[Upcoming Drama 2019-2021] Kingdom, 킹덤 - Joo Ji Hoon, Bae Doo Na - Netflix - One-Episode-Special to premiere in 2021

[towrite]

Oh Man, I just stopped at Episode 3. And what a downer this episode is. Disappointed! Did the logic of the zombie creation go for a toss here by the script?

 

SPOILERS:

 

How did the prime minister not become a zombie moments after he was bitten by Ahn? JJH gives a lecture to all the attendants and soldiers and Seo Bi takes him as if he is just another patient??

 

The first episode of S1 when the medical attendant gets infected he dies few hours / days (?) later without becoming a zombie. No one knows why the 'illness' changed and the dead became alive later on right? That was what was driving the whole narrative.

 

Now how come the Prime Minister reverts to not getting infected? 'Not all get infected' is Seo Bi's reply?? But we never saw such a case, only carnage after carnage. No unbitten person not become a zombie!

 

If this is a convenient plot write up , this episode really put me off, not sure I can proceed with episode 4 onward. How come all liked it?? Is something missing??

 

Two. The roual guard to JJH is he mole. He is arrowed down, and the last melodramatic bit, when JJH wails for him. What in the world.

He ordered the kill right? So why does he come later then , to the exact spot of the dying guard.

It broke JJH's Prince Chang's character. Seemed so much like a melodramatic episode that made no sense for the character of the prince, how he has been written so far.

I was thinking this is the royal guard's hallucination before death, trying to make amends but it was a real episode?

 

This episode was quite a deal breaker of this series. Especially the script convenience of the Prime Minister not getting infected when he was attacked. Just in episode 1 Ahn's royal guard kills himself for a smaller bite on his hand. Ditto for the villager on the raft who is pushed into the water. And freaking hell, episode 3 changes the rules of that consistent world just to get the story ahead!?!

 

I can't go on with episode 4 now. Probably this series I've lost interest. It's best to have just one well made series and end it, rather than go on and create such follow ups.

[HydenG]

@towrite 

Sorry but.... Why are criticizing a plot when you didn't even finish the season ? 

 

I don't understand your point. You want to drop the show because the zombie explanation doesn't make sense to you, okey. But there is no explanation yet, there is no convenient plot or something missing if you actually didn't finish the season. 

There's no "change of rules" if you don't know the rules to begin with. Sorry i don't want to be mean or anything, but your whole post is just assumptions, literally. (BTW the thing you are talking about are HINTS)

 

As for the Prince reaction, it felt right to me. I have issues with the pacing this season, but the characters were true to themselves. But i guess, we can agree to disagree on this one.

 

But please, next time before criticizing a show about something, make sure you watch the whole thing.

[towrite]

5 hours ago, HydenG said:

@towrite 

Sorry but.... Why are criticizing a plot when you didn't even finish the season ? 

 

I don't understand your point. You want to drop the show because the zombie explanation doesn't make sense to you, okey. But there is no explanation yet, there is no convenient plot or something missing if you actually didn't finish the season. 

There's no "change of rules" if you don't know the rules to begin with. Sorry i don't want to be mean or anything, but your whole post is just assumptions, literally. (BTW the thing you are talking about are HINTS)

 

As for the Prince reaction, it felt right to me. I have issues with the pacing this season, but the characters were true to themselves. But i guess, we can agree to disagree on this one.

 

But please, next time before criticizing a show about something, make sure you watch the whole thing.

 

Assumptions..?....So the prime minister is the only one not turning into a zombie , a sudden development, is justified? All those many minutes he lay there bleeding , like a normal wounded official..?...This is funny! Every other bitten character was killed within seconds , but not the Prime Minister. Why?? 

And these happened onscreen, no 'assumptions'. Wait a sec, anyone could explain this with no snark and actual reasoning it'll be good!!

 

Season 1 was scripted so well, not one excuse or plot / character contrivance was used. But here it isn't the case. 

 

[liddi]

@towrite There is no inconsistency of script. If anything, scriptwriter KEH has proven herself to be totally in control of the rules of this universe, and any apparent plot hole is given a proper explanation by the end of the season. Please continue watching and you will understand why Cho Hak Ju did not transform at that point in time, as well as other questions you might have. Seo-bi herself explained in that same scene why she knows not everyone who is bitten is transformed - citing the young boy who was attacked by the king in the beginning of S1 - he did not transform as a result of the attack, but eventually did grow weak and die. As for why Ahn Hyeon's guard opted to die, and one of the soldiers who was attacked was then pushed into the river to drown - remember that their actions are based on their limited knowledge of the zombies at that time - which is, there is no hope the moment someone is attacked.

 

One more thing. The Crown Prince never ordered the execution of his royal guard. That was the command given by Cho Hak Ju to his nephew, since the royal guard is now useless, having been unmasked as a mole. The Crown Prince did find his guard just before he died, and that display of grief was not a hallucination, nor out of character, because the Crown Prince truly did treasure the bond between them, and vice versa.

 

In any case, if you do decide to continue watching, your frustrations over plot inconsistencies should be addressed. Hopefully you will choose to do so. I personally am thrilled by S2, which has exceeded my expectations, and reinforced my faith in KEH yet again.

 

[towrite]

29 minutes ago, liddi said:

Seo-bi herself explained in that same scene why she knows not everyone who is bitten is transformed - citing the young boy who was attacked by the king in the beginning of S1 - he did not transform as a result of the attack, but eventually did grow weak and die

 

Yes she did, and this was the same time the old doctor had said that the symptoms have changed and all are returning as zombies and no one knows why the symptoms changed. So the medical attendant was the only boy who did not get alive again. There are no evidences after that. It isn't that the villagers know less,  it is that the infected rise in a few moments after being bitten. Every single one. Season 1 worked because of this.

 

So when Seo Bi says not everyone becomes.....to coward Cho, she had only one prior case known, way back , the boy, and as the old doctor said, the reactions have changed since. So the Prime Minister becoming like the medical boy was inconsistent.

 

29 minutes ago, liddi said:

As for why Ahn Hyeon's guard opted to die, and one of the soldiers who was attacked was then pushed into the river to drown - remember that their actions are based on their limited knowledge of the zombies at that time - which is, there is no hope the moment someone is attacked.

 

As I said, it isn't their limited knowledge , it is what has been happening all the time.  And "that time" as you say was some hours or 1 /2 days earlier. What has changed in terms of the symptoms?. Nothing.

 

"The Crown Prince never ordered the execution of his royal guard. That was the command given by Cho Hak Ju to his nephew, since the royal guard is now useless, having been unmasked as a mole. The Crown Prince did find his guard just before he died, and that display of grief was not a hallucination, nor out of character, because the Crown Prince truly did treasure the bond between them, and vice versa."

 

Yes it is Cho ordering correct. Yet JJH wailing was OTT for his character for me. It's good you find this consistent. This is barely anything as compared to the incongruity of Cho not becoming a zombie.

[liddi]

@towrite I guess you interpret what is played out differently from me. I could go on in detail and explain why these are different, but that would mean spoiling the reveal and explanations at the end, which I prefer not to. Ultimately, it doesn't matter. I could go on and explain further, but honestly, it would make sense only if you finish the season. If you feel that what you are seeing on screen up to Ep3 is unacceptable, then by all means, drop the series. There is no obligation to continue a show that you dislike even if the majority feels that it is worth watching. I often drop wildly popular shows like hot potatoes as well because it just doesn't work for me.

[Helena]

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20200703000727

Ups and downs of K-dramas in first half 2020

By Choi Ji-won | Jul 6, 2020

 

 

“The World of the Married” (JTBC)/ "Itaewon Class" (JTBC)/ "Crash Landing on You" (tvN)

 

The first half of this year was an especially bumpy road for Korean television. Although the sudden outbreak of COVID-19 halted some productions for a while, small-screen content came into a new limelight as a source of joy and comfort for people stuck at home in the period of quarantine.


JTBC becomes big name 

JTBC ran strong last year with “Sky Castle,” which set a record viewership rating for the cable channel. And the broadcaster has further built on its success this year. 

“Itaewon Class” kicked off the year smoothly for the network. Based on a popular webtoon of the same title, Korean heartthrob Park Seo-jun showed chemistry with rookie Kim Da-mi. The story of Park Sae-ro-yi chasing success captured young viewers and the series ended at a high of 16.5 percent in the ratings.

Koreans thought they had had enough of deadly love affairs -- until they saw “The World of the Married.” Even with the six R-rated episodes that set the series apart, the “Doctor Foster” remake quickly gained popularity and at its 12th episode outran the previous highest viewership mark of 23.8 percent set by “Sky Castle,” ending with a new record 28.3 percent on its final episode. As a result, producer Mo Wan-il and lead actor Kim Hee-ae were named best producer and best actress for TV, respectively, at this year’s Baeksang Arts Awards.

Not everything worked out, but drama powerhouse tvN also had its ups. Studded with stars in leads Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin, “Crash Landing on You” broke tvN’s viewership record in February with the unrealistic romance between a South Korean chaebol heiress and North Korean military officer. Taking the baton next, “Hospital Playlist” from star director Shin Won-ho and writer Lee Woo-jung was a massive hit despite only airing once a week.

Among the three major local broadcasters, SBS showed fair scores for many of its dramas, including the second season of medical drama “Dr. Romantic,” Namkoong Min’s “Stove League” and “Hyena,” featuring Ju Ji-hoon and Kim Hye-soo.

 

 

“Extracurricular” (Netflix)/ “Stove League” (SBS)/ "Black Dog" (tvN)

 

New writers debut big

The first sports-themed drama in Korean TV, SBS’ “Stove League” from rookie writer Lee Shin-hwa was a huge hit. The baseball drama captured even those viewers who have never been a fan of the sport with its no-frills story that moved the limelight from the players to the front office.

Scriptwriter Jin Han-sae of Netflix’s “Extracurricular” also shot to fame with the 10-episode series. The son of star TV screenwriter Song Ji-na -- who created some of Korea’s best-known TV series including “Sandglass” (1995) and “The Legend” (2007) -- Jin takes a huge first swing with a story revolving around teenagers meddling in prostitution and human trafficking. 

Even ahead of the two smash hits, TV dramas coming from new writers have continued to catch viewers’ eyes this year. TvN’s “Black Dog,” showing the competitive ecosystem of Korean private school teachers, came from rookie writer Park Ju-young, whereas financial crime series “Money Game” was the drama debut for veteran radio scriptwriter Lee Young-mi.

Some may pass off the glory to beginner’s luck, but most of the new scripts were not actually so new. Lee had won an award for his “Stove League” script from MBC in 2016, but had to wait almost four years until it materialized with SBS. During the hiatus, Lee focused on more research and interviews with related officials to add greater detail. 

Sometimes personal experiences became a source of creativity. Jin had revealed that “Extracurricular” was based on his own experience and thoughts as a teenager, whereas Park had written the “Black Dog” script from her three years working as a teacher. Lee, who had received critical acclaim for the realistic portrayal of economic bureaucrats in “Money Game,” stated that not only did she write the script based on her years of experience in finance shows, she also requested experts in the field to proofread the scripts. 
 

 

"Kingdom 2" (Netflix)/ “The King: Eternal Monarch” (SBS)/ "A Piece of Your Mind" (tvN)

 

Stars shine bright, burn out

Several big-name actors, well accustomed with success, had their ups and downs. 

Ju Ji-hoon and Bae Doo-na made successful returns in the second season of zombie thriller “Kingdom” on Netflix. With the story helmed by star screenwriter Kim Eun-hee, the first season, released in January 2019, took the Korean zombie genre to the global level, and the second season was acclaimed as having outperformed the first by critics and viewers worldwide.

Korean sweetheart Kim Tae-hee returned to the small screen after five years with tvN’s “Hi Bye, Mama!” While this was her first appearance on TV since her marriage to singer Rain and giving birth to two children, the show failed to meet expectations boosted by Kim’s popularity and ended with a relatively low rating of 5.1 percent on its last episode. 

Worse for tvN came with romance-drama “A Piece of Your Mind,” starring Jung Hae-in. Despite Jung’s stellar popularity, the series maintained poor ratings of between 1 and 2 percent throughout its run and, in the end, was forced to reduce the number episodes from 16 to 12. 

Perhaps the most anticipated yet most disgraced was SBS’ “The King: Eternal Monarch,” starring Lee Min-ho. Coming from star writer Kim Eun-sook of “Descendants of the Sun” (2016) and “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God” (2016), Lee had chosen the blockbuster fantasy piece as his post-military comeback production. Criticisms on the farfetched story and poor acting by Lee and his counterpart Kim Go-eun, topped with excessive placement product, however, failed to impress viewers, as it finished with single-digit ratings.


By Choi Ji-won (jwc@heraldcorp.com)

[liddi]

Kingdom Feels Like a Nightmare of Now

By Matt Zoller Seitz@mattzollerseitz

 

Photo: Juhan Noh/Netflix/

 

Picture a nation already gripped by political chaos that finds itself afflicted by a plague so new that no one understands its properties yet. Its ruler is a demented senior whose underlings use his decline as camouflage for their own agendas. As citizens turn against each other, medical experts operating on the scientific method study the pandemic and present their latest findings to officials at every layer of government. They are met with indifference, stupidity, naked self-interest, and craven pandering to higher-ups. Things keep getting worse. The body count rises. There’s no end in sight.

 

This is the world of Kingdom, an engrossing South Korean zombie series set in the 16th century. Watching its 12-episode, two-season run right now is an eerie experience, because although it was shot in 2017 and 2018 and debuted on Netflix last January, it seems to have predicted the future. On top of being a fast-paced horror epic in historical garb, Kingdom mirrors the disastrous mishandling of the 2020 pandemic (particularly in the United States) with such withering irony and pitch-black humor that it seems to be riffing on headlines you read five minutes ago.

 

Written by Kim Eun-hee and directed by Kim Seong-hun, Kingdom starts in the royal palace at night. An underling is commanded to slip a bowl of blood through the crack beneath the thick wooden door of the king’s sleeping quarters. We hear guttural grows and animalistic shuffling and scratching. Then the underling gets yanked through the feeding slot by the king, who has become a flesh-eating ghoul subsisting on servants and peasants. We soon learn that the king’s inner circle has been keeping his condition a secret and presenting their own schemes as the king’s wishes.The main focus of their treachery is Crown Prince Lee Chang (Ju Ji-hoon), the king’s son and anointed successor. The Queen Consort (Kim Hye-jun) is pregnant with the king’s child; if the prince gets whacked or imprisoned, her baby will assume the throne and allow her and the traitorous Chief State Councilor (Ryu Seung-ryong) run things on the infant’s behalf.

 

The prince and his bodyguard Mu-yeong (Kim Sang-ho) travel to a remote province to investigate reports of a strange disease that’s been spreading at the border, and meet two physicians, Seo-Bi (Bae Doona) and Yeong-Shin (Kim Sung-kyu), who have been researching a phenomenon that they identify as zombiism (although they don’t use that word). It’s here that Kingdom distinguishes itself as more than a rehash of the usual elements. This is a story about a pandemic that could be contained were it not for the selfishness and thickheadness of the people running the country. Its real villains are authority figures who fail the people they’re supposed to protect.

 

[snipped]

 

But what makes Kingdom stand apart is its spooky prescience. Like all zombie stories, it’s a moral tale about society imploding because of a “disease.” And it’s about the choices the uninfected make to ensure the survival of their loved ones and civilization as a whole (or protect their own interests). But because the standard ghoul-flick elements are framed by political satire and misanthropic humor, you come away thinking of it as the story of a plague made worse by officials’ corruption, incompetence, and refusal to listen to science. Despite the swords and horses and stovepipe hats, it feels a nightmare of now — or a premonition of where we’d be just one year after its U.S. debut. It’s as if George Romero had started making movies in the late 1950s, and debuted with a zombie film about an insular, reactionary, violence-driven society that commits to an endless, unwinnable land war in Asia.

 

In Kingdom, doctors study a new disease’s victims, separate fact from speculation and rumor, and come up with suggestions that they believe will slow the infection rate. Then they present what they’ve learned to functionaries and military people, who thwart, ignore, or undermine them. When the doctors figure out that flesh-cravers have to be locked up to prevent them from biting the living, they’re laughed at, which of course leads to a zombie attack. One of the same men who ignored their advice tries to blame them for the carnage and jail them. When the doctors figure out that the zombies hibernate during the day, they recommend reducing the zombie population by beheading and burning them in their sleep. They’re told that this is an impossible request because, according to faith, a dead person enters the afterlife with the same body they had when they passed on. After a long, increasingly desperate argument, the authorities offer a compromise: They’ll burn the bodies of the peasants, but bury the nobles.

 

These scenes are as agonizing as they are appallingly funny — not just because we know from watching zombie films that certain things just aren’t done, but because we’ve seen our heroes putting in hard work only to have it ignored by fools. Men and women of reason keep getting kneecapped by laypeople who are in thrall to “gut feelings,” or who cling to existing laws, customs, and rules because they can’t accept that the world they once knew is gone.

 

[snipped]

 

True to science, the heroes also learn that, like all diseases, this one mutates in response to human countermeasures, changes in climate and terrain, and other factors. Which means that what was true last week might change, necessitating a shift in tactics — and a new round of conversations with officials who belatedly accepted the last set of observations, and believe that a change in the pandemic’s narrative must mean that the doctors didn’t know what they were talking about the first time.

 

The application of basic science to nightmare imagery lets Kingdom continue into a second season after reaching a satisfying stopping point at the end of season one. Of course, like any second season of a TV show, this one only exists because the first was a success. But if you know anything about real-life plagues, it seems plausible that the ghoul disease would go dormant for a while and then return, because that’s what diseases do. Just ask polio.

 

A sustained critique of inequity binds the drama together. Disparities in social class and political influence let one group help itself to resources that were supposed to benefit everyone — as illustrated by a grotesquely funny scene where a band of peasants flees a zombie horde and runs to a dock in hopes of boarding an escape ship, only to discover that nobles have already set sail in it. Ignorance, self-interest, and moral cowardice keep eclipsing science and reason. Kingdom’s greatest horror is its belief that plagues may come and go, but you can’t cure human nature.

 

 

cr. vulture.com

Full article here

[liddi]

Netflix Responds To Reports Of “Kingdom” Prequel Starring Jun Ji Hyun

TV/FILM

Jul 20, 2020

by J. Lim

 

Netflix’s “Kingdom” has responded to multiple reports of a potential prequel starring Jun Ji Hyun.

 

On July 20, Munhwa Ilbo reported that “Kingdom” was preparing to launch a new prequel starring Jun Ji Hyun, who made a surprise appearance at the end of season two. The report cited a source from “Kingdom” who claimed that the prequel would center around Jun Ji Hyun’s character Ah Shin and how she became a warrior, led by director Kim Sung Hoon.

 

The source stated, “It was difficult for the lead actors of the first two seasons of ‘Kingdom’ to immediately start filming for the third season due to scheduling conflicts, so the continuation of their story after season two will probably come in two or three years.” They added, “We will first be bringing the prequel story, where Jun Ji Hyun will be joined by a mostly-new cast of characters.”

 

A different report by Star News claimed that the prequel would be a 70-minute short film and they were in the final stages of discussions. They also reported that filming is set to begin in October for the prequel.

 

In response to these reports, a source from Netflix stated, “Nothing has been decided yet on future plans for ‘Kingdom’ There’s nothing we can confirm as of now, including the lead actors, screenwriter, or director. It hasn’t even been decided whether there will be a prequel or not.”

 

Source (1) (2) (3)

 

 

cr. Soompi

[liddi]

Joo Ji Hoon Shares Secrets Behind Filming Action Scenes, His Opinion On Using Stunt Doubles, And More

STYLE

Jul 22, 2020

by C. Lee

 

Joo Ji Hoon shared his thoughts on acting in an interview with men’s lifestyle fashion magazine Esquire!

Joo Ji Hoon, who has left a strong impression on viewers with his role in the hit drama “Kingdom,” talked about his action scenes in the zombie sageuk (historical drama) series.

He mentioned that a scene from the second season, where he fought off zombies on a rooftop, was filmed in a special way. He said, “There was an assistant camera, and we released the version with cross-cutting. But when we filmed it, it was all in one take.”

Spoiler

Joo Ji Hoon explained that there were about 30 different parts to put together for their action scene. He said, “When you film a difficult scene, you realize that it’s all the staff’s hard work. The martial arts director helps us out, and the actors put it all together.”

He revealed that filming the one-take action scene was exhausting. He said, “At the time, my finger broke. I lost all strength in my legs. While I was acting, I tumbled down and broke my finger. It’s more than just the feeling of ‘This is hard.”’

Spoiler

He continued, “When we watch ourselves on screen, we say that the intensity looks like it’s been decreased by 30 percent. For the one-take scene, I think it looks like it’s been decreased by 60 percent.”

“There’s a sense of weight that people can’t see on the screen,” he explained. “There’s also a kind of acceleration. Even if it looks like we’re lightly flying around on screen, it’s intense because we’re actually grabbing and throwing each other and rolling around.”

Spoiler

Spoiler

 

 

Joo Ji Hoon shared that it was difficult for him to perform such intense scenes, as he weighs over 80 kilograms (approximately 176 pounds). Laughing, he then said that he lost some weight for the photo shoot.

Joo Ji Hoon also gave an explanation about how actors create the best horse-riding scenes. “Let’s say that they’re filming the back of me as I ride a horse,” he said. “At this point, I’d recommend a body double because they can ride the horse better.”

“There are people who argue that the actors themselves must film even the scenes that show just their back or are shot from afar,” he said. “However, that is only possible when there are safety devices and a sufficient budget. If I fall from the horse, filming will be postponed for up to three months, and the expenses are tremendous.”

He concluded, “The idea is that I’m saving the project, not my body.”

Spoiler

Joo Ji Hoon then revealed that actors don’t receive extra compensation for the risks involved in filming dangerous scenes, unlike other jobs.

He went on to compare projects that require actions scenes to projects of other genres, like melodramas. He said, “Action scenes involve physical labor, but there are a lot of instances where every detailed emotion can be laboring when acting for other genres.”

Spoiler

He continued, “What’s interesting is that I’ve been acting for about 16 years, and there hasn’t been a single project or scene that has been easy.”

Joo Ji Hoon’s full interview and pictorial will be available in the August issue of Esquire.

 

 

 

cr. Soompi

[plainenglish]

@liddi

 

Hi! I hope you still remember me. We interacted several years ago when "Saimdang" was being aired.

 

Anyway, I've written a spoiler-free synopsis of "Kingdom" Season 1 and Season 2 in my blog at https://campusconnection.blogspot.com/2020/03/kingdom-season-1-and-season-2-synopsis.html

 

I have several questions:

 

(1) In Ep. 5 of Season 2, there was a little girl in red dress who was among those set to be executed. She stands out because she's the only one not in white clothes. Who is she? Is she supposed to be a metaphor for something?

 

(2) You discussed what Crown Prince Lee Chang wrote in Hanja for Seo-bi to read, that is, "Ahn Hyeon," with the rest not legible or clear. But isn't Seo-bi a nurse ("uinyeo") which means that she came from the commoners or from the slave class. How would she then know how to read Hanja?

In the last part of Ep. 6 of Season 2, as Seo-bi was writing down everything that she knew about the resurrection plant and the zombies, was she writing in Hangul or in Hanja?

 

P.S. Is gerrytan8063 still posting comments in Soompi?

[liddi]

@plainenglish Hi there! Yes I remember you very well. Thank you for sharing your spoiler-free synopsis. I particular enjoy the historical background and FAQs. Very informative indeed.

Back to your questions. I don't recall seeing the girl in the red dress prior to that. I may be mistaken but I don't think we are ever told who she is. For me, she probably represents a metaphor, similar to the girl in the red dress in Schindler's List, a representation of those who are suffering because of the injustices that are being meted out.

 

And yes, Seo Bi does understand Hanja, as evident from her medical manual in Ep6, which is all written in Hanja. Hence she would have been able to decipher what Yi Chang wrote with water after they were caught.

 

It would appear the last time gerrytan8063 was on Soompi was in May. Hopefully we will see him post on the forums again.

[plainenglish]

@liddi

 

Thanks for your reply. I confirmed with somebody on a Reddit sub on "Kingdom" that the girl in red dress is an homage to Spielberg's "Schindler's List."

 

What are you watching now?

Spoiler

 

I have also finished my spoiler-free synopses of Crash Landing on You, SKY Castle, Signal, Bridal Mask, Mr. Sunshine, DOTS, etc. I have also posted my synopses of historical movies like The Last Princess, Assassination (with Jun Ji Hyun), A Taxi Driver, 26 Years, and The Royal Tailor.

 

With Mr. Sunshine, I did an in-depth analysis of its cinematography. I finished about two days ago my analysis of the cinematography of "Kingdom" (tracking shots, especially complex tracking shots of the battles between CP Lee Chang and his men versus the zombies inside the palace). I also added some GIFs about the cinematographer's use of "reverse motion" at the start of Ep. 5 Season 2 in the battle between the zombies and the Japanese.

 

 

Edited August 1, 2020 by triplem
Off topic in spoiler

[liddi]

@plainenglish Thank you for the confirmation regarding the girl in the red dress. Fascinating analysis of the cinematography - very much appreciated. I do not know when S3 will materialise, with rumours of a prequel which has been refuted thus far by Netflix. These are trying times, and I hope that when the situation permits, we will see more of this universe once more, and a reunion of the main cast. Unfortunately, I don't have Ryu Seong Ryeong and Heo Joon-Ho's characters to look forward to, which is a shame because they were brilliant.

 

Spoiler

I am thrilled to find Tree with Deep Roots among your synopses, as well as Signal and Misaeng. I marathoned Tree over 3 days and cried each time I revisit certain scenes. Signal is an all-time favourite, as is Misaeng which ironically I kept putting off watching initially because I wasn't inclined to watch a drama that reminds me so much of my own work life. Stopped drama watching for a while, but just started Flower of Evil. If you are looking for drama recommendations, please do try 2010 jdrama Mother, or kdramas Children of Nobody, Nine:Nine Times Travels, none of which are period dramas.

 

Edited August 1, 2020 by triplem
Off topic in spoiler

[plainenglish]

@liddi

Spoiler

 

A. I wrote a synopsis for the popular Japanese classroom drama-comedy titled "Gokusen" starring Yukie Nakama and Jun Matsumoto (S 1). It had 3 seasons plus a movie in the 2000s. Here's the link: https://campusconnection.blogspot.com/2020/03/gokusen-synopsis.html

 

B. One of the crimes depicted in "Signal" is the serial murders, which are based on true incidents. A year or two ago, somebody confessed to the serial murders. I included it in the historical backgrounders of my synopsis.

 

C. With "Misaeng," I included in the backgrounders section links to articles from the University of British Columbia. It seems that a UBC business class used "Misaeng" as a case study. One of the interesting topics from UBC is "kwarosa" which refers to Korean employees getting sick or dying because of overwork.

 

 

D. Questions about "Kingdom"

 

In Ep. 5 of Season 1, Yeung-sin visits the burned-out village of Sumang. For a brief moment, the cinematographer shows us a rock with some characters (Hanja?) inscribed on it. Would you know what the characters mean?

 

Picture of the rock at the entrance of Sumang Village

 

In Ep. 3 of Season 2, as Lord Cho Hak-ju and Lord Ahn Hyeon argue about turning the Sumang villagers into zombies, the drama briefly cuts to a tracking shot of some logs with characters written on them (again, they seem to be Hanja). Would you know what the characters mean?

 

Picture of first log with characters written on it:

 

Picture of second log with characters written on it:

 

I’m interested in what the characters mean because my wild imagination tells me that the Sumang Villagers may not be lepers at all.

Edited August 1, 2020 by triplem
Off topic in spoiler

[liddi]

@plainenglish The rock at the entrance says 壽望村 Sumang Village (ironically translated to "Hope of Longevity Village").

 

The 1st log is not very legible as part of the words are covered. What I can make out is:

地　land (or could also be part of the words 此地 "This place")

:

女　female?? (Not sure how that makes any sense though)

將軍　general

 

It looks similar to the pole behind the rock at the entrance of the village in S1E5, in which case, it probably says:

(地)下大將軍　which is a clumsy way of saying "Great general of this land"

 

but still it seems to be a stretch, because the word in S2E3 looks more like 女 (female) than 大 (great). I tried but can't see the word as saying 安 (Ahn) or 炫 (Hyeon) either.

I guess the one that makes most sense would probably be "Great general of this land", since the village was under Ahn Hyeon's jurisdiction.

 

As for the 2nd log, it says 壽望村 Sumang Village.

Based on this, I don't see any indication they were not a colony of lepers as originally stated.

 

I do find that sometimes the Hanja (I don't actually read Hanja, but I read traditional Chinese, which is very similar) is not consistent. Take for example Ahn Hyeon's name in Hanja. The Battle of Unpo Upland memorial has his name written as 安賢. However, in S2, when Yi Chang wrote the name in water, it was written as 安炫. 

[plainenglish]

@liddi

A. I posted this question in the KDrama subreddit; here's the best answer:

 

The logs are totem poles, Jangseung (장승), usually standing in pairs, male (yang) is Cheonha-daejanggun (Hangul: 천하대장군, Hanja: 天下大將軍, meaning Great General Under Heaven), female (yin, eum) is Jiha-yeojanggun (Hangul: 지하여장군, Hanja: 地下女將軍, meaning, Female General of the Underworld).

 

B. This explanation about the totem poles makes my imagination really run wild! Maybe, the totem poles really have some connection with Jun Ji Hyun's character (a warrior) in Ep. 6 S2. Maybe, her character is growing the resurrection plants all over Joseon as revenge for what happened to the Sumang villagers.

 

C. Is there a specific scene where the Sumang villagers are referred to as lepers? Because I was thinking that maybe they're not lepers but people whose noses and ears were cut off by the Japanese soldiers. If you look closely at the hands of Yeung-sin's brother, the hands are not wasting away like with so many lepers.

[liddi]

@plainenglish Thank you for sharing! Then yes, it would make sense because I could not reconcile the 女 (female) in S2, with the 大 (Great) in S1. 

 

I don't know how it would tie back to Jun Ji Hyun's character, but I definitely can't wait. 

 

It does not specifically refer to them as lepers, the fact that they have bandages even on their hands and over their faces would be indicative of leprosy. Let's see if S3 or the prequel will explain further. Incidentally, Young Shin was a part of the Tiger Hunter Army, where he learnt to shoot. Not sure if that would be of significance in future installments.

[plainenglish]

@liddi

I did a lot more research on the "Chakho" or tiger hunters to which Young-shin belonged. "Chacko" or "Chackogun" is a historical part of the Joseon Army. According to Angus Hamilton, a British journalist who published a book on Korea in 1910, the tiger hunters took part in the Imjin War, the Qing Invasion, and in the Battle of Ganghwa Island. Here's the link to my research on the tiger hunters:

 

https://campusconnection.blogspot.com/2020/03/kingdom-season-1-and-season-2-synopsis.html#tigerhunters

 

You can download Angus Hamilton's book "Korea; its history, its people, and its commerce” from https://archive.org/details/koreaitshistoryi00hami

 

[liddi]

A recent interview with BDN where she talks about Kingdom and its appeal, how she gravitates towards strong, just, uncompromising characters like Seobi and Han Yeojin of Secret Forest: