With a title like All of Us Are Dead, you would expect South Korea’s Netflix success to reach a conclusion. As with the zombies themselves, there’s plenty of life after this show’s ostensible conclusion, due to a few loose ends that season two could easily pick up.
Good thing too as All of Us Are Dead has been green-lit for a second season, so get set for more zombies tearing it up, and by ‘it’ 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 endure again? The second chapter of The Companions of Hyosan High School’s fierce zombie survival begins. #EveryoneIsDead #Netflix.”
Fans will undoubtedly be thrilled to learn that a second season is in the works, but it’s difficult to imagine a second season surpassing the first.
As you should know if you’ve seen at least a few episodes, All of Us Are Dead chronicles a group of high school students (and others) who had enough on their plates prior to the outbreak of the zombie virus. The fact that Hyosan High School is a bloodbath in every sense means that our survivors are somewhat prepared for the atrocities to come.
Of course, however, not everyone survives. After all, (Almost) All of Us Are Dead, so this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.
All of Us Are Dead Ending Explained
In the season one finale, episode 12, our adored students defend themselves against zombies in Yangdong, close to their hometown of Hyosan. Another student is tragically slain, 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) subsequently resolves to leave the group. She’ll be alright though, because unlike the others, Nam-ra has been infected with a strange variant of the virus that has transformed her into some kind of zombie/human hybrid. She still desires to consume humans, but she retains enough humanity to restrain herself.
Still, Nam-ra is concerned that she will succumb to starvation. 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 on, only to be apprehended by the military, who interrogate and quarantine them (because that’s all they’re useful for in a zombie apocalypse).
Four months later, a news report in All of Us Are Dead reveals that things are gradually returning to normal. In the Hyosan region, martial law is loosening, and the quarantine camp is less strict about enforcing the regulations.
Due to this, On-jo is able to slip out each night and leave gifts at a memorial honoring all of the students who perished in the outbreak – all of your favorite students who did not survive.
On one occasion, On-jo observes a campfire lit atop the ruins of Hyosan High School and informs Su-hyeok (Park Solomon) of her observation. Together, they resolve 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-out ruins of their former school, the group is reunited with Nam-ra, who seems surprisingly content for a hybrid zombie living alone in the wilderness. This is because she is not at all alone.
“There are a few more like me,” Nam-ra discloses. However, what does she mean? Nam-ra characterizes herself as “neither human nor monster” at one point, so it is implied that there are other hybrids like her. Although this does not preclude the existence of ordinary undead…
Then, as Nam-ra and On-jo are beginning to reconnect, Nam-ra hears a suspicious sound. “They’re back,” she declares. Then, everyone’s favorite hybrid leaps off the roof, leaving her companions to ponder where she went. Will Nam-ra come back? And if so, will she remain a confidante or become something entirely different?
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How All of Us Are Dead’s finale sets up Season 2
According to military reports, only 110,000 of the 170,000 individuals who resided in Hyosan prior to the outbreak survived. That’s not terrible for the end of the world! Despite the fact that 60,000 people were killed during the bombardment of Hyosan…
This quantity of loss alone will drastically alter the future lives of these survivors. Of course, we are also aware that the Jonas Virus is still active.
Earlier in this final episode, the military abducts the creator’s infected son and wife for unknown reasons. Let’s just hope they’re seeking a cure for the virus and not methods to use it as a weapon.
Regardless, Nam-ra harbors the virus, as do the other infected individuals she mentions.
Whether or not the regular undead return, a second season will still have a lot to deal with, from the initial outbreak’s massive casualties and the military’s potential threats to Nam-ra’s true nature. Is she one of the good people, or is she plotting an uprising for herself and the other hybrids?
These plot strands 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 a large portion of the first season.
“The series introduced the origin of the zombie virus in an effort to emphasize those who accept responsibility and those who do not when an event such as school violence occurs. Director Lee Jae-kyoo stated (via The Korea Herald) that despite the fact that the series is 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 appears that the second season could investigate “what kind of brain-eaters” they are.
Lee Jae-kyoo remarked, “If the first season can be seen as presenting the survival of humanity, then the second season can discuss the survival of zombies.”
It’s an intriguing and relatively novel angle for a zombie program. Rarely do we get to experience an undead catastrophe from the perspective of the undead themselves.
But even if the remaining characters all wind up ‘dead,’ the show does not have to end. Future seasons could also address this initial outbreak from various angles, revealing the true effects of the Jonas Virus on Korea as a whole.
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The original webcomic by Joo Dong-geun concludes rather differently. There, Nam-ra finds solace with her companions rather than her fellow hybrids, which is a significant deviation from the show’s narrative.
However, one element of the source material that may still be realized onscreen is the implication that the virus has now extended to Japan. Despite the fact that the second season of All of Us Are Dead is a South Korean production, it seems unlikely that it will move abroad. We imagine that this global proliferation of the virus would be alluded to through news reports or even the introduction of non-Korean characters.
Lee Jae-kyoo is also interested in exploring a second season. He explained to The Korea Herald that he had “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 zombie races. I aim to offer viewers another season,” he continued.
The new species of zombies can, to a certain extent, refrain from murdering. They are still zombies, albeit zombies who can better control their impulses. This creates an intriguing area for season two to investigate. The science teacher who designed the virus stated that a vaccine is impossible, but is this statement accurate? If these variants exist, they may offer the key to a treatment. How pleased would they be to participate in an experiment?
Exploring Nam-ra’s journey in this context could be an enticing way to introduce the second season’s universe. In addition, this is consistent with Lee’s intention to focus on the zombies’ survivability in a potential second season.
Obviously, an official renewal has not yet arrived, and K-dramas typically run for only one or two seasons. However, we would not be astonished if this one deviates from the norm. Like Squid Game before it, All of Us Are Dead has topped Netflix TV charts worldwide, including a record-breaking run in the US, so the demand for season two is surely there.
No matter what the future contains for Chun Sung-il’s horrifying zombie story, it appears that we are all incredibly eager to find out.