Why this ‘Kingdom’ obsession is viral

We’ve seen this before. Emperors who are out of touch with the realities faced by their people. The manipulation done by top royal advisors to centralize power and influence for themselves. Then there’s an emergence of a new brand of leader—one that acknowledges the needs of the time, just and moral in his ways, the country’s new beacon of hope.

In Joseon’s highly stratified and unequal society, we see corrupt power’s impact to the everyday lives of people. The vulnerable are always the lower classes—their lives are given no value, and they are the last to experience justice.

This is how we’ve come to know period K-dramas. Throw in some assassination, treason, a civil war and your episodes are all set. But reimagine the genesis of the living dead in the Joseon era? Suddenly everything about “Kingdom” becomes entirely different.

The series boasts of beautiful cinematography, with every detail faithful to Korea’s rich history. Its characters are given dimension. They are not just guided by sheer heroics, but instead are propelled by the complexity of their own values and beliefs. Every person in the show is given their own story that enriches the narrative as a whole. We don’t only focus on each one’s survival, we are given a glimpse of the rationale of their actions.

Here’s a list of everything I loved about the second season of “Kingdom”—with countless spoilers ahead:

A sight of flesh and blood: ‘Kingdom’ only gets better in the second season

We have patiently waited and now “Kingdom” has given us the answers we needed. Netflix’s first original Korean production has exceeded the intensity, action and disconcerting conspiracies it set when the series was first released—still able to stun its audience with the maddening and exhausting mystery of the plague of the undead.

In “Kingdom,” the Joseon Dynasty is forced to face a new century with remnants of a past invasion crippling its nation. But there is an emergence of heroics in the margins of survival, led by the country’s rightful heir to the throne, Lee Chang (Ju Ji-hoon).

Its second season leads us back to the battlegrounds of Sangju, where roaring hordes of flesh-eating beasts are determined to feast on the living. Dazed with the number of the undead that are no longer afraid of daylight, the prince’s men are forced to retreat.