Drama Review: Kingdom (Netflix, 2019)
Who doesn’t like a fusion historical zombie thriller!? What? Not a zombie fan? I didn’t think I was either, but look at me now – already on my second Korean zombie adventure. (I recently watched Train to Busan)
Kingdom was adapted from the webtoon series The Kingdom of the Gods written by Kim Eun Hee and released in January 2019 as the first original Korean drama series by Netflix.
So if you’re looking for a Korean drama that’s NOT romance but has lots of action and an exciting storyline, then this is for you.
There are 6 episodes in series one (it ends on a cliffhanger but series 2 is on the way, thankfully) and it’s a glossy production that cost 2 billion won (US$1.7 million) per episode! And yes, it feels expensive alright.
PLOT
Kingdom is set some time in the Joseon period (it’s not specified but references suggest it’s a few years after the 1592 invasion by Japan). Like every sageuk drama set in the palace this is about a power-struggle for the throne. There’s dishy Crown Prince Chang (Ju Ji hoon) but his position is unstable since he’s the son of a concubine and he’s got competition now as the king has a new young queen and she’s pregnant. If only she can give birth before the king dies…
The king is ill but no one is allowed to see him and rumours spread of strange happenings in the palace. The crown prince has to find out what’s wrong with his father and sets off for the south to visit the doctor who treated the king. Little does he know he’s riding into a disaster area where a strange infection is turning people into monsters…
It’s a great cast.
Prime Minister Cho (Ryu Seung-ryong) is the magnificently ruthless baddie. He’s also the queen’s father and is taking full advantage of the opportunity to steal the throne. Well needed comic interludes come from the cowardly magistrate (Jun Suk Ho) and the heroine of the drama is the strong and brave doctor’s assistant Seo Bi (Bae Doo-na). I love her sombre but efficient character. We need a loyal guard to protect the prince and he is played by fab character actor Kim Sang ho.
And then there’s the social commentary. Times are hard – there’s corruption and famine – and the government officials and upper classes are not helping matters. They have enough food to waste but the peasants are starving.
To prevent the spread of the epidemic the bodies of the zombie dead must be burned. But cremation goes against Confucian teachings. The poor can’t complain, but as always the elite class think they can do as they please – but bodies that are not properly disposed of will rise again. Oh dear…
The script is kept to a minimum –
sometimes up to 20 mins with virtually no dialogue at all!
so I found myself really drawn into the sound effects! I could almost smell the glorious pelting rain. And the dramatic trombones and full orchestra in the chase scenes gave me sweaty palms. Yes, the sight of bloody zombies mauling each other was pretty grim, but to me it was the gobbling and slobbering sounds that made these scenes truly horrible – in a creative and artistic way, obviously!
There’s beautiful cinematography too – misty scenery with the birds and bare trees on the mountains in silhouette. The hats of the noblemen and soldiers have raised interest from international viewers. Read about the hats in Kingdom here.
In this Joongang Daily article the writer explains the positive points of writing for Netflix – the main one being that she was free to do what she wanted and didn’t have to worry about pleasing advertisers and worrying about product placement. Apparently there are more restrictions working on shows for Korean TV which has a lot of censorship. (I’ve noticed that knives, cigarettes, and even pubic hair are pixelated on Korean TV!)
FILM LOCATIONS
Yes, the drama is fiction. But it’s based on the fact there was a mysterious epidemic recorded around this time in the Joseon period. And the locations are real of course. The drama is set in Gyeongbok Palace in the capital of Hanyang (Seoul), it’s also set in the port of Dongnae (now part of Busan in the south), and Mungyeong Saejae the main mountain pass that linked the two cities at the time.
Mungyeong Saejae is about 3 hours from Seoul in Gyeongsang Province. And it was the path that everyone including traders and scholars (taking the national exam) had to travel along to the capital.
We’ve been to Mungyeong Saejae to walk along the mountain pass which has been preserved just as it was during Joseon times. And we looked around the KBS historical drama film set which also hosts an annual tea festival.
Along the mountain path you can pass three gates that were built for national defence after the Imjin War (1592-1598) – but in the drama the gates are closed to keep the zombies out…
Lots of questions remain unanswered. Now waiting for series 2!