Crash Landing On You
Special Note: This TV show and review (at the bottom of the content advisory) both contain discussion of suicide and an eating disorder. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24 hours at 800-273-8255. Here is information on eating disorder specific hotlines.*
Episodes watched:
The whole show when it first aired, rewatched episodes 1-3 for this review.
Where: Netflix
Image: Netflix
I tried out my first K-drama (a K-drama is a South Korean TV show of any genre) two years ago, a bit reluctantly. I was totally ignorant about Korea, and thought that I wouldn’t really connect with a show where I didn’t know anything about the language and culture. I’ve found out since then (many, many K-dramas later) that a lot of high quality, exciting TV has been coming out of South Korea for a long time, TV that can resonate with anyone. Crash Landing on You, a 2019-2020 romance, is a perfect example of this.
Crash Landing on You is about a rich, South Korean woman named Yoon Se-ri (played by Son Ye-Jin) who ends up in North Korea because of a paragliding accident. She meets Ri Jeong-hyeok (Hyun Bin), a well-to-do captain. Jeong-hyeok and his men agree to hide Se-ri. As they make plans to send Se-ri back to the South, though, Jeong-hyeok and Se-ri begin to develop feelings for each other.
K-dramas often blend genres: Even though this show is primarily a romance, there’s a fair amount of action and comedy. It would be easy for a TV show about North Korea to be too bleak or to take a mocking tone, but writer Park Ji-eun shows the dimension of everyday life in North Korea (defectors consulted on the script). Characters are complete people: they have friendships, rivalries, crushes, and quirks. Even though we never forget that North Koreans are living under oppression, Park emphasizes their humanity, and this humanity is what brings so much warmth to the story.
even though Crash Landing doesn’t stick to one genre, romance is the star of the show. Broadcasting standards (with exceptions) mean that there is much less sexual content allowed on Korean TV than I’ve seen in the West, and characters in K-dramas kiss less frequently. This means that the writers are forced to be more creative in showing characters’ affection for one another -- for instance, rule-following Jeong-hyeok buys Se-ri smuggled shampoo because washing her hair with bar soap is so alien to her. Romance is something that K-dramas do better than TV from any country I’ve seen, for this and many other reasons (Not treating the genre like a “girl thing”; most K-dramas only last 1 season so there aren’t endless “Will They/Won’t They?”s, etc.). This romance in particular shows how love is often about acts of sacrifice, even small, mundane ones.
Normally such a large cast would have a few performances that are weaker than the rest, but every actor delivers here. Lead actors Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin both bring dimension to their performance, and have an obvious chemistry (since the drama aired, the two have begun dating in real life). The supporting cast is full of prolific character actors (if you’ve seen Parasite, you’ll see a couple of familiar faces), who each play characters that are compelling in their own right. It feels like there’s an actual community of people, instead of seat fillers there to clap for the main couple.
K-dramas are increasing in popularity all over the world. Still, it seems like so many people are the same way I was at first, and don’t initially consider them when trying out new TV shows. Consider giving this one a try, because Crash Landing on You is a gorgeous, romantic show.
Detailed content advisory for Crash Landing on You:
Language:
A few profane words per episode: b*****d, s**t, d**n.
Words like gosh, brat, pr*ck, punk, wench, sl*tty, freaking, and screwed are used.
Someone asks Se-ri if she’s “mute,” a term that’s widely considered offensive.
The parents’ guide on IMDb also mentions that the word motherf***** is used once in this series. I don’t remember this, but Netflix does tend to translate profanity to be stronger than other services I’ve watched K-dramas on.
Violence:
There are several action scenes in this show that include blood, and may be intense or frightening.
Sexual content:
No sex scenes. There’s a scene with a woman in a bath, we only see the silhouette of her head, and the scene isn’t sexual in nature. Some mild innuendo. A man is shown with his shirt open. At least one scene where a couple shares a bed, but they are clothed and the scene clearly isn’t sexual.
Questionable content:
Characters drink often. Many scenes of a comedic nature where characters get d
The warning at the top of Netflix mentions smoking (surprising, since smoking is generally banned on Korean TV).
Note: Spoilers through episode 5 below, and discussion of eating disorders and suicide.
At the end of episode 2, in a flashback, we see Se-ri in Switzerland in a clinic that is presumably Dignitas. She explains that she wants to die because she has multiple mental illnesses (we also learn that she has recently had a major financial loss, and that her family is cruel to her). The woman at the clinic tells Se-ri that it’s against the rules for her to be euthanized (untrue in real life), and gives her a tourism packet for Switzerland (wildly unhelpful in real life).
In episode 5, in another Switzerland flashback, Se-ri contemplates suicide on a bridge. At the last moment, a chance encounter with Jeong Hyeok saves her life.
At the beginning of the show, Se-ri has a restrictive eating disorder, but this disappears as she spends time in North Korea. An argument could be made that the extreme circumstances could be part of this, or that Se-ri is more able to cope with her anxiety because she has people who love her (not just romantically), but it still feels like an inaccurate portrayal that could be harmful, and is a disappointingly weak point in the story.
