MaryMeKpop

While randomly browsing through Netflix a few weeks ago, I stumbled on this new Korean show called ‘Zombieverse’ and had no clue or idea as to what it was about or who was on it or whether it was even a variety show or drama. I had never even heard of the show. So I decided to check out the first episode and quickly found myself turned off by it but was still curious as to what would happen to the cast members so I ended up finishing the show. In the end, ‘Zombieverse’ wasn’t all that great of a show but I liked it for a couple of special reasons.

‘Zombieverse’ is a reality show starring cast members from various backgrounds, including comedians Park Na-rae and Noh Hong-chul, DinDin from 1 Night 2 Days, Tsuki from girl group Billlie, actress Lee Si-young, Dex from Single’s Inferno Season 2, and popular siblings duo Jonathan and Patricia. They find themselves on the challenging and terrifying path to survival as they attempt to escape a world engulfed by zombies. They carry out different missions (or “quests” as they call it in the show) along the way to survive and get rescued.

‘Zombieverse’ was such an interesting show because of its worldbuilding and the way that it sets the cast members up for the missions. There was some debate about how “scripted” the show was and while I believe that all shows are somewhat scripted to an extent, ‘Zombieverse’ was just a tad bit too much for me. Granted, the show is about escaping from zombies so the cast members have to be put into different scenarios and situations and we watched as the group worked together to escape and survive. But along the way, there were several other rules or details that the show implemented that didn’t make all that much sense to me and seemed a tad bit too ridiculous (for example, the cast members were somehow aware that throwing blood on themselves or rubbing themselves with blood would protect them from the zombies so they experimented with this theory in one of their missions. It was a little puzzling how the cast members were aware of this detail and two.. It just didn’t really make all that much sense in general, lol. There was also another part when the cast members got separated while they slept – two of the members got kidnapped to another part of the village while the rest stayed locked behind in the bedroom.. Like what? They really didn’t notice anything while they were “asleep”?). So the funky rules and details and information that seemed like they came out of nowhere as well as the complex attempts to escape made this show a lot less enjoyable. The show set things up where you as a viewer watched the group work together in pairs or collectively to fulfill the different “quests” to survive but some of these quests weren’t all that great.

But the thing that was great and wonderful about the show was the dynamic between the cast members and the humor/comedy that they carried with them in every episode. Admittedly, one of the primary reasons as to why I only stuck with the show all the way until the very end was because of the humor and the jokes that the cast members shared with one another. I laughed the most anytime there were any comments or observations made about Jonathan and Patricia’s sibling relationship. Even though it was sad to see Park Na-rae and cast member, Kkwachu Hyung, get bit and eventually turn into zombies, it was still funny how they were the ones tasked with doing the more risky things since they had already been bit which meant they wouldn’t get bit by the zombies again. Noh Hong-chul and DinDin were also fun in the show, not afraid to throw someone else under the bus for their own survival or to point out how certain members reacted in certain situations. There was also another moment in episode 2 when Lee Si-young kept on getting the names of certain cast members wrong and she had to be corrected a few times by Park Na-rae and Noh Hong-chul. So as you can tell, there were moments full of comedy, humor, silliness, and ridiculousness packed throughout the show. I also enjoyed other moments that highlighted the chemistry of our cast members such as when they received special lessons from a survivor/master and actually had some down time to “relax” and “bond” before having to escape again.

The cast members on the show were funny in their own ways and the chemistry they had with one another grew stronger over the duration of the show. It was so interesting in that the casting seemed a bit random with everyone sort of being from different backgrounds and industries but I also think that was what was refreshing about the show. I had heard of Jonathan and Patricia and I knew who Park Na-rae was and I also knew who Lee Si-young was (though I don’t think I’ve ever watched or finished any of her works). I’m also familiar with DinDin and Noh Hong-chul but the cast member who I probably was the biggest fan of in the show was Dex. My timeline of being a Dex fan is rather an interesting one because my first exposure to him was through ‘Running Man’ when he appeared on one of their episodes as a guest as opposed to the popular dating show ‘Single’s Inferno’ which was the show that caused his fame to explode overnight. I had heard about his name but had absolutely no idea as to who he was or how he suddenly blew up overnight. Was Dex a model? A new actor? Then I watched him in ‘Running Man’, found him to be fun and cool and funny in the episode he was on, then went back to watch ‘Single’s Inferno’ season 2 for him which was the show that prompted his success and popularity overnight. Ever since that show, he’s blown up and has only gotten more and more popular which has been nice to see. I originally had no plans of finishing ‘Zombieverse’ but stuck with it thanks to Dex.

I’m not the biggest fan of shows like ‘Zombieverse’ where they’re set in a certain world or universe or setting because I find that shows like these tend to be a bit too exaggerated or obvious for me. The ending also felt a bit anticlimactic and underwhelming especially in regards to the final few quests. But what I did like about the show was the cast members (especially Dex) and then the humor and comedy that they consistently carried with them throughout the show. There are a few highlights in the show where I’ll go back and rewatch just because of how funny and comedic it was (and I will still laugh every single time that I watch it because it’s just that funny). Even if ‘Zombieverse’ wasn’t perfect by any means, I’d be willing to give a second season if there was to be one a try (as long as the surviving cast members remain the same).