Summary
Like Flowers in Sand remains very flawed, but intriguing last-minute developments keep some wind in its sails for now.
If I wasn’t professionally obligated to watch and write about it, I don’t think I’d have made it this far with Like Flowers in Sand Season 1. I had high hopes for Episode 7 based on its return to focus on Baek-du wrestling, and it is a little improved for that, but it’s still overburdened by a torpid pace, frustrating ongoing ambiguity, and just a general sense of… dare I say it, disinterest?
Maybe it’s just me. Although, people don’t seem to be going too crazy about this show on any of the social media platforms that I frequent, so maybe it isn’t.
Why was Du-sik driven out of town?
In case it wasn’t obvious from Du-sik disappearing years prior and returning under a fake identity, she didn’t leave town on good terms with its people. A flashback shows her rather cursory departure, and in the present day, she explains that she left in disgrace – though “driven out” is the term she uses.
Her father had been accused of asking a wrestler to throw a match, and that wrestler was subsequently found dead. Sometimes 2+2 does equal 5, but it’s not easy to make someone believe it. Thus, familial disgrace followed. The current scandal feels like unfinished business.
How does Baek-du cut weight?
Since it’s quite difficult to care much about that scandal, let’s talk about Baek-du instead. Having returned to the team in Episode 6, here we find him with a tournament to compete in, though he certainly makes a meal of it. He asks his family not to be there, he arrives late, and he’s overweight, forcing him to cut the remaining pounds by running around with Du-sik on his back.
Is it a bit silly? Yeah, sure. But weight cutting is an important part of wrestling all over the world, and this is a romance at heart, so here we are. Either way, Baek-du makes the weight.
Baek-du finally wrestles
The highlight of the episode is undoubtedly Baek-du’s championship matches, though even that is a little undermined by his success being highly contingent on knowing that Du-sik is watching him from the crowd.
It’s easy to forget that Baek-du is supposed to be some kind of prodigy in this sport. He comes across well in the matches, technique-wise, but in the absence of his team, who all came down with a bout of food poisoning that he swerved because he was cutting weight, he relies on the idea of Du-sik’s presence to compete effectively.
This is fine while he’s winning handily. However, his attention starts to drift when he’s told that Du-sik has left the arena after receiving a call.
How does Like Flowers in Sand Season 1 Episode 7 end?
The episode ends by revealing the identity of Mi-ran – she’s the daughter of Cheol-yung, the wrestler that Du-sik’s father was accused of murdering.
She also, as becomes clear at the very end of the episode, knows who Du-sik really is. This is a welcome complication because it’s quite unexpected and also sidesteps a lot of the meandering we’ve already had surrounding Du-sik’s real identity and goals. More of this, and Like Flowers in Sand might just be able to redeem itself before the end.
What did you think of Like Flowers in Sand Season 1 Episode 7? Let us know in the comments.
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