After losing his mother—who worked as a haenyeo (female diver who harvests sea life)—at a young age due to a mistaken weather report, Cho Yong Pil makes up his mind to become a weather forecaster and protect the elders of his hometown. However, his passion and refusal to let misinformation slide earns him a reputation at work as a stubborn troublemaker who isn’t afraid to argue with his boss. Cho Sam Dal grew up with Cho Yong Pil. Unlike Cho Yong Pil, content to remain in his hometown of Samdalri, Cho Sam Dal makes it her mission to get out of their small town and move to Seoul. After years of toiling away as an assistant in the fashion photography industry, Cho Sam Dal—who changes her name to Cho Eun Hye in Seoul—finally succeeds and makes it to the top. However, when everything she’s worked so hard to build comes crashing down in the blink of an eye, she returns to Samdalri, where people still know her as Sam Dal and not Eun Hye. Although Cho Yong Pil and Cho Sam Dal used to be joined at the hip when they were younger, the once inseparable friends are no longer in contact with one another due to an incident that drove them apart. When Cho Sam Dal returns to Samdalri, however, they find that the longtime affection they once had for one another comes rushing back. (Sources: Soompi; Netflix; edited by MyDramaList) Edit Translation
- English
- 한국어
- Arabic
- Русский
- Native Title: 웰컴투 삼달리
- Also Known As: Welcome to Samdalri , Welkeomtu Samdalri
- Screenwriter: Kwon Hye Joo
- Director: Cha Young Hoon
- Genres: Comedy, Romance, Life, Drama
Where to Watch Welcome to Samdal-ri
Cast & Credits
- Ji Chang Wook Main Role
- Shin Hye Sun Main Role
- Kim Mi Kyung Support Role
- Seo Hyun Chul Support Role
- Shin Dong Mi Support Role
- Kang Mi Na Support Role
Reviews
Wasted Potential: The Bittersweet Journey to Samdalri
This show was a mixed experience for me with some episodes being enjoyable while others left me frustrated. Despite this, the standout performances and compelling storylines justified watching it.Now i will discuss what i liked and disliked.
What I Liked:
Great Acting: The performances were superb with impressive portrayals from the main leads, veterans and even minor roles. Kim Mi Kyung and Shin Haesun in particular excelled in their roles.
Compelling Supporting Storylines: Samdal's sister's narratives were surprisingly engaging, occasionally surpassing the main plot in interest.
Breathtaking Jeju Visuals: The show beautifully showcased Jeju's natural charm, perfectly in line with its healing genre, thanks to the director's skillful capture of landscapes.
Yongpil and His Mother's Bond: I absolutely loved Yongpil and Ko Mija's relationship. Im mentioning Ko Mija as Yongpil's mother's because he genuinely considered her as his own mother and she reciprocated the same feeling. Some may have misunderstood some of Yongpil's actions towards Ko Mija due to his love for Samdal but to me he was doing everything for his own mother, Ko Mija. He even chose to break up with Samdal to protect Ko Mija, sacrificed his dream, which truly reflects his immense love for his mother, Ko Mija.
What I Disliked
Flawed Writing: The writing here was poor, particularly in crafting the lead characters. FL's character is poorly written lacking the ability to stand up for herself, very disappointing, especially when she had evidence against Eunju but chose silence. Its perplexing how forgiving she appears towards someone who made her life miserable, forcing her to give up her career. While some argue its not a revenge driven show, standing up for oneself isnt revenge. Yongpil, initially a promising character comes off as clingy at times, seemingly oblivious to personal space. The writer neglected to properly develop his character, the first half focused on establishing FL's character and the second half's attempt at Yongpil's story was unconvincing. Equal importance to both leads from the start would have improved the narrative.
Second Male Lead: Despite not being malicious or negative his storyline was unconvincing and felt like filler, a major dislike for me. His scenes in the second half of the drama were particularly irritating. I find it hard to comprehend how he could be in one sided love with Samdal for over 30 years. While i can understand Yongpil's feelings given their past relationship but what about him?? Samdal never viewed him romantically, she never dated him or provided any hope yet he couldnt let go of his feelings for her for such long period of time.
Yongpil's Dad's Arc: The storyline involving Yongpil's dad was poorly written. While the actions of other characters in that track like the main leads breaking up were somewhat understandable, Yongpil's dad's treatment towards Samdal's family was childish and unreasonable. Despite understanding his pain from losing his wife, making his son's life miserable just because of that is unsympathetic. His entire storyline could have been handled much better.
Inconsistent Engagement: My connection with this show was strange like i would enjoy one episode but the next one would annoy me the most. The inconsistency in writing was evident and i didnt appreciate it.
Talking about the chemistry between the leads, i would say they had more of a best friends dynamic than that of lovers. Honestly, throughout the entire time, i never perceived them as lovers but rather as best friends forever. This could be seen as both positive and negative but given the romance genre here, my opinion tends towards the negative.
In conclusion despite its wasted potential, the show provided a decent pastime experience.
Visuals and Vibes Only
So everyone gets a redemption apart from the evil incarnate assistant whose arc isn’t even properly closed. When does she appear in the story? Only when it seems like Cho Sam Dal is seemingly happy and not having a visible breakdown every single episode. The story focuses on the downfall and the eventual big comeback of a well know photographer, but everything feels so half done. Many times the plot and subplots felt so forced. The small town portrayal of the village folk didn’t really pass, the trauma arcs were dragged for too long throughout the story. Sometimes it made me wonder if they are actually almost in their mid-30s.The humour was quite slapstick at times. The only positives for me were the scenic visuals and the leads who are amazing at what they do. The storyline is weak, and the execution is underwhelming. If I wasn’t watching as it aired, I would have probably dropped it.
Recent Discussions
Title | Replies | Views | Latest Post | |
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What was the reason you started watching "Welcome to Samdal" by dreamfull78 | 37 | 0 | Emmie1507 Apr 8, 2024 | |
people in their 40's, single, no child by deidra | 2 | 0 | deidra Mar 28, 2024 | |
What for low ratings, negative reviews. Is this drama really bad ??? by Shinnosuke_Lee | 27 | 0 | JulySnow2 Mar 27, 2024 | |
What is your favoroite lines? by dreamfull78 | 12 | 0 | deidra Mar 13, 2024 | |
Drama ended, what's your thoughts !!! by Shinnosuke_Lee | 7 | 0 | Shin_da_som Jan 22, 2024 | |
The best drama in every aspect.. by Shinnosuke_Lee | 1 | 0 | redrover Jan 22, 2024 |