Four reasons why I’m enjoying this kdrama:
1. The title, “Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol”
The quickest way to hook me into a kdrama is to use the title to set up the context of story, and the personalities of the characters. I’m intrigued by imaginative titles and I’ve no choice but to continue watching until I discover what the writer is trying to suggest with the title.
Now, the moment I read the title of this kdrama, I knew what it referring to. I mentioned this before:
When you play the notes of the title, do do sol sol la la sol, you’ll find that the melody is familiar. It’s the opening melody of three nursery songs: the Alphabet Song, Baa Baa Black Sheep, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Mozart wrote variations for this melody in his piece, “Twelve Variations of ‘Ah vous dirai-je, Maman?’”
Here’s the English translation of the French nursery song, “Ah vous dirai-je, Maman?”
Oh! Shall I tell you, Mama,
What is tormenting me?
Daddy wants me to reason
Like a grown-up person,
Me, I say that sweets
Are worth more than reasoning.source: Wikipedia
The interesting tidbit about this song, according to Wikipedia, is that it was originally drawn from a love poem, “The Naïve Confidence.”
Note: the word “confidence” does NOT mean courage or fearlessness. It actually means secret. The young lady in the song was confiding in her mother about falling in love with a man who charmed her flowers and sweet talk. She was sharing a “confidence,” a secret. Hence, the title of the song is “Ah! Vous dirai-je, Maman?” In teen language, it can be translated as “OMG, Mom! Shall I tell you something freaking good that happened to me?”
Here’s the English translation of the French love poem, “The Naïve Confidence.” Source: Wikipedia.
Ah! Shall I tell you, Mama,
What causes my torment?
Since I saw Silvandre,
Look at me tenderly;
My heart says every moment:
“Can one live without loving?”The other day, in a grove,
He made a bouquet of flowers;
He adorned my crook with it
Telling me: “Beautiful brunette,
Flora is less beautiful than you;
Love less enamored than me.
*According to him, she was more beautiful than a flower. Also, he was absolutely nuts about her that even the word “love” couldn’t properly describe his feelings for her.
Of course, if I were the girl, I’d be rolling my eyes at his cringe.
Being made to charm,
You must please, you must love;
It is in the springtime of one’s age,
That it is said one should commit.
If you tarry any longer,
One regrets these moments.”I blushed and unfortunately
A sigh betrayed my heart.
The cruel one skillfully
Took advantage of my weakness:
Alas, Mama! a misstep
Made me fall into his arms.I did not have any support
Than my crook and my dog.
Love, wishing my defeat,
Put aside my dog and crook;
Ah! That we taste sweetness,
When love takes care of a heart!source: Wikipedia
Gu Rara’s piano teacher tried to explain the title of the song to her. She said, “It’s about a teenage girl telling her mother that she’s in love with someone. It’s a love song.” But Rara was too young, and too busy picking her nose, to pay attention to all this talk about the romance so her teacher settled for its simplified title, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”
As it turned out, Mozart’s composition was an exchange of confidences between Rara and her father. The piano piece did end up becoming their secret message.
You see, for her first piano recital, she was so nervous to play it that she couldn’t remember anything beyond the first notes: CCGGAAG. The recital would have been a complete disaster if her father had not stood up from the audience, and applauded her performance.
“Bravo!” he said.
Because of her father’s encouragement, she learned that it was okay to make mistakes, and that she did a great job. Her dad’s thumbs-up gladdened her heart. After that day, she persevered even when she disliked playing the piano or struggled with her lessons because she remembered her dad’s confidence in her.
Twenty years later, the Mozart piece came full circle. At her graduation recital, she abandoned her prearranged piano piece and surprised him and the audience by playing Mozart’s Twelve Variations.
You know, for graduation recitals, the pianist chooses her piece to showcase her talent, musicality, technique, and skills. So while the Mozart piece would be considered an “ambitious” undertaking when Rara played it as a child, it would be considered “below” her performance level to play it at age 24.
But performing for the audience wasn’t her intention. It didn’t matter one whit to her and to her dad if the crowd was impressed with her piano playing. She just wanted to dedicate that song to her dad to show him how much his faith in her meant to her. And just like at her first piano recital twenty years ago, only her father stood up to applaud her in the auditorium.
So…that’s the FIRST meaning of the title “Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol” in this drama. Unlike in the original French song, Rara was not a teenage girl telling her mother that she’s in love with someone. Instead, she was a young adult telling her dad that she loved him and that she thanked him for his unconditional love for her. She didn’t care about the audience approval. She simply wanted to dedicate her final public performance to her father.
She admitted as much to her piano teacher after she quit. She said, “Ms. Gong, I only learned piano all these years to play that song for my dad at my graduation recital. Now I’ve done that, so I’m done! Finished!”
Then, she went outside to get herself a manicure. lol.
I can sure relate to the manicure. I used to trim my nails very short because I hated not being able to feel the piano keys with my fingertips. I also hated that clicking noise that the long nails would make when hitting the keys. So I totally get why after twenty years, a manicure would be a symbol of freedom for her.
But what I found interesting about this moment was that she asked for three STARS on each nail.
To me, she was saying goodbye to “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” but she was still, unconsciously, putting them on her nails.
And that’s the SECOND meaning of the “Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol” in this kdrama, for me. After she fulfilled living her father’s dream for her, that is, to become a pianist, she was free to follow her own dream. Ironically, however, just when she thought that she’d escaped from her musical universe, she found herself pursuing the personification of that very musical piece that plagued her for twenty years: a mysterious Mr. Dodosolsollalasol.
That’s why I found it funny that she was wearing a star-studded dress when she decided to visit Eunpo City. She wasn’t just content to have stars on her nails, she also liked stars on her dress. Was she obsessed or something?
The dress was symbolic, though. She was searching for her twinkling star. She was about to meet her secret Mr. Dodosolsollalasol.
Too bad, she ended up crashing on the poor guy, Sunwoo Jun. This scene had me laughing because it gave a new meaning to a “falling star.” He fell because she hit him with her car.
The references to the stars didn’t end there, too.
On their first night together after her accident, Rara and Jun were exchanging confidences under the stars.
She wanted to Mr. Dodosolsollalasol to meet her at the hospital, but he was (in)conveniently out of town for a month and asked to meet her when he returned. She had no one to rely on while she was injured, so Jun ended up staying by her bedside to take care of her needs.
Before going to sleep, she confessed to him that it was the first night after her wedding day to sleep with the lights off. Then, as she dozed off peacefully, Jun stared out the window and saw the stars in the night sky. The stars were watching over them.
And that’s how the writer and director incorporated the title into the first two episodes. I thought it was ingenious. On one level, we see it as an secret expression of love between father and daughter. Then, on another level, we see it as her accidental journey to find her new love.
2. Lee JaeWook as Sunwoo Jun
I’ve always liked the actor LJW and I’m glad that he finally got to play the main lead in a romcom.
To avoid being a tiresome fangirl, I’ll limit myself to two reasons why his character appealed to me, and I’ll throw in a bonus third “reason” for his naked torso scene.
Note: the word “reason” is in quotation marks.
First, the wedding scene. I mentioned it here:
I said that I liked that he was stunned at the sight of her.
At the end of Episode 2, we’d find out (SPOILER ALERT) that the wedding wasn’t his first time to meet her.
‘He was actually at her graduation recital when she played, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” He was watching her from the balcony (this indicated that he had expensive tickets) with a friend who professed an interest in her. Seeing her all dressed up in a wedding gown must have shocked him.
I liked the way he fixed the blood-stained wedding gown. That tells us that he isn’t easily rattled and he’s quick to improvise. Although his reason for leaving his previous life is unknown, it’s clear that he doesn’t need his connection to survive on his own. Even if he turns out to be a chaebol, it’s good to know that he’s self-sufficient and street-savvy.
I also liked that when she told him, “Goodbye,” he said “Shireunde.” I told you that it means “I don’t want to.”
Rara would joke that his words must have been magical since they met again. He quickly brushed it off saying, “Darn it. I shouldn’t have said that.” He must be feeling embarrassed that he was so bold back then as to declare that he didn’t want her to go.
Second, the pick-up scene in Episode 2.
He’d gone to earn an extra 500 won for her and returned to the hospital at 11pm to check on her. Never mind that he was all beaten up, he had to go to her. Seeing her woebegone face, he knew that she’d been crying again.
I liked the way he just barged in and broke up the interaction between Rara and the doctor. She was relieved to see him come back. He walked over to her, wrapped his arms around her waist to pick her up and led her out the room. He behaved as if he was her guardian. I liked how quietly he settled into that role because he had originally claimed that he was nothing to her but her accident victim. Didn’t he know that that he couldn’t claim to be her victim anymore if he willingly gave his consent and his assistance to her? Weird fellow.
I liked him taking her out for a bicycle ride at night to calm her down. I like how he nagged her for crying over his one-and-only jacket and making it dirty. Then, after asking if she was all better, he nagged her again for “crying in front of strangers.”
By “strangers,” he meant the doctor, of course. He didn’t like her crying because he had to wipe her tears. But he obviously disliked it more than she cried in front of somebody else other than him. He no longer considered himself a stranger to her since he was taking care of her and working to pay off her bills. As strange as their creditor-borrower relationship is, I think it’s a novel way of beginning a romance. It feels as if he suddenly saddled himself with a helpless wife.
As for Rara, she didn’t consider him a stranger, either. She was able to tell him all the humiliating things that happened to her.
Rara: Last time, you asked me why my husband-to-be had left me. It was because my family went bankrupt. I guess you can say that our agreement fell through. My husband-to-be is a doctor. My dad promised to open his own practice for him and buy us a house. But he failed to keep that agreement.
Jun: Why did you want to marry, then?
Rara: Because my dad told me to.
Jun: Are you stupid? How could you marry someone you didn’t like just because of him?
Rara: I may not have liked him too much, but he was a decent guy. He liked me a lot.
Jun: Gosh, I can’t believe you’re defending him after how you were treated.
Rara: What? Don’t tell me you saw everything.
Jun: (Realizing his mistake. He wasn’t supposed to have seen it) What?
Rara: Darn it. I’m so embarrassed.
Jun: You don’t need to be.
Rara: Really? Since I’m already so humiliated, let me tell you one more secret. I got scammed and lost my apartment.
Jun: What?
Rara: I didn’t know where to go or what to do, so I came here.
Jun: To meet “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”? What kind of lousy plan is that? What if that person was just playing with you?
There are two interpretations:
A. he isn’t this mysterious “Dodosolsollalasol” guy who contacted Rara on Instagram. He’s bound to be jealous when this mystery guy shows up.
B. he’s this mysterious guy but he’s pretending ignorance, and scolding her because of her hare-brained plan. He’s going to be in trouble when Rara finds out that he’s been deceiving her.
Either way, he’ll be in trouble.
Rara: Gosh, I know. To be honest, I didn’t have anything to worry about when my dad was around. But after you left, I realized something.
Jun: What’s that?
Rara: Being poor is terrifying. Being poor leads to many obstacles.
Jun: Gosh. That took you look enough.
Although I can imagine Jun stepping into her father’s shoes and taking care of her, there’s a difference between him and her father. Given Jun’s limited resources, he’s in a better position to teach Rara to deal with reality, and undo her father’s cossetting.
Third, the naked torso scene.
I liked this scene because it showed that Rara implicitly trusted him.
Rara: Do you only have one bed?
Jun: Yes.
Rara: Then where will you sleep?
Jun: (wide-eyed) We’ll be sleeping together.
Rara: What? (stares at him)
Jun: (stares back at her)
Rara: Together?
Jun: I was just joking.
But shortly after that, she woke up to find him on top of her. (Note: There was perfectly good excuse. He was reaching for the bottled water that rolled on the other side of the bed.)
Rara: (screaming)
Jun: Don’t get the wrong idea! It’s not —
Rara: Go put on some clothes!
lol. She shrieked not because she feared that he was going to rape her but because she was looking at his naked body. (I thought it was funny though that she didn’t entirely cover her eyes.)
3. Go Ara as Goo Rara
If another actress other than Go Ara had been playing this character, Goo Rara, I doubt that I would have stayed for two episodes. Ditzy characters are usually a turn-off for me. But I like the way Go Ara clowns around without looking gimmicky.
Take for instance when she was pretending to play the piano.
She looked absolutely maniacal with her eyes tightly shut in concentration, not to mention her pursed lips and scraggly hair, and her bandaged hands outstretched like a mummy. Jun’s comment hit the mark. He told her to stop because she looked like she was possessed.
That’s when I began liking her character. She reminded me of Lucille Ball, that irrepressible goofball in the 1950s hit sitcom, “I Love Lucy.”
Like Lucy, Rara is very gullible and rather careless with money. Whatever plans she makes always ends up in a disaster. To her credit, however, Rara doesn’t have a mean streak in her body and she apologizes right away whenever she hurts Jun.
I like the scenes when Rara tests Jun’s patience with her antics.
Take for instance when he was feeding her in the hospital. She was a hearty eater. She ate every spoonful he gave her, then demanded that he picked up some essential items for her at the store, like facial cream, salad, and freshly squeezed juice. Considering that she’d hit him with her car, and was asking him to pay her bills, she now had him serving her 24/7.
Rara: Water!
Jun: Drink quickly. I’m late for my shift.
Rara: You have another shift?
Jun: Yes. I have to work very hard to be able to lend you money.
Rara: Right, you have to lend me money. Hurry then and make a lot of money!
She sounds shameless, right? But when she was teased that Jun had run away from her to escape paying her hospital bill, she looked so tearful and fragile. I don’t think she realized that she was tying him to her with her nonstop demands, and ever-growing debts. He couldn’t walk away from her because she was dependent on him.
For instance, he worked at a deli, and he came back with salad and fresh juice for her.
Then, he handed out free samples for a cosmetic store, and Rara ended up getting her facial cream that she requested.
That’s the reason I don’t mind Rara’s whims. The more impulsive and whimsical she is, the more appealing he becomes because of his dependability and forbearance.
4. The mystery
The identity of Mr. “Dodosolsollalasol” is still a mystery.
There are four suspects:
A. Sunwoo Jun
B. The doctor, Cha Eun Seok
C. The old man who we haven’t seen yet
D. The photographer who we haven’t seen in action yet, too
Of course, we’re all rooting for Jun because he’s the one who’s demonstrably been crushing on her for a long time, and who has expressed concern about her welfare from the start. While I don’t foresee a raging fanwar just like in the Reply series, we’re only in Episode 2. There’ll be many more twists and turns before we find out conclusively who Mr. Dodosolsollalasol is, so I’m going to enjoy the process.
I look forward to reviewing this kdrama, especially the rivalry between the doctor and Jun, and the interaction between Jun and Rara.
Personaly, it’s the opposite. Go Ara is a big no in this drama. But for the rest, I really liked it. The issue it’s Go Ara has a lot of scenes :p
Thanks @pkml3. I’m not yet sure if I’ll pick up this show, but I may just give it a quick look and see how it strikes me.
Thank you, @pm3! I am doing some research on the music in the show and will post my notes later today.
Thanks, Snow Flower.
They played that Satie piece, “Je te veux” while they were on the bike. That’s all I recognized.
What about the pieces a) she heard on the radio as a baby, and b) she played when dad died?
Ah! Liszt-Schumann’s Widmung!
Rara played Schumann’s Dedication for Clara’s wedding song on the night her dad passed away.
Schumann wrote it for Clara as a wedding gift and RaRa played it for her dad on her (scuttled) wedding day as his funeral song.
Will get the translation of the lyrics later.
Sorry for my brain freeze.
The piece on the radio was Chopin’s Ballade No. 1
The piece Ra Ra played for her dad is indeed Widmung (Dedication). The original is an art song (Lied in German) for voice and piano, written by Robert Schumann as a wedding gift for his wife, Clara. The lyrics are by German poet Friedrich Ruckert. Here is a translation:
Dedication
English Translation © Richard Stokes
You my soul, you my heart,
You my rapture, O you my pain,
You my world in which I live,
My heaven you, to which I aspire,
O you my grave, into which
My grief forever I’ve consigned!
You are repose, you are peace,
You are bestowed on me from heaven.
Your love for me gives me my worth,
Your eyes transfigure me in mine,
You raise me lovingly above myself,
My guardian angel, my better self!
Translations by Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)
Franz Liszt made an arrangement of the song for solo piano, adding his signature flair to an already great work.
Ra Ra played the song to her father, but she also played it for Jun, who was listening nearby, exhausted from being pursued. I thought it was a fitting song for both men.
When Ra Ra was pretending to play with her cast on, the music heard was Fantasie Impromptu by Chopin.
A side note on playing Mozart
I find Mozart’s music very difficult to play. It is not super difficult technically, but it has to be played perfectly. Because the texture is very transparent, even the smallest mistake is easily noticed and will spoil the total effect of the performance. So, even though the Twinkle variations are within a child’s technical abilities, it takes the finesse of an adult to make the piece truly sparkle. I liked Ra Ra’s smile when she played it as an adult. In comparison, the other piece she played at the graduation recital (Rachmaninov’s Moment Musical in E Minor) is more difficult, but also more forgiving.
To @packmule3 and @Snow Flower, much appreciation for your music enrichment course. Although I’m not entirely musically illiterate(used to think the William Tell Overturevwas the Lone Rangervtheme and not thenothervway around-am dating myself). Havedrfinitely noticed that these references add so much to a program’s enjoyment. I likd this drama, somfar, and its cast. Am rooting for Jun Nd hope RaRa pays him back. I was particularly taken with the scene where he washed her hair(scalp massages arevquite sexy and here seemed like an innocent prelude to foreplay). Am also waiting to see the folow through on the friendship between her doctor and her would be husband-and will there be a quadrangle instead of a triangle.
This show has lots of potential with the hope that RaRa has lots of personal growth. Right now,although she’s kind hearted, she’s also annoying. So far she does not seem toappreciate how hard people likeJunhave towork to keep her in everything. She has been too entitled and is in so many ways,undeserving. Why doesn’t she think to consign her designer bags to make ends meet? That’s where I find her somewhat infuriating. He cute dog has more than most people. That’s one of the conflicts betweenthe hairdresser and her daughter. Kutward appearances do not necessarily tell truths. And RaRa was not hapoy with her hairstyle-notvfashion forward-but beggarscould not be choosers.
I really hope the debt issue gets resolved soon and that iur heroine learns to be sensitive to other’s needs. Her late Dad did her no favors by cosseting her. Please RaRa wake up!
I thought i was the only one enjoying this drama more than tbe others, i find it mysterious and theres lot of places it could go. I hate the creepy second lead and im praying hes not DDSSLLSS because ew no thank you
@Old American Lady i agree she is annoying, i’m so suprised she has like 3 or more men into her for her…piano skills? Not really sure, its cute at first the ditzy rich girl character but if it stays this way it just is annoying and not needed. Hopefully we see her gain agency and grow soon, and hopefully not too reliant on the men that surround her
What I really want to find out is how is Mimi the dog doing? Last thing we heard she was in surgery too at the vet clinic. I hope that thoughtful Jun will have a Mimi update for Ra Ra soon. Speaking of Jun, I can totally imagine the actor as a long-haired tragic swordsman in a historical drama. I like his character in this drama.
I started watching this show when I found out that it’s from the same writer as “Shopaholic Louis” (Oh Ji-Young)– which I finished just last week and really enjoyed. SL had some of the funniest moments I’ve ever seen in a k-drama and some so sweet that (in words echoed in others’ comments) they made my teeth hurt. OJY created a world in SL that I was completely immersed in and hated to leave. And it had a great OST to boot.
In watching DDSSLLS, I immediately noticed these similarities (perhaps some due to usual k-drama tropes than particular writer proclivities?):
–Butler Kim in SL is the dad in DDSSLLS, and he plays a similar role (the butler protects/shelters Louis from the real world, just as the dad does with Ra Ra)
–The protagonist is a rich person who loses everything and becomes homeless
–The protagonist lacks the everyday skills of living and must rely on the kindness of others to survive as he/she makes their way in a new/big city
–Louis and Ra Ra both play the piano
—(Edited by packmule3 on 1/14/2020 per request) There is a car accident involving the protagonist in the first episode of both shows (that shifts the course of their lives)
–And the fly graphic! The fly graphic also was used (to hilarious effect) in SL to signal stinkiness
The problem is that I don’t like Ra Ra, two episodes in. Louis was also a spoiled, rich kid, but from the beginning of SL there was the more endearing Ko Bok-shil (a poor herbalist from the mountains) to balance out the story–I rooted for her from the get-go. Jun isn’t giving me that balance. So far I am not really pulling for either of these two and don’t really care whether they make it or not.
Packmule said that Ra Ra may be similar to Jane Austen’s Emma. Emma happens to be my least favorite JA character so maybe that’s why I’m not feeling this drama yet. I’ll try to give it another couple of episodes to see if it can pull me in.
@BethB and @packmule3, We need a Mr. Knightley here. Emma really needed to be, shall I say it, shamed into seeing her personal snobbery, her lack of empathy and her misplaced infatuation of Frank Churchill. Mr. K did the trick. I can’t see Ra Ra havinga Mr. K, but I hope Jun gets the backbone to make her accept other people’s financial reality. I really hope she learns about consignment stores and knock offs (if they have them in Korea). Or maybe she can rent out her beautiful wardrobe for cash-can be done online. £I don’t think this will happen here-probably dpnot a cultural norm in Korea. Somy big hope is that she finds some redemption soon. What’s keeping me here is the power if K Drama coincidences-namely the connections between the male leads and Jun’s secret background(is he really a chaebol in hiding). I’m sticking with this for now. I can deal with annoying when I have handsome gumihos and zombies to follow.
BTW I’m liking it much better now. I watched the third and fourth episodes this week, but I wanted to leave another comment here since it’s still about OJY, the writer of this show and Shopaholic Louis.
Given OJY’s use of people “returning” from the dead in SL, I wondered if maybe the dad in DDSSLLS might have faked his own death and would return by the end of the series (though it would be weird he died on his daughter’s wedding day, unless it was to test her fiance’s loyalty to her). But now I see he is a bad guy on Tale of the Nine Tailed, so I guess he isn’t coming back!
After my episode 4, it’s a keeper. Can buy into dad being alive because we saw no funeral
As d Dr. Cha actor is in three series-thus one, It’s Okay To Be Not Okay and Start Up, He is very busy this see year. So maybe Dad actor can continue.
To all, My last commentwas written inthe dark and just before bedtime so it is really incoherrent. What I meant to say is that it’s feasible that the Dadcharacter is alive, evenif theactor appears in another drama. The writer seems tohave left things open. Usually, whenamajorcharacter dies, we see a funeral. Here RaRa was told to disappear and not to attend a funeral that Secretary Corrupt would take care of. So maybe Dad is still around.
Also the actor who plays Dad maybhave time in his schedule to return. Look at Dr, Cha. The actor has had quite a year with this drama, It’s Okay To Be Not Okay and an important pivotal role in Start Up (where he nails it). So who knows.
Nevertheless, am finally enjoying RaRa. I want to know more about Jun’s back story. And am loving the supporting characters. Sending apologies again. OAL