Review: Crash Landing On You

Since Covid-19 pandemic has kept me home, I’ve taken it as an opportunity to binge some of the best korean dramas. I thought it would be fun to talk about some of them. There will be a short spoiler free review at the top and a longer review at the bottom. I also included the OST and must see filming locations.

Spoiler-Free Review

Crash Landing On You is one of my favorite kdramas I have ever seen. The show contains all the elements that make a good drama – romance, comedy, drama, action, and suspense. The scenery is breathtaking with parts filmed in Switzerland. Endearing and memorable, the characters were wonderfully crafted. The leads had solid chemistry selling the epic romance between them. Furthermore, a look into North Korean life is refreshing and novel for dramas.

One thing I didn’t like was the usual drag toward the mid-late episodes. The issue is compounded by the narrative, but should be much better when binged instead of waiting week by week.

A small blip on an otherwise great drama. I highly recommend this worthwhile watch for seasoned kdrama veterans to the fledgling watchers who have never seen a Korean drama.

Relive the drama with beautiful OSTs

Spoilers Below

5 Must See Film Locations

1. Landing stage in Lake Brienz, Iseltwald, Switzerland

Place where Ri Jeong-hyeok plays the piano

2. Sigriswil Panorama Bridge, Switzerland

Bridge where Se-ri and Jeong-hyeok unbeknowingly first meet

3. Lake Lungern, Switzerland

Place where the final shot took place

4. Tangeum Lake’s Rainbow Bridge in Chungju

Where Seung-joon and Dan confess

5. First Mountain, Switzerland

Se-ri finally reunites with Jeong-hyeok 

One of the first dramas me and my wife watched together. So why write a review now? Well, time and I wanted to give the show time to digest so that the hype didn’t cloud my judgments. 

Let’s get to it.

I must admit I have a huge crush on Son Ye-jin who plays Yoon Se-ri. I always watch anything she is in because of her down-to-earth demeanor. She is the primary reason I was hyped to watch this drama.

The show’s premise revolves around a South Korean businesswoman Yoon Se-ri (Son Ye-jin) who ends up in North Korea after an unexpected tornado turns up during her paragliding session, Hence, the “crash landing” and fateful meeting with Ri Jeong-hyeok (Hyun Bin), a North Korean army captain.  

What a journey the leads take throughout the drama, from complete strangers to people who truly understand one another. Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin convincingly played their roles as Jeong-hyeok and Se-ri making their relationship much more believable. The way that their affection grew organically had me rooting for that happy ending throughout the series.

The secondary leads of Seung-joon and Dan played by Kim Jung-hyun and Seo Ji -hye respectively, sucked me in immediately. The show was much better with them together than apart. Even though the couple’s loveline didn’t receive a lot of screentime, I was impressed that the show managed to get viewers to root for the couple. The tipping point was their emotional delivery. I still get teary-eyed thinking about Seuong-joon’s confession in episode 14.

It was great to see the supporting cast be flushed out characters as well with intriguing backstories and plotlines. My favorites have to be the boys under Jeong-Hyeok’s command. I love the bond between Se-ri and the boys grow throughout the series. The sisterhood between Se-ri and the village ladies was heartwarming as it transcended country lines. 

I felt the antagonists of Major Cho (Oh Man Suk) and Se-ri’s family existed to propel the story forward. I never had any sympathy for Major Cho, but he served his purpose as being the main antagonist of the story. Se-ri’s family felt like a way to give her a tragic past, but her brothers and wives were entertaining. I really disliked the mother as her motive to being a terrible mother made no sense.

Overall, the cons didn’t take away my enjoyment of the drama. Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin show why they are still A-list actors drawing legions of fans. I’m looking forward to Seo Ji-hye’s future work as she is my new crush. A bittersweet finale will leave you in tatters after such an emotional rollercoaster. The show writers left me satisfied at the end even with a runtime of almost 2 hours. If you want to go on feels trip, this is the show for you.