Motel California

Eps 1&2 thoughts: Idiotic ML and "Strong" FL

The fat boy ML plot is extremely tired and a turn-off, but at least it only takes a few minutes till it's gone. Another way overused plot is the ML having only one love interest in his whole life, whereas the FL has him as her first love too, but has moved on / tried to move on with other people. It's just not realistic to see people loving their childhood friend for the rest of their lives even after a long time off. Sure, it's just a drama, but it's also way too many other dramas lately with the same trope.

Also, the way they made it look almost made me think she had superpowers. I had a hard time figuring out whether her amber eyes were just lighting or part of the plot. I get that she is "different," but they're doing too much.

I don't know how I feel about this pilot ep. I've anticipated this show for Lee Se Young, she never disappoints so I trust her, but I'm not feeling it. Let's hope it picks up because the preview made it look like she's only going to make him suffer more.

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After finished Ep 2, I'm even more convinced that these drama was written by idiots. The ML is an obsessive idiot who can't get no for an answer. It's frustrating to watch such a dumb ML and I don't remember the last time there was such a dumb male character in a drama. He truly is winning in that category.

The FL is toxic as hell, your typical not letting him go but also not getting with him. She's also a dumbass with a very outdated and unrealistic "pride over money" mindset when she lives in a tiny goshiwon where water and heating don't work properly, but she obviously needed to keep her pride instead of taking the payment of her work. Just stupid in general.

Such a frustrating drama. I really hope they wouldn't get together and just stay as friends. Meet new people and move on with their lives, though that's not really realistic in kdramaland.

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Homecoming and Heartache

*Updated Review*

The central trope of "Motel California"—a childhood love enduring unchanged after 10 years—feels familiar and repetitive. In reality, people grow and move on, making the drama’s romantic idealism somewhat implausible for viewers seeking realism. Additionally, the plot of returning to a hometown filled with old prejudices and unresolved emotions has been explored extensively, risking predictability. However, as a work of fiction, its appeal lies in emotional escapism and nostalgia. Whether it captivates will depend on unique storytelling, character depth, and fresh narrative twists to elevate the familiar premise.

Plot Overview

The pilot episode of "Motel California" introduces us to Ji Gang Hui, a woman whose past is deeply intertwined with the titular motel. Growing up in a rural village where her father ran the establishment, Gang Hui’s childhood was marked by the persistent gossip and whispers of townsfolk regarding her mixed-race heritage and unconventional family background. Despite the isolation and hurt she endured, she found solace in her friendship with Cheon Yeon Su, her first love.

The narrative begins with Gang Hui’s return to her hometown after a decade of absence. Now a struggling interior designer returns to her hometown due to an unforeseen circumstance, setting the stage for emotional revelations and secrets tied to her past. Upon her arrival, the nostalgia of her youth clashes with the painful memories she buried. The scene of her first encounter with Yeon Su, now a veterinarian admired by the local community, is charged with unresolved feelings and unspoken words. Yeon Su’s quiet life is complicated by the reappearance of Gang Hui, reigniting a connection that never truly faded.

Cast & Acting

The cast delivers an impressive range of emotions, with Lee Se Young portraying Ji Gang Hui’s blend of sophistication and vulnerability. Her expressions vividly capture the inner conflict between her professional success and the personal wounds she still carries. Na In Woo embodies Cheon Yeon Su’s stoic yet warm-hearted demeanor, offering a grounded performance that makes his character’s quiet longing and reserved nature believable. Their chemistry is palpable, creating an emotional tension that keeps viewers invested in their reunion and the rekindling of their bond.

Supporting characters, including the townspeople and motel staff, enhance the show’s setting by providing layers of intrigue and small-town dynamics.

Cinematography and Color Grading

The cinematography masterfully captures the duality of memory and reality, using soft, warm tones for flashbacks that reflect the innocence of Gang Hui’s childhood, contrasted with the muted, desaturated palette of the present day to convey the heaviness of her return.

Themes and First Impressions

The pilot episode sets the tone for a drama rich with themes of nostalgia, unfulfilled love, identity, and the haunting grip of the past. The narrative structure, alternating between past and present, builds a compelling backstory while gradually unraveling the reasons for Gang Hui’s return. With subtle hints at darker secrets within the motel and its lingering impact on the characters’ lives, Motel California promises an engaging blend of romance, mystery, and emotional depth.

While "Motel California" hints at a supernatural element, it may simply reflect Gang Hui’s mixed-race background and the prejudice she faced. This ambiguity adds intrigue, setting it apart from typical romance dramas. Whether it leans into fantasy or stays grounded in emotional scars, the unfolding narrative holds promise for a fresh take on familiar themes.

After watching 11 episodes, I felt the storyline went on dragging back and forth and as a fan of Melo drama, I felt this was way off.

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A thrilling drama about love, healing and so much more

This is a terribly underestimated show. I was lucky enough to trust the positive comments and finally decided to give it a try (partly because I want to watch Na In Woo in another drama after Marry my husband).

The story: quite coherent and touched upon many sensitive topics such as discrimination, bullying and pressure on young people to get married and be successful. The fact that FL is an imperfect person makes her relatable. She has been through a lot and grew up becoming a self-reliant yet vulnerable woman. Some people got annoyed at her but what do you expect from an emotionally wounded person? Should we expect all children with past traumas to grow up normally? She is flawed, but what kept me watching till the end is her willingness to change, after stumbling many times. The ML is a great source of healing for her, yet he is bearing his own emotional scars which need healing too. He is not passive all the time as some accused. He changed for the better as well. He kept boundaries and was brave to take actions to correct his past mistakes in order to reconcile with the FL. The father daughter relationship and other side relationships were properly portrayed as well. I love the relationship between ML and FL’s dad. I also appreciate Kanghee’s boss and rich friends who know her value and encourage her to rebuild her life.

Music and visual effect: top notch!!!

Chemistry: nothing to complain! I noticed that even negative reviews on this drama mentioned the superb performances of the cast.

Too bad that negative comments during the first few eps kept the rating low. I am afraid the way people judge Kanghee as unlikeable is similar to the way people judge people in real life. We tend to label people using our own standard and judge that a person like Kangehee does not deserve a person like Yeon soo. That’s exactly what Kanghee felt. She pushed him away many times partly because of unresolved conflict with his family, but for the most part, I think she thought she did not deserve Yeon soo- an ideal guy in the village. She could not love herself in the first place. Her low self-esteem stems from the villagers’ prejudice, bullying and discrimination since childhood. This drama is about the transformation and healing of Kanghee as well as his father, her lover Yeonsoo and other characters as well.

Regarding the push and pull between main leads, those were developed nicely and did not bring any sense of repetition to me at all. Those are necessary to build up the momentum for the characters to evolve and finally resolve their inner problems and misunderstandings. How can you expect deeply rooted problems to be solved quickly? I enjoyed the drama so much I rewatched with my husband and he liked it too. A great watch I’ll never regret!!!

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Great visuals, terrible writing

I was absolutely sat after watching the first two episodes. While “country girl who moved to the city to escape her past but now goes back to her hometown” is a plot that has definitely been done before, something about this one just felt especially raw. The main female lead was carrying a lot of emotional baggage that added this really good heaviness to the drama, and the main male lead carrying a torch for her for so many years promised some really good tension.

As the drama went on though it just got SOOO repetitive. The FL pushing the ML away was understandable at first, but it should not have been 8 episodes of a 12 episode show. Each week, the ML or FL would say something mean to the other, they would separate,\ in anger, and the instigator would feel bad and run back to the other (in slow motion). The episode would end. You’d think that they’d talk it out the next episode but nope, and the cycle would just repeat. This happens so many times where the main leads meet and end up NOT talking it out — even in the penultimate episode — that the entire journey just feels utterly tiresome and pointless.

When the leads finally got together, it did not even feel cathartic, and it felt like they’d barely had one full conversation that was not filled with animosity. As much as I liked the flashback scenes of their younger selves (so cute!) it wasn’t enough of a strong foundation once their present selves had changed so much and weren’t communicating.

The second leads are unnecessary, but I actually did enjoy the smaller side ships — I think this drama could’ve focused less on a love triangle/square that made no sense and instead had more scenes of their friend group and showing more of the town.

The tropes in this show aren’t all that uncommon in dreamland, but for some reason they felt especially frustrating here.

You have the disapproving parent, who had a motive that was so unreasonable it became annoying that the characters didn’t stand up for themselves for so long. And then you have the car accident (two, if you count the one in the past), which is used to dissipate the disapproving parent and make them suddenly empathize (but only for a moment). And then a character having cancer (also two, if you want to count one in the past) and wanting to keep it a secret…leading to our ML still lying to the FL, in the second to last episode.

With all these conflicts, the plot just feels so incoherent. It was particularly frustrating too because we had such an interesting set up in the setting. We had a motel, complete with social stigma and pretty visuals, and then we had an architect lead. Remodeling the motel and dealing with the discrimination from the other townspeople would’ve been an adequate plot so I don’t know why we had to add all that other stuff. It just feels like lazy and unnuanced writing, which is a shame because the leads are really good at showing emotion, and the emotional scenes would have hit me if the writing actually built up to them.

The last episode wrapped things up nicely, but the road to get there felt very bumpy. I also just figured that most people had checked out by then anyway. I certainly did, emotionally.

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What a waste.

It gives me absolutely no pleasure to tell you this drama was a hot mess. So much so, I don't even know where to start so I can properly explain myself as I am still reeling from what can only be one of the most underwhelming endings I have seen in a while.

At the beginning, I was all in. Motel California starts with a funeral, a bang and a slap; and I was ready to fight for Kang-hee after seeing the way the town's people treated her. I liked her spirit and refusal to backdown and bow down. Everyone expected her to be meek at their hurtful comments and prejudices but she didn't let any of them get away with it. No matter if it was her boss, a rich kid, or even an elder. I also liked all the secondary characters and the story seemed to be very interesting.

The cinematography through the entire run of the drama it's beautiful to watch. From the daylight landscaping to the snowy nights, the neon lights and the warm bedrooms keeping secrets. Each scene a reflection of our characters' most private emotions, and there's a lot of that. It's not so much a story about introverts but mostly about repressed emotions and the ongoing effects of trauma when people don't communicate properly. The performances from everyone in the cast were perfect, each did their absolute best.

And because of all the things I mentioned before, I was seated the first few weeks of Motel California... but then the drama didn't seem to know what kind of story wanted to tell. Every episode was a repetition of the one before. I got whiplash even on the last two episodes when Kang-hee breaks Yeon-soo's heart, walking away from him, only to ask him why he didn't call the next time she sees him. The entire drama was like that when it came to the leads.

Putting aside my deep empathy for Kang-hee and everything she went through on that town, every week, she became more unlikeable thanks to her constant overemotional tantrums and complete disregard of other people's feelings. She would spat whatever she wanted, without thinking how it would affect others, leave town and then come back, say sorry and move on as nothing. No, that's not how you develop a character with deep emotional scars regarding her childhood, abandonment and a complicate family history.

Yeon-soo, her love interest, was basically her doormat for most of the drama. When he finally pushed back, I was happy because I thought there would be some kind of change but sadly very little happened. He stood up to his mother, good. I wish he would have done it for himself instead of Kang-hee. The woman was an absolute nightmare and every time she showed up I wanted to scratch my eyes.

Chun-pil, her father, would never actively defend his daughter from the towns' worst gossip or even explain himself in regards of the drift between them. His own trauma, that was mostly the root of Kang-hee's trauma, was left underdeveloped and the drama's scriptwriter decided to go with such an old-fashioned resolution that it made me want to scream.

As for their friends group, they were all really interesting characters with stories ready to be full fleshed but the drama centred so much around the Kang-hee and Yeon-soo melodrama, those secondary characters never really got their moment to shine. Not truly. Instead we got glimpses of what could have been wonderful stories about overcoming the trauma of child abandonment, domestic abuse, parents' expectations and cheating husbands.

Motel California had all the right elements to be really good and, for a brief moment, it was. Until it wasn't anymore and that was more than half of the drama. A complete waste of talent, in front and behind the camera, on a script that never figured itself out.

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A hurt child to a hurting adult

A coming of age story. Reflecting on child relationships that move on through adulthood. We're able to see that your environment can have a deep impact. No matter where you go pain goes with you. Can you grow and heal through childhood trauma. Can a person grow and change in an environment that refuses to show any change. Life can be a roller coaster of emotions. I really like that this story shows the raw emotion and hurt of the different characters. If you're looking for a fast paced unfold of a story then this is not your drama, a good story takes time to unfold.

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Not a typical KDrama

Motel California is about slice of life. I loved the cinematography, the OSTs, Lee Seyoung's performance. I loved the lessons learned that you will also reflect your on life. It's not all about heart flustering, it's a reality. Your childhood plays a big part of how to become, childhood trauma from your community, people around you plays a big role when you gets old. It will make you tough, vulnerable to get through in life. Kang Hee may not be perfect, she is strong but also very weak. Too many lessons at the end of the drama. I will give it a 10/10. Congratulations!

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"Motel California" ending is perfect and endearing

The journey of Yeon Soo and Kang Hee has ended. As they traversed through immense pain and heartbreak the pinnacle they met was warm and full of love.
Past gets resolved


The story starts with a complicated point where Kang Hee’s mother finds solace in the friendship of Yeon Soo’s father. Even Yeon Soo felt guilty for wanting a human as his mother. He kept on punishing himself for not being there for his mother. He visited Seol in those ten years but never reached Kang Hee. Instead, he returned to the village. Kang Hee who kept on running away from the situation and life finally decided to face it, head high. She never cheated, nor betrayed. Yet, she is the one who kept on getting bashed. Yeon Soo’s mother poured her frustration over the little girl. She never let her live fully. She did the same with her son. Her incompleteness got spread among those children.


Story of Little Heart

It feels so nice when the second lead does not get love-coded. Korean drama is finally shifting its notion. We see the second lead Seok Kyung emerging as a new horizon for Kang Hee. He gave that perfect dose of support and maintained a soft distance. His camaraderie with his childhood friend Esther evolved equivocally as the story progressed. They defined love in a whole new layer even though they were always standing beside each other.

Happy happy happy

It's a rare moment when all of them residing in the same frame get a happy ending. As Kang Hee and Yeon Soo encapsulated their forever, Esther decided to have a fresh story. Though Seok Kyung’s confession is yet to come, his confession to Kang Hee gives an inkling of what future they are eyeing. Nan Woo finds her heart wavering for Seok Gyeung. Their common love for cows made them a pair.

A journey set in the backdrop of a countryside town weaves tales of people coming from multiple backgrounds. Love is not easy for any of them, because love does not depend on criteria. Love happens when it's meant to be. And if your heart matches the tune, you emerge a winner.

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Romantic & Interesting Story

This Drama is very simple yet interesting. First of all a good story that provides viewers a urge to sit in front of the screen for long and time and instead of getting tired gets excited.. Second excellent casts to hold you in your chair even when everything going monotonously or bland. Just it require a pinch of salt & spices to get hopped up for what coming next in the story.

This story and the casts blends too well to get the maximum out of them. Proper FL & ML provides the excitement throughout the show and show a chemistry that excites the watcher to imagine what's coming next.. Proper background for other side characters that syncs with the show and main line of the story, Not going too deep on second leads and others casts backstory keeps the story on track as its a short series consists of only twelve episodes keeps the audience focused.
For a person loves a emotion roller-coaster it delivers a just of it while showcasing the feelings that FL & ML hides in their hearts.
Conclusion if romance falls in your genre you will love this show and enjoy it. Like Aged wine.. some gets lost in the fragrance and savor every drop of it and others just don't care.. because it matters! You cherish what you love rest you just store it somewhere.

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