Missflameo

Se-ri’s personality really steals the show for me. She’s so effortlessly likeable and cute that I was rarely ever bored whenever she was on screen. She’s funny, dramatic, selfish in an entertaining way, and just genuinely fun to watch. I do think her personality becomes noticeably less prominent once she returns to South Korea, though, which was a little disappointing. It felt like a lot of what made her so entertaining in North Korea got toned down.

Captain Ri’s jealousy, however, is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. This man gets so sulky.

Dan’s mother was too funny sometimes: “The cells she had yesterday are gone now. What she has now will be gone tomorrow.” Like??? 😭 Some of the things that woman says are completely absurd, but she manages to be so funny while saying them.

Then there’s the North Korean setting, which I think is probably the biggest gamble the drama takes. Making a show set in North Korea simultaneously comedy-focused while also trying to deal with serious subjects is difficult to balance. Sometimes it works really well. The story of “the rat,” for example, was genuinely compelling and heartbreaking. But other times, the tonal shifts were so drastic that I found myself struggling to take the more serious aspects seriously. I also don't feel completely comfortable judging the show's portrayal of North Korea too harshly because, obviously, I've never lived there. At the same time, people who have actually escaped North Korea have described a reality that is considerably more grim than what this drama attempts to portray. So there were moments where the lighter, almost cozy depiction of village life felt strange given the setting.

Speaking of North Korea, I have to say… I find it incredibly difficult to believe that no one considered the possibility that Se-ri could have landed there. North Korea is literally their next-door neighbor! I understand that the circumstances were bizarre, but you'd think someone would have at least thrown that possibility out there.

Another issue for me was the repetition. There are so many repeated lines, conversations, and scenes throughout the drama. A lot of this could have been solved simply by making the episodes shorter. These episodes are too long, and the story does not always have enough material to justify that runtime.

Which brings me to something I found especially strange: Se-ri’s relationship with her father. With how much runtime this drama had, I genuinely don't understand why they didn't showcase that relationship more. Her father is such an important figure in her backstory, yet they don't even meet when she first returns to South Korea. I think they only directly interact one to three times across the entire show. That's so odd to me. There was so much potential there for a meaningful emotional storyline, especially considering everything Se-ri had just experienced.

On the other hand, Ri's comrades are some of the best-written friendship dynamics I've seen in a drama. I absolutely loved them. Their individual personalities are distinct, their interactions feel natural, and they bring so much humor and warmth to the show. They were especially enjoyable during the South Korea portion of the story. Honestly, I could have watched an entire sitcom about these four dorks trying to navigate Seoul.

Overall, Crash Landing on You has some flaws, but I understand why it's so beloved. It can be ridiculous, overly sentimental, repetitive, and tonally inconsistent, but it also has genuinely lovable characters and relationship dynamics that make it easy to keep watching.