The series was released on January 28, 2022, on Netflix.[5][6] Following its release, the series was watched over 474.26 million hours in its first 30 days on the service.[7] On June 6, 2022, the series was renewed for a second season.[8]
The second season of the series is expected to be released in 2024.[9]
Overview
In the South Korean city of Hyosan, a hopeless science teacher enacts a horrific experiment, causing a local high school to be overrun with zombies. As the outbreak spreads to the city, and the beleaguered authorities struggle to contain it, a group of trapped students must band together and use their wits in order to survive and reach safety.
A life science teacher at Hyosan High and creator of the virus, serving as the series' overarching antagonist. With a PhD in molecular and cellular biology, he initially worked as a researcher at a pharmaceutical company but quit.
A gang of bullies corner Hyosan High student Lee Jin-su on the rooftop of a building. He tries to fight them off, but is pushed off the roof and left hospitalized. There Lee Byeong-chan visits him and his son vows revenge against his bullies before turning into a zombie. Then his father, a science teacher at Hyosan High, smuggles his body home, and Jin-su is later reported missing. Several days later, student Kim Hyeon-ju, who is in the gang of bullies, gets bitten by an infected hamster in the school's science lab, where the science teacher has been doing different experiments. Witnessing this, Byeong-chan locks her inside the lab. She escapes the next day and goes into a frenzied state, biting school nurse Kim Kyung-mi before being transported to the hospital for further care. Police arrive at the school and arrest Byeong-chan. Shortly afterwards, Kyung-mi turns into a zombie and attacks several students, triggering a viral outbreak within the school.
2
"Episode 2"
January 28, 2022 (2022-01-28)
Students and childhood best friends Nam On-jo and Lee Cheong-san flee the cafeteria as zombies begin to swarm the school. They take refuge in classroom 2-5 with other surviving classmates: Lee Su-hyeok, Yoon I-sak, Han Gyeong-su, Lee Na-yeon, Yang Dae-su, Oh Joon-yeong, Kim Ji-min, Jang Woo-jin, Seo Hyo-ryung, Kim Min-ji, and class president Choi Nam-ra. An infected teacher enters the classroom and bites Min-ji, forcing the group to flee into another classroom. I-sak is also bitten; Cheong-san is forced to push her out of a window when she turns and attacks On-jo. Using a fire hose, the students climb down to the broadcast room and reunite with their homeroom teacher Ms. Park. Meanwhile, school bully Yoon Gwi-nam hides in the cafeteria kitchen. Archery team members Jang Ha-ri and Jung Min-jae take refuge with Yoo Jun-seong and Park Mi-jin in a restroom. At the hospital, a zombified Hyeon-ju bites several others, causing the virus to rapidly spread throughout the city.
3
"Episode 3"
January 28, 2022 (2022-01-28)
Gyeong-su is scratched while fighting off a zombie and isolates himself in another room when Na-yeon accuses him of being infected. However, Gyeong-su shows no signs of infection, and the others press Na-yeon to apologize. Na-yeon instead antagonizes Gyeong-su, who suddenly turns and throws himself out a window while attacking Cheong-san. Nam-ra reveals that she saw Na-yeon smear zombie blood onto her handkerchief and used it to tend to Gyeong-su's scratch, causing his infection. Na-yeon storms out, and a concerned Ms. Park runs after her. Meanwhile, Gwi-nam sacrifices several survivors to escape the kitchen. Cheong-san's mother goes to the school in search of her son. Firefighter and On-jo's father, Nam So-ju, his crew, assemblywoman Park Eun-hee, and several other government officials are trapped inside a government building. Pregnant student Park Hee-su gives birth in a public bathroom stall and flees with the baby as zombies begin to overrun the city. However, she is bitten and hides inside Cheong-san's family restaurant, tying herself out of the baby's reach before succumbing to the infection. The citywide outbreak prompts government forces - led by commander Jin Seon-moo - to declare martial law as they begin evacuating survivors.
4
"Episode 4"
January 28, 2022 (2022-01-28)
Cheong-san's mother arrives at the school, only to be quickly surrounded and killed by zombies. Police detective Song Jae-ik interrogates Byeong-chan, who confesses to creating the virus (named the "Jonas Virus") in an attempt to empower Jin-su against his bullies. However, Jin-su turned into a zombie instead and bit his mother, causing her to turn too, and Byeong-chan has since tried to find a cure. The interrogation is cut short when a horde of zombies swarms the police station. Byeong-chan is bit and tells Jae-ik that the cure to the virus is on his laptop located in the school's science lab. He sacrifices himself to the horde, allowing Jae-ik and rookie police officer Jeon Ho-chul to escape. Meanwhile, Su-hyeok and Cheong-san retrieve a smartphone from the staff room, encountering school outcast Min Eun-ji, who was bitten but did not turn. The two are separated by zombies; Su-hyeok returns to the broadcast room but Cheong-san is forced to flee with the phone. He hides in the principal's office, where he witnesses Gwi-nam killing the principal, and flees again with Gwi-nam in pursuit. So-ju, his surviving crew, and the government officials board a rescue helicopter and are successfully evacuated.
5
"Episode 5"
January 28, 2022 (2022-01-28)
Cheong-san and Gwi-nam engage in a violent brawl in the school library, with Cheong-san gaining the upper hand as he gouges Gwi-nam's left eye before pushing him into a horde of zombies. Cheong-san escapes and hides inside a vent, where he then attempts to call for help using the smartphone, but there is no response, as the government has cut off all communications within Hyosan to control the crisis. Joon-yeong and On-jo retrieve a drone from the science lab to find Cheong-san. As they pilot the drone outside the school, they find much of the city in ruins, much to the group's dismay. Jun-seong, Mi-jin, Min-jae, and Ha-ri make their way to the school clinic, only to also discover that all internet connections have been cut. Jae-ik and Ho-chul take refuge in Cheong-san's family restaurant and rescue Hee-su's baby. So-ju and his group safely arrive at an encampment, but the military forbids him from leaving to rescue On-jo. Meanwhile, Gwi-nam, having survived the bites and strangely retained his consciousness, vows revenge on Cheong-san.
6
"Episode 6"
January 28, 2022 (2022-01-28)
The students broadcast music throughout the school to distract the zombies while they meet up with Cheong-san. Gwi-nam pursues them, revealing superhuman strength as he attacks Su-hyeok and bites Nam-ra, and is eventually pushed out of a window. The students retreat inside the music room. Cheong-san, who saw Gwi-nam get bit during their fight, argues that Nam-ra is infected, but she remains human and does not turn. On-jo suggests that she, Gwi-nam, and Eun-ji developed a form of immunity to the virus. Unbeknownst to them, Na-yeon is hiding inside a nearby locked storage room stocked with food. At the restaurant, Jae-ik and Ho-chul rescue a young girl named Se-bin. So-ju escapes the encampment and heads towards the school to rescue On-jo.
7
"Episode 7"
January 28, 2022 (2022-01-28)
Soldier Lee Jae-joon gets bit and turns into a zombie during a clearing mission. Researchers use his body for examination. As Nam-ra's infection develops, she begins to crave human flesh and gains acute hearing, vision and smell. She and Su-hyeok confess their feelings for each other and kiss. The students flee to the rooftop, only to find the door locked from outside by fellow student and school outcast Kim Cheol-soo. They fend off waves of zombies and Gwi-nam, who survived the fall. Jae-ik, Ho-chul, and the children escape the restaurant on a moped and encounter another survivor: a livestreamer named "Orangibberish". However, Ho-chul rides off with the children when zombies approach them, leaving behind Jae-ik and Orangibberish.
8
"Episode 8"
January 28, 2022 (2022-01-28)
Nam-ra's infection grants her incredible strength, allowing her to throw Gwi-nam down the stairs. Eun-ji sets the staff room on fire before wandering off, activating the fire alarm and unlocking the rooftop doors. The students are too late, however, as a rescue helicopter has left with only Cheol-soo. They build an SOS sign using sticks and planks before gathering around a campfire. Cheong-san reveals his feelings for On-jo. Jae-ik and Orangibberish are rescued by Ho-chul, who returns with a bus and the two children. They are found and rescued by the military, who also rescue Eun-ji. Flashbacks reveal that Ms. Park was bit while protecting Na-yeon, who now seeks to atone for her actions. She stocks up on food to give to the group and makes her way to the rooftop, but is found and killed by Gwi-nam, who plots another attack on the students.
9
"Episode 9"
January 28, 2022 (2022-01-28)
Gwi-nam climbs to the rooftop and attacks the students, but Nam-ra's strength allows her to overpower him once more, pushing him off the roof. Jae-ik reveals that Byeong-chan's laptop, believed to contain the cure, is located at the school. A military dispatch team retrieves the laptop and prepares to rescue the students. However, at the encampment, Eun-ji goes berserk and bites Cheol-soo. She is promptly captured and examined, and the military issues sudden orders to classify all survivors as asymptomatic and commands the dispatch team to abandon the students. A loud thunderstorm ensues, hampering the zombies' ability to hear and smell. Both groups at the school decide to use this advantage for another escape. The rooftop students make their way to the ground floor, where a horrified Cheong-san finds his reanimated mother.
10
"Episode 10"
January 28, 2022 (2022-01-28)
Cheong-san's cries attract the attention of nearby zombies, forcing the students to flee. Ji-min is separated from the group and is quickly killed. The students meet with Ha-ri's group at the gym but find themselves surrounded by zombies. Min-jae flees back outside. Jun-seong sacrifices himself to allow everyone to hide inside the equipment room. The following morning, Cheong-san and On-jo reconcile, promising to discuss their relationship once they reach safety. Planning another escape, the students use metal carts to form a movable barricade in order to reach the auditorium's back exit. Joon-yeong is bitten, and heroically climbs out of the barricade to guide his classmates to the door before turning. So-ju, finally arriving at the school, comes to their rescue. Meanwhile, researchers deduce that the virus' adaptability and the irreversible state of its victims make a cure impossible. As a result, Commander Jin authorizes the bombing of Hyosan.
11
"Episode 11"
January 28, 2022 (2022-01-28)
Escaping the gym, On-jo finally reunites with her father, but the group is forced to flee again from approaching zombies. So-ju distracts the zombies, sacrificing himself to allow the students to reach a nearby construction site, where they take cover on a scaffold. At the archery center, Gwi-nam questions Min-jae about the group's whereabouts before biting him and leaving him to turn. Meanwhile, the military deploys sound-emitting drones to draw zombies from all over the city to select bombing locations, including Hyosan High. As the students attempt to escape, they are ambushed by Gwi-nam, who bites Cheong-san. Cheong-san pushes him off the building, and knowing he will turn, kisses and embraces On-jo before rushing away to distract the zombies, allowing the rest to escape the school safely. He is attacked by Gwi-nam, and the two fight in a final showdown. The military proceeds with the bombings, wiping out thousands of zombies and seemingly killing Cheong-san and Gwi-nam in the explosion. Commander Jin commits suicide out of regret for authorizing the bombings.
12
"Episode 12"
January 28, 2022 (2022-01-28)
On-jo mourns her father and Cheong-san's deaths. The students reach an evacuated neighborhood, where they fight off a horde of zombies that avoided the bombings. Woo-jin is bitten while saving Ha-ri, forcing Nam-ra to kill him after he turns. As they flee, Nam-ra's cravings for human flesh grow stronger, and she nearly bites On-jo. Fearing her own impulses, she strays from the group and disappears. The surviving students - On-jo, Su-hyeok, Dae-su, Hyo-ryung, Mi-jin, and Ha-ri - arrive at a military checkpoint and are finally rescued. Four months later, the government lifts martial law in Hyosan but maintains quarantine measures for the survivors. Noticing a fire on the school rooftop from afar, the students sneak out of the camp to investigate. They joyfully reunite with Nam-ra, who appears surprisingly well. She reveals that there are other half-zombie survivors like herself, before leaping off the roof to join them.
Production
On April 12, 2020, Netflix announced through a press release that JTBC Studios and Film Monster would produce a series called All of Us Are Dead based on the popular webtoonNow at Our School.[41][42] On April 19, 2020, Yoon Chan-young was confirmed to star in the series as one of the students.[43]Park Ji-hu joined the main cast on April 22.[44] On July 1, they were officially joined by Cho Yi-hyun, Lomon and Yoo In-soo.[45] In selecting the cast, director Lee Jae-kyoo said, "I thought that bringing on actors who were great at acting but still unknown to the public would add to the immersion of the series".[46]
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 88% based on 26 reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "While All of Us Are Dead loses some of its bite with an overlong season, its emotional grounding puts plenty of meat on the bone."[48]Metacritic gave it a weighted average score of 67 out of 100 based on reviews from 5 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[49]
IGN rated the series a 7 out of 10 and noted that the series was "clever, thrilling, and also... a bit exhausting."[50]Variety praised the series, stating it "makes the most out of its nightmarish central location to otherworldly, dizzying effect."[51] The series received generally positive reviews for its performances, screenplay, and action sequences, although its long runtime was criticized.[52]
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