Reflections of the Way Liv Used to Be open on a student radio program. It’s not clear why yet, but thing did get rapidly interesting on two different fronts. Both Major and Liv are going through big emotions in this episode.
The Blain is going through some big life events. He’s human now but has forgotten everything he was and did when he was a Zombie.
The body doesn’t drop at the college until minute nine, bringing us back to the opening scene.
Brain Stir Fry
Our victim is a college student, and Liv is about to get a taste of who she was when she was a bit younger.
While the show opened with scenes form a college radio program, the show really starts when Major wakes up. Ravi is pissed. He knows that Major is the Chaos Killer – until Major sets him straight. Major has been knocking out his victims and freezing them. Major then puts it back on Ravi. If Ravi can come up with a cure Major can unfreeze all his victims and all is good.
Not a good sign for Major though, his hair is turning white and he is hungry. Zombie hungry. Thankfully for Major, his first brain meal is from a super positive human.
Meanwhile Liv goes to Mr. Boss’s office in the hopes of finding Drake. Now that she knows Drake was an undercover cop she is on a mission to find him.
We also get a better picture of how evil Vaughn Du Clark is. Rita Du Clark has turned, and he just puts her in a cage as if she’s not his kid.
The episode ends on another cliffhanger as the noose tightens around Major. He should never have taken the dog – it was his undoing. The last thing we see is Major getting taken in by the FBI. They have found the Chaos Killer.
Cape Town isn’t about a city in South Africa. It is about would be caped crusaders who are turning up dead for Liv and team to find. While dealing with the mystery of who is killing the vigilantes, Liv is also forced to deal with her issues with Major.
I love how Liv makes a new meal from each victim before taking a bite. I’m not sure what that says about me. I’m sure its not bad right?
Hero Sammy
Liv lives out the would be super hero brains, putting on an eye mask to go full vigilante. While Liv is doing her best to ride out her new dose of brains, Major is dealing with his latest Zombie target. Not every Zombie wants to live the horrible life they have been forced into.
Cape Town Scoring
Cape Town is another great episode in the series. It has a few nice twists, and the chemistry between the main group is something other shows just hope to capture. How can you not love Live, Major, Ravi, and Clive? It is an awesome cast that works really well together. That chemistry was on great display during this episode and earned it a an 88/100.
Zombieverse has been dubbed for the English Language market and released (as of August 2023) on Netflix. The show is from Korea, which seems to be on fire when it comes to Zombie content lately.
A group of unwitting contestants gather to take part in a reality dating show, but things take a terrifying turn when they find themselves in the middle of Seoul overrun by zombies. Together, they must escape the city and outrun the walking dead, or risk becoming zombies themselves.
-Netflix
Zombieverse
The plot is fairly straightforward. A group of survivors does their best to handle multiple different survival scenarios. Of course they are all centered around Zombies! The English dubbing is okay, but the translation often seems out of place to the situation on screen. There is laughing when people should be scared and vice versa. It makes it a little hard to get into the show. Why are people giggling when they are being terrorized by the undead?
Why is the driver just relaxing as he gets gas? There are Zombies everywhere! These are the types of scenes that just drive me crazy and make it hard to enjoy the series.
Zombies? Where?
Zombieverse Scoring
Zombieverse tries really hard to hit a lot of different genres. Unfortunately it just doesn’t do a great job of hitting the mark consistently. There is also a bit of a disconnect around what it is. Is it a Zombie Gameshow and the survivors are playing a game? Or is it an actual Zombie Apocalypse and they are just dealing with different scenarios? It feels like it was supposed to be a game show but the English translation tried to make it more of a survival show?
Zombieverse scores a 40/100 for the first season. There are just too many slow spots and bits of the plot that didn’t make sense to me. That puts this series at the lower and of the Rainy Day Scale.
The series felt like vignettes loosely stitched together. The major item which cost this series points was a lack of something that gripped me. I didn’t fall in love with any of the characters. Parts of it just didn’t make sense to me. Someone please explain this ending scene to me?
Time to Rock Out?
If you are looking for a fun and action packed Zombie Series I highly recommend Z Nation! If you are looking for something that is just fun on the other hand, I’d recommend iZombie.
Episode Scoring
Yes, the episode names are just episode and number!
I give detailed, blow by blow details as I review. If you want to skip the spoilers jump down to the Scoring!
If you have watched Kin let me know if you agree with my Scoring Below.
The Cabin (3 Months Later)
Joel and Ellie have taken Marlon, played by Graham Greene and his wife captive. They are lost in the woods and were hoping to get some help. Marlon and his wife tell Joel that anyone who goes west of the river doesn’t come back. As Joel leads Ellie outside he has some type of attack. He was about to pass out before he regains his composure.
Joel and Ellie find a secluded place along the river and rest for the night. Ellie sees Joel sipping from his Hip Flask and begs a sip. She still doesn’t like the taste of whiskey. I was so excited to see Joel’s Hip Flask because I have the same one. Its made by Valtcan and is totally awesome.
Whiskey
The River Of Death
For the second time Joel falls asleep and leaves Ellie at Risk. Thankfully this time she stood guard for him and they weren’t ambushed.
Joel and Ellie then watch the river from the high ground. Joel fires off a single shot but they don’t see anything moving. The two of them cross an old bridge as the background music grows ominous. As they walk they come upon an old power generation station. As the two are walking they are quickly surrounded by a group on horseback.
The newcomers have a dog that can smell the infected. Ellie backs away in fear as the dog approaches, at least until it tackles her gently to the ground and licks her face.
River of Death Base Camp
Joel and Ellie are taken to a large settlement. The survivors have a town. They are only a few hundred feet into the town when Joel sees Tommy and screams hi name. The brothers hug in relief as they are re-united.
As Joel and Ellie eat breakfast Tommy breaks some news. Maria MIller is now family. If she looks familiar, she is played by Rutina Wesley of True Blood fame.
Joel asks Tommy to help him get Ellie to the Firefly base but Tommy isn’t having it. Tommy doesn’t want to leave his new community or put it at risk. Maria is pregnant and Tommy doesn’t want to take any risks. Joel angrily tells Tommy that they will collect some supplies and be gone in the morning. As Joel walks outside two things happen. He leans against a post as if he’s lost his strength and then he sees a girl who looks like his dad daughter Sarah in front of him.
We then see Ellie reading about how a Menstrual Cup works. This is the second time we’ve seen Ellie with feminine hygiene products. Is the show just very female friendly or is there something coming up that deals with how her body works?
Afterwards Maria cuts Ellie’s hair as the two chat. Maria tells Ellie about Sarah before warning Ellie that Joel has done some very bad things in the past. Ellie tells her she knows that Joel is a killer – but Maria still warns her to be careful.
New Boots
While Ellie spends time with Maria, Joel tries to fix his boot. At least until Tommy comes in and gives him a new pair of boots. Tommy asks Joel why he’s with Ellie and Joel tells his brother the truth. Ellie is immune. The fear on Tommy’s face is real. He looks outside in the direction where Ellie is with Maria before demanding that Joel gives him the whole story.
Immune
Joel pours out his heart. He feels weak and afraid. He relives losing Sarah over and over in his sleep. Joel is afraid that he is going to let Ellie down as well. Joel begs Tommy to take Ellie. Tommy is the only one that Joel trusts.
Tommy promises to take Ellie out at dawn before parting ways with his brother.
Ellie’s Room
As soon as Joel enters Ellie’s room she confronts him. She heard Joel tell Tommy that he has to take her. Ellie tries to tell Joel she’s sorry about Sarah but Joel can barely stand to hear his daughters name. Ellie tells Joel that she’s lost people too. Everyone she’s ever known or trusted has died or let her down. Joel’s face is hard and cold as he tells Ellie that at dawn they are going their separate ways.
Departures
In the morning Tommy comes to collect Ellie. They had to the stables only to find Joel already saddling a horse. He tries to give Ellie a choice and tells her she would be better off with Tommy. Ellie disagrees and immediately picks Joel.
Joel and Ellie ride away into the frozen landscape as Tommy locks the town gate behind them.
We then get a bonding moment between Joel and Ellie as he tries to teach her how to shoot. She kept flinching but Joel puts a round exactly where he wanted to.
As they ride Joel and Ellie discuss what life was like before the outbreak. They are talking about football on day five when we can see the city of Colorado in the distance.
Colorado
Joel and Ellie are riding their horse into the university when they see monkeys playing in the open. It is not long before they see a Firefly logo and follow it into what appears to be an empty building. Inside they find assorted medical gear and a packing list. When they hear noises coming from upstairs they go to investigate. Because that is what people do when there are infected about right?
It’s not long before Joel and Ellie find themselves interrupted by raiders. They run to the horse but a raider sticks Joel with the end of a baseball bat before they can flee.
Man Down
The two escape the college but Joel is bleeding out. He falls off the horse before Ellie can grab him. Ellie cries and tells Joel she can’t do it without him as the camera zooms out.
Kin ends on a cliffhanger. Joel is on the snowy ground, bleeding.
The Cliffhanger!
Kin Scoring
Kin has Joel and Tommy re-uniting. What should have been nothing but a happy event get’s clouded by the fact that Tommy really didn’t want Joel to find him.
There is a lot of emotional growth and storytelling going on in Kin but sadly the episode does not have much action. That is going to cost Kin some points.
Overall it was a good episode that propelled the story along. It had lots of emotional drama but only a little bit of action and scores a 90/100, making it Worth Your Time.
I give detailed, blow by blow details as I review. If you want to skip the spoilers jump down to the Scoring!
If you have watched Endure and Survive let me know if you agree with my scoring below.
Freedom (Flashback)
Endure and Survive opens with a mob chanting “Freedom, Freedom” before the scene devolves into a violent mob. The Boss Lady is looking for her child. She is pissed at the Fedra loyalists. She wants them to tell her where Henry is. After telling her Soldier to kill the captives one of them chimes up. He knows where Hendry is. Or at least his general whereabouts.
As Bossy Lady leaves she tells her men to kills the captives and burn the bodies. It’s faster than a trial.
No Trials
We then jump to Henry, the doctor, and his guardian. They are in the attic we saw in Episode 4. We see Henry’s Guardian give him crayons to draw with.
Days pass. Henry and his Guardian are running out of supplies. When the food runs out Henry’s Guardian is forced to leave the attic. They need to find supplies.
They morning they decide to leave merges with the Joel and Ellie timeline. Henry and his Guardian are about to walk out onto the street when Joel’s truck crashes into the building and a gunfight erupts. The Guardian sees something in Joel. Henry’s Guardian can recognize a survivor when he sees one.
Meeting (Current TimeLine)
Ellie is calling for Joel. Henry and his Guardian have them at gunpoint. Henry and his Guardian are nervous. They don’t want trouble with Joel, but it is hard when you have someone at gunpoint.
Then the bomb drops.
I thought Henry was the kid and older guy was the Guardian. The older guy is HENRY!!!! The younger kid is Sam, Henry’s little brother. I thought Henry was the Bosses kid, but I was totally wrong.
The foursome reaches a truce and shares a meal by lantern light. After they break bed Joel is Joel. He wants everyone to go their way but Henry has something Joel wants. He knows the city and a potential way out. They make a deal. Henry will show the way as long as Joel will clear the way.
We also find out who the Boss lady is. Her name is Kathleen.
Escape
The four move to the bank to get to the initial entrance into the tunnels. The tension rises as the four make it into the underground. Deep underground they come across what looks like a daycare. The walls acre covered in drawings. The room is full of small furniture and toys. After the infection spread people moved underground in an attempt to survive.
Ellie asked where the people went. Joel says maybe they weren’t careful and got infected. Joel prowls as Sam and Ellie share a moment before they decide to wait out the day. It is safer to move in the shadows.
As Ellie and Sam play soccer Henry tells Joel his story. He gave up the leader of resistance to get Sam cancer medication. The leader of the resistance was also Kathleen’s brother.
The Other Side
The band of four makes it out of the tunnels. They walk through a residential area in the dark, chatting as they walk. At least until someone takes a shot at them. Joel is going to circle around and take out the sniper. Whoever is shotting has bad aim. Joel can see the river and the bridge as he is about to attack the house. He finds an old man at the window and begs him to put is rifle down. The man tries to spin around to shoot Joel but he’s too slow.
As Joel is picking up the man’s rifle we here Kathleen on a radio. She is coming. Joel screams out the window, telling Ellie and the others to run.
Joel struggles with the rifle as the lead vehicle smashes through vehicles with its plow. Ellie desperately fires over her shoulder as the vehicle continues to barrel down on them.
Just as Ellie falls Joel makes the shot and the plow veers off. Ellie, Henry and Sam are stranded with Kathleen approaching as Joel is about to have his own position attacked. He is now in the old man’s position. Stuck with a rifle at the window as someone assaults his position.
Henry urges Ellie to take Sam and run. He is going to sacrifice himself so the kids can escape.
The Horde
Kathleen is about to put a bullet into Henry when the plow vehicle sinks into the ground. The sounds of infected drift upwards on the wind. The undead are about to swarm.
The Horde
As the horde tears into Kathleen’s soldiers Ellie, Henry, and Sam run for it, covered by Joel in the window. Ellie just barely makes it into an old SUV as the horde overruns the other survivors. Then, out of the pit comes a massive beast. Bullets don’t hurt it.
Joel desperately fires at a child infected as it climbs into the SUV with Ellie but he can’t make the shot. Ellie sees Henry and Sam being attacked under a truck and attacks. They are almost back to Joel when Kathleen corners them. The child infected that followed Ellie into the SUV chirps before it dives onto Kathleen, giving the group a chance to escape.
Abandoned Hotel Motel
The band of four made it out. They found an abandoned hotel. Ellie and Sam are reading comic books as Joel tells Henry he can come with them to Wyoming if they want. Henry agrees and says he will tell Sam in the morning.
Ellie and Sam bond as Sam asks her if she is ever scared. They pass his Magic Slate back and forth as Ellie admits that she is scared too. At least of scorpions. She then gets serious, telling Sam she doesn’t want to end up alone. She asks Sam what he’s afraid of. He tells her he wants to know if its still you inside if you turn. Right before showing Ellie his bite wound. Sam is infected.
Ellie tells Sam her blood is medicine. She slices open her hand and presses it to Sam’s wound. Sam begs her to stay awake with him. She promises.
Morning Comes
Ellie wakes up to find Sam staring out the window. He is very still and doesn’t respond when she says hey. But he’s deaf right? Or did he turn.
He turned.
Henry panics as Sam attacks. He shoots at the ground to keep Joel from attacking before shooting his own son. Henry is in shock, staring at his son. His life’s purpose is over. Henry puts the revolver to his head and pulls the trigger.
Joel and Ellie bury their two friends. Ellie’s last act is to put the Magic Slate on top of Sam’s grave. Her last words for Sam are an apology. She feels like she let him down.
Endure and Survive Scoring
Endure and Survive was powerful and amazing. The story is touching, heartfelt, and just all around mind blowing. This is the first time the fifth episode of a series has ever scored a 100/100. The infected horde was just so well done. It’s what I want from every horde!
Long Long Time is the 3rd episode of the The Last of Us. The first two episodes both scored a 100/100. That is the first time that’s ever happened since The Walking Dead Season 1. If you aren’t watching, you really need to fix that. The only part that sucks is that if you are on the East Coast you have to wait until 9pm to get your fix!
The Last of Us: Long Long Time
Spoilers Below
I give detailed, blow by blow details as I review. If you want to skip the spoilers jump down to the Scoring!
If you have watched Long Long Time let me know what scene you thought was the most powerful.
Opening Scene
Joel and Ellie have made it out of Boston. They are out in the wilderness, alive, but clearly affected by the loss of Tess. Joel is pissed. Ellie is more more and emotionally intelligent than any fourteen year old should be. She knows that Joel is pissed and that he might be angry at her for Tess’s death.
Cumberland Farms
Joel and Ellie come across a gas station as they move through the woods. Joel stashed supplies in the past but seems to have forgotten exactly where. While Joel searches, Ellie finds a hatch in the floor. Because she apparently has no survival instinct she decides to go into the dark basement under the convenience store. As Ellie explores she finds an infected man crushed beneath a fallen section of wall.
Ellie Comes Face to Face With A Zombie
Ellie’s eyes are hard and cold as she slowly drags her blade across the Zombie’s face. What is she thinking? Is she wondering what is inside her? She isn’t infected like others, but that doesn’t mean the Cordyceps isn’t changing her somehow right?
When Joel calls for her she simply tells him the store wasn’t as picked over as he thought. Ellie found a box of tampons. She doesn’t tell Joel she just made her first kill.
Walking
Joel and Ellie are hiking. They are also bonding. We get a bit of back story as they chat. The tainted food carried the fungus. The world ended quickly as everyone who ate the infected food turned into Zombies. Ellie has a Right Angle Flashlight on her backpack which I absolutely just ordered.
Joel warns Ellie that they may want to cut across open ground. There are things ahead she may not want to see. The ground is littered with the skeletal remains of survivors who were gunned down to make sure they didn’t turn.
September 30th 2003 (Flashback)
Survivors are being loaded onto trucks as police and military forces try to keep them organized.
A man is sitting in his basement, watching what is going above him on his video cameras. Bill, played by Nick Offerman, has entered the scene. Bill has a plan. He gets gas and supplies. He’s been planning for the end of the world and is ready to deal with it.
Fences go up. Defenses are set. Firewood is cut. The garden is planted.
Bill is enjoying his dinner when his security system warns him of movement. A Zombie walks directly into a trap and gets blown away. Bill – “It doesn’t get old.”
This statement is important. It clearly shows that Bill has seen multiple Zombies fall to his defenses. He knows what dangers this new world has in store for him.
Bill – Four Years Later, 2007 (Flashback)
Bill’s preparations have clearly served him well. He’s survived years while others have died in droves.
The security system beeps. Bill has captured a man in a trap. Bill has a tester. The man is not infected. Bill wants the man to keep moving on but the man is hungry. Frank is hungry. Bill is worried that if he feeds Frank others will show up.
Something passes between Bill and Frank. Bill might be safe but just like anyone he needs companionship. There is a human need to be near others.
Are Bill and Frank gay? I am not sure at this point but feel like they might be. (Good for them.)
Maybe what saved Frank was Bill’s gaydar?
Frank prepares dinner. Rabbit and Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages. Bill is more refined than he might appear. Frank is enjoying his dinner as Bill struggles to come to grips with the newcomer. Frank knows that he is supposed to dine and dash but he sees the piano and can’t help but sit down and tickle the ivories.
The first song Frank picks hits a nerve with Bill. Bill sits down to take his turn at the keyboard. Neither Bill or Frank have a good singing voice but somehow it is still a very touching scene.
Frank bends over to kiss Bill. It is a touching scene. It is also the first scene that maybe could have been done better. There wasn’t enough passion in the kiss. For two men, starved of life, I would have thought there first kiss would have been more ravenous.
Two seconds later the reason why becomes clear. Bill has never been true to himself. Frank is is first gay love, and gay lover.
Bill & Frank – Three Years Later (Flashback)
Frank is pissed. Bill does not want to give Frank supplies to fix up the house.
Why? Because Bill and Frank are going to have friends.
In the next cut scene we see Bill, Frank, Tess, and Joel having lunch. Bill is up tight and worried about security. Frank is just happy to have people over.
Bill doesn’t want Joel and Tess to ruin their lives. Joel helps bring Frank to their side by promising to bring him new fencing. Joel also warns Frank that scavengers will be coming. Bill’s defenses may not be as solid as he thinks.
Bill & Rank 2013 (Flashback)
Bill has updated his fence. What was wire is now stacks of crushed cars. Frank surprises Bill with a small strawberry patch. It is a sweet and emotional moment. Now I’m scared for the “crash”.
Bill tells Frank he was never afraid before he showed up. The meaning is clear. Before Frank Bill wasn’t afraid to die because he had nothing to die for.
Frank is sleeping. The scavengers have arrived.
Bill’s traps go off. Some of the scavengers are killed but there are too many of them. Frank drags Bill inside after he is wounded. Bill, like a moron, was standing out in the open.
Bill is bleeding out. His last words to Frank before he passes out are, “Call Joel, he’ll take care of ya.”
Bill & Frank – Older
Time has passed. Frank is frail and no longer able to walk. Bill pushes him around in his wheelchair and tends to their homestead. It appears that Frank has had a stroke? He appears weak and can only move with Bill’s help.
Bill wakes up to find Frank in his chair. Frank declares it is his last day. He doesn’t want to live as a burden on Bill. Frank asks for one more good day. Frank has a plan. One more good day. Marriage. And finally a glass of wine full of enough drugs to end his life.
Bill cries but follows Frank’s instructions.
Frank prepares the same rabbit and Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages meal they had on the day they first met. Bill dutifully mixes Frank’s drink with the medications as requested. Frank downs the glass after confirming the dosage is enough.
Frank notices there were already pills in the bottle. Bill plans on going with Frank into the next world. They laugh about how romantic the gesture is.
Welcome to Lincoln (Current Timeline)
Joel and Ellie have arrived at Bill’s homestead. Things look deserted. Joel calls out to his friends. The medicated meal on the table doesn’t look too old. Joel and Ellie have arrived not too long after the fateful dinner. Bill and Frank are dead.
Bill’s letter to whomever, but probably Joel, is heart wrenching.
Joel and Ellie now have a truck, weapons, and supplies. Joel is grumpy as hell, but the two of them are in much better straits than they were.
The two of them ransack Bill’s supplies. Not only do they have hot water for showers but also toilet paper, guns, ammo, and food. Joel tells Ellie no when she asks about a gun but she finds one in Bill’s desk and takes in anyway.
Joel and Ellie get into Bill’s Chevy S10 and head out. Ellie is amazed. She has never been in a car. Joel is more realistic. It’s an old budget truck. Hopefully it will get him to his brother.
Long Long Time Scoring
First thing. Both Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal are amazing. They are incredible actors. Bill, played by Nick Offerman, and Frank, played by Murray Bartlett are also great – their story just doesn’t have the same weight as Joel and Ellie’s. Still, the episode was amazing. How could it hold up to the first two episodes? That is an unfair expectation isn’t it?
Still, Long Long Time was a gripping and emotional episode and scores a 95/100, making it Worth Your Time.
Infected is the Episode 2 of Season 1 of HBO’s new Zombie Apocalypse series.
There are spoilers in the review below.
The Last of Us: Infected
Jakarta, Indonesia 2003
Infected opens on a diner. Ibu Ratna is eating her lunch. Two uniformed men enter. Ibu Ratner has no choice but to go with them. The soldiers driver her to a base and show her a pathology slide taken from a human subject.
Ibu Ratna calmly explains that what she is seeing does not make any sense. Cordyceps cannot survive in humans. After questioning the three star general Ibu gives the soldiers some chilling advice. If they want to control the infect that is about to be unleashed they should start bombing.
Boston, Current Day
Ellie wakes up in a square of sunlight. Joel and Tess are sitting nearby watching her. Ellie’s positive test has Joel spooked.
Tess interrogates Ellie, forcing the girl to tell them her secret. The Fireflies are convinced that Ellie has the cure to the infection. Joel doesn’t believe it but Tess doesn’t care. She is more pragmatic. If the Fireflies are willing to pay for transporting Ellie, Tess is willing to do whatever needs to get done in order to get paid.
Tess forces Joel to think of the payday. It is time to head west. The first challenge is getting through Boston. The original route has been damaged by collapsing buildings, forcing the small group to cut through a hotel.
This gives us one of the first really cool visuals of the episode. Once they make it onto a terrace they see that the infected have swarmed out into the open. Ellie notices how the infected move in unison and Tess uses it as a chance to educate the young lady on how the Cordyceps can communicate across large distances.
The Horde
With their original plan blocked by infected, they fall back to take a route through The Museum.
The Museum, Current Day
Joel examines the Cordyceps veins outside The Museum, hopeful that the dried up tendrils mean the building is clear of the infected. At first all seems well. At least until Ellie finds a fresh body. Joel and Tess are anxious. Clearly they know that they are in danger. With little options, they continue through The Museum.
They make it up a few flights of stairs before the way behind them caves in, drawing the attention of the infected. In the distance we hear clicks and cries. The infected are coming. The three travels hide as the infected stumble into the room. The infected can’t see them, but it can hear them if they make any noise. Joel cautions her to be quiet but she can’t help but gasp in fear.
The survivors are separated briefly as the infected attack.
This leads to some awesome combat scenes. The Cordyceps are hard to kill, although head shots seem to be the most effective.
Ellie ends up bitten again while Tess has rolled her ankle. The trio makes it to the roof and then down through the collapsed buildings to the street.
The Street, Current Day
Once through The Museum the trio reaches a large transport vehicle. Whoever Joel was expecting to be there isn’t. There is however a body on the ground and a blood trail leading inside a nearby building.
Tess rushes in. The band of survivors they were hoping to find has been destroyed. Joel looks at the bodies. One of the band must have been bitten, which resulted in a battle that destroyed the group. Joel wants to keep moving but Tess tells them they are going to need to leave her behind.
Tess has been bitten. As the new reality sits in, one of the bodies on the floor moves and Joel quickly dispatches it with a head shot.
Tess shows Joel Ellie’s wound. Tess is going to turn, but Ellie isn’t. Joel has to get Ellie to Bill and Frank’s. They can take Ellie west if he can get her to them. As Tess is begging Joel to agree we see the hand near the infected Joel just killed. There is a tendril of Cordyceps nearby.
The Infected Phone Home
The infected are coming.
Tess grabs a rifle and uses it to spill barrels of fuel. She is going to keep the Cordyceps from following Joel and Ellie at all costs. As the door breaks down Tess is flicking her lighter, struggling to get a spark as hordes of infected run up the stairs.
One of the infected pauses in front of Tess, giving her a Cordyceps kiss as she desperately tries to flick her lighter. Just as she is being fully taken the lighter ignites and first floor of the building goes up.
Joel and Ellie hear the explosion and turn to see fire envelop the building.
Scoring
There were so many things I love about Infected. Ellie is sassy, funny, and adds a bit of humor to what could otherwise become too heavy. On the other side, Joel and Tess exude anxiety and fear when they are moving through the infected territory, making me sit on the edge of my seat with tension.
Infected earned every point of its perfect 100/100 score.
When You’re Lost in the Darkness opens with two epidemiologists discussing microorganisms and how they could cause a global pandemic. One of the epidemiologist explains how some fungi take control of their hosts and force them to do the fungi’s will. What is that will? To spread, to take over. This segment was a great way to explain what is about to start.
2003
Sarah Miller, played by Nico Parker, wakes up in her pink bedroom adorned with posters, school awards, and pictures of her friends and family. She immediately runs to make sure her father, Joel Miller, played by Pedro Pascal is awake.
It is Joel’s birthday. He seems gruff, but clearly his daughter loves him. The two have immediate onscreen chemistry. As Joel’s brother comes in we find out that there are money problems. Joel is going to work a double on his birthday.
Sarah runs upstairs to take a watch and money from her father’s nightstand. After hearing about their money issues, it seems like a crappy thing to do.
Nana
As the Miller’s are leaving, we are introduced to their next door neighbors. The neighbors ask Sarah to come over later, laying on a guilt trip. Sarah reluctantly agreess to go over after school.
After school Sarah heads to a watch repair shop. We find out that she isn’t a thief after all. She took the money and the watch to fix it as a birthday present for her father. The shopkeeper fixes the watch just in time before his wife demands he shuts the store. Sarah leaves the store is shutdown for the day.
It has started. Once Sarah gets back to her neighbors, it isn’t long before we see Nana turn.
Nana Turns
The scene is a masterpiece. It was subtle, and I found myself tensing up as I watched how the dog reacted to Nana Zombie. Just like Terminators, Dogs know when your not really human!
Sarah may not fully understand what is going on yet, but she is on edge. After she falls asleep on Joel’s lap his brother Tommy calls him. Tommy took a swing at an attacker in a bar fight and begs Joel to come bail him out. This of course leaves Sarah home alone.
The sounds of helicopters and flashing lights wakes Sarah up. The news is playing an emergency broadcast warning. Mercy, the neighbors dog is at her door. Sarah tries to take Mercy home, but Mercy wants nothing to do with it.
This leads us to our first Zombie Attack. It has a slow build, which left me more tense than if it was a jump scare.
Nana Attacks
Escape
Joel and Tommy show up just in time to save Sarah. The trio jump into Tommy’s truck and try to find a way out of town. As they drive away we see another concerned neighbor come out, thinking she just saw Tommy drive over people. The concerned neighbor rushes to help. The infected attack her as the trio escape.
The trio head to the highway to find the military isn’t allowing anyone to leave. Planes fall out of the sky as the three attempt to flee through town. Another driver rams their car, flipping it over. The accident separates the group. Tommy tells them he will meet them at the river. Joel picks up his injured daughter and runs.
The infected are everywhere. Joel makes it to the river only to be stopped by the military. The soldier has orders to shoot anyone leaving the town.
The scene is sad. It hurt to watch.
Twenty Years Later
A child is walking along an overgrown path. He comes through the brush to reveal a world no longer dominated by mankind.
Mankind Lost
The child is captured, tested, and quickly euthanized after testing positive. The rules of this world are cruel but clear. The infected are not people. The infected must be killed.
The world has changed. The survivors use paper chits as money. Joel is desperate to make enough money to buy a car battery. He has to get out west to find him brother who has gone silent. Joel will do anything to get the money he needs. This includes selling drugs and acting as an enforcer.
Ellie Williams
Ellie is played by Bella Ramsey of Game of Thrones fame. The partisan group “The Fireflies” has Ellie in chains. They are watching her, making sure she is still human.
Joel & Ellie Meet
The Fireflies try to buy the same battery that Joel is after. Blood is shed and the leader of the local Fireflies is wounded. Her own plans to take Ellie west are shot. She offers Joel a vehicle and supplies if he will take Ellie. Joel reluctantly agrees.
Joel, Tess, and Ellie escape the compound only to be caught be the corrupt guard Joel was selling drugs to earlier. The guard follows protocol and tests each of them. Ellie’s status as infected is confirmed.
Is Ellie the savior? Is whatever allows her to test positive but resist the infections control what the world needs to survive?
I can’t wait for episode 2!
Scoring
When You’re Lost in the Darkness not only has amazing actors with great chemistry but excellent writing. The story is the main focus, and it is a story that grips you and holds on until the end of the episode. Because of this When You’re Lost in the Darkness earned a 100/100, making it Worth Your Time.
Resident Evil Revelations opens with Jade discussing how they might implement their own version of mind control. We then see a huge crocodile that appears to be under the survivors control.
Resident Evil
We then jump back to the older timeline as Evelyn sells Bert on a new project.
What’s the project?
At the same time Jade is trying to convince Billie that they make a run for it. Jade distracts their guard by talking about their dog as Billie seems to struggle with staying in control. They flee but Billie is caught. We then come back to the current timeline. The horde that Jade called down is ravaging the camp.
Jade uses the chaos to escape while her friends on the boat sail away. This leads to one of the best action sequences in the show as Billie calls up the gun drones and they go to town on the horde.
Jade just barely makes it to the ship. Once on board she convinces the captain to “push the button” to release their crocodile secret weapon they’ve been keeping hidden.
Because things were getting good, the writers of course picked this moment to jump back to the past timeline. So annoying. It really destroys the viewers ability to enjoy the show.
When we do cut back to the current time we see Billie killing basically everyone with her drones – just before the massive crocodile comes ashore to ruin her day. We are treated to another flashback before coming back to Billie fleeing the massive croc. Billie uses a grenade to distract the monster which points it back out to sea.
The next fifteen minutes is a mixture of the past and the present. The present sees Jade’s daughter almost get eaten by the croc, but Jade programmed it not to hurt her. This leads to the final confrontation between Jade and Billie. They must have thought they were getting a season 2 as the last few minutes of the final episode leaves us on a cliffhanger. Jade has been shot and Jade’s daughter has been taken by Billie. Wounded, Jade stands up to watch her daughter disappear in a helicopter.
Scoring
Resident Evil Revelations has the same issues as the rest of the series. There are too many plot lines that jump back and forth between the past and the present. Just as you are getting into the action not only does the scene change, but the timeline does as well.
While Resident Evil Revelations started strong, it just couldn’t hold the pace for the whole episode. There were some good action sequences, though, earning Resident Evil Revelations a 50/100, making it perfect for a rainy day.
The ending sucked. Especially when you consider there won’t be a season 2. The Resident Evil series could have been awesome. Unfortunately the writers and directors tried to squeeze too much into eight episodes.
Resident Evil Parasite open with Albert Wesker talking to one of his clones while we see flashbacks of their origin story. There used to be a lot of clones, each of whom seemed to embody some aspect of a whole persons skills and personality. As the segment ends we see the bad and violent clone escape while his brothers are captured by Evelyn Marcus.
Resident Evil
We then cut back to Jade as she realizes that her sister set her up by putting a tracker in her infected specimen.
Evelyn then questions Albert. She knows he killed the reporter, she just doesn’t know why. While Albert’s getting questioned, we see his clone beginning his escape plan. This of course leads him to young Jade and Billie. This clone doesn’t pass well though. Jade and Billie immediately figure out something is wrong. When they challenge him he admits he’s not Albert, he’s Bert. He then reveals they are all clones.
The girls try to leave but get interrupted by an Umbrella tactical team. Bert puts up a good fight, but there are just too many henchmen. We then get to see Evelyn turn the girls against Albert. She shows them how their blood is what keeps Albert alive.
Back in the current timeline Jade and Billie reunite once again. Billie shows that she is really the mastermind behind everything. Evelyn is quite literally under her complete control. Billie thinks she has Jade under her thumb, at least until a horde comes over the hill.
The episode ends with young Jade and Billie holding hands before the screen goes black.
Scoring
Parasite suffers from the same issues as so many other episodes of Resident Evil. There are too many threads, most of them based on back stabbing plots and not enough on how they are surviving the virus which has destroyed the world.
Instead we get way too much detail on Albert and his clones. We also get bits of the young Jade and Billie as we jump between the back story and the here and now. It is just too much and doesn’t allow the viewer to enjoy a coherent story.
The last eight to nine minutes of Resident Evil Parasite were awesome. If only the full episode could have had that many zombies and that much energy.
Which is why Parasite is earning itself a Just Bad 20/100.
