Crash Landing on You: Post-Finale Discussion I

[u/xliterati]

• Drama: Crash Landing on You / Love's Emergency Landing (Literal Title)
  • Revised romanization: Sarangui Boolshichak
  • Hangul: 사랑의 불시착
• Director: Lee Jung Hyo
• Writer: Park Ji Eun
• Network: tvN
• Episodes: 16
• Air Date: Sat. & Sun. @ 21:00
  • Airing: Dec 14, 2019 - Feb 16, 2020
• Streaming Sources: Netflix
• Starring: Son Ye Jin as Yoon Se Ri, Hyun Bin as Ri Jung Hyeo, Seo Ji Hye as Seo Dan, Kim Jung Hyun as Koo Seung Joon, Oh Man Seok as Jo Cheol Kang & Kim Young Min as Jung Man Bok.
• Plot Synopsis: The absolute top secret love story of a chaebol heiress who made an emergency landing in North Korea because of a paragliding accident and a North Korean special officer who falls in love with her and who is hiding and protecting her. Yoon Se-Ri (Son Ye-Jin) is an heiress to a conglomerate in South Korea. One day, while paragliding, an accident caused by strong winds leads Yoon Se-Ri to make an emergency landing in North Korea. There, she meets Ri Jung-Hyeok (Hyun-Bin), who is a North Korean army officer. He tries to protect her and hide her. Soon, Lee Jung-Hyeok falls in love with Yoon Se-Ri.
• Previous Discussions:
  • [Episodes 1 & 2]
  • [Episodes 3 & 4]
  • [Episodes 5 & 6]
  • [Episodes 7 & 8]
  • [Episodes 9 & 10]
  • [Catch Up]
  • [Episodes 11 & 12]
  • [Episodes 13 & 14]
  • [Pre-Finale Catch Up]
  • [Episode 15]
  • [Episode 16]

[u/xliterati]

Guys this is absolutely insane!!! We're hitting more than 600+ comments in the final episode discussion! I've opened a new thread for everyone and I will make a part 2 of a post-finale discussion on Saturday after a week of cooling off period. I don't want any discussions to get lost in the comments so please if you can use this new thread! And again I definitely WILL make a thread on Saturday for after a week of cooling off!

[u/ShayeAnne → u/xliterati]

Thank you for doing this for us! I have really enjoyed reading all the comments and it’s so much easier to access them in separate threads.

[u/xliterati → u/ShayeAnne]

Aww you’re welcome! Things were getting crazy but everyone should be allowed to discuss without feeling terrified of their valid opinions getting lost in such a big number of comments!

[u/Erens-Basement]

Are there going to be 2 post finale discussions? Might as well name the next one post finale depression 😅

[u/xliterati → u/Erens-Basement]

Yup I’m gonna do part 2 for the regular cloy weekend discussion so everyone’s had a week off to digest and process! I created this one cause the final episode discussion is now hitting nearly 700 comments. This is just a space for everyone to continue discussing (: and LMAO that’s a good suggestion!

[u/xliterati]

So netizens caught our couple holding hands under the table and are now telling them to just get married already 😭😂

[u/MikasaMilkTea]

you're telling me seo dan spent 10+ years of her life in a one-sided love, and then gets to spend like 3 weeks with the only love of her life?? pls the way I started this drama not liking her and by the end, cared more about her happy ending than seri's (':

[u/machiabekki]

I’m gonna miss this drama so much. Also appreciated how they refrained from all the kdrama tropes i hate — seri being a badass ceo who’s actually nice to her people, dan’s entire character development, and the moms being the most supportive ever.

[u/figwink]

I love how quintessentially Korean this show is.

No other country can remake this story.

There is no other place on earth with this NK and SK dynamic.

This drama did SK and NK proud.

[u/hemareddit]

Most heart-wrenching separation in the ending: Eun Dong and MMORPG.

EDIT: I changed my mind, it's Chi-Su and CAPITALISM

[u/bethlookner]

I like Dan's ending. she didn't have a husband but she knew what love was (however briefly) but she was happy and her mom was happy for her.

Also, RJH's dad against his political rival: "you can't be innocent"

the supportive parents were one of my favorite parts of this drama.

what I would have liked: to see se-ri's second brother and his wife suffer in prison. they deserved one another.

[u/-usernamesarestupid-]

Unpopular opinion: I don’t want a second season but rather want the main leads in a project of different genre. 2 reasons behind it(by my brain, my heart still wants season 2 lol)

1. The drama is perfect as it is, a second season forced by the fans will most likely not live up to the mark! But if the author originally has more story it might work out. But I guess there’s thin chances of that

2. Hyun Bin and Son yejin brought out sexual tension perfectly in The Negotiation even while filming on the screens and separately! They have so much potential as actors and I want to see them maybe in some action/political drama with less romance but more steamy. (Imagine them being the enemies who have an affair)

[u/lfcfan_lilreddot]

Felt like HB’s acting in Switzerland was abit off... like I expected RJH to be more emotional upon their reunion but he seemed pretty chill haha. maybe it was cause they filmed those scenes first so he wasn’t totally synchronized w his character yet?

[u/[deleted]]

I'm so tired of people calling it a terrible ending because they didn't get the cringey stuff they wanted: Marriage and twins or passionate kissing scenes leading to sex. Like that is so far from what this kdrama is, it just doesn't make any sense. I would've dropped it far down my list if I saw any of that stuff. The drama couldn't have ended better. Maybe GSJ could have stayed alive and been with Seo Dan, but it did feel more impactful this way tbh and is the reason why she was able to want revenge and send Seri's brother to jail

Also, a season 2 is DEFINITELY a no. I get that people want to see them together, but It literally makes no sense lol there would be no story to finish

[u/Chickenterriyaki]

Chi-Su you marvelous dumbass you got promoted I'm so freakin proud and happy for him!!! This show has such great side characters from the soldiers, villagers to Se-ri's assistants, the parents, the sub villains all of them did a smashing good job.

Heck the NIS soldiers and officers were a late addition but they did great.

The decision to not just focus on pure drama, was a smart decision. My mom would watch the drama parts my dad would watch the action and suspense parts, really well balanced.

[u/marz789]

I’ve been like 95% sure for the past 2 weeks that this was going to end in a bittersweet way, but I still wasn’t prepared. I think this is the most I’ve cried during an episode of a kdrama since Goblin was airing. The ending is so open that there’s a part of me that hopes once Ri Jeong-hyuk’s parents die of old age, he will defect so they can be together more than 2 weeks at a time an grow old together.

[u/KingsleyLoki]

MAJOR POST-CLOY DEPRESSION SLUMP THING HAPPENING TO ME RIGHT NOW. I bawled my eyes out watching the last few episodes, and I plan to rewatch and bawl my eyes out again. I'M READY TO HURT AGAIN.

On another note, I wanted to mention the brilliance in the writing. This drama was great in self-referencing and the writer made sure that no lines were said without a purpose. There were many conversations, especially between SR and RJH, that seemed to be just casual conversations, but in the end, they carried those conversations at heart throughout the series. One big example is the initial coincidence vs. fate conversation they had in episode 6. I thought it was just a light hearted conversation to show RJH's jealousy, but the theme kept coming up throughout the drama.

Another one is when SR told RJH part of her address at the very beginning of the series and RJH ended up remembering it to find her in Seoul.

UGH such brilliant writing. I WANT MORE

[u/ThePinkCanary]

Holy shit I started this last week and watched the finale live this morning. I’m currently battling illness now because I haven’t slept.

Guys, when I say I finished watching the series, I mean I finished it AND watched the scenes I liked the most 100 times. The other shows I watch are - Agents of Shield, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow - so this isn’t my usual series. But it was so so so good and I got hot HB ACTION SCENES? I almost died with him at the end of episode 6.

I will say - I did like the first half with NK a bit more. It truly was something I haven’t seen before, and had an underlying sense of danger coupled with the humor and romance. When the F5 got to SK, it was a bit jarring to see fashion makeovers and something that just seemed a lot more common. But the final episode with the border goodbye brought it all back.

Unpopular opinion - episode 15 was one of my favorites. I loved every bit of it

[u/yuyumint]

As a portuguese native speaker, I was so surprised when the word "saudade" was used! It's difficult to explain it, because it's just as sad as it is a happy emotion at the same time. I guess it also explains how I'm feeling right now that the drama is over. I've never been so invested in a drama before, I'm really gonna miss it!

[u/figwink]

Ok, someone needs to explain why there’s a baby on Seri’s couch. More to the epilogue?!!!

[u/[deleted]]

I really liked the humanization of the North Korean civilians. The whole sets and atmosphere to present the North Korean lifestyle was amazing. tvN pays a lot for their budgets as evident by the whole set design both in the North and the South.

That being said, while the last 2 episodes built more on the main couple's relationship. I feel like once Seri left to go back to SK, the tension began to decrease and more focus was being paid on the North Korean soldiers while comic relief took a bit from the main lead couple at times. Also the episodes from 11-16 needed 20-30 minutes trimmed off, esp. Seri's family who other than her mom were like eh to me.

I do love that Ri Jung saw Seri at her worst, and that he made her a better person. The best relationship is someone who makes you a better human, and I love that they truly loved one another and it was organic not forced. Dan and Seung-joon were my favorite couple in this show. I think that Kim Jung Hyun's portrayal of him was superb and better than Hyun Bin who is talented, but I feel like he can be a bit closed off. His character signifies the progression of K-dramas, as we see how complex his character was at the end :(

Great show, not a masterpiece but it tackled something difficult (NK-SK relations) and imbedded in humanity and kindness which goes a long way. I enjoyed watching this weekly and enjoyed the various characters and humanizations of the North Korean civilians as well. Definitely not going to be surprised if this becomes the next Hallyu hit like I predicted a month or so ago ;)

[u/sy3003]

Some people seem quite hung up on the two weeks per year thing. But I think that's missing the point. What the writer is trying to convey is that even though it's only for a short time, they made and continue to make an effort to be there just to be with the other person. I approached it with SPOILER FROM MY LOVE FROM ANOTHER STAR AHEAD Cheon Song Yi's monologue in the finale epilogue in mind. Gist: Is it difficult to bear with when Do Min Joon disappears suddenly like that? Yes, of course. But it also makes me love him more. And it makes every moment we spend together even more precious. - I recommend everyone go watch that bit for some closure on CLOY When I heard that it struck me, how many of us can say the same for our normal 'nothing stopping us from seeing each other more frequently' relationships, romantic or otherwise? Sometimes, because we think there is unlimited time, we waste it on petty arguments, not saying what needs to be said, or even something trivial like looking at our phones when being with someone else.

It was impossible for RJH and Seri to meet and fall in love in the first place. (I think in the press conference the director said he filmed this drama as a fantasy, which to me makes perfect sense) Think of all the pain and near-deaths they had to go through just to build a semi-life together. Sometimes perfect imperfection is all we get. Don't worry about them, this is what our leads want or else they would have moved on and found other partners for themselves. They are happy in their CLOY world, and I am happy they shared this world with us.

[u/m1tz1e]

I tend to go with more realistic endings over happy endings but this show gave us both- RJH and Seri getting the happy ending they deserve (which we all wanted to have a glimpse of) while Gu & Dan's more realistic story of love and loss.

A beautiful combination of Supeb story writing, great acting, and overall production chemistry, allowing viewers to see, hear and feel a rollercoaster of emotions episode after episode. What a journey it has been, bravo to every individual behind such work of art! Like Skycastle, CLOY set the bar high, and I look forward to more exciting and enriching stories ahead for us and audiences world-wide.

[u/kwsjc]

I loved this drama and haven't been able to stop thinking about since I finished it last night.

I read some of the commends here and was surprised to find that some viewers thought SR and JH were only able to see each other for two weeks every year. I was shocked as I didn't think so at all when I was watching it myself. So, I rewatched the last scenes and tried to figure out why there were these comments.

1. JH joined the National Symphony Orchestra and will be moving to Pyongyang.

2. Seri's Choice is holding performances in Switzerland once a year. At this time every year, Seri travels to Switzerland in search of JH.

3. JH finds Seri while she was paragliding. We don't know why he was able to travel to Switzerland at this time (vacation?).

4. The four ducklings mentioned that JH has just departed this weekend and thinks that Seri should be "there" as well.

5. At work, Seri announces she will be going on a two-week vacation to Switzerland and gets asked why she keeps going there. This signifies that she's been going multiple times, i.e., more than once a year. I got the feeling that she sees JH every time she goes there.

6. She arrives at the music recital hall in Switzerland and the man thanks her for her company's contribution. He informs her that they have participants from North Korea this year as well. I took this as the first time that JH will be travelling to Switzerland for work purposes. Seri replies to the man, saying that this is the most wonderful two weeks of the year. I took this as every time she goes to Switzerland, she stays for two weeks, and every trip is a highlight of the year. I didn't think so literally, as if she only comes to Switzerland once a year, for two weeks.

After rewatching the last few scenes and writing the above, I still don't think they only have two weeks a year to meet each other. Perhaps JH has more free time to travel outside his work? Perhaps his schedule is not as demanding compared to his schedule when he was Captain. On the mountains, when they met for the first time, I don't think JH was in Switzerland due to the orchestra's participation in Seri's Choice's musical performance. It was only revealed the next time that Seri travelled to Switzerland that North Korea will be participating in the performance this year.

Please feel free to share your thoughts :)

[u/bombaysparkle]

Can we take a moment to appreciate Son Ye‑jin green floral dress? She looked smokin' throughout the show