WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Kingdom, streaming now on Netflix.
One of the rules by which AMC's The Walking Dead pretty much follows the comic is no one's off-limits when it comes to death. Fans learned that when Robert Kirkman surprisingly killed off Rick Grimes to herald the end of the book, and on the TV show, while major deaths aren't as sudden, they still do come off shocking and have an impact.
Well, at least up until Negan went on his killing spree. And that's because, from that point on, there weren't many key faces the show had the guts to kill off and those who did get murdered didn't have any emotional resonance with the audience. If the zombie series wants to get back on track, though, one series that pulls death off way better is Netflix's South Korean horror, Kingdom.
Now, this isn't to knock TWD, but while the likes of Lori, Shane and Carl getting killed did blindside fans and change the complexion of the series, it's hard to see later deaths having the same effect. Sure, fans got Hershel being beheaded by the Governor, Glenn and Abraham beat to death by Negan, but since then, Henry and Co. being placed on spikes by the Whisperers and Alpha getting beheaded by Negan just doesn't generate the interest of old and light social media afire. The show is scared to Rick off and the only death one can see really sparking rage online is Daryl.
And that's because the deaths prior don't seem to organically move the show along as much anymore. The Carl death made no sense as it defeated the entire story of a Grimes legacy, made even worse by Rick being taken away by a mysterious military. At this point, even if Michonne or Maggie gets killed, the fact they're no longer full-time players on the show means fans won't invest much in them anymore. And if death does occur, it'll feel like shock value or to inject something into a flailing series.
Kingdom, though, knows how to kill off supporting and big characters to get the plot to where it needs to be. And that's because it allows everyone ample screen time and to feel like a major cog, there's no wastage so that people come off like filler. Season 2 kills off Jo Beom-Il in the first episode as he sacrifices himself for Prince Lee Chang to get back to his Joseon kingdom to take back his throne, while Episode 2 also killing people who try to protect the fellowship. Episode 3 kills off Chang's right-hand man Moo-Young, who served him last season so well, only to turn informant for the evil Cho regime. His death is so well done and shocking, especially as fans expected him to redeem himself and get Chang back in power.
The fact Queen Cho has Moo-Young's wife and is trying to claim their son when he's born as her own means no one would have seen the dad's death coming. Kingdom just knows how to disguise what's to come, hiding tells at all points and ensuring only worthwhile characters are available for future episodes. Kingdom keeps fans in the dark and when Episode 4 rolls around, Queen Cho's dad, Hak-Ju, the main villain of the franchise is shockingly poisoned by his daughter. It's a stunning moment because when he discovers she's trying to fake a son, one would assume he'd be down for it, but he turns out to be a villain of honor who wants pure royal blood on it. And the fact he dies without Chang ever getting to kill him says a lot. Chang even had to cut his zombified dad's head off so you can clearly see Kingdom wants to create as much natural turmoil and inner-angst in both villains and heroes, making them all sympathetic.
And by the time, Moo-Young's wife dies and Queen Cho gets zombified herself, only to die facing Chang's army, one can tell how important it was for Kingdom to spend time building up characters in Season 1's six episodes only to have them perish in these six episodes. This series understands character development and really doesn't waste time in boring connections, especially for those who won't play a role in Season 3's war to come. It's a royal coup that needs to be undone so everyone's quickly painted as a player on the chessboard that's indispensable. This is where TWD fails, as several faces don't feel valued at all, so when they die, fans just don't care. Well, not anymore anyway. And by keeping these characters around for seasons to come, whether they live or are killed off, people just don't have that attraction to them anymore.
Kingdom stars Ju Ji-hoon, Ryu Seung-ryong and Bae Doo-na. Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.