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Zogitt

Australia

Zogitt

Australia
Welcome to Samdal-ri korean drama review
Completed
Welcome to Samdal-ri
1 people found this review helpful
by Zogitt
Jan 23, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 8.5
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 8.5
This review may contain spoilers

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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