"Z Nation" is really a horse of a different color in comparison to all the other zombie venues offered up on TV today. Not only is "Z Nation" giving the viewers a look at post-apocalypse life, much like the other zombie-themed shows, but it adds humor along with some very original side plots.
10K takes a dip
As the A.V. Club suggests in a headline this week that "Z Nation" got its "gross groove back on," and they are right with that observation! We saw Murphy's Dr. Merch become zombie lunch in what looked to be a suicide attempt, but in the previews for this week, she's back.
Dr. Merch is banged up and bloody, but still with Murphy. The one person who did get away was 10K, as he opted to jump into that deep river with a water fall. The kid, as Doc calls him, found himself with zombies closing in from one side of a bridge while Murphy's bite-mark clan closed in from the other side! There was only one way left to go and that was down... into the violently churning water.
Pack of wolves stalk 10K
The Xfinity TV menu gives up a spoiler for this week's episode. When 10K vanished into the water, viewers weren't sure if he'd made it or not. That is the little cliffhanger fans were left with at the end of the episode. According to the Xfinity menu, this week 10K is alone and hurt and at the same time he is being stalked by a pack of wolves.
So it sounds as if he made it out of the water and "Z Nation" hasn't lost another regular...yet!
Murphy's kingdom of blends
Once Warren and her crew catch up to Murphy, it is going to be interesting to see how they reel him in. He is building a kingdom and he's already accrued a loyal following by biting them all. Apparently each time Murphy bites someone to turn them into a "Blend," it takes some of the strength out of him.
This is why he shut off those people waiting at the gate. All of those perfectly good humans wanting Murphy to take a bite out of them so they could join his kingdom spoke to Murphy's popularity in this new 'Z Nation' world.
Tooth pull gore!
Watching Addy get her tooth pulled with pliers by Dr. Sun Mei made your skin crawl. You could feel her pain!
Doc came through with the pain relief via his seemingly bottomless bottle of Oxycontin. With Addy feeling better and Warren over her shell-shock from the exploding zombie sent their way by the "red hands" they are on their way to find Murphy.
Love in bloom?
Does it look like love may bloom for Escorpion and Warren? He looked like he was going to crumble when Murphy was knocked out by the exploding zombie. Those bizarre zombies wrapped with dynamite is just one way humans are learning to use the walking dead for their needs. Who will win out, Murphy and his Blends or will Warren, Doc, Addie and Escorpion save the day with their doctor in tow? Can they reel in Murphy, or will a kingdom of Blends grow out of control?
Either way there is only one person who all sides are invested in keeping alive on this "Z Nation" journey. That is Murphy, as he is needed for his strange new powers and his death resistance against a zombie bite.
