It's back! This week Z Nation sees the birth of a more cuter and cuddly zombie baby than the one the team confronted in episode one of season one. And yes, Murphy is officially a father.
'Zombaby!' returned the show to its more light hearted fare after some rather intense episodes to begin the season. To summarize, there were sheep zombies, horse zombies, camel zombies, zombies in weird costumes, and anthrax zombies whose head would explode in white dust. There were also Mennonites, some undead, and a zombie hoard who gathered around and watched the birth of little Lucy in a stable of all places. Oh, and throughout the episode there was a giant cheese wheel rolling down Wisconsin, thanks to Warren. To say this episode was odd puts it lightly.
Though the episode as a whole was one of the more wonkier in recent memory, there were some serious moments sprinkled throughout it. The drugged up guy in the pharmacy who begged Addy and Vasquez to kill him acted as a reminder of how grim surviving the apocalypse can be. This scene did feel out of context considering the lightheartedness of this episode, but hey, the zombie apocalypse is nothing to joke about. It's nice to be brought back into reality once in a while, so long as they don't take themselves too seriously.
The story involved the team stumbling upon a Mennonite community while seeking shelter for Serena. 10K and Addy would soon contract Anthrax, prevalent throughout the community, leading to a hard decision Warren would have to make.
Serena, in all her shrieks, tantrums and monkey noises, was more irritating than humorous, but it was all worth it to see the titular zombaby. After giving birth to Lucy in a hilarious scene where zombies showed up to watch, ala the birth of Christ, Serena would eventually sacrifice herself to help the team escape the barn overrun by the undead. By the way, the shot of the three wise zombies with the camel was too funny and it made sense to the narrative, speaking to the importance of the child to mankind.
Serena was not the only one who made a sacrifice. The episode also explored the sacrifices Warren is willing to make for the betterment of the team and, ultimately, in finding a zombie cure. Warren made the tough choice of sacrificing her integrity by stealing all the medication the Mennonite's rationed to heal 10K and Addy. The community was left pretty much to their demise.
There may be some repercussions or regret on Warren's part after making this decision and it'll be interesting to see where her character goes from here. Another character who may be changed in some way coming out of this episode is Murphy. How different will father Murphy be than the Murphy of yore?
Overall, an over the top wonky episode was made passable by some emotional depth in Warren's decision and Serena's sacrifice. Hopefully, the baby grows up fast or gets kidnapped, as it has potential to slow down the group if dragged out too long, but for now, the blue zombaby is a welcome addition to the team. One last thing, there was no Citizen Z this episode. His absence was barely noticed, but that was one huge positive of this week that can't be overlooked.
What are your thoughts?! Leave your comments below!
About the Author - Kollin Lore
Kollin is an entertainment writer and a film and television, in particular genre TV, freak having grown up during the 90s and early 2000s a dedicated fan of Buffy and Angel. Current shows like Person of Interest, Supernatural, Ripper Street, Penny Dreadful, Grimm, The Blacklist, Game of Thrones, and dozens of other shows are currently occupying Kollin’s nightly hours. His reviews for Into the Badlands and The Expanse will be coming this fall!
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