K Drama Chat

Jen is on vacation, so Sung Hee is filling in. In this episode, we recap and analyze episode 4 of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, the hit K Drama on Netflix. The children’s story from this episode is Zombie Kid, the boy who couldn’t feel emotion and was only interested in eating. The assemblyman’s son causes havoc at his father’s political rally; he is chastised by his mom and his father tells the hospi...

In this episode, we recap and analyze episode 3 of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, the hit K Drama on Netflix from 2020. Meun Young shows up at OK Hospital because she misses Gang Tae. Her father is at the hospital, but she doesn’t seem to care about him. The hospital director asks Meun Young to teach a literature class and Sang Tae to paint a mural at the hospital. Meun Young kidnaps a manic patient at...

In this episode, we recap and analyze episode 2 of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, the hit K Drama on Netflix from 2020. Sang Tae attends a book signing by Meun Young and gets in trouble when he touches a kid wearing a dinosaur costume. Gang Tae comes to his rescue and Meun Young intervenes, causing a huge scene when she gets mad at the child’s parents. While waiting for Sang Tae to calm down, Meun Youn...

In this episode, we recap and analyze episode 1 of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, the hit K Drama on Netflix from 2020. In this first episode, we get introduced to celebrity children’s book author Koo Meun Young (Seo Yea-ji), compassionate caregiver Moon Gang Tae (Kim Soo Hyun), the talented, autistic Moon Sang Tae (Oh Jung-se), and the long suffering nurse Nam Joo-ri (Park Gyu-young). The characters i...

We’re still on break after wrapping up with Hotel Del Luna. In this episode, Joanna and Jen have a conversation with Professor Professor Ernabel Demillo, Department Chair of the Communication and Media Culture Department at Saint Peter's University and host of the Emmy-award winning "Asian American Life" show on CUNY-TV. Ernabel talks about: Her K Drama journey Why she thinks K Dramas are so addic...

We’re taking a short break between seasons after wrapping up with Hotel Del Luna. In this episode, we have a conversation with a couple of friends: Sung Hee, who was our guest in Episode 6, and cousin Linda, who we have mentioned so many times! Be prepared to laugh with us as we discuss our love of K Dramas! We cover: Our individual K Drama journeys What makes K Dramas so addicting How K Dramas ar...

In this episode, we recap and analyze Episode 16, the finale, of Hotel Del Luna. In this episode, all of the staff resolve their grudges and move on to the afterlife. Bartender Kim overcomes his shame over being labeled a lewd scholar when Man Wol and Koo Chan Sung convince the author to write a novel about a fictional, but honorable, Kim Si-ik. Guest manager Seo hee learns that the daughter of th...

In this episode, we recap and analyze episode 15 of Hotel Del Luna. While Man Wol was gone, Mago gives Chan Sung a task: go back in time to 200 years ago to pick some moon flowers needed to make the wine that will make someone the next owner of the hotel. Chan Sung meets Man Wol, who asks him to stay and become her 85th human manager, but he declines. When he comes back, Mago tells him that Man Wo...

In this episode, we recap and analyze episode 14 of Hotel Del Luna. Man Wol is convinced that Koo Chan Sung is a reincarnated Chyung Myung. She knows she can’t kill Koo Chan Sung, so she gives the moon ornament to Ji-won to make him stronger, knowing Ji-won will try to kill Koo Chan Sung. Koo Chan Sung battles and tricks Ji-won and is saved by the hotel staff and the grim reaper. As a result, Koo...

In this episode, we recap and analyze episode 13 of Hotel Del Luna. We learn the story of guest manager Seo-hee. 200 years ago, her husband’s family let her baby daughter die, in order to make room for a son to be born. At her death, Seo hee curses the family. When the eldest grandson of the family dies a bachelor and without children, Seo hee is happy. Her happiness is short lived when she finds...

In this episode, we recap and analyze episode 12 of Hotel Del Luna. The story of the serial killer plays out as Koo Chan Sung meets Ji-won at the wine bar and confirms that he is the murderer. They fight and Koo Chan Sung is saved by Detective Yeong-soo. An injured Ji-won later confronts Koo Chan Sung on the roof of the hospital and then jumps off the building. Man Wol meets Ji-won, who is now a v...

In this episode, we recap and analyze episode 11 of Hotel Del Luna. We see the relationship between Man Wol and Chan Sung deepen, take a romantic turn, and become even playful. We revisit the story of the serial killer; Yuna is on Ji-won’s trail. We meet Hwang Moon-Suk, who was the human manager at Hotel Del Luna 30 years ago; she wants to ask Man Wol a favor for her son, who was conceived in Room...

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 10 of Hotel Del Luna. The main storyline is about the hotel Chairman and the bartender trying to set up Koo Chan Sung with the Chairman’s granddaughter. While the granddaughter is interested, Koo Chan Sung says that his heart is already taken. And even though Man Wol tells him to leave the hotel, Koo Chan Sung decides to stay by her side. In the end, Man Wol allo...

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 9 of Hotel Del Luna. At the beginning of the episode, Koo Chan Sung finds that he has been abandoned by Man Wol and her staff. The hotel has moved to the countryside. A good portion of the episode is devoted to Koo Chan Sung trying to get back to the hotel, which he does, after a visit to see Mago, and by accompanying the recently deceased hotel Chairman. There i...

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 8 of Hotel Del Luna. This pivotal episode is devoted to the relationship between Man Wol and Lee Mi-ra. We learn through flashbacks that Lee Mi-ra is Princess Song Hwa from Man Wol’s past. Princess Song Hwa is the person who ordered all of Man Wol’s gang members killed. In retaliation, Man Wol kills Princess Song Hwa on her wedding night. In modern times, Lee Mi-...

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 7 of Hotel Del Luna. The bulk of this episode is devoted to the story of the ghost from Room 13, who has escaped the hotel and is killing people. Mago 4 and the Grim Reaper ultimately deal with this ghost, but in the meantime, Man Wol, Koo Chan Sung and Yuna all get involved. There is also a side story about a husband and wife who find themselves at the hotel and...

We apologize for the echo issues in this episode. Jen was on vacation and not in her normal setup. In fact, she was in a gym in the Outer Banks because the beach house her family was renting was too noisy! So sorry! We will do better next week! Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 6 of Hotel Del Luna. In this episode, the relationship between Man Wol and Chan Sung is further developing. Man Wol tell...

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 5 of Hotel Del Luna. At the end of Episode 4, Jang Man Wol has saved Koo Chan-Sung from the ghost in Room 13. In this episode, the hotel staff look for other ways to get rid of Koo Chan-Sung, but Man Wol says he’s staying by her side. We see two flashbacks from Man Wol’s earlier life: Man Wol and Yeon-wu under the big tree, and Man Wol in a wedding gown in a larg...

In Episode 4 of Hotel Del Luna, things are getting complicated between Man Wol and Koo Chan Sung. Chan Sung continues to dream about Man Wol, who is upset that Koo Chan Sung is learning about her past life. Through flashbacks, we learn more about Man Wol’s life and we have two side stories. We also learn that the hotel staff are plotting to have Koo Chan Sung removed as manager because they fear h...

In Episode 3 of Hotel Del Luna, we learn more about Man Wol’s past life, we meet Mago, we learn more about the hotel’s main staff, and we meet Yoona. Through several flashbacks, we learn about two important men in her life, Yeon-Woo, a fellow gang member, and Go Chung Myung, the Captain of the Princess’ Guard. Mago tell Man Wol that she is tied to the tree but she must move on. After putting a blo...

In Episode 2 of Hotel Del Luna. we follow Koo Chan Sung as he navigates between his job at the fancy hotel and his (offered) job at Hotel Del Luna. Koo Chan Sung and Jan Man Wol work together to help a ghost tiger find peace and once again, they go out to eat. We learn that Manager Noh is ready to retire and he pays a visit to Koo Chan Sung, to try and convince the younger man to take his job. We...

Episode 1 of Hotel Del Luna introduces the main characters, Jang Man Wol and Koo Chan Sung, as well as some of the hotel staff, mainly the bellman, the guest manager, and the bartender. The episode flips back and forth between the past and the present, and between the main storyline and the side stories.  We do a short recap of the show, and then we dive deep into the episode. We talk about our fi...

This is the pilot episode for K Drama Chat. In this episode, we introduce ourselves, Joanna Pineda and Jen McWhorter, and talk about why we love K Dramas and why we decided to create this podcast. Rather than just review our favorite K Dramas, we want to go deep and analyze each episode of our favorite series. For our first season, we have chosen Hotel Del Luna. This series is on Netflix, so it's...