Black Summer, Season 1, Episode 7

The Tunnel picks up right were Heist left off. Spears and Sun are running from the facility, a huge bag of weapons and ammo in tow.

They are examining their take when the rest of the team catches up to them. William rolled his ankle, but he’s still mobile.

Black Summer

The team is hugging and coming to grips with the fact that they lost Manny in the ductwork when a small horde runs down the haul. The biters are cleared by the two soldiers who we saw at the beginning of the last episode.

The two soldiers tell the team they can lead them through the warehouse and then through the city to the Stadium, but Spears has that look of doubt in his eyes.

Overhead we can hear planes dropping bombs, and when the group reaches a large dining hall, the soldiers call a halt to rest. It won’t be safe to go topside while the bombers are at work.

Rest Time In The Dining Hall

Spears still seems doubtful of the soldiers. The soldiers seem to have a plan, and there clearly bombing runs going on, but its still not clear if the soldiers have alternative motives.

The team lies down to rest, leaving the two soldiers on guard. Sometime shortly after Rose wakes up, hearing noises in the distance. She calls for Spears, but he’s not responding, so she goes in search of the noise. When she finds them, the soldiers have Spears.

Spears, AKA Julius James

Rose finds the truth out about Spears. That his name is really Julius James. Apparently the soldiers think he knows where loot is. It’s never really explained exactly what that might be, who cares about money in a world full of biters?

What does Rose do? She blows away the two soldiers and frees Spears, because regardless of what his name is, they’ve been surviving together and she trusts him.

Spears and Rose go back to the main group, and tell them its time to move. Time to go outside. They have to get to the Stadium.

Once outside the old man whistles a few times, seeing if he can call anything to him, and amazingly, his dog comes running. The old man just walks away. He’s been surviving on his own, and I guess he wants to keep it that way.

Walking Away

Thus ends The Tunnel, setting us up for the season finale.

The Tunnel Scoring

The Tunnel scores an 83/100. It is Worth Your Time, but it could have had more zombies in it.

SeasonEpisodeEpisode NameScore
11Human Flow85
12Drive80
13Summer School70
14Alone82
15Diner86
16Heist90
17The Tunnel83
18The Stadium91
21The Cold95
22Prelude80
23Card Game91
24Cold War83
25White Horse88
26Currency69
27The Lodge75
28The Plane99

See how all Zombie Series rank here!

Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula (2020)

I’m just going to start by saying that Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula has some big shoes to fill. Train to Busan scored a 100/100, putting it in an elite group of Zombie Movies.

Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula takes place four years after the Korean Peninsula has been completely overrun by the undead. The nations around Korea have cordoned it off to try and contain the virus. As always, criminals will find a way to make money. An Organized syndicate has a plan to do just that.

There is a lot of cash on the peninsula. The mob has bribed the coast guard to let a small team enter. Why?So they can get to a truck full of money and get it out.

Our two main characters are a brother and brother in law who survived. There family didn’t. The memory of their wife/sister and son/nephew dying haunts them. Dying by Zombie is not pretty.

Going Back

The brothers make their way to the Peninsula with a small team. They find the truck full of money fairly easily. Things appear to be going well. At least until the undead swarm, taking out everyone on the team save for the brothers.

This is where things take a hard left turn. One brother ends up stuck in the truck. The other is saved by two young sisters in a car. It feels like the writers of Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula watched one too many Fast & The Furious movies after this. Lots of cool car action. It’s just a bit of a genre blender.

The kids take the brother in law to meet the family. The kids live with their mom and her crazy dad. Meanwhile the other brother end up at a survivor stronghold. New survivors are not welcome. They are used to entertain the masses. He’s forced to participate in a barbaric live game show. The captured are forced to fight the undead. It’s not a pretty way to go.

It’s now up to the free brother in law to convince a mother to risk her life to get the truck back. In exchange he promises she can rescue her kids from the horrors of the island.

Thus kicks off the next act of the movie. It is a combination rescue mission as well as truck heist. This in turn leads to a long vehicle chase as the good guys make their way to the port, and their hopeful escape.

Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula Scoring

Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula scored an 84/100. That is a great score for any other Zombie Movie but represents a big drop from the original.

What cost it points? The first was the fact that the mom would let her two young daughters take joy rides in a city infested with the undead.

The second was the vehicle scenes. They were fun and interesting, but they don’t generate the same tension as people fleeing on foot would. One of the things that made the Train to Busan so powerful was that you felt the survivors fear and anxiety as the undead swarmed, and the situation grew increasingly more desperate. It’s an energy that Peninsula does its best to recreate, but not quote as good as the original.

ReviewYearScoreType
#Alive2020100Action / Infection
Dawn Of The Dead1978100Action / Horror / Classics
Night Of The Living Dead1968100Action / Horror / Classics
World War Z2013100Action / Infection
28 Days Later2002100Action / Infection
Train To Busan2016100Action / Infection
Zombieland2010100Comedy / Action
Flesh And Blood201899Shorts
Serenity200599Action / Sci-Fi
The Girl With All The Gifts201695Action / Infection
Land Of The Dead200594Action / Horror
Resident Evil: Apocalypse200493Action / Infection
Resident Evil200292Action / Infection
Rampant201891Action / Infection / Mid Evil
Day of the Dead200890Action / Infection
Cooties201489Comedy / Action
The Return of the Living Dead198585Comedy / Action
Night of the Comet198485Comedy / Action
Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula 202084Action / Infection
Zombieland: Double Tap201983Comedy / Action
Fido200682Comedy / Action
Shaun Of The Dead200481Comedy / Action
Zombie197980Action / Horror
The Evil Dead198180Classic / Action
I Am Legend (2007)200780Action / Infection
28 Weeks Later200780Action / Infection
Infection201979Action / Infection
It Stains The Sands Red201679Action / Infection
Overlord201879Action / Horror
A Little Bit Zombie201278Comedy / Action
Plan Z201678Action / Infection
Wyrmwood: Apocalypse 202177Action / Infection
Day of the Dead198577Action / Horror / Classics
Dead Rising: Endgame201677Action / Infection
Freaks of Nature201576Comedy / Action
The Dead201076Action / Infection
Cockneys Vs. Zombies201275Comedy / Action
Here Alone201675Suspense / Infection
The Battery201274Drama / Infection
Shed of the Dead 201974Comedy / Action
Alone202073Action / Infection
Survival Of The Dead200973Action / Horror
State of Emergency201173Action / Infection
Remains201172Action / Infection
Dawning of the Dead201772Action / Infection
Dance of the Dead 200872Comedy / Action
The Rezort201572Action / Infection
The Army of the Dead202171Action / Infection
Witness Infection202171Comedy / Action
Daylight's End201671Action / Infection
The Valley Of The Dead202170Horror / Infection
Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead201470Action / Infection
Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse201570Comedy / Action
Resident Evil: Afterlife201070Action / Infection
Night of the Living Deb201570Comedy / Romance
For A Few Zombies More201570Action / Infection
Zombie Night201370Action / Infection
Dead Rising: Watchtower 201570Action / Infection
Zombie Hunter201370Action / Infection
The Dead 2: India201570Action / Infection
Among The Living202269Suspense / Horror
Exit Humanity201169Action / Infection
Bird Box201869Action / Horror / Possession
Republic Z201868Action / Comedy
Blood Quantum201968Action / Infection
Ravenous201768Action / Infection
Quarantine200867Infection / Horror
Forget Everything And Run (F.E.A.R.)202167Suspense / Horror
The Night Eats The World201867Suspense / Infection
Ultimate Zombie Feast202066Shorts/ Action
How To Kill A Zombie201466Action / Comedy
Cargo201766Suspense / Infection
Trench 11201766Action / Horror
Dead County202165Drama / Horror
Zombie Town200765Action / Horror
Zoombies201665Awesomely Bad
The End?201764Horror / Infection
Quarantine 2201164Action / Infection
Zombie Apocalypse201164Action / Infection
Red Spring201763Action / Infection
Virus:32202262Horror / Infection
Resident Evil: Extinction200762Action / Infection
Resident Evil Retribution201261Action / Infection
Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead202360Comedy / Action
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter201660Action / Infection
Life After Beth201459Comedy / Action
Diary Of The Dead200758Action / Horror
Revelation Trail201357Action / Horror
Eat Brains Love201956Comedy / Horror
My Mates vs. The Zombie Apocalypse201556Comedy / Action
Deadsight201855Suspense / Infection
Anna And The Apocalypse201755Musical / Infection
Amigo Undead201554Comedy / Horror
Bong of the Living Dead201754Action / Infection
Black Friday202153Action / Horror
The Dead Undead201053Action / Infection
Redcon-1201852Action / Horror
Deadheads201152Comedy / Romance
Dead Don't Die in Dallas201951Action / Infection / LGBTQ
Day of the Dead: Bloodline201851Action / Infection
Road Wars201550Action / Infection
Disaster L.A.201450Action
Zombie Strippers!200849Horror / Comedy
Within the Woods of Undead County201649Action / Infection
Day Zero202348Horror / Infection
Rise of The Zombies201248Action / Infection
I Am Alone201548Action / Infection
Valentine DayZ201847Action / Infection / Awesomely Bad
Lethal Virus202146Action / Horror
Savageland201546Horror / Drama
Zombie Warz: Falls The Shadow201145Action / Horror
Infected201945Shorts
Bridge of the Doomed202244Horror / Infection
Block Z202044Action / Infection
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City202143Action / Horror
The Dead Don't Die201943Spoof / Drama
The Plague200642Action / Horror
Strain 100202042Action / Infection
Infected202141Action / Horror
Before Dawn201341Drama / Action
When the Fever Breaks201941Suspense / Infection
Zombie Undead201040Action / Infection
Hostile201740Action / Infection
Dead Before Down201239Horror / Supernatural
Gangs Of The Dead200638Action / Infection
Zombies201737Action / Infection
American Zombieland202036Comedy / Infection
Cannon Fodder / Battle Of The Undead201335Action / Horror
Zombie Diaries 2201135Action / Infection
Dead Trigger201735Action / Infection
Deadlocked202035Action / Infection
Another World201435Action / Infection
Evilution200934Action / Horror
KL24: Zombies201734Action / Infection
Re-Elected202033Comedy / Suspense
Antisocial 2201533Action / Infection
Aquarium of the Dead202132Comedy / Horror
Antisocial201332Action / Infection
By Day's End202031Suspense / Infection
Dead 7201631Action / Infection
Pandemic201630Action / Infection
Attack of the Southern Fried Zombies201729Comedy / Action
Zombie Hood201328Action / Infection
The Dustwalker201927Action / Parasite
Day of the Dead 2: Contagium200526Action / Infection
Solar Impact201925Action / Horror
Anger Of The Dead201525Action / Infection
The Last Hope201724Action / Infection
The Day of the Living Dead201423Drama / Detective
Zombie Road201822Shorts
Zombie Wars200721Action / Infection
Army of Thieves202120Heist / Horror
Last Rites Of The Dead201920Drama / Thriller
The Mad200719Comedy / Infection
The Living Dead202018Horror / Drama
Zone of the Dead200917Action / Infection
Killer Weekend201816Comedy / Not Zombies
G Zombie202115Drama / Infection
Quarantine L.A.201314Action / Infection
Driven202013Drama / Suspense
The Hive201412Demonic Possession / Horror
The Horde201611Action / Gore
Rebirth202010Action / Horror
The Last Starship201710Action / Infection
Rising Undead / Rise of the Undead20059Action / Horror
Rise of the Zombie20139Drama / Action
Plague20148Suspense / Drama
Flu20138Infection / Not Zombies
Red Days20167Action / Infection
The Returned20136Drama / Romance
Apocalypse Nerds20125Comedy / Action
Zombie with a Shotgun20194 Infection / Drama
Soon Enough20183Action / Drama
Army of the Dead20082Action / Horror
Range 1520162Comedy / Action
Nazi Undead20181Paranormal / Horror
Pandemic20091Drama / Action
Eyes Of The Dead20151Action / Infection
All My Friends Are Dead20210Horror / Not Zombies
Curse of the Blind Dead20200Horror / Not Zombies
Carriers20090Drama / Not Zombies
Afflicted20130Drama / Infection
Broadcast Dead 20180Horror / Thriller
Dead End20030Horror / Thriller

See all Zombie Movies here.

Quarantine L.A. (2013)

You all owe me one. Watching Quarantine L.A. was like having dental work with no Novocain. Not just painful, but torture. I tried to get into it. I really did. The movie is just missing that spark for me.

Why? What made the movie less than watchable? The acting is horrible. Lots of over acting. Mix that with people who react in ways that don’t make sense for the situation. Then we can talk about the CGI and practical effects. The special effects are atrocious. They are bad enough that I was left wondering if they were done as a school project. The special effects are that bad. The plot, what little of it I could understand, was written by a five year old. Maybe that kid had a cold. Which would explain how a five year old could also be high on cold medicine right? Finally, the dialogue was just as bad. I’ve enjoyed some really bad movies. This was not one of them.

Quarantine L.A. Scoring

Quarantine L.A. earned a 14/100. It’s no the worst movie I’ve ever watched, but its only 14 points away from that dubious honor. This is a Just Bad movie. Skip it.

ReviewYearScoreType
#Alive2020100Action / Infection
Dawn Of The Dead1978100Action / Horror / Classics
Night Of The Living Dead1968100Action / Horror / Classics
World War Z2013100Action / Infection
28 Days Later2002100Action / Infection
Train To Busan2016100Action / Infection
Zombieland2010100Comedy / Action
Flesh And Blood201899Shorts
Serenity200599Action / Sci-Fi
The Girl With All The Gifts201695Action / Infection
Land Of The Dead200594Action / Horror
Resident Evil: Apocalypse200493Action / Infection
Resident Evil200292Action / Infection
Rampant201891Action / Infection / Mid Evil
Day of the Dead200890Action / Infection
Cooties201489Comedy / Action
The Return of the Living Dead198585Comedy / Action
Night of the Comet198485Comedy / Action
Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula 202084Action / Infection
Zombieland: Double Tap201983Comedy / Action
Fido200682Comedy / Action
Shaun Of The Dead200481Comedy / Action
Zombie197980Action / Horror
The Evil Dead198180Classic / Action
I Am Legend (2007)200780Action / Infection
28 Weeks Later200780Action / Infection
Infection201979Action / Infection
It Stains The Sands Red201679Action / Infection
Overlord201879Action / Horror
A Little Bit Zombie201278Comedy / Action
Plan Z201678Action / Infection
Wyrmwood: Apocalypse 202177Action / Infection
Day of the Dead198577Action / Horror / Classics
Dead Rising: Endgame201677Action / Infection
Freaks of Nature201576Comedy / Action
The Dead201076Action / Infection
Cockneys Vs. Zombies201275Comedy / Action
Here Alone201675Suspense / Infection
The Battery201274Drama / Infection
Shed of the Dead 201974Comedy / Action
Alone202073Action / Infection
Survival Of The Dead200973Action / Horror
State of Emergency201173Action / Infection
Remains201172Action / Infection
Dawning of the Dead201772Action / Infection
Dance of the Dead 200872Comedy / Action
The Rezort201572Action / Infection
The Army of the Dead202171Action / Infection
Witness Infection202171Comedy / Action
Daylight's End201671Action / Infection
The Valley Of The Dead202170Horror / Infection
Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead201470Action / Infection
Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse201570Comedy / Action
Resident Evil: Afterlife201070Action / Infection
Night of the Living Deb201570Comedy / Romance
For A Few Zombies More201570Action / Infection
Zombie Night201370Action / Infection
Dead Rising: Watchtower 201570Action / Infection
Zombie Hunter201370Action / Infection
The Dead 2: India201570Action / Infection
Among The Living202269Suspense / Horror
Exit Humanity201169Action / Infection
Bird Box201869Action / Horror / Possession
Republic Z201868Action / Comedy
Blood Quantum201968Action / Infection
Ravenous201768Action / Infection
Quarantine200867Infection / Horror
Forget Everything And Run (F.E.A.R.)202167Suspense / Horror
The Night Eats The World201867Suspense / Infection
Ultimate Zombie Feast202066Shorts/ Action
How To Kill A Zombie201466Action / Comedy
Cargo201766Suspense / Infection
Trench 11201766Action / Horror
Dead County202165Drama / Horror
Zombie Town200765Action / Horror
Zoombies201665Awesomely Bad
The End?201764Horror / Infection
Quarantine 2201164Action / Infection
Zombie Apocalypse201164Action / Infection
Red Spring201763Action / Infection
Virus:32202262Horror / Infection
Resident Evil: Extinction200762Action / Infection
Resident Evil Retribution201261Action / Infection
Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead202360Comedy / Action
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter201660Action / Infection
Life After Beth201459Comedy / Action
Diary Of The Dead200758Action / Horror
Revelation Trail201357Action / Horror
Eat Brains Love201956Comedy / Horror
My Mates vs. The Zombie Apocalypse201556Comedy / Action
Deadsight201855Suspense / Infection
Anna And The Apocalypse201755Musical / Infection
Amigo Undead201554Comedy / Horror
Bong of the Living Dead201754Action / Infection
Black Friday202153Action / Horror
The Dead Undead201053Action / Infection
Redcon-1201852Action / Horror
Deadheads201152Comedy / Romance
Dead Don't Die in Dallas201951Action / Infection / LGBTQ
Day of the Dead: Bloodline201851Action / Infection
Road Wars201550Action / Infection
Disaster L.A.201450Action
Zombie Strippers!200849Horror / Comedy
Within the Woods of Undead County201649Action / Infection
Day Zero202348Horror / Infection
Rise of The Zombies201248Action / Infection
I Am Alone201548Action / Infection
Valentine DayZ201847Action / Infection / Awesomely Bad
Lethal Virus202146Action / Horror
Savageland201546Horror / Drama
Zombie Warz: Falls The Shadow201145Action / Horror
Infected201945Shorts
Bridge of the Doomed202244Horror / Infection
Block Z202044Action / Infection
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City202143Action / Horror
The Dead Don't Die201943Spoof / Drama
The Plague200642Action / Horror
Strain 100202042Action / Infection
Infected202141Action / Horror
Before Dawn201341Drama / Action
When the Fever Breaks201941Suspense / Infection
Zombie Undead201040Action / Infection
Hostile201740Action / Infection
Dead Before Down201239Horror / Supernatural
Gangs Of The Dead200638Action / Infection
Zombies201737Action / Infection
American Zombieland202036Comedy / Infection
Cannon Fodder / Battle Of The Undead201335Action / Horror
Zombie Diaries 2201135Action / Infection
Dead Trigger201735Action / Infection
Deadlocked202035Action / Infection
Another World201435Action / Infection
Evilution200934Action / Horror
KL24: Zombies201734Action / Infection
Re-Elected202033Comedy / Suspense
Antisocial 2201533Action / Infection
Aquarium of the Dead202132Comedy / Horror
Antisocial201332Action / Infection
By Day's End202031Suspense / Infection
Dead 7201631Action / Infection
Pandemic201630Action / Infection
Attack of the Southern Fried Zombies201729Comedy / Action
Zombie Hood201328Action / Infection
The Dustwalker201927Action / Parasite
Day of the Dead 2: Contagium200526Action / Infection
Solar Impact201925Action / Horror
Anger Of The Dead201525Action / Infection
The Last Hope201724Action / Infection
The Day of the Living Dead201423Drama / Detective
Zombie Road201822Shorts
Zombie Wars200721Action / Infection
Army of Thieves202120Heist / Horror
Last Rites Of The Dead201920Drama / Thriller
The Mad200719Comedy / Infection
The Living Dead202018Horror / Drama
Zone of the Dead200917Action / Infection
Killer Weekend201816Comedy / Not Zombies
G Zombie202115Drama / Infection
Quarantine L.A.201314Action / Infection
Driven202013Drama / Suspense
The Hive201412Demonic Possession / Horror
The Horde201611Action / Gore
Rebirth202010Action / Horror
The Last Starship201710Action / Infection
Rising Undead / Rise of the Undead20059Action / Horror
Rise of the Zombie20139Drama / Action
Plague20148Suspense / Drama
Flu20138Infection / Not Zombies
Red Days20167Action / Infection
The Returned20136Drama / Romance
Apocalypse Nerds20125Comedy / Action
Zombie with a Shotgun20194 Infection / Drama
Soon Enough20183Action / Drama
Army of the Dead20082Action / Horror
Range 1520162Comedy / Action
Nazi Undead20181Paranormal / Horror
Pandemic20091Drama / Action
Eyes Of The Dead20151Action / Infection
All My Friends Are Dead20210Horror / Not Zombies
Curse of the Blind Dead20200Horror / Not Zombies
Carriers20090Drama / Not Zombies
Afflicted20130Drama / Infection
Broadcast Dead 20180Horror / Thriller
Dead End20030Horror / Thriller

See all Zombie Movies here.

Black Summer, Season 1, Episode 6

Heist opens on two soldiers, passing the time on a roof with a game of chess. Oddly, there are hand drawn maps strewn about, and the soldiers appear to be watching a specific building.

Playing Chess

The soldiers watch as Rose and William’s small band of survivors approach. They are then admitted into what looks like some kind of survivors stronghold. Or maybe a gang’s stronghold? It looks like they are making drugs, and the more we get to see, the worse it looks.

Black Summer

Rose is separated from the main group and put into a dingy community room with a lot of other survivors. This includes Lance, who is in rough shape. He sees Rose, but can barely get a few words out. Whatever Rose is in for, it does not sound good.

Guns

The other survivors are taken to an empty hall. The survivors from the truck have apparently brought William, Rose, and Spears back to their base of operations in order to steal weapons and supplies.

Weapons Stockpile

The group is able to get to the weapons stockpile and load up, thanks to the help from their new member with working knowledge of the site. Our team of survivors regroups, save for Rose, and begins to make their way out of the gang stronghold.

In order to make their escape William turns off the main power. This immediately results in a bit of gunplay, which releases biters into the mix. The plan just want to sh*t.

While all this is going on Rose is in trouble. The bald guy who let the group in goes back to Rose and tries to force himself on her. He only stops because Lance screams at him, distracting him until the lights go out. The big bald guy leaves to find out what is happening.

Let’s just say the big guy is quickly swarmed.

Swarmed

This was one of my favorite scenes from Heist. One man, a bunch of zombies, and some snacking.

Rose and Lance use the chaos to flee, but there are biters everywhere, and Lance appears to be drugged, wounded, or a bit of both. They make it out a side door, but William, Spears, and the others are still inside.

The Vent Crawl

Sun has it the worst. She’s crawling through the vents with their inside man when he catches a burst of gunfire from below. Now Sun has to crawl for her life. Lucky for her, Spears is there to put a few bullets into the biters head to save her.

We then get to see exactly what started the biting. The young woman from the truck who joined the team at the Diner goes into one of the dance halls and puts her knife through someone’s neck, and it definitely looked like she knew him, and it was personal.

Heist Scoring

Heist was another rock solid episode and scores an 90/100 for intensity, first rate acting, and atmosphere. It lost just a couple of points for not quite explaining what was going on. They mention it in the last episode, but a single sentence of dialogue at the begging of this one to reinforce the plan would have been nice.

SeasonEpisodeEpisode NameScore
11Human Flow85
12Drive80
13Summer School70
14Alone82
15Diner86
16Heist90
17The Tunnel83
18The Stadium91
21The Cold95
22Prelude80
23Card Game91
24Cold War83
25White Horse88
26Currency69
27The Lodge75
28The Plane99

See how all Zombie Series rank here!

Black Summer, Season 1, Episode 5

Diner is another intense episode.

William and Sun are trapped inside the Diner. The biters circle around the outside of the building, slamming into the windows whenever the biters sees a survivor inside.

The Diner has become a pressure cooker. William and Sun are inside with the same people who just ran them off the road. Tensions are high and William is ready to throw down.

Black Summer: Tension
Tension

William has a horrible decision to make. Do you sacrifice the person who saved you or do you stand up for the people who have helped you survive?

Diner is also the convergence episode. Team William and Team Rose meet at the Diner.

Diner Scoring

The episode is psychologically and emotionally intense. There isn’t a lot of actual violence or zombie hordes, but we do hear that the biters can cross rivers, “like ants” and we learn that a horde is coming, but it is still an episode Worth Your Time that scores an 86/100.

The points are in large part due to how well the tension builds, but it is also in good part due to Sal Velez Jr.’s acting as William. He is just a powerhouse in terms of emotional and physical believability.

Black Summer is everything I’m looking for in a Zombie Series. Fight me if you disagree.

If you are looking for another intense, gritty series, I highly recommend The Last of Us!

Black Summer
Black Summer
SeasonEpisodeEpisode NameScore
11Human Flow85
12Drive80
13Summer School70
14Alone82
15Diner86
16Heist90
17The Tunnel83
18The Stadium91
21The Cold95
22Prelude80
23Card Game91
24Cold War83
25White Horse88
26Currency69
27The Lodge75
28The Plane99

See how all Zombie Series rank here!

Black Summer, Season 1, Episode 4

Alone picks up right were Summer School left off. Sun and William are stuck in the diner, and surprisingly, Beard is alive!!!

As a tribute to him not being dead, I looked up Beard’s name. His name is Lance, played by Kelsey Flower. He wakes up on the floor of the school and panics when he hears the kids running amuck around him. The noise drives him to the roof, where we see there are at least a few planes in the air. It’s hard to tell, but I think the one fighter was actually on a bombing run.

Black Summer

I guess that means some organized force is still in play right?

Lance decides that going back into the school is a bad idea, and climbs down just in time for the Lost Boys to drop his body whom they shot down to chase him.

Bonus points for using the biters as self tracking weapons.

Time to Scream

Lance makes it free, but he’s bleeding, and it looks like he may have hurt his leg in the final jump off the first floor roof of the school. After wandering around the deserted town a little, Lance decides that screaming would be a good idea? Come on, that is just stupid. He only just escaped one biter, and if there aren’t people around, there have to be infected, right?

We then get introduced to Dog, who promptly ignores Lance. Lucky for him, there is grocery store around the corner. This seems like another very unpleasable find? Rose said its been weeks since she fled her house, so the Apocalypse has been raging for a while. Are there so few survivors that no one raided the shelves? Because the store is fully stocked.

Lance is leisurely strolling when he hears one of the infected, and low and behold, its his heat seeking zombie attacker, possibly following him from the blood trail Lance has left behind.

Poor Lance, all he had to do was lock the doors behind him. Instead he gets chased away from his food haul only to be forced to climb on top of a bus in order not to get caught.

Bus Trapped

Lance finally does something smart and lies down so the biter can’t see him. It seems to calm down the creature and Lance is able to wait a little while until the biter goes dormant. In the end it doesn’t work out so well though. Lance thinks he’s got a chance to run, but instead shows the biter how to get from the engine up onto the roof, and the chase is back on.

The Fire Station

At least until Lance finds the door to the local fire station and is able to et inside. The respite doesn’t last long, the biter slips under a partially open garage door.

Lucky for Lance, its a fire station, and that means there’s an axe…

Fire Axe

Bad news for Lance is that he’s scared sh*tless and instead of using that axe to take out the biter, he gets it stuck in a locker and forced to run again.

As he’s running down the street, he sees another survivor, and screams for help as he runs into the town library. Just when we think Lance is going to get caught, he’s saved by a stranger.

No good deed goes unpunished though. Alone ends with Lance picking up a stone bowl, coming up behind his savior, who it appears has been bitten. There is no mercy for the infected.

Alone Scoring

Alone was an intense episode and deserves every one of the 82/100 points it earned. What cost it some points? Lance screaming when there are biters around, and the fully stocked grocery store cost it a few, and then the simple fact that this episode was really a Lance versus a single biter. It was good, but I do like a good horde thrown in for good measure.

SeasonEpisodeEpisode NameScore
11Human Flow85
12Drive80
13Summer School70
14Alone82
15Diner86
16Heist90
17The Tunnel83
18The Stadium91
21The Cold95
22Prelude80
23Card Game91
24Cold War83
25White Horse88
26Currency69
27The Lodge75
28The Plane99

See how all Zombie Series rank here!

Black Summer, Season 1, Episode 3

Summer School finds Team Rose hiding inside a school, lead inside by a creepy figure wearing a hoodie.

Creepy Dude

The school looks empty, but they don’t take any risks. They grab some supplies and hole up in the band room. Spears clears the space, but is stressed and anxious.

The team tries to rest, but its not long before they are woken by someone or something on the roof. For some reason, they think going to find the cause of the noise is a good idea, but are just lead on a chase after seeing a little kid at the end of the hall.

Creepy Kid

After a brief chase they stop and we get a dose of sanity from Spears.

Spears: “Enough of this sh*t. Let’s get out of here.”

Bearded Guy: “What about the kid?”

Spears: “F*ck the kid. We’re not alone. We should go.

This is the part that drives me crazy in shows and movies. Its an apocalypse, and weird little kids are running around, taunting you. Why would you chase after them? Wait, how could Team Rose make the decision to look for the kid even worse? They could split up!

Nobody but Spears has a weapon? Why would you split up? The moment Rose and her mute friend find the bodies in the shower, they should have backtracked to Spears and bolted.

Shower Slaughter

What could be worse after splitting into two groups? Brian, the mute, runs from Rose, so now there are three groups. Spears and Beard explore the basement until Beard walks through a door and sets off at trap. I’m guessing he’s dead.

Spears and Rose group back up just in time to be introduced to the kids who have taken over the school.

The kids have taken Brian, but don’t realize he’s deaf, so when they take his hood off and he starts to walk, one of the kids shoots him, which turns him into a biter. Apparently this is a world similar to The Walking Dead and if you die, you turn. This leads to an interesting lunchroom table fight while the kids cheer on the violence.

Four survivors entered. Two made it back out.

I’m giving Summer School a 70/100 because I hate it when characters do the worst possible thing when it comes to survival. They should have called the episode “Lord of the Flies” because that is what all the kids with spears reminded me of.

SeasonEpisodeEpisode NameScore
11Human Flow85
12Drive80
13Summer School70
14Alone82
15Diner86
16Heist90
17The Tunnel83
18The Stadium91
21The Cold95
22Prelude80
23Card Game91
24Cold War83
25White Horse88
26Currency69
27The Lodge75
28The Plane99

See how all Zombie Series rank here!

Black Summer, Season 1, Episode 2

Drive picks up, you guessed it, in the minivan with William, Sun, and Barbara. They are trying to make it to the stadium, which is supposed to be a rally point for the evacuation.

William is the leader of the group. Barbara is scared and insecure, and Sun is a determined, but hampered by her inability to communicate well. They are trying to navigate through streets full of abandoned cars and peoples belongings. As they drive they spot a black pickup, which appears to be pacing them.

Black Track Pacing Them

William thinks he’s lost them but in the process drives down an alley. Several survivors try to hijack their minivan, or maybe just take their supplies. This gets a kids bike stuck under the minivan and leads to the Best Zombie Kill of the episode.

Car Kill

Unfortunately for Team William, the success isn’t long lived. They barely get a little further down the road when the Black Truck finds them again. We then get to see a minivan drift around some corners in a post apocalyptic car chase.

Bad Drivers

Team William thinks they’ve gotten away, but you know that’s not quite how it works. There is a final car chase, and I do mean final, because Barbara bites it when William get’s distracted and drives head long into a truck carrying concrete barriers. The vehicles are wrecked, but William, Sun, and the other survivors make it into a diner before the infected can chase them down.

Rose and Spears, and their two companions aren’t as lucky as William, they are forced to walk. They don’t get far before they see a man and a woman trying to run from one of the infected. It’s an intense scene that shows us just how dangerous the infected are. Within seconds of being bitten, the woman becomes a starving monster.

Bitten & Turned

Team Rose makes it around the attack site and continue on their stroll. We get more evidence of just how bad things have gotten as they pass by a car that appears to have been hijacked.

Thus ends Driven.

Drive Scoring

Drive was an intense episode and scores 80/100, making it Worth Your Time.

SeasonEpisodeEpisode NameScore
11Human Flow85
12Drive80
13Summer School70
14Alone82
15Diner86
16Heist90
17The Tunnel83
18The Stadium91
21The Cold95
22Prelude80
23Card Game91
24Cold War83
25White Horse88
26Currency69
27The Lodge75
28The Plane99

See how all Zombie Series rank here!

Bad Gun Handling – Kids & Guns

Kids & Guns are like oil and water. They should not mix unless you really intend them to go together. Which requires special attention.

Kids should only be allowed to handle firearms under close supervision, and just like any shooting, should always starts with small calibers with minimal kick.

This is just scary and wrong on so many levels. Kids & Guns should be trained with small calibers and careful safety instructions!

Proper Grip and Stance = Bad Gun Handling
Proper Grip and Stance

Guns are not toys. Guns are not props for photo shoots. They are dangerous tools. Mishandle them and people will end up hurt.

Why do I show these videos and pictures? Because I like to go to the range and every one of these videos gives the non shooting public a bad impression of the total shooting community.

Always follow the four basic rules of Gun Safety:

  1. Always keep firearms pointed in a safe direction.
  2. Treat all guns as loaded at all times.
  3. Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot.
  4. Always be sure of your target and what’s beyond it.

This is a clear violation of Rule 2.

Get all the Survival Gear you need to survive!

See all Survival Gear!

Black Summer, Season 1, Episode 1

Black Summer is a Netflix show, and the Episode 1, Human Flow, starts strong.

Human Flow picks up as an evacuation is in progress. Rose and her family are trying to get out as the final military vehicles are rolling out.

Black Summer Evacuation

I really like the look and feel of Black Summer. There is urgency, but its also clear that everyone hasn’t seen just how bad its going to be, yet. The soldiers aren’t taking any chances, they are checking every survivor for signs of illness. This turns out poorly for Rose and her family when their little girl gets on a truck, but the soldiers stop her husband. He’s sweating, and when they search him they find he’s got a wound on his side. The reaction from the soldier tells us everything we need to do know about whatever is infecting people.

Losing Anna

Rose’s daughter rides away in the back of the truck full of evacuees. The military appears to be running just ahead of the undead. Rose and her Husband flee into a local house to hide. Rose goes into the kitchen to look for supplies. When she comes back her husband has turned. Rose runs. Her husband chases her. At least until his path brings him in front of a solider.

Rose’s Husband Being Put Down

After Rose is saved, we jump over to one of the other multitude of stories being woven together. Thus weare introduced to Sun and Barbara.

Barbara is an older woman who is scared and anxious. She almost loses her car and her life in the first chaotic hours of the apocalypse. Luckily for her she gets saved by William.

Spears is the final character we are introduced to. He’s being escorted by soldiers. We don’t know why, but it’s clear that he has something, or knows something. He escapes after using a bathroom break to create an opportunity to run. Spears ends up bumping into Rose as the episode is coming to an end.

Yes, there is a lot going on in Episode 1, and I only commented on the big stuff. Human Flow reminds me of the first chapter of Stephen King’s, The Stand. After the infection has killed off the majority of the survivors we get to see how random life can be. There are a series of vignettes where survivors die in a multitude of ways as they are struggling to cope with their new reality. Episode 1 of Black Summer has a similar feel. There are lots of characters suffering and dying as they learn the reality of their new world.

Human Flow Scoring

Overall, I’m giving Human Flow an 85/100. It gets big points for the feel and anxiety that it captures so well. The producers do tension well. I was sitting on the edge of my seat for most of the episode. So why didn’t the episode score higher? Because it is possible to squeeze too much goodness into a single episode.

Black Summer is awesome. I honestly would have enjoyed each journey getting a bit more time.

SeasonEpisodeEpisode NameScore
11Human Flow85
12Drive80
13Summer School70
14Alone82
15Diner86
16Heist90
17The Tunnel83
18The Stadium91
21The Cold95
22Prelude80
23Card Game91
24Cold War83
25White Horse88
26Currency69
27The Lodge75
28The Plane99