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9.2.1 - Podcast Review of Season 2, Episode 1 of Kingdom

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 1 of Season 2 of Kingdom, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Ju Ji-hoon as Crown Prince Yi Chang, Bae Doona as Seo-bi, Ryu Seung-ryong as Cho Hak ju, Kim Sang-ho as Mou Young, Kim Sung-kyu as Yeong shin, and Kim Hye-jun as the Queen Consort. We discuss:

  • The Kingdom wiki that Joanna discovered!

  • How we start to learn what happened in Sangju three years earlier and the roles that Cho Hak ju and Lord Ahn played. We wonder if Lord  Ahn has regrets over his decisions at the time.

  • Deok Sung’s act of sacrifice and how Young shin gave him his dignity by killing him.

  • The Crown Prince’s suspicion that Mu Young is the traitor working for Cho Hak ju.

  • The moral dilemmas in this show that ask us just how far we’ll go to save our loved ones.

  • How Seo bi and Cho Beom Pal make it to Mungyeong Saejae and are given shelter because Cho Beom Pal is a member of the Haewo Cho clan. We also find out that Cho Beom Pal is now the heir to the clan.

  • The palace guards are on to the Queen’s evil plot to get a baby boy, but she’s counting on her baby boy to protect her.

  • How the Crown Prince has decided to travel to Mungyeong Saejae and kill Cho Hak ju. Cho Hak ju is in Sangju to kill the Crown Prince.

  • How extreme crisis can push people to do extreme things they didn’t know was possible.

  • The actress Kim Hye-jun, who plays the Queen Consort.

References


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K Drama Chat is a weekly podcast where we take one Korean (K) Drama each season and and recap and analyze each episode. K Drama Chat is available on Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsSpotifyAmazon Music, and Pandora.

Comments

  1. Random points:

    *I am not huge fan of zombies, but Korean zombies are really good. Train to Busan is the ultimate zombie movie for me. I think they are popular, because they can provide thrill but also can be a symbol for many things.
    *The question of would you use zombies (or something equivalent) if you were cornered is something that has been asked in tons of books and shows. And there is no easy answer. But, in real life, I would say that people have used it in 99% of cases. They even work tirelessly on creating zombies.
    *About Pachinko. I have read the book in 2021, and I have just finished S2. Pachinko is NOT Kdrama imo. It is an American show that has lots of Korean actors.
    To me, what matters for a show to be called from x country is not the actors. It is the behind the scenes creative team. And when you check that, they are all Americans or Canadians. Having korean ancestors will massively help, but it doesn't make it Korean.
    Even the writer of the book, she came to USA when she was 7. Her education and lived experiences are different from those who spent their entire life in Korea.
    I am little bit like you ladies. I have left my original country (somewhere in Asia) with my parents and I have been living in England for the second part of my life. Eventhough I left in my mid twenties when I meet people from my original country I feel very different. I have now different way of thinking and different approach to life. So, to me Pachinko is certainly not a Korean show. Best you can say is Korean in diaspora.
    And I agree with Joanna, I really disliked some of the changes they have made. I know TV is a different medium, but these changes are completely unneccessary. Anyway, this is not a Pachinko chat. I still think it is high quality show, and I enjoyed it, and it deserves to be watched, but I didn't love it. Kim Min-Ha acting though is OUTSTANDING!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Seven Seas, thank you for your comments! I agree with you about Train to Busan. I had seen other zombie shows, but Train to Busan was the first that I really liked! The storytelling was incredible.

      As for Pachinko on Apple TV, yes, it doesn't feel like a K Drama! It's good, it's got good cinematography, it's got good high production value, but it feels different. Yes, it feels more American. You called it. Pachinko does not have the feeling of having a Korean, behind the scenes, creative team. It doesn't feel like a Studio Dragon or an AStory production!

      Thank you for listening and commenting!

      Delete
  2. I just finished the latest episode now, and I’m eagerly waiting for the next episodes! It’s a shame we don’t have a Season 3 for Kingdom yet, but I’d love to hear you discuss Kingdom: Ashin of the North to sort of wrap up the two seasons and came up with theories if they are to continue with S3.

    About the discussion of the bloodied queen's socks - i just accepted it was miscarriage at that time, never once I considered it was her period because her maid/s should've/would've known her cycle and will prepare her better lol. But you two kept bringing it up (not that i am complaining!) so thinking about it now, she may likely be not pregnant - she got the women on the housing unit even before the crown prince left, this maybe a back up solution in case the 'pregnancy' fails. Please discuss this timeline on the next couple of episodes! I'm so excited to hear your emotions once you share with us the next plot twist HAHA

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tina, thank you for listening! We will be sure to discuss the timeline in a future episode! We may never know if the queen was pregnant or faked her pregnancy all along!

      Delete
  3. So it turns out that the Queen might be a bit more evil than I expected. I still think she is pretty smart to have a fake heir lined up, but I don’t really understand why she needs to kill the mothers and the babies who turned out to be girls. Seems to me she could just send them on their way when the didn’t have a boy. But, either way, pretty evil. And thank god she fixed her accent. I was going to say something in season one….

    I still don’t know why these dumb dumbs don’t just retreat to an island. I suppose if they did, the writers would just have the zombies learn to swim.

    As for Lord Ahn using zombies to defeat the Japanese, I have no problem with it. Not surprised Joanna became a bit squeamish when it came to using the zombies to take out the Japanese. She also had a problem with the Korean resistance bombing the Japanese funeral in Gyeongseong Creature! Of course, Sung-Hee is a true Korean who would resort to any means necessary to defeat the Japanese invaders! 😉

    I’m so glad to hear Joanna is now watching Korean Reality tv with Culinary Class Wars. This gives me hope that the next season of K Drama Chat will review Singles Inferno Season 4!

    As for the mole, it’s obviously Mu-yeong because he is upset that the Crown Prince never got him his beef pancakes!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Malcolm, I LOVED Culinary Class Wars! Just finished it! Just for you, I'm going to watch an episode of Singles Inferno! Is it full of gorgeous singles?

      And you may be right that Mu Yeong betrayed the Crown Prince because he never got his beef pancakes! Mu Yeong went on this epic adventure and he never got the promised beef pancakes! I'd be bitter, too!

      Funny that you caught how Sung Hee and I have different viewpoints when it comes to taking down bad guys. Sung Hee is tougher than me. She's the doctor.

      Delete

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