"Do You Like Brahms?" drama: Episodes 31 and 32 recap- Final

 Air Dates: August 31st until October 20, 2020  Monday and Tuesdays at 10:00 pm on SBS

Ratings for these two episodes, 4.6and 6.0%

Main Cast: The college referred to is Seoryeong University, a very prestigious music school though it does have many other programs. Much of the bio did change over time, didn't update the characters but in the recaps you learned what new changes happened.

Park Eun-Bin as Chae Song-Ah.... 'Chae' sounds quite a bit like the Korean word for sorry and she constantly has to tell others it's her real name. Song-Ah is 29 and graduated from the university at 22 with a business degree. However she hasn't had a steady job since then as her first love was playing the violin. After four attempts she was finally accepted into the school's musical program, she's finished three years yet is still not a very accomplished player.

Kim Min-Jae as Park Joon-Young.... He's an award winning pianist and the same age as 
Song-Ah. He too graduated from Seoryeong University and for many years has been touring the world performing concerts. He's a very respected pianist yet has returned to the university for their graduate program but see no reason why.

Lee You-Jin as Yoon Dong-Yun.... Friend of Song-Ah's and went out briefly with Min-Seong. We didn't see him in this first episode as he was in Italy but has just returned in this show. He owns a violin shop though doesn't play much these days.

Bae Da-Bin as Kang Min-Seong.... Song-Ah's best friend who is going to the same college, she's getting her Masters in Chemistry.

Park Ji-Hyun as Lee Jung-Kyung.... She's just returned from America where she tried so hard to become a professor of music at some colleges but failed. She's a violinist whose mother died when she was fourteen, she had dated Hyun-Ho for ten years though she secretly wished to be with Joog-Young.

Kim Seong Cheol as Han Hyun-Ho.... He too has just returned from America and is a talented cello player. He's best friends with Joon-Young and has been dating Jung-Kyung but he's more serious about their relationship than she is.

Lee Ji-Won as Kim Ha-Nae....Also a violinist who is seven years younger than Song-Ah but both have just started at a Summer internship for the Kyunghoo Foundation.

Seo Jung-Yeon as Cha Young-In.... Manager of Song-Ah and Ha-Nae at the foundation.

Choi Dae-Hoon as Park Sung-Jae.... Employee at the foundation. But in episode twelve he quit to become Joon-Young's Korean manager for his American agency.

Ahn Sang-Ein as Jung Da-Woon..... Another foundation employee

Ye Soo-Young as Na Moon-Sook.... Director of the Kyunghoo Foundation and whose daughter died in 2006 who was the mother of Jung-Kyung.

Yoon Chan-Young as Seung Ji-Min.... Very talented younger popular pianist

Baek Ji-Won as Professor Lee.... Song-Ah's professor who is pushing her to enter the graduate program but is more interested in who she knows than Song-Ah's music

Joo Suk-Tae as Yoo Tae-Jin.... Joon-Young's music teacher from the ages of 14 to 22. Their relationship was a bit rocky but the pair are now working together again.

   
 The viewership for this final pair of shows was 1.09 million, a new high by 15,000 viewers and the overall nationwide average was 982,000. Haven't mentioned it enough in these recaps and it's about the main four characters playing their own instruments. That's a rarity in dramas and don't you at times hate how actors fake their playing? These four didn't and did practice quite hard for their roles so they get a big thumbs up from me and wonder if they knew how to play those instruments slightly beforehand? After about eight shows in a row where the mood was lower than low it picked up a bit at the end of the last episode and as expected did end on sort of a happy note. Had mixed feelings on that and none of my predictions came true. Thanks again for reading this and hopefully other recaps, let's get to the finale of this series.

 That last show ended of with Joon-Young finally showing some nerve and telling Song-Ah he loved her. He picked a good time for that declaration because who knew how many more chances he would have had, that confession and his opening up about his personal life are things Joon-Young should have done many moons ago. Song-Ah was a bit taken back by what Joon-Young blabbered, she's had a rough patch with her life and can he wait a while for things to settle down? Of course was his answer as I have that feeling Joon-Young would wait an eternity for Song-Ah. Also in that last post was the sad passing of Jung-Kyung's grandmother Na who was the founder and director of the Kyunghoo Foundation.

 There was a special memorial for Na and to our surprise the trio of Joon-Young, Jung-Kyung and

Hyun-Ho performed at the event and were simply superb. Hyun-Ho had returned from NYC for the funeral, he's now a member of their Symphony Orchestra and he's been a character who deserved a good break. He had been estranged with Joon-Young for many months, Hyun-Ho did visit his apartment where the air may have been cleared but we heard zero of their conversation. However neither one has quite reconciled with Jung-Kyung and perhaps never will, she's burned too many bridges over the years but things are looking a bit brighter in her life. The time in this beginning is November 2020 but events will take place until next July.

 Jung-Kyung had been going for the soon to be open music professorship at Seoryeong University, though she's the most qualified the position wasn't offered to her. The biggest reason may have been because she lost the backing of the professor Song as secretly Jung-Kyung had been tutoring one of her students. Then again Jung-Kyung could be the director of the foundation if she so chooses but being only 29 in age she still dreams of a musical career. The following March she will become an instructor at an unnamed school and an impressive thing did come out of that. Ji-Won was the name of the student who Jung-Kyung had ben tutoring privately, the girl is about fifteen in age. Her mother drove the girl too hard but has finally realized that was hurting Ji-Won more than it helped. So the mother is going to enroll her daughter at that musical school where Jung-Kyung will be teaching and wants her to become Ji-Won's main instructor.

 

 In the previous episode we presumed Jung-Kyung had withdrawn the application to become a professor, she had written the withdrawal up but never sent it. She did something very unique at her recital which was to give a ninety minute solo performance. Jung-Kyung was terrific but still wasn't offered the position which may have ben because of her old professor Song. But one person was offered a job and that was Song-Ah, that's her above with Cha who is the office director at the Kyunghoo Foundation. Song-Ah had interned there during the Summer and Cha really took a liking to her. More than anything Song-Ah is cut out for an office job as as she does have a degree in Business. The position was just part time time though could grow into a full time one, it didn't take Song-Ah too long to accept the job.

 That's because Song-Ah will no longer be a student in two months. Those top two screenshots above are of her telling Joon-Young the good news about her passing the recital and being eligible to enter the university's Master's program. But Song-Ah had no intention of enrolling, she just did the recital for personal reasons and it's a shame she's quitting the violin as her playing has never been better. In a kind of sad moment towards the end of the second episode Song-Ah gave her violin to Dong-Yun to sell, thought she'd still at least want to play it or keep the violin for sentimental reasons. 

 The final recap for a series is usually the shortest one as no new storylines will be introduced and by now most things have been cleared up. Will end the final segment off with our lovebirds but will first briefly discuss everyone else. After the funeral Hyun-Ho returned to NYC to play in the orchestra, that was in November. But the following March he appeared out of nowhere to visit Jung-Kyung at her new school saying 'I'm Back' so it appears the two may be a couple again but kind of disappointed that he returned. A pair who won't be getting back to together are Min-Seong and Dong-Yun though they have patched things up after their one night stand. But the reason for them not dating is that Min-Seong will be traveling to America to get her Doctorate's degree in Chemistry. One other potential bright spot could be that Joon-Young's mother will be getting a divorce, he told her one night nothing in the world would please him more and it appears it's finally going to happen.

 The timeline really flew by in the last fifteen minutes from December 2020 to next July. The top two screenshots are of Joon-Young at his own recital as he even had to pass an exam though he's such an accomplished pianist. Joon-Young wowed the crowd at his performance but sadly Song-Ah was late in arriving and only heard his last piece. But at least she arrived and Joon-Young didn't know if she would as the pair hadn't quite made up yet. But their being a couple did happen that night as Song-Ah repeated the words that Joon-Young uttered to end off the least recap which were 'I Love You'. Both graduated with their musical degrees but won't be pursuing any more education. We already knew Song-Ah wasn't as she came to terms that she would never be good enough to play in an orchestra but wish she hadn't sold her violin. But the job at the foundation was working out well for her as Song-Ah was promoted to a full time spot and guess what her main duties were?

 They were of booking Joon-Yong's concerts as he's finally got that inspiration back about playing the piano and for the first time in years is enjoying himself. The foundation is now once again his Korean agency and Song-Ah was in charge of his scheduling but did other duties. Joon-Young's popularity had waned but it's risen rapidly again and he's even released a new CD of.... Brahms recordings! That was during the Spring time, it's now mid July and Song-Ah's birthday falls on the 15th. On that day she got her best wish as Joon-Young's present was an engagement ring, she didn't need to say YES(!) for us to know she accepted. As the series ended in the final seconds the two lovebirds went strolling away holding hands and glad it wasn't too fluffy of a conclusion.

 Whew, this was a rarity as I seldom keep up with a series for every week it aired but did realize it's much easier than waiting for a drama to end and then to view/recap sixteen shows. Will make this ending a quickie and for a final rating will give it a 8.8/10, first eight shows were 9.0 while the second half was 8.6. Did get a bit too moody at times but that's still a solid rating for the second half, never once did the pace slow down and it was so interesting from the first second. Didn't discuss the artists too often but did learn quite a bit about 1800's classical music. My main downer with this drama ending is that I won't be seeing Eun-Bin on a weekly basis and she's been my #1 Korean actress for a while, she probably won't be in another drama until next Spring.