Summary
All of Us Are Deadseason 1 was perfect and did not necessarily need a continuation, which is why I’m cautiously excited about the upcoming season 2. The first season ofAll of Us Are Deadwas a hit for Netflix, quickly prompting a second season renewal. Although thelong wait forAll of Us Are Deadseason 2’s releaseis frustrating, it’s not uncommon for Korean web series to take two years or more to release new seasons.I was not surprised thatAll of Us Are Deadwas renewed, but the show could have worked as a limited series.
The first season ofAll of Us Are Deadconsisted of 12 hour-long episodesthat were released all at once. The experience of binge-watching the zombie K-drama was similar to watching six zombie movies back-to-back, yet the show never became dull or predictable.All of Us Are Deadis one of myfavorite Netflix K-dramas, and while I cannot wait for season 2 to finally premiere, there are some challenges the show will have to overcome.
All of Us Are Deadis based on the webtoonNow At Our Schoolby Joo Dong-geun. Whilethe Netflix series made some major changes to the source material, including but not limited to the origin of the zombie virus, it followed the webtoon relatively closely. The problem, however, is that season 1 already covered most of the webtoon.Now At Our Schoolends with the group finally escaping the school, and it later reveals that Nam-ra, who was now a hambie, was alive after spending several months living out in the open while protecting a child.
Apart from the cliffhanger at the end, I would have been fine withAll of Us Are Deadending with season 1.
The webtoon’s ending also teases that the virus is going to spread to other countries after an infected fish bit a Japanese fisherman. There was no sequel toNow At Our School, meaning thatAll of Us Are Deadseason 2 will have to be an original story.There are countlessK-dramas based on webtoons, but not many of them go beyond their respective source material. Now that Korean web series like Netflix’sSweet HomeandAll of Us Are Deadare becoming more common, I believe there will soon be plenty of series continuing beyond their webtoon’s premises.
Jeon Bae-soo
Nam So-ju
Whereas traditional Korean dramas tend to run for 16 episodes across one season, web series designed for streaming often end with a sequel hook that leaves the door open for future seasons.Love Alarm,Squid Game,Sweet Home,All of Us Are Dead, andGyeongseong Creatureare just some examples of recent Netflix original K-dramas that ran for more than just one season. Curiously, the fact thatAll of Us Are Deaddid not use the webtoon’s titlemade me think the Netflix show would eventually take place outside of the school – which is now set to happen.
Apart from the cliffhanger at the end, I would have been fine withAll of Us Are Deadending with season 1. Regardless of how the webtoon ends,All of Us Are Dead’s final episodes wrapped up most of the show’s storylinesand saw the remaining characters finally arriving at the quarantine camp. There is a sense of closure at the end of the first season, especially after the destruction of the school. All of theAll of Us Are Dead’s villainswere dead by the end of season 1, including Dr. Lee Byeong-chan and Gwi-nam.
All of Us Are Deadending after season 1 would have been bittersweet, which would have suited the show’s tone just fine. The zombie K-drama was a tragic series from start to finish, with heartbreaking deaths in almost every episode.It was virtually impossible forAll of Us Are Deadto have a happy endingafter everything that happened during the outbreak at the school. Cheong-san’s “death” may have been tragic, but it was a fitting ending for the character considering he was ready to sacrifice himself to protect On-jo. The same applies to On-jo’s father, So-ju.
All of Us Are Deadseason 2 may still be far away, but the events of the first season make me think that the horror K-drama will be very different once it returns. Firstly, the school has been destroyed.All of Us Are Dead’s premise of a group of students facing a zombie outbreak that begins in their school during class is something that cannot be replicated in season 2. Not only is the school gone, butmost of Hyosan has been destroyedby the military in an attempt to stop the Jonas virus from spreading to other regions.
8 Harsh Realities Of Rewatching All Of Us Are Dead Ahead Of Season 2
Rewatching Netflix’s All of Us Are Dead ahead of season 2’s release reveals some harsh truths about the zombie K-drama that became a global hit.
WhereasAll of Us Are Deadseason 1 was a “high school K-drama meets horror” series, season 2 can be a post-apocalyptic story where the characters have to find a way to move on with their lives in a fallen city.WhetherAll of Us Are Deadseason 2 will be as good as the first one is difficult to say, but I expect it to take the series in a very different direction. It could be similar to whatSweet Homeseason 2 did by introducing new characters and even including a time skip.
The fact thatAll of Us Are Deadseason 2 will likely be very different from season 1 does not mean that it cannot be great.Most of the changesAll of Us Are Deadmade to the webtoon worked, meaning that season 2’s story can work as well. The cliffhanger at the end of season 1 was interesting enough to make me excited for season 2, particularly regarding the other hambies Nam-ra mentioned. I also cannot wait to find out who or what the villains in season 2 will.
All of Us Are Deadseason 2 doesn’t have a release date yet.
I predict thatAll of Us Are Deadseason 2 will focus on the hambiesand Nam-ra’s mission to protect them now that the soldiers are hunting whatever zombies were left in Hyosan. I’m also excited to learn whether Cheong-san is really dead. Despite the circumstances of his death, Cheong-san is too big of a character not to be included inAll of Us Are Deadseason 2. I may be worried about whetherAll of Us Are Deadcan recapture the magic of season 1, but I’m excited to see what season 2 will deliver.
All Of Us Are Dead
Cast
All of Us Are Dead is a South Korean series that centers on a high school overrun by a zombie virus outbreak. The students, facing an unprecedented crisis, must navigate survival while combating the threat of becoming part of the undead horde.
