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Clarification: The 40 episodes of “When the Camellia Blooms” were aired in only 20 broadcast hours. Each broadcast had two episodes, with each episode running for 35 minutes or less. Korean law prohibits the airing of commercials within a one-hour broadcast, and so, some studios shoot their dramas by using two episodes in one broadcast. This allows the airing of commercials between the episodes. Thus, Netflix, for example, numbers this drama’s episodes as Ep. 1 (which was actually Ep. 1 and Ep. 2), Ep. 2 (actually Ep. 3 and Ep. 4), and so forth.
How I wrote these episode summaries with no spoilers
1. I assumed that you will be reading these summaries and watching the videos chronologically.
2. I narrated the main actions in each episode without revealing the plot’s twists and turns.
3. At the beginning of some episode summaries, I placed in a table a recap of the major twists and turns of the previous episode. But because you have already watched the video of the previous episode, they aren’t spoilers anymore.
4. I followed this structure all throughout except for Eps. 39-40 (20, Finale) where I included some spoilers. Reason — people want to know if this drama has a happy ending or a sad ending before they invest their time in watching it.
Episodes 1 and 2: “The Woman with the Germanium Bracelet”
Police officers find the body of a murdered woman on a river bank.
Flashback ...
Hwang Yong-sik became a police officer after his exciting experience as a teenager; though a bit slow intellectually, his greatest joy has been capturing criminals. When he became a bit rough in handling a suspect, however, he was demoted to a station in Ongsan, a village known for its marinated crabs.
In Ongsan, Yong-sik becomes infatuated with Dong-baek (a single mother and the owner of the Camellia bar). Dong-baek’s landlord is No Gyu-tae, an eye doctor who’s married to a divorce lawyer. Dong-baek tries to lead a quiet life in the village with her son amidst the gossipy women, but she doesn’t realize that she’s being stalked.
Jessica is a social-media influencer who’s married to Kang Jong-ryeol, a popular baseball player; they have a baby daughter and a reality TV show.
Because of a movie about unsolved murders that happened five years ago in Ongsan, the villagers get riled up and begin holding protests in front of the police station. After finding out from Chief Byun about the serial murders, Yong-sik promises to catch the killer who has been nicknamed as the “Joker.”
Episodes 3 and 4: “The Good, the Bad, and the Cheap”
During the party for Yong-sik at the Camellia, Gyu-tae becomes drunk and rowdy, refusing to pay for the peanuts that he ordered. Later, he files a complaint at the police station against Hong-sik.
Yong-sik sees Pil-gu fighting with two of his classmates. He breaks up the fight and then befriends Pil-gu, not knowing that he is Dong-baek’s son.
Jong-ryeol films a segment of his reality show in the school in Ongsan where he played baseball. While he and the TV crew use the field for filming, the school’s baseball team wait impatiently on the side.
When the village women continue to harass Dong-baek and her assistant Hyang-mi, Yong-sik intervenes; later, as he follows Dong-baek everywhere she goes, he asks if he could protect her and Pil-gu.
Episodes 5 and 6: “The Mutt’s Strategy”
| Ep. 3-4 recap: Pil-gu’s biological father is Jong-ryeol. |
The next day, rumors about Dong-baek and Yong-sik sweep through the village women. Two of the women also try to get Dong-baek to lose her lease by badmouthing her with Ja-young, Gyu-tae’s wife.
Jong-ryeol has never gotten over his love for Dong-baek; after going through the pictures of his biological son Pil-gu in the school website, he decides to go back to Ongsan and wait for Dong-baek outside the Camellia.
During an interview with a TV reporter, Chief Byun shows the handwritten notes that the Joker left on each victim. He also inadvertently reveals that there’s a witness to the last murder committed by the Joker.
When Gyu-tae harasses Dong-baek about how worn down the Camellia has become, Yong-shin volunteers to clean up the place. While painting over the walls, however, he sees a message written on a wall addressed to Dong-baek. It’s a message from the Joker.
Episodes 7 and 8: “The Country Boy”
Yong-sik turns out to be a big baseball fan and tries to befriend Jong-ryeol, who begins to wonder what Dong-baek likes in a country boy.
While Yong-sik accompanies Dong-baek home, Hyang-mi spends the night in Camellia; unknown to her, a masked intruder is watching her.
Jong-ryeol goes to Pil-gu’s baseball practice and tries to win his affection by inviting him and his whole team to eat marinated crabs. On the other hand, Gyu-tae also begins giving gifts and paying special attention to Hyang-mi.
While helping his mother out in making kimchi, Yong-sik finds out to his surprise that her mother’s best friend is none other than Dong-baek. When Dong-baek arrives, he immediately hides under a counter.
Episodes 9 and 10: “A Wish, an Affair, and Turmoil”
| Eps. 7-8 recap: Deok-sun, Yong-sik’s mother, finally finds out that the woman who Yong-sik is in love with is Dong-baek. |
Yong-sik wants to have the empty bottle that he found near the Camellia to be DNA-tested, but Chief Byun shuts him down. At the Camellia, Dong-baek finds among the items to be recycled bottles similar to the one that Yong-sik wants to be tested.
Ja-young finds out that Gyu-tae spent the night at a water ski resort with someone; she goes to the Camellia and tells Dong-baek that she must move out by December because her lease won't be renewed.
Yong-sik’s mother opposes his love for Dong-baek and issues him an ultimatum — choose between her and Dong-baek.
Chief Byun finally gives Yong-sik the last file on Joker, the serial murderer. The Joker’s last victim was Dong-baek's friend.
Episodes 11 and 12: “1986.08.29. Born to Be a Hippo”
Yong-sik catches the person who has been lurking near the Camellia. It’s an old woman who’s wearing a bracelet worn by dementia patients; engraved on the bracelet is Camellia’s phone number.
Hyang-mi continues to flirt with Gyu-tae, asking him to rent a motel room for her. Pressured by both Hyang-mi and his wife Ja-young, Gyu-tae sees a psychiatrist who prescribes some depressants.
At the Camellia, Gyu-tae finds out that Ja-young has told Dong-baek that her lease will not be renewed. As he becomes rowdy and grabs Dong-baek’s hand, Yong-sik arrives and engages him in all-out brawl.
At the police station, as Yong-sik remains silent on the reason for the brawl, Gyu-tae tells Ja-young that he will file criminal cases against Yong-sik. Meanwhile, back at the Camellia, as they clean up the mess from the brawl, Hyang-mi tells Dong-baek about Yong-sik’s birthday gift for her.
Episodes 13 and 14: “The Ongsan Fairy”
Deok-sun, Yong-sik’s mother, has a heart-to-heart talk with Dong-baek about her relationship with Yong-sik; she tells Dong-baek to take things slow.
Jang-young gives Dong-baek a ledger that will make life uneasy for Gyu-tae; she tells Dong-baek to spread the rumor about the ledger.
Yong-sik uses his Ongsan connections to try to identify who Joker is; he questions the village women and tells Chief Byun who his prime suspect is.
Jong-ryeol and Jessica fight over her plans to study modeling abroad. After the fight, he decides to go to Ongsan to see Pil-gu. At the baseball field, after treating Pil-gu and his teammates with ice cream, he sits down and talks with Dong-baek. But Yong-sik sees them and walks away.
Dong-baek asks the village handyman to install a CCTV in Camellia. When Hyang-mi takes a picture of Dong-baek and the men with her, Dong-baek'’s mother tells her, “Don’t joke around. You’ll end up dead meat.”
Episodes 15 and 16: “The Lynx of This Area”
Dong-baek is terrified by the Joker’s message on the wall but refuses to report the incident. The CCTV has been messed with, and Yong-sik can’t identify the person who entered Camellia and who seems to know its layout.
Yong-sik compiles a list of everyone who has been in Camellia for the past several days. But all the persons on the list are known to him or Dong-baek; he warns Dong-baek that she cannot trust anyone.
Jong-ryeol gets into another fight with Jessica about her going abroad; later, he takes out a large sum of money from the bank and goes to Ongsan.
Hyang-mi meets Ja-young, who doesn’t recognize her. Later on, she receives from Gyu-tae the money that she needs to go to Copenhagen.
After the school declares an emergency over toxic gases in the school, Dong-baek tells Yong-sik that Pil-gu is missing.
Episodes 17 and 18: “I Will Welcome Everyone”
Dong-baek decides to leave Ongsan; she hangs a sign outside Camellia, thanking all of her faithful customers.
As Yong-sik continues his investigation, he notices from the CCTV a building near Camellia where someone seems to have been watching him.
Hyang-mi threatens Jong-ryeol that she will publish online his picture with Dong-baek, but Jong-ryeol says that his agency has lawyers to deal with this kind of threats. Meanwhile, Ja-young finds out that it was Hyang-mi who was in the motel with Gyu-tae.
Jong-ryeol meets Dong-baek and tells her that he has found a good school in Boston for Pil-gu and that he will support them there.
Episodes 19 and 20: “Nice People Can’t Get Lucky”
Dong-baek becomes determined to live her life without fear. She goes out the next day wearing a bright red dress, greets the village women, and buys a moped after deciding to start a food delivery service.
In school, Pil-gu gets into a fight with some bullies who say that he is 2D1M (“two dads, one mom”). Jong-ryeol learns about the fight and tries to make peace between Pil-gu and the bullies by taking them to a restaurant. But despite all the food set before him, Pil-gu continues crying.
Yong-sik becomes suspicious of the cat food that’s always left near Camellia, but Hyang-mi has no idea who puts them there. Later, after he and Chief Byun investigated the building opposite OK Aesthetics, Chief Byun says that years ago, the Joker started murdering people after a series of fire incidents.
Jessica becomes suspicious and goes to Ongsan, using Jong-ryeol’s car. She ends up in Pil-gu’s school. Pil-gu sees the car and, thinking that it’s Jong-ryeol, knocks on the car’s door.
Jong-ryeol meets Dong-baek and says that he will marry her after divorcing Jessica.
Episodes 21 and 22: “The Hero Appears at the Last Minute”
Hyang-mi is dead, and Dong-baek is missing.
Flashback ..
Despite her misgivings, Dong-baek agrees to go and watch Pil-gu’s baseball game. Unknown to Dong-baek, Jong-ryeol is on the opposing team’s side of the stadium.
It’s a merry sight in the stadium, with parents waving banners that support their children and a drone flying overhead. But when the opposing team’s pitcher intentionally hits Pil-gu on the head, the two teams engage in an all-out brawl.
After the game, Chief Byun and Yong-sik notice that the building they’re investigating probably had a CCTV installed. Chief Byun gives Yong-sik a gun and orders him to use it if necessary.
At the Camellia, Gyu-tae warns Dong-baek about Hyang-mi’s greed for money. Meanwhile, Ja-young sees Hyang-mi outside Camellia and forces her to go with her.
Hyang-mi’s problems become worse when she meets Nak-ho, the loan shark, in Camellia. Nak-ho warns her, “Even if you’re found dead tomorrow by the lake, you would have no next of kin to contact.”
Episodes 23 and 24: “Don’t Forget Me”
After Chief Byun reviews his record, Nak-ho declines to file charges against Yong-sik and Dong-baek. But before leaving the station, he warns them that next time around, he will act like an animal.
10:05 PM, a 24-hour countdown begins.
Yong-sik begins investigating Heung-sik in connection with the serial murders; he also presses Chief Byun about the background check on Dong-baek's mother.
After disrupting Jong-ryeol’s filming, Hyang-mi meets a desperate Gyu-tae on the lake. Later, she gets an international call from someone who asks for 30 million won.
When Jessica and her mother come to Camellia looking for Pil-gu, Hyang-mi tells them that she’s the one who’s blackmailing Jong-ryeol. Later, she steals Dong-baek’s money hidden in the abalone box.
Yong-sik’s mother Deok-sun finds out that Pil-gu’s biological father is Jong-ryeol and that while dating Yong-sik, Jong-ryeol comes and goes to Camellia. Deok-sun confronts Jong-ryeol, who insults her by saying that Yong-sik can never provide for Pil-gu and Dong-baek in ways that he can.
Episodes 25 and 26: “The End of All the Flirting”
When Hyang-mi goes missing after a late-night delivery, Dong-baek goes to the police station; later, Chief Byun investigates Nak-ho (the loan shark) and goes off with his men to search for Hyang-mi.
Jessica confronts Jong-ryeol about his relationship with Pil-gu. On the other hand, Ja-young gives Kyu-tae the divorce papers; Kyu-tae pleads, however, that nothing ever happened between him and Hyang-mi.
The reporters, who have been tailing Hyang-mi, meet Pil-gu. Later, they try to befriend the village women to find out more about Hyang-mi’s relationship with Jong-ryeol.
Yong-shik gets into trouble with Dong-baek’s mother and with his family over his relationship with Dong-baek. The next day, he misses his early morning trip to the market with Dong-baek.
At the lake, Yong-shik and the other police officers find a burned sweater. Yong-shik recognizes that the sweater belonged to Dong-baek. Remembering that the Joker started fires before his killing spree, he rushes off in his police car and tries to warn Dong-baek.
Episodes 27 and 28: “And That Is How My Mom Aged”
| Eps. 25-26 recap: Yong-shik rescues Dong-baek from the fire; in the hospital, he proposes to her. |
Present times .... Deok-sun finds Dong-baek in Yong-shik’s room and orders her to get out; as Jung-sook pays for Dong-baek’s medical bills, Dong-baek notices that a doctor recognizes her mother.
Jong-ryeol sees the reporter trailing him; he cuts off the reporter’s car and breaks its side view mirror with his baseball bat.
Yong-shik and Chief Byun try to convince Hyang-mi’s brother to file a missing person report: they also find Hyang-mi’s bank book.
At the Camellia, Jung-sook is visited by a mysterious woman named Seong-hee.
Yong-shik and Chief Byun find blood in Kyu-tae’s car; they take Kyu-tae to the police station for questioning when he can’t explain his movements on the night Hyang-mi disappeared. In a flashback, Kyu-tae remembers how Jessica bumped Hyang-mi and her scooter.
Yong-shik tells Chief Byun that they need a forensic investigation of the burned sweater, the helmet they found on the lake, and Kyu-tae’s car.
At the hospital, Dong-baek meets the doctor who recognized her mother.
Episodes 29 and 30: “Mother”
| Eps. 27-28 recap: Seong-hee calls Jung-sook as her mother. Jong-ryeol makes a deal with the reporter to leave Pil-gu alone in exchange for a scoop about his divorce with Jessica. Dong-baek finds out that Jung-sook needs a kidney transplant, or else she will die. |
Jong-ryeol wants to send Pil-gu to an elite school that will prepare him for a baseball career, but Pil-gu remains emotionally distant.
Deok-sun tells Yong-shik to break up with Dong-baek; later, at the co-op meeting, she walks out upon seeing Dong-baek.
Jung-sook calls up the police and asks if she can report a killer based on her suspicions. Later, she confronts the person whom she thinks is the Joker.
Yong-shik finally gets the CCTV footage of Hyang-mi’s scooter accident; he then calls Jong-ryeol and asks him about his whereabouts on the night of the accident. In reply, Jong-ryeol asks if Hyang-mi is dead.
Kyu-tae breaks down before Ja-young, revealing that Hyang-mi is missing; later, he turns himself over to the police.
Episodes 31 and 32: “Switching Offense and Defense”
| Eps. 29-30 recap: Dong-baek finds out her mother doesn’t want a kidney transplant; her mother has named her as the sole beneficiary of an insurance policy. Kyu-tae admits that he was at the scene when Dong-baek’s friend was killed by the Joker. Jung-sook, meanwhile, saved Dong-baek by setting off the fire alarm. Jung-sook accuses Heung-sik of being the Joker. |
Pil-gu and his teammates leave for China. Before leaving, Pil-gu whispers something into Yong-shik’s ear.
Yong-shik and Chief Byun consult a professor of criminology about the video footage. Later on, however, they disagree on how to proceed with the investigation.
Yong-shik spends the night with Dong-baek, but in the morning, he finds a green lighter on top of his car.
Dong-baek gets a call from someone and goes to an abandoned mall where she finds the scooter. Meanwhile, Yong-shik confronts Jong-ryeol on why his car was seen near Hyang-mi’s accident.
Hyang-mi’s body is finally found on the lake, and Kyu-tae is arrested for her murder.
Episodes 33 and 34: “The Ongsan Avengers”
The village women vow to protect Dong-baek from the Joker; meanwhile, the police commissioner scolds Yong-shik and Chief Byun for conducting an unofficial investigation of the serial killings.
At the regional police station, Jung-sook pleads with the police to investigate Heung-sik. Meanwhile, Kyu-yae wants to undergo a lie detector test, and the official team focuses its investigation on Jong-ryeol and Jessica.
Pil-gu and his teammates return from their China trip, but at the Camellia, he overhears Deok-sun saying that he’s a burden to Dong-baek; to make matters worse, he finds himself locked out of the house.
Ja-young finally confesses to seeing Hyang-mi on the night that she disappeared; she remembers a truck leaving the shack where Hyang-mi made her delivery, with the scooter loaded on it. With Jong-ryeol’s dashcam footage, Yong-shik and the police officers identify the truck’s owner.
Episodes 35 and 36: “Life of an 8-year-old”
| Eps. 33-34 recap: Pil-gu decides to live with Jong-ryeol in Seoul. Heung-sik has reported that his truck was stolen; he also refuses to give a sample of his DNA. |
Pil-gu leaves Ongsan and goes to Seoul with Jong-ryeol; Jessica’s mother, meanwhile, urges her to proceed with the divorce.
When Heung-sik’s DNA doesn’t match with those found on Hyang-mi’s fingernails, Chief Byun orders Yong-shik to stop his investigation. But when more detailed composite sketches become available, Yong-shik rushes to the hardware store to arrest Heung-sik’s father.
Episodes 37 and 38: “7 Years and 3 Months Of Motherhood”
| Eps. 35-36 recap: The forensics examiner finds something yellow that Hyang-mi deliberately ingested as she was dying. Heung-sik’s father has been faking his disability; he also mocks all the media attention about the murders. For Pil-gu’s sake, Dong-baek decides to break up with Yong-shik. |
The doctor urges Jung-sook to get a kidney transplant since Dong-baek has agreed to be the donor. But Jung-sook refuses and leaves the house without telling Dong-baek. In a motel room, she remembers how she tried to raise Dong-baek by herself and how she eventually decided to abandon her.
After visiting Heung-sik, who has decided to leave Ongsan, Yong-shik goes to the regional station and speaks with Heung-sik’s father on why he committed the murders and targeted Dong-baek.
Episodes 39 and 40, Finale (with spoilers)
Dong-baek and the village women attack the Joker, while Yong-sik, Chief Byun, and the SWAT team try to get them off him.
Jung-sook leaves Dong-baek and Pil-gu in Deok-sun’s care. Later, she is rushed to Ongsan University Hospital — Chief Byun and his officers clear the road, Gyu-tae finds the best equipped ambulance available, and Ja-young calls her former client who's a famous nephrologist.
Gyu-tae reconciles with Ja-young, while Jessica gives up being a social media influencer to focus on Jong-ryeol and their marriage.
Years later, Dong-baek and Yong-sik now have a daughter whom they named after Hyang-mi, and Pil-gu is now a famous baseball player.
Lessons in photography from “When the Camellia Blooms”
A. Observations about this drama’s cinematography:
1. The frequent use of low angle shots characterizes this drama.
Moderate low angle shots; if the GIF doesn’t display properly, view it in another tab.
Extreme low angle shots; if the GIF doesn’t display properly, view it in another tab.
2. Unlike most of the recent K-dramas, this drama generally uses Dutch angles conservatively; in some instances, the tilt is hardly noticeable. (If the GIF doesn’t display properly, view it in another tab.)
B. Other lessons in photography
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| Lead room, conveying depth through background blur |
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| Background blur, lines of direction |
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| Background blur, partial frame |
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| Linear perspective, converging lines |
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| Diagonal lines, patterns |
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| Foreground and background blur |
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| Foreground blur, leading line |
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| Local frame, background blur |
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| Local frame, background blur |
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| Short siding, lower quadrant framing |
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| Natural frame |
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| Natural frame |
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| Reflection |
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| Reflection |
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| Quality and direction of light, shooting against the light |
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| Short siding |
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| Lens flare, line of direction |
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| Rule of Odds, natural frames, foreground blur |
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| Reflections |
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| Rule of Odds (shooting odd-numbered group is easier) |
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| Linear perspective, sinister diagonal (Dyamic symmetry) |
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| Low angle shot |
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| Lens flare |
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| Establishing shot |
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| Baroque diagonal (Dynamic Symmetry) |
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| Foreground and background blur |
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| Balance and symmetry |
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| Foreground and background blur, partial frame |
