Warning: Spoilers ahead for Sweet Home.
All of Us Are Dead can learn a lot from the mistakes made by Sweet Home season 2, which failed to live up to the monster K-drama’s successful debut. It’s difficult not to compare All of Us Are Dead to Sweet Home given how they’re both Netflix original K-drama webseries about a group of characters trying to make it through a monster apocalypse. Sweet Home premiered in December 2020 and returned with a second season three years later, whereas All of Us Are Dead debuted in January 2022 and has yet to return for season 2.
Despite being one of the most popular K-dramas on Netflix, Sweet Home struggled to recapture the quality of season 1. After three years with very few updates on the K-drama starring Song Kang, Sweet Home returned for season 2 as an almost entirely different show. All of Us Are Dead’s journey has so far mirrored Sweet Home’s in a lot of ways, including the fact they were both renewed for new seasons despite covering their respective webtoons in season 1. I hope All of Us Are Dead will avoid the mistakes that played against Netflix’s previous horror K-drama hit.
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7 All Of Us Are Dead Season 2 Could Use A Time Skip Like Sweet Home’s
Sweet Home’s Time Skip Was Controversial
While Sweet Home’s time skip was very controversial, All of Us Are Dead season 2 could benefit from something similar. The problem with Sweet Home season 2 was not the time skip itself but rather how the show used it, meaning that All of Us Are Dead jumping a few months or even years in time would not necessarily be a bad thing. In fact, considering just how long it has been since the zombie K-drama premiered, it would make sense to acknowledge the passing of time in the story.
All of Us Are Dead season 2 has yet to officially enter production.
All of Us Are Dead included a small time jump at the end of season 1, after which the characters were cleared to walk around the quarantine camp. Still, having a time skip of at least one year would be a great way for All of Us Are Dead to set up future stories. The surviving characters are relatively fine and safe at the end of season 1 thanks to the sacrifices made by their friends, including Cheong-san. A time skip would help these sacrifices hit harder, especially if Cheong-san ends up returning.
6 All Of Us Are Dead Must Not Forget Who Its Main Characters Are
Sweet Home Season 2 All But Ignored Hyun-su
One of the biggest problems with Sweet Home season 2 is that it moved away from the show’s main characters. To put things in perspective, Song Kang’s Cha Hyun-su missed most of the second half of the season after being defeated by Ui-myeong. While it made sense to separate Hyun-su from the rest of the group for a while, Sweet Home 2 completely ignored Hyun-su during three of its eight episodes. Hyun-su was not the only character Sweet Home “forgot” in season 2, with most of the Green Home survivors having a smaller role.
For example, Park Gyu-young’s Ji-su died in episode 3 and never returned, not even in flashbacks or visions. Sweet Home season 2 brought in several new characters, especially after the time skip, most of which were living at the stadium. I expect All of Us Are Dead 2 to introduce new characters as well, but the zombie series must not lose track of who its protagonists are. Although All of Us Are Dead has an ensemble cast, its main characters are On-jo, Su-hyeok, Nam-ra, and Cheong-san, the last of which may or may not be dead.
5 All Of Us Are Dead’s New Characters Must Have Strong Connections To The Original Ones
Sweet Home Struggled To Make Us Care About The New Characters
The easiest way for All of Us Are Dead to avoid Sweet Home’s new cast problem is to make us care enough about whoever new characters are introduced in the second season. In Sweet Home, apart from the fact they were all living in the same place, there was no connection between the new characters and the original ones. Even the ones that did exist – such as Eun-yu’s history with Ye-seul – were established offscreen during the time skip. This is a mistake that All of Us Are Dead must avoid.
The quarantine camp where the survivors were taken is a good way of introducing new characters who may have had very different experiences from the Hyosan High kids. Other potential new characters in All of Us Are Dead are the hambies Nam-ra encountered in the wreckages of Hyosan, whom I assume will play an important role in the upcoming season. If the season 1 characters continue to be the focus, All of Us Are Dead should have no problem introducing new friends and foes.
4 All Of Us Are Dead Season 2 Shouldn’t Just Be About Soldiers & The Military
The Main Characters Should Always Be The Underdogs
Although Sweet Home season 1’s story included the military and their role in what was happening, season 2 focused way too much on the soldiers. One of the reasons why Sweet Home’s first season was so good was seeing a group of regular people – some of whom had just met each other – having to work together to survive in the middle of a monster apocalypse. By introducing a group of experienced, highly trained soldiers in season 2, the show lost some of its magic. Hopefully, All of Us Are Dead won’t repeat this mistake.
All of Us Are Dead should continue focusing on the kids and their fight against all odds to survive.
The point of All of Us Are Dead was that the students would have to save themselves after realizing that help was not coming. Between the difficult logistics and the discovery of asymptomatic zombies, the military decided not to rescue the Hyosan High survivors. The commander in charge also decided to bombard the city to contain the outbreak. All of Us Are Dead should continue focusing on the kids and their fight against all odds to survive.
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3 All Of Us Are Dead Must Be Satisfying On Its Own (Even If Season 3 Happens)
Sweet Home Season 2 Wasn’t A Complete Story
Sweet Home was renewed for two more seasons shortly after its debut on Netflix, confirming how successful the K-drama had been for the streamer. Seasons 2 and 3 of Sweet Home were filmed back-to-back, which is part of the reason why the show took so long to return. While having two additional seasons of Sweet Home was exciting, the second chapter of the Song Kang K-drama felt like an incomplete story.Sweet Home 2 dedicated a lot of time to introducing characters and concepts that would only come into play in season 3.
For example, Ui-myeong’s true identity was teased throughout season 2, but it was only discovered by the other characters in season 3. Likewise, Sargeant Taki’s secret was built up to be a major part of the story but was only really important in season 3. The same thing applies to Chief Ji’s secret in Sweet Home.
All of Us Are Dead cast | |
|---|---|
Actor | Character |
Park Ji-hu | Nam On-jo |
Yoon Chan-young | Lee Cheong-san |
Cho Yi-hyun | Choi Nam-ra |
Lomon | Lee Su-hyeok |
Yoo In-soo | Yoon Gwi-nam |
Lee Yoo-mi | Lee Na-yeon |
Min Eun-ji | Oh Hye-soo |
Kim Byung-chul | Lee Byeong-chan |
Lee Kyu-hyung | Song Jae-ik |
Jeon Bae-soo | Nam So-ju |
Considering how long All of Us Are Dead season 2 is taking, plus the fact that season 1 was quite successful, I would not be surprised if the zombie show also ends up renewed for a third season. Netflix has used a similar strategy not only with Sweet Home but also with Squid Game. That said, even if All of Us Are Dead season 3 is being planned or considered, I hope that season 2 is satisfying on its own instead of being just an extended trailer for another chapter.
2 All Of Us Are Dead Shouldn’t Separate Its Main Characters For Too Long
Sweet Home’s Main Trio Only Reunited In Season 3
In addition to sidelining some of its main characters in season 2, Sweet Home also separated them. For example, Cha Hyun-su only reunited with Eun-yu in season 2, episode 7, having spent all previous episodes away from his friends. Likewise, Yi-kyung spent most of season 2 on a solo journey that only intersected with Hyun-su’s story in flashbacks and at the finale. That’s not to mention the characters who were killed off or whose fates were unclear such as Lee Do-hyun’s Eun-hyeok.
While saving Eun-hyeok’s return for season 3 made sense, I was disappointed with how little time the remaining Green Home residents spent together after season 1. This is why I hope All of Us Are Dead season 2 doesn’t separate its main characters too often or for too long. All of Us Are Dead does have the advantage of having a larger set of main characters – at least four names can be described as protagonists – whereas Sweet Home revolved primarily around Cha Hyun-su.
1 All Of Us Are Dead Must Maintain The Tone Of The Show In Season 2
All Of Us Are Dead Must Remain A Survival Horror Show
Regardless of the new characters or the lack of Hyun-su, the main problem with Sweet Home season 2 is that it felt like a different show in terms of tone. Rather than a survival horror series set mainly in just one location, Sweet Home 2 was a large-scale story featuring different factions and organizations. There’s a tonal whiplash going from the first to the second season of Sweet Home, even though the stadium was supposed to be the new Greem Home.
All of Us Are Dead faces a similar challenge given that Hyosan High was destroyed at the end of season 1. Without the school, it may be difficult to replicate the tone of season 1, which doesn’t mean All of Us Are Dead should now be a radically different show like what happened to Sweet Home. That’s not to say All of Us Are Dead shouldn’t try something new for season 2, only that the show shouldn’t abandon its identity.
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All Of Us Are Dead
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All of Us Are Dead is a horror-thriller series based on the webtoon from creator Jeon Bae-soo. Set in a South Korean high school, a scientist father trying to find a way to protect his son from bullies accidentally creates a serum that uses the fear within humans to turn them into zombies. Set loose in the school, the surviving students and staff find themselves cut off from the outside world and must now fight to survive the infected onslaught - and each other.
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Sweet Home
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Sweet Home follows the story of Hyun-soo, a reclusive high school student who moves into the Green Home apartment complex after losing his family. When a mysterious epidemic turns people into monstrous creatures, Hyun-soo and the residents of Green Home must band together to survive, confronting their inner demons and the horrifying threats outside.
