I’ve recently taken to reviewing some things other than just books. Normally not as in-depth, but also sometimes pretty intensely. I figure, if it’s media that I think others may find enjoyable, then why not share it? First, I reviewed some movies, like Predator: Badlands and 2025’s Frankenstein, then some interesting games, like Still Wakes the Deep, then even some series I’ve finished recently, like Stranger Things and The Umbrella Academy.
Pretty much if it’s cool and I enjoy it, I hope you will too! So without further ado, here’s my latest with a review of Netflix’s Kingdom series. You know how I feel about zombies
Synopsis
While strange rumors about their ill king grip a kingdom, the crown prince becomes their only hope against a mysterious plague overtaking the land.
OR
The deceased king rises and a mysterious plague begins to spread; the prince must face a new breed of enemies to unveil the evil scheme and save his people.
Review: Netflix’s Kingdom
I consider myself to be something of a zombie connoisseur, so when FanFiFam Bill suggested this one, I got right to it. And I’m glad I did.
This series is a South Korean production (and apparently Netflix’s first original Korean show, so that’s super cool!), and I want to say, probably my first zombie period piece ever? I know there is apparently a Will Poulter medieval zombie piece forthcoming, but I’m struggling to think of any others. Kingdom takes place during Korea’s Joseon era, which was one I was not familiar with, so it was interesting to see the settings and culture with zombies laid over it all. I was actually playing through Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, which is, of course, Japanese, while watching, but it was pretty interesting from a historical standpoint to see how intertwined their cultures appear—especially as the show is set after repelling Japanese attacks.
As always, I try to avoid major spoilers, but be forewarned either way.
Season 1:
6.75/10
I’ll be honest, I was pretty iffy on this, as I personally think it has a pretty close-to-terrible pilot episode. It’s too slow, too unrevealing, and the fact that it was suggested to me is a main reason I continued on (not that I’m much of a DNFer). The pilot just takes its sweet time with setup; it does get better. It’ll be worth it!
The show meshing the political intrigue of that of Game of Thrones with the zombie tension of something like World War Z. And while I tend to mention WWZ a lot for this type of zombie, after the likes of things like Train to Busan, #Alive, and All of Us Are Dead, I actually kind of consider this to be the quintessential Korean zombie. They are fast-moving, fast-infecting, and seemingly on a rampage. The only issue for me was the initial pacing. The illegitimate heir, Prince Lee Chang, believes something has happened to his father. Meanwhile, the Haewon Cho Clan, run by the father of the King’s wife (and Queen), has successfully hidden the king away, perhaps seizing the country’s power. And although he is illegitimate, he is the only son…but the queen is pregnant. The scene flipping, as well as the show’s approach to zombies, which at first appear to be nocturnal, took away from the otherwise super tense zombie suspense. After super high tension, the day would come, and things would slide back into their slower pace. It just takes some real getting used to.
With its period piece setting, I think overall this is a great place for history fans and maybe even fantasy fans to start if they are not huge fans of zombies. It likewise could be a good place for zombie fans to start if they are not really into fantasy or period pieces, especially those with chess-move-like political intrigue in the mix. Bows and arrows, swords, and hordes of zombies, too.
The action is really well done, as is the drama; it just took some getting used to for me, but I did come around to it. I will say, though, that the finale is quite tense, but then it is just a giant fake-out, and nothing really happens. All build up and no delivery. It does tease you for more, though, and kind of leaves your nerves fried.
Thankfully for me, I was already bought in, and season two was already out. Flawed overall, but with some characters to root for by the end. And season two is a considerable improvement.
Season 2:
7.5/10
The second season begins with a real bang, and that is because it contains what should have been in the finale of season one. As I said, I watched these when they were both out, so it was instantaneous for me, but I could see it really bothering people who were left with the cliffhanger.
The zombies, as it turns out, are not quite so nocturnal as they first thought, and are now on a rampage in the morning sun. The general idea there is really cool, the fact that they were actually avoiding the heat, rather than the sun, but I think this could have been displayed more cohesively. The zombies very clearly scream and run in the sun, so it may have been a decision made after the fact. But because of that choice, it creates this nice twist where they think that they are safe, as they have made it through the night, and right when they let down their guard, SNAP, the attack is here.
I found myself way more invested in the political and personal drama in this season. We get more time with the prince, the queen, the leader of the Haewon Cho Clan, and, of course, the people who help support the country’s power. I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily spread out any better; I think it just hit its stride, and I had gotten into the flow of it. This is not your typical zombie piece, where once the tension has peaked, it’s all climax. This mixes the tension and raises the stakes over and over, allowing for drop-offs that can make you think people are safe.
There was also a heightened level of care for the characters from me this season. As I got into the flow and realized that not necessarily everyone was on the table as zombie jerky, characters began to stand out and find attachment. The prince continually tries his hardest to do right by the common folk, often endangering himself in the process. Seo-bi, the nurse and somewhat scientist, figuring out what is causing the disease, is somehow always in the line of fire, and I was never quite convinced she was safe. And my favorite, Mu-Yeung, sworn protector of the prince, who is willing to risk life and limb to keep his pregnant wife fed and full. He is the comic relief while also having layers, so that was nice. Some really well-rounded and well-displayed characters in this series, and that’s one thing I feel like episodic shows do well. This one delivers.
There is a kind of overall climax, too, which was nicely done. The peaks and valleys approach finally gave way to all-out war. Multiple deaths, the highest stakes we’ve seen, and some really cool choreography between bowmen, swordsmen, gunmen, and the zombie horde. It really made me imagine what more the show could achieve, something along the lines of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon’s season 3 stronghold siege, just instead of humans and gunfire and the slow type of zombies, this show could offer up an absolutely insane display of hand-to-hand combat against an unrelenting horde.
I will let you know this does end on a cliffhanger. And not only that, but it’s a huge character reveal. One that had me audibly ask, “Who is that?” So that turn of events was a little saddening. But I do feel like zombie shows have a knack for ending before their time (Black Summer, Freakish, In the Flesh). At least this one has never been officially canceled by Netflix, so there is some hope it could stop languishing in streaming purgatory one day.
And for who the reveal was, well, Netflix at least gave us a spinoff episode to explain themselves!
Kingdom: Ashin of the North:
8/10
A spinoff episode for Netflix’s Kingdom series, but at its length, it’s pretty much a movie. Which is great because otherwise we’d never know about the huge character reveal that was a cliffhanger for season two’s finale. It kind of made me see how a series of spinoff one-shots about characters could be popular, kind of a la Tales from the Walking Dead (just shift the focus to important characters, and the success could be there).
Ashin is from the north, part of a group of survivors that are not really accepted by her own people, or the ones that oversee them. When tragedy befalls her family, she spends years plotting her revenge, all while still being forced to work for those who will not accept her. This full-scale showing of her from young to adult is part of the reason this works so well as an emotionally gripping character piece.
This has zombies just like the series, but is more of an origin story. Not just for Ashin, but also for how the virus came to be. Its revenge story is a pretty solid one at that, too. It felt like meshing The Revenant with Train to Busan zombies (or I guess, simply put, Kingdom zombies…)
The finale felt very Assassin’s Creed/Ghost of Tsushima coded, and I’m here for that. Ashin going across the roofs with her bow felt like something I could easily see in a video game, and revenge is an integral plot point for those series. Even though her reveal at the end of Kingdom S2 set her up as almost an ultimate villain, this movie somehow captures her in a way that makes you root for her and her cause, and that’s an impressive twist. Season 3 could have delivered fans a layered and incredibly complex villain…one day perhaps!
Overall
Overall, probably a 7-7.5/10 for me. The stride they hit with S2 and Ashin could easily have rolled a season three into the 9/10 realm without changing much though. All they needed to do was give us more.
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