All of Us Are Dead managed to please both fans of the zombie genre and those just looking for a compelling drama, but the series avoided one mistake that could have killed the show’s potential. While the series follows the stories of a handful of different characters, one can argue that On-jo and Cheong-san were the most important ones in All of Us Are Dead season 1. The long-time friends and neighbors delivered some of the most emotional moments of the show and left viewers worried about their respective fates.
Unfortunately, the ending to On-jo and Cheong-san’s stories was not a happy one — at least for now. There is a strong possibility that Cheong-san might still be alive, but either way his relationship with On-jo can never be the same. Even so, the moments the couple shared throughout the first season of All of Us Are Dead were worth it. Similarly, the relationship between Su-hyeok and Nam-ra was also a highlight of the show. All of this could not have happened had All of Us Are Dead not smartly avoided a love triangle plotline.
The first few episodes of All of Us Are Dead indicated that the show would focus on a love triangle between On-jo, Cheong-san, and Su-hyeok. All the ingredients for a long and overly complicated love triangle were there: Cheong-san liked On-jo, who believed she liked Su-hyeok, who was Cheong-san’s best friend. Even still, the show quickly put that idea aside and what could have been an exhausting theme of conflict ended up turning into a fun dynamic between All of Us Are Dead‘s best characters. Although the show did play a little bit in its first episodes with the idea of a love triangle, the conflict was never carried forward and did not disturb the friendship between the three characters. In fact, the interactions between On-jo, Cheong-san, and Su-hyeok became even more interesting after the show made it clear that there wouldn’t be too much mystery around who liked who.
Another wise decision made by the show was to make it clear that Su-hyeok had feelings for Nam-ra right from the start. The former warmly received On-jo’s affection, but it was to the latter that he declared his love right after Nam-ra became a halfbie. The show also avoided any kind of conflict between Nam-ra and On-jo over Su-hyeok the same way it avoided a conflict between Cheong-san and Su-hyeok over On-jo. What could have been a long, most likely tiresome plotline about a love triangle became the story of two distinct couples. Ironically, the fate of both couples might have been the same. Nam-ra has to struggle with being a halfbie while Cheong-san will most likely turn into one after being bitten by Gwi-nam.
Love triangles are hard to pull off without hurting a show, and that’s why All of Us Are Dead gets it right by not incorporating that element into its first season. The relationships between On-jo and Cheong-san, and Su-hyeok and Nam-ra managed to entertain viewers and were much more captivating without an element of conflict between the characters. While still unconfirmed, the highly requested All of Us Are Dead season 2 will have the opportunity to show how the stories of both couples will continue, if at all.
