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Premiere Watch: Welcome to Samdal-ri

Time slot: Saturday-Sunday
Broadcaster: JTBC
Genre: Rom-com, healing
Episode count: 16

Reasons to watch: Ji Chang-wook and Shin Hye-sun are turning out projects like crazy lately, so it was only a matter of time before they wound up headlining together – and a welcome pairing it is indeed. Shin Hye-sun plays our disgraced heroine who has to leave her fancy job and successful life in the city and return to her Jeju hometown. Where her childhood friend Ji Chang-wook still lives. Who’s also her ex. This is dramaland, folks, so buckle up for some hijinks, some swoony moments, and a heartfelt story about finding yourself again.

TL;DR: Shin Hye-sun x Ji Chang-wook in a healing Jeju romance (it’s a no-brainer!)

 
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Legal streaming site for this Kdrama: Netflix

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FYI for US viewers. Since SAMDAL-RI in not a Netflix original but a JTBC production airing S/S at 10:30pm in SK, we will have to wait for availability on Netflix after the episode airs in SK.

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Hey I'm good at the waiting game! Its worth it.

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Yippee! I can watch this! Thanks for the good news!

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Oh, it’s on! Have to keep my expectations in check, because we know what the summery posters and teasers promised versus what was actually being sold (looking at you, Castaway Diva & Summer Strike). But I’m definitely watching tonight! 🤓
Woohoooo(kie)!

*quick chant* Please no killer plot, please no killer plot, please no killer plot…

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She came back for a reason... So I'm pretty sure there will be some heavy moments. But no murder, please!

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“Disgraced heroine” - sounds more like a professional disaster than anything stabby. Perhaps a messed up photo shoot?

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And his back story has trauma (like the death of his mother) so WARNING this is not going to be all rom-com imho.

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And Ji Chang Wook makes the BEST sad, melancholy or thoughtful faces ever! (And all the other faces one needs to convey emotions)

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*chanting, lighting candles, incense, telling prayer beads* will do it ALL to ensure a happy and non-killer plot.

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Need to obtain a talisman from your local shaman. Unfortunately, as we learned from a previous show this year, he might be the serial killer!

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Just like Kim Young-kwang had an Evilive after Call it Love, I want Ji Chang-wook to have Welcome to Samdal-ri a happy, hopeful, healing drama after The Worst of Evil.

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Well, there are healing dramas and healing dramas. Writing is key... Hoping this is of the good kind, no hopelessly horrible people!

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Well it is a "strong start" so let's see.

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Cool! But I wonder if My man is Cupid has also premiered this week? It is supposed to be on Amazon Prime, which, unfortunatelly, I do not have acces to.

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Yes, 1&2 are up on Amazon Prime as of Sat morning.

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Getting rid of all the non existent social plans today.
Excited 😆

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Lol, I love this for us, me too!!!

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I was looking forward to Welcone to Samdal-Ri so sooo much.
I’m 20 minutes in …. and ……. I’m not feeling it.
The characters are overacting, and annoyingly over the top. I’m pausing for now….please tell me this gets better.

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2/3 of the way through ep 2 and it's pretty excruciating. All 3 sisters behave like idiots, ML and his friends ditto, the FL after her career slump has reverted to the usual dim, incoherent toddler behaviour beloved of too many FLs. Nobody has any common sense or dignity, a pointless situation is dragged out beyond endurance into farce (and its biggest crime is not being remotely funny). Surely some real comedy can be extracted from the story of an embarrassed career woman slinking back to her home town with her tail between her legs? It's giving me Our Blues echoes but a very very cheap and trite version.

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I have watched both episodes, came here to see what people are thinking and sadly agree with you Lostpanda -"The characters are overacting, and annoyingly over the top".
The cringe factor is high.
I am really disappointed for CJW with this show. The Worst of Evil may not have been everyone's cup of tea but he stole the show with his acting, he was phenomenal.
I would like to understand why he picked this role as now he is reduced to caricature level and I don't get any heartwarming vibes yet.
He is such a good actor but I personally think some of the roles he picks don't do him any justice.
I will try the next couple of episodes as sometimes the crazy tones go down, here's hoping anyway.

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Also I really HATE it when a young child (daughter of one of the sisters and is school age so maybe 6-8 years old max ) is portrayed to be more mature than the adults in conversation and mannerisms.

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US viewers. Episode one is now available on Netflix US.

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*happy dance*
Oh! to see Ji Chang-wook smiling and singing. I never thought I'd see that day. 😍

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This looks like it will be what it is advertised to be, which makes me happy. I also get slight Hometown Cha Cha Cha vibes, which also makes me happy. We'll see.

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Don’t trust the advertising!😳

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Oh no! Have you seen the first ep? What was it like?

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No, No, was just assuming from previous experiences that it might not be entirely fun and games! I hope this one will follow truth in advertising for all of our sakes.

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I got interested in watching this show because it sounded like an interesting story, which previews and publicity called a "healing drama"; and because of the outstanding male and female leads. But having watched the first two episodes, I find the actions of the main characters to be unrealistic and not the way people behave. I hate that, even when it is supposed to be a comedy. For example, there are better ways to demonstrate that Chang-Wook is passionate about his weatherman job than showing him trying to break down a locked door at work. And his petulance at work does not make him a likeable character; it makes me wonder how he has not been fired yet. That is both bad writing and bad directing. The over-the-top side characters and the buffoonish clowning (I can't even call it acting) is painful to watch. Hae-Sun's mother is particularly painful to watch, which is too bad because I have liked that actress in other dramas. Also, Korean drama's should stop showing parents hitting their children.
I'll give this show another few episodes to improve before deciding whether to give up on it.

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