Marshmallow-Chocoholic
Europe
Korea has always loved glorifying and immortalising into “ period dramas” from their gold age of history ( now commonly known as the “ Joseon Period” - 1392-1897). With more than six centuries of historical monarchal reigns, wars and rebellions, it is notable that South-Korean screenwriters again and again love to retell these events to viewers with expensive sets, hanboks ( traditional Korean dress) and idyllic scenery from a bygone age .
Whilst Joseon period drama have attempted to tackle crossovers of popular genres such as romance and action before with different results ( either for better or for worse), the more surreal take of horror/ fantasy in Joseon period dramas ( notably Scholar Who Walks The Night, Arang And The Magistrate and in flashbacks from the hit series Goblin), have very rarely depicted levels with historical realism or a grounded depiction ( I.e. in terms of cleanliness, monarchs or violence) of actual life during this period.
Screenwriter Kim Eun Hee ( Ghost, Signal) and director Kim Sung Hoon ( Tunnel-2016, Kidnapped- TBC) were paramount from the get-go to revolutionise this in their horror -period drama Kingdom . This creates a surprisingly brilliant fusion between the surrealism of violent zombies into a political and social critique of the bloodthirsty and ruthless Joseon period and hierarchy .( Although labelled as a “ zombie show”, realistically , the word “ zombie” isn’t used once by any of the characters, due to the concept itself coming from Haitian folklore and not even entering the English language until the 1800s.)
Set in the 1500s , Kingdom revolves around the estranged and traitorous Prince Lee Chang ( Ju Ji Hoon) , whose fate as the successor to the throne looks grim with the recent announcement of his stepmother and the young Queen Cho ( Kim Hye Joon) ‘s pregnancy. Chang, however, becomes suspicious when his father is suddenly ailing from a mysterious illness which nobody will elaborate about outside of the palace. After stumbling upon the truth that his father is a flesh -eating creature, he travels to the South in search of questions with his trusted guardsman Moo Young ( Kim Sang Ho). Naturally, however, they are not the first to stumble upon this truth as assistant physical Seo Bi ( Bae Doo Na) and the mysterious Young Shin ( Kim Sun Gyu) also come across this startling discovery, which will truly test alliances and friendships as a political bloodbath simultaneously corrupts even the heart of Hanyang ( now present- day Seoul)...
It is undeniable that the “ violent zombie” cliche isn’t anything new , nor exciting to television programmes . On the other hand, Kingdom’s strength lies in its focal point ( unlike many zombie programmes) not being on the undead, but the complexity and intricacy of humans.
From Lee Chang’s strong sense of morality towards his allies ( of all classes), Cho Beom-pal ( Jeon Seok- ho)’s gradual transition from one of the selfish members of the ruling-class to someone with a good heart , and the Queen’s ulterior motives against her father’s knowledge , it is notable that the majority of the characters in the show are fairly three-dimensional. Arguably, antagonist Cho Hak-Ju ( Ryu Seung Ryong) can often be written off as your typical moustache-twirling villain, however, there is still a notable level of depth to his character- a bereaving father who has lost his son and is out for revenge against Lee Chang , desperate to protect his family’s lineage and has many more secrets than first meet the eye.
Undeniably, the pacing of the show can be a little slow in the beginning, however, once the events of the show kick off, it is fair to say that time flies out of the window when watching Kingdom- the plot is engaging, the historical elements are surprisingly realistic, the characters are actually intriguing and the horror premises ( zombies, cannibalism and bloodshed etc.) are certainly not for the faint-hearted. Nevertheless, perhaps the one thing which should honestly be said about the show is that whilst the acting certainly wasn’t unwatchable and the actors undeniably had their moments of genuinely good performances , some acting in the show was often a little wooden and lacklustre.
Overall whilst Kingdom was undeniably slightly flawed by quality of acting and pacing at times, it was certainly a good show with an intriguing balance between history and horror as well as a deeper conceit towards a social critique contemporary of Korean society. Certainly worth a watch, if you’re looking for something to invest time and effort towards.
Whilst Joseon period drama have attempted to tackle crossovers of popular genres such as romance and action before with different results ( either for better or for worse), the more surreal take of horror/ fantasy in Joseon period dramas ( notably Scholar Who Walks The Night, Arang And The Magistrate and in flashbacks from the hit series Goblin), have very rarely depicted levels with historical realism or a grounded depiction ( I.e. in terms of cleanliness, monarchs or violence) of actual life during this period.
Screenwriter Kim Eun Hee ( Ghost, Signal) and director Kim Sung Hoon ( Tunnel-2016, Kidnapped- TBC) were paramount from the get-go to revolutionise this in their horror -period drama Kingdom . This creates a surprisingly brilliant fusion between the surrealism of violent zombies into a political and social critique of the bloodthirsty and ruthless Joseon period and hierarchy .( Although labelled as a “ zombie show”, realistically , the word “ zombie” isn’t used once by any of the characters, due to the concept itself coming from Haitian folklore and not even entering the English language until the 1800s.)
Set in the 1500s , Kingdom revolves around the estranged and traitorous Prince Lee Chang ( Ju Ji Hoon) , whose fate as the successor to the throne looks grim with the recent announcement of his stepmother and the young Queen Cho ( Kim Hye Joon) ‘s pregnancy. Chang, however, becomes suspicious when his father is suddenly ailing from a mysterious illness which nobody will elaborate about outside of the palace. After stumbling upon the truth that his father is a flesh -eating creature, he travels to the South in search of questions with his trusted guardsman Moo Young ( Kim Sang Ho). Naturally, however, they are not the first to stumble upon this truth as assistant physical Seo Bi ( Bae Doo Na) and the mysterious Young Shin ( Kim Sun Gyu) also come across this startling discovery, which will truly test alliances and friendships as a political bloodbath simultaneously corrupts even the heart of Hanyang ( now present- day Seoul)...
It is undeniable that the “ violent zombie” cliche isn’t anything new , nor exciting to television programmes . On the other hand, Kingdom’s strength lies in its focal point ( unlike many zombie programmes) not being on the undead, but the complexity and intricacy of humans.
From Lee Chang’s strong sense of morality towards his allies ( of all classes), Cho Beom-pal ( Jeon Seok- ho)’s gradual transition from one of the selfish members of the ruling-class to someone with a good heart , and the Queen’s ulterior motives against her father’s knowledge , it is notable that the majority of the characters in the show are fairly three-dimensional. Arguably, antagonist Cho Hak-Ju ( Ryu Seung Ryong) can often be written off as your typical moustache-twirling villain, however, there is still a notable level of depth to his character- a bereaving father who has lost his son and is out for revenge against Lee Chang , desperate to protect his family’s lineage and has many more secrets than first meet the eye.
Undeniably, the pacing of the show can be a little slow in the beginning, however, once the events of the show kick off, it is fair to say that time flies out of the window when watching Kingdom- the plot is engaging, the historical elements are surprisingly realistic, the characters are actually intriguing and the horror premises ( zombies, cannibalism and bloodshed etc.) are certainly not for the faint-hearted. Nevertheless, perhaps the one thing which should honestly be said about the show is that whilst the acting certainly wasn’t unwatchable and the actors undeniably had their moments of genuinely good performances , some acting in the show was often a little wooden and lacklustre.
Overall whilst Kingdom was undeniably slightly flawed by quality of acting and pacing at times, it was certainly a good show with an intriguing balance between history and horror as well as a deeper conceit towards a social critique contemporary of Korean society. Certainly worth a watch, if you’re looking for something to invest time and effort towards.
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