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 - Zunami - Review
Coming off the back of some really good episodes, this episode left much to be desired. The name "Zunami" made me expect a load of action sequences, and countless waves of zombies they would have to fight off. The episode provided us instead with the group hiding in a morgue. What could have been another excellent episode was turned into one of the worst for this show. There is actually so little that happened that there is barely anything for me to talk about.
The group is in Nebraska this time around, dehydrated, and starving. They are trying to survive, but find it very hard when there are no supplies anywhere in sight. Before long there is a massive horde of zombies coming their way, so they have to take shelter in the coroner's office. Ultimately the doors end up breaking, and them having no other choice, but to hide inside the morgue in these lockers. One thing I didn't understand was where was their truck they had from the last episode? They could have easily just got on that and drove off. That would've saved us the painful 42 minutes of watching them do nothing.
We spend the majority of the episode with Murphy and Citizen Z. Murphy, after leaving the group hidden away in the morgue ventures outside where all he really does is walk through the town. He soon finds a family locked away in a building. This was a chilling scene, as not only did he steal their food, he let a zombie (the father) into the building. This was so heartless of Murphy; I couldn't believe what I saw. I really liked his character up to this point; we all knew he was a jerk right from when we first met him, but what he did was an all-time low for him.
What was even worse was that he was planning on leaving our main group, and going to try to survive alone which is why he got the food. You could see he was heavily considering it, and if he did leave them I would want them to shoot him if they came across him again. They have all risked their lives to try to get him to California, people have died for him so the least he can do is to be grateful to them. I wonder why he had a change of heart and went back to them?. Murphy doesn't seem to get attached to anyone; even after all they have done for him. I can easily see him leaving them to die one day.
Now onto Citizen Z, who is called Simon. (Thank you to the reader for pointing it out) The main part of the episode was spent with him at the base. He gets a surprise visitor called Yuri; the only problem is he isn't real. It did start off a little interesting with him, but then once I realised he wasn't real we spent the rest of the episode with him trying to wait for the moment he would come to his senses. The reason he was hallucinating was because of a malfunction with the air filtration. It did though give us some more insight into what life was like at the base, and how he is fully stocked up for decades with food, and supplies.
We spent the encounter with Yuri at first with them two messing around, it was actually nice to see him interact with someone instead of sitting alone talking to the dog. I actually wish Yuri was real, that way Simon can actually do something. They have yet to find anything for Citizen Z to do. While I appreciate they were trying to create an interesting storyline with Citizen Z this episode, it ultimately fell flat and got boring to watch the minute you found out he was hallucinating. Everything about it just didn't work for me, the dialogue exchanges were very poor, and the acting was awful, especially when he was being "strangled". It's actually a real shame his storyline didn't work as he is one of two characters that had anything to do this episode.
The only good point of the episode was the fact Murphy has now been accepted among the group, he is now a friend. He probably wouldn't have been if they knew how he got the food.
Summary
This was not the show's finest hour, in fact; it was probably among the worst episodes of the show. What could have been an interesting episode with the zombie horde coming turned into 40 minutes of watching Citizen Z hallucinate, Murphy roam around town and the group hide away in a morgue. Let's hope for a better episode next episode, when we see Mack and Addy again.
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?
ReplyDeleteIt was an okay episode. I think the scenes with Citizen Z got me off me rockers although, as usual, DJ Qualls didn't do those strangling scenes justice so I felt shortchanged by the entirety of that part of the episode. The hallucination was a nice twist but it could have been better executed.
ReplyDeleteAs for Murphy, looks like he ain't got no time left. Notice his eyes in the final scene where the white spots are already starting to surface on the pupils? While being a still living half-zombie is nice, he needs to get to CA if he wants to save what's left of humanity. Probably one of the only, if not THE only, brightspots tonight.
Yep I did notice that finale scene, with his pupils. He is running out of time, I imagine they should get there in the next few episodes. The next episode looks to be just focused on Addy and Mack.
ReplyDeleteAs for DJ Qualls, for me personally I don't think his acting has been up to scratch this whole series. He sometimes over dramatizes things like the crying last week., this week with the whole strangling ordeal, even though he was supposedly near death he was still managing to speak. He should have been gasping for breath, not being able to drag a dog as well. One minute he couldn't breath, the next he was up on his feet.
I think he was in the same place he was the whole time so everything that occurred was all in his oxygen-deprived mind. It's also possible time didn't really much moved until he realized what the problem was, among others so I kinda have to suspend a bit of disbelief for that scene in order to make sense of it all.
ReplyDeleteActually having just thought about it, you probably are right, that does seem like the most logical way to look at it. When do you think everything was real again? I would say when he finished being "strangled" that was the point, in when everything was "real" again. As that's when he went to fix the air filtration.
ReplyDeleteHopefully the bad acting from DJ Qualls was also a hallucination as well. heeh
ReplyDeletethis Yuri, whats his real name?
ReplyDeleteHe was a hallucination, I am pretty sure Citizen Z only called him Yuri or Conrad. I don't believe he had another name, unless I missed it.
ReplyDeleteI know that. I meant his real real name, not in tv series.
ReplyDeleteoh sorry I misunderstood you, his name is Conner Marx
ReplyDeletethank you very much :)
ReplyDeleteNot one of my faves this week -- every time they try to flesh out a Citizen Z storyline, execution gets pretty sloppy. I can appreciate that they're trying to build in some character substance but honestly,
ReplyDeleteI feel he works better as a narrative plot device that either bookends each episode, or merely serves as GPS navigation for the other characters. The acting isn't quite where it needs to be for anything more -- even though most of his experience this time around was apparently a hallucination.
As for the parallel storyline, I saw the kernel of a pretty cool flip-the-script idea in there with the living trapped in body bags (probably the most on-the-nose this show gets to "we are the walking dead"), and the zombies sniffing them out. But personally, I think this thread should have taken up the bulk of the episode. I noticed Murphy's eyes at the end and chalk up his horrifying mom/kid decision to the fact that he's getting less human every single day. Seems like it will really be a race to CA from here on out (seriously guys, grab that vial of blood and ditch the rest of him). Looking forward to next week's Mack/Addy installment, which has gotta be more action-packed -- almost by default.
I think any episode following this one has to be better. I was surprised when we didn't even see Mack and Addy this episode.
ReplyDeleteFor me with Citizen Z, I say this everytime I see him, but he should only appear when needed. When the group needs directions, or a place to hide out, that is when he should appear. I did this episode try to keep an open mind, when most of the episode was based around him,but again it just seemed so silly. The writers are really trying to involve him as much as they can in the show, I just feel there are probably better ways to do that. An interesting storyline will do, as even this one lost my interest the minute I found out Yuri wasn't real.
I wanted to see more of this Zunami, it should have been the main focus of the episode since its was the episode title, and the promo kind of signaled towards that. It could have been as good as the Z Nado if they would have actually done something with it. I just didn't get the point in them naming the episode Zunami, and then having our characters hide away for the whole episode.
To me, this episode felt almost as claustrophobic as Warren and her team inside those drawers. In fact it almost strikes me as a bottle episode, deliberately made on the cheap and stalling for time. I totally agree with you, Robert, that the misleading title did a lot more harm than good. It set viewers up to expect a whirlwind pace. If they'd called it "Bagging Zombies," "Playing Dead," etc. etc., at least it would have managed expectations (I'm guessing "Counterfeit Cosmonaut" didn't make the cut).
ReplyDeleteAlso, I get that they want to show us how extended isolation is affecting Citizen Z (i.e., "safe" is really no better off than anyone else). I just can't help but feel that he's basically a clever construct they're desperate to make into a character. It seems like they steer wrong every time they head in this direction. The show just hasn't established the weight and intensity to pull it off. If they can figure out how to maintain that interesting tone mixture of action/wry comedy/drama, I feel like they stand a better chance of carving out a distinctive niche. Hoping they can nail it next week with M & A.
Yep, each week every title has been appropriate for that episode, except this one. I went into it with high hopes, thinking it can continue on a good streak (as I have really enjoyed the last four) , but the episode felt like it took four steps backwards.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, they are trying so hard with Citizen Z, to make him interesting to watch and a decent character. In terms of story for him, there isn't all that much they could create for him. As he is in an isolated area, unless other people came to the base or he ventured outside, every scene with him will just continue to be an excuse to pass the time.
This ep was not only poorly written, but it felt like a whole new writing team did the script, and it was obviously a team that never bothered to actually watch the show's previous eps. This ep didn't feel like it even belonged to the same show.
ReplyDeleteI'm just left with alot of why's. Why take what could have been a great, action packed zunami and just put a wet blanket over the whole thing. We could have had really scary moments of fighting for survival. Instead, we get most of the cast hiding and sleeping.
Then there's Murphy who was quickly becoming the best character on the show. Why ruin that? I just don't get it. There's no coming back from that. Stealing from a woman and her kid and then sending a zombie up to eat them. Just.....why?
And Citizen Z, Simon. His part of the ep just wasn't as cute and funny as it wanted to be. I thought it fell flat. It was awkward writing. And it just wasn't working. Why feature the worst character on the show?
I don't know, I hope next week's ep is better. I really do.
it's funny as soon i started watching this epi...i instantly thought of u Robert...how much u was going to HATE this epi only cause it was bout Citizen Z, lol....i was thinking the producers must be reading ur recaps and thought to play with u by giving us a whole Simon epi, lol...
ReplyDeletei Loved this epi cause it was all bout Simon...the more i see from him, the more i love Z Nation... i Loved the fact that he was making all that up...it fooled me the whole epi...i had no idea till the end... i was so happy he had more airtime this week...and to me, he's a good actor...JMO...☺...
So far I was complaining about Citizen Z, but this episode was really good. Too bad Yuri won't stick around.
ReplyDeletehaha. I did go into it with an open mind once I knew we were going to be seeing a lot of Simon, but then once I knew Yuri wasn't that was it for me. I wouldn't have minded if he was real, as that would create some interesting future story lines for Simon. It's not that I really hate his character its just I feel they are not doing anything significant to the show with him. If someone came to the base, or he went outside I wouldn't mind seeing him weekly.
ReplyDeleteI wish Yuri was real, that way Citizen Z might have some interesting storylines.
ReplyDeleteIt may be harsh, but it was Yuri that made Citizen Z likable. I felt sorry for him at the end of episode and next week he'll probably go back to his old annoying self and all good feelings will evaporate.
ReplyDeleteMy guess is that they have a couple key upcoming episodes planned (hopefully the next one, yes??) and that they're stalling for time as we enter the back half of the season.
ReplyDeleteShows like The Strain prove that viewers have gotten pretty tired of putting up with this tactic. AMC has seriously raised the bar on tight, efficient storytelling with many of its shows (Breaking Bad, this season's TWD), and it's truly putting several other networks to shame. Seems to me ZN is best served when it riffs off shows like TWD, without trying to copy the approach exactly.That's basically a Ford Fiesta trying to handle like a Corvette Stingray.
I completely agree, he did (I enjoyed there scenes at the beginning). Although once I knew Yuri was a hallucination, for me Citizen Z went back to being his usual annoying self.
ReplyDeleteThe next one looks to be Addy and Mack centric, so it does look like there stalling time until the finale. (which is when I think they will get to CDC) I dare say it, but I could see them having episode 10 or 11 just focused on Citizen Z.
ReplyDeleteZ Nation are again using a Walking Dead idea of splitting up the group
Z Nation Upcoming episode titles (for all that don't know yet)
ReplyDeleteEpisode 9 - Die Zombie Die...Again
Episode 10 - TBA
Episode 11 - Sisters of Mercy
Episode 12 - Murphy's Law
Episode 13 - Doctor of the Dead
And to think it wasn't that long ago when we had an episode titled "Murphy's Law" geared towards a character named Murphy.
ReplyDeleteOh hello there, The 100. :)
I suspect Citizen Z will get a real story. This is just spec, but I think they may be killing Mack off this coming ep. That will free up Addy for Citizen Z, and that might be where that's headed.
ReplyDeleteI really hope not. If they did she would have to travel a long way to get to him, as I doubt he will ever leave the base. (Even though I want him to). Maybe they will just communicate each episode (if Mack died) by walkie talkie or something.
ReplyDeleteOriginally -- when I'd been wondering if maybe Season 1 would be ZN's first and only season -- I'd pictured a final scene with Murphy and all the team members dead/undead, and Citizen Z calling out uselessly into his microphone ("Hello? Hello? Hello?" ...). Just him and the dog, fade to credits.
ReplyDeleteBut now it seems they'll need to come up with *something* to carry us through Season 2. So that really has me wondering about the Ep 13 title you mention. I'm 100% with you -- hoping they can get back to the breakneck pace and quirky-cool scenarios, and only sprinkle in Citizen Z involvement here and there.
I originally thought my self this was a one season series too. Now that it is not I can't really imagine what they have in store for season 2. Perhaps once they get to the CDC, and it turns out its been over run they will get directed to another CDC, that way they would still be on the road and continue with there weekly disasters they do. Although one problem with that is, it would become too repetitive.
ReplyDeleteI think the possibilities for poking fun at the whole zombie genre are pretty much endless (and that's a strength for ZN, when it's on its game), but this mission with Murphy? I can't imagine them trying to milk that for two whole seasons. Plus, it looks like his freshness date's up any minute now.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I hope the mission is finished by the end of the season. I guess we will just have to wait until the finale to be sure of where everything looks to be going.
ReplyDeleteI went into the episode knowing that Yuri would probably be an hallucination because after reading the summary, I happened upon the sneak peek and it just struck me as odd for a cosmonaut to just show up. The whole 'No life forms detected' thing just cemented that and as for the "exchanges", i could just imagine what an outsider might see if they saw these and it made it all the more sad and i thought Conner Marx and DJ Qualls played well off eachother
ReplyDelete(*To be honest. at first i thought it was just an effect of the isolation playing up)
I agree with you, as interesting as his solo sprial into madness is (to me at least), i wish Yuri would have been real... Simon really needs someone there to remind him that he needs to also worry about himself and keep him sane.
Another reason why I wanted Yuri to be real is because it could create some storylines for Citizen Z. At the moment his character isn't doing anything except just sitting at the base, which for me is getting tiring to watch. I think I would like the Citizen Z character a lot more if he had an interesting storyline.
ReplyDeleteI suppose but i'm fine with it so far. Perhaps more will come up in the next season and later ones since they plan on five seasons (which i hope they get.)
ReplyDeleteI didn't know they plan to have 5 seasons, do you know where you found that?
ReplyDeletehttp://seriable.com/z-nation-boss-reveals-five-season-arc/
ReplyDeleteThanks :)
ReplyDeleteNo problem.
ReplyDeletethe only good part was Murphy, he's the only one with interesting story.. although i hate how he got the food.. and i wish if Yuri was real..
ReplyDeleteI wish Yuri was real too! I also think Murphy has an interesting story too, especially his whole transformation he has going on.
ReplyDeleteI'm really beginning to like this show, but I think it needs to show more footage of the guy and the dude from outerspace.
ReplyDeleteThe astronaut was a hallucination he wasn't real. I actually am the opposite I think they should show less of him, and only show him when he is actually needed.
ReplyDeleteYeah, and i did not know that was a hallucination lol.
ReplyDelete