So much to love this week! Our dopey chaebol misunderstanding a situation...but also totally understanding the situation. Ajumma being spunky and telling everyone to keep their paws of her body and her agency. Yong-pil moving out and living his own life faster than Hyo-shim in Live Your Own Life. Wang Gyeong-tae being the awesomest side character in this show...he's a better "2ML" than our actual 2ML, who, let's be honest, needs to get a grip faster than Jang Shin-yu.

C'mon dude, that's Ji Chang-wook over there you're "at war" with. That's the most losing-est of battles ever waged. I know there are literally no other 38-40 year old women in all of Samdal-ri, (I mean, have YOU seen any in the show?), but pack in the towel. Move to the States! Go to Switzerland! I hear that's a great place to meet Korean women! Once a year anyway.

This show keeps me entertained from beginning to end.

There was more drinking. Everyone drank to move the story forward. Mindless drinking.
The scene where SamDal takes the pictures of the newly wedded couples was very very sweet. Yong Pil standing by looking like he would burst with pride added to the poignance.

Sang Do is the exact reason I hate love triangles: the pining, hurt feelings, and awkwardness. And I don't even feel for him except kinda irked because how and why can't he move on? They never even actually dated, she lived in a different area for 18 years, she didn't even stay in contact with him, and he's become very wealthy so likely he would have his choice of women. Is it suppose to be the romanticism of "the one that got away" or "if only I had confessed first, what would have been"? Neither of those things appeal to me personally so I couldn't care less about this plot. And on a superficial level, I feel like I'm seeing a giant spotlight on why one is the lead and the other is the second lead and I wonder if it's their looks or is it acting choices. Both? Yong Pil has more presence than Sang Do (to me) and I think he probably is the one folks would gravitate to as a leader.

Sidenote: I was already watching this show but then I watched Healer and discovered Yong Pil & Sam Dal's mom are Healer & Hacker Ajumma which made me enjoy their scenes together even more haha. Kinda also made me wonder what a continuation in the Healer story would like.

I've said this before and I'll probably say it again after future episodes but boy oh boy, I don't know what to feel about the father. I already he blamed the entire family for the wife's death but oh, it rubs me the wrong way. It makes him so unlikable and unsympathetic to me even though I know he's grieving. The way he talks about and to them. The way he treats Yong Pil. As I keep saying: I get it; he's grieving and how can you tell someone how to grieve and all that but ugh, he's pretty much reaching antagonist status along with Jin Dal's former in laws.

The lying about the daughter is so short sighted to me that I wonder why it keeps being a thing. If the dolphin guy *does* get together with Ha Yul's mom, does everyone around her think he would be too emotionally invested to dump her after learning she's a mother? To me, hiding her daughter would make it seem like she's ashamed of her daughter and/or being a single mother (and yes, I know there's a sigma of single motherhood) and that would just eventually make all involved feel bad.

The dad is so annoying, I really wish Yongpil, could just duke it out with him, but I get why that's hard. Not sure I care for the divorcees to get back together but I am curious to see more of Jinchan, Hayul, and Haedal

Shin Hye-sun and Ji Chang-wook just look so adorable together, particularly in their flashbacks.

Whew, mom is okay!! I loved the flashback of the two Mi-jas. This ordeal reminds me of just how dangerous the profession is and the amount of training and courage it takes to become a haenyeo. But there aren't a lot of jobs. I noticed that 3 out of the 5 kids work at the weather station and that is as white-collar as it gets. Even Bu Mija, in her youth, was dreaming about moving to the mainland. I'm surprised that she intentionally named Yong-pil after her idol.

Dae-young is hilarious. And Secretary Ko's keeping his reactions under control - hope the man is being paid lots.

Loved the tie-in about the dolphins and what happens when a baby dolphin loses its mom. Ha-yul does feel like an old soul sometimes, but I think it's because of her empathy. She was crying about losing her grandma not because that's her grandma but because her mom would be left motherless and she knows how much love she already has for her own mom.

Sang-do is such a drag on the show. Most of his scenes are of him pining after Samdal and I feel like the show is trying to make me feel bad for him. I'm just feeling frustrated with him. The love triangle reminds me a bit of the one in Our Beloved Summer, but I don't remember being as annoyed with the guy with the unrequited love in that drama as with Sang-do.

I'm glad Yong Pil called out Sam Dal sober, it is time. She knows that man likes her, get it together girl. As for Sang Do, chingu, MOVE ON sir.

I haven't watched episode 10 yet.
I know that so far Yong Pil's whole identity has been Sam Dal, but the way the even made his feelings about his mother's death and his relationship with his second mom about Sam Dal was extremely weird for me.

I thought this episode (9) did a good job showing the bond between both families. A bond that started before Sam Dal and Yong Pil became a couple. It started before those two were born.

Because love isn't all about romance. Love for family exists. He loves his second mom as his own family. That's what I was thinking... But apparently not? Literally everything he does is about Sam Dal and all his feelings and relationships with other people, even the last mother figure he has left, are about his feelings for Sam Dal.

That's just too much.
I finally started liking his character. I saw something else in him, but nope. The show decided that this guy doesn't deserve to have an identity outside of being Dal's love interest.

I'm disappointed.

Another great set of episodes. Thanks @quirkycase for the weecap. These two points stood out for me too. 👉🏾‘Then, she kisses him (which of course, Sang-do sees because if a kiss happens in a drama but there’s no second lead to see it, did it really happen?).’ It seems even more ridiculous to pursue her just because HIS feelings are so strong after seeing how both Yong-pil and Samdal reciprocate their feelings for each other and he has always been aware of that. When they broke up he had the money to seek her out and pursue her then why wait eight years? This is typical second female lead behaviour and it is impossible to sympathise with this level of ‘my feelings are more important than yours’ he is displaying.

👉🏾‘I get that Yong-pil’s dad needed someone to blame in his grief, but it’s been almost 20 years! Even if it’s just for the sake of his son, he needs to let his anger go.’ What worried me about him dropping everything to run to the scene, was it looked suspiciously like he was disappointed to see her found alive. That level of hatred is shocking when he knows the level of hurt he and the his son went through. It was also shocking that knowing how quality of life can be impacted by unexpected things like dementia in his mother in law he feels happy to waste his life harbouring resentment that is not going to bring his wife back or meet his son’s needs for happiness after such a traumatic experience. At her ceremony he was more focused on hurting his son than he was on showing respect to his wife by fully engaging in the mourning ceremony; he was wearing normal clothes, didn’t bow and was arguing in front of her.

I loved that the divorced husband finally showed his strength, but unfortunately for him it was in ways that are only going to make him more of a disappointment and target for his family. Building a project that big would have involved a scoping exercise with a team of people and multiple processes therefore, I don’t get how his late entry in the process would be powerful enough to shut things down when his dad sent him there as his representative and would just over ride his decision and sign the paperwork himself electronically from his office.
However, I loved the funeral flowers for the hospitalised relative!

Am I the only one wondering why they don’t give out duplicate receipts for hospital payments? If it’s her bill surely data protection re who paid it would not count if she asked for the receipt? If they are able to let anyone pay for someone’s bill that is already a data breach as the person paying would have a breakdown of the treatment plan in order to know the total outstanding. I have always wondered about this when this secret payment issue comes up in a drama.

I am confused about the random bride and groom. Why would they go to such a beautiful location with an expensive camera and not bring even an amateur photographer for such a significant event? They are taking a risk hoping someone competent...

Its true, I am still watching this show even though I find it annoying, but just because I'm fascinated by how it tries to pretend it is a sentimental romance when in fact it is portraying a nightmarish set of circumstances involving elderly labor exploitation, failed or tragic marriages, childishly behaving men in their late 30s, hatred of successful career women, and parental abuse driven by insanity. If only it had a few murders! But its far better, I think, to show everybody in this hell-hole of a "small town" in the rapidly growing, international tourist destination of Jeju, dying by degrees because they are strangely isolated from modern life.

All I can say is I hope Sam-dal realizes the lesson taught by this show so far: do NOT as a woman, aspire to be a creative career in the big city. You'll only end up killing your mother through neglect! Really, as this show demonstrates, women should not try to succeed in any professional occupation --you will get cut down by other women, who are your main enemy. When women try to "succeed" outside the home, they just end up attacking each other! Sure, women can pick abalone off rocks-its mindless, simple, and you can gossip with "girl talk" all the time out of the water. Unfortunately, women can't really judge currents, no matter how much men try to protect them, and die of drowning-- but no one would ever think that you might make this job a kind of well paid occasional exhibition of a "colorful" occupation for tourists--because older women just love it as a subsistence level daily grind, especially when they get older with arthritic joints and heart conditions, and they will continue doing it until they can no longer their ATV's to the ocean! After all, its traditional, and these are simple, traditional people!

So I sure hope that at the end Sam-Dal stays at home, fights off Sang-do's sexual assault, marries the traumatized Yong Pil who is in serious need of therapy but will never get it, gets drunk continually to ease inevitable frustration, takes a few tourist and wedding pictures to earn some modest pin money, and has her kids to grow up in the town where she, her mother, and her grandmother lived. That way, she can join all her ancestors in happily dying in her sixties of either alcoholism or a heart attack, with all her children still living with her because they haven't wanted to leave their loving small town neighborhood, and also because they can't get any decent paying jobs.

One thing I thought was nice was Sam Dal taking the wedding photos. I kinda felt like how Yong Pil looked: it was cool watching her in her element. Even though that wasn't specialty, she was still able to enhance those photos for the couples and there's a spark to seeing someone who is passionate and proficient in something actually do the thing.

I didn't even know disposible cameras were still a thing. Even in a small town. I just thought about how I didn't think people still developed film so it kinda cool in a nostalgic way. (I say as person who doesn't even know how to take pictures with my phone)

I wonder if the show will wrap up with her opening another studio on JeJu or will she go back to Seoul.

I feel bad for the actor playing Sang-do. His only role is the drama is a love interest holding unrequited feelings for Sam-dal. We got nothing else on him. He is just there to witness their romantic moments and get heartbroken.

Hum... Nothing makes sense for me in this drama.. But I like the main actors :p

The dad couldn't accept the death his wife, the ocean always is the ennemy but it's easier to hate someone, I guess. But his hate is making so many people unhappy and mainly, his son.

I don't understand why Yong-Pil had to stay to take care of Sam-Dal's mother. It was her choice to dive. He could just say either she says the truth to her family either he does because he doesn't want to lie to Sam-Dal. He could still date Sam-Dal too...

They made things way more dramatics than they really were... Like him, not trying to move on, why? I mean is he masochist? She lived her own life, he didn't nothing to get back together... so what the purpose? At least, use it to make our dad feeling guilty and tell him you will never marry, never have kid and you will die alone.

Sam-Dal couldn't come back because of Yong-Pil? She was dating other men, she had a great life but seeing him once would have changed everything?

I don't care about Sang-Do being in love with Sam-Dal, I mean it's as ridiculous as Yong-Pil, but I hate when the SML had time to confess his feelings but waits for the ML to come in the FL's life to say something... He's kinda ridiculous with his car honestly.

Da-Young wants to try to put the theme park at Samdal-Ri- But this will affect the haenyos and is likely to affect the dolphins as well. Namdal-Ri was chosen because there was already a power plant there, and the shoreline had already been ruined. Will the writer be good enough to bring all these drama themes-theme park, dolphins, haenyos and the various love interests together for a satisfying and well written resolution? I remain hopeful, but I doubt it.
Meanwhile, Ko Min Ja unconscious on the sea floor is miraculously found in spite of the currents ( How???) And every 'unknown' tourist spot is crowded, but the obviously built ocean look out beside the main coast road is empty at sunset.... . Just give me more scenes with Ha-Yul and her grandmother please.

This show makes me sad now whereas before it was making me mad. I now feel sorry for the actors and the characters. The show is written as if the one-line description for each character is all they are allowed to be in the face of some different events. No one is allowed to mature or have the ability to reflect as part of their character (except possibly the ex-husband); instead, they each calcify more stubbornly in their character or caricature.

Sam Dal: Successful photographer with a drinking problem who was once the gang leader of her small town

Yong Pil: Loyal to a fault puppy

Sang Do: (I know he gets a lot of hate, but his character had potential to be interesting until they flattened him out to be monomaniacal in his interest): Stuck on one girl but no courage to act directly, only obliquely

Mom: Most competent and consistent person in her family and her haenyo group, but stubborn to a fault even to the point of risking other lives in her quest to provide unwanted food to hostile neighbor

Yong Pil's Dad: Holder of an unfair grudge and even unwilling to move away from the source of his anger; indeed, using the proximity to fuel his anger and life

To be honest, I haven't watched Episode 10 after seeing the previews of Sam Dal's denial/blackout forgetting of the kiss. I lost interest in watching these same themes over again because it now feels like I get stuck in these same unhealthy dynamics as the characters. I need a break. I cry Uncle for now. I will watch the recaps to see whether to dive back in, but for now, I need time to heal or go hike a well-known path with people other than these characters.

I really did not like YP trying to gaslight SD about her not being around Mom enough as the excuse for not telling her about Mom’s heart condition. It is really strange that their mothers raised them as siblings but sort of wanted in-law status that failed when YP’s mom died. This week the OTP had to learn from their friends the truth instead of talking directly to each other about how they feel. YP’s dad will never forgive and never accept SD; it is why YP is trapped between his dad and his co-mom in a heavily tradition bound community.

The haenyeos acknowledge that Han-yul acts more adult than child, but it takes talking to a stranger about losing her grandmother to show she is still a scared child when it comes to loss. She knows her mom cannot live without her mom; so she can’t live without her mom, too. Community co-parenting, even the bad gossipy kind, is such a rare concept even in the West. I am still troubled by the fact that the haenyeo’s dangerous tradition could have easily been solved by scuba gear. And that dangerous tradition does not allow people to process grief well or to move on with their lives.

I still dislike the narrative that Samdal “has to find herself.” She bought into that bad mindset by using cheap portable camera (which a professional would not have even considered since her reputation and skill is in the equipment she uses to convey her art.) It really belittles who she was before coming back home.

The drawn drawn out re-confession may be finally over. San-do is out of the box, again. But the most compelling thing we learned this week is that Jeju has single women!!! Single bars!!! In their 30s looking for jobs and love!!!! Who would have thunk dat?!

I have finally dropped the drama. I fast forwarded and saw some scenes, thinking that I will sit and watch the full episodes later, but I don't have interest now. I will still fast forward and watch the crux of the story because I really don't drop dramas once I've gotten past episode 8, but I still don't like any of the characters, so don't think it is worth watching.

I did love the scene where they go location scouting for photos and Sam Dal ends up clicking photos of couples. If there is one thing I am curious about in this drama, it is her path as a photographer. I've mentioned this before, but since I am a photographer too, I want to see how she finds her way back to her passion. I found the scene in the woods perfectly done. I loved how she couldn't help but direct them a little when she was clicking photos. It was very realistic. I can't help but start perfecting a photo when I get a camera in my hand too, irrespective of where I am or what I am clicking pictures of or what camera I have.

- The beginning story with the two Mi-jas was really beautiful and touching. I think it's interesting that Mi-ja used to be a city girl.
- I really hate Yeong-pil's dad. What does he do all day, just sit around and ruminate on bitter thoughts (although my husband thinks he does angry work outs too, lol)? All these flavors and he chooses to be salty. Poor Mi-ja can't even mourn her best friend.
- My second least favorite character is Sang-do, who just like does not need to exist at all. Yeah, you missed your chance when she started dating Yeong-pil but then they broke up and you had EIGHT YEARS. And dude is this weird thing where he keeps not doing anything and then acting frustrated that he isn't getting anywhere (as in the Simpsons quote: "I've tried nothing and I'm all out of ideas!")
- I liked Sam-dal taking wedding photos. That was super sweet and wholesome.
- Still so much drinking.
- I still love the ex-husband CEO (he paid for the medical expenses, right?) and dolphin boy the most. I'm watching mostly just for the sisters' romances at this point. Unfortunately the main romance leaves me kind of cold.

I am glad that I am not the only one who finds the Sang-do character beyond merely annoying. Most people will understand the longing for the "one that got away", but matrue enough to walk away. However, his obsession is bordering on stalking. He sees Sam-dal kissing Jong-pil and his response is to get the old photos that Sam-dal had thrown away, buy two disposable cameras and drive around Jeju in his completely inconspicuous car, only to find the two of them side-by-side gazing at the sunset.

I find this unrequited and undeclared obsessive love amongst secondary characters very annoying. My Demon has two such characters. I would really like to see a lot less of it in 2024.

I get it that Sam-Dal and Yong-Pil are meant to be, but where is this show even going? If it all was about a parent issue, then the show should have focussed more on it, instead of some vile city girl, the plot arc of that seems to be done?
Now, I am confused as to what is the point of the show? getting the lovers united???? That's it?

If anyone needs to leave Jeju its the father. His who anger and resentment makes no sense. May be deep down he knows it was him who brought her here to Jeju and sent her to learn diving?

Pretty much every one in the drama has communication issue.

This is the most pointless boring 2ML ever written. He was doomed even before the writer wrote him on the script. He is not even a third wheel, he is no wheel.

Even the kiss was boring..

Thank you, Blue (@mayhemf) , for coining "No wheel"; brilliant. Building on the comment from Reply1988 - Mother Bean (💜🩵Healer reunion💛🧡), let's propose a "No Wheel of the Year" award. It should go to the character(s) who does nothing to move the story forward and who has no redeeming qualities.

What say you, Admins?

As someone who ships the main OTP. I do want to chime in and say I think way too many are being way too harsh on Sang Do. Maybe it’s because I’m a 37 yr old man who has never dated and is in love with someone I have not seen in 20 years so maybe I relate a little bit. It’s clear he has no shot. It’s clear he should move on. I bet he even knows it. But it isn’t easy. It’s easy to say find someone else… but it’s def not easy.

My take? The problem with my take is how do you do it without causing some big drama and effecting the friendships. I believe Sang Do needs to confess to be able to move on. He should not feel guilty about his feelings and Young Pill even told him that. Yes, you all are right that it should be obvious to Sang Do that Young Pill is the only one Sam-dal sees and is interested in but I get that it sucks for him. Timing is a thing. The timing was never right and I get that’s frustrating. But that is life. So while I get as Samdal and Young Pill fans… and us who absolutely hate second lead syndrome storylines because what’s the purpose. Sang Do has yet to do anything morally questionable or wrong. And until he does that I won’t villainize him.

Popping in to express how Mija's stubbornness to stay in the hospital for treatment and neglected telling her own family members about her condition irritated me.
It reminded me of that line from Homcha where Hye-jin said that "Parents hiding their pain & suffering alone is just selfish of them"

Aside from that, I enjoyed this week's episodes. Everyone is such a delight to watch as their character dynamics suit each other so well. I love watching the development of the 3 sisters' chaotic relationships and I'm so excited to see how it'll progress in the upcoming eps.
#No1DaeYeongStan
#HaYulBetterNotCryAgainI'llRiot

Aside from that, the sore thumb of the show is poor Sang-do. Each time he appears on screen he lowkey ruins the mood of the scene with his sulking (hes nearing forty) & pining for a woman who has zero interest in him. I have no clue as to why the writers hate him so much lmao, making him witness the kiss, staying behind in Jeju while the other went to Seoul etc.

I'm sorry but Sang-do lacks the bond the other guys have with Sam-dal. If only the writers made him join them midway back when they went to Seoul but no they robbed him of that chance to develop with the others & the audience completely.
He has no other personality trait apart from being rich with a fast car (I'm sick of that darn car) & pining for Sam-dal. I'm just praying for an ounce of development from him in the upcoming eps.

First comment was eaten before I even got 2 sentences in. I popped in for a quick peek at episode #11 and wasn’t surprised to see the story line has moved ahead by about 2 centimeters.

I won’t write any attempts at pithy wit or sarcastic insight. I will write that all it took was hearing Samdal pout-talk and I was out. What a huge waste of a great cast and what pathetic writing. I’m so bummed.

Sang-do is not being written as a real friend, first to Yong-pil, and secondly to Sam-dal. If he was a real friend, he would know whether the relationship between the ML and FL was really over. A true Male friend would stay out of the dynamic. I know, personally about such a situation. Yong-dal would give his blessing and Sam-dal would let him know if there was ANY room in her heart for someone new. Neither Yong-pil nor Sam-dal has not evinced any such status up to this point in the drama. (Remember "True Beauty" when Han Seo Jun (Hwang In Youp) realized he would not be more than a friend to Lim Joo Gyung (Mun Ga young)?)

Okay, I'm still somewhat new to these dramas, so excuse me if this question is absurd:

Is there any possibility, given the way these plots work, that Samdal could end up with Sang-do instead of Yong-pil? No, right? Not with Ji Chang-wook as Yong-pil? The producers would get in HUGE trouble with audiences if they did that, right?

Hehehe best line @quirkycase : "which of course, Sang-do sees because if a kiss happens in a drama but there’s no second lead to see it, did it really happen?" 😆