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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
Madman Across the Water finds the survivors trying to get across the Mississippi. It is a big, wide river. In a world without anyone to maintain the infrastructure, things like bridges don’t last long. While the top level story is about getting across the river, the episode is really about Elton dealing with his childhood zombie trauma.
As the group is marching to the river, we repeatedly see signs for the Daiquiritown Animal park.
Daiquiritown Animal Park
I felt like this was the first issue with the episode. There was a lot of build up referencing the animal park, making me think they were going to do something a little more interesting with it. Zombie Tiger? Zombie Bear? Something?
Madman Across the Water felt like a long build up to give Elton his back story, and I’m sorry, I just don’t feel a connection to these characters at the moment. There isn’t any real tension or anxiety.
Madman Across the Water Scoring
Madman Across the Water ranked a 60/100, making this an episode you want to save for a Rainy Day. The child actors are okay for the most part. They just don’t gel together.
Doctor of the Dead fills in a lot of backstory. Citizen Z routes Team Murphy to a lab in Colorado. What do they find when they get there? They find a lab overrun by zombies. We then get a display of Murphy’s special abilities. Murphy is able to shield the team so they can walk into the lab.
Surrounded by Zombies
As Team Murphy is exploring, we also see flashbacks to pre apocalypse days, when Dr. Walter Kurian is taking samples of peoples brain fluids, while they are still alive.
In order to explore the Colorado lab, Team Murphy has to go through decontamination before they can continue deeper into the lab. This is when we see an awesome shot of Doc’s farmer tan.
Doc’s Tan
Or it dirt? I’m going to be charitable and say its his tan.
Once deep inside the Colorado plant, the team finds Patient 0, just before Dr. Kurian shows up with a few solders.
Citizen Z realizes that Dr. Kurian isn’t exactly who he says he is, but it’s too late for Team Murphy, they are already in trouble. Team Murphy is only saved from disaster by Murphy’s parting gift to Cassandra. Or at least, saved from getting shot.
Murphy has a panic attack, fleeing everything, and in the process triggering the security fail safe protocols of the lab. Apparently the powers that used to be fully understood what was inside, because when the lab’s security protocols are triggered, multiple nukes are launched.
Nukes In Flight
Doctor of the Dead Scoring
Thus ends Season 1 of Z Nation. It appears nukes are about to fall on Team Murphy as well as Citizen Z. Docter of the Dead was a strong ending to the first season, and scored a 91/100, making it Worth Your Time.
Murphy’s Law finds Team Murphy forced off the road by a traffic jam, which leads them to a defunct golf course crawling with zombies.
Post Apocalyptic Traffic Jam
Things don’t go well for the team once they at the golf course. There are too many zombies rushing them, and not enough bullets left in their guns. The Team gets split up and Murphy gets left out in the mix while Warren and the other “normals” take shelter in a bathroom.
Things are looking good for the team, but lucky for them, another group of survivors rolls in, and they are well armed and clear out the clubhouse, saving the day. At least for a few minutes. The group of newcomers saw Murphy in the midst of the undead, and they realize he’s something special, and they want him.
A few drinks and roofies later and the newcomers steal away with murphy. leaving everyone else handcuffed to a zombie.
Cuffed to a Zombie
While the newcomers explain their plan to Murphy, the team is escaping from their cuffs. The plan is simple. The newcomers want Murphy to stroll through a pharmaceutical plant and get them oxy, because in the post apocalyptic world, oxy is money.
Citizen Z helps the team track Murphy once they escape their cuffs, while Murphy makes it into the plant.
Things go a little crazy at the end, and a major new Murphy Power is revealed. Thankfully, Team Murphy is united, kicks some butt, and gets ready for the season finale.
Murphy’s Law Scoring
Murphy’s Law scored an 80/100 and is Worth Your Time. The Best Zombie Kill for this episode is clear, Warren is a zombie killing machine.
Sisters of Mercy is another classic episode of Z Nation. Team Murphy is whole again, at least for a little while. Addy and Mack stumble upon the rest of the group in what looks like the bowels of an industrial complex.
The team finds a ride and starts heading west again. Once on the open read, they encounter a zombie child.
Zombie Child
Shortly after, they encounter a very similar young man, this time alive. He tells Warren he’s walking to the city to meet his dad. Warren tries to talk him out of it, but the only thing that gets him to get in the truck is the promise of a ride into the city, if he’ll help them find some food.
The kid leads Team Murphy back to the Sisters of Mercy, which is where we find out just how f*cked up surviving the Zombie Apocalypses can be. There are no men allowed inside the compound, and Warren, Addy, and Cassandra quickly find out that the kids walking to Salt Lake City are basically being put out to die. No male older than 13 is allowed to stay.
One of the bits of awesomeness from this episode is the Zombie Bear of punishment. You don’t want to be punished by the Sisters of Mercy.
Sisters of Mercy Scoring
Sisters of Mercy ends with a little bit of a shock, as Team Murphy loses one of their number to the sisters, but this was a great episode that scored a 82/100, making it Worth Your Time.
Going Nuclear gets back to what Z Nation cores strengths are. There are zombies, fun character development, and the survivors need to solve a problem to survive.
Going Nuclear, as the name implies, revolves around Team Murphy stumbling on a power plant that is about to go boom. Time is short, and there isn’t enough fuel to get everyone out of the blast zone.
The only way to survive is to stop the power plant from Going Nuclear. This turns out to be a kick in the nards for 10K, as he’s forced to relive the difficult memory of giving mercy to his father after he turned.
Radioactive Zombies
Going Nuclear Scoring
Thanks to the selfless sacrifice of the plants manager and original designer, Team Murphy helps save the day, but there is a high cost to be paid by the locals. Going Nuclear scored a 79/100, making it Worth Your Time.
We have two zombie kills as candidates for Best Zombie Kill. Ammunition is running short, and that means its time to break out the class tools of war, the hoe, and the machete. You know, classic weapons. Let me know in the comments which kill you think should win.
