Summary
The third episode of Like Flowers in Sand is a little sedate, but there’s enough of a plot developing to hopefully keep viewers engaged.
Like Flowers in Sand continues in Episode 3 with another rather sedate episode. While there’s enough here to be going on with, there’s also probably more than is strictly needed, confusing necessary character depth and detail with – this in a bit of a whisper – filler. The “mystery” around Yu-gyeong’s real identity isn’t much of a mystery and builds to an expected outcome, and it just feels like something is missing in the narrative thus far in Season 1 to give the show the extra oomph that it needs.
Still, let’s not be too hasty. It’s early days yet.
Like Flowers in Sand Season 1 Episode 3 Recap
As with Episode 1 and Episode 2, the third installment loves a flashback. The one that opens this episode returns to younger versions of Baek-du and Du-sik, and is relevant for how it relates to the cliffhanger ending of the previous episode in which it was seemingly revealed that present-day Du-sik – sorry, Yu-gyeong – is married.
While young Du-sik seemed adamant about not tying the knot, it seems that viewpoint didn’t persist and, in the present day, she leaves with her husband, leaving Baek-du incredibly confused. It quickly becomes clear to the audience, though, through the relationship between Yu-gyeong and her “husband” for the benefit of “the villager”, that all isn’t quite what it seems here.
Why is Du-sik in town?
Yu-gyeong/Du-sik is an undercover police officer, and her “husband” is her junior, Min Hyeon-wook. They’re in town investigating the victim of the reservoir death, whose phone and dashcam have also gone missing, but they can’t reveal their real identities to anyone. On that subject, Hyeon-wook asks Yu-gyeong about Du-sik and she plays it off, so that bit of backstory is being kept close to her chest for now.
You can see how this many half-truths and so much toing and froing over things that the audience is already privy to might become a little trying for audiences. Du-sik – let’s use that name now – admits to Baek-du that she’s using a fake name but tells him to keep his mouth shut about it, and Baek-du counters by asking her about her marriage which she’s cagey about. None of this is news to the audience, of course.
How did Coach Yeon die?
At least there’s some development of the criminal element. As it turns out, Coach Yeon has committed suicide. In the footage of Baek-du’s match against Dong-seok, he wasn’t looking especially comfortable, and there was a lot of dodgy pro-Dong-seok sentiment. This is building to a match-fixing plot that is also presumably connected to Choi, the victim from the reservoir.
This connection is drawn up by Hyeon-wook, who identifies himself to the town’s ladies as Yu-gyeong’s unemployed husband and enjoys a drink while pumping them (for information!). Drunkenly reporting what he has learned to Du-sik – and calling her “detective” like an idiot – the connection isn’t entirely obvious yet.
The team doesn’t seem aware of anything amiss with Coach Yeon either — they assume he has quit and left them in the lurch before the upcoming tournament. However, Beom-su tells Hyeon-wook that he saw Coach Yeon arguing with someone before Baek-du and Dong-seok’s match, though the “someone” remains unidentified for now. Either way, it seems Yeon wasn’t thrilled when Dong-seok won the match.
How does Like Flowers in Sand Season 1 Episode 3 end?
The episode ends a little unexcitingly with Yu-gyeong, angry at Baek-du about quitting wrestling, admitting that she is, in fact, Du-sik, which we all knew anyway.
Du-sik wants Baek-du to be the new team coach, even though Jin-su has been picked for the position. Meanwhile, a woman named Mi-suk arrives in town looking for the house that Du-sik used to live in.
What did you think of Like Flowers in Sand Season 1 Episode 3? Let us know in the comments.
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