The Netflix Filipino film, The Kingdom, reimagines an uncolonized version of the Philippines where the kingdom of Kalayaan exists. The king of Kalayaan, Lakan Makisig Nandula, was about to abdicate, but he hadn’t yet decided which of his children to pass on the crown to. Makisig’s eldest daughter, Matimyas, had been groomed to be his successor, but her decision to elope with the son of one of the king’s political rivals didn’t sit well with Makisig. His son, Bagwis, was short-tempered and lacked the political finesse to become a ruler. Makisig loved his youngest, Lualhati, and had decided to marry her off to the prince of Thailand. The decision was, of course, politically motivated, and not everyone was happy with it. Some feared that they would eventually become puppets in the hands of the foreigners. Lualhati was abducted on the day of her wedding, and it was assumed that the rebels were behind the crime.
Spoiler Alert
Who had abducted Matimyas?
During The Kingdom’s ending, it was revealed that Matimyas, with the help of the military, had planned the abduction. She was envious of Lualhati’s relationship with their father, and she feared that he might choose his younger daughter as his heir. She was also not in favor of her father’s decision to establish a relationship with the royal family of Thailand. She feared that the foreigners would try to take the kingdom from them, and it was better to nip the problem in the bud than wait for things to only get worse. The soldiers pretended to be rebels so that no one would find out who was behind the abduction. Their plan had worked to an extent. Makisig was convinced that the rebels were responsible, and he had the royal guards track them down.
We eventually find out that even the leader of the rebels, Wigan, was involved in Matimyas’ plan. She had promised to be a better ruler, and perhaps her vision had convinced Wigan that there was hope for the common people if she took the throne. In reality, Matimyas was far from forgiving. She had built a public image where she appeared to care deeply about the rights of the common people, and instead of shunning the rebels, she chose to sit down with them and listen to their grievances. But in the shadows, she targeted those who dared to go against her and was quite the tyrant. Wigan had sent fake evidence to the king to assure him that his daughter was with the rebel group, whereas in reality, Lualhati had already been rescued by a common man named Sulo.
The king was confident that the severed hand the rebel group had sent him wasn’t his daughter’s. Later, they showed him her bracelet as evidence, but the king knew that his daughter wasn’t wearing the one that they had brought him. He figured that Wigan was lying to him, and his son demanded the leader confess the truth. Bagwis was determined to avenge his sister, and when Wigan insulted him, he didn’t hesitate to attack. Bagwis and Wigan got into a fight; he managed to overpower the rebel leader, but when he noticed one of the rebels approach his father, Bagwis flung his dagger to take the man down. Wigan used the situation to his advantage and stabbed Bagwis in the back. Makisig was furious, and he ended up shooting Wigan. The king permitted his guards to kill the rebels and only let the civilians live.
Matimyas hadn’t expected her brother to die because of her actions. Her plan was to make her sister disappear, but things started to fall apart after Sulo rescued the princess. She couldn’t negotiate with her father because she no longer had any leverage over him, and to make matters worse, she ended up losing her brother as well. Makisig was relieved when Lualhati managed to return home safe. He figured out the truth when Matimyas’ son, Filipe, handed him a sketch from the day Lualhati was abducted—according to the sketch, the man who’d abducted the princess wasn’t a ‘banished’. He wondered why Matimyas had lied about Sulo (a banisher) being the abductor when he clearly wasn’t involved. Makisig confronted her and stated that she’d accused an innocent man because she was involved in the abduction. He figured that she feared seeing her sister on the throne. Matimyas admitted that she believed she was the one who deserved to be his successor. She’d been groomed from childhood to become a ruler, and she thought it was unfair that her father didn’t love her the way he used to simply because she fell in love with the son of a rival. She admitted that all she ever wanted was for her father to adore her the way he used to, and her desperation to win his approval had made her do things that weren’t morally right.
Why did Sulo challenge the king?
In The Kingdom’s ending, we find out that Sulo’s father, Sigwa Tagum, used to be the king’s personal guard. Sulo had witnessed the king kill his father under the law of retribution, where one was allowed to seek revenge (a tooth for a tooth). The king had banished Sigwa’s family, and so Sulo had had to carry the weight of his father’s ‘crime’ all his life. Although Sulo knew that his father was a good man who had been wrongfully killed by the king he had always protected. Sulo despised the monarchy because he believed that they’d caused more harm than good. The common people weren’t content with the governance, because they were mostly exploited. Lualhati had learned about the plight of the common people after she was forced to return to the royal palace on foot.
She eventually took a liking to Sulo. He had every reason to abandon her, since he strongly believed the monarchy had failed him, but he was a good man who chose to do the right thing and helped the princess return home safe. When the princess introduced her father to Sulo, Matimyas walked up to him and accused him of attempting to cause harm to her son. Sulo was about to be imprisoned when he mentioned the law of retribution. He wanted to avenge his father, and the king couldn’t turn down the challenge. Though before the fight began, the king met Sulo in his prison cell and mentioned how deeply he cared about Sigwa Tagum. He stated that Sigwa was not just his guard, but also his friend. One day, when he and his elder brother, Prince Dagitab, got into an argument, his brother threatened him with a knife, and Sigwa stepped forward to protect Makisig, and in the process, he ended up injuring his brother. Now, according to the rules of the kingdom, if anyone dared to spill the blood of the royals (who were believed to carry the blood of Bathala, the supreme God), then they deserved to be killed. Although Sigwa had only attempted to protect the prince, he ultimately had to face the consequences of his actions. Makisig wasn’t ready to kill the man he cared about so dearly, but as a prince, he had to obey the rules, and even Sigwa had begged him to just do it because he knew the prince didn’t have a choice. Sulo was too young when the incident unfolded before him, and he didn’t realize the reason why his father had to die. After the king explained everything, Sulo questioned the rules that separated the rulers from their subjects. He wondered why mortals such as the king and his family were considered gods, and even a scratch on their body was enough reason for them to take an innocent life. Makisig remorsefully stated that the weight of the crown had worn him down, and implementing the traditions and the laws wasn’t easy for him.
The king didn’t expect Sulo to withdraw his demand for the law of retribution; he instead asked Sulo to fight with all his might. He figured this was perhaps the only way to right the wrong from his past. The ghost of his friend had come back to him, and now he had to face judgement. All he wanted was Sulo’s forgiveness, and before he left, he requested Sulo to look after his daughter if he survived. Clearly, the king trusted the son of his beloved friend more than his family members. He knew that Sulo was an honest man who would put his life on the line to protect his daughter. He left Sulo with a bracelet that the queen once used to wear as a symbol to prove that he had entrusted Sulo with his daughter’s safety. In the dagger fight between Sulo and Makisig, Sulo won, and Makisig succumbed to his injuries. Sulo never thought that one day he would care so deeply about the man whom he’d despised all his life. He learned to respect the king, and while he always thought that he would cherish the day he would avenge his father, the reality was quite different. Sulo ultimately had to respect the laws of the kingdom, even though it broke his heart to stab the king.
Who was ultimately declared the ruler of Kalayaan?
Since Makisig hadn’t declared his successor, the royal priestess, Silay, declared that they must follow the natural order of succession, which meant that Princess Matimyas was the new ruler. It was almost decided that Matimyas would take over after Makisig’s funeral, but things took a turn when Lualhati overheard Matimyas and Silay discuss their secret plan. She was devastated when she found out that her abduction was orchestrated by her sister. Silay bluntly explained that they had no choice but to decide their own fate. If the prince had been chosen as the heir, then the country would’ve suffered under his iron fist, and if the king had chosen Lualhati, then the foreigners would’ve taken over their kingdom. They refused to let either of the two possibilities play out, so the only option they had was Matimyas, and they did everything in their power to ensure that she ended up with the crown. Lualhati added that she never had any intention of taking over the throne, but Matimyas explained that it wasn’t her intentions that she feared, but the power that the foreign nation would have over their kingdom if she was married to the Thai prince. The king had wanted to marry off Lualhati because he couldn’t pay off the debt that he owed to the foreigners, and they would’ve eventually used Lualhati to put pressure on the king. Matimyas believed that only she could restore peace back to the kingdom. She wanted to be the person her father would trust to deal with both the rebels and the foreigners and bring the change that the kingdom needed. When Lualhati reminded Matimyas that her plan had resulted in the king’s death, she ended up blaming Lualhati. Matimyas had always craved for her father’s approval, and she’d never wanted him to die.
When Lualhati announced that she would ensure that the people found out the truth, Matimyas and Silay attacked her. They were prepared to kill Lualhati for the ‘sake of their kingdom.’ It was only after Filipe entered the room and was scared to see his mother with a dagger that Matimyas realized that her lust for power had turned her into a monster. Her son chose to run to Lualhati and stayed away from her. The truth finally came to light, and the royal guards arrested Matimyas and Silay. In the end, Lualhati was declared the queen of the kingdom. Sulo later told Lualhati that the king had asked him to protect her, and she sharply responded that she didn’t need a savior. Sulo agreed with her; he added that he was the one who needed saving, and he wanted to serve her. Sulo had fallen for the queen, and she was the reason why he’d learned to see past his hatred. During Lualhati’s coronation, Sulo walked up by her side as her consort.
What does the mid-credit scene indicate?
During the mid-credit scene, Tarek, one of the men who worked for the royal family, visited Mathimyas and offered her a spoon and a fork. Even though she was behind bars, she continued to enjoy her privilege as a princess. The fact that she could get a sharp object such as a fork inside her prison cell suggests that it won’t be long before she finds a way out of the cell and wreaks havoc in Lualhati’s life. She’d been eyeing the throne since childhood, and the fact that her sister ruined her plan obviously didn’t sit well with her. She is definitely going to come up with an evil plan to usurp the throne, and it is safe to assume that she will do everything in her power to ensure that Lualhati’s time as the queen is filled with challenges.
