Kingdom: Kingdom
April 5, 2020 7:46 AM - Season 2 (Full Season) - Subscribe

After the shocking double-reveal cliffhanger at the end of season 1 (currently at 93/97 on Rotten Tomatoes) this South Korean period drama, set soon after the Japanese invasions of the 1590s, is back for another 6 episodes with more palace intrigue, class warfare, beautiful costumes and gorgeous cinematography, set against the backdrop of a massive plague of flesh-eating monsters. On Netflix.
posted by mediareport (2 comments total)
 
Light-years ahead of anything else zombie-related on television, Kingdom's 2nd set of six episodes is a solid follow-up, with some wrenching emotional moments, fine acting and not-quite-so-many fabulous hats, as clothes and characters suffer equally when the undead plague hits a peak.

I liked a lot about this season, including the filling in of detail via flashback about the origins of the plague and exactly why Moo Young would betray his prince, but the hot zombie-on-human action was much more predictable this time and had a couple of unfortunate "what? why would they be so stupid?" moments not present in the first season. The sidelining of Doona Bae's physician character, who'd been so damn brave and effective previously, in all of the (many, many) action scenes was also a bit of a disappointment, since the emphasis on action meant fewer opportunities for women to shine. Again, a difference from the first season.

That said, I had to search online to make sure the woman revealed in the final scene wasn't a minor presence I'd managed to overlook in the show, but yeah, she's a brand new character who looks badass, so maybe we'll get some gender parity since it looks like they're already planning season 3. Would that actress's appearance have meaning for South Korean audiences? Because for me it was a "huh? who is this person?" moment, which kind of deflated the ending.

Even if it didn't quite live up to the awesome promise of the first season, I liked this. There were some neat twists, poignant deaths (and resurrections), and that gorgeous, gorgeous scenery and costuming. This is my fave zombie-related movie/show in a long time.

(What happened to Moo Young's wife? Last we saw she was still alive, right? Wouldn't taking her baby at least have moral, if not narrative, repercussions?)
posted by mediareport at 8:07 AM on April 5, 2020


Spoilers > > > This show was so good in the first season, and I liked the second even more. I read about it right before Christmas but waited until the second season was released so I could watch all of the episodes. It's so beautiful to look at and while sometimes a bit goofy (looking at you, Cho Beom Pal), really really well-acted, and such a great tension/lightness balance to it. So it turns out they are not actually zombies, right? I mean...they're infested by eely little parasites. So not technically zombies? I especially appreciated that there is no romance (yet) between Seo Bi and anyone, although not for lacking of trying by Cho Beom Pal :) I too had no idea who the female badass was. Cannot wait for season 3.

And of course as everyone knows, it's all about the hats.
posted by the webmistress at 9:18 AM on April 5, 2020 [2 favorites]


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