“Mildly impractical for the apocalypse.”
Note: Full spoilers for the Z Nation: Season 2 premiere follow.
Over the course of last season Z Nation molded an identity for itself that separated its brand of zombie entertainment from the rest of the pack. The Asylum is known for creating terrible-yet-fun movies that are absolutely ridiculous. That DNA is ever-present in Z Nation but after reflection on that first season, Z Nation works, and most of the time it’s not terrible at all, it’s just a lot of fun. Appropriately titled, “The Murphy” captures what makes this show so much fun to watch, and if The Asylum avoids some of the pitfalls of last season, we could be in for a real treat.
The Season 1 cliffhanger definitely felt like an event that could have put a tidy little cap on last season if the show never made it back for a second outing. Thankfully, we’re getting more of this quirky show and that means coming up with a reasonable explanation for how everyone survived a nuclear attack and how they would manage to all regroup for the road ahead.
It’s actually fairly simple. Everyone drove away from ground zero as fast as possible in hopes of outrunning the blast. I am not going to try and consider the technical logistics of this, and I’m not sure The Asylum did either, but everyone makes it through surprisingly unscathed. Also, you can tell the rulebook was thrown out when Dr. Kurian dives into a fridge to save himself. Nice Indy reference.
From here on out it’s all about getting the band back together. Warren searches for food and supplies while 10k and Doc hold their position. Warren’s journey was the only weak point of this week’s episode and it still had some great moments. Her gun and knife show to save that farm girl was a lot of fun to watch. That one bullet going through one zombie’s head, turning slightly, and then hitting another was something special. That’s just the kind of entertainment I expect from this show.
Warren’s near attempt at killing herself when she had lost all hope was an upsetting turn for the character. Thankfully, after spending sometime with a family that had managed to survive just fine despite the zombie apocalypse, Warren got her spark back and was her usual self by the end of the episode.
Mack’s quest to get Addy back, which started last season, is quickly handled in a short moment here. Addy’s all-woman conclave met an unfortunate end thanks to some bad luck and a zombie bear. It’s a thankfully efficient conclusion to that story and gives both characters renewed momentum as their stories had died out by the end of last season.
From here on out the group just sort of stumbles upon each other by chance. It’s a bit contrived but I remain appreciative of quickly tying up loose ends from last season and getting this show back on the road, which is what makes it so great.
While all of that was entertaining, the main event this week was Murphy. He stole the show a lot last season and that continues here with another stellar performance by Keith Allan. Murphy, whose cowardly escape is what triggered the tactical nuke that detonated to start the episode, is fully embracing his unique abilities and situation. His shopping scene was hilarious and those threads he picked out were not too shabby at all. They actually fit his anti-hero persona perfectly well and gave him sort of a supervillain vibe this episode.
Murphy also found new, creative and highly inappropriate ways to show of his zombie whispering abilities. Having two zombie women make out and another dance around a strippers pole is patented Murphy at this point. He’s fully embraced his newfound abilities and that has the potential to make him even more entertaining than he was last season. He’s shed his skin figuratively and literally and become a new man; embracing his disgusting and sleazy side.
The treatment of Cassandra is going to be interesting to watch this season. In her current half-zombie state, or whatever this is, she’s playing the part of Murphy’s pet. There seems to be some of that old Cassandra in there, which was witnessed by her immediate attraction to 10k, but it’s almost as if she has been permanently drugged. We will have to see how this plays out. Hopefully she will return to form despite being semi-zombie.
Getting Murphy to California continues to drive the narrative this season but Citizen Z’s added incentive of a non-existent reward to the mix now has everyone coming out of the woodwork, which should add a new dynamic to the show. A new character was introduced this week, Vasquez, who will hopefully fit in well with the current group. The impression I’m getting, for at least the first part of this season, is that it’s going to be all about chasing Murphy and his hoard of zombie acolytes. That sounds like a lot of fun.
The final piece of the puzzle that looks promising is the pregnant woman who is carrying Murphy’s child. Apparently, in The Asylum fashion, the unborn baby can point out Murphy’s location. That’s ridiculous and I think I’m going to love it.
Z Nation returns in fine form to start the second season. Murphy is fantastic in this entertaining premiere and the rest of the group looks ready to kick some butt.
