Yahoo Movies All of Us Are Dead's ending explained – for zombies who zoned out halfway through
All of Us Are Dead finale spoilers follow.
With a title like All of Us Are Dead, you'd think South Korea's Netflix hit would arrive at a definitive ending. But like the zombies themselves, there's plenty of scope for life after this show's so-called end, thanks to some final threads that season two could easily pull on.
Good thing too as All of Us Are Dead has been green-lit for a second season, so get ready for more zombies tearing it up, and by 'it' we of course mean human flesh.
The news was announced over Instagram on the Netflix South Korea account with a post of a season-two poster captioned "Can we survive again? The second story of Hyosan High School friends' fierce zombie survival period begins. #AllofUsAreDead #Netflix."
Delighted as fans will no doubt be with the knowledge of a season two in the works, it's almost impossible to conceive of another season topping the first.
As you should know if you've watched at least a few episodes, All of Us Are Dead follows some high-school students (and others) who already had enough on their plates even before a zombie virus hit. Hyosan High School is a bloodbath in every sense, which means our survivors are somewhat equipped to deal with the horrors that await them.
But, of course, not everyone makes it out alive. (Almost) All of Us Are Dead, after all, so that shouldn't come as too much of a surprise.
All of Us Are Dead ending explained
In episode 12, the season-one finale, our beloved students defend themselves against the zombies one last time, in Yangdong, close to their hometown of Hyosan. Unfortunately, another student is killed – and so close to the end too! This time it's Woo-jin (Son Sang-yeon), the brother of archer Ha-ri (Ha Seung-ri).
After that, Nam-ra (Cho Yi-hyun) decides to abandon the group. She'll be fine 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. Basically, she still wants to eat people, but there's enough humanity left inside to help her hold back.
Still, Nam-ra is worried that the hunger will overtake her. These survivors are essentially a buffet to her, after all, so the adorable hybrid decides to leave her friends behind after nearly biting On-jo (Park Ji-hu). And with that, the group keeps going, only to be arrested by the military, who interrogate and quarantine them (because that's all the military are ever good for in a zombie apocalypse).
All of Us Are Dead then staggers four months ahead with a news report that reveals things are slowly getting back to normal. Martial law in the Hyosan region is relaxing a bit and the quarantine camp is less strict when it comes to enforcing the rules.
Because of this, On-jo is free to sneak out each night and leave gifts at a memorial that's been made to commemorate all of the students who died in the outbreak – all your faves who didn't make it out alive.
One night, On-jo spots a campfire lit on the ruins of Hyosan High School and tells Su-hyeok (Park Solomon) about what she saw. Together, they decide to investigate, and it's not long before the others join them, including: Ha-ri, Dae-su (Im Jae-hyuk), Mi-jin (Lee Eun-saem), and Hyo-ryung (Kim Bo-yoon).
Upon arriving at the bombed-out remains of their old school, the gang are reunited with Nam-ra who actually seems to be pretty happy for someone living a hybrid zombie existence alone in the wilderness. And that's because she isn't alone at all.
"There are a few more like me," Nam-ra reveals. But what does she mean by that? Well, at one point, Nam-ra describes herself as "neither a human nor a monster", so the implication is that there are other hybrids like herself. Although that doesn't mean some regular zombies aren't out there too...
Then, just as Nam-ra and On-jo start to reconnect, Nam-ra hears a suspicious noise. "They're back," she says. And with that, everyone's favourite hybrid jumps off the roof, leaving her friends behind to wonder where she's gone. Will Nam-ra return? And if so, will she still be a friend or something else entirely?
How All of Us Are Dead's finale sets up season 2
Military reports reveal that out of the 170,000 residents who lived in Hyosan prior to this outbreak, 110,000 people make it out alive. That's not bad for an apocalypse! Although, 60,000 casualties did occur during the bombing of Hyosan...
That amount of loss alone will radically change the lives of these survivors moving forward. And, of course, we also know that the Jonas Virus is still kicking around.
Earlier on in this final episode, the creator's infected son and wife are snatched away by the military for reasons unknown. Let's just hope they're looking for a cure and not ways to exploit the virus as a weapon.
Either way, Nam-ra still carries the virus, as do the rest of the infected people she alludes to.
Whether the regular zombies return or not, a second season still has plenty to contend with — from the mass loss of the initial outbreak and the dangers that the military might pose to that whole mystery surrounding Nam-ra's true nature. Is she really one of the good guys, or is she secretly plotting an uprising for her and the other hybrids?
While there's still some scope for another outbreak that mirrors what's come before, these plot threads suggest All of Us Are Dead could return as a very different beast — one that takes a new approach to the social commentary that drives so much of season one.
"The origin of zombie virus was introduced in the series as an attempt to highlight the people who take responsibility and those who do not when an event, such as school violence, occurs. Though it is another zombie action-thriller, I thought the series provides the viewers with a chance to think about what kind of people they are," director Lee Jae-kyoo said (via The Korea Herald).
So, season one explores 'what kind of people' they are. It sounds like season two could examine 'what kind of brain-munchers' they are.
"If the first season can be seen as having presented humanity's survival, the next season can talk about the survival of zombies," Lee Jae-kyoo noted.
It's an intriguing angle, one that's relatively original for a zombie show. We rarely get the opportunity to follow an undead apocalypse narrative purely from the undead perspective.
But even if everyone who's left does end up 'dead', that doesn't mean the show itself has to end. Future seasons could also approach this same initial outbreak from different perspectives, revealing the true ramifications of this Jonas Virus on Korea at large.
Joo Dong-geun's original webtoon ends rather differently. There, Nam-ra finds solace with her friends instead of her fellow hybrids, which is a big twist on what we've seen play out within the show.
However, one aspect of the source material that could still come true on screen is the tease that this virus has now spread to Japan. While this means season two could potentially end up moving overseas, that seems unlikely given that All of Us Are Dead is a South Korean production. Instead, we imagine that this global spread of the virus would be hinted at via news reports or even the introduction of new, non-Korean characters.
Lee Jae-kyoo is keen to explore a second season, too. Speaking to The Korea Herald, he explained that he had "intentionally" made room for a possible second season.
"Many directions, settings and scenes were intentionally produced to expand the story into an additional season, including the introduction of the new races of zombies. I hope to present viewers with another season," he added.
The new race of zombies can stop themselves from killing up to a point. They're still zombies, just zombies who are better at managing their urges. This sets up an interesting area to explore in season two. The science teacher who created the virus explained that a vaccine isn't possible — but is that really true? If these variants exist, could they provide the key to a cure? How happy would they be about being experimented on?
Exploring Nam-ra's journey in this context could be a compelling way to open up the world for a second season. Plus, it ties in with Lee's aim to focus on the zombies' survival in a possible second season.
Of course, an official renewal hasn't arrived just yet, and K-dramas tend to only run for one or two seasons. But we wouldn't be surprised if this one bucks that trend. 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 certainly there.
Whatever happens next, it seems that all of us are dead excited to see what the future holds for Chun Sung-il's horrific zombie story.
All of Us Are Dead is now available to watch on Netflix.
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