Source: IMDb
“Ri Jeong Hyeok-SSI, don’t forget about me.”
“How could I forget a woman who fell from the sky?”
Introduction
Series Name - Crash Landing On You
Directed by - Lee Jung-Hyo
No. Of Episodes - 16
Genre - Romance, Drama, Comedy
Language - Korean
A Love Story Of North And South Korea
Yoon Se-ri is a multi-millionaire K-beauty businesswoman with her own lifestyle brand. She gets chosen by her father, over her useless, irresponsible half-brothers, to take over his business empire. The very next day, while testing her brand’s athleisure wear while paragliding, she gets sucked in by a sudden tornado that throws her off in the demilitarised zone between North and South Korea.
During his patrol, North Korean army captain, Ri Jeong-hyeok, hears a woman’s voice and follows it only to find Yoon Se-ri crash-landed on a tree. He tries to help her return but she goes the opposite way and ends up in a village in North Korea, in the handsome Captain Ri’s house. And so begins Yoon Se-ri’s journey through North Korea and attempts to return home all the while hiding from the bad-to-the-bones villain, Cho Cheol-gang.
Series Review
Military Mr. Darcy with broad shoulders, handsome face, and strong arms to hold his woman when she crash lands on him from above is what describes Ri Jeong-hyeok’s character very well. Well, this is exactly how we like our K-drama male protagonists. On the other hand, Yoon Se-ri is our chaebol heiress deprived of familial affection whose fated love lives in the most unapproachable country there is.
Se-ri must learn to exist under less than ideal circumstances, without the luxuries to which she is accustomed while avoiding the attention of a corrupt officer and nosy neighbors. The oppressive dictatorship of North Korea is represented by slogans on buildings and street poles, electricity is scarce and the locals must rely on coupons to purchase food.
Though this drama’s version of North Korea appears to be quite wholesome. The apple-cheeked villagers are occasionally bumpkinish, but they are far from being stupid or brainwashed. The darker features of Northern life like scarcity, blackouts, or one-party control are delicately presented. However, when State Security is involved, we see some terrible stuff.
Despite the separation between the North and the South, the emphasis is on shared humanity, a shared “Koreanness”. The producers handled the country's portrayal sensitively and deftly, emphasizing the compassion of its residents and the day-to-day life of an imagined North Korea.
As is the way of K-dramas, our male and female leads are annoyed by each other at first before slowly coming to the realization of being in love. As the plot progresses and we get to know about their tragic histories, it becomes clearer that their fates are entwined with one another.
“A South Korean chaebol and a North Korean soldier’s love story”. Just hearing this makes your heart jump with excitement and with every passing episode, this excitement only keeps rising. Hyun Bin’s compelling picture of the emotionally-repressed soldier, who will risk life and family to save the lady he loves, is wonderfully matched by Son Ye-jin’s nimbleness, switching from carefree and amusing to serious and tormented.
Ri Jeong-hyeok is engaged to Seo Dan whose mother is an owner of a department store in North Korea. However, this is arranged by their parents and while it's nothing more than a promise for Ri Jeong-hyeok, it's love for Seo Dan. When Se-ri enters the picture, it turns into a love triangle but we, as viewers, know that Se-ri and Ri Jeong-hyeok are the end game.
Well, there’s no way that the writers would just let the pretty Seo Dan die alone. Thus, enters Gu Seong-jun, a con artist full of charm with ties to Se-ri, and we get our second couple. I won’t give spoilers but theirs is a story of tragedy.
Crash Landing On You has a large ensemble of supporting characters, including Captain Ri's lively soldiers (there’s even one guy who has completely lost himself in the pleasures of South Korean dramas much like many of us), opportunistic brothers, and rural women, as well as frightening military authorities and a rebel wiretapper. Kim Soo Hyun, from the drama “It's Okay To Not Be Okay”, had the most epic cameo and it most certainly deserves a special mention.
The Bottom Line
With the presentation of North and South’s contrasting realities, both countries’ commonalities are also highlighted in the drama. The chemistry between Crash Landing on You's two popular stars, Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin, is largely responsible for the show's success. Their sweeping passion is conveyed through a potpourri of wistful looks and very minor friction.
IMDb ratings - 8.7 on 10
You can watch the show on - Netflix
Written By - Sanjana Chaudhary
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