Motel California (2025)

Una serie che aspirava a distinguersi ma che ha puntato a un obiettivo di fatto non ben definito.

Titolo singolare e avvio promettente. Se il bullismo per il sovrappeso è cosa già vista, la discriminazione etnica non è così frequente nei drama asiatici (la protagonista viene giudicata per via della madre, dalla quale peraltro ha ereditato l’insolito colore degli occhi, i capelli e le lentiggini). La serie prende il via con i due adolescenti emarginati, apparentemente legati da un’amicizia grazie alla quale si sostengono a vicenda. All’insaputa di lui, lei è però in procinto di voltare pagina e ricominciare una nuova vita a Seul: nell’addio ci scappa la prima volta di entrambi.
Dal secondo episodio si ha il salto temporale in avanti di anni, lei che torna per un funerale, i due che si incontrano: lui, ora un uomo affascinante, senza più occhiali e chili di troppo, ancora palesemente innamorato di lei, sembra aver vissuto in un’eterna e inconcludente attesa. Lei si ritrova catapultata nella realtà dalla quale era fuggita, dal rapporto difficile col padre alla cerchia di persone che conoscono la sua storia e che, dedite ai pregiudizi, la fanno sentire ancora etichettata e giudicata come un tempo. Lei, quindi, è combattuta tra una situazione che non è mai riuscita ad affrontare e il sentimento per Yeon Su. Con lui c’è un continuo rincorrersi a vicenda dettato da un pessimo tempismo (meccanismo che può avere senso una prima volta ma che proposto così a ripetizione stufa). Lei risulta molto capricciosa: lo allontana ma poi lo cerca, pretende rimangano solo amici ma non disdegna effusioni. Lui subisce, da sempre e apparentemente per sempre: praticamente è in balia di lei e dei suoi mood quotidiani. Verso la fine, un aneddoto – evitabile – su un episodio cruciale del loro comune passato torna a galla e diventa l’ennesimo ed ultimo ostacolo di questo tira e molla infinito. Ovviamente si rivelerà superabile, dipanando alcuni dubbi legati al passato e lascerà spazio a una conclusione abbastanza scontata.
A conti fatti, la parte forse più emozionante è quella legata al rapporto padre-figlia, che concentra negli ultimissimi episodi un vero e proprio sviluppo tra questioni passate e prospettive future

Il cast non mi ha entusiasmata. Conoscevo già l’attrice protagonista, molto apprezzata in altri drama, ma devo ammettere che le sue interpretazioni iniziano a sembrarmi un po’ tutte simili.
A livello di musiche, “Here I am” meritevole di finire nella mia playlist.

Tirando le somme, “Motel California” – e a questo punto ci si chiede il perché di questo titolo, già che non ha avuto alcun significato particolare se non la denominazione dell’albergo di famiglia – sembra inizialmente promettere un viaggio verso una destinazione nuova, salvo poi perdersi per strada e non arrivare di fatto da nessuna parte. Non è nemmeno brutto, sicuramente in certi meccanismi è molto ripetitivo, ma il vero problema è che arrivati alla fine lo si archivia come quella serie vista ma già pronta per essere dimenticata e che non si avrà certo voglia di rivedere una seconda volta.

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If frustration had a name, it would be "Motel California"

This was a one-woman show, all other characters are pretty irrelevant. Lee Se Young was stellar as the cinematography was, too bad her character was an understandable frustrating mess not helped by a shitty script.
Pace is draggy and all over the place. Drama sucked my energy dry.

#I've_got_melo_trauma
#Not_watching_ANY_melo_for_6_months
#Gimme_Back_My_HOURS

I was wondering how they were going to wrap up this thing up given how everything remained messy up to the middle of episode 11...

Turns out, THEY DIDN'T DO SH***

They didnt' resolve anything, they just used a magic wand and all the shitty villagers and classmates did a 180 in the last ep and everything is ok and let's laugh under the (grey) sky after years of bullying? ARE. YOU.KIDDING.ME ? ? ? As somebody who has had experience with some of the issues faced by Kang Hee I can tell you this :

1. Racists gonna remain racists, it's not because they do good things on the side that it changes the fact that they're filthy racists.

2. Even if they did a turnaround, I won't forget and I won't forgive, but in this drama, all these prejudices are treated like it's nothing.

3. It takes a lot of courage to apologize to your former victims. Most bullies would rather die than admit their wrongs that leaves (most of) them with two options: 1. Make up excuses to justify their past behaviors, usually by victim blaming 2. Just ignore the victim and act like they don't exist since these bullies are cowards who can't even look their victims in the eye.
And we're not going to have a "party" together UNLESS they PAY the whole bill!

Didn't care about the Esther story line. From the moment they showed the cheating it was either she aborts or she gets with glass-guy : they also swept under the rug that he's filthy rich hence it's very likely Esther and him are being pressured to abort the baby by their respective families. They have the same background so it makes sense they're allowed to be together, but even if glass-guy's family is ok with him getting with Esther the divorcee they definitely are not for her to keep the baby. BUT this show is doing a Love Next Door thingy so screw these issues I guess. She's gonna keep the baby and get her first love and not be outed by her family because they're not living in South Korea, they're living in Lalaland where genealogy and tracing one's ancestors have no importance whatsover.

Yeon Soo's mother got a new beau... but I haven't forgotten what two women said about him loosing most of his money gambling BUT the show sure did. Another Problem Non-Problem.

Ah Reum left her house and that was it. If it was THAT EASY why didn't you do it from the start? Another Non-Problem.

We never got to learn why Seung Eon didn't even get a Middle School degree given he's been raised by Jung Pil (Chung Pil whatever) since he was 7. But Whatever again I guess. He would have made an interesting character given his backstory but since this was a one woman show, he faded unfairly in the background.

Han U also faded in the background... But he also had an interesting story. It's not everyday you meet someone who gives up everything to restart from scratch in my home country, I can't even imagine what it is in South Korea... But I guess dragging Kang Hee's storyline was more important.

Kang Hee and her father's relationship problem has been solved by the power of his incoming death by the cancer of doom. I guess. Still she doesn't call her father "Father" by the end of the show and she says that "He raised her well"... When the show spent a whole lot of time to show she had to raise HERSELF since her father was always busy taking care of the villagers in particular Yeon Soo's mum but WHATEVER I guess.

And Yeon Soo... Well. Basically a doormat from start to finish. He did get some b*** by the end of the show but not that much. I get it, in recent months the faithful male lead with puppy love - Seon Jae in Lovely Runner, Sa Eon in When the Phone Rings, Ji Hyuk in Marry my Husband, Ji Hwan in My Sweet Mobster, Ji Uk in No Gain no Love and so on... - enamored with the ONE AND ONLY girl has made lots of women - me included - swoon. So it seems we're in for a lot of this type of male leads coming onto our screens...

HOWEVER, you do need to make your ML 3 dimensional if a guy is only defined by "I love Kang Hee", well that's not a person let alone a character. Your "character" is just and empty shell.

We never even got to know if Yeon Soo the doormat ends up going to Seoul to live with Kang Hee. BUT I guess he doesn't need to because from what we've seen, Seoul isn't that far from this village and "everything is forgotten and forgiven" by the power of K drama so Kang Hee doesn't mind coming to this shitty village by the end of the show.

Overall a happy ending that only works if you decide to play the amnesia card.

Well I'm sorry I CAN'T.

Suggested Rating based on the different criteria: 5

Personal rating: 3 Too must frustration, no satisfying conclusion... I loathe this drama even more than "Love Next Door" and that's saying something.

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