With a title like All of Us Are Dead, one might expect Netflix’s success in South Korea to be coming to an end. As with the zombies themselves, there’s plenty of life after this series’ apparent conclusion, due to a few loose ends that season two could easily tie up.
It’s a good thing too, because All of Us Are Dead has been greenlit for a second season, so get ready for more zombies to tear it apart, and by “that” we of course mean human flesh .
The announcement was made via Instagram by the Netflix South Korea account, which posted a poster for season two with the caption “Can we still endure?” The second chapter of Hyosan High School Companions’ fierce zombie survival begins. #Everyone is dead #Netflix.
Fans will no doubt be happy to learn that a second season is in the works, but it’s hard to imagine a second season topping the first.
As you should know if you’ve seen at least a few episodes, All of Us Are Dead tells the story of a group of high school students (and others) who had enough on their plate before the virus broke out zombie. The fact that Hyosan High School is a bloodbath in every sense of the word means that our survivors are somewhat prepared for the atrocities to come.
But of course, not everyone survives it. After all, we are (almost) all dead, so this shouldn’t be that surprising.
We are all at an impasse explained
In the season one finale, episode 12, our beloved students defend themselves against zombies in Yangdong, near their hometown of Hyosan. Another student is tragically killed, and so close to the conclusion! This time it’s Woo-jin (Son Sang-yeon), Ha-ri’s (Ha Seung-ri) brother.
Nam-ra (Cho Yi-hyun) later decides to leave the group. Everything will be fine, because unlike the others, Nam-ra was infected by a strange variant of the virus that transformed her into some sort of zombie/human hybrid. She still desires to consume humans, but she retains enough humanity to restrain herself.
However, Nam-ra fears she will succumb to hunger. After nearly biting On-jo (Park Ji-hu), the adorable hybrid decides to leave her companions behind, as these survivors are essentially a buffet for her. The group continues, only to be apprehended by the military, who interrogate them and quarantine them (because that’s all they’re good for in a zombie apocalypse).
Four months later, a report in All of Us Are Dead reveals that things are gradually returning to normal. In the Hyosan region, martial law is easing and the quarantine camp is less strict in enforcing regulations.
Because of this, On-jo is able to slip away each night and leave gifts at a memorial honoring all the students who perished in the outbreak – all your favorite students who didn’t survive.
On one occasion, On-jo observes a campfire burning atop the ruins of Hyosan High School and informs Su-hyeok (Park Solomon) of her observation. Together, they decide to investigate and are soon joined by Ha-ri, Dae-su (Im Jae-hyuk), Mi-jin (Lee Eun-seok), and Hyo-ryung (Kim Bo-seon).
Upon reaching the bombed ruins of their old school, the group finds Nam-ra, who seems surprisingly content for a hybrid zombie living alone in the wild. That’s because she’s not alone at all.
“There are a few others like me,” Nam-ra reveals. But what does she mean? Nam-ra characterizes herself at one point as “neither human nor monster,” so it’s implied that there are other hybrids like her. Although that doesn’t rule out the existence of ordinary undead…
Then, as Nam-ra and On-jo begin to reconnect, Nam-ra hears a suspicious sound. “They’re back,” she declares. Then, everyone’s favorite hybrid jumps off the roof, leaving her companions to ponder where she’s gone. Will Nam-ra return? And if so, will she remain a confidant or become something else entirely?
How All of Us Are Dead Finale Sets Up Season 2
According to military reports, only 110,000 of the 170,000 people who resided in Hyosan before the outbreak survived. Not great for the end of the world! Despite the fact that 60,000 people were killed in the bombing of Hyosan…
That amount of casualties alone will drastically alter the future lives of these survivors. Of course, we also know that the Jonas Virus is still active.
Earlier in this final episode, the military kidnaps the Creator’s infected son and wife for unknown reasons. Let’s just hope they’re looking for a cure for the virus and not ways to use it as a weapon.
In any case, Nam-ra is harboring the virus, as are the other infected people she mentions.
Whether or not the undead return, a second season will still have a lot to deal with, from the massive casualties of the initial outbreak and the potential threats from the military to Nam-ra’s true nature. Is she one of the good guys, or is she plotting an uprising for herself and the other hybrids?
These plot elements suggest that All of Us Are Dead could return as a very different creature, one that takes a different approach to the social commentary that drives much of the first season.
“The series introduced the origin of the zombie virus in an effort to focus on those who accept responsibility and those who don’t when an event such as school violence occurs. Director Lee Jae-kyoo said (via The Korea Herald) that despite the series being yet another undead action thriller, it allows viewers to reflect on who they are as individuals .
Therefore, the first season examines “what kind of people they are.” It looks like the second season might investigate “what kind of brain eaters” they are.
Lee Jae-kyoo remarked, “If the first season can be said to feature the survival of humanity, then the second season can discuss the survival of zombies.”
It’s an intriguing and relatively new angle for a zombie show. We rarely get to experience an undead disaster from the perspective of the undead themselves.
But even if the remaining characters all end up “dead”, the series doesn’t necessarily have to end. Future seasons could also approach this initial outbreak from different angles, revealing the true effects of the Jonas Virus on Korea as a whole.
Joo Dong-geun’s original webcomic ends quite differently. There, Nam-ra finds comfort in her companions rather than her fellow hybrids, which is a significant departure from the series’ narrative.
However, one element of the source material that may still be realized on screen is the implication that the virus has now spread to Japan. Although the second season of All of Us Are Dead is a South Korean production, it seems unlikely that it will be screened overseas. We imagine that this global proliferation of the virus would be evoked through reports or even the introduction of non-Korean characters.
Lee Jae-kyoo also wants to explore a second season. He told the Korea Herald that he “intentionally” left space for a potential second season.
“Many intentional directions, settings and sequences were created to extend the story into a second season, including the introduction of new breeds of zombies. My goal is to give viewers another season,” he continued.
New species of zombies can, to some extent, refrain from committing murder. They’re still zombies, even if zombies can control their impulses better. This creates an intriguing area to investigate in season two. The science professor who designed the virus said a vaccine was impossible, but is this statement true? If these variants exist, they could offer the key to a treatment. How happy would they be to participate in an experiment?
Exploring Nam-ra’s journey in this context could be a tantalizing way to introduce the second season’s universe. Additionally, this is consistent with Lee’s intention to focus on zombie survivability in a potential second season.
Obviously, an official renewal has yet to arrive, and K-dramas typically only last one or two seasons. It wouldn’t be surprising if this one deviated from the norm, though. Like Squid Game before it, All of Us Are Dead has topped the Netflix TV charts worldwide, including a record in the US, so the demand for season two is surely there. Whatever the future holds for Chun Sung-il’s horrifying zombie tale, it seems we’re all incredibly eager to find out.