiving flak is stereotyping Africa as a backward continent still not having accessible water or electricity.
During the characters’ introduction in the first episode, Han-byeol tells a spokesperson on the phone that Tae-sung might be “working hard digging a well” as he’s volunteering in Africa.
Twitter user @EmmanuelleMare2 even observed that, in episode two, Tae-sung stereotyped the continent by saying that he took basic necessities for granted.
The team even used Lion King’s music as background music to show scenes from Africa, perpetuating the racist African stereotype further. Moreover, viewers believed that Africa was perceived as a monolith.
The second criticism fans raised was a scene where a s*xual assault is played off for laughs. In the scene, Han-byeol is in a restroom and looks scared as Tae-sung tries to open his jeans to prove to her that he’s not “sterile.” The misunderstanding occurs when a typing error in a report says that he’s a e**uch.
Viewers believed that the scene was not necessary for the plot. Some even stated that a man removing his pants in front of a woman without her consent and forcefully was a potential s*xual assault scene. However, in the drama, nothing happens as other people drag him away before he does the deed.
Many viewers have expressed their disappointment and have stated that they will not be tuning in to the show.
Meanwhile, a viewer noticed that Shooting Stars changed the Lion King's background music. However, there has yet to be an official statement regarding the criticisms from the Shooting Stars team.
