Welcome to Samdal-ri (2023)

This felt like watching a shortened family drama. Most of the side couple content has been removed & they focused on the family conflict and the main couple, but it still had that family drama presentation. I think this could have worked better in the 50 episode format as well. Not because I would have wanted more of the same, but rather had the side couples each gotten a couple episode's worth of screen time I think the annoying things could have been far less pronounced and we had so many sidelined characters with immense rom-comedy potential, or I don't know we could have watched the younger sister training as a haenyo..

The biggest problems I've had with this drama are the absurdity of the old breakup & the absurdity of the decade long unrequited loves. Of course I found the toxic dad extremely annoying & his sudden change of heart ridiculous as well, but that is ultimately just one bad episode of 16, so that would not have been a deal breaker.

Overall I would say that this drama has been a bit sloppily executed. The cast is absolutely amazing, but many of the actors did not take this very seriously & immersion breaking performances were not corrected. In case there is a problem, it's the director's job to call out the ng, in this drama they settled for "barely acceptable" way too many times. This is very common with family dramas, but those are typically far lower budget, so the lower production values are to be expected.

The writing is all over the place & there are countless problems with character motivations, personality adjustments and just nonsensical stuff, even for this genre.

Can Triangle haters watch this drama? Well, I'm not sure. The second ML does not really do anything, there are no three way handgrabs and whatnot, but I found his character to be extremely annoying. (It's a poorly written character, doubt any of the triangle lovers would be able to feel SLS for him)

To say something good as well, I found the non-gloomy parts of the drama quite funny & it's nice how it's relatively low on product placements. Jeju Island is the product placement, but this is the best kind there can be :-)

Ah, I almost forgot. While this drama is not very tropy, it's really annoying how 30 somethings who have dated in the past for many years acted like preteens in love & we have even gotten two typical sleep together, but do nothing scenes.

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Based on this review it may not seem like it, but there really was a lot of wasted potential here. They had most of the ingredients to cook a great meal, but unfortunately the cooks were drunk.

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Hometown healing

Jan. 21, 2024

Welcome to Sam-dal ri is definitely that kdrama for healing. Not revenge.

For starters, I know a lot of other people have mentioned how they love how this show gets better as it goes on. And that is so true. I never really expected to love this drama if you asked me around the first few episodes. It is a slower pace slice of life show. It alleviates that fast-life city feeling, as it is set in a small town. You know, as a person who grew up in the city, I kind of feel jealous and I really do want to experience that slower pace type of living.

The plot of the show is amazing, it is pretty good in terms of the story telling and how it was delivered throughout the episodes. I did wish though that the so called "antagonists" got much harsher ending for all the things they have committed. I do know that this is not a revenge drama but regardless, it fell flat in that area.

The cast is amazing and I feel like this drama is very underrated or underrepresented in terms of all the kdramas that on the smae air-time as this one. So please give Welcome to Sam-dal ri the love and recognition it deserves!

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It is ok if you don’t like it

Final review (even tho it is not finished).

I want to say, as the top review says, it is one of fhe drama that you need to see it for yourself to “rate it”. And still, it is one of the kdrama that will be hard to judge as it will take a lot of subjective thoughts (more than other dramas) to say it is good or not.

So my opinion isn’t necessary. But here is what I can tell you. This is not a revenge drama, this is a healing drama. Weirdly enough, not healing for you but for the characters. And this is where it is hard to understand, because we usually make contents for others (viewers) but it feels like it was made for its creator. Like a self letter.

Romance is not the main arc of the drama.

Characters are not meant to be flawless, on the opposite. And this can be extremely irritating, frustrating, want to throw out your screen off the wall sometimes. They are also meant to be disliked. I believe there is a reason but it is too much out of my own speculation to be taken seriously..

Even after knowing all these and pounder everything it is not the best drama or the year and won’t be. Neither will it be the best performances of the whole cast. BUT we appreciate a lot their acting because it is actually a sort of acting demonstration here from everyone.

Now watch it and make your own judgement. Do not let comments influence you. You might love it and if you drop out it is fine too. It is not made for everyone.

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Having a place to return to is an incredible relief

Originally I was not going to watch this series. I had put it on my not interested list and kind of forgot about it. On the day that it began airing, I was talking to my friend and they asked if I was going to watch it. I decided to give episode 1 a try and see how it was going to go and I am so happy that I did. The number of life lessons and eye opening moments I observed, learned, or took to heart throughout this series... I love the message behind the series and just how much it related to me, my situation, and where I am going in life is shocking. "As always, we're going for only as long as our breath allows without being greedy. And whenever we're out of breath, we'll come back to that place."

This kdrama is honestly probably one of my most favorite I have seen, but it is not perfect. I loved so much about it and how I don’t feel as if there were any holes in the plot. Whenever I had a question, it would be answered at some point. There isn’t a difficult to understand premise and it is a super easy watch. The only aspect of the show that really made me feel uneasy and upset was the amount of alcohol consumption. I have watched hundreds of kdrama but I do not think I have seen one with this amount of beer or soju. It seemed at some points all they did in their spare time was consume alcohol.

My favorite character of the series is the Jeju Dolphin Center’s very own Gong Jichan, played by Kim Minchul. I loved the side story with him and learning more about Haeyul and Haedal. If there was a series just for these three, I would watch it.

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Welcome to a little bit of everything

This is a sweet drama combining parts of Our Beloved Summer, Reply 1988 and with something more... i am not really sure what that is is could be hometown cha cha cha (without the leads regressing in character) it could be som idol drama... maybe parts of Our Blues. Whatever it is I am sure I have seen most of this drama before most of which was really enjoyable but highly predictable. Which was fine until the cringe came along with voices speaking together as one and some trope that jus got on my nerves lowering the score.

Both leads in this drama are absolutely phenomenal, I had forgotten how good Ji Chan Wook is at being sweet, and while it did feel a bit odd to see him as just a regular guy not trying to kill anyone and fully dressed all the time, he definitely has this amazing charm and is indeed capable of captivating the audience.

Shin Hye Sun was also very well casted as she is probably the queen of hot, cold and vulnerable all put in to one

The scenery here is lovely, and the drama is pretty much a commercial to visit Jeju Island while minding the crowds at the popular tourist spots. The use of water and umbrellas is great and I am pretty sure there is a referens in there to the umbrella scene in Something in the Rain with a twist. Other things that had me baffeld was the amount of alcohol the people in this dram could consume without ending up at a hospital or dead.

I love the friendships, the sisterhood, the kid, the families the blasts to the past and learning about the weather. I could do without the actual reasons for the drama in this show as they where not very relatable and lacked depth beyond the depth of the sea... Other things that bothered me where over the top characters with the typical over the top imbedded moments of not that again that many other drama watchers love but just get on my nerves. That said this is an enjoyable watch, an easy binge and couple that is a pure joy to watch.

Healing is kind of my nemesis I knew that going in to this so I will leave it at a it could have been a lot worse, but it was still there to take away from my personal experience. For those of you who love watching healing dramas and do not mind moments of over the top, maybe you even love the moment of over the top then this is defiantly a must watch. For those who can appreciate a mature romance this is also a pretty decent place to find. it.


P.s. this drama was probably also part of the find a deep connection challenge among the writers of Korea, and while it seems to have only lasted one life time I would say it may not be as twisted as some of the other drams with this theme it goes deeper under water than some of the multiple lifetime themed onec out there.

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A heartwarming and beautiful story that sadly isn't for everyone to enjoy!

I'll start my review off with a a line quoted from the series.....

“ keep your head below the water only for as long as you can breathe and when you feel like you can't do it anymore then get out of the water and catch your breath "
- Samdari hanyeos.

This drama has been a pleasant journey, it managed to mix up different genres and tags and still made things work some how, we had family friend romance an ex lovers troupe childhood friends to lovers troupe and many more.

What I loved about this drama?

- The consistent story telling...they stuck to what the story had to be from beginning to end..it had to be a healing drama filled with life lessons, rekindling relationships such as friendship and family and it did exactly that..I was sold to the way the story was being told in an engaging manner and with atmosg consistency.
- The acting..this was one of the dramas biggest strengths...every character in the series even the little girl could actually act or potray their feelings In the most believable way in a way that getting attached to the characters didn't feel like a problems because it happened naturally.
- The characters...Except for a few annoying ones most of the characters in the drama had personality...they could stand on their own because they had their own stories....one more thing is the flawed presentation of characters that was done absolutely well, these characters were hurt and flaws and imperfect but that was the charm they added to the series...their character development seemed natural and it happened along the way without feeling random or forced..the characters were given room to make mistakes and heal and make wrong decisions that they later learner from and that was another charm in the series.
- The couple's chemistry.. The main couples served longing and Agust and it was done really well....the other side couples were also cute and were the cherry on top of the drama either way all had amazing chemistry.
- The Samdarli community that I felt part of in these six weeks.

Overall there was plenty to like about this drama to be honest...I felt healed and warmed up and also heartbroken by the story..I was so emotionally invested.

Things I didn't like?

- The unnecessary love triangle that was trying to be created...it felt not needed in the progress of the story.

Other than that...this was a good watch....I mean what do I expect from putting together amazing actors and actresses...Shin Hye Sun's acting range and emotion potrayal got me so attached to her character and rooted for her...Ji Chang wook proved once again that he's a versatile actor and I support him trying out different roles because he's an amazing actor...the rest of the actors and actresses too did a good job with their roles.

Do I recommend this drama?

YES..it might seem like the type of drama that isn't for many but it's a nice watch if you want something healing relaxing yet heartbreaking at times..you will laugh and cry but it will all be worthwhile....so please don't mind the ratings and give it a chance yourself.....

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Not happy with the ending

Each aspect of the drama was impeccably executed. All the lingering questions were addressed in the final episodes, so I highly recommend watching it through. The acting from every character, including the leads and supporting cast, was truly remarkable. Whenever the male lead shed tears, I found myself deeply moved, mirroring the emotions of the female lead. Their performances truly touched my heart. However, the ending of the drama left me somewhat disappointed. I felt that not every character received a proper resolution, especially the one who harbored unrequited love for the female lead. Similarly, the female lead's sister deserved a fulfilling love story of her own. Ultimately, I yearned to witness the marriage of the main characters. Despite this, the drama was an overall enjoyable experience.

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A wholesome sometimes chaotic drama that shows the values of having family and friends

A good wholesome heartwarming story that shows you can withstand everything when your family is by your side.
A girl who loses everything in an instant unwillingly goes back to her hometown and slowly gains back her confidence and rises up again to face the world. In the process old scars are healed, broken relationships are fixed, the love that was once lost blooms up again.

Shin Hye Sun nails it again just like she has done in every drama she has starred in. Be it portraying a strong and ambitious photographer Eun Hye or the girl behind that strong persona who is just trying to run away from her painful past. She manages to show all the emotions spot on.

Ji Chang Wook is one hell of a versatile actor. From portraying a monstrous grey character in "The Worst Of Evil" to the sweet yet chaotic guy next door in this show, he shines brightly. Him as Yong Pil is one big green flag of a guy who is always there for his loved ones and is ready to sacrifice anytime for their happiness.

The chemistry between the leads as two childhood sweethearts turned ex is amazing. Be it their childish banter or making up for regrets, everything is done beautifully. It isn't just the leads but also the side characters that make it even more fun to watch. Each and every character is placed well in the story and are quite enjoyable to watch.

The show has plenty of cute, funny, chaotic, emotional and uplifting moments making it a really good watch and worth your time.

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This is it. This is my comfort drama.

This is it. I found my comfort drama. Whenever people would say that "this was their comfort drama", I never understood what that meant. Sure, I had dramas that I loved, dramas that I would rewatch, and dramas that I thought were absolute masterpieces. But this is the only drama where I definitely felt "this is my comfort drama". This was such a feel good, slice of life, realistic drama. I absolutely loved it and I know I'll be coming back to watch this time and time again.
I don't think I have much else to say, sure the drama may have its flaws but this was such a heartwarming ride that I really don't mind. It was still such a beautiful portrayal of life, friendship, and family.

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