Z Nation, Season 1, Episode 6: “Resurrection Z”
Written by Craig Engler
Directed by John Hyams
Episode 7: “Welcome to FU-Bar”
Written by Jennifer Derwingson
Directed by Abram Cox
Airs Fridays at 10pm EST on Syfy
With the unexpected death of Charles Garnett (Tom Everett Scott) in “Resurrection Z”, Z Nation continues to present different edges to the old zombie themes. Although midway into the season it struggled with pacing and balancing drama with action, after “Welcome to FU-Bar” it appears as though the show is back on track to wrap up an exciting season.
In its first few episodes, Z Nation aimed to be a schlocky homage in the style of The Asylum’s preceding films like Sharknado, which can work for an hour and a half feature, but does not necessarily elongate well into a television series. The main problem with Z Nation‘s mid-season episodes is that the writers bit off more than they could chew, packing in too much shallow plot too quickly. After four episodes of harmless fun, the show took a swift turn for the dramatic, shoving as much tragedy as possible into the series. Earlier installments had a thin veil of drama with a higher dependence on exploitation-level violence and harmless fun, and this tonal shift greatly took away from the cohesiveness of the series. With everything else in the universe so excessive and over-the-top, the middle of the season’s sensationalism could be effectively compelling and well balanced, the writers just needed to focus it into one or two main plots. “Resurrection Z” and “Welcome to FU-Bar” are melodramatic and ridiculous, but in exactly the way this show should be.
In episode six, the group of survivors narrowly escapes a seemingly ideal location that becomes overrun with a delusional religious cult that believes that the apocalypse has been foretold in the Bible. In the midst of the commotion, Garnett is killed, after which “Welcome to FU-Bar” picks up. Warren is deeply wounded and in search of solace and a drink after Garnett’s death, due to their whirlwind affair and her subsequent broken heart. Addy and Mack separate to explore and consider never returning, but are stopped by a ghastly sight in the distance. 10K becomes interested by an equally sharp shooter on a farm, where an apparently efficient trade system has been established.
Throughout most of Z Nation, whenever there has been a hurdle for the characters to overcome, it has been introduced and resolved within the span of a given episode, giving the show a quick and breezy pace but no cliff-hangers to make viewers want to watch ahead. In “Welcome to FU-Bar”, this changes- several factors are presented that will leave the audience seeking answers to their questions, while a small plot is simultaneously wrapped up within the episode’s the forty minutes. This new approach allows the show to be as absurd and fast as it’s always been, but also build on the character depths and larger world running underneath. With Warren’s profound struggle to cope with the death of Garnett, and Murphy’s arising close connection with the zombies becoming more and more apparent, there is nothing particularly cliché at play; these stories are interesting enough to make viewers want to tune in next week. If Z Nation can remain on track, assigning each substantial arc to several episodes instead of just one, it will get viewers coming back for more, and could easily strengthen subsequent seasons. It’s common for series to take an entire first season just to find their feet. With the moments of great promise that Z Nation has been presenting, it’s well on its way; it seems likely that this show will establish itself as a good go-to for zombie fans.