TV Review: Crash Landing on You (2019)

Crash Landing on You (2019) directed by Kim Hee-won and Lee Jung-hyo

Se-ri (Son Ye-jin) has her own fashion products company apart from her family's larger company in South Korea. With two brothers, she does not seem to be the first choice to take over the family's business though she is more competent than her brothers. She does not care and is a no-nonsense leader who does her own thing. One of her own things is testing out products. She tries out a para-gliding contraption during a storm. The storm causes a tornado which scoops Se-ri up and deposits her North Korea. She doesn't know what to do when a military unit comes along led by Jeong-hyeok (Hyun Bin) a handsome captain. Naturally, she is suspected of being a spy and wants to get back to South Korea. Through some machinations about as credible as the storm, she winds up at his house in a poor border village. He realizes she is no security threat though there will be a lot of trouble if the government gets involved. They have a bunch of schemes to get her back south but a lot of things are working against her, including family members who do not want her to come back and a growing romantic relationship between them making her less motivated to leave. The plot blossoms out to involve a lot of characters, mostly North Koreans, in dramatic and comedic situations that are quite endearing.

The show is considered the quintessential K-Drama, with a good blend of comedy, drama, romance, and action. One of Jeong-hyeok's soldiers watches k-dramas (which is illegal since they live in the north), providing plenty of commentary and jokes about how the plot unfolds in interesting and sometimes ridiculous ways. The cast is so charming and the writing is so appealing, it is hard not to like everyone (except for the villains who are less three-dimensional for the most part) and root for the main couple to get together. A lot of circumstances keep them apart and keep the story moving forward. The secondary characters also have interesting things to do and provide a broad picture of life in both North Korea and South Korea. The show is so much fun, even if you do not know much about k-drama. 

Highly recommended.