Recap "Tomorrow (2022)" Episode 16 (Final Episode)

What happens to the RM Team after Ryeon’s actions?

Episode 16 of Tomorrow begins in the past, with the King of Heaven telling Ryeon that she’ll work for the RM Team until the time comes where she meets the person she truly needs to save. When Joong-Gil shows up, the King of Heaven explains that he’s been reincarnated twice and as such, doesn’t have the same memories anymore. Her suicide caused him much pain and Ryeon is forced to agonizingly see him working alongside her.

Since the start of the season, six months have passed in total. Jun-Woong still hasn’t woken up of course, but his mother is confident that he’ll reawaken.

What’s more pressing however, is the fate of Ryeon, which hangs in the balance. The RM Team is about to be disbanded because of her actions, with the King of Heaven stepping in and relocating both Ryung-Gu and Ryeon. The latter is on the verge of being arrested and sent back to Hell. As for Jun-Woong, he has a difficult decision to make. Does he go back to his body or stay in the Afterlife?

How does Jun-Woong convince Joong-Gil to help?

Right now, Jun-Woong’s priority is helping Ryeon but he needs Ryung-Gu’s help to do so. With him onboard, Jun-Woong next turns to Joong-Gil, wanting to use him to swing the balance of power in their favour.

He shrugs it off though and calls Ryeon a criminal. Jun-Woong continues though and brings up the nightmares he’s suffering from. Specifically, he’s going to use that to help show Joong-Gil what he’s been repressing. It’s a clever workaround using the mechanics established in this world – and it works a treat. When he taps into those dreams, he sees everything that happened in his previous life.

Ryung-Gu and Jun-Woong head off, on a mission to try and calm Ryeon down. She’s still enraged over what happened last episode. Jun-Woong steps up and gives an impassioned speech, encouraging her to do what’s right by the RM Team code. Specifically through saving others and, more urgently, Cho-Hui. The idol star is still alive after her car accident but with her face all cut up, she’s about to commit suicide.

Does Joong-Gil save Ryeon?

Joong-Gil shows up just in time, as Mr Ha and his cronies demand Ryeon come with him. While Joong-Gil holds them off, beaten down to the ground for his efforts, the RM Team race to Cho-Hui’s location. Ryeon throws her arms around Cho-Hui, protecting her just like her friend did in the past. She symbolically tells Cho-Hui she won’t let anyone cast stones at her anymore. This is, of course, the reincarnated form of her friend, which explains why Ryeon has taken this case so personally.

This seems to work and with Chi-Hui now safe and not suicidal anymore, Ryeon returns to face her punishment. Joong-Gil has taken all the blame, deciding to let himself be punished to let Ryeon escape. And there’s a loophole too.

The King of Heaven shows up during Joong-Gil’s interrogation and goads Joong-Gil into the lie she’s concocted. Remember that Reaper’s Guarantee of Responsibility? Well, the King of Heaven convinces Joong-Gil to claim all of Ryeon’s actions after he unfroze time were planted by him in an effort to destroy the RM Team. This has always been his goal from the beginning. As a result, he’s going to be demoted for six months but he won’t have to go back to Hell.

Does Cho-Hui get better?

A few weeks pass and Jun-Woong continues to stay by Cho-Hui’s side. Remember those crazy tonal shifts we’ve seen across the season? Well, we get another one here. Chi-Hui is on the mend and Jun-Woong’s cooking is actually good. An incredulous scene plays out, where everyone is genuinely shocked over his cooking.

Anyway, the real reason for them being there though stems from hitting back against those who have discredited Cho-Hui’s reputation. Ryung-Gu has collected up material from all the Cho-Hui fans in the afterworld to sue Song-I and In-U.

Meanwhile, the commenters are brought to the White Room and forced to delete all their hateful comments, and for the vlogger to get to work deleting all the videos too.

With Cho-Hui on the mend, Ryeon visits Joong-Gil who admits he now understands what the RM Team do. The pair also agree that what’s occurred between them is water under the bridge, finally resolving their feelings and issues. When she returns to the King of Heaven, Ryeon realizes that the last person she needs to save is actually herself. Jun-Woong’s words have touched her deeply. She has a new lease on life now and wants the RM Team to be renovated, with it now a permanent position in the Afterlife rather than a temporary one.

Does Jun-Woong head home?

However, they’ll be a member short. Jun-Woong’s time to return home has come. The King of Heaven has allowed him to go early after his good work. Before they part ways, Ryung-Gu and Jun-Woong properly shake hands this time. When Ryeon snaps her finger, Jun-Woong awakens back in his body again. He not only does well at work but he also manages to get a ticket for Cho-Hui’s concert too.

However, one of his colleagues is grilled by the boss constantly. Jun-Woong notices and eventually decides that night to go and help that worker, Yong-Ho, rather than head out with his friends.

How does Tomorrow Season 1 end?

The RM Team show up but Jun-Woong gets there first. He manages to talk Yong-Ho down from jumping, deciding they should go to the Cho-Hui concert together – but only if he wears something nice. The suicide scanner turns green, the Reapers joke about how Jun-Woong is still helping even while living, and eventually leave.

Before they do though, Ryeon tells Jun-Woong that they’ll see him again in 49 years and 2 months, smiling as she announces that they’re Reapers.

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The Episode Review

So the final episode of Tomorrow bows out as best it could really, with all the loose threads tied up and a nice little way of bringing Cho-Hui into the final segment as well. Although some of these cases have been wrapped up really brashly and a little insensitively at times, the main cast have each had a chance to shine.

The random bit of humour with he chicken felt completely ill-placed though and it’s another example of when this show doesn’t always work as well as it could. That’s especially apparently given the rest of the chapter is pretty serious  – and at times poignant too.

The workaround with the dreams and allowing Joong-Gil to see his past is a nice way of using the established rules in the world without some deus ex machina like a time travel key being used (seriously, why did they even introduce that?)

However, this final chapter rounds everything out with a neat little bow, leaving things on a decent conclusion but also the possibility for a sequel too.