All Of Us Are Dead Review: Ending explained?
Our main lead is not dead...
Pretty sure everyone is confused about the ending just like I am but here is my theory.
I think some of the Zombies are not dead, maybe some that are like Namra, so it is possible she’s trying to bring them all together while also searching for a cure. We never saw what she was doing for four months after the whole city was burnt down she maybe found a way to control her urge for human blood and while doing that, she found others just like her.
Also, I think our main lead is not dead, remember they showed us On-jo’s name tag and it wasn’t burnt? With a fire like that, it’s supposed to get burnt but it isn't, so Cheong-San is probably alive and also, it took a lot of time for him to get turned into a Zombie after being bitten by Gwi-Nam. In fact, till the fire got to them, he was still human. We only saw him fighting with Gwi-Nam but we did not see him turn into a Zombie. Also, all the people that got bitten by Gwi-Nam when he was not hungry for blood turned into a half-zombie instead of a full-zombie. So I guess we will see Cheong-San in Season 2, hopefully.
This is just my thought.
The Plot
I waited a month for this to be released and now that it is out and I’ve seen all 12 episodes, I don’t know how I feel about it. There are many potholes, unnecessary scenes, and even characters that I feel they could have skipped. Nonetheless, I enjoyed all 12 episodes despite how draggy it was.
I love how the setting and storyline are centered on high school students who are just trying to attend classes, fall in love, and prepare for college. It was very realistic to me. I’ve seen many saying that the romantic scenes were not necessary but I feel different about it. It is the end of the world and as a high school student who still feels hyped about love and romance and probably believes that there is a way out of this mess, telling your crush that you like them is one of the things that will pop into your head when you see people dying.
Also, the way the whole Zombie virus was created by a father who couldn’t watch his son get bullied day in, day out so he tried to create a drug that will make his son get stronger screams a serious “psychopathic” behavior. I mean you hate the world and your son so much that instead of finding a fatherly way to get your son out of the school, city, or country, you decide that creating a drug that would make him strong was the best way? As much as it doesn’t make any sense, it is also very realistic.
Bullying is bad, it gets people killed, makes them lose their self-esteem and it breeds the worst kind of people. Bullying people you think are lower than you or weaker doesn’t make you a cool person, not for a minute. It just makes you think you’re stronger meanwhile you lack love and discipline. It screams insecurity and you are obviously the weaker person, you need therapy because if you have to bring someone low just to feel cool, then you need help.
The Cast
Chan-Young Yoon as Lee Cheong-San
I haven’t seen him in many Kdrama but he is good. He played this role so well that I don’t think anyone could have played it better. A high school student in love with his childhood friend and hates the new name of their family restaurants. He has the spirit of a fighter and that was why he was able to lead and protect them well in the drama. Loved how he protected not just On-jo but everyone else, always standing up to lead and take charge. The most heartbreaking scene for me was him leading his infected best friend away from his other friends and the ending scene. The writer did him bad but I’m pretty sure he’s not dead. He doesn’t deserve that ending. I refuse to accept that he is dead.
Park Ji-hoo as Nam On-jo
Personally, she was the most annoying character for me at the beginning. I didn’t like her character that much but she got better became one of my favorite. Her storyline was the most tragic, she lost so many people. Her best friend, father, friends, and Cheong-San. Loved the relationship she was able to build with Namra towards the end. Hated the scene where she rejected Cheong-San's proposal.
Park Solomon as Lee Suyheok
Just like the main lead, he did so well in protecting the team and putting himself first when danger arises. At least, he knew how to fight and was able to kick some zombie ass. I love the chemistry between him and Namra, literally one of the things that made me enjoy the series. He protected her so well. I’m hoping to see them in a romance kdrama soon. They make a cute couple.
Cho Yi-Hyun as Choi Nam-ra
My pretty Yi-Hyun. This is her third drama I’m watching. She was in Hospital Playlist and School 2021. I love her cute face and amazing acting skills. I watched her smile so much in the other two dramas that I never knew she could pull a character like this. She had the best character development. From having no friends and being the most hated in the class to fighting Zombies, getting bitten by a Zombie, and sitting around a bonfire with friends. I was scared when she got bitten but when she didn’t turn fully into a Zombie I was okay, I wanted to see more of her. She was so helpful to the team. Again, I love her chemistry with Suyhoek.
Lee Yoo-Mi as Lee Na-Yeon
I loved her in Squid game but here? Not so much. You could easily put her in the same room with Gwi-Nam and they would fall in love. Two psychopaths. I mean how can you do that to someone just because you wanted to show the team that you are right. That’s devilish on another level. Playing the victim card? I’m glad Namra stood up to her. I was expecting to see more of her in action but the rest of her scene was just her locked in a room and then getting eaten by Gwi-Nam, not enough screen time for me.
Yoo In-Soo as Yoon Gwi-Nam
Every time I saw his face, it made my blood boil. I mean the writer couldn’t just kill him off? He’s literally the villain, why does he have to have his happy ending? He just refused to die. He kept resurrecting like a dough. It wasn’t necessary at all. The writer had one job, just one, kill him off and let Cheong-San live. No, they refused. It makes no sense how he ended.
The Rest Of The Team
They made the drama more lively and less scary. I personally loved the singing part on the rooftop. They stood for each other and made sure they survive till the end. Not all though.
Kim Byung-Chul as Lee Byeong Chan
In all the Kdrama I’ve seen this man in, he has never acted a good role. He is always a psychopath or something dangerous and annoying. Always trying to destroy the world. I have nothing to say about him, he is the reason why the whole student of Hyosan High School turned into Zombies. He is just weird.
The Archer Team
I loved their resilience and the chemistry between the girls. They fought and ended up becoming best friends. They wanted to live and they fought to stay alive. Except for the boys.
The Comedy Team
I always look forward to the scene between the detectives and the influencer. It was hilarious and they made the drama lively. The influencer made me laugh because he is just weird and what he did is relatable to the social media world we live in now. He wanted to show his subscribers the truth about the Zombies so he traveled all the way to the city? When there was an ongoing Zombie apocalypse? You’ve got to be kidding me. I laughed when the detective almost slapped him like what the hell are you doing?
Oh Hye Soo as Min Eun-Ji
Who else was expecting more from her character but got nothing? I waited all 12 episodes to see if she would go take revenge on Gwi-Nam but she never did. It was disappointing.
Ratings
It’s a 9/10 for me. I enjoyed each episode. It has been a while since I saw a Zombie drama so this will be the first I’ve seen in years. I loved it. I’m with the crowd that said it could have been squeezed into 9 episodes especially from the scene where the helicopter left them on the rooftop, it felt like they were dragging the show and it could have just ended there.
Another unnecessary scene was the one with the pregnant girl. I could not understand the message they were trying to pass. Hopefully, we’ll get an explanation in Season 2.
Not satisfied with the ending? Let’s hope and pray for Season 2. Maybe next year or two years after.