With its first season earning a Top-Rated label for 10 of its 12 episodes,All of Us Are Deadhad Netflix viewers hooked from the start, unable to hit the “Next Episode” button fast enough.The gruesome but compelling teen drama tags along with a group of high school students desperate to escape their classmates who have been infected with a virus that turns them into flesh-eating monsters.In a genre that pits the series against the likes ofThe Walking Dead, this Korean Netflix original maintained a steady pulse throughout its first season while setting itself apart from any other genre series or movies.
Fans of the series are taking a closer look at the episodes as they re-stream whileanxiously awaiting the arrival of season two. With a massive ensemble cast, including the highly talented and terrifying zombie extras, it’s easy toget lost in who is whoin episodes that last an average of 50 minutes or more.Some episodes served expository purposes while others were emotional masterpieces, all with amazing technical feats in between.
All Of Us Are Dead
Watch on Netflix
Central Characters
Actors/Actresses
Park Ji-hu
Lee Cheong-san
Yoon Chan-young
Choi Nam-ra
Cho Yi-hyun
Lee Su-hyeok
Park Solomon
Yang Dae-su
Lim Jae-hyeok
Jang Woo-jin
Son Sang-yeon
Jang Ha-ri
Ha Seung-ri
Yoon Gwi-nam
Yoo In-soo
Seo Hyo-ryung
Kim Bo-Yoon
Kim Ji-min
Kim Jin-young
Park Mi-jin
Lee Eun-saem
This list contains episode and series spoilers.
12Episode 6
IMDb Rating: 7.4
At the midway point of the season,All of Us Are Deadmade it abundantly clear thatthis is an ensemble journey, not a horror movie with a final girl and everyone else is picked off one by one.Episode six is a demonstration of cohesion in ensemble acting, where everyone has a specific part that is instrumental in the survival puzzle.The supporting characters support, but have personality development, so their contributions actually matter to an invested audience. In this crucial episode, Nam-ra shifts from a background lead to a centerstage lead after she’s bitten by Gwi-nam, but appears to show no symptoms.
A heartbeat plot line finally gets off the ground as On-jo’s father, Nam So-ju (Jeon Bae-soo), makes his treasonous run for it to reach Hyosan High School.So-ju’s efforts are an emotional lifeline for audiences through the remaining half, as he represents hope that there is at least one adult out there willing to risk it all to rescue them.When all else failed in the escape plans, too-soon deaths, and setbacks, So-ju’s determination kept a necessary level of humanity in the show.
11Episode 4
IMDb Rating: 7.6
Episode four is a slow and steady installment. The series introduces a B-plot involving a YouTuber who enters the evacuated city and later requires saving by Detective Song Jae-ik (Lee Kyoo-hyung). In this episode, there is a narrative focus on the outbreak’s origin and Lee Byeong-chan’s (Kim Byeong-cheol) intentions for developing a defense mechanism for his son’s consistent bullying.The meticulous, intentional creation of the virus setsAll of Us Are Deadapart from others in the genre where it wasn’t a stroke of faith or accidental contamination.
The survivors take a small backseat while viewers peek into Byeong-chan’s psyche as he’s completely accepted he set the world on fire and couldn’t care less to watch it burn. In the episode,there are moments of comedic relief and respitefor the weary students, before the action amps up in the next episode.
10Episode 2
IMDb Rating: 7.8
The pacing and movement of the episode keep audiences from growing tired by the second installment. The infected are multiplying at an alarming rate, but a group of uninfected students takes shelter in a classroom where we’re introduced to parts of the central cast, as well as the hundreds (or thousands) of extras. Right away,All of Us Are Deadintroduces the gravity of thefirst major character’s death, Yoon I-sak (Kim Ju-a), On-jo’s close friend.While audiences didn’t have as much time to invest in her survival as they would others, it demonstrated the unforgiving direction the series would take.
The second episode also sets the pace for the tension with its ending action sequence as the boys climb out the window to try and get to another room.The attention to detail in the early episodes as the horde grows and the audience buy-in builds set the series up for success by establishing a formula that worked as the characters grew more sure of themselves.
9Episode 1
The pilot episodehad audiences sold into the K-drama zombie stratosphere, with the right amount of teen drama, romance, and coming-of-age elements that don’t overshadow the gory action required of this genre.Behind the closed doors of Byeong-chan’s science lab, is a mutating virus he created that spreads from a rodent bite through the students and faculty like wildfire before infecting the entire city of Hyosan.
The series opener requires a lot of set-ups to orient viewers, focusing more on the teen social status quo and love triangles. The episode’s technical strengths lie in the special effects that only get better with each passing installment.The performances are rocky to start, but as the actors seemingly grow into the roles, the character development emerges into well-thought, well-written premises and delivery.
8Episode 9
With much to unpack in this episode, the highlights of number nine include the convergence of the military with the group, introducing asymptomatic survivors, and the importance of that rain scene.The viewers are rooting so much for these students to survive, but this time it slipped through their fingers through no fault of their own. When the asymptomatic Min Eun-Ji (Oh Hye-soo) attacks Kim Cheol-soo (Ahn Ji-ho) and spreads the virus through quarantine, she begins a domino effect that causes the soldiers to abort their rescue mission. The teens are left on the roof in a heartbreaking sequence. Lieutenant Colonel Choi Sung-won (Ryu Sung-hyun) turned his compassion off when ordering the chopper to return and shoot the kids on sight, signaling the true cost of humanity.
The following downpour symbolized a rebirth as the group let it temporarily wash away their suffering andrenew their sense of purpose, hope, and survival. The thunderstorm was also instrumental in getting them from the roof to the ground level by hindering the zombie’s sense of smell and hearing.The brutal reality of their situation is only emphasized more when the episode’s ending finds Cheong-san face-to-face with his mother againas he hallucinates her gentle demeanor before turning into a bloodthirsty zombie.
7Episode 5
IMDb Rating 7.9
In this episode,All of Us Are Deadintroduceda new kind of villainin the zombie genre, throwing a complicating and advantageous wrench into the mix. Cheong-san gets separated from the group and gets trapped in the library with Gwi-nam, dodging zombies among the bookcases.The editing is masterful as viewers feel like they are among the aisles with both teens. The chaotic camerawork displayed throughout the season is at its best in episode five.
Gwi-nam’s villain era is born when Cheong-san bests him by gouging his eye out and leaving him to the zombies. The episode dropped a bombshell when he survived the attack without turning, giving him heightened strength while also giving him immunity from his fellow zombies.This gave the series yet another running antagonist alongside the zombies and arguably the adults who abandoned a school full of teens.
6Episode 10
IMDb Rating: 7.9
If audiences didn’t get the picture this late in the season,All of Us Are Deadis unforgiving, especially with the opening sequence where Cheong-san has to confront his zombie mother and all the pain that comes with losing his family. Episode ten sees a convergence of the characters where the group led by Har-ri and Mi-jin join forces with On-jo and Cheong-san inside the gymnasium running rampant with zombies. The episode features the death of Oh Joon-yeong (Ahn Seung-kyoon) as he pries zombies off the makeshift cage.
The characters' resources for shelter, weapons, food, and survivors are growing smaller, and they are forced to tap into their ingenuity.While the episodefollows the formulaic structureof an escape plan, losing someone, and making it to the next level of survival, the entire runtime is full of intensity, culminating in a fervent reunion between On-jo and her father.
5Episode 3
The third episode provided audiences with a 360 view of the viral outbreak, from the police response, questioning Byeong-chan’s motives, and the two groups of school survivors to the first major death. Episode three details the simultaneous storylines as both students andadults attempt to reckon with the zombiesswallowing up Hyosan.What elevates this episode above its later counterparts is its depiction of the dichotomy of survival. How far are you willing to go to survive or sacrifice?
One of the opening scenes is Park Hee-su (Lee Chae-eun) giving birth in a park bathroom. By the end of the episode, she’s been bitten and isso desperate to save her babythat she locks them inside a restaurant and ties herself to the door as she turns into a zombie.In contrast, Lee Na-yeon (Lee Yoo-mi) murders Han Gyeong-su (Ham Sung-Min)by rubbing a cloth with infected blood over his unrelated open wound, turning him into a zombie that they were forced to dispatch. The subtle editingstructure of the opposing dilemmasis one that audiences might miss on the first stream.
4Episode 12
A tear-jerking yet ominousepisode all wrapped up into the season one finale, episode 12 was the perfect sendoff whether the show got renewed or not.As the survivors reckon with their loss, they make it to the quarantine campwhere they live for four months into the foreseeable future. Before making it to safety, they suffer the final casualties of their tight-knit pack. Wu-jin is bitten and turns while protecting his sister and Nam-ra’s bloodlust finally manifests. She kills Wu-jin and attacks On-jo before running off into the smokey streets.
The survivors go through the stages of griefduring the finale, from sorrow for living to anger at the adults who abandoned them. One of the most emotional moments of the season,the montage of those lost and their deaths, was absolutely devastating as the audiences relived the tragic momentswith the characters. The final scenes opened the door to more seasons as the reunification with Nam-ra reveals there are others like her.
3Episode 8
IMDb Rating: 7.7
After surviving all they had thus so far, episode eight was a much-needed and necessary episode to really dissect who the survivors were. Despite escaping the horde and Gwi-nam, the survivors barely miss the helicopter and spell out SOS on the rooftop before building a fire.Episode eight is an exposition episode where the series dives deeper into the psyche and emotional trauma of the survivors. From the rooftop to the gymnasium, it’s a bonding episode that allows each character to let down an internal barrier.
Where the episode gets divisive is Na-yeon’s fate. After killing Gyeong-su and allowing Ms. Park (Lee Sang-hee) to get bit, Na-yeon is forced to reconcile with her actions while hiding out in the storage closet. She plays back the video recordings the survivors made and displays signs of remorse and guilt. Her brutal death by Gwi-nam is up forinterpretation whether she deserved it or if she’d been absolved of her actions in the name of survival.
