Murphy clings to his humanity in this memorable episode.
Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.
There was some buzz about “The Collector” prior to the start of the season because it features a guest appearance by A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin. The premise of a man who collected unique zombie specimens was intriguing, and I have to say the final product ended up being absolutely exceptional. Last week I mentioned the show had been spinning its wheels with meaningful moments being lost in what was starting to feel like monotony. Well, “The Collector” is a refreshing and fun story with a great villain and some great moments.
George R.R. Martin on Z Nation
It’s quite remarkable how every week it seems like the group somehow manages to lose Murphy considering their mission depends entirely on his safety. I’m glad they brought up that very problem this week as, once again, Murphy manages to get himself separated from the rest of the group when his craving for brains gets the best of him. Yes, Murphy craves brains now. It’s not surprising as it’s the natural next step for Murphy ,who has gradually been transforming into something more zombie-like since the beginning of the first season. The more he changes, the more scared I think he gets. I doubt he would ever go full zombie, but there is absolutely that fear that he will lose what makes him human.
Being captured by The Collector and mistaken for a zombie doesn’t help matters either. Murphy has gained a kinship and understanding for zombiekind, but he still wants to be identified as human. The Collector, while fascinated with Murphy’s hybrid nature, does everything possible to take that humanity away. He treats The Murphy as more of a science experiment than a human being, and I think that’s something that has been gnawing at Murphy the entire series; that’s the way he sees the group treating him as well. He’s a means to an end in their eyes and nothing more, just like the collector treats him. This is a hilarious episode, but there is an underlying fear and loneliness for Murphy that is evident throughout and definitely present at the end, so much so that Murphy asks Warren not to leave him when the mission is done.
There’s a great deal of humor as well as reverence for the zombie genre here. The scene with Murphy being introduced to some of the great classic zombie films was a nice touch. One of the elements of Z Nation that I absolutely love is that zombie fiction actually existed in their world. It was great to see Murphy comment on the premise of each of the films and compare it to what his reality has become. I wish they had taken it a step further and actually had Murphy sit through one of the films. I am sure he would have had some hilarious comments regarding the content.
We want to hear it.
The appropriately-titled Dead Live show was crazy and fun. At this point the episode almost turns into a bit of a clipshow though with a loose recap of certain events that have brought us to this moment. Notable was his reaction to thoughts of Cassandra. There was definitely a sense of sadness and remorse for what he did to her.
Celebrity guest George R. R. Martin had a funny moment as he retained his autographing skills and signed copies of “A Promise of Spring,” The title is a play on the title of the final A Song of Ice and Fire book “A Dream of Spring,” expected to release at some point after “The Winds of Winter” — so maybe in 20 years.
The scene with Murphy pretending to bite 10k was well handled. There has been some animosity between the two that really needed to be blown off and it was good to see 10k get out his hate for Murphy. It’s no surprise that Murphy had a great deal of self-loathing as well. I absolutely loved Murphy’s viciousness in this scene as well. His “Look at me!!” moment was epic and really delivered a big win for the character who was clearly angry and upset about the way he was being treated and what he had become.
At its surface “The Collector” is a fun and lighthearted, story but if you dig a little deeper there is definitely a growing frustrating for Murphy who is a man continually treated like a freak and property.
