Summary
Episode 11 and 12 are Welcome to Samdal-ri as its best thus far, expanding on multiple personal subplots and delivering many emotions.
Episodes 11 and 12 of Welcome to Samdal-ri welcomely expand focus, taking in more of Jeju Island’s inhabitants without losing sight of the leads, while also delivering a rollercoaster of emotions. Episode 12, in particular, is one of the strongest single installments of Season 1.
Table of Contents
Welcome to Samdal-ri Season 1 Episode 11 Recap
First, the theme park. This subplot has a wider scope than just Yong-pil and Sam-dal, so it’s indicative of how the episodes are branching out and covering more bases.
In essence, Dae-young’s decision to move the park from Namdal-ri to Samdal-ri goes down like a lead balloon, causing all kinds of issues for him with his former in-laws, though they are, to be fair, understandable. The parent company has a long history of interfering in the family’s lives and stifling opportunities, and the risk of having them return to Samdal-ri and continue that is high. And then there’s the sea pollution to consider.
This does allow us more insight into Jin-dal and Dae-young’s marriage, though, and their relationships with each other’s respective families. Their separation and Dae-young just dropping off the map was painful for everyone, not just Dae-young and Jin-dal. Their attitudes were just incompatible.
However, Dae-young actually shifted the location of the theme mark for the benefit of Mi-ja. With the park’s construction, diving would be banned, and the compensation would be significant. Dae-young had already paid Mi-ja’s hospital bill, so this was another gesture along those lines. Jin-dal tells him to go back to Namdal-ri, though.
Following on from the end of Episode 10, Sam-dal literally flees from Yong-pil in embarrassment. She recalls everything that happened the night before, but Yong-pil isn’t willing to let the matter go. Of course, there’s also Sang-do to consider, and things to come to a bit of a head in that regard, with pointless bickering over who has done more for whom, all because two grown-ups are fighting over a crush.
It’s easy to imagine some viewers being put off by all this, but there’s a certain charm to it nonetheless.
How does Samdal-ri Season 1 Episode 11 end?
Episode 11 ends by really interrogating the likelihood of Sam-dal and Yong-pil being able to succeed as a couple given all the water that has passed under the bridge since the first time they tried. While waiting for a natural phenomenon that Sam-dal plans to photograph to occur, they consider who was to blame for their breakup, and how couples who have been together and then been apart tend to linger on the reasoning behind their separation. Yong-pil thinks they can overcome the difficulties they experienced the first time – primarily Sang-tae’s fury – and be okay. But can they?
Welcome to Samdal-ri Season 1 Episode 12 Recap
The subplot with Jin-dal and Dae-young continues in Episode 12. The former accompanies the latter to a meeting about the theme park and fields concerned questions that stump him. This protective dynamic seems to have been essential to their marriage in the past, but it was one-way traffic. Dae-young didn’t stand up for Jin-dal when it counted, leaving her to shoulder the burden of mistreatment and remain quiet about it to protect him.
Welcome to Samdal-ri doesn’t strictly need a villain, but it does sort of have one in the form of the obsessive Eun-ju, who decides in this episode that she’s going to come to Samdal to take advantage of picturesque locations. Her own shoot was a failure, but this is, of course, just obsession, following attempts to reignite the scandal around Sam-dal.
However, it isn’t easy for Sam-dal to respond since her reputation is on tenterhooks as it is. However, Eun-ju’s arrival in town is nonetheless met with extreme hospitality, and Sam-dal on her home turf seems as though she isn’t to be trifled with.
The core question following on from the previous episode is, obviously about Sam-dal and Yong-pil’s relationship. Now official, more or less, but keeping it quiet, mostly out of fear of Sang-tae. Mi-ja supportively tries talking to him, but he’s having none of it.
Luckily, Mi-ja has had quite enough of her daughter being mistreated, whether it’s by Eun-ju – Mi-ja makes that point very clearly – or Sang-tae. She resolves not to allow it to continue in any form any longer.
How does Welcome to Samdal-ri Season 1 Episode 12 end?
The episode ends, somewhat predictably, with Sang-tae learning of Yong-pil and Sam-dal being together again. In a rage, he marches over and confronts Sam-dal about why she returned after he begged her to break up with his son. However, he does this in front of Yong-pil, who apparently had no idea of these previous circumstances and is livid to discover them in this way.
This week’s pair of episodes ends on this note of high drama.
What did you think of Welcome to Samdal-ri Season 1 Episodes 11 and 12? Let us know in the comments.
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