Where is the kingdom in the walking dead

Kingdom spoilers for seasons one and two follow.

Remember The Kingdom which was first introduced in season seven of The Walking Dead? It's rather fitting that Ezekiel's community has since fallen by the wayside, because another series literally called Kingdom is threatening to take the crown and make AMC's biggest show obsolete.

Despite an often-discussed decline in ratings, The Walking Dead continues to shuffle forwards like a particularly sluggish walker which has had its fill of people. In all honesty though, people outside of the show's diehard fanbase have had their fill too, berating a lack of pace and originality that's set in ten seasons on.

That's not to say The Walking Dead is dead on its feet. Every now and again, a new twist will come along and remind us of the show's potential, harking back to its glory days when the apocalypse was still fresh and walkers were less mouldy. Still, compared to what's come before, The Walking Dead is no longer the powerhouse series it once was, and Netflix's latest season of Kingdom has made that clearer than ever.

kingdom season 1 kim seong kyu

JUHAN NOHNetflix

Just like The Walking Dead, Kingdom is also based on a popular comic book series, but the South Korean smash deviates from AMC's formula beyond mere cultural differences.

Set in 17th-century Korea, Kingdom revolves around a mysterious plant which can bring people back from the dead. Kim Eun-hee's pilot quickly establishes that the King has been transformed into a zombie through these means, and the following 12 episodes released so far explore the impact of this in both political and physical terms.

Just as the palace is soon corrupted by sinister forces, so too is Korea itself as the plague spreads across the land, infecting and killing everyone who it comes into contact with.

On the face of it, this political component could slow things down to a painful degree, but Kingdom avoids that by cutting each season down to a mere six episodes each. Some episodes only last for 45 minutes, and the story regularly intercuts political intrigue with more direct and horrifying zombie encounters to balance things out.

The Walking Dead hasn't been that concise since season one, which only ran for six hours as well, and it's no coincidence that the show hasn't been better since.

alpha and negan holding hands in the woods, the walking dead

AMC

Instead of traipsing between interchangeable towns with Rick Grimes and his merry band of survivors, Kingdom cuts between various groups who all possess their own unique perspective on what's happening to their country, highlighting issues of class and privilege far more effectively than the loose grabs at power made by Negan or the Governor.

Sure, Kingdom's period setting automatically keeps things fresher than yet another post-apocalyptic journey into the heartland of America, but this historical era also lends itself to more creative encounters with the zombies too.

Without modern artillery or vehicles, the Joseon citizens and militia are instead forced to rely on horse-drawn carts and poorly-fortified palaces to evade death. Not only does this put a fresh spin on the kind of genre thrills horror fans are used to seeing, but it's also a simple and extremely effective way to ramp the tension up further.

Of course, we're not suggesting that The Walking Dead should start channeling historical action sequences in quite the same way, but there's still a lesson to be learned here when it comes to pacing and creativity.

Just when it feels like Kingdom'snarrative drive might be grinding to a halt, both seasons one and two pick up the pace again with hugely inventive and chaotic set-pieces around the midway point. Each feels like a mini-movie set within the show, boasting the kind of technical ingenuity and creative prowess all too rarely seen in small-screen horror.

It's hard to forget these moments even if you want to (we won't specify, in case you're still to see them), and they're not just included for shock value. Each is integral to the narrative, diving even deeper into the class struggles that arise within this kind of monarchical system.

kingdom season 1 bae doona

JUHAN NOHNetflix

To be fair, The Walking Dead occasionally includes talking points like this too. Who can forget that eye-popping scene between Negan and Glenn? In fact, that's a huge reason why the show became so popular in the first place. But these moments are few and far between in seasons that tend to dwell on repetitive or more tedious matters.

After all, how many times can we watch the survivors square off against other gangs with no hope in sight? Recent seasons have tried to break away from this cycle to some degree, but it's been a while since The Walking Dead genuinely offered zombie fans something new.

It's no wonder then that the ratings aren't what they once were. However, it's worth noting that The Walking Dead is still going strong considering how long it's been on the air. If Kingdom continues for ten seasons, then similar problems could soon befall that show too. Right now at least, Eun-hee's series currently shows no signs of slowing down.

Sure, humans are the real monster here too, just like they are in every zombie story that's ever been written, but Kingdom balances this out far more effectively than most. The royal family is responsible for the outbreak and yes, their manipulations cause untold sorrow, but Kingdom works so well because it still remembers how scary the zombies are supposed to be too.

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By combining these socio-political power struggles with relentless horror, Kingdom has snatched The Walking Dead'scrown away, and it's going to take changes of an apocalyptic proportion to restore its glory moving forward.

Kingdom seasons one and two are now available to watch worldwide on Netflix.

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