It’s arm cast off and game on for our heroine this week. She settles into her new home, gets closer to her new friends, and starts her new business venture — but in the middle of all the lollipop cuteness there’s the perfect side helping of mystery, history, and romance a-brewing.
EPISODES 3-4 WEECAP
Why is this show so cute?! It’s so silly and sweet and warm, and it feels like just the right amount of all of those things. I swear, I watched both episodes this week with a grin plastered on my face. And the only time the grin left was when it was replaced by audible giggles, or the need to verbalize how adorable and squishy Joon is.
We left off last week with our shirtless hijinks, which are quickly resolved. There are introductions all around, and before she knows it, Lala is packed up and sent off to stay with the town hairdresser JIN SOOK-KYUNG (played by the fabulous Yeh Ji-won), and her daughter JIN HA-YOUNG (Shin Eun-soo) who has an astronomical crush on Joon. Girl, I know the feeling.
There’s tons of silliness to be had at the Jin household, whether it’s Ha-young’s territorialism of Joon, Lala sleeping like a ton of bricks due to “stress,” Lala drinking all of Sook-kyung’s PPL juice packets, or the way that both women respond to Lala’s compliments. (Special LOL to the Parasite reference.)
But of course it’s Lala’s relationship with Joon that strings the drama together, because it’s the strongest (and cutest) of the relationship dynamics. If he seemed like her guardian angel last week — as Lala’s walking bank, source of food, and only companion — he becomes even more so this week. It should not be as delightful as it is to watch him react to her, think about her, worry about her, plan how to make her happy, and then get awkward when she compliments him — but it is delightful, and I could watch this play out all day long. And lucky for us, that’s practically what happens on repeat this week.
Among the many sweet, thoughtful things that Joon does for Lala, at the top of the list is blueprinting, constructing, and then decorating his flower-shop-turned-apartment so that Lala has a separate room to stay in. His having two rooms was Lala’s requirement for being able to stay at his place, instead of with Ha-young and her mother.
So, he builds her an awesome loft, the likes of which are only possible in dramaland… but then she doesn’t stay there (yet?). It’s more of a hangout nest. While this was probably a bigger disappointment than I was ready to deal with, the truth is, I wouldn’t have been able to stand the cuteness if they were together 24/7 — and neither could Joon, probably. He’s visibly flustered and gaga over Lala, and she might be too ditzy to notice, but we’re not.
Anyway, instead of cohabitation, what we get out of this apartment renovation is a brand new space for Lala to set up her very own piano academy. Because in addition to all the cuteness this week, an important moment for Lala is realizing (with Joon’s help) how important music is to her, and how playing the piano is a part of her identity.
And so, as soon as the arm cast comes off, Lala starts playing on the town’s picturesque public piano. It’s as if being away from the piano for so long made her realize how much she loves and needs it. Ha-young and her mother are impressed, but Joon has hearts in his eyes — that is, before he makes her stop playing to rest her recovering hand.
Alas, Joon’s sweetness and total crush on Lala is not as simple as it should/could be. This week, we see more of DOCTOR CHA EUN-SUK (Kim Joo-hun), and he emerges as not only a rival in love, but a giant pain in the @ss. I lied earlier — there is a third time when the grin left my face while watching this week, and that was whenever Dr. Cha appeared on my screen.
I could deal with you when you were the doctor, or even when you were the Way Too Friendly doctor, but now that he’s really trying to weasel his way into Lala’s life/heart, I’m not a fan. I’m not sure if I’m so turned off by him because a) he’s way too old for her, b) he’s super suspicious, or c) he’s taking up valuable screen time that would be much better spent watching Lala try to glomp Joon, and then stop herself a second before, when she sees his terrified face.
And so, Dr. Cha is a problematic ripple in our sea of cuteness, not only because of how he’s pursuing Lala, but because he’s also putting pressure on Joon. Pressure in the romantic interest department for sure, but he also makes a few needling comments about Joon’s own history that are not well-received. Does Dr. Cha know more than he lets on? Is his pursuit of Lala a means to a different end? I’m willing to believe anything at this point, and I’d almost rather him be wicked than a daddy long legs character, and/or the mysterious social media benefactor.
But is there room for wicked in the bubbly world of Lala Land? Well, there’s room for tragedy and grief in our story — but it’s also couched with a gigantic dose of optimism. Nothing keeps Lala down. Like Scarlet O’Hara, she’ll “worry about it tomorrow,” and no matter the challenge she faces, she can still skip on her way to work, star gaze, and bring a jolt of brightness wherever she goes.
Joon needs that brightness, and I love that that’s why he’s so attracted to her. He loves being around her, makes excuses for them to be together, and soon — as the end of Episode 4 hints — is also starting to let his guard down a bit. Lala might be an open book to everyone, but Joon has secrets, and even though Lala is in Lala Land, she notices this about Joon, too.
In our closing scene this week, a thunderstorm and some fateful words converge, and we see that a painful memory is triggered for Joon. Like many a damaged hero pushed to the edge, in his moment of weakness, he reaches for the unsuspecting heroine and asks her to stay with him. It’s a trope-filled moment — but I don’t mind one bit. They feel like an ice cream sundae in human form.
While Do Do Sol Sol isn’t doing anything we wouldn’t expect, rather than feel recycled, there’s something that’s especially comforting and cheerful about it. And it wasn’t until the scene where Lala and Joon peek outside to enjoy the rain that I could put my finger on what makes me feel this way: it’s the childlike joy. It’s sprinkled in the details and colors and moments of the show, and Lala is the character where that childlike joy originates. That’s why, for all her ditziness, she’s lovable and fun, instead of being saccharine and boring. In other words, good-good-good!