This recap of the 2023 Netflix K-Drama Celebrity Season 1 Episode 9, “#truth_wins #spill_the_tea”, contains spoilers.
You’ll recall that Episode 8 ended with A-ri receiving a visit from someone who was a stranger to her. The implication was that this person was the mysterious _bbbfamous, who had helped A-ri rise to the top of the influencer world but who had subsequently turned against her, reaching out to Min-hye to ruin A-ri instead.
As it turns out, the woman is Wang Ro-la, a name you might recall from the season premiere. She was the influencer who fell out with Biniimom.
Celebrity Season 1 Episode 9 Recap
When Ro-la says she’s there to help A-ri, the latter asks the obvious question — is she _bbbfamous?
Ro-la claims not to know who that is. But is she telling the truth?
Why did Ro-la fall out with Biniimom?
A-ri goes to Jeong-sun for the lowdown on Ro-la.
She and Biniimom became friends after she made multiple big purchases in Biniimom’s store. Biniimom folded her intot he Gabin Society since she was such a big spender, but she eventually figured out that Ro-la wasn’t really that rich, and that most of her designer goods were rented.
Biniimom exposed Ro-la’s real circumstances and Ro-la exposed their private messages talking behind the backs of the Gabin Society. Both were ruined as influencers. The story is so petty and pointless that A-ri can’t help but point out how bad she is for getting involved in the very same game.
Why does Si-hyeon turn against Tae-jeong?
A good chunk of this episode revolves around two general ideas — A-ri trying to expand her business thanks to that aforementioned partnership with Chinese e-celebrity Zhang Wei, despite the rumours about her beginning to circulate in earnest, and Tae-jeon trying to do damage control on the leak stemming from the incident at the Aragon Club.
The latter is especially problematic for Si-hyeon, who is witnessing first-hand her husband lying to everyone, including her, over such a serious incident.
When Tae-jeon is confronted, he brings the conversation around to Si-hyeon’s past with Jun-kyung, proving that there’s nothing more fragile than a successful man’s ego. He also gets a little aggressive, only pushing Si-hyeon further towards outing him.
A-ri, too, is struggling with the links and her complicity in the event. She calls and then visits Si-hyeon to talk about it, but she’s told to stay out of it. She wasn’t culpable, and the damage that her presence on that night could do to her various business endeavours is astronomical. But will she do the right thing?
It’s obvious that “#truth_wins #spill_the_tea” is heading in that direction since A-ri is constantly being reminded of how she has become the thing she despises. That moment earlier, while learning about Ro-la, was the first. But a later falling out with Jeong-sun, her most loyal friend, rubs salt into what is already an open wound.
Celebrity Season 1 Episode 9 Ending Explained
The episode is building to a pretty key decision — will A-ri choose her career, or the truth?
The technical answer is both. But it’s telling that she chooses her career first.
After being visited by Jang, A-ri nonetheless goes ahead with the live event with Zhang Wei, and despite a deliberately sneaky moment of false tension where it looks like something has been revealed to the masses about A-ri, the event is an enormous success. The live numbers are huge. All the products sell out.
But this is an obvious betrayal of principle, even for A-ri. After her most success yet, the episode ends with her visiting Jang in the police station and telling him the truth about what happened in the Aragon Club.
You can stream the K-Drama Celebrity Season 1 Episode 9, “#truth_wins #spill_the_tea”, exclusively on Netflix.
