Kingdom: Season 2 (2020)

Gory and gimmicky to the point of comedy.

Sadly, I’m disappointed. While it still was a fun and entertaining watch, season 2 lost the unique and eerie atmosphere season 1 was able to create. Too much blood, ripping of the skin and flesh - they even shot an arrow with an eye being attached on top of it. None of the scenes were shocking, unique, memorable - it was all about giving more action and more blood.

I’m not gonna lie, I do not watch Kingdom for the plot. It’s not new, fresh, complex nor groundbreaking. It's the same old court politics and struggle for power we have seen thousands of times. The court plot was literally the weakest part of the series, and yet it was the focus.

The characters also lost some brain cells in this season. Too many stupid decisions and actions for the sake of creating visually appealing shots. How many characters can just stand there watching the horde of zombies running straight to kill them, just so we can have that 3 seconds beautiful shot?

Queen’s arc and conclusion? Anticlimactic at best. We got to the end of it and all I could think about was: that’s it?

That said, it was not all bad. The action scenes were great. They found just the right balance between the dimmed light and enough visibility so we can actually witness the fights without losing the atmosphere. Throughout the whole show the lighting was just a masterpiece of its own. The way they worked with light and shadows was just beautiful.

The acting was exactly what we could expect from the cast - brilliant in most cases. Kim Hye Joon felt flat in some scenes, and I wished to see a bit more expression from her character.

Overall, it lost the impact season 1 created, but was still a fun and entertaining watch. It got quite a few laughs out of me.

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Waiting for season 3

Very well done.
1. Nice story and plot, very well paced and giving a little twist at the end
2. Great acting from all the casts, and I'm now waiting for Jun Ji Hyun appearance on season 3 :)
3. And still the production team maintain the good job!

One downside is that as frequently happen on all move / drama, the main heroes will never die... Facing so many zombies, how can he / they / she escaped un-scratches. Seo Bi in prison, how can she survived. But still overall this is a nice drama to watch, not too long (so that not dragging), good story and good acting.

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The best kdrama i've ever seen

Bae Doona was right, this season was the "main dish", it's literally amazing. I loved the story, i liked season 1, but i liked this season better than the first, i mean it was more exciting. I loved the cast, first i was in love with Ju Jihoon, but Kim Sungkyu really said back off and he just became my favourite actor. No one is talking about that how hot Kim Sungkyu is, literally the hottest guy. Anyways, my fav episode was probably the second. When Ahn Hyeon's zombie came, Cho Hakju's soldier or bodyguard got shot by my man (thanks Yeongshin), and the zombie just bite Cho Hakju's face, that was dope. I'm really curious about Jun Jihyun's character, i hope that Ashin's "plot twist" will come soon! Also Kingdom was my first kdrama ever. If you like zombies, i can recommend it.

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I think I preferred the first season to this one. While the first season had its issues plot wise, I felt this was more obvious in this season than the prequel. Perhaps it’s because we had only six episodes that it was little tough to establish many things or there was only so much they could do. Kingdom 2 takes off right at the point when zombies can now attack them in daylight, there’s confusion all throughout but the Crown Prince and his group manage to fend themselves. Along with the zombie attack on the forefront, CP also has to deal with the palace politics and fight to remain in power while everything is done to portray him as the person who has committed treason. I did enjoy this a little bit more because the zombie attack had gotten a little boring. I wanted a win for our team

I don’t know if it’s because it’s a Netflix production, but I really dislike how they leave every show with a hint of another season. While season 2 doesn’t entirely end with cliffhangers, we don’t exactly get closure. There are some aspects which were frustrating in the final episode, the CP’s decision baffled me. And we don’t entirely get to know the extent of the plague — which is understandable I suppose. Throughout the series, my favourite characters remained Seo Bi and Yeong Shin, with the rest, I liked them enough but didn’t really connect much. The rest of the characters, the evil incarnates almost had an one dimensional look so I was glad when the Queen became the forefront towards the end.

Anyway, despite some of the issues and it not leaving you entirely satisfied, kingdom is worthy enough for binge-watching. Definitely a decent watch that will keep you hooked!

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Will be rewatching this once the third season/ second sidequel will be out

If you really want to understand this drama and if you want the continuity of the Kingdom Series, I suggest you watch Kingdom Season 1 and Kingdom: Ashin of the North first and pay attention to every little detail of the series and the movie, respectively, if you want to be amazed with Kingdom season 2. Don’t get me wrong, it’s easy to miss out on a lot of details and yet still enjoy this season and the entire Kingdom series, but if you have that OC personality and you’re the type of person who cannot sleep, knowing you don’t understand a lot of things about the drama, you have to re-watch the Season 1 and watch the movie.
I hope you find my suggestion helpful and I hope your questions will be answered- like the origins of the resurrection plant, who discovered it, what really happens to the dead and how they become zombies after putting the plant on their glabella, do all people who get bitten by the “reanimated” become zombies, what can be done if a person gets bitten by the zombies.

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The Most Epic Historical Drama You Probably Didn't Know

I've seen many SK historical dramas with various sub-genres. If you take the sub-genres aside, KINGDOM is the best historical drama. Who knew that historical drama featuring zombies would be a perfect mashup? Usually, I watch a drama because of its casts (I prioritize watching dramas if my favorite actresses are there). In this drama, however, I didn't know who the casts are at all, so this review would be more objective.

Genre: History
Sub-genres: Thriller, horror

Pros:
- No romance sh1t. I mean there's a lil romance aspect in it, but it doesn't affect the solidness of the plot.
- Solid plot. Trust me, there's no wasting time. Every second in this drama has connections to other scenes.
- Easy to understand the story.
- No plot holes.
- Unique characteristic of zombies. It's not like zombies you've found in other dramas.
- Within 6 episodes, you get political, horror/thriller, and mystery aspects.
- Endless breathtaking actions
- Mini plot twists that make you wonder all the time what caused the epidemic.

Cons:
- It's too short :( 6 episodes each season (1 hour per episode)
- As always, you will find it hard to remember who is who.
- Lack of comedy, but some are still there.

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I need to evaluate Kingdom season 2 as well. So good, I didn’t expect it. I read some reviews that it has less action than season 1… Are you kidding me?

This season is at least as good as the first one – even better. It had enough action for me, it had gripping moments…. Dead people chasing alive people is always a thrill for me. Make sure to put here and there some sacrifice (for the good of many)…. And I am sold!

Story picks up exactly where season 1 left it. Characters’ back stories are more developed. Origin of the disease is also explored. I liked very much this part, I am sure season 3 will explain more about it. Don’t worry about it, Kingdom doesn’t seem to be one with plot holes.

Be prepared for betrayals, for brave moves from both heroes and villains and new heroes emerging. The Crown Prince is still the perfect leader, full of love and understanding for his subjects. He has some tough decisions to make, but never wavers. Of course, having Seo Bi (Bae Doo Na), Moo Young (Kim Sang Ho) and Young Shin (Kim Sung Gyu) supporting him, helping him is exactly what a leaders needs. I cannot explore this more without spoilers, so stopping here.

We find out more about the disease, linked to Young Shin (Kim Sung Gyu) and other characters back story. Loved what happened in the past. And yes, viruses are smart and they evolve.

Stellar performances, as I was used from season 1. Reaaaally sad to see some characters leaving, even villains.

Jun Ji Hyun made a cool appearance… can’t wait for season 3. I just hope the high standard will be kept.

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Terrific historical drama

Likes:
1. Season 2 didnt disappoint! It is as amazing as the first season. Get ready for more blood, more gore, more monsters, more politics. Even in 2020 people are throne grabbing.
2. Several characters die in this season but there's no time to grieve because new fantastic characters are introduced
3. Lee Chang is getting more and more handsome and every bit the rightful heir to the throne/king after each episode. And i love all his cool slow motion scenes. He is almost like the Captain Ri in this era.
4. I was right the Queen is so evil, more evil than her own father
5. Beom Pal provides the right comic relief in some of the pivotal scenes
6. The cameo from Jun Ji Hyun is so exciting, i cant wait for season 3. Can i wish for a loveline between her and Lee Chang? (I know i know this is a horror drama not a romance hehe)

Dislikes:
Seobi has to speak up more! She always has the crucial info when it comes to the plague and she doesnt relay the info to Lee Chang and others on time!!!

Rating: 9.5/10

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Immediately after finishing the first season I started the second one. 😁 I just couldn't wait to find out what happened and whether they will be able to stop the zombies or even potentially cure them.

The last two episodes were even better than the rest, especially the last fifteen minutes of episode six, that really kept me on the edge of
my seat. The explanation for the zombie outbreak was also good.

But ahh another cliffhanger! But now I'm really excited to watch the spinoff movie Ashin of the North, it will certainly be great to have another strong female lead in the franchise!

I liked the second season even better so I give the rating 9/10.

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Why did I let my queasiness to gore put me off Kingdom for the longest time? Hype is real! Sageuk + zombies + Joo Ji Hoon's strut = epic. The start of the first season was a bit slow, but it gradually picked up, and the payoff in s2 was so worth it, yes even the gore is worth it.

I find it refreshing Kim Eun Hee wrote such an imperfect vulnerable Crown Prince. He's not a superhero that will just swoop in and save the day. As his background is a scholar, he's not used to the military machinations, but it's good to see his growth, even with the pains, as he needed to grew up quickly for his people.

Spoilers:
And that last sacrifice, that is the test of a true leader, when the well-being of your people is more important to you than any throne.
He sacrificed for the healing of the nation, as opposed to the Cho clan who committed such despicable acts to desperately hang on to power.

If I have one hang up about Kingdom, I have to say I wanted more emotional punch from the deaths, as the shock factor is there, but because of the fast paced nature of the story and the short seasons, we don't have enough time to linger on the relationships. Regardless, I'm one of those eagerly salivating for that Jeon Ji Hyun + Joo Ji Hoon pairing for s3.

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Joseon of The Dead

I really liked their gradual introduction to the theme and the zombies but this kind of introduction felt too long and lasted for several episodes without any pieces moving in the story. It was a bit obvious this was done on purpose to delay progress for Season 2. Meanwhile, Season 2 took a step back and tried to develop its characters even though there was no room for that. Although Kingdom as a whole is relatively short but it needed a more precise cut to suit what we've been presented. Maybe cutting it down to 8 episodes in total would be ideal. The slow atmospheric shots with eerie background music were pleasant at first, but they quickly became overused to death and an abrupt change was needed but never happened. The movie Ashin of the North was an unnecessary addition that felt empty, out of place and was missing something to make us care. In traditional Netflix fashion, always make sure to lay the groundwork for endless possible future seasons/iterations at the end of every turn. Despicable greed!

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