Disgraced Crown Prince Chang (Ju Ji-Hoon) and company run across the
only survivor of the boat that was to save the ruling class of Dongnae
from the zombie infestation (see last
episode) and learn from him that somehow a zombie has made its way
on board and ... soon everyone was zombified, and eventually the boat
stranded, meaning the zombies could spread onto land. Chang is resolved to
take care of the situation, and later, when passing through a poor village
and finding all the locals well-fed, he figures they must have looted the
boat - to which the villagers agree after some questioning, and they also
agree to the Crown Prince and company to take them where they have buried
the body ... but actually want to lure them into an ambush, as they know
looting a gouvernment boat is punishable by death. Before they can do any
damage though, nightfall sets in, and the zombies, who can operate only at
night, rise from their graves, attacking our heroes and the villagers
alike - when general Ahn and his battalion arrive to save the day. General
Ahn was Chang's mentor when he was little, and for some reason, he and his
men seem to exactly know what to do in case of a zombie infestation and
how to kill zombies for good - which makes the Crown Prince's bodyguard
Mu-yeong (Kim Sang-ho) wonder what their game is ... Meanwhile, at the
behest of Chancellor Cho (Ryu Seung-ryong) the 5 armies are combing the
area to track down Crown Prince Chang while he and his pregnant daughter,
the Queen, prepare for a power grab from the zombified Emperor ... This
is pretty much the first episode of Kingdom that's a bit of
a let-down - now don't get me wrong, it still looks good and is
atmospheric as ever, but it gets a bit too convoluted for its own good,
meaning the narrative doesn't flow as smoothly anymore. Plus introducing
yet another narrative thread (the one about General Ahn) in the second to
last episode (of the season at least) is a bit late in the game and hardly
gives one any time to emotionally invest in the character. Also, while the
last two episodes were truly spectacular, this one lacks comparable
setpieces - sure, the zombies rising from their graves in the cornfield
and their ultimate demise at the hands of General Ahn and his soldiers
looked nice, but also felt like a bit of a rehash from earlier in the
series, and on a smaller scale. That said, this one's still totally
watchable and makes one excited for the finale, it just could have been
even better was the writing a bit tighter.
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