# Netflix Kingdom



## ctg (Jan 27, 2019)

> 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.


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## ctg (Jan 27, 2019)

Superb first season and minor spoilers ahead!

Netflix flagged this up for me, even though I had not known about the program before. Maybe their algorithm knowns that I write dark tales and review a few of them. Thing is I don't watch that many horror shows in their service as I write so much. I kind of avoid the content to keep my mind pure, but the Kingdom is something else. 

At first I thought it was set in Japan, because of the costumes, architecture, landscape, and historical weapons. None of them are carrying any Chinese stuff. It's just this isn't set far away, as it's located Korea (without the diving line). The second thing, this is a zombie show. 

I know some of you will turn away at above line, even though you should really look into this as the violence is far less than what you see in The Walking Dead. The Kingdom has a set of zombie rules, and one of them is that the dead cannot move during the daylight hours. After the dusk is set, they are alive, and they are as frightening as the one you'll see in the WorldWar Z.

Against them are the medieval Koreans and what's marvellous about them is that the people in the Kingdom are almost as clever as the people in the Monthy Python's Holy Grail. In other words most of them are fools. Especially those in power.

I love seeing the Authorities or as they'd like to call them, the Nobles as pompous fools. Literally. They will do the most unbelievable things as the zombie apocalypse escalates, and that will deliver the most hilarious macabre comedy. I have not laughed so much during a zombie show since I saw the Zombieland, and that was released in 2009. 

But not all of it is comedy as the long arc is serious and the main characters takes the whole thing seriously. To them, as it seems to be the rule, the living are the worse. I'm not going to tell you how, but if you're like me, you will shout at the small screen, because you wish there would be a hope instead of turmoil. 

I warmly recommend you to check the Kingdom out even if you are not a zombie lover. It is a thrilling tale, and a real treat at this time of the year.


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## Boaz (Jan 27, 2019)

ctg, thanks.  I was thinking of watching it.  I've watched two Korean shows (Misaeng and Solomon's Perjury) and enjoyed them both.


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## ctg (Jan 27, 2019)

Boaz said:


> I was thinking of watching it.



It's only 6 episodes. 



Boaz said:


> I've watched two Korean shows (Misaeng and Solomon's Perjury) and enjoyed them both.



I too have watched a few of them, but I also equally has stopped watching a few, because they were too much. To be honest, I'm quite fuzzy about what I watch.


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## Boaz (Jan 27, 2019)

When I watch Korean tv, I wonder... how much of the cultural jokes, innuendoes, and messages am I missing because I'm an American?  I also think I'm probably imputing my own assumptions and meanings upon character actions and dialogue... But with all that and because of the pace of the story, I have found that there was probably more tension (from my perspective) than was probably intended... and that kept my interest.


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## Boaz (Jan 27, 2019)

Okay... just watched the first episode with a friend.  He broke his neck three days ago, so he was in some discomfort and not really into it.  I like the costumes, the scenery and setting.  I'll have to rewatch the episode by myself...


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## ctg (Jan 27, 2019)

Boaz said:


> When I watch Korean tv, I wonder... how much of the cultural jokes, innuendoes, and messages am I missing because I'm an American?



I have the same problem and I'm Finnish. It's just we don't know, because there hasn't been much of cultural or historical reference. You'll have to be a local or have some sort of relationship probably to get some of the nuances. Thing is, the medieval Chinese or ancient fantasy China is very different to their stuff and they have bigger relations with the Japanese than China, even though you'd believe it's the opposite. 

At the modern days the North Korea has close ties to the China, and probably to the Imperial China than to the Imperial Japan. The thing that I'm finding fascinating is their closeness to food. In the modern stuff the SK produces for Netflix and to their own circulation, it's all full of food. At least it seems like in the recent years, they've put more drama around the food than other things. 

The reason for that is probably that they want to influence NK.


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## svalbard (Jan 28, 2019)

ctg said:


>



You beat me to starting this thread. I just watched the first episode last night and thought it was excellent.


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## ctg (Jan 31, 2019)

> Writer Kim Eun-Hee has said that he originally planned to adapt his webcomic into a "webtoon," where the crown prince would be much younger, but he seems pleased with how this fleshed-out, live-action drama turned out. The production values are stunning, bringing the historical period to life in rich detail, although doing so pushed the series well over budget and beyond the planned four-month production period. Each of the six episodes (there were originally supposed to be eight) cost roughly $1.78 million to make, according to _Variety_, and I think it was well worth the investment.
> 
> Plot-wise, it's a juggernaut, with plenty of sword-play, suspense, and hints of comic relief. _Kingdom_ ends with one heck of a cliffhanger, but fortunately season 2 is already in the works, with production slated to begin next month. Hopefully we won't have to wait too long to find out what happens next.


 Kingdom mixes zombie outbreak with political intrigue in winning combo


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## The Bluestocking (Feb 1, 2019)

Just finished watching it.

ERHMAHGERD! IT'S SUPERB!

They left us on multiple cliffhangers though. Here's hoping season 2 arrives soon!


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## ctg (Feb 1, 2019)

The Bluestocking said:


> They left us on multiple cliffhangers though. Here's hoping season 2 arrives soon!



Which one was your favourite character or did you root for all of them?


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## The Bluestocking (Feb 1, 2019)

ctg said:


> Which one was your favourite character or did you root for all of them?



Seo-bi is my favourite - she's a tough woman and a compassionate one. Also lots of common sense.


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## The Bluestocking (Feb 1, 2019)

ctg said:


> Which one was your favourite character or did you root for all of them?



Seo-bi is my favourite - she's a tough woman and a compassionate one. Also lots of common sense.


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## ctg (Feb 1, 2019)

The Bluestocking said:


> Seo-bi is my favourite - she's a tough woman and a compassionate one. Also lots of common sense.



For a while she was leading them, as all the men were acting were acting goofy, especially her lover. I really hope she finds a way out from the Frozen Valley.


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## The Bluestocking (Feb 1, 2019)

ctg said:


> For a while she was leading them, as all the men were acting were acting goofy, especially her lover. I really hope she finds a way out from the Frozen Valley.



What lover? Did I miss something? She was too busy cleaning up the effing mess left by her boss, that sharpshooter guy, and all those foolish power-mad Lords and officials!


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## ctg (Feb 1, 2019)

The Bluestocking said:


> What lover?



The goofy city authority, who followed her into the Frozen Valley. He is wearing the blue suit in the title picture.


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## The Bluestocking (Feb 1, 2019)

ctg said:


> The goofy city authority, who followed her into the Frozen Valley. He is wearing the blue suit in the title picture.



I thought he was just having a crush on her.


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## ctg (Feb 1, 2019)

The Bluestocking said:


> I thought he was just having a crush on her.



Maybe I'm expecting too much.


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## The Bluestocking (Feb 3, 2019)

ctg said:


> Maybe I'm expecting too much.



Seo-bi clearly thinks he's an idiot and coward so I doubt she'd touch him with a barge pole.

(And he *is* an idiot and coward)


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## ctg (Feb 3, 2019)

The Bluestocking said:


> (And he *is* an idiot and coward)



I agree, but in the Eastern drama's the role of a fool is often a great one. In other words, he has two choices, a) he can remain idiot and die as one, which might likely happen, when the opposition is mostly made from the fast moving dead people, b) he might use the conflict to resolve his cowardice and as he loved Seo-bi, he'll have to show unprecedented brewery. In his case, this might show as cowardice, and he might run before he fights, but if that'll keep them both alive, he's starting to redeem himself.  

It's just we know that in the zombie tales, the role of a coward often leads to the character death. I'll hope he doesn't die, because to be honest Cho Beom Pal is incredibly lucky.  I believe it's that luck which has kept him alive so far. But to go forward, he cannot rely solely on it, even if he doesn't realise how lucky he is, as you cannot survive the zombie apocalypse, if you cannot kill.


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## ctg (Feb 19, 2020)




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## The Bluestocking (Feb 19, 2020)

ctg said:


>



YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAS!!!!!


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## ctg (Mar 23, 2020)

I have totally forgotten to update this thread. Apologies. Thousand apologies. 


> Part historical political drama, part supernatural zombie horror, the South Korean series _Kingdom_ proved to be a smart, heady, addictive delight when it debuted last year, easily earning a spot on our year's best list for 2019. It boasted stunning visuals, memorable characters, and a juggernaut of a plot, with the occasional moments of comic relief. If anything, S2 is even better. Honestly, between this outstanding series and the Oscar-winning _Parasite_ alone, South Korea has firmly established itself at the forefront of global film and television.











						Review: Kingdom is better (and more relevant) than ever in S2
					

Between this and Parasite, South Korea is at the forefront of global film and TV.




					arstechnica.com
				




I don't agree with the relevance bit, because personally I don't think anyone need to be reminded about breaking the protocol and leaving the quarantine zone. Anywhere. But in the Kingdom, it is the disease that breaks the quarantine. In fact, there is a very little people can do to stop it and it is not because the lack of effort. The Kingdom people try their absolute best to contain and overcome the situation, in some cases quite cleverly, but in the second season, you're not going to see massive amount of dead people. Not until the end of the season.

In the second season, the story focuses more on the human aspect than allowing dead to spread everywhere. You will get to see the central figures, the nurse, the prince and the fool battling against the odds that feel too much. Unlike with the corona, there is no containment method. Not until later episodes and even then it's questionable at best. 



Spoiler: Containment Method



I was surprised to learn that submerging in the water cured people. My rational brain explains it by claiming it is the parasite worms need to breath that ends up as their death. What I don't get is why the worms don't die from blood, but from water. Any water. So, why is that blood, which is part of water, doesn't do the same thing? 

Is there something in blood that enables the parasites to live? The whole necromorphosis has problem areas. A logical pitfalls. Stuff that doesn't make much of sense, but can be ignored if you turn off your sense of disbelief. If you do that, a wonderful show emerges. Then there is the other thing, the princess. We know that she willingly let the dead to consume her, and she was showed having extensive wounds when she charged to the reservoir and got trapped in the good stuff. 

The most interesting part is that she escaped her death, was never recovered and then she went to North to turn whole thing around. Maybe the absolute best part is that she found a way to make the dead even more frightening than before by simply attaching bells to the dead. What a marvellous idea. 

Well done. So, let's say she conquers the south and then move to China. There is nothing they can do to in China to stop the avalanche. The only way to stop them is a moat, and if the princess figures out to coat her dead with mud, that might not work either, making the states and the islands the only places to be able to escape the apocalypse. Then they only need to stick around forty years for the princess to die of old age, and things can be turned around. 

Except in the land of the fantasy the dead live forever, because reasons.  



There were several very sweet moments and it was shame that we only got six episodes. We could have used six more. And I know for the fact that Koreans can also use filler episodes, just like rest of us. I personally would like to have seen them trying to contain and overcome the situation at the coast. Observe them more then just giving us a glimpse of the solution until it was exposed. 

I get that the pacing had to be consistent and super fast, but the only reason to use extensions is to flesh out character. To give them and their relationships more meat, and therefore making their deaths to be painful. At the moment, everyone passes too swiftly without allowing much room for the characters to live. In the TWD, because of the long relationships, the character deaths are something that drives the audience mental, while in the Kingdom, you don't have that connection as everything has been so fast.

So here's my question to you, how did the fool survive?


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## radcasby (Mar 24, 2020)

Please show us Season 3 now! Season 2 not enough


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## HareBrain (Jun 10, 2020)

I started watching this last night. It's well made, but I'm halfway through the second episode and so far it's been light on plot and heavy on people being attacked by zombies. I'm not a fan of the zombie genre, but I'm not averse to it if there are other interesting elements. Is this worth sticking with? Does it get much more complex?


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## ctg (Jun 10, 2020)

HareBrain said:


> I'm not a fan of the zombie genre, but I'm not averse to it if there are other interesting elements. Is this worth sticking with? Does it get much more complex?



It surprised me with the quality and certain things remains the same throughout the first season. Next one removes alot of the slapstick humour and deepens the lore. What are you looking into seeing?


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## The Bluestocking (Jun 10, 2020)

HareBrain said:


> I started watching this last night. It's well made, but I'm halfway through the second episode and so far it's been light on plot and heavy on people being attacked by zombies. I'm not a fan of the zombie genre, but I'm not averse to it if there are other interesting elements. Is this worth sticking with? Does it get much more complex?



Yes it is. Just you wait for ALL the twists!


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## HareBrain (Jun 10, 2020)

The Bluestocking said:


> Just you wait for ALL the twists!



OK, that sounds promising! I'll carry on with it.


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## The Bluestocking (Jun 10, 2020)

HareBrain said:


> OK, that sounds promising! I'll carry on with it.



Pay attention to the nurse, Seo-bi...


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## ctg (Jul 23, 2021)

Netflix United Kingdom – Watch TV Programmes Online, Watch Films Online

That is a direct link to Kingdom: Ashin of the North. It is a special, movie length episode that deals according to the synopsis with: "Tragedy, Betrayal and a Mysterious discovery that fuels a woman's vengeance for the loss of her tribe and family."

Instead of continuing from the cliffhanger, it shows why the North has fallen. The whole plot behind it is interesting and at the heart is the premise that the secrets kill people. Hideous ones a great number of them.


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