Summary
It took a while, but Like Flowers in Sand does finally feel like it’s going somewhere.
Finally – something! There’s probably a limit to how good Like Flowers in Sand can realistically get at this point, but Episode 10 does something rather improbable, which implies that Season 1 might have been slightly cleverer than I’ve given it credit for. That might not be the case, of course, but some suggestions and developments here and there have the distinct shape of a more thought-out narrative. I remain unconvinced by the main relationship as ever, though, and there’s probably little that’s going to make me buy in at this stage.
After the ending of Episode 9 in which Baek-du finally confessed his real, deeply-held feelings for Du-sik, he just legs it before she can say anything like an actual child. This guy, man.
Baek-du berating the locals at least prompted them to think for a change. In its earliest episodes, Like Flowers in Sand was a surprisingly introspective character drama that revolved mostly around Baek-du’s interiority, and there’s a bit of that in his mother finally realizing that he had bottled up his pining for Du-sik his entire life.
There’s a sting of truth in this, in the expectation of boys to be “tough” and not show their feelings, and in the relief of parents convincing themselves that their children simply “got over” whatever it was that pained them. Baek-du never got over Du-sik leaving, he just learned to live without her, which isn’t the same thing.
Small-town communities tend to let this kind of thing fester. They also tend to know everything about everyone, hence the speed at which the rumors spread in the previous episode. But it also becomes a clue here, since if Chil-seong was match-fixing, the other wrestlers, including Baek-du’s father, must have known about it. We’re beginning to develop a prime suspect.
This comes at around the same time that it’s solidified that Chil-seong’s killer is from the area and probably remains there. Snowball – the endlessly missing dog – always barks near the reservoir, and Chil-seong’s burner phone records received multiple calls from a local payphone.
How does Like Flowers in Sand Season 1 Episode 10 end?
Oddly, Episode 10 doesn’t end with any major revelations or surprises. Instead, it ends with the theme of friends reuniting and relationships sustaining, almost a symbolic representation of the wounds left lingering from childhood beginning to be healed.
Seok-hui has to suffer some embarrassment for this to be communicated, though. His rant to Du-sik about how ugly she used to be – this is intended as a compliment to Yu-gyeong which backfires – is amusing enough for the scene to work. It’s a decent payoff to an episode that felt like it implied meaningful things and pushed the story in a conclusive direction.
What did you think of Like Flowers in Sand Season 1 Episode 10? Let us know in the comments.
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