Spoilers abound, but I’m sure you’ve seen it at this point
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If you have been subscribed to the DAGeeks long enough, you will know that I am not the biggest fan of Korean TV shows. However, I made an exception with Kingdom because it had the right blend of things to keep me interested (period political drama with zombies!), as well as a cliffhanger that intrigued me enough to make me want to stick around for a second season. This is what I think about Kingdom season two.
The season sees the plans of the Haewon Cho unraveled and Crown Prince Lee Chang (Ji-Hoon Ju) finally enacting his plan of, not claiming the throne, but merely kicking out those unworthy of it. At the same time, nurse Seo-Bi (Doona Bae) continues her mission of finding out the pathology of the plague, the infected’s weaknesses, and the cure. Together in their cause is Chang’s bodyguard with an ulterior motive Moo Young (Sang-ho Kim), sharpshooter Young Shin (Kim Sungkyu), and confused Haewon Cho magistrate Beom Pal (Suk-ho Jun).
Here are some details that made this season for me:
- To answer the burning question I had in the previous season, it was shown that the zombies remain animated in cold weather. Thus, when fall turned to winter, they remained outside even in daylight. They still remain to be afraid of fire and water.
- I predicted correctly in my last review that zombies will come barging into Hanyang, but not on a train, obviously.
- Someone’s death made me cry legit, and their death was truly GoT fashion. To know who, watch!
- The involvement of Japanese culture in the series. During the Joseon dynasty, Japan tried to invade Korea several times. In the series, it is revealed the primary reason of the Haewon Cho experimenting with the resurrection plant, which turns the dead to zombies, is in order to provide manpower to overwhelm the enemy despite not using alive soldiers. Twisted, right?
The directorial change from season one’s Seong-hun Kim to season two’s In-je Park can be definitely seen and felt as it transitions. Park‘s episodes involved more action, more plot bangers, and is more direct to the point. However, Kim Eun-hee‘s writing remains on top of it all, and it looks like she has no plans of stopping because she wants 10 seasons for it. As for the acting, they remain to be on point but I would like to single out Hye-Jun Kim, who plays the Queen Consort to the zombie emperor. She is possibly the Joffrey Baratheon in this series, with her beautiful visage but very hateful personality, which actor Kim does very well.
To summarise, the second season of Kingdom is what the Game of Thrones season finale should have been. Loose ends were tied appropriately, the ending satisfying despite the events leading to it, and the end shows promise of things to come next. With the entry of another new character portrayed by famous Korean idol Jin Ji-Hyun of My Sassy Girl fame, the third season will surely bring new interest to all viewers and fans of the show.