Welcome to Samdal-ri episode 3 is here with the reunion of the soulmates of this island as we continue to dive deeper into the story. After the sweet and emotional last episode, we are moving on. The rom-com stars Ji Chang Wook, Shin Hye Sun, Seo Hyun-chul, Kim Mi-hwa, Yang Kyung-won, and Baek Hyun-joo alongside other cast members.
Directed by Cha Young-hoon, Welcome to Samdal-ri (웰컴투 삼달리) will have 16 episodes and be broadcast on JTBC in the Saturday-Sunday slot at 10:30 PM KST time slot previously occupied by Strong Girl Nam-soon. Welcome to Samdal-ri episode 3 has a run time of 61 minutes. It is titled ‘Like Wild Birds, Soaring, Dreaming, Decending’.
Welcome to Samdal-ri Trailer
-Welcome to Samdal-ri Episode 3 Recap Contains Spoiler-
Welcome to Samdal-ri Episode 3 Recap
The episode opens with Sam-dal and her friends on-route to Seoul, to make their dreams come true. These migratory birds are leaving their sweet town in the year 2005. It is four eagles instead of five this time. However, life in the fashionable city isn’t as glamorous as everyone thought. We see them do odd jobs and compromise to survive in the city.
Quickly enough, it is the year 2011 and we see Cha Eun-u at the airport, with a pregnant girl (presumably his wife as he ends up hugging her as a form of assurance). Bu Sang-do is also seen walking with his suitcase, leaving Seoul, but the year is 2015. Finally, it is 2023 and Sam-dal also returns to her hometown.
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We are soon back to where we left off in the previous episode. Yong-phil falls into the river in his process to save Sam-dal, and almost drowns until Sam-dal actually saves him. When Sam-dal pulls him out, he is mortified to even open his eyes, reminding Sam-dal of something that had happened between them before (where she was the mortified one). She goes on to act like Yong-phil, giving rise to a heartfelt scene.
Later, Yong-phil drops Sam-dal to her house and, during the walk, Sam-dal makes it clear that she is back only for a few days and not because she failed. When Yong-phil asks her if she is okay, she is overwhelmed remembering everything that happened and quickly goes inside. She ends up thinking about her earlier days with Yong-phil and how he has always been there for her. Meanwhile, Sam-dal’s mother is still affected by her daughter’s career fall.
The next day Yong-phil reads about what has happened to Sam-dal. On the other hand, Sam-dal’s employees call her to inform them that the news guy is continuing to snoop around to get dirt on her. When Yong-phil calls out for Sam-dal, the dog, our heroine runs to him to let him know not to tell people about her presence. But she soon realizes that Sam-dal is also the name of the community dog. Gyeong-tae ends up at the scene to meet the dog but, also ends up seeing Sam-dal in person, now knowing that she is back in Jeju.
Sam-dal’s mother keeps getting upset all throughout the day reading hate articles and comments on her daughter. Sam-dal tries to talk to her mother but, the latter is not reciprocating. Meanwhile, Gyeong-tae comes with Eun-u trying to see if Sam-dal is home. When they are unable to wait for long, they end up spreading the news to Sang-do on their way back. Sang-do ends up meeting Sam-dal.
Later at night when Sam-dal tries to take a walk to get some fresh air, all she ends up seeing is the entire island talking about her failure. She ends up near the community dog Sam-dal, where Yong-phil finds her. He invites her to join the other Eagles for a drink. However, when Sam-dal comes in she hears Gyeong-tae saying that he is happy that she failed and is back with the group. The misunderstanding causes Sam-dal to turn away. When everyone chases her to make sure she is okay, she breaks down because everyone wants to know her state but, not her story of the case.
Welcome to Samdal-ri Episode 3 Epilogue
We are back in 2005 seeing the gang together on Eun-u’s birthday, celebrating it with fish and seaweed. It is a fun time, although everyone’s part-time jobs get the better of them. Sang-do too sends in Eun-u’s favourite fish as a gift and gets on a call with the group.
Welcome to Samdal-ri Episode 3 Review
Welcome to Samdal-ri Episode 3 is beautifully layered. It has its moments of ignorance when it comes to Sam-dal’s feelings about her situation and everyone’s curiosity but, it all burns down to the emotional bits that roll at the end. The final monologue by Sam-dal really hits and makes you wonder about her story. This was a Sam-dal episode and, we cannot wait to see how her character ends up being open to exploration more.
Watch Welcome to Samdal-ri on Netflix.
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