Kingdom Season 2 (2020)

If Season 1 introduced the world to Joseon zombie drama, Season 2 completes that story. Released on Netflix in March 2020, Season 2 runs six episodes, following Crown Prince Chang (Ju Ji-hoon) as he uncovers the true origin of the zombie outbreak and the power conspiracy hidden behind it. Director Kim Seong-hun returns to helm again, co-directing some episodes with Park In-je. It picks up seamlessly from Season 1’s tension and wraps up on a larger scale.

What it’s about — The Conspiracy of the Resurrection Plant

Crown Prince Chang learns that the undead spreading across the land is not simply a plague. As the truth emerges — that a plant called the resurrection plant was deliberately used to maintain power — the plague crisis and the political conspiracy converge into one. With the assistance of Jo Eui-seok (Bae Doona) and Yeong-shin (Kim Sung-kyu), they close in on the truth, while Jo Hak-joo (Ryu Seung-ryong) and the Queen Consort’s scheming continues to the very end. Season 2 resolves all the tension built in Season 1 while leaving a new question behind.

Direction — The Scale of the Surging Zombie Horde

Director Kim Seong-hun’s direction maintains Season 1’s aesthetics while raising the scale. The scenes of zombie waves surging at dusk are among the most memorable sequences in Korean drama history. The large-scale battle sequence midway through Season 2 demonstrates a standard of finish that fully surpasses the constraints of a drama budget. The Joseon costume and architectural historical accuracy is maintained consistently, lending credibility to this unique genre hybrid.

Performance & characters — A Matured Chang and a Complex Jo Hak-joo

Ju Ji-hoon’s Crown Prince Chang has matured in Season 2. His growth from someone seeking mere survival to someone pressing toward the truth is expressed naturally. Bae Doona’s Jo Eui-seok is the most active and independent character in the entire series; her presence anchors the story’s centre. Ryu Seung-ryong’s Jo Hak-joo is a complex villain carrying both menace and tragedy, whose full nature is revealed more clearly in Season 2.

What the work says — People Scarier Than Zombies

The message that while zombies are terrifying, humans are more terrifying becomes even clearer in Season 2. The fact that the resurrection plant was used for power — that while the common people die from the plague, the ruling class is concerned only with self-preservation — is set in the Joseon era but is not unrelated to the present. The question of what constitutes the real threat runs throughout the drama. The premise that the power structure doesn’t want to change even as the plague spreads carries a direct resonance for viewers living in a post-COVID world.

Ratings & reception

IMDb score for Season 2 is 8.1. Along with Season 1, it stands as a successful case study in Netflix non-English drama, demonstrating that Korean drama could succeed in the global market. Both seasons combined maintain high critical ratings.

What doesn’t work

Six episodes is both an advantage and a limitation. The back half presses at a speed that feels slightly rushed, and some characters’ endings don’t get quite enough room to breathe. The special episode Ashin of the North released after Season 2 doesn’t fully resolve the open ending Season 2 leaves behind.

Verdict

Kingdom Season 2 is a work completed by watching it alongside Season 1. Twelve episodes total, roughly ten hours, delivering a unique experience combining Joseon zombie narrative with political thriller. It is an important work showing how Korean drama can expand the boundaries of genre. The spin-off special Ashin of the North, released after Season 2, digs further into the plague’s origin and supplements the Kingdom world. Watching all three stories combined is the complete Kingdom experience. My rating is ★4.0.

Recommended for

• Viewers who naturally want to continue after Season 1
• Those looking for a distinctive work that adds the dignity of period drama to the zombie genre
• Viewers looking for entry-level Netflix Korean dramas