The Kingdom season 2 review: An intense blend of politics and religion

The Kingdom season 2 sees Emilio’s government losing support, resulting in violent protests all over the country, while Tadeo becomes a symbol of hope. The new season is now streaming on Netflix. 

Story

Emilio is Argentina’s President, but his government and its policies face severe criticism from discontented citizens. Due to this, the Church of the Kingdom of Light is also struggling, much to Elena’s displeasure.

Rubén believes that it is time to create a monster that would incite fear and make people forget about their current problems. Emilio will fight this monster and become their savior. He gets the perfect target when Tadeo becomes popular, but he is forced to battle his own monsters. 

Tadeo has returned to Argentina with Jonathan, but he keeps moving from one place to another, as he is aware that they are still not safe. When Tadeo’s video questioning the authorities goes viral, Tadeo’s popularity skyrockets and he gains several followers.

While Julio has cut all ties with Emilio and is now working as a professor, his relationship with Ana suffers when he continuously fails to share the responsibility of their daughter. Julio is more focused on exposing Emilio’s past crimes with a congresswoman.

All these individuals have their own agendas, some good and some bad, but there can only be one winner. Will Emilio manage to keep his theocratic government in power, or will Tadeo become the leader that the people need?

Performances

Diego Peretti as Emilio plays the part of a vile man who is obsessed with acquiring one person but is otherwise a puppet in the hands of others. Peretti understood what the script needed and skillfully played the part.

Juan Pedro Lanzani stands out as Tadeo as he adopts the persona of a kind and gentle man who wins hearts wherever he goes. Tadeo is people’s messiah, and Lanzani’s performance convinced the audience of that.

Joaquín Furriel, who plays Rubén, manages to appear as evil as he was in the first season. However, this time, Furriel had to depict Rubén’s descent into madness, which he successfully did; his last dialogues and his haunted look leave an impact on the audience.

Chino Darín was once again sincere in his portrayal of Julio, a character that is trying to do the right thing. Similarly, Mercedes Morán also gave an adequate performance as Elena — a woman fully dedicated to her beliefs and the church. 

Positives

As soon as the season begins, it immediately grasps the attention of the audience, but not without commenting on capitalist systems, where even water is owned by someone. 

Starting the season with a child’s death allows the show to gain not just the audience’s attention but also their sympathy and get them invested. It sets the right pace and continues with it for the rest of the episodes.

In the show, the public becomes the private. Similar to the first season, religion and politics get dangerously mixed. The state tries to repress opposition, but citizens can no longer stay quiet when politics affects their families, as seen in the case of Thiago’s death.

The show’s depiction of political affairs is rooted in reality. The targeting of leftists would remind the audience of daily news in countries ruled by right-wing extremists. Furthermore, Tadeo pays the price that any worthy rising leader has to pay in such a country.

In this season, the show opts to make Emilio a mere puppet, which is quite interesting when the aim is to show how he is being manipulated by every other person around him and reveal their motives. 

Negatives

Tadeo’s story is important, but it is not always as engrossing as it should have been. The way his character is written makes the audience question his motives, and his end is not very touching. 

There are a few questions that the show never answers. Remigio’s reappearance creates unnecessary confusion. Additionally, the audience does not know who is leading the government in the end with the main players out of the picture. 

Verdict

The Kingdom delivers yet another intense season. Apart from the political ploys and the merging of politics and religion, the show depicts the kind of society that is born out of it. Fans of political dramas should definitely add this to their watchlist!

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Also Read: The Kingdom season 2 ending explained: Is Tadeo dead or alive?