I'm like a pushmi-pullyu when it comes to zombie programming. I'm definitely drawn to them, but they inevitably repel me due to the fatalistic nature of these programs. I'll track spoilers online for episodes of "Walking Dead" and "Fear the Walking Dead," but I rarely watch them anymore. They're just too depressing!
With that in mind, I avoided "Z Nation" when I first learned of the program on Syfy. Just another apocalyptic program. But -- for whatever reason -- I decided to give the show a chance when I saw it show up as a suggestion on Netflix.
I did indeed find a program about yet another zombie apocalypse. And it's one of the worst ones, in my mind. Not only do the zombies attack and eat people, but they're fast-running zombies -- not shufflers. And not only do the zombie bites spread the disease, but it's the type of apocalypse where everyone comes back. You could die from a heart attack and still come back itching for human brains and flesh. But this zombie apocalypse isn't limited to people. Everything comes back from the dead. We're talking people, horses, dogs, foxes, monkeys, bears, sheep, snakes, birds, etc.
Frankly, I don't see any coming back from a zombie apocalypse when it affects all of the animals. The zombie birds should be dive-bombing everyone. The undead bugs should be creepy in from every crack. Once all of the animals come back from the dead, it's game over.
Fortunately I'm not writing this show. So you only see animal zombies when it's convenient for the plot. And they don't seem to cause too much trouble -- except for the Sisters of Mercy.
But "Z Nation" has something that most other zombie shows lack -- humor and oddball antics.
So things might seem hopeless, but we can still sit back and watch them take on "Sharknado." Or we can see what happens when zombies turn into compost at a marijuana research facility. Or we can visit Roswell, New Mexico, and see if aliens made it out of the apocalypse alive.
Speaking of Roswell, I was watching one of the season two episodes and found an unexpected shout out to nearby Riverside, Iowa, and (indirectly) Trek Fest! Check this out:
(Incidentally, when did we lose the ability to take screen grabs from Netflix. I could do it as recently as last Saturday, but now it just comes out all black. I found an annoying way around the black-out, but this was frustrating.)
Anyway, I'm looking forward to finishing up with season 2 of "Z Nation" and then tracking down the movie that just premiered on Syfy. If you haven't seen "Z Nation," you owe it to yourself to check out the show and enjoy the zombie show that maintains hope through humor.