[Jan 21] “Welcome to Samdalri” ep. 16, “My Happy Ending” ep. 8, etc.: Ratings & Recap

“Welcome to Samdalri” concludes with record-breaking ratings. Plus, “My Happy Ending” and “Live Your Own Life” reach new peaks.

“Welcome to Samdalri” episode 16 ratings & recap

The final episode of JTBC’s “Welcome to Samdalri” was a huge hit!

The romance drama reached its highest ratings ever for its last broadcast on January 21. Nielsen Korea reported that the series finale of “Welcome to Samdalri” achieved an average nationwide rating of 12.3%, which was nearly 2% higher than the previous episode.

The episode shows how Sam Dal (Shin Hye Sun) manages to hold her exhibition with the support of Yong Pil (Ji Chang Wook) and the villagers. At the same time, Kyung Tae (Lee Jae Won), Eun Woo (Bae Myung Jin), Sang Do (Kang Young Seok) and Sam Dal’s helpers Eun Bi (Kim A Young) and Ji Eun (Lee Do Hye) visit Chung Gi (Han Eun Seong) and learn the truth about Bang Eun Joo (Jo Yoon Seo). This exposes the lies behind the school bullying scandal that tarnished Sam Dal’s reputation.

With Sam Dal’s encouragement, Yong Pil achieves his dream of working at the World Meteorological Organization in Switzerland and comes back after two years. However, he still struggles as an ’asshole’ forecaster who gets thrown out of meetings at the Seoul office. He also maintains his romance with Sam Dal.

Their 5 best friends fulfill their wishes as well: Kyung Tae and Eun Bi start a relationship, Sang Do runs a restaurant in Seoul, and Eun Woo becomes a webtoon artist. Sam Dal’s elder sister, Jin Dal (Shin Dong Mi), goes back to her old job at an airline company, while former swimmer Hae Dal (Kang Mi Na) follows her passion as a diver. 

Welcome to Samdalri conveys a powerful message about finding one’s worth and meaning in life by valuing the people who love them and make them feel at home.

How do you feel about bidding farewell to this drama? 

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“Live Your Own Life” episode 35 ratings & episode 34 & 35 recap

On the same day, KBS 2TV’s “Live Your Own Life” also set a new record for itself. The latest episode of the drama surpassed 20% in ratings, scoring an average nationwide rating of 21.4%. It remained the most popular program of any genre to air on Sunday.

The meeting between Tae Ho and Myung Hee was a stunning surprise, as they faced each other among the hidden plots and mysteries that involved Myung Hee. They both burst into tears, having missed each other for so long. Tae Ho could not believe his eyes when he saw Myung Hee healthy and alive. Myung Hee, on the other hand, told Tae Ho to control his feelings in such circumstances and suggested him to stay cool and collected. She also shared her happiness that he had a relationship with the sincere and kind Hyo Sim.

At the same time, Hyo Sim’s family was in turmoil when they learned that she was dating a Chae Beol guy. At the gym where she worked, her co-workers found out about her link with Tae Ho, and they were unhappy. Following the gym’s main rule of not dating customers, they showed worry for Hyo Sim. Despite their doubts, Hyo Sim took a big step and quit her long-time job as a trainer, hiding the truth from Tae Ho.

Myung Hee exposed herself to Tae Min’s father-in-law, a Chae Beol CEO who was in alliance with Taesan Group and Sook Hyang, looking for mutual support for their companies.

On a different front, Hyo Sim was in a difficult situation as some people tried to take advantage of her connection with Tae Ho, who was part of the Chae Beol family. The situation worsened to the point where some suspected Hyo Sim had hidden agendas for dating Tae Ho.

As if things weren’t complex enough, Tae Ho was accused of stealing the company’s money, putting him in serious trouble. He thought this planned trap was a result of someone wanting to get back at him.

Later, Tae Ho’s arrest was revealed to be part of a bigger scheme. This has added more complication to what would happen next.

“My Happy Ending” episode 8 ratings & recap

Te-Oh is the only dose of sunshine in this episode~

Another drama that ended the first half of its run on a high note was TV Chosun’s “My Happy Ending.” The drama achieved its best ratings yet, with an average nationwide rating of 3.0% for its latest episode.

In the 8th episode of "My Happy Ending," featuring Jang Na-Ra, Seo Jae-Won, played by Jang Na-Ra, loses her memory of the past few days and comes back home as if nothing happened. Meanwhile, her husband, Heo Soon-Young (Son Ho-Jun), finds out about her illness. He realizes that Seo Jae-Won has been struggling with bipolar disorder for a long time. This episode is full of shocking and dramatic events.

The episode starts with Seo Jae-Won going to a bridge at night and having a conversation with herself. She sees another version of herself and they talk about their past actions. It looks like the time when Jae-Won stayed out for a night and came back home as a different person.

Then, episode 8 goes back to the present, where Heo Soon-Young tries to understand what is wrong with his wife. He recalls all the weird moments in their life when Jae-Won behaved oddly. He remembers how she apologized and asked him to look after their daughter.

Soon-Young also thinks about the time when Jae-Won came back home and acted as if everything was fine. She doesn't even recall that Soon-Young isn't the real father of their daughter and that he had an affair with Kwon Yoon-Jin (So Yi-Hyun) to get back at her. It seems like she has no memory of the last few days.

Later, at work, Jae-Won acts as if nothing has changed between her and Kwon Yoon-Jin. The latter then notices that Jae-Won has lost her memory again, as she had seen this when they were in high school. 

In the episode, Soon-Young also investigates the pills Jae-Won has been taking for years. He visits a doctor to learn about them, and the doctor confirms that the pills are for bipolar disorder. He also tells him that his wife’s situation has worsened, and she may need to go to the hospital soon. Soon-Young is heartbroken after finding out about his wife’s chronic illness. When he comes back home, Jae-Won and their daughter surprise him with a birthday party, after which he runs outside their home and cries.

When Jae-Won follows him outside, he tells her that he knows about her illness and is sad that she didn't tell him. Jae-Won also cries after that. The next day, Jae-Won meets Yoon-Jin and tells her that her husband knows about her illness. 

Yoon-Jin then convinces her to go to their old high school. Yoon-Jin’s intention is to make Jae-Won remember the old memories from their high school days.

The episode reveals that Jae-Won’s name was also Yoon-Jin, but she changed it when she moved to a different school. It also implies that the man who assaulted Jae-Won might have been Yoon-Jin’s boyfriend. As a result, Yoon-Jin tries to ruin Jae-Won’s family life. However, she doesn't know that Jae-Won wasn't aware of what happened that night.

At the end of episode 8, both Soon-Young and Yoon Te-Oh (Lee Ki-Taek) show up at the restaurant where Yoon-Jin and Jae-Won are after they go to their high school. Yoon-Jin starts to talk about things like her wish to marry someone like Soon-Young. She also mentions Te-Oh’s love for Jae-Won and how Soon-Young’s daughter doesn't look like him at all. The change in the conversation makes everyone feel far from comfortable.

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“Captivating the King” episode 1 ratings & recap

Meanwhile, tvN’s new drama “Captivating the King,” which shares a time slot with “My Happy Ending,” made its debut with an average nationwide rating of 3.1% for its first episode.

The first episode of "Captivating The King" starts with a background story – Joseon has lost to Qing and has to cut ties with Ming. Grand Prince Jin-han is about to force some villagers to join the war but the King has given up. He shows kindness to a child but the villagers leave angrily.

Qing demands Jin-han as a hostage and names him as the heir. King Lee Sun and Jin-han hug each other and cry as they part ways. Jin-han’s mother and Lee Sun’s stepmother, Queen Dowager, is angry and blames the King for this. On the other hand, the Queen is happy as this will weaken the power of Queen Dowager and Park Jong-hwan’s group. She soon gives birth to a son, the Prince Royal.

Jin-han tries to help Joseon from the inside. He becomes friends with Prince Rui by playing baduk. This way, he lowers the ransom for other Joseon hostages. He also prevents Qing from replacing him with the baby Prince Royal. At last, Jin-han is allowed to return home. He's eager to see his brother but is stunned when the King is distant to him. 

King Lee Sun is ill and has been deceived by the Queen’s brother, Kim Jong-bae, that Jin-han is collaborating with Rui to overthrow him. They are also busy trying to form an alliance with Left State Councillor Kang by marrying Jong-bae’s son, Myung-ha, to Kang’s daughter, Hee-soo. The Queen is determined to get supporters to ask for the Prince Royal to be the successor, Crown Prince, before the King dies.

Meanwhile, the King rejects the medicine and makes advances on Queen Dowager’s maid, Lady Dong. He throws out Jin-han who spends his time in a gisaeng. Jong-bae sends his man, Hyun-bo, to spy on him but Jin-han notices and escapes. He relaxes near a river with his guard, Sang-hwa, when he hears some nobles playing baduk with a mysterious player who has never lost.

He keeps winning and taking their stones and baduk tables. If he loses, he will tell his name but says no one can beat him except Jin-han. The men mention the rumours but he rebukes them for trusting them. Jin-han is moved and follows him until he finds him near the gisaeng. Before he can challenge him to play, Hyun-bo causes a commotion inside to look for Jin-han.

He hits the head courtesan, Hong-jang, but the baduk player saves her by throwing a table at him. Jin-han arrives and Hyun-bo runs away but not before swearing to get back at the baduk player. It is revealed that Hong-jang is Hyun-bo’s sister, she was one of the hostages and the baduk player paid for her freedom.

The player goes back home and is revealed to be Hee-soo, she sneaks out to play baduk and earn enough to pay for the ransoms of the Joseon hostages in Qing. Myung-ha visits her as he has fallen in love with her and wants to marry her. She rejects him as she has beaten him before. Kang says he won’t force his daughter to marry but knows she has to eventually.

She agrees to marry whoever defeats her in baduk. It is revealed that Kang left her during the war, and she was brought up by her maid, Jageunnyeon. But she doesn’t hate him and understands that he was loyal to Jin-han who did a lot for their country. At court, Park Jong-hwan tells Kang to choose a side but he refuses.

When Hee-soo goes out again, Hong-jang tells her that Jin-han has been waiting for her every day but she is shy and avoids him. She departs but Hong-jang sees Hyun-bo’s men follow Hee-so. They corner her in an alley but Jin-han shows up after Hong-jang informs him. He protects Hee-so and gets wounded. She's concerned and he's happy he took the knife for her at the end of "Captivating The King" episode 1.

Let me just say that Jin-han is such a sympathetic character. He is so full of feelings but no one cares about him. He only wishes to enjoy baduk and his brother's company. Meanwhile, the King's condition is mysterious, is it the Queen's doing or a natural illness? And what about Kang, he acts friendly to Jin-han but he won't support his uncle, Park.

Also, I have to ask, how come Hee-so has such modern eye makeup and hime bangs when she is supposed to be a man in the Joseon era? They could have made her look more convincing. But I have to admit, the actress has improved a lot from her Rookie Historian role, where she was so irritating all the time. Hee-soo, on the other hand, is witty and adorable, and she'll soon win over Jin-han's heart…

“Korea-Khitan War” episode 20 ratings

Lastly, KBS 2TV’s “Korea-Khitan War” bounced back to the double digits, scoring an average nationwide rating of 10.1% for its latest broadcast.

(Sources: slist.kr, naver.com, etnews.com)