Summary
The finale of Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol looked to be a satisfying, emotional ending, however, it was one twist too far, and episode 16 becomes absolute nonsense by the time it ends.
This recap of Netflix K-drama series Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol episode 16 — the finale — contains significant spoilers.
We’ll be recapping this weekly — check out the archive.
The opening
The finale begins with Ra-ra recording a video of herself with her dog — LaLa Land is now online. Jun sends her a text to congratulate her. Ra-ra and Jun spend day and night texting each other, demonstrating how in love they really are. Unbeknown to Ra-ra, Jun is well into his cancer therapy. As she sings to him on the phone, he’s in hospital, and he falls asleep with tears in his eyes. Episode 16 is an emotional finale, pulling at the audience’s heartstrings.
Kim Man-bok is awake
The next morning, Cha Eun-seok offers Ra-ra good news — Kim Man-bok is awake. She’s so happy to see him up in his hospital bed. She thanks him for the piano. Kim Man-bok explains how he likes seeing happiness in people. Ra-ra then gives Kim Man-bok a letter from Jun and explains that he is “Studying abroad”. Afterwards, Eun-seok checks up on her after he promised to Jun to take care of her.
Ra-ra wants to propose to Jun
Ra-ra tells Sook-kyeong and Ha-yeong that she wants to propose to Jun. The women tell her to do a LaLa Land concert at Christmas time. Jun looks at his calendar and believes he can make it. Ra-ra is excited to play a piece together with him. Jun practises the piano while in hospital, watching training videos by Ra-ra. Of course, at this stage, Ra-ra has no idea that Jun has cancer.
The concert
The finale then moves to Christmas time, which heightens the romance of the series. Even Kim Man-bok attends the concert despite not fully recovering. Jun’s plane has been delayed due to the heavy snow, so he apologises for being late. But he does send a video of him playing the piano and Ra-ra asks Ha-yeong to play it on the big screen. The concert proceeds and Eun-seok opens with a piece. His ex-wife vows to get him back.
The performances
Shin Jae-min is next, and for a young boy, he shows how talented he is on the piano. Everyone is blown away by him. For the last performance, Ra-ra does her piece while playing Jun’s video on the screen and it works in unison — it’s an alternative version of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”. As the music plays, flashbacks are shown to the audience of their relationship. Everyone applauds but Kim Man-bok looks sad and he starts crying — he knows about Jun’s cancer therapy.
The worst news
Late in the night, Jun’s mother visits Ra-ra and thanks her. She tells her that Jun was pleased living here, and it breaks her heart. And then Jun’s mother reveals that Jun can no longer visit because he was very ill. Ra-ra doesn’t understand because Jun has just text her, but the mother reveals that she sent it and that the piano video was sent a month ago. Episode 16 is upsetting as it can be; Jun is dead, or at least we thought he was. Ra-ra is devastated. The mother returns the teacup set that Jun brought with him to America.
His last words
So the next act of the finale shows how upset everyone is and it’s a genuine tearjerker. With all the crying, flashbacks and narrations, it’s almost emotionally stressful.
The news spreads quick, and everyone is crying. Memories of Jun are repeatedly shown — his last words and what they really meant — like the time he asked Eun-seok to look after Ra-ra. Shock and grief keep overpowering Ra-ra. Jun left her a letter asking her to cry over and over again until she can be happy. This looked to be a finale that shows togetherness and tragic love.
5 years later
The series then flits to 5 years later, which is a relief because the crying scenes were becoming distressing. LaLa Land Piano Academy is still open, and there’s a young girl named Ji-a playing the piano. It’s Ha-yeong, and Seung-gi’s child and Ra-ra drops her off.
The ending
Eun-seok’s ex-wife tells Eun-seok that her heart is aching. She wants him back and not just dating. Eun-seok agrees for them both to get back together. He shares the good news with Ra-ra and thanks her for helping him find his new self.
Ra-ra is still playing the piano and remembering Jun as she plays it. Sometimes she cries. One day, while playing the piano, Jun returns, and she can’t believe it. The pair hug. Ra-ra is angry, believing he was dead. Jun wanted to wait until he was fully recovered. Ra-ra is starting to believe he is a ghost, but then he kisses her to make it real.
Where do we start really? While the Netflix series is not meant to be a dimension of realism, the 5-year gap is wholly unrealistic, and it forces the audience to suspend their belief far beyond the other reasonable twists in the story. Also, it’s incredibly cruel and arrogant to pretend to be dead, force your mother to relay the fake news and then expect to return to the woman who loves you 5 years later with open arms (and still be single).
The finale of Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol looked to be a satisfying, emotional ending, however, it was one twist too far, and episode 16 becomes absolute nonsense by the time it ends.
