Missris24 and I just realised that we’re about to post our review of CLOY on this very day that Hyun Bin and Son Ye Jin are to be married. Congratulations guys, and we wish you all the best!
*Warning: Contains a lot of spoilers
First episode, first impressions
Missris24 : A bratty, rich woman (Yoon Se-ri) flies over to accidentally to North Korea and chased by funny NK soldiers sure is interesting.
Misstranger: I read the synopsis first before watching so that I would already know what to expect. Call me a spoiler lover hehehe. That said, I found the first episode too hilarious for words, loved the show then and there.
What got you hooked?
Missris24 : When she lived with the quiet but thoughtful Capt. Ri Jeong Hyeok and was involved with the lives of the village people, and the scary villain who plots against Capt. Ri, you can’t help but get hooked.
Misstranger: Reading first about the premise which is all about a woman accidentally landing in North Korea and subsequently finds herself in situations she never expected to happen to her.
Favorite scenes
Missris24 : The discourse with the NK soldiers with different personalities – a Kdrama fan, a bickering one who feels handsome, a young innocent lad, a good-looking quiet type, makes for a great laugh and interesting scenes.
When Yoon Se-ri fixes the head village woman’s dress and gains the admiration of most. This starts their friendship.
All the kilig scenes of Hyun Bin and Son Ye Jin especially in North Korea – the candle in the market, the bicycle in the dark, their kiss on the boat, the hospital scenes.
Misstranger: There are so many favourites but if I were to choose, they would be the following:
All the scenes of Yoon Se-ri with the village ajummas—especially the scenes where the ajummas read Se-ri’s letter to them when she finally succeeded going home to South Korea, and when Seo Dan’s mum gave them Seri’s Choice limited edition products for spring. My heart just about broke when they saw the boxes with their portraits and names on each, which assured all of them of Seri’s safe return. And then it shattered to a zillion more when I found the meaning of the product’s line name: 그리움/geurium/ (Saudade in Netflix translation)
All the scenes of Yoon Se-ri with Captain Ri’s soldiers—especially those in Seoul when they tried their best to fit in and then those heart-rending million farewells.
When Ju-meok (the soldier who loves Kdramas particularly Stairway to Heaven) finally met Choi Ji-woo in person.
The investigation at NIS where all the agents could find were purchases to game items, Kdrama downloads, and other ordinary stuff. These scenes provided such comic relief towards the end of the series.
Scenes where Captain Ri looks like a lost little boy whenever something bad happens to Se-ri. Especially those in the hospital. It just makes me want to fluff his soft and fluffy-looking hair. (Sorry Pyo Chi-su, you may have the most fragrant hair award but Captain Ri’s looks fluffy AND fragrant.)
Favorite characters
Missris24 : Yoon Se-ri, Capt. Ri Jeong Hyeok, all the NK soldiers, the military villain (coz he was so damn good at being the antagonist), the village ahjummas, Seo Dan’s mom
Misstranger: Yoon Se-ri, Capt. Ri Jeong Hyeok, all the NK soldiers, the village ajummas, Se-ri’s staff Hong Chang-sik and insurance agent Park Su-chan.
Things you can relate to
Missris24 :
Reminiscing kilig with my husband during our dating stage. I actually watched this series with him which makes it the more special 😊
Being in a different place makes you scared as you don’t know who to turn to or trust so you learn to make friends.
Feeling like an outsider at times in the family. I too am the youngest in the family and my siblings are a decade older so sometimes they “boss” it over me.
Misstranger:
Su-chan’s tenacity in finding the truth about what happened to Se-ri.
Saying “I’m ok” when things are not ok like Captain Ri.
Being a lone wolf like Se-ri.
Saudade.
Lessons
Missris24 :
Love conquers all. (Or at least they made us believe so)
Power is nothing when you are outside your comfort zone.
Sometimes, strangers can feel more like family.
To succeed in business, know and promote your own products (like Yoon Se-ri)
Misstranger:
Sometimes, you’ll just have to go with your instincts when you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place.
The most unlikely people will make for the best of friends.
Favorite songs in the soundtrack
Missris24 :
Like You by So Soo Bin (played in the scene where they first drank soju and grilled clams in NK)
Let Us Go by Crush (played when Capt Ri hugged Se-ri when she wept on her birthday; and, when they drank soju and he poured out his dreams and wishes about building a life with her)
Give Me Your Heart by IU (played when they exchanged couple rings)
Flower by Yoon Mirae (played on multiple scenes and the tune that most stuck with me)
Misstranger:
Photo of My Mind by Song Ga In. Usually played during NK scenes with the ajummas and the soldiers. If saudade were to be a song, Photo of My Mind would be it.
Seri’s Choice. Upbeat, and describes Yoon Se-ri perfectly in a song: confident, focused, sassy, poised. This instrumental also perfectly balances out the melancholic vibes that Photo of My Mind exudes.
Picnic. The last few bars of this instrumental is mostly used just after the recap of the previous episode which made me notice it. Love how the full song gives the listener such warm fuzzies. Could totally picture Ri Jeong Hyeok and Yoon Se-ri waltzing in the Swiss mountains to this.
Runners-up (songs):
Missris24 :
The Photo of my Mind by Song Ga In and The Hill of Yearning by April 2nd – These are actually sad songs so I did not include them in my favorites but they have this melancholic feels of the scenes in North Korea.
Misstranger:
Sigriswil – Opening Title Version.
The Hill of Yearning by April 2nd. First few lines and melody are practically the same with Photo of My Mind. Also played in NK village scenes.
Summary Review
Missris24 :
Crash Landing on You is not your typical Kdrama romcom as first, the characters are in their 30s (most romcom Kdramas are teens or 20-somethings), and the setting is very different and controversial – a South Korean going to North Korea and falling in love with a North Korean soldier. Both the protagonists are mature enough to marry but the boundary of North and South Korea keeps them apart.
The electrifying chemistry of Hyun Bin and Son Ye Jin was the best element that made this a hit. (Their Behind the scenes gave a lot of hints that this chemistry transcends even off-screen).
It also ended in January 2020 and made a buzz, afterwards, the global pandemic hit and this became a comfort show for most as no new shows were shown from March to May 2020 due to lockdowns.
The show gained more following when Hyun Bin and Son Ye Jin announced they were officially dating, and when they announced their engagement. I actually rewatched the romantic scenes when they announced their engagement.
The issue of separation of North and South Korea also gained interest from the viewers and understood more of the sadness of this separation of Koreans in a way.
The scenic settings of Mongolia, Switzerland, the camaraderie in the NK village, the soldiers who became Seri’s brothers, and the love that would dodge a bullet, all make up the elements that made this show a super hit and highly recommended Kdrama.
The second love team’s story was also interesting but I felt their chemistry was not as powerful as those of the main stars so I did not really write about them. But their acting was good and their story had a sad ending so better to leave it at that.
Misstranger:
I let two years pass before making up my mind to watch Crash Landing on You. A different Kdrama however actually made me decide to finally look it up on Google just a couple of weeks ago: Thirty Nine, which also stars Son Ye Jin.
Now, if I loved Son Ye Jin’s character in Thirty Nine, what are the odds that I would also love her character in CLOY? Definitely a thousand and more. Couple that with the fact that she’s partnered up with Hyun Bin who I last watched on My Lovely Sam Soon. I’m not much on love teams but I could see how those who have watched CLOY before could love the pair so much. Their chemistry is just so amazing and real which contributed greatly to the show’s success.
Crash Landing on You is about a woman literally crash landing on a guy due to a paragliding accident. Plot twist: she landed in North Korea. Thank the heavens, the main characters in this romcom are in their 30s as Missris24 said, so there really weren’t any mushy or cringey scenes that are quite prevalent in any love story that involves younger characters.
In short, there’s very minimal drama when it came to tackling the budding romance of a stoic North Korean soldier and a confidently fierce chaebol heiress from the South. Less is more, as a popular saying goes. This cannot be more true than in CLOY.
The show is comprised of an ensemble of characters with complex themes and elements involved. It took exceptionally skillful writers, researchers, and crew to interweave each storyline to go where they are supposed to. It really draws the viewer into Captain Ri and Se-ri’s world without any thought that the show is getting longer by the episode.
One main element tackled in the show would be the separation of North and South Korea, and how it affects their respective citizens. A layer of this particular element was explored throughout the show: geurium or saudade.
Defined as an extreme longing for the familiar or for what could have been, geurium could be seen plainly in the divide that kept Captain Ri and Se-ri apart despite their obvious love for each other. It could also be seen in how the word “reunification” was mentioned several times throughout the series. Lastly, it could be especially felt in all the other characters’ imaginings about what life is like on both sides of the DMZ; in all the wonderings if Se-ri made it home safely; how the ajummas, the soldiers, and Captain Ri are doing back in NK; and in all the goodbyes that were said.
The storytelling is excellent, with subplots about the other characters tying up seamlessly with the main storyline. There are no questions left unanswered because the writers laid bare the reality of Captain Ri and Se-ri’s situation. It is also nice that they did not sugarcoat their relationship despite the fantastical coincidences that occurred in Switzerland before Se-ri’s fateful landing on the other side of the DMZ.
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