Kingdom: Season 2 (2020)

Story- 10/10

I hate that this was just 6 episodes and I have to wait for the next season. The ending as always is a cliffhanger which I love because it just really makes me intrigued. From the 1st season I think my number 1 question was "What is the resurrection plant?" Thanfully we discovered more about it in this season. Though they didn;t fully give details which will hopefully be revealed during the next season. This season had a lot of bad deaths and good deaths. Overall it was really good but I didn't like how the royal family's bloodline was damaged. Though I understand why Prince Chang did what he had to do. It was really good and I recommend it!!

My favorite moment was when they showed Prince Chang and Moo Young's (The Royal Guard) experiences together. Like how their bond started which was really nice. (I'm trying not to spoil all the good details)

Acting/Cast- 10/10

THE ACTING WAS SPOT ON. IT WAS SO GOOD. I would like to say how well Kim Hye Joon (The Queen) acted. She made me hate her so much yet also really like her. The way she portrayed her character was just spot on. Jun Suk Ho made me laugh at how clumsy he was but his portrayal was really good. You can see how his character developed from a clumsy coward to a clumsy hero. Everyone else did really good but these were the ones that stood out to me.

Music- 8/10

The music was pretty good. It really paired well with the drama. It just increased my anticipation every single moment where something big was gonna happen. Which is really good. I guess there isn't much to be say about the Music other than it's good. I just wish there was more variety to it that would pair well with the drama.

Rewatch Value- 8/10

I would definitely rewatch this because just so damn good. While I'm waiting for the next season which always a long time I think I'll definitely watch this again.

Overall- 9/10

I would really recommend this Drama for those who are just starting K-dramas or those who don't want to watch drama's that are romance based. This is really good so watch it!

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The Sageuk Returns With Bloodshed, Tragedy And Sociopolitical Themes...

Screenwriter Kim Eun-Hee first introduced us to the webtoon-based“Kingdom” ( the intriguing, bloodthirsty political cutthroat sageuk) back in 2019 , with its zombie-survival storyline and characters in order to keep audiences hooked at the edge of their seats.

Yet similar to all the best offerings in the zombie genre, Kingdom is about much more than mindlessly fighting hordes of the ravening undead. Its initial creator Kim Eun-hee has said her webcomic (as well as the series) Drama) have been inspired by chronicles in “ the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty”—accounting the medieval dynasty that lasted some 500 years (1392-1897), where hundreds of thousands of enigmatic deaths occurred possibly through mismanagement of the authorities.

Consequently, whilst Kingdom’s zombie attack in Season 1 notably highlighted some political suggestions whilst focusing on bloodthirsty scenarios , Season 2 uses the outbreak as a means of exploring broader sociopolitical themes. The general populace suffers from starvation and pestilence as their ignorant or oblivious leaders strive for political power. It is only fitting, then, that the starving commoners become the zombie horde, while the hunger for power of certain leaders results in rash decisions that could mark the end of the Joseon Dynasty.

Of course, this is nothing entirely groundbreaking for South Korean storytelling in general. However, it is refreshingly original and within its universal allegory. Regardless of culture , time or nationality, corruption exists and may (quite literally in the case of Kingdom ) turns the rivers red.

In the opening of Kingdom Season 2 is a fast-paced one but what follows is an intrinsically observant look at a struggle behind the scenes of a kingdom and country torn by bloodthirsty wars and politics. Yet with a notable heavy focus upon the political intrigue or the show, it would seem apparent that viewers can easily become a little bogged down by the heavy subject areas. Strangely, Kingdom Season 2 hits the balance just right between grappling action and driven politics behind a country. Although the subject matter of politics still weighs heavily in some scenes, it is brilliantly counteracted by its coordinated camera angles narrowing onto the swift and brilliant fight scenes of the show, whilst not losing its core to mindless violence as well.

Fortunately, there are just as many (if not more) people able to find the better angels of their nature and rise to the occasion. Whilst Prince Chang ( Ju Ji Hoon) ‘s often felt a little lacklustre in season 1, season 2 helps to solve this issue by deepening his role as the protagonist through his notable interactions and experiences with other characters and memories from the past, with a notably stronger and more intricate moral compass. Similarly, Seo-bi ( Bae Doo-Na)’s character’s transition from a plot device in season 1, becomes notably apparent within her role as an altruistic heroine in Season 2, where the character becomes a driving force within learning more about the disease. Even Yeong-shin’s characterisation since season 1 from a seemingly disdainful character to a complicated hero, is marked by helping Prince Chang complete missions including at risk of his own life in this season.

However, Season 2 also marks notant motivations and transitions from moustache twirling villains, to well-rounded antagonists such as Queen Cho ( Kim Hye Joon). Whilst nonetheless some of her actions cannot be defended by being horrifyingly ruthless , they did help to add intrinsic depth towards Cho’s motives. In addition to this, one particular character that made a strong impression is the traitor among Prince Chang's most trusted allies hinted back in Season 1 . Without any spoilers towards the identity of the turncoat , it is surprising to say that there was a notably empathic reason behind their actions.

Pacing -wise, the drama zips across the actions in double-quick time (though its zombies are definitely way too fast). This makes it perfect for binge-watching which was certainly what we ended up doing. It was nearly impossible to stop watching once you’ve started, with each episode ending on a cliff hanger that’ll make you immediately switch to the next episode for more. Each episode is over an an hour but with how action-packed each episode is, it hardly feels like any time has passed before you find the credits rolling.

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The zombie genre is one that almost drove me away from American television completely because post-911 it moved sharply away from its roots in critiquing capitalism and consumerism and became instead about xenophobia and US colonising myths (with a hefty dose of pro-NRA propaganda thrown in).

In the last few years, Korea has basically saved the genre. First it produced Train to Busan, which reclaimed the genre for a critique of hyper-capitalism. Now it comes back with Kingdom, not only a fast-paced, action-packed piece about fighting zombie hordes but a critique of three of the modern world's greatest challenges: the ineffectiveness of the nation state in the face of multiple challenges, the rise of groups that see their own wealth and power as more important than the wellbeing of society overall; and the tension between truth and fake news when trying to deal with a crisis.

Kingdom continues to be absolutely scathing of late-stage capitalism while simultaneously maintaining its Confucian roots. And the fact it appears while many of our governments are failing to deal with a serious pandemic makes the whole thing even more powerful and even prescient. It's a simple fact that elevates Kingdom to a new level.

More importantly even than that, it's a ripping good yarn with fantastic production values, great acting, deft writing and the ability to surprise just when you think it's about to tread a well-worn storytelling path.

I just hope our real life Kingdom problems don't stop the fictional Kingdom S3 from being made this year.

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After finishing this drama am now curious with more questions and the wait for next season is painful. All the cast have done their jobs well. True friendship is shown so clearly and also loyalty.
A bit of suprise here and there led me to tear jerk. Definitely don't regret watching it . Story wise they showed us of how they tackled down the current political power and stopped the Zombies for now, plus they clearly focused on the origin and cure for the plague and when it was first used. Hats of to the production team . Loved it.
The next season is clearly going to explain more about the flower and also the ending scene gave me a gasp. Am utterly shocked , specially with the appearance of guest role.

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Look it has to be said so I'll go ahead and get it out of the way first: Seo Bi is the smartest character on this show & if it wasn't for her the Joseon Dynasty would've been wiped out about 10 seconds in.

Right, now I got that off my chest...

Season 2 really stepped it up from season 1. Beginning exactly where the first one leaves up, you'll easily binge all six episodes as the energy, intrigue and zombie guts do not let up. The special effects are believable, the 18 rating means they are not shy when it comes to blood and guts. The scope of the show is huge and some of shots are just breathtaking to look at.

Each cast member is amazing, especially the core cast. My love for Seo Bi only grew this seasons, but our Crown Prince and his band of heroes, along with the Evil Queen and her villainous enterouge all continue to be so much fun to watch. My one wish was that we had more time to flesh out the relationships between the cast.

If you loved the first, you'll love this! And as long as you aren't too squeamish, I highly recommend this to everyone who enjoys sageuks, fantasy, horror, thriller, action & politics!

PS. This is my first ever review on MDL, so please be gentle/forgiving of any faux pas made here!

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Ugh! I'm would have given this an 8/10 because I think that's the rating which it deserves, but the fact that I forgot almost everything that happened in the first season and I had to watch the second trying my best to remember what the hell is supposed to be happening really disturbed my watching. I don't get why they have to split this into 3 (or even more... hopefully not) seasons and they are a year (or more?) apart. I am not a person who remembers the plot of dramas that didn't impress me that much so what am I supposed to do? If I don't watch the 3rd season, then it would feel as if I didn't complete the whole drama. But at the same time I know that I'll be watching season 3 without having an idea what happened in the previous one. Thank god the synopsis and episode summaries exist.

Anyways, ''Kingdom 2'' was just as good as the first season but what else to expect from such a high production? There were more politics in this season than in the first, which is not a bad thing, since we still had a lot of gore! Give me some realistic and disturbing gory scenes and I'll be loving it for sure! I loved the action scenes, I loved the fights and the cinematography was i-n-s-a-n-e! We get to know the characters better which was also a good thing.

The acting is superb as always, the four main leads just blew my mind, such brilliant performances! Kim Sung Gyu though, the first season of Kingdom was his first main role and I'm here wondering where the heck was this guy until now? I want to thank the director for giving him this chance to shine!

Overall, I did enjoy this season and I guess, it's time to wait for the 3rd. The ending got me very curious, especially with the person who appeared in the end. I must say I'm very excited, too bad that I'll have to wait a year.

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I wasn’t too positive in my review of the first season of Kingdom (but not overly negative ether) after that season aired on Netflix last year. I thought it was a fine sageuk, but it didn’t connect with me as much as I wanted or do much to separate itself for all the other sageuks, except have zombies running around.

In preparation for season two however, I did re-watch season one about a week before the new season dropped on Netflix. I decided to take things slow this time, not binge watch it since I am not really a binge watcher.

Being able to watch that season one episode at a time made me like the more slow-paced story a lot more, and then immediately go into the next season the following day was incredibly satisfying.

Season two brought us straight back into the grim fate of the characters and the chaos that we were facing at the end of season two and it just kind of never slows down after that, as the story pulls us through some new and exciting parts of the story.

Although a lot more fast paced, with a lot more action and shorter episode, this season managed to still give itself time explore the characters a lot more, as well as the virus that is effecting the people and turning them into zombies. The story becomes deeper and richer with every passing episode.

Characters that I like become even more likable here, characters I didn’t like became more interesting as their action impacted the story more, and the motivations for all of them get explored a lot more, and the story just seems to expand a little and the storytelling felt a lot tighter.

People using the plague to further their political standing and seeing how greed and power impacted the whole thing was very fascinating to watch. Especially as you keep reading about the world news and the covid-19 outbreaks. Having that in the back of your mind as you were watching this was a bit surreal (at least for me).

For the first season I felt like I enjoyed the story more when I took things slow. It didn’t feel as fast paced as I said, or as grand as this one did. Here the stakes and the action is doubled as we go further and further into the series and I could not pull my eyes away from the screen until I had finished the whole thing (with breaks).

Also, the story there was not that complete, while this one did, while also serving us a cliffhanger. Heck, they even managed to end every episode with a mini cliffhanger, so you just wanted to keep going.

In the end the story feels like a well-crafted big action flick, no character is safe, people are betraying each other, and you can’t be sure of how it’s all going to end. Seeing the story and the action unfold before your eyes is just a joy It never stops, just like those zombies they are facing. To keep that up until the end is no easy feat.

There was a lot put into this show and it shows. The fight scenes are amazing, the costumes, the cinematography is amazing. Some of these shots were just so gorgeous to look at.

You can say that the second season of Kingdom blew all my expectations away. I was so enjoying myself. It was what I wanted season one to be, although I don’t think we could have had season two this good without the slow buildup of season one. Just a good zombie-period drama with some high stakes and actions, that still manages to make you feel things and just feel empty like some big action flick with no weight behind it.

Because when these characters slash those heads of those zombies, it feels like it matters. Not just because it’s gore and there is action and therefor it’s fun, but you feel for those characters. There is even more gore and horror in this season as there was in the previous season, but I felt like it fit with the scope of the story and where the story was at each given point. It’s just a really well made horror show. And I can’t wait to see what this show can bring us in season 3 (please, Netflix, don’t fail me now).

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I gave 10 stars to the first season and I'm not sure why I gave this one 9.5 stars instead of 10. The story, the acting, the characters. Everything was incredible. However, I think that the last episode was a bit rushed. Like, the main problem (the zombies) was kind of solved (for 7 years, at least). I wish they had shown them actually solving it, like coming up with a way to annihilate the plague and rebuilding the kingdom. But other than that, I appreciated the fact that they showed more than gore and the attacks. The political aspects of this drama were great. I really liked the queen, as a character. She was purely vicious and that's what made me attracted to her hahaha
This is a great show and I really can't wait for the third season!! Hopefully it will take less than a year to come out.

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Great but lacked consistency and expansion.

Second seasons should offer more expansion on premise , characters and events . This really did not.

While this second season had a more sober tone, expansion of characters was severely lacking . I did appreciate the expansion on the premise of how the Zombies came about and all the surrounding politics and lust for power but it still did not sate the desire for proliferation of what Kingdom is all about!

My other gripe is how the ending failed to resonate . Is it because not enough time was spent building the main protagonists characters ? Because the decisions made was lacking in consistency and appeared to have poor logic sequencing that went against the dynamics of the show previously set in season 1 and the first half of season 2.

I was not really impressed with this season but I do maintain that I am deeply invested in this story line and will continue to watch all its releases.It surely is entertaining and very block buster !

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the worst thing about this is the lack of consistency. s1 and s2 are just one complete 12ep drama that had a whole year between them.

with the way things ended here, the possibilities of a 3rd season is high, but the cliffhanger wasn't as abrupt as s1.

instead of getting any character growth that comes with a seasoned drama, we just had "events" surrounding those characters, they didn't have much base, they were just there for the sake of the plot..

instead of rewatch value we need character depth/development becasue I don't want to reduce the acting mark, but I do think the characters were lacking.
for example, Seo Bi felt miscast or just badly written. she felt too timid, too juvenile, too unfit for a mature strong 40 year old that was also incredibly smart. it came in some of her mannerism, she'd suddenly be too quite in certain occasions as if the writers didn't want her to "steal" the thunder.
Lee Chang was yet another cold/calm/strong prince people followed, and he kinda lacked a bit of humanity? emotions?
they spent so much time building up the queen, and suddenly it was all for nothing.. honestly, what good would another woman's son becoming king do for her? she said "if I can't have it then no one can", but jokes on her, every main character survived, and the son she stole became a king while she died. I kinda thought that would be her at the end but I was disappointed..

I could go actually complain more about the characters, but I'd still watch s3 even if it's just for Lee Chang's bearded look ;p

and honestly, this was like a chain of unfortunate events and battle scenes, so I don't think a rewatch would be necessary..

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