Crash Landing Episode 1: The head is revealed
Netflix synopsis: Knocked out by fierce winds while paragliding through the air, Yoon Se-ri wakes up on the north side of the Korean DMZ, where Ri Jeong Hyeok finds her.
Let's start with the opening credits. If you're over 30+, it's got a touch of Sliding Doors starring Gwyneth Paltrow, pre-Goop days. I don't really get it. Some grooming, working, eating, commuting, man in uniform, woman wearing a tie, pretty boys, pretty girls, etc. Have no idea what's going on.
Cut to dramatic music, green scenery, flashes of military men and some kind of bird flying overhead? Harry Potter anyone? But then it cuts into an urban scene with equally dramatic music and a man and a woman holding hands posing for a photograph - TMZ style? We quickly understand that this is just a PR stunt to drive sales for Se-ri's company, who is clearly #GIRLBOSS.
Let's talk about the fashion here. I don't mind the white Austin Powers white gogo boots, but I'm not sure which is more distracting--the large buttons on her blazer, or her oversized collar.
I'm like one of her employees on this one. Not very impressed. Also glad to see that I'm not the only one who doodles hate notes in their work notebook... Love her hair and her berry stained lip though.
Oldest brother calls, let's call him Tweedledee, and soon enough Tweedledum the second brother will get into the mix. Very quickly we realize Se-ri has daddy issues, and it doesn't stop there. Mommy issues creep up as we learn that her dad was recently released on probation for economic crimes and wants Se-ri to run his business, selecting her over Tweedledee and Tweedledum, and mom with the bumpit hair isn't supportive either.
Tweedledee and Tweedledum come with formidable wives, who yield a lot of power over their men, and can skillfully and very politely throw anyone under the bus or in this case, their Range Rovers - there seem to be a lot of those.
We zoom in on the family's big ass house where we see eldest daughter-in-law present her FIL with a tofu cake. SMH...I know exactly how FIL feels.
Se-ri shows up to dinner and as badass as she is, she is still a mere mortal who still has wardrobe issues like the rest of us. I mean, don't you hate it when long zippers bunch up on you? Especially on a dress?
She accepts her dad's proposal with her perfect hair, and her brothers just about lose their poop, right along with their poopy wives.
Meanwhile Se-ri's is preparing for her athletic wear launch and has decided to test the product herself. Way to go super niche on this one...can't imagine paragliding wear to be highly competitive. The wind keeps moving for her to fly, so she says. The jump starts out well, but then something seems off. Could it be the tractor flying in the wind and the Wizard of Oz tornado spinning her out of control? Yes.
Now we're in North Korea, the DMZ. More importantly over 15 min have passed before the producers have decided to intro Hyun Bin as Ri Jeong Hyeok (RJH) in this series.
That was about 15:36 min too late. He's wearing a helmet, and in full military attire, so you can't really see his full effect, but you can immediately tell that his bone structure has high potential.
RJH is leading his troops in the dark somewhere and there are gunshots. It's oh-so-subtle, but immediately his swag is out, being able to determine the combat site's distance from their location, the type of rifles and how many are in use. Tom Cruise got noth'n on RJH. The 3 men that are held at gunpoint by south Korean officers were caught smuggling artifacts. I mean robber #3's bowl cut is a crime in it of itself.
All was fine until one of the robbers decided to go for a gun on the ground. Many thanks to him because we get to see RJH jump into street fighter action and be a hero. Told to retreat, the military officers from the South leave and the smugglers are taken into custody by RJH's men. There is nothing like a man in uniform...
We also meet Major Shady - Jo Cheol Gang from the State Security Department - who wants to be lenient on the smugglers and threatens RJH. I mean the dude has Gang in his name... this can't be good. On the flip side - we also meet RJH's men who couldn't be any more entertaining. This is supposed to be their last night at this post before they switch to a different location.
Se-ri seems to be stuck in tree and her staff are desperately trying to find her. Seems like it's a miracle that she's alive and no one has any idea where she is. Also a miracle that her hair still looks so good. RJH finds her and points a gun at her tornado-blown head of hair. His uniform suggests that she's a long way from home. He instructs her to come down and she literally falls into his arms.
Whatever suffering or good deeds Son Ye-jin (who plays Se-ri) did in her past life to play this role in this drama was SOOOO worth it.
She tries to tell him her side of the story without exposing her name and believes that she's still in South Korea. All she wants to do at this point is to go home, but RJH breaks the news that she's in North Korea. But does it really matter? Really? All that matters is that Hyun Bin is in front of you.
He starts quoting the law and Se-ri starts freaking out and wants to run away, but then RJH warns her of the minefield that she's running into. He claims he's an expert in this area, but then steps on a mine himself, even though he insists that he's fine, Se-ri realizes the danger he's in. He uses his walkie talkie to try to connect with his troops, but then drops it in the water and it floats away. Se-ri positions the walkie talkie to float back down to him as she prepares to escape back home. He gives her some tips as she leaves and she drops this bomb as she leaves "I'm saying this because we will never meet again. Your looks are totally my type. If our countries reunite, let's meet at a different occasion." Thanks Se-ri for being the spokesperson for all womankind.
He continues to give her tips and she asks him if she can trust him. I love his answer "Stop asking and make a decision. I already said my answer." It could have been such a D-bag response, but his delivery was just right.... I love decisive men. Indecisive people are exhausting.
As she's about to leave, one of RJH's men (cute little Pigeon with the big eyes) comes to find him and Se-ri takes off. He advises his troops to arrest her without shooting her and is reliant on Pigeon to disarm the bomb. RJH's troops are dispatched to find her and they are not happy about it. I wouldn't be happy either if I had that 60-year old medicinal snake wine the night before... She's a sprinter, runs by unharmed, even through a minefield even though they're all chasing her. She jumps off a dead tree over a broken fence as RJH's most senior officer Cuckoo shoots at her as they scream for her to come back. Cuckoo radios in the situation to Seagull, another officer who is completely absorbed in a South Korean drama. You are my peeps Seagull - I feel you. (Note to self: Need to watch o.g. drama Stairway to Heaven). He doesn't notice Se-ri running by the watch tower near the fence which looks like she's running in a Claritin or an Orowheat commercial, take your pick. Meanwhile, her hair keeps looking better and better. Another note to self: run more.
Back at Se-ri's parent's house. Bumpit mom is picking at her food and hears the news, Tweedledee's wife is rejoicing at the news that Se-ri is missing, believing that her prayers have been answered. Both bros are pretending to care, even though they can't get past their own self-interests. There's a flashback to when Se-ri is leaving after the announcement that her dad wants her to take over his company. Bumpit mom wants Se-ri to reject the offer. Harsh. Se-ri comes back with a declarative statement that she doesn't have a mom. OOOoooo. Burn. Ultra Harsh.
Back in the DMZ woods Se-ri's hurt, on the floor, threatening to fire her product dev team since her performance wear isn't supposed to tear like this. Back at the watch tower they are reviewing the footage which clearly shows Se-ri running by... again. We SEE you Seagull. They really don't know what to do in this situation, with everyone having a little bit of responsibility for the situation that they're in. No one wants a dishonorable discharge, and they have to go back for the company switch.
This scene is really important because we see RJH's bone structure without his helmet.
You can slice cheese with those cheekbones. Let's call this a significant upgrade to go from helmet head to military cap. I mean helmet hair is the worst! Let's see that jawline without the chin strap shall we? Let's set that jawline free!
Se-ri is wandering around, leaving leaf markers on trees to make sure she's not running in Post Malone circles. With her walking stick she hobbles about, and her siblings in South Korea are scheming for their dad's company.
Now we cut to China and meet the long lost 8th BTS member, who looks pretty damn sharp in this ensemble (those pants!), who has no problem putting Mr. Oh on the spot and questions his trustworthiness.
I have a burning question for Mr. Oh too. Is that a milk mustache on your upper lip?
He's def not as well groomed as BTS8, and it's clear that BTS8 conned Tweedledum and is on the run. Trying to figure out where to go, they decide that North Korean is the perfect destination.
Major Shady is back as he reunites with his smugglers. It's clear that these men were hired to steal the antiquities and Major Shady has some special plans for them that include crushing their vehicle to death like an exploding Korean seafood pancake with his custom jaws-of-life tanks. There's a poor woman hitchhiking who witnessed the event and also shared the same fate.
RJH and his men are in the dark searching for Se-ri, justifying their need to not notify the State Security Department. Cuckoo is not cuckoo with his reasoning. RJH seems to be mature enough to accept the responsibilities for his actions. Pigeon finds her discarded paragliding romper, and then brings it back to RJH to inspect. And then it happens.
That intense look on RJH's face when he's looking for Se-ri. This look will never get old.
They find her trail markers, but they don't find her.
Se-ri makes it into town and she's elated, exhausted and believes that she is almost home. As she enters the town, she wonders why the place is so dark, and asks to borrow a cellphone from a man who has an ox pulling a cart of stuff. Good luck with that. She's overhearing conversations about how nice it is to have electricity before breakfast, and tickets for eggs. Se-ri is def feeling like she's not in South Korea Kansas anymore. The music blares for mandatory morning exercise, and the neighborhood ladies look like they're doing their own slo-mo adaptation of BTS's new video ON.
A little in disbelief, she is coming to terms with her present situation. She stares at the political propaganda as she's processing the fact that she's in North Korea. There's a jeep coming towards her blinding her with its headlights, and she is quickly whisked away behind a wooden gate. RJH's military cap gets crushed by Major Shady's jeep and YES - his entire head is revealed! And bonus, we get this look
And this one too!
(flashbacks from episode 1)
Now we see RJH back at the scene where he finds Se-ri blasting into her walkie talkie trying to connect back with her employees. He is overhearing everything and smiles at her melodramatic rant.
Let's start with the opening credits. If you're over 30+, it's got a touch of Sliding Doors starring Gwyneth Paltrow, pre-Goop days. I don't really get it. Some grooming, working, eating, commuting, man in uniform, woman wearing a tie, pretty boys, pretty girls, etc. Have no idea what's going on.
Cut to dramatic music, green scenery, flashes of military men and some kind of bird flying overhead? Harry Potter anyone? But then it cuts into an urban scene with equally dramatic music and a man and a woman holding hands posing for a photograph - TMZ style? We quickly understand that this is just a PR stunt to drive sales for Se-ri's company, who is clearly #GIRLBOSS.
Let's talk about the fashion here. I don't mind the white Austin Powers white gogo boots, but I'm not sure which is more distracting--the large buttons on her blazer, or her oversized collar.
I'm like one of her employees on this one. Not very impressed. Also glad to see that I'm not the only one who doodles hate notes in their work notebook... Love her hair and her berry stained lip though.
Oldest brother calls, let's call him Tweedledee, and soon enough Tweedledum the second brother will get into the mix. Very quickly we realize Se-ri has daddy issues, and it doesn't stop there. Mommy issues creep up as we learn that her dad was recently released on probation for economic crimes and wants Se-ri to run his business, selecting her over Tweedledee and Tweedledum, and mom with the bumpit hair isn't supportive either.
Tweedledee and Tweedledum come with formidable wives, who yield a lot of power over their men, and can skillfully and very politely throw anyone under the bus or in this case, their Range Rovers - there seem to be a lot of those.
We zoom in on the family's big ass house where we see eldest daughter-in-law present her FIL with a tofu cake. SMH...I know exactly how FIL feels.
Se-ri shows up to dinner and as badass as she is, she is still a mere mortal who still has wardrobe issues like the rest of us. I mean, don't you hate it when long zippers bunch up on you? Especially on a dress?
She accepts her dad's proposal with her perfect hair, and her brothers just about lose their poop, right along with their poopy wives.
Meanwhile Se-ri's is preparing for her athletic wear launch and has decided to test the product herself. Way to go super niche on this one...can't imagine paragliding wear to be highly competitive. The wind keeps moving for her to fly, so she says. The jump starts out well, but then something seems off. Could it be the tractor flying in the wind and the Wizard of Oz tornado spinning her out of control? Yes.
Now we're in North Korea, the DMZ. More importantly over 15 min have passed before the producers have decided to intro Hyun Bin as Ri Jeong Hyeok (RJH) in this series.
That was about 15:36 min too late. He's wearing a helmet, and in full military attire, so you can't really see his full effect, but you can immediately tell that his bone structure has high potential.
RJH is leading his troops in the dark somewhere and there are gunshots. It's oh-so-subtle, but immediately his swag is out, being able to determine the combat site's distance from their location, the type of rifles and how many are in use. Tom Cruise got noth'n on RJH. The 3 men that are held at gunpoint by south Korean officers were caught smuggling artifacts. I mean robber #3's bowl cut is a crime in it of itself.
All was fine until one of the robbers decided to go for a gun on the ground. Many thanks to him because we get to see RJH jump into street fighter action and be a hero. Told to retreat, the military officers from the South leave and the smugglers are taken into custody by RJH's men. There is nothing like a man in uniform...
We also meet Major Shady - Jo Cheol Gang from the State Security Department - who wants to be lenient on the smugglers and threatens RJH. I mean the dude has Gang in his name... this can't be good. On the flip side - we also meet RJH's men who couldn't be any more entertaining. This is supposed to be their last night at this post before they switch to a different location.
Se-ri seems to be stuck in tree and her staff are desperately trying to find her. Seems like it's a miracle that she's alive and no one has any idea where she is. Also a miracle that her hair still looks so good. RJH finds her and points a gun at her tornado-blown head of hair. His uniform suggests that she's a long way from home. He instructs her to come down and she literally falls into his arms.
Whatever suffering or good deeds Son Ye-jin (who plays Se-ri) did in her past life to play this role in this drama was SOOOO worth it.
She tries to tell him her side of the story without exposing her name and believes that she's still in South Korea. All she wants to do at this point is to go home, but RJH breaks the news that she's in North Korea. But does it really matter? Really? All that matters is that Hyun Bin is in front of you.
He starts quoting the law and Se-ri starts freaking out and wants to run away, but then RJH warns her of the minefield that she's running into. He claims he's an expert in this area, but then steps on a mine himself, even though he insists that he's fine, Se-ri realizes the danger he's in. He uses his walkie talkie to try to connect with his troops, but then drops it in the water and it floats away. Se-ri positions the walkie talkie to float back down to him as she prepares to escape back home. He gives her some tips as she leaves and she drops this bomb as she leaves "I'm saying this because we will never meet again. Your looks are totally my type. If our countries reunite, let's meet at a different occasion." Thanks Se-ri for being the spokesperson for all womankind.
He continues to give her tips and she asks him if she can trust him. I love his answer "Stop asking and make a decision. I already said my answer." It could have been such a D-bag response, but his delivery was just right.... I love decisive men. Indecisive people are exhausting.
As she's about to leave, one of RJH's men (cute little Pigeon with the big eyes) comes to find him and Se-ri takes off. He advises his troops to arrest her without shooting her and is reliant on Pigeon to disarm the bomb. RJH's troops are dispatched to find her and they are not happy about it. I wouldn't be happy either if I had that 60-year old medicinal snake wine the night before... She's a sprinter, runs by unharmed, even through a minefield even though they're all chasing her. She jumps off a dead tree over a broken fence as RJH's most senior officer Cuckoo shoots at her as they scream for her to come back. Cuckoo radios in the situation to Seagull, another officer who is completely absorbed in a South Korean drama. You are my peeps Seagull - I feel you. (Note to self: Need to watch o.g. drama Stairway to Heaven). He doesn't notice Se-ri running by the watch tower near the fence which looks like she's running in a Claritin or an Orowheat commercial, take your pick. Meanwhile, her hair keeps looking better and better. Another note to self: run more.
Back at Se-ri's parent's house. Bumpit mom is picking at her food and hears the news, Tweedledee's wife is rejoicing at the news that Se-ri is missing, believing that her prayers have been answered. Both bros are pretending to care, even though they can't get past their own self-interests. There's a flashback to when Se-ri is leaving after the announcement that her dad wants her to take over his company. Bumpit mom wants Se-ri to reject the offer. Harsh. Se-ri comes back with a declarative statement that she doesn't have a mom. OOOoooo. Burn. Ultra Harsh.
Back in the DMZ woods Se-ri's hurt, on the floor, threatening to fire her product dev team since her performance wear isn't supposed to tear like this. Back at the watch tower they are reviewing the footage which clearly shows Se-ri running by... again. We SEE you Seagull. They really don't know what to do in this situation, with everyone having a little bit of responsibility for the situation that they're in. No one wants a dishonorable discharge, and they have to go back for the company switch.
This scene is really important because we see RJH's bone structure without his helmet.
You can slice cheese with those cheekbones. Let's call this a significant upgrade to go from helmet head to military cap. I mean helmet hair is the worst! Let's see that jawline without the chin strap shall we? Let's set that jawline free!
Se-ri is wandering around, leaving leaf markers on trees to make sure she's not running in Post Malone circles. With her walking stick she hobbles about, and her siblings in South Korea are scheming for their dad's company.
Now we cut to China and meet the long lost 8th BTS member, who looks pretty damn sharp in this ensemble (those pants!), who has no problem putting Mr. Oh on the spot and questions his trustworthiness.
I have a burning question for Mr. Oh too. Is that a milk mustache on your upper lip?
He's def not as well groomed as BTS8, and it's clear that BTS8 conned Tweedledum and is on the run. Trying to figure out where to go, they decide that North Korean is the perfect destination.
Major Shady is back as he reunites with his smugglers. It's clear that these men were hired to steal the antiquities and Major Shady has some special plans for them that include crushing their vehicle to death like an exploding Korean seafood pancake with his custom jaws-of-life tanks. There's a poor woman hitchhiking who witnessed the event and also shared the same fate.
RJH and his men are in the dark searching for Se-ri, justifying their need to not notify the State Security Department. Cuckoo is not cuckoo with his reasoning. RJH seems to be mature enough to accept the responsibilities for his actions. Pigeon finds her discarded paragliding romper, and then brings it back to RJH to inspect. And then it happens.
That intense look on RJH's face when he's looking for Se-ri. This look will never get old.
They find her trail markers, but they don't find her.
Se-ri makes it into town and she's elated, exhausted and believes that she is almost home. As she enters the town, she wonders why the place is so dark, and asks to borrow a cellphone from a man who has an ox pulling a cart of stuff. Good luck with that. She's overhearing conversations about how nice it is to have electricity before breakfast, and tickets for eggs. Se-ri is def feeling like she's not in South Korea Kansas anymore. The music blares for mandatory morning exercise, and the neighborhood ladies look like they're doing their own slo-mo adaptation of BTS's new video ON.
A little in disbelief, she is coming to terms with her present situation. She stares at the political propaganda as she's processing the fact that she's in North Korea. There's a jeep coming towards her blinding her with its headlights, and she is quickly whisked away behind a wooden gate. RJH's military cap gets crushed by Major Shady's jeep and YES - his entire head is revealed! And bonus, we get this look
You can't see Se-ri's face yet, but the intensity of his gaze and his protective stance with his arms beside her shoulders causes Se-ri to first look mesmerized and then smile. Us too...
(flashbacks from episode 1)
Now we see RJH back at the scene where he finds Se-ri blasting into her walkie talkie trying to connect back with her employees. He is overhearing everything and smiles at her melodramatic rant.
I was even getting annoyed by her whiny tantrum, but his smile completely distracted me as well. And last but not least, if you're going to end the first episode with this face? Then count me in for episode 2.
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