We are now approaching the halfway mark of Z Nation. Sketchy and Skeezy return from their sole appearance in the first season making 'Down the Mississippi' quite a hilarious one, on top of building on and maintaining the strong bond between Team Bite Mark.
Sketchy really steals the spotlight in this episode and like many of the guest characters who have come and gone, he can be a little too over the top; however, in small doses he is a welcome addition. The cons Sketchy pulls and the stories he tells are amusing, especially the biting scene where he has Skeezy pretend to be Murphy. Hopefully, we see more of the pair further down the road.
Speaking of Murphy, the legend of The Murphy is also hilariously explored. Many claim to have seen him and similar to how rumors are spread, not a single story of The Murphy seems to have any truth behind them, especially the levitation bit or how he is a 7-foot monster. Murphy's reaction to the latter was quite amusing.
The highlight of this episode though was the camaraderie. Due to an accident on a boat 10K is separated from the rest of the group. This setup leads to some great character moments with Doc insisting on finding and saving 10K. Meanwhile, the rest of the group loses any hope in finding him, with Vasquez in particular opposed to veering off mission. There has been a clear bond between Doc and 10K throughout this series and it was great to see that camaraderie shine through upon them being separated.
Also in this episode was Scorpion and the Zeroes. They come off as intimidating antagonists, but so far they haven't had too much of an impact on the group. During Scorpion's introduction in episode 2, it would have been nice to see him trap Mack in a room to be eaten by zombies or have some kind of involvement in the death of one of Team Bite Mark to really set him up as an opposing force. Thus far, he and his group have just popped up randomly, like in this episode where Scorpion shows up as a judge to decide the fate of 10K, Sketchy and Skeezy who enter a town under a fake identity and are on trial.
By episodes end, Team Bite Mark, with the help of a townswoman who quickly developed an affection for 10K, save their separated brethren from being hanged; albeit, in a ridiculous way. Together they continue on their mission to California with a much stronger bond between them.
Other standout elements include the funny dentist dump truck to setup the episode and Sketchy's spirited, but irrelevant speech to the townsfolk during the trial. Overall, 'Down the Mississippi' was a typical
Z Nation type of episode with its perfect blend of humor, over the top action, and quirky characters. There was nothing special about this week's episode, although the continued camaraderie between Team Bite Mark has been a consistent high point of this season, especially in light of two heartbreaking deaths in just the first half alone.
What did you guys think! 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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