[Jan 31] “Like Flowers in Sand” ep.12, “Queen of Divorce” ep.1: Ratings & Recap

New drama “Queen of Divorce” debuts. Meanwhile, “Like Flowers in Sand” wraps up with record ratings.

“Like Flowers in Sand” episode 12 rating & recap

ENA’s drama “Like Flowers in Sand” has ended its run on a high note!

The final episode of “Like Flowers in Sand” achieved an average rating of 2.8% nationwide, according to Nielsen Korea. This matches the ratings of its last two episodes and also marks the highest score for the drama.

In the 11th episode of "Like Flowers in Sand", we saw Mi-Ran facing a life-threatening situation in her cafe. She was alone when the killer showed up, and she mistook him for a friendly customer at first. But soon, she recognized him as the man who murdered her father. Can Du-Sik rescue her in time? The killer identity? His motive? Let’s find out in episode 12 of this drama.

What's up?

The episode begins with a flashback of the 5 kids, who are talking about their future aspirations for a school project. They have different dreams and hopes, and we will see if they have fulfilled them or not in the present day. 

The killer is revealed to be Gyeong-Mun, who runs a humble rice cake shop. He attacks Mi-Ran in her cafe, demanding the evidence that she has against him. 

Mi-Ran questions him about her father’s death, and he says it was an accident. He explains that he and Chil-Seong were partners in a match-fixing scheme, and Mi-Ran’s father refused to cooperate. Gyeong-Mun lost his temper and hit Chil-Seong with a rock, killing him.

Meanwhile, Du-Sik is puzzled by his presence in the group photo of the kids. He recalls that he was friends with Chil-Seong, and he hurries to the cafe with Hyeon-Uk and Baek-Du. 

Mi-Ran tells Gyeong-Mun that the police have the evidence, which is a phone recording of his confession. Gyeong-Mun admits that he also killed Chil-Seong, who tried to expose him and repent for his past. Chil-Seong had apologized to Mi-Ran that day, and he was secretly recording Gyeong-Mun. But Gyeong-Mun found out and stabbed him. 

The phone was stolen by Snowball, a dog that Gyeong-Mun tried to track down every night, but failed. Only Seok-Hui was able to bring the dog back home. Gyeong-Mun threatens to hurt Mi-Ran if she keeps annoying him. But the phone is already being recovered by the police. Luckily, Du-Sik and the others arrive and save Mi-Ran. Gyeong-Mun escapes from them with ease (because why not?).

Later, Baek-Du has his championship match. Du-Sik has moved to Seoul, but she surprises him by visiting his house for a meal. She ignores his texts and just shows up. Baek-Du encourages her to go to Seoul and pursue her dream. Du-Sik feels guilty and says she would have stayed if he had asked her. He only asks her to come to his match and to give him a reply to his confession if he wins. 

At night, Jin-Su challenges Baek-Du to finish their match if he is confident. Baek-Du finally beats Jin-Su, showing that he has the potential and the determination to win the championship again.

The championship outcome

Du-Sik and Hyeon-Uk manage to track down and capture Gyeong-Mu during the championship. Baek-Du advances to the finals smoothly, even though the bus carrying the Geosan residents breaks down and they can't see him live at the stadium. 

He faces his old friend Dong-Seok in the final match. Baek-Du declares to Dong-Seok that he will win this championship no matter what. He seems to be the only one who still has a dream to pursue, though we aren't sure what it is. 

Baek-Du has been restraining himself, but he has gained the love and support of everyone, especially the confidence to be himself, thanks to Du-Sik's encouragement and Jin-Su's guidance. In the last round, they both tumble down together (of course); but this time, the judge chooses Baek-Du as the winner. Baek-Du finally celebrates his victory, shouting like a true champion, as his parents join him, barely making it in time to witness his glorious moment.

Baek-Du's big dream

Du-Sik comes back to Geosan, saying sorry for not being there for the "ssireum." She informs him that she has caught the culprit. She also asks Hyeon-Uk to let Mi-Ran know that she has kept her promise (of catching the one who killed her father).

Then, Du-Sik confesses her love to Baek-Du. They meet up with the rest of the crew, and they talk about the assignment from 20 years ago. Seok-Hui wonders what Baek-Du wrote back then. Baek-Du doesn't reveal his answer, but he says that he has also achieved his dreams, just like the others. 

At the end of "Like Flowers in Sand," the whole group walks towards the beach together, and Baek-Du says in a voiceover that his dream was to be happy with his friends like they were in their childhood (aww). 

His dream comes true; he ends up with Du-Sik, and they all become closer than ever, after everything that has happened in the town. I guess, with the right kind of love and support, you can accomplish anything in life. 

Baek-Du's dream is something that many of us would hope for today. It's innocent, of course, but it's also lovely and optimistic, just as the show makes you feel. 

At the end of the show, there's a montage of Baek-Du walking away from the camera, and it shows him going from being alone to being with Du-Sik and then finally with all his friends. It's meaningful, showing us how he transformed from being sad and lonely to being a champion with friends!

Life is so unpredictable, it turns out that the brightest and happiest time of my life is right this moment.

“Queen of Divorce” episode 1 rating & recap

On the other hand, JTBC’s latest Wednesday-Thursday drama “Queen of Divorce” made its first appearance with an average rating of 3.3% nationwide. The drama tells the story of Sara Kim (Lee Ji Ah), the best divorce expert in Korea, and Dong Ki Joon (Kang Ki Young), a quirky lawyer, who team up to punish “bad spouses” with their ways.

“Queen of Divorce” follows the life of Kim Sa-ra, a lawyer who has everything except a loving family. She faces disrespect and betrayal from her own relatives, which pushes her to seek revenge. The show is directed by Park Jin-suk and features Lee Ji-ah, Kang Ki-young, Kim Sun-young, Oh Min-suk, Lee Tae-goo, and Na Young-hee, among others.

Kim Sa-ra used to be married to the son of the largest law firm in South Korea, but she was unfairly divorced and lost everything. She then decided to use her skills to help others who are in the same situation. 

She is joined by Dong Ki-joon, a former prosecutor who is now her business partner and consultant. Together, they handle cases of unjust divorce, but will their relationship develop into something more? 

Sa-ra’s current case

Kim Sa-ra is determined to help her client reclaim her child from her husband who is blackmailing her for her property in exchange for the custody. However, the team at Solution isn't going to let their client suffer such a loss and they employ any means necessary to retrieve her child from her husband. Sa-ra succeeds in her mission and brings back her client's son with her brave actions, making sure that this mother doesn't have to endure the same pain as she did.

Her past

This takes us back to 2 years ago when Kim Sa-ra was a respected lawyer at Chayul Law Firm where her mother-in-law, the chairperson, was having her birthday party. However, even though she tried to be a perfect daughter-in-law, her mother-in-law, Chairperson Cha Hee-won rejected her as part of the family and her husband was having an affair. Sa-ra was saddened by Hee-won's attitude but didn't give up her spirit and continued to tolerate her actions.

Lee Ji-ah and Kang Ki-young’s roles

Lee Ji-ah returns to the screen with another thrilling role that fits her perfectly as a fierce, independent, and badass woman. She plays a lawyer this time, which gives her another opportunity to showcase her intensity and versatility as an actress.

We also get to see Kang Ki-young in his debut as a lead actor, and he delivers a promising performance in this 1st episode. However, he didn' have much screen time in this episode, so we will have to wait and see how he develops his character in this legal drama.

“Queen of Divorce” episode 1 takeway

As for “Queen of Divorce” itself, episode 1 sets the stage for something to come. Moreover, this was just the 1st episode, so we have no idea how the plot will unfold from here. So, let's see how it turns out.

(Source: Nielsen Korea)