Early Access: Welcome to Samdalri E1-2 (Patreon)

E1-2. So I've only be eagerly anticipating this show, since Show released its first teaser, so it's no small deal to say that I liked the look and feel of Show, right away.

Immediately, in the first few minutes of episode 1, I was struck by the easy-breezy music, and the gorgeous - GORGEOUS - Jeju scenery. 🤩

That pretty much sealed the deal for me; I couldn't pass up watching this show, because it promised many opportunities for me to immerse myself in relaxing, happy music, and soak up the Jeju Pretty. 🥰

That said, I have to admit that I did not love this show unreservedly, this pair of episodes, so let's talk about that first.

So yes, there's some lens adjustment needed for the somewhat loud, boisterous tone of many of our characters.

I think that some measure of this is par for the course, especially when you have a story that takes place in some kind of small town setting, where people just have a tendency to talk louder.

To be clear, I am in-principle very ok with this.

The issue I have with Show, is how it makes Ji Chang Wook's character Yong Pil act all crazy-shouty in a work situation.

The way he's going at it, ready to bust the door down, all the while yelling at the top of his voice, is really beyond the boundaries of believability, for me.

I find it hard to believe that someone acting like this at work, on a regular basis, no less, hasn't been fired yet. Or disciplined.

Instead, people bear with his antics while grumbling among themselves - his boss included! - and they all seem to really think he's some kind of genius, which is why he's got an invitation to join HQ.

C'mon now. Really? I find this verryyy hard to believe.

I'm rolling with it, because well, I do like other elements in the show so far, which I'll talk about soon, and also, I'm telling myself that Show probably meant it for Funny - and I just wasn't jiving with Show's sense of humor. Maybe?

I basically didn't care for any time Show leaned into what I think of as shouty humor; it's just not funny to me, I don't know why?

I don't know if it's the comic timing of the actors involved, or the overall execution of the scene; it all looks try-hard to my eyes. But.. maybe that's just me? 🤷🏻‍♀️

As a side note, I do feel like maybe I've watched too many dramas or something, because various parts of this story world are giving me a sense of déjà vu. 😅

Like:

The weather station setting, which reminds me of Forecasting Love and Weather;

The Jeju setting, and the focus on haenyeo, which reminds me of Our Blues;

The seaside, healing drama for a returning female lead, which reminds me of Hometown Cha Cha Cha.

These various elements are all giving me the sneaking feeling that I've maybe watched a version of this drama before 😅 - but I'm thinking of all this as a welcome familiarity, as much as possible.

Because, aside from my not actually enjoying Forecasting Love and Weather, and therefore having even less patience with the Intended Funny (I assume) at the weather station, I have fond memories of both Our Blues and Hometown Cha Cha Cha.

And so, I do think that adjusting your lens to expect something familiar instead of fresh, would be helpful.

Like Jennifer said recently (I think it was in reference to My Demon), sometimes familiar is all you need. 😁

Ah - on a related tangent, since we're talking about familiarity - I really do love having Ji Chang Wook and Kim Mi Kyung sharing the screen again. Him calling her "Omma" is so reminiscent of Healer calling her "Ahjumma," back in the day, yes? 🥲

Which brings me to the things that I am enjoying, in this story world.

I love Kim Mi Kyung, and it's just a treat, to have her on my screen again. I just know that she's going to have me eating out of her hand before very long, even though her character is on the gruff side, from the get-go.

I also like the idea of the three sisters; I hadn't even realized that Sam Dal would even have sisters, and of course, I therefore hadn't realized that Sam Dal's return to Jeju would be a group event, but I kinda dig it.

I love Shin Dong Mi, and welcome her casting as Unni, Jin Dal.

Right away, she's giving me Protective Elder Sis energy, even though we see her nagging at Sam Dal, particularly in episode 1.

It almost seems like an unwritten rule, that every warm drama world has to contain an precocious, outspoken kid who's wise beyond their years, so it's kind of a tired trope by now, BUT, I find that I do like our resident munchkin Ha Yul quite well.

She's cute without being cutesy, and she doesn't strike me as try-hard, when it comes to the mature-beyond-her-years schtick.

One thing I find myself wondering, is whether viewers think that Sam Dal's been framed / misunderstood, or if they feel that she really did abuse her power.

Personally, I think it's quite easy to see that Sam Dal did not intend to abuse her power, nor be unkind to her assistant Eun Ju.

And, overall, I'd say that her treatment of Eun Ju was fairly ok, in the general realm of kdrama work dynamics.

Meaning to say, yes, she's shown as being rather tough and strict, and there are times when she raises her voice, but at the same time, she's not without her moments of consideration.

Like when Eun Ju first says that she chose the scarf because it was pretty, Sam Dal doesn't lose her temper at Eun Ju right away, and explains why she feels that the scarf doesn't suit their photoshoot concept.

She does lose her temper after this, when Eun Ju still sends the model out wearing the scarf, but this is where I feel Eun Ju's out of line. Like, if your boss tells you no, it's not your place to defy that order, and overturn the decision - particularly in front of a bunch of co-workers.

Therefore, I do think that Sam Dal was justified in losing her temper at Eun Ju.

At the same time, it's clear that there's a lot more going on between these two women, beneath the surface.

Clearly, there's a lot of built-up resentment and jealousy on Eun Ju's part, where she feels that Sam Dal hasn't been acknowledging her talent, or giving her the opportunities that she feels that she deserves.

However, that doesn't make it ok for Eun Ju to go all passive-aggressive on Sam Dal, and work to actually steal Sam Dal's boyfriend - just to prove that she's better than Sam Dal, at least in some way.

That said, because I'm currently also watching Daily Dose of Sunshine, I'm more open to the idea of considering that perhaps Eun Ju suffers from some kind of mental issue, which might be affecting her ability to think or act rationally, in this situation.

With the information that we've been given, it's possible to say that Eun Ju staged the whole suicide attempt, in order to take Sam Dal down, and that's why she'd recorded their conversation, so that she could support her case.

However, it's also possible that Eun Ju's mentally unwell, and that Sam Dal's words had contributed to her depression or delusion, and she'd genuinely felt suicidal as a result.

Because of this possibility, I'm withholding judgment on this, until Show gives us more information.

And I do think that this is Show's intention as well, since we do see Sam Dal reconsidering her actions, by the time we end episode 2.

Even though Sam Dal hadn't intended to abuse her power, and had assumed that her tone and words were within the reasonable scope of what a boss might say to her staff member, she's now re-evaluating her actions, and thinking about whether she'd actually been abusive without realizing it.

I'd say that that's good food for thought, not just for Sam Dal, but for us as viewers too. Points to Show, for nudging us towards a touch of self-reflection.

As for Sam Dal's character, I appreciate that Show is giving us insight to her vulnerabilities, so that we can tell that the tough, who-cares persona that she adopts with her co-workers, isn't quite the real her.

This is more of her using that tough persona to mask her insecurities and hurts, because people can't make fun of her pain, if they don't see it - at least, I think that's the thinking behind it.

We see Sam Dal's fragility and vulnerability even more clearly, when, as a result of Eun Ju's accusation, she gets canceled, just like what we've seen happen to various celebrities, once their scandals come to light.

I do think Show is making a point about how harsh the court of public opinion is, and clearly, because Sam Dal isn't portrayed as being malicious, Show's saying that sometimes, innocent people get hurt - destroyed, even - because of scandals that might not even be their fault.

At least, I think that that's what Show is saying, with Sam Dal's scandal.

And then, of course, there's the situation between Yong Pil and Sam Dal.

I think Show does a neat job of giving us a sense of the connection between them, from the time they were kids, to when they grew up and fell in love, and then to when they broke up.

Clearly, things aren't cordial between them, since each of them is so keen to keep distance between them, with her refusing to go to Jeju, and him refusing to go to Seoul, for any reason.

I rather like that Show doesn't waste any time bringing them back into each other's orbits, with Sam Dal returning to Jeju in order to hide from all the harassment from reporters.

And I also like the epilogues that we get at the end of both episodes, which help to add color to the relationship between Sam Dal and Yong Pil, over the years.

The thought that comes to mind, for me, is how futile this relationship must have felt for Yong Pil, since Sam Dal's been very clear from the outset, that she longs to leave Jeju for good, while he's set on being a Jeju boy for good.

I mean, those are two very different life goals right there, so it feels like they're mismatched from the start?

But of course, it's possible for love to conquer all, and even though love did not conquer all to begin with, maybe love can conquer all this time?

Because it's quite clear to see that they still mean something to each other, even though they've been broken up for some years now.

The way they come face to face with each other, because Yong Pil mistakes Sam Dal for a thief in her parent's home, is the stuff of kdrama tropes, but the thing that gets me, and grounds it for me, is the genuine emotion that I feel, from both Yong Pil and Sam Dal.

There's Sam Dal's mortification and humiliation, threaded through with visible sadness, and there's also Yong Pil's shock, awkwardness and genuine concern; both of their reactions grab me and ground me, such that I am suddenly invested in these two people finding a way to be honest with each other.

I'm curious about the circumstances of their breakup, because we see her breaking up with him first, and then we see another flashback, where he then is the one breaking up with her, when she'd clearly not wanted to break up with him.

I'm guessing that he'd broken up with her, in order to set her free to pursue her dream? We'll have to wait for Show to fill in the details around this, but I'm keen to have these two have an honest conversation, so that they aren't misunderstanding each other any longer (or at least, I'm assuming there's some degree of misunderstanding at work, whether intentional or not).

As we close out episode 2, I feel bad for Mom, who finally hears the truth - or, well, at least a version of the truth - about why Sam Dal's home in Jeju, all of a sudden.

I'm also kind of worried, because Dad's indicated that Mom shouldn't be exposed to shock, because it's bad for her health, and we do also see her taking those pills.

I really hope that this news won't be too much for Mom to handle.

Of course, there's also the scene where Yong Pil saves Sam Dal from falling into the water, but then falls in himself.

How curious, that someone who's grown up on Jeju Island, appears to be unable to swim? I wonder what that's about?

I'm relieved that Sam Dal's got enough of her wits about her tipsy self, to jump in the water to rescue Yong Pil.

That feels like a great flip of the childhood flashback that we get in the epilogue, where it's Yong Pil who saves Sam Dal from getting stung by bees, and is cheerful about it, even though he gets stung on the eye, in the process.

Aw. What an endearing little hero. 🥰

And how sweet is his general sentiment, that if even he runs away like the others, then what would become of Sam Dal?

That feels like the exact same sentiment that's at work, with the scene in the recent present, where we seen Yong Pil going to attend the canceled exhibition, so that Sam Dal would have at least one visitor to her exhibition.

Aw. He very much cares. 🥲

Which makes me even more curious to see how this reunion between Yong Pil and Sam Dal pans out going forward, now that they're finally in the same space again.

Next episode notes will be out on: Wednesday, 13 Dec 2023!

* This show will be covered on the VVIP Early Access (US$ 20) tier! *