‘Like Flowers in Sand’ Netflix Series Review - What Happened to You, Kim Baek-du?

Kim Baek-du (Jang Dong-yoon) used to be a wrestling prodigy - a master of Ssireum. What happened to him? The first episode of Like Flowers in Sand doesn't answer that question, though it effectively sets up the show's atmosphere. Baek-du might no longer be an expert wrestler, but his coach and his companions treat him with respect. They believe the old prodigy is sleeping within the new, not-so-talented body. Baek-du just needs to "wake up" and reclaim his footing. Dong-yoon plays this character with a mixture of casualness and confusion. He looks a bit aloof, which becomes evident in that scene where a man teases him while he eats his food indifferently.

If Baek-du doesn't respond to that man who makes fun of him, that's also because he has no trace of hatred left in his body. Baek-du is too kind. He teaches a wrestler his secret move - a gesture that fires back at him when it's revealed that that wrestler will soon be his opponent. What's more, that upcoming match is also crucial because Baek-du has decided to leave the field of ssireum if he loses. This decision was made under the influence of alcohol, but Baek-du later confesses to being tired of wrestling. The important fight arrives near the end of the episode, and it's filmed excitingly. The tension is nicely raised during the third round when the decision is left to video analysis.

Apart from that match, murder is the other crucial thing that occurs on the screen. There is a killer among the characters. I love how these South Korean shows manage to add darker shades to light-hearted stories. What's so delightful about this is that the union of these two elements doesn't render the tone jarring. It's one of the biggest reasons why I find shows like Crash Course in Romance and Behind Your Touch, to name a few, so appealing and addictive. This blend of crime and comedy is highly entertaining.

I also love how the female characters are written in these stories. In the first episode of Like Flowers in Sand, Baek-du's mother, Ma Jin-sook (Jang Young-nam), has a lovely comic presence. There is so much pleasure one can derive from the way she wakes up her son or sits (she looks somewhat like a queen when she puts one arm on her leg while sitting). Even that woman (Kim Bo-ra) at a café who inserts an extra "E" in coffee appears amusing. Then, there is that woman with an umbrella who imbues a sense of mystery in this series. The camera hides her face initially by only looking at her from behind. Hence, I won't reveal anything about this character. She is viewed as an angel who temporarily freezes the minds of the men in her vicinity. Overall, it's the women who really make this first episode worth watching.

Final Score- [7/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times