So many holes; this story doesn't fly

A timid and insecure young employee of Incheon Airport who was transferred from dept to dept because of her mishaps, finally lands in Passenger Services where she meets a coworker with a mysterious prosthetic arm, and with whom she shares a previously unknown past connection.

I discovered this show from following Rowoon (Destined With You) and Lee Je Hoon (Taxi Driver). This is an earlier work from 2018 and is the 2nd show I've seen with LJH. The real star of the show appears to be the Skytrax 5-star rated Incheon Airport and its complex inner workings. The story is otherwise a standard office drama with many staff members having dark, connected past histories that slowly come to light. While I enjoyed LJH in Taxi Driver, he doesn't have much range in Where Stars Land, and thus his character seems less interesting. "My human rights are not at your service" Ep6. The FL character grows from a hapless and apologetic screw up, into someone who finds her voice and the confidence to stand up for herself against abusive customers. However, the long, helpless deer-in-the-headlights shots as she struggles with decision making get tiresome.

The writing is not very strong and the story is pieced together roughly. A lot of flashbacks are short on detail. Past relationships between different characters are hinted at but take a long time getting explained, if they get explained at all, so you see that there's a lot of trauma going around but you're left with so many questions. The most exciting parts of the show are the Security Team taking down customs violators. It's rather easy to lose interest, but the story picks up a lot by Ep19 as the ML's secret starts getting (literally) out of hand. Darker elements such as organized crime ensnaring executive management within the airport authority also come bubbling to the surface.

As the lead couple's relationship develops, questions arise as to how to address a permanent disability from a devastating motor vehicle collision. "The gift you were given is not yours." Is having a super strength worth it if you can hurt a stranger, or if it means you can't live very long? On the other hand, is being in a wheelchair so hopeless that after 11 years you still can't accept yourself? I don't know what accessibility is actually like in modern cities in South Korea, but this show sends a poor message to the disabled.

So many questions, so few answers in all the characters arcs. And one of the most bizarre final scenes I've seen in any show: LJH is shown only from behind with his face hidden from camera. Why? The show is so aired with mystery that it's too full of holes and makes an unsatisfactory watch.

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