REVIEW: ‘Motel California’ Episodes 3-4

Viki’s Motel California Episodes 3-4 continue to add further layers to the two messily complicated leads at the heart of its story. An act of self-sabotage pushes Ji Kang-hee (Lee Se-young) and Chun Yeon-soo (Na In-woo) apart, with time proving to be a weak balm to soothe their wounds. Try as she might, Kang-hee still has feelings for Yeon-soo. Upon discovering the news that he’s moved on and left her behind, the troubled woman returns to her hometown under the guise of a work project.

An opening series of scenes shows how incredibly adorable and endearing Yeon-soo is. Taking away the wrong impression from Seoul, he decides to lose weight and shape himself into a man that Kang-hee would find attractive. This weight-loss journey montage features actor Na In-woo at his cutest, which makes it all the more devastating when Episode 3 cuts to the heartbreaking face-to-face encounter we left off with in the previous episode.

The situation does little favors for Kang-hee, who tries to scramble to save face but also refuses to take responsibility for her actions. Geum Seok-kyeong (Kim Tae-hyeong) quickly departs not long after with Kang-hee, and she tries her usual tactic of pushing people away. Unfortunately, Seok-kyeong is not so easily swayed, but he’s willing to back off for now. Kang-hee inevitably finds herself back in the hotel room with Yeon-soo, and for a moment, it seems things are back to normal.

But Kang-hee’s inner demons manifest as the villagers she grew up with rear up. Despite Yeon-soo’s continued kind gestures, nothing can erase the reality of her past. Their being together can never be. She’s not good enough, and she makes a decision that pushes them apart yet again. Kang-hee tells Yeon-soo that what they had was a first love, and it’s over. It’s time to move on. The look of pain on Yeon-soo’s face is palpable, and it is an understandable tragedy of Kang-hee’s own making. There’s nothing left to do except wait for the cards to fall.

Is a relationship really over when feelings still linger? Kang-hee continues to be in denial.

Motel California Episodes 3-4 spend equal time on Kang-hee and Yeon-soo after they separate. After their breakup, an intermediate time jump passes, and both have moved further in their careers. Flashbacks show how Kang-hee is finally convinced to partner with Seok-kyeong, Hwang Jung-woo (Woo Mi-hwa), and Esther Park (Seo Ye-hwa). She is working successfully as an interior designer.

Yeon-soo has had a few bumps, and nearly all of them involve his mother, Soo-ji (Ji Su-won). Motel California Episodes 3-4 do not paint her in a good light, and for good reason. She manipulates Yeon-soo to give away his home to her after she wastes her money on a honeymoon. This is after she tried to sell the hospital that was in Yeon-soo’s name to scrape up some extra cash. This is the same woman who, in Episode 2, forbids Yeon-soo from dating Kang-hee because she thought Kang-hee would only bring her son down.

But we see him with the junior vet, Yoon Nan-woo (Choi Hee-jin), opening up a vet clinic and, for awhile, it seems like everything is okay. But encounters with other Hana Town residents and mention of Kang-hee continue to stir something in him, and it proves inescapable once Kang-hee returns back to town in Motel California Episodes 3-4 to redesign her father’s (Choi Min-soo) titular Motel California.

Kang-hee’s return has her partner up with Seok-kyeong, and she opts to do the immature thing and don a disguise that fools no one in Hana Town. In typical KDrama disguise fashion, she dons sunglasses and a babushka-like kerchief that does little to conceal her signature hair. It’s not long after she’s arrived and made her rounds that the town has spread the news of her arrival. Her father maintains the illusion he doesn’t know her no matter how much her return and denial of his existence breaks his heart.

Father/daughter issues rear up, bringing prime-time acting opportunities that deliver.

Any homecoming arrives with some level of bittersweetness, and Kang-hee delivers it in spades. This manifests in some fine acting performances from Lee Se-young and Choi Min-soo, both of whom add unmistakable depth that belies the complicated nature of their father/daughter relationship. Kang-hee can’t hide her facial expressions, and this shows itself most when she receives visual confirmation of what seems to be a close relationship between Yeon-soo and Nan-woo. It’s no wonder then that she spirals.

The Hana Town scenes in Episode 4 highlight how small this town really is, with the tiniest details painting a picture. Restaurant owners call friends to pick up a drunken Kang-hee. Everyone knows she got dragged back to Motel California afterward, except for the non-local Seok-kyeong. All the town’s police officer on duty has to do is send a group text to the town to confirm her whereabouts. There are no secrets, and with that comes a lack of boundaries. It’s no wonder Kang-hee becomes overwhelmed.

It is in her overwhelmed and drunken state in Motel California Episode 4 that Kang-hee shows how much she doesn’t want to let Yeon-soo go. She laments his broken promises and how he wouldn’t actually wait for her. It’s the only time she allows herself to be honest, but, as Yeon-soo points out, it doesn’t look like she’s waited for him and she is the one who emphasized that it was a first love. It’s now done. But let’s be honest. No one believes that.

And the ending of Motel California Episode 4 proves it. Kang-hee finds herself in tears by the episode’s end because she mourns the possible love she’s lost. It doesn’t matter who she is around, how kind Seok-kyeong is, or how satisfying her work projects are. All she can focus on is Yeon-hoo moving on, and it breaks her heart.

Motel California Episodes 3-4 tackle the complexities of a relationship between two messy human beings well.

Motel California Episodes 3-4 highlight the complexities of navigating one’s emotions. As Kang-hee and Yeon-woo stand now, there are too many issues they both need to address in themselves and their personal lives to be happy in a relationship. With Kang-hee’s push-and-pull way of handling things, it is understandable but not healthy. And for Yeon-woo, it’s clear, based on scenes we’ve seen with him and his mother, that he still needs to grow a bit more of a backbone before he can stand his ground against the more aggressive Kang-hee.

The topic that continues to be danced around is Kang-hee’s relationship with her father. While her father is trying to act like things are normal, her animosity and unresolved issues continue to divide them. He has been respecting her boundaries, even if it pains him. But what exactly has happened to have damaged their relationship this badly? And does it have anything to do with the big awful thing Kang-hee did that also keeps being hinted at in the series?

Motel California Episodes 3-4 push things forward without missing a beat. Even though Kang-hee and Yeo-hoo are trapped in a stasis, it perfectly mirrors the awkwardness and complexity that can be found in many other relationships. The series and its characters continue to be relatable in their messiness, and while the characters may not be as likable as one would expect in a Kdrama, they remain captivating.

Motel California Episodes 1-4 are streaming now, exclusively on Viki, with new episodes airing every Friday and Saturday through January and February.