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 - Sisters of Mercy - Review
This episode we see the group travel to Utah after finding a boy wandering along the road toward Salt Lake City. Before they got there we saw Mack, and Addy get reunited with the rest of the group. Once they were all together they headed out onto the road after getting some supplies from a Blacksite, which Citizen Z recommended. They see zombie children all along the road in the direction of Salt Lake City, at first I didn't know what to make of it, but later in the episode we learn that once the boys turn 13 they have to leave the camp, it made sense. I still think it is heartless of the sisters to make boys leave all alone, and what makes it even worse is for them to lie to them by saying that their dads are in Salt Lake City.
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Once they arrived at this camp, Sam (the boy) goes over to their leader Helen and tells them that these are nice people. Helen would only allow the woman in the group into the camp, as men are not welcome. Straight away, I knew that there was something wrong with these sisters, as each episode we have had so far there has always been some sort of disaster or problem the group has encountered. It reminded me of the cannibal cult Cassandra was with, apart from they wasn't as crazy as them. Once inside Addy instantly bonds with this little girl, I am thinking that maybe the little girl reminded Addy of one of her siblings she had. Something else that was going through my mind was; could the little girl just act really friendly to try, and help manipulate Addy into staying, making out the utopia is a perfect sanctuary and that their ways are normal. Right at the end of the episode we see this girl with Addy's necklace she has had since she was a young child. Why on earth would she hand it over to her?
We then get a brief scene with the men from the group outside who get given some pie by one of the female guards. She wasn't really there to give them the pie, but really to hook up with Murphy. It was a very sleazy scene, but I actually found it pretty funny, especially as she didn't seem to care much about him being bitten. In fact, I would say that it made her more into him. Her licking his wounds though was a bit much. Much later, in the episode it is revealed that the woman is pregnant with Murphy's baby, I am no expert on pregnancies, but she started feeling a bump ever so quickly. Elsewhere, back at the camp Addy is sitting down with Helen (the leader of the sisters) and she is telling her of her traumatizing experience with the cannibals. Little did we know that Helen would then use this to manipulate her into killing later on in the episode. Addy does break down in tears and lets her emotions run free. I think she did need to let all of it out, as you could see she was starting to lose it a bit, especially in the very first scene when she was singing when killing the zombies.
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I don't think Helen's intentions are necessarily bad, she wants to protect the woman from men, she just uses manipulation as a way of getting them to trust her. A woman gets taken to the camp, she had been beaten. The man who did it is also with them. Helen says they need justice so they eventually toss him in a barn with a zombie bear. Just when I thought the show couldn't get any stranger, they introduce us to a zombified bear. I thought it was hilarious; it just goes to show even the strongest of animals can turn. The sisters get informed two more women are out there, so they send a group out to get them (Addy and Warren included). Once they meet with the biker men, they surround them and tie them together with chains. This was the turning point for Addy, she has now turned into a cold-blooded killer. You could see though that Helen was manipulating her using her bad experience as a way of getting her to pull the trigger on one of the men. It did work though, and Addy didn't look like she had any regrets. She is slowly being brainwashed.
Later at the sanctuary Helen continues her brainwashing of Addy using her love for Mack against her. It seemed to work, as she later goes to tell Mack she is staying. This was a highlight of the episode, as it was such an emotional scene between the pairing. Anastasia Baranova again was outstanding in this scene; you could really feel for the character. She didn't want to leave Mack, but couldn't bare the thought of him dying. Her reason felt heartfelt and genuine. It did seem also that it wasn't Helens manipulation speaking, but it was coming from Addy's heart. Addy has made her choice, not even Warren could persuade her to leave.
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The question remains now, is he dead? It sounds like it, but would the show really get rid of two series regulars in one instalment? In the closing minute of the episode, we hear the little girl Addy befriends singing as well as holding Addy's necklace. I should also add she is singing a really creepy song, it made me wonder if something has happened to Addy. I don't think the show would kill both of them off, but it looks that way. That though is probably what the writers want you to think, so when they show up again it will be a shock. I can't say if we will see them for the rest of the season given that there are only two episodes left, but I hope it's not the last of them two we see. I know Citizen Z would be devastated.
Summary
It was an exciting episode. It really showed us how affected Addy was by past events, and how easily manipulated she can be. There were some fun moments in it like seeing a zombie bear, but ultimately the episode focused on Addy. The use of flashbacks was excellent; they came at the appropriate time. The episode was a little light on Zombie kills, and we didn't get much comedic dialogue from Doc or Murphy, which was a shame as their jokes always put a smile on my face. We get left wondering if Addy or Mack have survived, and I am really eager to watch the next two to see if they show up again. Also, I should add Kelly McGillis who played Helen was excellent and was one of the highlights of the entire season.
Here is the Promo for next weeks episode.
As always, thank you for reading! Let me know in the comments what you thought of the episode!
I hope Mack isn't dead, I really like him. I think Addy needed down time and she felt she had found a place where she could have that peace. I'm not sure she made the wrong decision. But I felt bad for Mack.
ReplyDeleteMurphy getting laid was so funny. And I think they implied at the end that he got that woman pregnant. We might see some zombie baby next season.
I thought it was a really good ep. And it was deep on alot of levels. Excellent characterization for Addy. And Citizen Z wasn't annoying for once.
I hope Mack lives and that Addy realizes she's better off with him. But who knows with this show.
I hope he isn't dead, but I read somewhere (about 2 weeks ago) that they would be killing of another character in the upcoming episodes. I do agree about how Addy needs time to get come to terms with what has happened, I just have no clue how she is going to get back with the group again.
ReplyDeleteYeah the Murphy part was funny, I would hate though to see another zombie baby especially after seeing one in the pilot. It was really creepy. I wonder if we will see that woman again, now that she is carrying Murphys baby.
I don't think they will do it as a regular zombie. I think the point was to make the baby be a whole new race of being. Like, right now, Murphy is a sort of hybrid. So the baby would probably be immune to the virus and be something else.
ReplyDeleteFor Craig Engler's sake, I hope not.
ReplyDeletePretty good episode. This is the thing with cults in generel, they would find a way to reel you in once they see a flaw or vulnerability in your character. With the right twisted charisma, you could win that person over, which happened to be the case with Addy.
ReplyDeleteAnd for the love of Pete (as there's no Pete in Z-Nation, yet), I hope the Syfy gods keep Mack alive.
And kill the baby momma who will turn into a zombie of her own right.
ReplyDeleteThat or do a Hayley in TO and make her a hybrid as well. :D
So do I. I read in an article that Mack, and Cassandra are the least liked among the fans. So maybe its just us who want them to keep him alive.
ReplyDeleteThat would be a nice touch for the baby to be immune to the virus. I wonder if/when we see the mother again what effects it will have on her, as surely she would start to feel different, with a possible hybrid baby growing inside her.
ReplyDeleteThis was a pretty nice improvement over some of the more recent episodes. As several of us seem to agree, reuniting the group definitely produces some stronger story lines. It seems like Addy's emotional journey has
ReplyDeletebecome a major highlight this season, and in this episode it finally starts leading to some interesting and troubling events. It looked to me like Mack got shot in the shoulder, which produced a great little cliffhanger that makes me want to tune in next week. I especially love how Murphy is only in this episode briefly, yet his bizarre encounters and deadpan reactions ("I thought she'd never leave") keep right on stealing the show. My guess is that the baby will be some kind of human hybrid with natural zombie immunity, and it would be intriguing if they carried that thread over into Season 2.
I read somewhere that Rachel Goldenberg, who directed this episode, is an Emmy winner -- and it seemed (to me) like you could really feel the difference in weight and tone. Also, that zombie bear had to be one the cheesiest effects ever, but I've just gotta give them points for originality! Plus, all the way through the episode, I kept looking at Helen and it finally hit me toward the end -- DANG, that's Kelly McGillis from like, Top Gun. She hasn't necessarily aged all that wonderfully (especially next to Tom Cruise), but I really like the old-school stunt casting. :)
It definitely was an improvement! I think Mack was shot in the shoulder, as you could see the blood patch. I am hoping they reveal if Mack has survived, and whats going to be happening with Addy, as I would hate to have to wait until next yet.
ReplyDeleteI do think the baby will be immune as well, which leaves me wondering what effect will it have on the mother. They probably wont wrap the baby storyline up this season, as I reckon the last two episodes will be solely focused on Murphy getting to the lab especially going by the titles "Murphys Law" and "Doctor of the dead".
Rachel Goldenberg is infact an emmy winner, she won her emmy this year. The last two episodes have been really good, and they have been directed by experienced directors.
You can easily see the difference in the tone of it, and quality of the plot for the episode. I spoke with Nick Lyon (director of 1.10) and he said he will be back to direct a few in season 2 so we can probably rest assure that season 2 will have a few good episodes. (I'm hoping all of them are good)
I really hope they're fine-tuning as they go. It's really discouraging to see a couple clunkers in a row like we got a few weeks back, but this one was pretty good -- and I've gotta think they're planning something strong for the next two. Realistically, I do wonder how often showrunners actually monitor social media these days, just to see what's catching on with viewers and what's not. I think putting too much stock in everyone's different opinions could make them lose focus (a show like "Glee" started going downhill when it paid too much attention to individual episode ratings) -- but then again, it's an interesting tool that shows never really had at their disposal until just a few years back.
ReplyDeleteYeah showrunners really should. After the Mack and Addy centric episode all the social media sites were filled with the "the worst episode ever" or some extreme people "I'm done with this crap show". Who knows maybe they did listen as the episode after a big improvement, then again I imagine all 13 episodes have already been filmed, with maybe them changing the planned finale. As I don't think they imagined getting a season 2.
ReplyDeleteA lot of people I have seen agree with what I said about when the group is together its when the shows at its best. So hopefully the showerunners can look at these social sites, and stop doing centric episodes as the two they had so far clearly didn't go well with viewers.
To me it was clear that mack died, i dont see how he would survive so many people from high ground shooting at him with almost no cover and he using a pistol.
ReplyDeleteand addy hearing all this gunfire would either know what just happened or see it when checking it - and i would think she would go nuts over it and try to kill those responsible, which would then lead to her death.
thats atleast what i got from all this and the song the girl sang about the two butterflies flying away (death) and then there were none.
Addy doesn't deserve to come back to the group. The stupid bitch got Mack killed because she's selfish and weak. I hope she dies in the most horrible way possible. Anyone who betrays someone who loves them is lower than scum.
ReplyDeleteLike Addy would care if Mack got killed. She didn't care when they shot him the first time. She's so weak willed and indoctrinated that she was probably one of the ones shooting.
ReplyDeleteAddy made it clear she didn't care about Mack when she didn't care that they shot him. After all they've been through together, all he's sacrificed for her, and she just throws him away. They have been in the apocolypse together for THREE YEARS.
ReplyDeleteI never really cared for or against Mack, but I now HATE Addy. She's my least favorite character of all of them. Now the only cool people on the show are Citizen Z and 10K
ReplyDeleteWell as we never saw him dead on our screens, I remain hopeful that he is alive. They should hopefully give some confirmation in a future episode on whether both of them are dead or not. Nice connection between the song, and Mack and Addy. I wouldn't have picked up on that, so thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI do see where you coming from in a way, he did sacrafice everything for her. She though didn't want to see him die, so thats why she wanted to leave him. It did seem selfish, but she was being manipulated by Helen, so I would blame Helen not Addy.
ReplyDeletei love Mack, i hope he isnt dead... and Addy was so out of her mind... but it does seem like at least one of them is dead... Murphy will have a baby that will be interesting..
ReplyDeleteI think everybody (including myself) believe one of them is dead. I think it will probably be Mack, but I would prefer it to be Addy. I like Mack a lot more than Addy. I don't know how they plan to re-visit the whole Murphy has a child story since they left the area where the mother was. I can't see them going back there, but perhaps the mother will leave the sisters, and she will see Murphy in a city or something.
ReplyDelete