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[HanCinema's Drama Review] "My Secret Hotel" Episode 7

There are almost no murder mystery elements at all in "My Secret Hotel" this episode as the romantic tribulations take on full focus. Now, so far the romantic aspects of this drama have not impressed me very much. Mostly it's because they seemed a little overwrought, not to mention mildly creepy in the context of the situation. But this time, "My Secret Hotel" takes all of these various loveliness to their obviously insane conclusions, and I'm still kind of aghast that the drama had the guts to take the story in such a ridiculous direction.

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This is full on satire about modern wedding culture and its relationship to romance. It's extremely obvious now that from every possible angle the wedding between Hae-yong and Soo-ah was staged mostly for social reasons, and that neither one of them seriously considered themselves to have an actual relationship with one another. True feelings are explored as characters ride off happily into the sunset together.

Except these aren't the main characters. The main characters are the ones who have to create a very compelling illusion of true love and romance because, well, that's where all the social pressure is right now. In this way, a problem that was created by elaborate social standards is destroyed by true love, threatens to resolve by true love, but only if it's all carefully defined in the most cynically romantic way possible.

Cynically romantic. Now there's an oxymoron if I ever heard one, but there simply isn't any other way to describe these preposterous going-ons. This entire situation is the outline to the plot of a really bad romantic comedy. But that's the trouble with bad romantic comedies. They do, in fact, have an audience. And even if the audience itself realizes that everything about the situation is totally bizarre and stupid, do you really want to see the dark horrible truth concerning human relationships, or would you rather have a feel-good story instead?

"My Secret Hotel" is working overdrive here to integrate every possible genre convention into an increasingly elaborate tapestry of sociological humor, and if nothing else I have to admire the sheer audacity on display here. The way the characters are defined, everything about the situation makes sense, even if the absurdity is clearly being accentuated to make a broader social point. And what is that point exactly? There may not be a fully defined plot arc here just yet but the social criticism is palpable. I am immensely interested in how the drama's planning to escalate from this already completely out there position.

Review by William Schwartz

"My Secret Hotel" is directed by Hong Jong-chan, written by Kim Do-hyeon and Kim Ye-ri-II and features Yoo In-na, Jin Yi-han, Namkoong Min and Lee Young-eun.

 

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