The Hidden Angle | 'Kingdom' Season 2 blends court politics in zombie apocalypse genre at an impressive pace
'Kingdom' Season 2 has landed on Netflix with a bang as Crown Prince Chang (Ju Ji-hoon), Lord Ahn-hyeon (Heo Jun-ho) and Young-shin (Kim Sung-Kyu) are being chased by zombies over a field and during daytime at that.
They are shocked, because all this while, people at Dongnae were able to prepare for a fight over the night but to see these monsters make their way in the morning changes things considerably. The audience at this point is shocked too because we weren't expecting this deep dive from the first moment.
But what I want to really discuss is the brilliance with which the show balanced period Joseon court politics with a zombie attack. Unlike a lot of mindless zombie shows and movies, 'Kingdom' keeps you hooked throughout and is binge-able because, at any given point, you want to know how Crown Prince Chang is going to outwit the evil Queen and her father Jo Hak-ju who is the head of the very influential Haewon Cho Clan.
This season consists of six episodes and many have thought that the season packed too much information, but to be honest, what keeps the show from getting linear or plodding is the pace at which the events unfurl.
Also, the gore in this show is not about shocking the audience. Even the treatment of the zombie attacks is matter-of-fact. Does the zombie eat someone's face, and tongue first at that? It is just what zombies do and towards the end of the season, that is exactly how we feel about all the zombies at this point.
So what about the political aspect? In the second season, we learn how the resurrection flower caused the plague. We also see that the plague has progressed in many levels and Seo-bi (Bae Doo-na) is investigating this while she tries her best to escape zombies and stay away from different factions headed by ministers in court.
Similarly, Ju Ji-hoon as Crown Prince Chang's efforts to ensure that the plague doesn't spread beyond Dongnae is thrilling.
Everyway of his plans, he sees obstacles in the forms of not just the zombies but people of influence trying to thwart his plans as well. From Hak-ju trying to manipulate people into believing that he beheaded his own father and committed treason, getting imprisoned while the plague spreads towards the Hangyang to losing people on his side to the plague — there is a brilliant parallel between the two.
He also uncovers how the Queen lost her child and couldn't carry the baby to term, but instead of revealing the truth, she plots an evil plan to ensure her succession as Queen regent. She brings women who are pregnant together and chooses the woman who gives birth to a baby boy to steal the baby from her and poses as if it was her own.
Even at the end of Season 2, the show sets an interesting twist for a plausible future season by reintroducing the plague as an instrument that a zombie master could use to gain influence and power. This combination is what differentiates 'Kingdom' from other zombie apocalypse shows. On the surface, one might assume that the key difference is the period setting, but that is just the tip of the iceberg!
‘The Hidden Angle’ is a weekly column examining narratives, frames and sounds that add value to movies and shows but are not part of conversations surrounding their success or failure. The column will be published every Friday.