Benvenuti a Samdal-ri (2023)

underrated pearl

the acting and the story is great, even though I was sometimes annoyed at the female lead for not defending herself but the writing was well done and as the episodes went on, her take on the situation and her decision not to do anything made sense.

every characters are touching in their own way and the development is delight to watch. each one of them has a story and it's nice to see how they interact with each other.

the way they protect each other, grieve, laugh and cry together is heartwarming.

and as usual, all the actors give a great performance

can't wait for the last episodes and for the karma to catch the Seoul girl.

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Welcome to Ji Chang-wook!

Fans of small-town dramas will feel right at home here.

To be fair, the village based plot doesn't start in earnest until a few episodes in but once in place, all the typical elements are on full display. Bucolic setting, tight knit community and "colourful" locals all slot in seamlessly.

It doesn't mean this drama is all sunshine and sea breezes, quite the contrary. The first few episodes can be titled, "How low can the FL go?". The simple answer is very low. Not only did her professional and personal life collapsed in Seoul but her troubles follow her back to her hometown on Jeju.

To be honest, the first few episodes are hard to watch. Not because of bad acting but it was an endless series of setbacks, angst and tears. There is little concrete reasoning behind her fall from grace other than the A-plot demands it. The problem is that the shouting and crying only got worse when she arrived home because now it involves the whole family unit and sundry other characters. It was surprisingly relentless when you consider this is supposed to be a rom-com.

Fear not, Ji Chang-wook is here! Our ML is the soothing influence, the voice of reason and the mirror for the FL to see the truth behind all the ill feelings and maltreatment she has suffered for years. Members of the 5 Eagles Brotherhood helped as well. They might not be the sharpest tool in the shed but their total dedication to Cho Sam-dal is a sight to behold and woe to anyone who stood in their way.

Thankfully, the feel of the series changes completely once the OTP acknowledge their feelings for each other. There is nothing a united village can't handle and while they still face challenges, we know they are just speed bumps on their road to success.

Speaking of romance, the OTP is always going to be front and centre, but it is relatively uneventful once they clear the air. The shaky romance between the eldest sister and her ex-husband is more engaging. Props to the actor playing the ex-husband. He could have been a typical spoiled heir, but he is so earnest and sweet that you just have to love him, warts and all. The scene with the cockroach is unmissable.

As I mentioned before, the show is angst heavy, but it is not well balanced. This is largely because the antagonist is light weight. There is no dastardly master plan. She got desperate and the fourth estate took care of the rest. She rode the tiger but have no idea how to get off. This also means the resolution, when it came, felt underdone. It closed the chapter but there is not a lot of satisfaction to be had.

The last EP is total fan service. There is a lot of lovely scenes that wrap up the various threads but the best one is probably the photo exhibition. It is a lot more about the ensemble cast of locals than the weather and it was very touching and uplifting.

All in all, it is an uplifting story that ticked a lot of boxes. Fans of JCW will rejoice. He is such a versatile actor nowadays. Honourable mention must go to Kim Mi-kyung. The veteran actor really gave us her all. Bravo!

Is it the best example of this genre, not quite. There are shows which nailed the formula better and/or the ensemble cast turned in better performances but it is good enough to earn my recommendation, for now. Enjoy!

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it had potential but then...

the last three episodes felt excruciatingly long, unfortunately, I tried and tried to like this but I just couldn't, can't say it was terrible in itself, but it was definitely forgettable.

I couldn't feel like there was a decisive plot, it was simply moving in an ambiguous way and it was a bit unsettling to feel like there were so many important elements missing, the love triangle was absolutely unnecesary here and its resolution wasn't even satisfying, and there was a scene that solidified it to me when Yong Pil was sobbing, there were actually a few other moments like this, he was breaking down and there wasn't enough context, no enough clues, not enough of anything for us, the audience to build a bond, it just felt like another loose end, and it made me, at least, feel frustration... over the fact that there was nothing for me to hold on to in terms of the story, I think that if they actually tried to make this more about the haenyeos, it would've been more interesting to me, though the gossiping aspect, while may be true in these kind of communities, it felt a bit overbearing, it almost made me feel less interested in the island, sadly, it still held a lot of the comedy scenes, so it wasn't absolutely detrimental, that said the whole story and ending didn't feel like there was closure in any of the aspects, it was just shown visually but there wasn't a whole lot of evolution and growth in the characters, and subplots.

Production wise, it was incredible, visually it was lovely and the music really matched the energy of the show, acting wise it was really solid, there were some very credible moments in terms of the relationships, specially between the main characters, they had a really nice natural chemistry, and there was scene when Ji Chang Wook was angry, he was truly red, there was so much rage outpouring in that moment, it reminded me how good he is! to me, the best part of this show were the main actors and the beautiful production with the most outstanding scenery, made me yearn for a trip to the beach!

I really hoped for more it felt a bit inconclusive and ambiguous, there were many clichés that didn't feel like they were handled correctly, there were many missed opportunities here, with such a great cast and production, it lacked dynamics, it lacked a strong story, at least in my opinion.

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A healing drama

This slice of life drama is really comforting to watch.
But of course, some plots are a little bit annoying to watch such as,
FL - easily forgive the framer even tho her whole life is nearly destroyed and not standing up for herself.
ML - not much character development.
Second ML - unnecessary plot from my pov.
FL’s mother - close mouthed about her bff death, never confront ML’s father for years and she even made the whole family also felt guilty for ML’s mother weather related death.
ML’s father - his way of hatred on FL family is too childish and too nonsense (that I can’t even watch his scenes) and forgiveness is too sudden.

But overall, this drama is light hearted to watch from heavy plot dramas.

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A heartwarming kdrama!

This kdrama is just one of the prettiest I've ever seen. All the scenes are beautiful, they took the best pictures and videos of Jeju. The history is so pretty, and heartwarming. I love it from the beginning until the end. The last episode is just too beautiful, I cried a lot, the pictures and all the photos that she took... I don't have words to explain.

One of my favs kdramas so far. I just want to rewatch it and rewatch it and rewatch it again. Welcome to Sam Dal- Ri really has a special place in my heart. I just wanted that this Kdrama had more episodes, and showed more of the love story of the sisters too.

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What was the point of this drama??

My intent is not to underplay anyone's hard work here.

So purely from a global viewer's perspective, I struggled with this drama.
Could not find a theme, goal or intent here.
Forget looking for romance and chemistry - it was like a cloud that flitted away before you knew it appeared in the sky.

Comedy - what where when??

Story was crafted for a certain demographic of folks who reminisce about Jeju island, the small town mentality and unity and friendships. But haven't we seen this over a dozen times already??

The love triangle was outdated and honestly both leads were too old for their characters - as much as I adore them both.
The bad girl story drags through to the last episode.

I've been waiting for one classic romcom all through 2024 - nothing through April.
And there seems to be a very dim light at the end of the years tunnel 😳

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wholesome, heartwarming, tear jerking, adorable

I will never stop saying good things about this drama. I started on a whim and fell in love. Just one more episode turned into let’s binge all of this. Waiting every week for it gave it a certain charm that just made it all the more enjoyable.

The best thing about this drama for me was the characters. They made everyone so damn likeable (except Cheungi, Eun Bi, and Yong Pil dad). Like genuinely, I would’ve watched a whole drama based on anyone of the characters. They’re all so wholesome, and the entire town is so cute. It’s such a close knit family, and they may be nosey at times but it’s because they care.

This was my Ji Chang Wook awakening. I have missed out. Then, I went to watch his other dramas, and I LOVE HIM EVEN MORE. He is so golden retriever coded. Lord bless me with a Cho Yong Pil.

The sisters were all so spectacular in each of their own way. I wish they gave more screen time for the other two sisters because their story was so worth it. THEYRE SO CUTE I SWEAR. The rich guy is such a puppy. He never did anything wrong. Hae-dal and Ha-yul are absolutely adorable. Hayul is a national treasure, and I can’t wait to see how the actress grows up.

The love story. IM DYINGGGGG. I thought I would be annoyed, but they did it so well. They’re very mature about it, and I love them so much. The Power Rangers are iconic, and I wish everyone could have friends like that.

THE MOM. Let me tell you, I love this woman. I love this actress too. I’ve seen here everywhere, and she ATEEEEEE.

This drama made me go through all the feels, and I feel so full from it.

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A true love never dies

Usually I am not that kind of guy who will let tears to fall because of some sweet emotions…BUT watching this drama….it totally got me.
When everything is packed in one peace, like comedy, drama, intence and love, you got one emotional product that leaves you speachless. Not many actors can bring such a pure emotions, like these two and one hufe applause for director of this drama. I can’t recall when was the last time I watched so touching series.
On every scene I can connect a real life, every emotions, every pain…everything. I think you really need to be maked from a stone and not to feel anything (like most of the comments)
We cannot play with love, I tried and got hurt. It is painful. A true love never dies and remain to be a true love for a lifteime…

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RESEÑA <3

No me pude enamorar más de los personajes y de la historia. Según iban pasando los capítulos, más pena me daba de que se acabara, y ahora de solo pensar en ella, me emociono. Estoy muy segura de que lo volveré a ver en algún otro momento.
Esta serie me va a dejar huella, y se a convertido en una de los mejores K-drama que he visto este febrero de 2024.

Cada personaje tiene sus cosas.
Yong- Pil es un personaje especial.
Me sentí identificada con Sam-Dal, por el hecho de querer hacer fotografía y estar orgullosa de sus exposiciones.
Las hermanas tienen una unión muy bonita.
La gente del pueblo es verdaderamente fantástica.
Los padres de las dos familias...
Todos ellos se ganaron mi cariño desde el principio.

La verdad, no puedo decir nada malo sobre ello.

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