All of Us are Dead

Presentation

For more…

Zombies in Korea:
– Zombie Detective (Drama)
– Kingdom 1&2 (Drama)
– #Alive (Movie)
– Train to Busan (Movie)

Analysis

Synopsis

Nam On Jo, Lee Cheong San, Lee Su Hyeok, Choi Nam Ra and others end up trapped in their school during a virus outbreak. While some students turn into bloodthirsty zombies, the group of teenagers desperately tries to survive and escape Hyosan High School.

My Opinion (No Spoiler)

Excellent drama! I was skeptical at first because there has been so much about zombies recently and I was afraid the story would not live up to my expectations. Plus, I thought that 12 episodes was too much and may do a disservice to the plot, with an intrigue that would run in circles or escalate too quickly before running out of breath in the final episodes. Well, not at all!

I was very surprised to see how great the drama actually turned out to be, finding its own place in the zombie-themed stories. If you like zombies, scary moments and stressful turns of events, I recommend you watch this new Netflix hit!

Analysis (Spoiler Alert)

Before diving into the survival of the students trapped in Hyosan High School, I think a little bit of context regarding the virus and pandemic are in order.
In a nutshell, the drama starts by introducing the weird science teacher of Hyosan High School Lee Byeong Chan (Kim Byung Chul) and his son, who seems to be sick. Right from the start, viewers are led to believe that the kid may be the reason why the virus starts to spread. But this is not the case, as the pandemic begins like any other, with an animal. Indeed, bully Kim Hyeon Ju (Jung Yi Seo) is bitten by a mouse in the science lab of the school. She then turns rapidly into a zombie, bites the school nurse and is transported to the hospital, where she contaminates the rest of the city.

The plot could have just focused on the different ways a group of powerless students can survive this event. Yet, there seems to be a greater message to convey right from the beginning.

The roots of the virus: The first scenes of the drama display a group of bullies assaulting Byeong Chan’s son on a rooftop. Worse, the victim would have actually died if he had not been a zombie in the first place, as he is thrown from the roof and brutally hits the ground. He is left for dead and the bullies don’t seem to care. Shortly before, he had had and outburst of rage. Sick of being assaulted, he let the virus take the upper hand and started to defend himself.

Thereafter, the first episodes introduces two new outcasts Min Eun Ji (Oh Hye Soo) and Kim Cheol Su (Ahn Ji Ho), both being bullied by the same students seen in the rooftop scene. These two will be trapped on the rooftop when the pandemic starts. The only difference between the bullying on the rooftop and that in the abandoned warehouse is the presence of Lee Su Hyeok (Lomon), present in the second scene. He admits himself that he used to be a bully and hang out with this group, but not anymore. He has changed and is now trying to protect future victims. Despite his involvement, Eun Ji and Cheol Su choose to stay with their executioners for fear of being even more persecuted later.

These events may seem insignificant at that point of the story, but I think they actually give a lot of information regarding the rest of the drama. Indeed, Eun Ji and Cheol Su appear to be cowards, in the sense that they have given up on life and people. Hence Eun Ji’s will to commit suicide and afterwards desire to kill everybody once turned; as well as Cheol Su’s leaving the rooftop with the military alone, not mentioning that other students stand behind closed doors. Both will pay for their actions: Cheol Su is bitten by Eun Ji, who herself becomes a guinea pig for the military.

Moreover, we also get some insight on potential survivors and the reason as to why they survive. Indeed, the drama emphasizes humanity, solidarity and friendship throughout its episodes. It shows that helping each other can be the key to overcoming great struggles, even a zombie pandemic. From that point on, it is clear that those who stomp on others will either die or turn (all the bullies die), while the humane ones (the survivor group) make it through. So, the tough ones in a “normal” context are very often not the real ones in a time of crisis, because they would rather sacrifice others than themselves.

Interestingly, Yoon Gwi Nam (Yoon In Soo) is kind of in the middle. He is neither respected by the bullies (they consider him their handyman), nor is he appreciated by his schoolmates. The fact that he walks a fine line between both sides can explain why he stays alive for so long. Though honestly, I would’ve loved to get rid of him earlier in the drama!

On an analytical level, we can suppose that the origin of the pandemic lies in the dysfunctions of society. The actual system is ruled by the law of the jungle (the law of the strongest), it overlooks bullying and even covers it up for the sake of the school’s reputation, as mentioned by the principal himself. Teachers, police officers, parents and students turn a blind eye to the sufferings of the bullied ones. In a way, society allows for the weaker individuals to be trampled on, while the stronger ones grow even stronger, protected from any form of punishment.

Because of this systematic issue, the science teacher finds no other way to protect his son from bullies than to inject him with a newly created virus, supposed to make him stronger. He wanted to help his son, make him capable of fending for himself and standing up in front of his bullies. Unfortunately, he created a monster instead and turned the world upside down.

The irony here is that even when he tries to warn people, especially detective Song Jae Il (Lee Kyu Hyung), he is not taken seriously until it is actually too late. Once again, society turns a blind eye and the result is the spread of the pandemic with no cure whatsoever.

Mutations of the virus: As mentioned mid-drama by Lee Byeong Chan, the virus is able to evolve on its own. Its structure changes constantly which apparently makes it impossible to find a cure. Although it seems like all hope is lost, there is actually a twist in all that. One that not only serves the action well, but allows for a ray of hope to surge among survivors: the mutation.

“Will to kill“, the reason of the mutation?: From what we can see in the drama, it seems like both Gwi Nam and Eun Ji experience the virus differently from other “normal” zombies. Interestingly, both characters express a desire to kill someone (Eun Ji wants to kill Gwi Nam because he intends to release a video of her naked – Gwi Nam wants to kill Lee Cheong San (Yoon Chan Young) for what he did to his eye), after being bitten and transformed. From that point on, I think we can suggest that this thirst for death allows the virus to mutate in their body.

The only difference concerns class president Choi Nam Ra (Cho Yi Hyun). She doesn’t express such rage and desire. However, since she has been bitten by Gwi Nam himself, it would be understandable that she only receives the mutated virus, enabling her to remain half human.

A new species of mankind: That being said, it is clear that Nam Ra and others, as she explains at the end of the drama, belong to an entirely new species of mankind. Her senses are way sharper, she has super strength and she technically never dies because her body regenerates. But she still has a human conscientiousness and emotions. She is a sort of an in-between, combining the best of both worlds. The question that now remains is: Is there going to be a follow-up on Nam Ra and this new group of super beings or does the drama end here?

How to fight the virus: Obviously, a zombie pandemic raises some issues, especially if you can’t create a cure. One of them has to do with the means to implement so the virus wouldn’t spread. The military, and especially Jin Seon Mu (Kim Jong Tae) commander of the martial law, are confronted with that problem.

How heartless can you be to save the greatest number of people? That’s exactly the question asked by Song Jae Il, imprisoned in the refugee camp, as he watches Hyosan being bombed.

Destroying the entire city of Hyosan and burning all the zombies to the ground seem to be the only solution that the military has been able to come up with to prevent more people from turning. This naturally makes us ponder on a lot of different elements: What about the survivors there, like the students who are in desperate need of saving? Can you sacrifice 50.000 people in order to save the rest of the country?

In fact, the drama doesn’t leave much choice for thinking. There are no other options available for the military, but to painfully kill 40% of the Hyosan population.

Duty of a soldier, love of a parent: When the soldiers and the entire military seem to have given up on the survivors in Hyosan, resolving to bombing the place, there is but only one group that attempts everything in its power to rescue them: the parents.
Several times, the teenagers (especially Kim Ji Min (Kim Jin Young), Cheong San and Nam On Jo (Park Ji Hu)) discover that their parents actually went to the school to get them. Unfortunately, they all turned in the process. Yet, this gesture shows how strong a parent’s love can be, no matter the age of the parent.
The case of the pregnant high school girl is probably the best epitome. When the pandemic starts, she has given birth in the public restroom and has abandoned her baby there. But she goes back to save him from zombies. Even though she turns in the restaurant, she ties herself to the door, far away from her child to protect him. The fact that the baby is later on saved by the detective proves that parent’s love triumphed in the end.

At the end, even the commander tells his family that he loves them before committing suicide and the science teacher actually created the virus out of love for his bullied son. These two also demonstrates that parents would do anything for their children.

Jonas Virus: As I was watching the drama, I felt like the name of the virus had not been chosen by coincidence. After some research, I discovered that the name Jonas in Hebrew mean “Dove”. Ironically though, the dove is a symbol of peace. At first sight, there seems to be a discrepancy between the origin of the name and the zombie apocalypse that befell Hyosan (zombies are far from being peaceful in the drama). Yet, by digging a little bit more, it appears that Jonas also means “Gift from God”, since doves were considered as such before.

From that point on, we can extrapolate the link between name and plot. Indeed, the virus, as said before, is aimed at making people stronger, so they would be able to defend themselves in front of bullies (or at least that was the idea at first). Moreover, the Jonas virus is actually responsible for the creation of an entirely new human species, half zombie, half human. In that matter, we can interpret the arrival of the virus as a gift from God (or here from Lee Byeong Chan), that can compensate the dysfunctions in society at the root of many problems. If not compensate, then it can to the very least make people aware of societal discrepancies and find ways to close the gaps somehow.

It is just a theory, but why not?

The group of survivors: One of the main strengths of the drama, apart from the realistic depiction of how students may react in such a situation, is the profiles of said students. Indeed, some of them are far from being your typical survivor. Even though several seem shy, quiet or even weak, they still manage to live thanks to their good nature.
On top of having their own fears, they are gifted with very useful qualities, either in relation to the club they belong to, their physics or their wits.

Hyosan High School
Starting with the main group: the students at Hysoan High School, who are obviously split into two teams. One that is trapped inside the school, and one inside the toilets.

If I had to make a list of the students and their proper qualities, I could put it as follows:

Main building group:
Nam On Jo is the daughter of a firefighter, who has taught her a lot about survival (create toilets for example). She is one of the main characters, best friends since kindergarten with Cheong San and in love with Su Hyeok. She is warmhearted and comforting, as well as pretty resourceful. She lost her best friend Yoon I Sak (Kim Ju Ah) early on and refuses to lose someone else in the debacle. Moreover, she gradually realizes her feelings for Cheong San. On Jo kind of represents the main witness of the situation for the viewers.

Lee Cheong San is quiet, quick-witted and way too sacrificial. I seriously think that without him and Su Hyeok, everyone would have perished. His good nature enables the group to rely on him when it comes to taking risks. He is not afraid of fighting nor putting himself in danger if it means protecting those he loves.

Lee Su Hyeok is kind, protective and loyal. He is fast and clever. He resembles a lot his friend Cheong San but he is more outgoing.

Choi Nam Ra is the class president, whose family money allowed her to get a lot although she never asked for it. She is not really appreciated by her schoolmates, always isolating herself. She has never been friends with anyone. That’s why she appears cold and distant. Yet, she proves to be very cool-headed and rational, denouncing for example Lee Na Yeon’s (Lee Yoo Mi) killing. Little by little, she warms up to others and connects with them, especially Su Hyeok for whom she becomes a zombie. Plus, she is full of ideas like using her skills with the broadcasting station to get rid of the zombies.

Lee Na Yeon is arrogant and condescendant, particularly towards those less rich than her like Han Gyung Su (Ham Sung Min). However, she is also quite a lonely character. She has always been on the sideline and never really belonged. She willingly turns Gyeong Su into a zombie to prove a point, but she ends up being alienated from the rest of the group. She tries to repent at the end but she gets killed by Gwi Nam.

Jang Dae Su (Lim Jae Hyuk) is physical strength embodied. Thanks to him, the group can hold on barricades against zombies. He is also innocent, clueless and lively.

Oh Joon Yeong (Ahn Seung Kyun) is the nerd, whose knowledge in drones helps the team find Cheong San in the school and see the outskirts of the school.

Toilet group:
Jang Ha Ri (Ha Seung Ri) is the badass character. She throws arrows, she goes back into the school to find her brother Jang Wu Jin (Son Sang Yeon). She is charismatic and a leader, who doesn’t fret.

Park Mi Jin (Lee Eun Saem) seems to be a jerk at first. She picks a fight with everyone, insults and gets mad for no reason. But she is no coward and doesn’t want to leave anyone behind. She cares about people, even if she doesn’t want to show it at first.

In the city
In the city, the profiles of survivors are also quite atypical. Detective Jae Il has decided to warn the military that there could be relevant information in Byeong Chan’s computer. Unfortunately, it is in the science lab at Hyosan High School.
In his mission, he is accompanied by a Seoul University student and picks up on the way a baby, a little girl and a YouTuber, who was stranded on a roof.

They survive and Jae Il achieves his goal. All are transported to the military camp for Hyosan refugees.

Assembly
On Jo’s father, firefighter Nam So Ju (Jeon Bae Su) and two colleagues, are called to treat a sick man from the assembly when the pandemic starts. The man happens to have been bitten. Firefighters, Assemblywoman Park Eun Hee (Bae Hae Sun) and her aids are trapped in the building. Fortunately, a helicopter is dispatched to save them. They all are transported to the refugee camp, where they are put in quarantine. However, Nam So Ju refuses to stay. He escapes and takes the road to get his daughter back. He finds her at the school and dies before her eyes, while saving everyone.

Friendship goals: The drama revolves before all around the importance of friendship and of being surrounded by people you trust. The best example is probably Nam Ra. At the beginning of the story, she is lonely and hated, but she manages to make friends in the midst of the apocalypse.

The scene of the campfire on the rooftop represents in my opinion the climax of that friendship. The first time they get there, all students are desperate. They have just been abandoned by the military supposed to rescue them and find themselves all alone. Hopefully, they have each other to rely on. They keep each other company, sing songs, share stories and fears. They really bond in the middle of chaos, crying over the deaths of their friends and making plans to survive.
The campfire serves as a metaphor of their strong friendship. Indeed, Nam Ra lights a fire on the rooftop to inform her friends she is waiting for them at the end of the drama. All of them leave the refugee camp at night and go see her, without exception.

Also, I found this group of survivors pretty amazing. They had such a good spirit, they wanted to remain respectful, calm and democratic. They listened to each other and worked together to live, instead of betraying each other.
In fact, all of those who didn’t try to be a part of a group, to help others, to be generous… either turned into evil people (e.g. Gwi Nam), lab rat (e.g. Eun Ji), dead (e.g. Cheol Su/Na Yeon) or zombies (e.g. Ji Min, who ran away instead of helping her friend Hyo Ryung).

The zombie outbreak, metaphor of adulthood? Usually, teenagers are seen as young people in a sort of in-between. They are neither children nor adults. Once they enter adulthood, they are confronted with a lot of struggles and obstacles, with a sort of jungle in which they generally experience betrayals (such as the military leaving them behind on the rooftop), confront bullies (Gwi Nam for instance), are scorned by wealthier people (like the situation between Na Yeon and Gyeong Su).

Amidst this chaos, whether it’d be the zombie apocalypse or adulthood, the goal is to remain human and to navigate through life while holding on to basic values such as selflessness, kindness, helpfulness… All of Us are Dead comes out as a kind of coming-of-age drama, fulled with life lessons acquired in the most brutal and cruel way.

Meanwhile, the drama also help focusing on the bright side of things like being healthy, being alive… instead of obsessing over futile things (good grades for example).

The bittersweet taste of being a survivor: One of the most painful lessons of the story to take-away is probably the price you have to pay to survive. Yes, some of them are alive, but each has lost a loved one, and probably both their parents. As mentioned by On Jo, surviving brings pain and sorrow, because you are now all alone. The only thing that remains is your friends, the other survivors who can understand the grief and the pain.

Cast and opening: First, I have to applaud this new generation of actors, who did an excellent job at portraying their characters. I love it when dramas introduce us new faces (like in the School series for instance). On top of that, it adds to the credibility of the story. The fact that these are unknown faces makes the drama even more realistic and legit.

Second, I have to say that the 12 episodes have been perfectly directed. The rhythm of the action, the colors, the sounds, absolutely no detail was left aside, which naturally partakes in the success of All of Us are Dead.

Finally, the opening is really clever. Even if I didn’t quite understand it at first, the last episodes explain it all!

Ending: Of course, like any other drama on that theme, the open ending calls for more. Many questions came to my mind such as: Is Cheong San really dead? What will happen to Nam Ra? Who else has been infected with the mutated virus? Is there going to be another outbreak (e.g. the science teacher’s family is not dead and has been taken away by the government)? Are they going to find a cure? Will the entire group somehow reunite? I simply wish to get answers.

P.S.: Are you hoping for a second season of All of Us are Dead?