Summary
Episodes 7 and 8 of Welcome to Samdal-ri add some more clarity to the leads’ backstory while a present-day subplot threatens to tug the heartstrings.
Episodes 7 & 8 of Welcome to Samdal-ri Season 1 further explain some of the circumstances surrounding our leads splitting up in the first place. This is important context since it’ll be what defines the romantic futures of both going forward, especially with the whole love triangle angle. Elsewhere, some subplots guaranteed to pull on the heartstrings help to pull focus away from the main dynamic a little, fleshing out the setting and the story overall.
Welcome to Samdal-ri Season 1 Episode 7 Recap
After breaking up with Yong-pil, Sam-dal left for the U.S. While there, she did everything she could to try and forget about and move on from Yong-pil, but nothing worked, and it does seem like history is repeating itself in the present day.
Sam-dal is prompted to examine these feelings by her mother’s questioning at the end of Episode 6. Luckily, she’s able to dodge having to answer honestly for now. On the subject of honesty, though, Sang-do confesses to Yong-pil that he has always loved Sam-dal, but this isn’t a shock to Yong-pil since Sang-do has admitted it while drunk multiple times.
It’ll still be an obstacle down the line, though, as by his own admission Yong-pil never got over Sam-dal since he never really tried to. Sam-dal is still on a mission to find herself after what went down in Seoul, and she decides to do so by taking on the Jeju Olle Trail, one of the island’s famous hikes, which greatly amuses Yong-pil.
Other things are going on in town, but of particular note are Da-young and Jin-dal’s chance encounters. They’re going through a similar, though admittedly more complex, thing to the leads, neither entirely sure of what they or the other wants and unsure how to deal with it in the moment. There’s a lot of pining in this show, which won’t be for everyone.
How does Welcome to Samdal-ri Season 1 Episode 7 end?
After the hike, Sam-dal is physically suffering, and a still-amused Yong-pill hands her some medicine and accompanies her home. He tells her about a photography competition that he wants her to take part in. However, the two are eventually distracted when they come across Yong-pil’s father, Sang-tae.
In a flashback, Sam-dal recalls Sang-tae asking her to break up with his son. Whatever the reasons, this man was instrumental in the two of them breaking up in the past. What might he have planned for the future?
Welcome to Samdal-ri Season 1 Episode 8 Recap
Sang-tae still evidently dislikes the idea of Yong-pil and Sam-dal being together, which is proven at the beginning of Episode 8 when his obvious displeasure sends Sam-dal skittering away to her mother. Sang-tae confirms outright to Yong-pil that he still resents Sam-dal.
The next day, Mi-ja, worried about the situation and still trying to keep her own secrets from Sam-dal, sees Yong-pil on the way to work. She reassures him that her stress isn’t his doing, and he changes the buoy cover for her while Sang-do silently fumes about the town gossip revolving around Yong-pil and Sam-dal being together. While diving, Mi-ja almost drowns due to her chest pain. This medical emergency alerts Sam-dal to the state of her mother’s health.
The Da-young and Jin-dal subplot continues apace in this episode, with the two coming across one another once again. She’s on a walk with Hae-dal and Ha-yul, and the latter calls Jin-dal “mother”, which is a bit of a shock since she’s her aunt. Da-young tells Jin-dal that he was happy to see her but that she reminds him of all the messes – created by her – that he still has to clean up.
Meanwhile, Sam-dal’s suspicions about her mother intensify, but her father tells her nothing, and neither does Yong-pil when she asks him. They’re distracted by their friends, who all push Sam-dal to take part in the photography event. Compelled, she goes to register the next morning.
How does Welcome to Samdal-ri Season 1 Episode 8 End?
The episode ends with another accident involving Mi-ja, whose chest pains once again leave her stranded while diving in worryingly inclement weather. When Yong-pil summons aid, Sam-dal overhears him mentioning her being a heart patient.
Mi-ja’s fate remains unknown as the epilogue flashes back to when Yong-pil’s mother, Mi-ja’s friend, was also lost at sea, which doesn’t do much to reassure the audience.
What did you think of Welcome to Samdal-ri Season 1 Episodes 7 & 8? Let us know in the comments.
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