Review Guide:
Episode 1.01 Pilot - Review & Advanced Preview
Episode 1.02 Fracking Zombies - Review
Episode 1.03 Philly Feast - Review
Episode 1.04 Full Metal Zombie - Review
Episode 1.05 Home Sweet Zombie - Review
Episode 1.06 Resurrection Z - Review
Episode 1.07 Welcome to the FU-Bar - Review
Episode 1.08 Zunami - Review
Episode 1.09 Die Zombie Die...Again - Review
Episode 1.10 Going Nuclear Review
Episode 1.11 Sisters of Mercy Review
Episode 1.12 Murphy's Law - Review
Episode 1.13 Doctor of the Dead (Season Finale) - Review
Z Nation - Welcome to the FU-Bar - Review
After last weeks, tragic events the group is at an all-time low, struggling to move on from the loss of their beloved friend Garnett. I am also still trying to figure out why they decided to kill off the lead... again.
Anyway, the episode kicks off with a tearful speech from Citizen Z; he is broadcasting a message about how we should remember Garnett, that he was a good man. One thing I will say is why was he crying when he never even met him or really knew him? I don't know why, but whenever I see Citizen Z on my screen, I lose interest. Our group are in Kansas for this episode; after their truck broke down Addy and Mack decide to scout ahead, where Mack tells Addy they should just leave. She doesn't want to as she says they all agreed to complete the mission. I am wondering if Mack will leave in the upcoming episodes, I could see him doing that. Another possibility is for them two to survive alone, which could create some interesting storylines. I think in the next episode at least it will be them two alone, as they never did catch up with the group in the end. Hopefully, we can then see what the meaning is behind Addy's flashbacks, which I desperately want to know.
The group is in a town where there are liquor and Guns, it gives them a chance to regroup and recover from recent events. For Warren stopping at the town gives her the chance to drown her sorrows, which she does. The actress does an effective job of capturing the emotional response in the campiness of the show. Warren remains silent the majority of the episode, but you can see in her eyes the anger; she might even blame Murphy for getting Garnett killed. It is partly Murphy's fault, so if she blamed him it's understandable. Along with the anger, she is also very sad. I think once she has recovered from her loss she will make a good leader, as she cares for everybody.
Kellita Smith stole the episode, her performance was incredible, especially when she was in the bar talking about Garnett after the barmen had turned. I genuinely felt sorry for her and could feel her pain. Her speech she gave was touching and emotional. It was probably the best performance I have seen on this show to date.
Elsewhere, Murphy's transformation keeps growing as the season progresses. I think we can make the assumption that he might be a zombie hybrid, just with his human side still intact. Especially after he bit that man, and I was pretty sure he was making Zombie noises as well. Also, it's interesting that the guy he bit never turned. This still gives us hope that even though he may be turning into a full zombie that he still is the key to the survival of the human race and holds the cure. Well, his blood at least.
Also, at the end of the episode we had Warren back to her normal self, taking out a dozen zombies to that epic music, which I can't seem to remember what it's called. I think the loss of Garnett has made her stronger and more determined to get Murphy to California. I know I said in the last review whoever takes the lead of the group could die like the previous two, but I think I will be wrong as I can't see Warren dying. Also she is the female lead, and they wouldn't kill off another main character, surely? She is much stronger than she used to be, emotionally and physically. Watch out Zombies, Warren is coming to get you!
Summary
It was another great episode. Kellita Smith was outstanding in the episode, and we should all applaud her for her performance. The episode dealt with the death of Garnett very well and used the flashbacks effectively throughout. We got to see some more of Murphy's transformation and saw how great 10k really is with that rifle. I do still think Cassandra is not needed at all; she still says barely anything and does nothing.
As always , thank you for reading! Let me know in the comments what you thought of the episode!
What did you think of the episode?
ReplyDeleteseriously no one is gonna talk abt the bullet doing all kinda deflection and grazed the leads char cheek???..this scene seriously out did the bollywood movies cheesiness.
ReplyDeleteI might add a bit about the bullet in later, when I have a bit of time. It was extremely cheesy, the shots were also near impossible. No way the bullet managed to get to the barmen. I liked how she wasn't all that concerned that the bullet nearly hit her,she just carried on drowning her sorrows.
ReplyDeleteCan we get Citizen Z a tissue? OMG, I felt the same way, he didn't know Garnett, why is he crying and crying. UGH. He gets on my last nerve. I want him to be zombie food already.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Warren stole the show. I really like her. And I can see her toughening up. She's ready to kick it. Let's hope they don't kill her off.
Murphy may be the answer to infection. That was a big reveal. His bite may actually give immunity.
I liked some of the gunshow stuff. The toilet zombie was funny. The actual contest, didn't make alot of sense to me either. It seemed confusing.
Not a bad ep all around. I'd like to trade Cassandra for the girl 10k gave his new gun to. At least she was useful.
So now we're going into a Zunami? It looks like things will heat up with that next week.
Citizen Z now just shows up randomly, and tries to add some comic relief, but fails. Surely they have something planned for his character, he can't just be staying at the base forever and doing nothing each episode?
ReplyDeleteIt was very big reveal about Murphy, did you catch him making zombie noises or was it just me?
I would also trade Cassandra for that girl, she seems far more interesting and they could explore a possible relationship for 10k. (Even though I am not one to ship) Cassandra just seems to be there to say a line an episode now. She should have separated from the group right after the cannibal episode.
The last three episodes have been really good, it looks like there on a roll. I hope the Zuanmi episode is as good as the Z Nado if not better.
Murphy definitely sounded zombie. I guess he's sort of a hybrid now.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what they plan to do with Citizen Z. It doesn't seem like they know what to do with him, so every scene he has feels forced.
Yep it does, he started out useful with guiding them to places. Now he its as if they are put him in the episode so that the character gets some screetime. He should have been a recurring character instead of main cast, that way he only shows up when they actually need his help.
ReplyDeletethe epi was just ok...it felt only like a "Filler" epi....i dont mind Citizen Z...i treat him when i see him as a "Narrator" of the show, lol...cause he always tells us info that we dont get from the cast...☺...
ReplyDeletesame thoughts here
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way about Citizen Z....I believe he's more of a narrator and I think it adds to the episode!
ReplyDeleteEven though that is true what you said about him giving us info, I still see him as a pointless part of the cast. If they did something with his character, I wouldnt mind as much its just most episodes he is seen sitting in his chair talking a load of rubbish. In one episode he was just burping which was a complete waste of screetime.
ReplyDeleteI think it only adds to the episode, if he says something/ does something important. Most of the time like when he sits there and talks to his dog, he adds nothing.
ReplyDeleteGlad I am not the only one who thinks this :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, fun discovery that the guy he bit didn't turn immediately after being bitten, or even more surprisingly, after the dude got shot and died right away.
ReplyDeleteUnpopular opinion: I think Citizen Z has every right to be sad about Garret's death as he's been in communication with him since the beginning and was able to meet him through a hacked camera in a previous episode. Could have done without the exaggeration though but I'm sure he was being sincere.
Filler-wise, it was a good follow-up from last week's installment. Murphy's development is starting to show more prominently and the entire episode itself dedicated enough story time to blow her fuse in expressing her grief. :D
ReplyDeleteI am guessing Murphy's bite is the cure or did i miss something because he bit that guy and when he died he dint turn.
ReplyDelete"I do still think Cassandra is not needed at all; she still says barely anything and does nothing." Exactly. She serves no purpose.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit I had mini heart attack, when zombie tried to bite 10k and that made me even more annoyed that he had given that gun to some random girl.
His blood is the key to finding a cure, so yes you are correct.
ReplyDeleteIt just confirms that Murphy holds the cure. I can agree with Citizen Z being sad (after hearing Garnett has died, but I think he really over exaggerated when he was crying. He didn't know him well enough to cry. Some of the people closest to him didn't even cry.
ReplyDeleteGlad you agree about Cassandra! She just seems like someone who is just there for the sake of it, not adding anything remotely important to the show. Maybe they might do something with her character in the upcoming episodes(hopefully).
ReplyDeleteI'm with you, when the zombie grabbed him I thought "No No, they can't kill off another" luckily the girl saved him. The contest seemed pointless in the end, the purpose of entering was to get the gun, and to give it away was just bizarre.
I agree it was a good follow up. I was glad that we got to see our characters (especially Warren) deal with the death of there friend. I don't mind episodes where not much happens as long as it is meaningful which this episode was.
ReplyDeleteIf it was bollywood movie Warren and zombies would start dancing and that would be... awesome.
ReplyDeleteDespite all that stress and nail biting I think that it's good thing that Z Nation managed to create situation in which we're afraid about everyone's life (ok, except Cassandra).
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more!
ReplyDeleteAnother great recap, Robert! Personally, I think this episode points up a few more ways ZN tries so hard to push itself to the complete opposite end of the spectrum from TWD:
ReplyDelete1) Mixing in humor/farce ~ Okay, ZN's still experimenting but once in awhile it sticks the landing. I count the "Z-Nado," along with this ep's pants-down outhouse zombie and the "shooting gallery" behind the ice cream truck. Ridiculous? Yes. Logical? No. But ... kinda funny. All of this stuff just screams "We are SO NOT 100% serious about this."
2) TWD taboos ~ Zombie baby? Check. Blow baby to pieces? Check. Kill off well-intentioned, bearded leader? Check. Bad@$$ woman takes over group? Check. This is all in the first 7 episodes. I truly feel like they're going down a list of stuff TWD has teased, but (so far) hasn't touched. Hell yeah, TWD's the superior show; and ZN knows it. It's like they're openly acknowledging "we can't take you on, but we can treat your template like target practice."
3) Narrator ~ Love him or hate him, Citizen Z is something else TWD doesn't have: an "overseer" that tries to orient the players and the viewer. He's also a marketing hook: "Follow Citizen Z!" Good God is he annoying so far. BUT I think there's some potential if they limit him to brief episode framing. I give them points for trying it.
4) Zombie/Human hybrid ~ enough said.
You can probably tell that *how* this show does stuff interests me way more than the actual show itself. But as you point out, Kellita Smith just kicked it in those final scenes (pretty sure that gunslinger theme was the old Clint Eastwood fave from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly). They've got some solid actors, and some good ideas. I'm interested to see where they take it from here.
If I had to travel with a jerk like that I'd figure out a way to get a couple vials of his blood, and leave the rest of him behind. So much less hassle. :)
ReplyDeleteI think in some ways this show is better than The Walking Dead. We all know this show isn't a serious one, just a fun show to watch, but the ideas they keep coming up with (z nado, zunami) are actually really good/unique. I like how each week we spend it in a different location, and there is always something worthwhile seeing.
ReplyDeleteI think The Walking Dead are afraid to take risks like killing off the baby, as it could cause backlash from fans, I like how this show is not. Like you said they are going down a list of things The Walking Dead could do, and they actually execute them ideas.It sends a message to The Walking Dead saying "We have no limits to what we can do".
The last 3 or 4 episodes have been really enjoyable for me, and I now find myself each week wondering what they have in store for us next week.
Agreed -- I feel like TWD has too big/vocal of a viewership to take on some of these risks. Meanwhile the ZN writers seem to have no fear, not even a fear of looking totally idiotic at times. :) Plus they've really started dishing up new reasons to check back in.
ReplyDeleteLove how they put Mack and Addy on their own in the face of that zunami, with Addy's weird flashbacks unexplained. Maybe the other group will cross paths with Sniper Chick again, and trade her for Cassandra. Odd how those two sort of resembled each other. Cassandra seemed more useful in the beginning, not sure what happened ...??
Couldn't agree more, they dish out new ideas on a weekly basis, I can only imagine what season 2 will bring.
ReplyDeleteI am hoping now Addy and Mack are on there own, we can finally learn the meaning behind her flashbacks as it is really bugging me not knowing.
I was actually hoping the sniper girl was going to join the group, it would have been nice to have a female 10k, as he is such an awesome character. I hope they cross paths again. The writers need to do something with Cassandra she now just feels like somewhere who is just there for the sake of being there.
I know, right? They made her such a focal point, and she looked a bit like Cassandra, then they'd cut to Cassandra just standing there breathing. Agreed, 10K is awesome -- would be cool if they gave him a strong female foil.
ReplyDeleteIf she wasn't in the episode, I doubt anyone would even notice.
ReplyDeleteSimon (Citizen Z) has been isolated with little to no contact for a year. Of course he's gonna form a deep attachment with whoever varies that slightly and react the way he did.
ReplyDeleteSimon, wow how did you find his name out?
ReplyDeleteever heard of Goggle, lol...☺...
ReplyDeletehttp://z-nation.wikia.com/wiki/Simon_Cruller
lol, I meant that I couldn't find his name anywhere I looked. Never even bothered to check wiki, checked syfy website etc.
ReplyDeleteHe said his name in the first episode.
ReplyDeleteur right...also it was mentioned in this Review of the first episode:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/z-nation-tv-review-732547
and on Wiki...we know that the Dog has NO name yet, lol...☺...
Yeah thats right, but i'll still refer to him as 'The Dude' until Simon calls him by another name.
ReplyDeleteOh, I must have missed it.
ReplyDelete