Juelin
United States
This review may contain spoilers
Zombies in Joseon part 2
The story continues with a kingdom being on a brink of collapse in the midst of a political struggle and a bloody war between people and monsters. The plot is well balanced between corruption and war without overwhelming us with too much with court politics.
Season 2 also introduces a more well-rounded villain, the queen, who doesn't simply exist to usurp power. Being the daughter of a ruthless official, she takes the level of cruelty to a whole new level. But, although she commits countless atrocities, some of her motivations add depth to her character, unlike her father who was a stereotypical power-hungry villain.
The story is still well paced full of intrigue and interesting characters, but the ending leaves a huge cliffhanger with no promise of a season 3. Lee Chang gives up the throne in favor of an infant with no royal blood. While the infant grows up in the palace to be the future king, Lee Chang sets off on a quest to track the resurrection flower and everyone who distributes it. That seems like a nonsensical decision completely undermining everything he's done so far. But, there is a method to his madness. A kingdom must have a king. A kingdom with a history of a zombie apocalypse must have someone to ensure the dead stay dead. This decision culminates his complete character development where he becomes a selfless hero putting the national interests first rather than his personal ambition. As the show approaches the end, he comes across an eerie shack full of monsters and finds a mysterious woman there. Meanwhile, in the palace, a eunuch witnesses a worm crawling under the young king's skin towards his brain. This is where the story ends with no plot resolution and a brand new character we don't know enough to care about.
I normally don't watch zombie shows because of the gore. But here, it was manageable for me because the amount of gore was enough to be convincing without being overwhelming. The drama was so well executed, it kept me engaged from start to finish. But, the ending was disappointing because there is no season 3!
Season 2 also introduces a more well-rounded villain, the queen, who doesn't simply exist to usurp power. Being the daughter of a ruthless official, she takes the level of cruelty to a whole new level. But, although she commits countless atrocities, some of her motivations add depth to her character, unlike her father who was a stereotypical power-hungry villain.
The story is still well paced full of intrigue and interesting characters, but the ending leaves a huge cliffhanger with no promise of a season 3. Lee Chang gives up the throne in favor of an infant with no royal blood. While the infant grows up in the palace to be the future king, Lee Chang sets off on a quest to track the resurrection flower and everyone who distributes it. That seems like a nonsensical decision completely undermining everything he's done so far. But, there is a method to his madness. A kingdom must have a king. A kingdom with a history of a zombie apocalypse must have someone to ensure the dead stay dead. This decision culminates his complete character development where he becomes a selfless hero putting the national interests first rather than his personal ambition. As the show approaches the end, he comes across an eerie shack full of monsters and finds a mysterious woman there. Meanwhile, in the palace, a eunuch witnesses a worm crawling under the young king's skin towards his brain. This is where the story ends with no plot resolution and a brand new character we don't know enough to care about.
I normally don't watch zombie shows because of the gore. But here, it was manageable for me because the amount of gore was enough to be convincing without being overwhelming. The drama was so well executed, it kept me engaged from start to finish. But, the ending was disappointing because there is no season 3!
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