The eleventh and twelfth episodes of Welcome to Samdal-Ri have been the best of the series so far. The fun and the surprises keep piling on, and the best part is that the central characters have the least to do with it, as we see in the following recap of Episode 12.
Spoiler Alert
What are the sisters doing?
It is hard to say whether Jin Dal is softening up to Dae Young or if she is helping him for the sake of her mother. Nevertheless, she shows up for the theme park meeting the next day, and once again, it is evident that she is Dae Young’s protector. He could not solve a single problem that the villagers were bringing up, and it was Jin Dal who was offering meaningful solutions. Dae Young was proud of his ex-wife, and he told her how this reminded him of the old days, when she used to be his knight in shining armor. Jin Dal misses Dae Young as well, but the problem in their relationship is that Dae Young never did the bare minimum of protection that was required. Jin Dal could have handled her in-laws by herself if Dae Young had not unintentionally added to their insults. To this day, Jin Dal’s family doesn’t know of all that she went through at her in-laws’ place, and a part of why Jin Dal has kept that a secret is to protect Dae Young’s reputation.
Meanwhile, Hae Dal takes Ha Yul to the aquarium, where they run into the dolphin watcher, who is standing outside holding a board, asking for the dolphins to be let out into the sea. The man probably knows that Ha Yul is Hae Dal’s daughter since he saw her comment on Ha Yul’s Instagram post. He tells Hae Dal about Ha Yul crying by the sea, and Hae Dal finally understands what her daughter is thinking. She was protecting her grandmother because she thought that it was indirectly protecting Hae Dal. Ha Yul felt responsible for her mother’s happiness and safety, and it is a surprising concern for a nine-year-old to have. Hae Dal remembers when she had her daughter, and her parents insisted on raising her so that Hae Dal could live her life. But Hae Dal had insisted that Ha Yul would not be apart from her. It turns out that despite all the care, Ha Yul had internalized the feeling of being an obstruction in her mother’s life and was taking on the role of a caretaker to compensate for it.
Why does Eun Ju come to Samdal?
As usual, Eun Ju is more focused on ways to bring Sam Dal down than working on her own craft and skills. People are asking for Cho Eun Hye (Sam Dal) since the controversy around her has started dying down. When Eun Ju hears that, she immediately uploads a video of her mother beating up Sam Dal outside the hospital as a way to reignite the controversy and remind people of the scandal. However, none of this is helping Eun Ju herself. She did not have a theme for the shoot, and she took it out on her ADs by saying that they did not find the right locations. They were both tired of her attitude and incompetence and quit the job, saying that she learned nothing from Eun Hye. Eun Ju needs a location, and she decides to go to Samdal because she once heard Eun Hye mention how that place had great hidden gems with retro vibes. Cheon Gi rightly points out that Eun Ju is obsessed with Eun Hye at this point.
Back in Samdal-Ri, people are angry with Eun Ju because of the video. Sam Dal’s friends try to file a complaint with the police against Eun Ju’s mother, but the officer advises them against it as the public opinion against Sam Dal would only worsen. But when people start seeing Eun Ju and Cheon Gi in town, there is no stopping the anger coming their way. These two did not think that Sam Dal would ever come here since she always claimed to hate the place. But that is where they were wrong. When Mi Ja saw them, she did not waste a second and doused them with stale vinegar. Mi Ja says that she understood Eun Ju’s mother’s anger, but it was Eun Ju who needed to be punished for her lies and malice. Even Sam Dal warns Eun Ju that she is on her turf, and it wouldn’t be the same as Seoul.
Does Sang Tae cause Sam Dal and Yong Pil to break up?
Sam Dal and Yong Pil are officially together, though they haven’t told anyone about it. Mi Ja had always supported their relationship, and even now, she isn’t saying anything, though it is clear that she is scared about what could happen. She tried talking to Sang Tae, but as usual, he insulted her and sent her off. Sam Dal is aware of how Sang Tae treats Mi Ja, which is why she believes that her mother may be against the relationship or have reservations about it. But seeing her approval is a breath of fresh air.
When Mi Ja sees the video of Sam Dal being hit, she gets angry at how her daughter is being treated by people. Mi Ja realizes that Sam Dal has made a habit of keeping things to herself instead of confiding in others, and that is mostly because she thought that she must be alone. After Mi Ja pours the vinegar over Eun Ju and Cheon Gi, she declares that she will not let anyone treat her children badly again. While Sang Tae had caused Sam Dal’s breakup, Mi Ja had been standing by and letting it happen. Perhaps it was her own guilt or consideration for her dead friend’s husband, but she had never said anything. Mi Ja vows that she isn’t going to let such things slide anymore.
At the end of Welcome to Samdal-Ri episode 12, Sang Tae comes to know from Yong Pil’s boss that he has been with Sam Dal for the past few days. In a fit of fury, Sang Tae goes to the hideout and asks Sam Dal why she came back after he begged her to break up with his son. It turns out that Yong Pil never knew why Sam Dal broke up with him. The audience was under the impression that he had guessed, but that was far from the truth.
Final Thoughts
It is hard to predict what will happen next in Welcome to Samdal-Ri. On one hand, it all looks a little predictable, but on the other hand, everything takes a little too much time, constantly proving our guesses wrong. At the very least, Eun Ju’s character arc should be resolved next week.
