Summary
Welcome to Samdal-ri remains reminiscent of other small-town slice-of-life K-Dramas, but the central relationship is compelling on its own terms.
Welcome to Samdal-ri Season 1 continues to be a layered and nuanced slice-of-life drama that wears its influences on its sleeve in Episodes 3 & 4. There are distinct notes of Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha and Twenty Five Twenty One here, with the cozy small-town setting, but the dynamic between Yong-pil and Sam-dal remains the focus. There’s clearly more to explore in what led their relationship to be strained in the first place and plenty of unresolved feelings that suggest a romance in the future.
Welcome to Samdal-ri Season 1 Episodes 3 & 4 Recap
Welcome to Samdal-ri Season 1 Episode 3 Recap
Things open in Episode 3 with Sam-dal and the gang heading for Seoul to fulfill their dreams in 2005, but the big city isn’t all they thought it would be. Surviving is hard, and everyone works menial jobs to make ends meet. Eventually, circumstances – financial and otherwise – conspire to bring them back to Jeju Island again and again, never quite being able to escape the humdrum small-town existence.
Catching back up to where we left things in Episode 2, Yong-pil falls into the river while trying to save Sam-dal, almost drowning until Sam-dal saves him. Yong-pil is mortified, but in a nice scene that reflects their shared history, she’s able to reassure him a bit. This is big of her since we know Sam-dal is struggling with her present circumstances, which she doesn’t reveal on the way home. Instead, she claims to only be back for a few days, pushing back how emotionally overwhelmed she is.
But the news of what happened to Sam-dal is everywhere. Yong-pil reads about it the next day. Journalists are still looking for dirt. There are hate articles and comments everywhere, which upset Sam-dal’s mother.
There’s a funny bit here where Sam-dal admonishes Yong-pil for broadcasting her presence when he’s really shouting for the same-named community dog. Gyeong-tae ends up seeing Sam-dal in person, realizing she’s back on Jeju Island, and later tries to visit her with Eun-u. They also tell Sang-do.
Sam-dal feels like the entire island is talking about her failures, only interested in her downfall and not the real story of how it came to be. At the end of the episode, Yong-pil finds her out getting some air and invites her for a drink. However, Sam-dal overhears Gyeong-tae saying he’s happy she failed and returned, a misunderstanding which upsets her.
Welcome to Samdal-ri Season 1 Episode 3 Epilogue
The Episode 3 epilogue takes place in 2005, like the prologue, with the gang together on Eun-u’s birthday. It’s a nice reminder of the group at their best and their happiest, designed to highlight how much has changed in all of their lives in the meantime.
Welcome to Samdal-ri Season 1 Episode 4 Recap
Episode 4 also opens with a flashback, this one to the developing feelings between Yong-pil and Sam-dal in Seoul. A lot has happened since then, and the primary drive of the show is figuring out not just what but also what it might mean for the future.
Picking up from the previous episode, Sam-dal kicks off a little in front of her friends, still misunderstanding the “failure” comment, but they reassure her and stick with her until Yong-pil volunteers to take her home. The effects of the scandal are still deeply felt, with Sam-dal’s sisters dealing with the repercussions and Sam-dal having to reassure her parents that she’s not at fault and didn’t do what she’s accused of.
Infidelities and exes are big in this episode. Sam-dal’s ex, Chung-gi, had an affair with her assistant, Eun-ju. Yong-pil argues with Chung-gi when he calls Sam-dal’s phone and he picks up. This wrinkle to Sam-dal’s life quickly makes its way around the town. Later, during the night, Sam-dal realizes Yong-pil has her phone and meets him. When she receives another call from Chung-gi, she acts to Yong-pil like he treats her perfectly well.
The big moment of the episode, arguably, is a seaweed fight between Yong-pil and Sam-dal which doubles as a way for them to hash out some of their feelings. Word about town is that Sam-dal dumped Yong-pil when it was the other way around. After their disagreement, Yong-pil says he never believed the scandal anyway.
At the end of the episode, Sam-dal confesses to Yong-pil that she lied about her break-up with Chung-gi because she was embarrassed. She wanted to meet a guy better than Yong-pil but instead met someone much worse and ended up back on Jeju Island.
Welcome to Samdal-ri Season 1 Episode 4 Epilogue
In the epilogue of Episode 4, we see a flashback and Yong-pil and Sam-dal first discovering their feelings for one another, with Yong-pil discovering a note from Sam-dal confessing her feelings while she’s passed out drunk.
What did you think of Samdal-ri Season 1 Episodes 3 & 4? Let us know in the comments.
