Kingdom

What kind of drama it is

The story opens in a Joseon where rumours say the king has fallen ill, yet no one is allowed to see him. The crown prince, pushed into a precarious position by the faction holding power, sets out himself to find the truth, and on the road he encounters a mysterious plague that makes the dead rise and attack the living. On the surface it is a zombie story, but what it really digs into is hunger and the lust for power. It is best understood as a political drama that uses the form of horror to show how a power struggle at the top turns into catastrophe for the people below.

The makers and the cast

The writer is Kim Eun-hee, who wrote Signal. Known for carefully placed clues and a sharp eye on society, she took on period drama and horror together for the first time. Kim Seong-hun, director of the films A Hard Day and Tunnel, directed, with Park In-je joining for season 2. Ju Ji-hoon plays the crown prince, Bae Doona a physician's assistant chasing the plague's origins, and Ryu Seung-ryong the man who holds real power at court. In 2021 a special episode, Kingdom: Ashin of the North, explored the plague's origins and widened the world.

• Released: Netflix, season 1 in 2019, season 2 in 2020
• Writer: Kim Eun-hee (Signal)
• Director: Kim Seong-hun (season 2 with Park In-je)
• Cast: Ju Ji-hoon, Bae Doona, Ryu Seung-ryong
• Special episode: Kingdom: Ashin of the North (2021)

Scarier than zombies: hunger

In this show the plague does not spread by chance; it grows out of human decisions. Starving people, officials who look away and rulers determined to keep their seats make choices that pile on top of one another, and the disaster swells. So there are moments in scene after scene when people feel more frightening than the monsters. Enjoying the horror itself is fine, but tracing whose decision started each disaster makes the story hold together far more firmly. It is also worth noticing how differently the same danger strikes depending on a person's rank.

Palaces, mountains and the Joseon landscape

Wide mountains and fields, snowbound passes and the deep halls of the palace are captured in carefully made images. The collision of a period drama's still beauty with the urgent motion of horror in a single frame is something only this show offers. The costumes in particular, such as wide-brimmed hats, robes and official dress, left a strong impression on viewers abroad. The colour of the screen changes as the seasons and regions shift, so following where the story moves through its landscapes is part of the fun. The way night and day tie into the rules of the horror is also worth watching for.

Things to watch for

The episodes are not short but carry little padding, and keeping the points below in mind makes the links between scenes clearer.

• The moments that reveal the conditions and rules of the plague
• How the crown prince's attitude towards ordinary people changes
• What is said, and left unsaid, in the court council scenes
• Clues glimpsed in earlier episodes that come back into play

Reading it as a political drama

Between the horror scenes, the power struggle at court is packed in tightly. Families calculating over who will inherit the throne, ministers wavering between principle and advantage, and people who exploit rumours appear one after another. Some viewers find this part slow, but in fact the course of the plague and the course of politics push each other forward. Names and official titles may feel unfamiliar at first, so simply keeping track of who is on whose side makes it much easier to follow.

Worth knowing before you start

There are many brutal scenes, including biting and mutilated bodies, and the level of gore is high. If horror is hard for you, watching with others or in daylight is better than watching alone at night. Season 1 ends in high suspense that leads straight into the next, so it is best to start when you can go on to season 2 right away. The special episode is easier to follow after the main series. With only a few episodes per season, it is also a length you can binge in a day or two.

Who it suits

Even if you like only one of horror or period drama, there is plenty here for you. Zombie fans get the freshness of an unfamiliar Joseon setting, and period drama fans get a new kind of tension as horror is added to the power struggle. If you enjoyed following clues and fitting the puzzle together in the same writer's Signal, it will suit you especially well. With short seasons and a fast pace, it is also worth recommending to anyone daunted by long dramas. Afterwards, moving on to other period dramas set in the same era is a good next step.