WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Kingdom, streaming now on Netflix.

Season 2 of Netflix's Kingdom has left the Joseon empire in a bigger state of turmoil than the first season. The heroes, led by crown prince Lee Chang, now face new threats as the show has made a seven-year time-jump following the end of short-lived Cho reign. That family usurped the throne and while Chang got it back from them, he abdicated it for a new king to rise.

But as the land of Korea experienced many years of peace, Season 3 has been cleverly set up with the zombie plague poised to return worse than ever. What makes it even scarier is there's now a looming war with Chinese operatives and from what's occurred so far, Korea may already be several steps behind.

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THE CHINESE ASSAULT

The final sequence of Season 2 saw Chang, his medical head, Seo-Bi, and a small team of soldiers discovering the Pirate Queen, who allegedly sold the Resurrection Plant to Koreans to plant and make money. This was the source of the outbreak and the third season will dive deep into the war on this mysterious lady. She's got zombies trained as pets and has been experimenting on the undead, so she's sure to command a legion that'll give Team Chang hell.

It's unclear who her allies are and it could even be that she has agents hidden deep within Korea too, so to fight an enemy they know nothing about will be tough. It's unclear if science or magic gave rise to the plant, so as Chang hunts her down and whoever greenlit this assault from China, expect all-out war. Chang already knows both countries have been looking for an excuse to destroy each other so he's treading lightly as he wants to get all the details right, but his men know they could pay with their lives.

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CITADEL-Z

The Citadel was wrecked when Queen Cho and her handmaidens were turned into zombies, infecting everyone and creating a ravenous pack. They turned so many in the royal palace, Chang had to sacrifice several of his men to drown the undead in a frozen lake. Cho's illegitimate son was installed as king, though, as Chang wanted away from royal duty, but while his infection as a baby seemed to be gone, now we see the zombie worms from the plant are indeed attacking the new ruler's brain.

This could turn him into a zombie or perhaps even drive him mad to make rash decisions. Seo-Bi swore babies' brains couldn't be attacked, as the boy got bitten with Queen Cho, but it seems as if the worms lay dormant and as he hit puberty, they're manifesting. The fact they're alive right at the same time the Pirate Queen's found experimenting even gives credence to theories she may actually be a witch involved in supernatural affairs as the timing is just way too coincidental. Who knows, she may even co-opt and brainwash him as her puppet.

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ANOTHER CIVIL WAR

Apart from China corrupting the king and using him as their pawn, there is still infighting within the Joseon court. The show's based on the civil war between Cho's faction and Chang's loyalists, and now, with the cover-up allowing this new king to take the throne, one can see the palace becoming unsettled again. Hints were dropped Cho still has spies and loyalists of his own there, while the secret about Chang's abdication appears to have leaked to other political eyes who might be looking at another coup.

Clues were also seeded out that maybe these new worms were from fresh zombie eggs and the plant was recently given to the prince by his cooks. So as much as Chang has to worry about disarray outside the court, he definitely needs to get back home.

Kingdom stars Ju Ji-hoon, Ryu Seung-ryong and Bae Doo-na. Season 2 is currently streaming on Netflix.

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