In Episode 3, she told him to talk to the tomato and say 10 nice words to it each day when she was gone so it would grow nicely and not wither.
And in Episode 8, she tells him 10 nice things too, so he’ll go on living nicely, and not wither away, when she’s gone.
I see what you did there, Seri.
I’m talking about the final scene in Episode 8 when Jung Hyuk realized that Seri left him.
Although I like this moment for the solid performance by Hyun Bin and Son Ye Jin, I like it better for the editing. To me, the film editor did an excellent job of SEAMLESSLY cutting and putting multiple scenes together to achieve maximum emotional impact.
You have to understand that there were three scenes filmed for this segment:
one scene showing JH as he leaves his house in search of Seri,
one scene where JH is running through the woods,
and one scene with Seri in the back of the truck.
It’s the film editor’s job to decide which scene to present: whether to show JH frantically talking to her in the wood or to show Seri bravely controlling her sobs in the truck.
I’ll explain.
JungHyuk: Seri, please. Just one minute! I don’t care if you’re far away. I’ll be there. So please wait. I’ll be there soon.
Here, we’re shown Seri listening to him while he’s shouting on the phone. He sounds out of breath as if he’s running fast in rough terrain. We can hear, not see, his fear. And to me, this is more effective. We can put ourselves in Seri’s shoes. She’s thinking of him, and she’s very much aware of him panicking.
She doesn’t want to add to his emotional angst. So she calms him down, and begins to say her last 10 “nice” things.
Of course, as she’s processing Jung Hyuk’s emotions, she’s also fearful of her life. One man is pointing a gun at her to warn her to end this teary goodbye quickly, and not to disclose her real situation.
Also important here: by focusing on Seri’s emotional reaction, we’re tricked to believe that JungHyuk just ran from their house all the way to the forest in …what? ten seconds? lol. So, focusing the camera on Seri is the best choice. Good job, director and editor!
Seri: Goodbye. Be safe. I hope you have a good wedding. I hope you have a lovely family. Be happy. Live a long, happy life. Forget about our time together. Make sure you do that.
There you go. Her eight nice things to tell Jung Hyuk.
The camera focuses on her face to show us her feelings. And as we watch her emotions, we’re drawn in her drama. We’re empathizing with her.
We’re Seri.
Then, we see JungHyuk running in the forest.
JungHyuk: Don’t hang up.
He’s now somewhere far from the village. He’s like the Flash!
He slows down and tries to calm her (and himself). I like how they’re both trying to calm each other down.
JungHyuk: Listen to me. Tell me what you see. I can find you.
And now, for her final two words…
Seri: Lee Jung Hyuk.
He comes to a standstill when she calls his name. To me, he senses that she’s about to tell him something important.
Note: when Hyun Bin performed this scene, he didn’t actually hear Son Ye Jin’s voice on the phone. Her voice was just added on, in the editing room. So when he stopped dead in his tracks, it was him acting and OUR imagination did all the rest. We were the ones who imagined Seri on the phone with him, calling his name out to make him stop and listen to her.
That’s the power of good acting. We’re pulled in and we’re blind to the visual manipulation… and editing.
And then Seri says her 10th word.
Seri: Saranghaeyo.
There you go, her ten nice things to remember her by. Neat, huh?
Seriously however, there’s a reason that the camera is focused on her face, not HIS face, as she declared her feelings. It’s not that we don’t appreciate Jung Hyuk’s reaction to her confession. It’s that the point of this moment is their separation. Their goodbye.
When we see her cry, we feel like joining in her sobfest. By focusing on her reaction, there’s a strong connection established between us and Seri.
…which makes this a good ending for the 8th episode. Remember, this is the 8th episode, the halfway point. This is where we make an emotional investment to continue with the second half of the drama because we can identify with Seri’s anguish.
lol.
Then, gunshot. When the gunshot sounded, the camera is focused on Jung Hyuk’s back.
Why did the editor show us this shot? Why not show us JH’s face crumbling?
To me, this back view is very effective in communicating a message. This view gives the viewers the impression that Jung Hyuk is also being shot *in the back.*
If you think about this, the gunshot was a surprise to JungHyuk. He didn’t know that Seri was being kidnapped and that she was being threatened at gunpoint. So, the sound of the gunshot was also like him getting shot… in the back.
He didn’t see death coming. He was shot in the back.
Symbolically, the gunshot was meant for both Seri and JungHyuk, because her death killed him, too.
That’s the subtle message there: he dies when she dies. One gunshot, two deaths.
There’s another reason I like this forest scene. I thought the addition of the leaves falling from the trees was a nice touch. It appeared as if the leaves were shaken by the sound of the blast. To be honest, I thought for a second that a bird was shot down by a hunter, and the leaves were feathers.
He’s stunned of course.
And he looks around him while the sounds of the forest recede. It becomes deadly quiet quickly.
The absence of sound emphasizes Jung Hyuk’s fear — his own heart must have stopped — and the void. If she’s dead, then there’s nothing for him, too.
After this, the background music begins to play.
It’s a simple tune sung by a girl. Even if you don’t understand the language like I do, *if* you know the bugle song called, “Taps,” you’ll understand why this melody sounds haunting. It sounded as if it was calling for the dead to come home to rest in peace.
-900 points, Netflix for not translating the lyrics.
To me, the picture of the back of the truck evokes a hearse conveying the dead body to unknown parts. But of course, we know that Seri’s still alive because we still have 8 more episodes to go through….
Then, Jung Hyuk cries.
So, there you go. That’s my explanation why I liked this scene in Episode 8. Sure, let’s give kudos to the actors, and the director. But let’s not forget the film editor, too, who pulled this off.
It was good.
Anyway, I’m also posting the much-awaited song by Baek Yerin, “Here I am Again.”
I googled the lyrics and checked out the lyrics in a handful of MVs. I chose this MV specifically, because it’s closest to how I understood the lyrics. As usual, whether you like it or not 🙂 I’m going to give you MY interpretation of the song.
“Here I am Again”
My take here is that this song is meant for Seri. She’d been looking for Jung Hyuk all this time after Switzerland, and now she’s found him. She’s there again in front of him.
My heart stirs.
The direct translation is “move.” But I believe when you’re referring to feelings, the better word is “stir.” Of course, you always say, “I’m moved to tears, to boredom, and so on. Or that the movie is “moving.” But when your emotions are awakened, “stir” is a good word to use.
I just walk down the road
And once again, here, I appear in front of you.
I was afraid of my heart
White snow falls.
Meaning, she’s afraid of getting hurt…and that darn superstition about first snow. Remember, she said it was going to be a mess if they fell in love.
Also note: it had been snowing, too, when she was on the boat.
So I’m still, I’m here, and I’ll be there
I lean on your warm shoulder.
I can feel you again like this.
I’m still, and I’m hereI’ll hold you like this.
Even if we push each other out.
I’ll carved it deeper.
“It” means this special moment when they’re together.
Here,
and even there under another sky,
I’ll remember your heart
And I’m still, I’m here
Here means North Korea and “there under another sky” is South Korean soil.
My heart was shaking.
Once again you came back to me.
So I’m still, I’m here, I’ll be there.Past this frozen road,
It’s supposed to be winter in North Korea, so I guess the road they were walking is frozen. But I kinda like the idea that they’re on a skating rink somewhere. A date in a skating rink is another popular winter trope.
I’ll meet you again like this.
I’m still, and I’m hereI won’t lose you again
Even if you keep pushing me away
Even if you disappear from my eyes
Here, I’m here.
I’ll always stand by your side.
Pushing her away = telling her to go and pretending it won’t matter to him
I’m afraid that your memory will be erased
Even though I’ve carved it in my heart.
I’m afraid that I can’t see you
That I’ll have to look for you again, like this time.
As I said, my understanding here is that she’s aware that this is their second encounter. She couldn’t forget him the first time around,. And she won’t be able to forget him this time either. She’ll look for him again should they get separated.
I’m still, and I’m here
I won’t lose you again.
No matter where in the world
I’ll find you again.Here, I’m here.
I’ll always stay by your side.
My heart is stirring.
And I’m still, I’m here.
Now, one thing that really annoyed me about this song is the refrain, “I’m still, I’m here.”
If I were being my true bitch self, I’d say that the grammar is stupid. The correct way of saying this is “I’m still here.” You don’t say, “I’m still. I’m here.”
But okayyyyy, this is the new year so I’m going to give the songwriter a break.
“Still” can also mean motionless. Not stirring. Waiting. Quiet.
She’s waiting, right there beside him. Just like she’s been waiting, and looking for him even when she was elsewhere. (Cough. cough. Back in Seoul.)
If you interpret the refrain like this, then you’ll see the nice contrast of imagery between her loving heart that is *moved*, and her decision to stay still, *motionless* right there beside him.
The song was played during this scene.
lol. That’s why she mumbled, “You don’t know anything.” She thinks he’s clueless. He doesn’t know that she’s been looking for him all this time.
🙂
My two cents.
*slow clap* amazing. This scene left me breathless. The declaration, the shot, the silence. Thank you for noting and tying back the 10 things. This production team is splendid, and if the hiatus helped at all in any way to make this episode possible, then this is the best gift they could’ve given their (im)patient audience.
I’m with you on the song subs. They don’t seem to do this for any title on Netflix. It’s a shame.
I didn’t even notice her list of ten nice things. Kudos, pm3!! Makes that scene even better. It’s been a while since I watched a kdrama (I’ve been binging a lot of cdramas lol) but Crash Landing on You is pulling me back in. So happy to see you and the other commenters watching and analyzing it too. 🙂
You’re welcome goyangi.
Yes, I’m watching a Cdrama right now, so CLoY is on my back burner right now.
Who do you think had Seri kidnapped? Guesses? Theories?
I think that it was his father. He knew where to find her, had a military truck at his disposal, and those mercenaries could have been soldiers in civvies-ish. This seems to be part of Seo Dan’s plan with Seung-Jun, as she did not confirm or clarify anything her mother learned from the night before, and she also knew from SJ that she was no longer at his house. It seems she is not looking to bring her harm, just get her out of the way. And scare her straight in the process.
I thought it was the father, too, because of the preview. lol. He went to his dad. His dad accused him, “You’re hiding that woman and risking our family’s safety.”
JH answered, “If something happens to her, I’d be living in hell till the day I die.”
The implication here is that he knew Seri was still alive somewhere, and his dad knew where.
Most likely the gunshot was fired to scare him and to make him think that Seri was dead.
But if he thought through this, then he’d know that If they really wanted Seri killed, they would have done on the spot. There was no point in making her call him up to say goodbye to JH.
What was the point?
They weren’t asking for a ransom and they didn’t seem to be interested in sexually assaulting her, so why would they spirit her away instead of just killing her right there and then?
lol.
I’m in awe! If the writer had intended for this tie-in, then it was really done in a very poetic and poignant way. I also liked your interpretation of the lyrics. “I’m still” – YSR is not going anywhere. Her heart isn’t, anyway.
I also liked how the BTS fangirl in the wheelchair was “used” twice – once for SR to escape from SD and her mum, and for JH, and also the ducklings, to realise how important JH is to SR.
Hi there, joonminfan.
I’m sorry… I skipped over the BTS fangirl’s moments so I probably missed the point there. What’s there a special BTS song or significance to the choice of the BTS song?
I think it’s funny how she’s unconsciously spreading the Hallyu wave in North Korea when she gossips about the actors and idols.
Pm3!! After a long long time… I first started reading you in the horrendous times of “the great seducer”. Since then, real life happened and there was zero time for kdramas till CLoY. Can I just tell you once again how much I LOVE your analysis? And the way you write… It’s SO much better than watching the scene by myself. Much love and please keep writing ❤️
Welcome back!
I’m crossing my fingers that this drama will do us proud. And not belly flop around the 12th episode. 😈
My first comment didn’t get through for some reason?? Just wanted to say that I adore your analysis and your writing style. Reading you is better than watching the scene myself.
It takes time for the un-spamblock to work @arishi. But your comment is up now. Welcome back. 😆
That simple tune sung by a girl is the song you and I used to sing together.. It was in the 3rd ep as well, when the boy takes food for his sister.
thanks to you.. For the way you made us understand the ten things. Love the way you analysed. Your review is the best. This drama is so amazing.
Thank you for the information!
I youtube’d it and here it is, “The Song You and I Used to Sing Together.”
https://youtu.be/8YVCeLg_UWM
I also checked another video and it had the lyrics in English.
Here’s the source: https://youtu.be/A7dGsYRnRcI
And I’m copying the lyrics down.
The song you and I used to sing together
Do you remember the song?
The season when we walked together
Do you miss the season?
The stars in the sky
you and I looked at
One sad night
The petals of the season
That stayed in the small hands
For a while.
Are you listening?
Do you miss those days?
@pm3 oh, the gun and the call were for maximum angst and crying effect. And it worked. I’d not legit sobbed at a drama like this since *that* scene towards the end of Chicago Typewriter (don’t want to spoil it for others, but holy hell it’s sad. I bow to Yoo Ah In). But as far as the scene itself is concerned, I do believe they wanted him to hear her “dying”, so he’d stop looking for her. Her confession was not something they planned for, I’m sure.
Agree with your observations re: JH and his dad’s interactions. JH pretty much acknowledges he knows/thinks she’s alive, even if we don’t see her in the preview.
If u didn’t analyzed and explain about 10 things i would probably never know about it. Thanks a lot for it. T
Hee hee… Yes I know it takes time… I thought probably the algorithm caught the word “love” and thought I was talking about Huyn Bin and blocked me 😝
Very sorry I feel the information I gave was wrong.. The two songs seemed similar but the meaning is different I guess.. I too don’t know Korean…
Wow *slow clap* to you!!!!!
I didn’t know those were 10 things
If we don’t have people who look into the details this excellent piece of writing would have gone to the grave!!!
I really really like this ending scene. Son ye Jin was really on form here. I like that her acting includes her voice and tempo which a lot of people put less effort in. She really impresses me with her crying scenes also, those tears are not those “oh no I’m flailing need to cry female lead” kind of crying but these are emotions I can relate to and the tears just comes along with it.
I have seen a few Hyun Bin dramas other than the earlier works like Kim sam soon, most of the rest he hard carries the drama (esp memories of ala-worse ending ever) and you always feel he steals the show. But He has met his match with son ye Jin and because she shines, he’s given the chance to be understated and it suits this character. And when they both implode as per this last scene, we get this classic 5 mins that I have on repeat so many times! And yes the editing was TOP class. If they took a break to do more post production and this is the result, the break works!
That final scene in episode 8 is one of the best scenes in any drama in any language I’ve ever seen. So unexpected. The scene starts off with one set of emotions (warmth of Christmas tree find) and quickly changes into fear and then despair. In about a minute. The music is absolutely perfect and adds substantially to the emotional tug and intensity. I totally agree with your giving kudos to the editor. Superb work. Brilliant. I watched the scene lots to see how it was done. Even at that I didn’t notice the “10 nice thing” tie in to the tomato plant. Kudos to you for noticing and for posting -you added to my enjoyment! Thank you. Greetings from Ireland.
Hello! 👋🏻 You can call me Niamh, then. 😂 Hardly anyone here knows how to correctly pronounce that.
Yes, that scene was filmed just right. No fancy camera tricks needed.
I liked it when the camera was following Jung Hyuk in the house and into the yard then out the gate. That was a good decision to shoot it from a moving camera (as opposed to a stationary camera when he was in the woods) because the effect was we were running with him.
Then the camera in the woods gave a moody ambiance with the mist and tall trees. Cinematographer got it right, too, shooting in from the distance.
In contrast, the scene in the van was shadowy, nitty-gritty. It added to the feel of a hostage crisis situation.
Also the army truck scene was well done. We saw the back of the truck leaving and on the foreground were two stalks of that weedy plant (flax?) that Seri used as a microphone as she sang her goodbye song. The images connected, without us being aware of it.
Hi Niamh. Sure, you’re one of our own with a name like that!! I’m going to go back and rewatch the first 8 episodes. Reading your blog I realise I’m missing a lot of craft. Expect me to post regularly. I think I’m addicted to Kdramas…… LOVE your blog ❤️
lol. I must be the only one who was fine with the ending of “Memories of the Alhambra.” I understood it. And with understanding comes acceptance. It wasn’t meant to be a romance romance. The screenwriter was exploring a theme … which I believe started in “W” (although I have to actually sit down and watch “W” with a critical mind) … and continued in “Memories of the Alhambra.”
She uses the fantasy world as a medium to explore existentialist questions. Or to be more precise, she writes about an ordinary character thrown in a hyper-real universe where basic philosophical questions about “Who am I?” “Why am I here?” “What’s my purpose?” “What’s free will?” are posed and challenged.
I think viewers approach her dramas, thinking that they’re going to be “entertained.” You’ve got to admit that her worlds were original and unimaginable. A cartoon that becomes alive? An augmented-reality that actually becomes real? Who would have thought of those?
And because viewers came for the entertainment value, they’re unprepared for the deeper connections.
But the ending of “Memories of the Alhambra” couldn’t be anything else but that dark shadowy figure of Hyun Bin’s character. It fits. And funnily enough, I warned my readers that there was a philosophical difference between “hope,” “belief” and “certainty.” The theme of “Memories of the Alhambra” was hope.
But no worries. This drama is more mainstream. I doubt that this writer will touch Philosophy 101. She’s more about Human Relationships, and for now, I’m entertained. 🙂
😂 Niamh meet Eoin.
I liked the ending of Alhambra. Not everything was spelled out, but the message of hope (and waiting) was clear. Crash Landing is more of a romance, but it is not cutesy. I like how the flashbacks at the end of each episode reveal deeper connections between the main characters. The theme of hope and healing is also present.
Loved this ten things! It’s perfect, the same as SYJ and HB’s acting in it and the editing. I had a tear too when JH’s tears came. I just felt that. What a way to confess your feelings, you say to him move on, don’t think of me and our times together and the last thing you say is I love you. Ottoke?
So Seri is her Dad’s child from another woman. I’m glad her Dad will talk to her assistant and the manager?
I am hopeful that this drama won’t turn you off come the 12th episode or whatever.
🙂
@agdr03 I’m sure everyone including you already got this but since it’s so lovely to have a discussion here… I’d weigh in… Probably she declared her love because she genuinely thought they’d kill her? Or worst,take her someplace of no return. She tried to be ideal with asking him to move on but after all, she’s been looking for him all these years and playing his melodies. It’s human that she’d want him to know. I’m glad she said it. Kdrama leads that don’t are frustrating 🙈
@Arihsi , yes I realized that for her to be at peace with herself at the point of her impending death, she had to say it. I would say it too if I were her. 🙂 I agree with you too about her saying it rather than go around in circles. She’s courageous even with guns pointed at her.
Hi Eoin! I’m Sheila (Sheila Marie =Smarie). 🇮🇪
Gotta say. I rewatched this ep this morning (like 2 am) re-read this before and after watching. Completely changed the way I saw the ep. Its beautiful and poignant at the same time. RT’d this on twitter. Would love to follow you if you have a twitter account.
This was the best review of that ep. EVER. 🙌🏻 Salute.