My tolerance for zombie media usually hits its limit around Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island – something like The Walking Dead will always be more to bite off than I can chew. Fortunately, Netflix’s Kingdom is the perfect introduction for squeamish newcomers to zombie media.

Adapted from a Korean webtoon, The Land of the Gods, by writer Kim Eun-hee and artist Yang Byung-il, Kingdom is a live-action historical drama. It’s full of political intrigue, beautiful cinematography, and just enough gore to be unsettling without being super gross.

The king of the land has been confined to his chambers for weeks after contracting a mysterious illness. In his absence, a power struggle erupts between his pregnant wife, Queen Cho, and his son, Prince Chang. Because Prince Chang’s birth mother was a concubine, he’ll lose his claim to the throne if the queen gives birth to a boy.

The main plot kicks off when Prince Chang discovers his father’s illness is a zombie plague. At the same time, the queen’s allies make their move to get rid of him. This power struggle in the royal family informs how they choose to confront (or control) the spread of the sickness. Certain areas of the kingdom are closed for protection, whereas others are left to fend for themselves. Most of the common folk are at the mercy of what benefits Queen Cho and her father, the leader of the Haewon Cho clan.

I appreciate that Kingdom never uses the “idiot ball” trope. This is when characters make dumb decisions for the sake of obvious plot contrivances or shock value. Each devastating loss results from a purposeful choice, not panic-induced stupidity. Tragically, even when these choices are selfless, they have unpredictable consequences. Case in point: an act of altruism from one character drastically alters the virus’s mode of transmission, making it exponentially harder to contain.

Season 2 released this March, around a year after the show premiered. Each season is only 6 episodes long, which makes catching up easy while spending more time at home. To me, the short length helps keep the tension high, without ever feeling stretched out. However, due to the pandemic, production on Netflix Originals is halted for the time being. This means season 3 probably won’t be here anytime soon. Alas.