[Drama Review] 'Ddanddara' - Episode 16

If the drama had ended after this episode like it was supposed to, I still would have been completely satisfied with the ending.

Everything resolved perfectly what with Choi Joon Ha coming clean about his songs not really being his songs, Ha Neul finding peace with Choi Joon Ha and his brother Sung Hyun's death, and getting to honor his brother by standing on stage and singing "You Can Cry."

What's more, Ha Neul got to sing right alongside his brother...well, his brother's hologram. But what matters is that the Jo brothers finally stood on stage together and that Ha Neul achieved his longtime dream of becoming a singer. It couldn't more touching and satisfying finally getting to see Ha Neul fulfill his own dream and clear his brother's name.

Jinu comes face to face with a difficult decision.

This closure would not have been possible if not for Seok Ho who insisted on meeting with Choi Joon Ha and exhorted him to reveal the truth. Seok Ho's selfless act probably moved me more than Ha Neul's coming to terms with Choi Joon Ha's betrayal and Sung Hyun's death.

Just think about it; Seok Ho went full circle from being at the top of the world to the darkest depths of failure and climbing slowly back up top after a taking a reflective, painful trip toward self-discovery. In this process, he learned to consider others more deeply, the prime example in this episode being his reluctance to expose Choi Joon Ha for stealing Jo Sung Hyun's songs.

Ha Neul crying for his brother and his unfair death.

The old Seok Ho would not have given a damn what happened to Choi Joon Ha but that Seok Ho is gone. I think that growth displayed by Seok Ho is one of the most touching parts about this whole drama. I can safely say that most everyone probably hated Seok Ho's guts for being a pompous little ass in the beginning of the drama but now he's successfully redeemed himself to be Ddanddara's more than able caretaker and Mango Entertainment's CEO.

And boy, was I glad to see Lee Joon Seok lose his marbles and throw a tantrum like he is a two-year-old infant. I like how the drama drew the parallel between Lee Joon Seok and Seok Ho, comparing the two of them for their tendencies to use any means to achieve an end. But the main difference between the Seok Ho and Lee Joon Seok is that Seok Ho was able to move onto become a better person while Lee Joon Seok remained his same self-serving, venal self.

Lee Joon Seok on the verge of total insanity after every one of his evil schemes fail.

Now that there are two more episodes left, I'm waiting for how the writers wrapped up the so-called romance between Seok Ho and Geu Rin. Though, leaving it like as it is now would have been perfectly fine as well, especially considering that I (and many others) wasn't feeling the 'love line' between the two leads. And since it's not really a romance drama but a more a slice of life story on friendship, family, and self-discovery. A romance wasn't really needed at all but this is a Korean drama after all.