Coming out of the same studio that gave us RuPaul's Drag Race, and stacked with a whole crew of former contestants, Stop! That! Train! plays like RuPaul basically taking a bow for the entire franchise she's built. It's not really a gay film in the traditional sense, but with so many drag stars from Ru's shows popping up alongside a few cameos from well known out gay actors, I figured it earns a spot on this blog anyway. The whole thing is completely over the top, packed with GenZ slang, loud flashy visuals, and humor that's constantly winking at you knowing how ridiculous it is. Going in you'd assume it's meant to be a laugh riot, and a lot of critics online seem to be eating it up, but I just couldn't get into it at all. I've never really been someone who vibes with campy silly stuff like this, so honestly my reaction doesn't surprise me one bit. The setup follows Tess and DeeDee, two low level stewardesses who sneak onto the fancy Glamazonian E...
Lee Jun totally doesn't believe in love. However, he does go on a blind date every day, just so that he doesn't have to eat alone and then firmly blocks them. He believes love is an unnecessary, uncomfortable, and unpleasant emotion. He advocates for single life, going against traditional norms. In his company, he proposes an idea of a show highlighting single life, but is vehemently opposed by a new hie Ha Ram. A hopeless romantic, he is not afraid to say thatches is a bad idea. As expected Lee Jun hates the guts of this guy and tries to avoid him, only making Ha Ram more resilient to change Lee's perspective on love. He is a string crush on Lee Jun and even confesses it but get declined. Ha Ram starts flirting with Lee Jun at every opportunity and eventually they decide why don't they date for a month and then figure out whether it works or not. They have great time together, and we are later told that Lee Jun's previous boyfriend broke up with him over a text message and once then he has been wary. Finding themselves in a bit of a push-and-pull relationship, Lee Joon and Ha Ram begin to understand each other better, as they slowly learn about each other’s past and present struggles. As expected, the ex boyfriend shows up in the scene. He is a famous model who is being considered as a model for the new show. He tries to charm up Le Jun again, but thanks to full support from Ha Ram, they realize he is just playing. The two lovers are strangler than ever and decide it's time to move from temporary date to permanent boyfriends.
The big problem with this show is that it is so predictable. You know exactly what would happen. Still the cute flirting and Ha Ram's infectious energy salvages the show However I also think that his actions account for borderline harassment. The series pretends these exchanges are comical and lighthearted, yet I feel deeply disturbed by his creepy misconduct, but hey when have BL shows ever shown boundaries. Also Lee Jun's switch is so random and sudden. Firstly, I do not agree of the reasons for his being so opposed to love and then suddenly after many flirtations from Ha Ram, he then just gives in. It is never really obvious why these two people would fall for one another. But, I believe the trick here s not take this show seriously. Thankfully I realized that very soon and the cringy and corny dialogues and situations were actually not all that bad then. As expected, when the show could have ended in 6 episodes, the introduction of the ex happens to add to the conflicts. Unfortunately, his character brings a tedious love triangle conflict that bogs down the final stretch of the narrative. I mean there is not even one big showdown to show the guy his place. It is all very quiet and meek. Overall, this just ends up being a very ordinary show with nothing new or special to say. You will not remember one bit of it after you are done watching it. There are a lot better Korean shows out there. (4/10)
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