[Jan 7] “Welcome to Samdalri,” “Korea-Khitan War” & More: Ratings & Recaps

Welcome to Samdalri Ep. 12

A new peak in viewership for JTBC's “Welcome to Samdalri” last night!"

The romance drama reached its highest ratings ever on January 7. Nielsen Korea reported that the latest episode of “Welcome to Samdalri” had an average nationwide rating of 9.8%, setting a new record for the show.

In this episode, Jin Dal helps Dae Young with the theme park project, but she is still hurt by his past neglect. Hae Dal realizes that Ha Yul has been feeling responsible for her mother's happiness and safety. Eun Ju tries to revive the scandal around Sam Dal by uploading a video of her mother beating her up.

Also, rhe villagers are angry with Eun Ju for her malicious actions and pour vinegar on her and Cheon Gi. Sam Dal and Yong Pil are secretly dating, but they haven't told anyone yet. Mi Ja supports their relationship and vows to protect her children from anyone who tries to harm them.

Eun Ju decides to go to Samdalri for a photo shoot, hoping to find some retro locations. She's unaware that Sam Dal has returned to the village. She also doesn't know that Sam Dal is the famous photographer Cho Eun Hye. I seriously feel the need for Eun Ju's character arc to be resolved soon.

Sang Tae finds out from Yong Pil's boss that he has been with Sam Dal for the past few days. He goes to confront Sam Dal, asking her why she came back after he begged her to break up with his son. Yong Pil is shocked to learn that his father was the reason for their breakup.

Korea-Khitan War Ep. 16

The night was also strong for KBS 2TV’s “Korea-Khitan War”, which maintained an average nationwide rating of 10.0%. Especially, the scene where Yang Gyu shot the last arrow at the Mongol lord and was hit by the arrow shot by the Mongol main army soared to the highest viewership rating of 11.0% (nationwide) at that moment.

On that day, Yang Gyu headed over the ridge, risking his life to rescue the last prisoner procession. But this was a trap set by the Mongol army to catch Yang Gyu. The Mongol general hid behind the Goryeo prisoners and loaded arrows, waiting for the Goryeo army to appear.

Yang Gyu quickly knocked down the Mongol soldiers and succeeded in rescuing the prisoners. At that moment, the hidden Mongol soldiers appeared, pulling their bowstrings and creating tense tension. Kim Suk-heung (played by Joo Yeon-woo) received an arrow from Yang Gyu and threw the Mongol army into chaos, safely retreating Yang Gyu and the prisoners in danger.

At that moment, Yang Gyu heard from a soldier that the Mongol emperor was leading the Mongol main army beyond the hill. In the battlefield, Yarul Yungseo (played by Kim Hyuk), who was with 30,000 Mongol troops, said, "I will accept everyone as my servant" and advised them to surrender. Kim Suk-heung shook his head without a hint of hesitation, and Yang Gyu said, "Let's go. Everyone has fought well so far. This Goryeo will remember us forever. Thank you for everything. Everyone rushes to the Mongol lord. Run to the enemy's neck until the last person." He pulled the bowstring and made him sweat.

The distance from Yang Gyu to where Yarul Yungseo was only 300 steps. Yang Gyu and Kim Suk-heung, who started fighting together with a shout, attacked the Mongol lord with a hundred-to-one determination, cutting down the enemies. The two of them stood up against the enemy even though they were fatally wounded. 

Yang Gyu, who was covered in blood, could no longer shoot arrows because of his injuries, so he pulled the bowstring with his mouth and shot the last arrow. "10 arrows are not enough," Yang Gyu muttered and shouted a war cry, walking towards Yarul Yungseo. The sight of Yang Gyu and Kim Suk-heung fighting desperately until the end was enough to instill fear of Goryeo in the Mongol soldiers.

The Mongol soldiers shot arrows at Yang Gyu every time he took a step, and Yang Gyu stopped at his place with only 3 steps left. Yang Gyu and Kim Suk-heung died heroically with arrows stuck all over their bodies, giving a hot impression. Especially, the sight of Yang Gyu who couldn't let go of the arrow even after death stimulated the viewers' tear glands.

Meanwhile, Hyun-jong (played by Kim Dong-joon), who returned to Gaegyeong with the Mongol army's iron armor, shed tears of repentance in front of the burned palace. Then, Kang Gam-chan (played by Choi Soo-jong), who wore official clothes, came to the emperor's side, and the two hugged each other and cried, making the viewers feel sad.

Hyun-jong started a difficult step to rebuild Goryeo at Suchang Palace. He first rewarded the ministers who had contributed to the war. He also rewarded Yang Gyu and Kim Suk-heung, who gave their lives, with official positions and took care of their families' lives. But Hyun-jong decided to forgive rather than punish Tak Sa-jeong (played by Jo Sang-ki) and others who fled the city during the war, causing the backlash of the ministers.

At the end of the episode, Hyun-jong went to find Won-jeong (played by Lee Si-a), who miscarried the baby in her belly at Mong-jin. He thanked her for not losing the empress and comforted her by holding her in his arms, giving a touching emotion. 

Maestra: Strings of Truth Ep. 10

Meanwhile, tvN’s “Maestra: Strings of Truth”—which shared the same time slot—increased to a nationwide average of 5.4% before its final week. Se-eum (Lee Young-ae) was cleared of suspicion in the Kim Bong-ju (Jin Ho-eun) murder case. She also suspected her husband Kim Pil (Kim Young-jae) of injecting poison. 

In episode 10, Se-eum paid attention to the fact that she was poisoned by a poison that was used for research. In particular, the reaction of the poison was similar to the symptoms of Remington disease, which suggested that it was someone who knew Se-eum well.

Then, following the expert's words that the poison could be mixed with not only food but also other liquids, Cha Se-eum looked at the perfume that her husband gave her as a gift. Meanwhile, Kim Pil was desperate to avoid divorce.

The police investigation was back to square one due to Cha Se-eum's poisoning case. Until then, they suspected Se-eum as the culprit of Lee Ah-jin (Lee Si-won)'s traffic accident to Kim Bong-ju's death, but the blood on the murder weapon didn't match Se-eum's DNA, and she turned out to be a victim who was threatened with her life.

It's curious whether the police's expectation that all the incidents from the traffic accident to the murder were committed by one person, or whether they were separate incidents, and who is the identity of the culprit who trapped the Maestra.

My Happy Ending Ep. 4

TV Chosun’s new drama “My Happy Ending” got an average nationwide rating of 2.3% for its 4th episode.

This drama is full of makjang elements. It features a protagonist with a bipolar disorder and a hidden history, a disloyal spouse who has an affair, a treacherous friend who stabs her in the back, a dubious stepfather and co-workers who have ulterior motives, and a strange insurance agent who seems to know more than he lets on.

See more: "My Happy Ending" Ep. 4 Recap: Jang Na-ra Ready to Strike Her Husband… Revenge Signal Flare

Live Your Own Life ep. 31

Lastly, KBS 2TV’s “Live Your Own Life” continued to dominate the Sunday ratings, with an average nationwide rating of 19.0%.

Tae-Ho met Hyo-Sim's mom even though he knew how rude she was. And he still wants to marry Hyo-Sim and join her awful family.

Hyo-Do pretended so well that he didn't know Tae-Hee was from a rich family. He acted all shocked when they met her wicked mom. Her mom's lover and servant hit Hyo-Do, making me think he's Tae-Hee's real dad. What will Hyo-Do do? Will he report him to the police? I doubt it because the rich have more power than the poor.

Tae-Ho's grandma found out who he's dating. Will she stop him from joining that terrible family? 

(Sources: naver.com (1), isplus.com, naver.com (2), newsen.com)