Summary
Like Flowers in Sand continues to drag its feet on both its overarching mystery and its tedious romance.
At the risk of repeating oneself, the extent to which Like Flowers in Sand is content to sit in the middle of the road is a little concerning. The lacklustre pacing of the overarching mystery isn’t excused by the central romance, since that’s tepid too. The in-built stakes of the wrestling focus have been neglected in favor of romance that is taking its sweet time to blossom. Episode 9 doesn’t fill me with hope that Season 1 is keen to do anything that might change this assessment of the show in time for the finale.
Following on from Episode 8, Mi-ran explains that she never believed Du-sik’s father was responsible for her father’s death. But if he wasn’t guilty, that means someone else was, and Mi-ran is interested in finding out who. Chil-seong tried to take the blame before his death, but he was responsible for the chain of events that led to the murder, not for the murder itself.
Of course, Chil-seong died before he could reveal the truth. The night he had arranged to meet Mi-ran – the same night they ran into a drunken Baek-du – he was pulled away by a call. He planned to meet Mi-ran the next day but never made it. However, since the call he received was local to the village, this is a close-to-home conspiracy.
Du-sik is determined not to leave for Seoul until the case is solved.
Loose Lips Sink Ships
Meanwhile, Baek-du continues pining for Du-sik in the most tedious manner possible. At this point, word of his affection has spread all over the place, which is a rumor complicated by the fact everyone thinks she’s married.
With everyone thinking he’s a philanderer Baek-du barely has time to feel sorry for himself about who has comparatively lost more over the match-fixing scandal, which seems a bit petty. Even more so is Baek-du’s reaction to Du-sik telling him to reject the rumors and stand up for himself. Does that mean that there’s nothing between them? Blimey, who cares?
How does Like Flowers in Sand Season 1 Episode 9 end?
The ending of Episode 9 is intended to be a big moment; the central relationship coming together and also, in a way, interweaving with the crime plot, at least thematically. It fell a little flat for me, of course, but I’m sure viewers who have bought into the relationship will have gotten a jolt of satisfaction from Baek-du confessing his love.
It has taken a while – too long – to get there, but we’ve arrived. Baek-du, fuming about the rumors, has a pop at the whole town for their gossipy attitudes and how their judgment no doubt contributed to Du-sik and her father’s reputation during the initial scandal. Inspired, he runs to Du-sik to confess his feelings for her.
What did you think of Like Flowers in Sand Season 1 Episode 9? Let us know in the comments.
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