ZNation Episode 1 Recap: Beware Of Cute Cuddly Zombie Babies (Season Premiere)

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Not Your Grandma's Zombie Apocalypse

"Z Nation" premiered Friday at 10 ET on SyFy. I wasnt sure what to expect since a number of critics have panned it. This is not "Masterpiece Theater" people! It's a show about zombies. And its from The Asylum (the people who brought us "Sharknado" so we shouldnt be shocked). I very much enjoyed the first episode. It went into high gear at the beginning and never slowed down. There was massive amounts of zombie violence with some camp thrown in for good measure. Here's the overview:

The show takes place some three years after the Zombie Apocalypse. We have the usual societal breakdown, no communications, and the government is in shambles. Its every man, woman, child for themselves. There is still one soldier true to his mission though. Lieutenant Mark Hammond must get a criminal named Murphy to California. I think theyre somewhere in the East currently. Why does he have to do this? Thanks to an experimental serum, Murphy is the only known person to ever survive a zombie attack. And they need to use him to develop a vaccine.

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Poor Hammond. You Survived For Three Years Only To Be Done In By A Zombie Baby

I thought Hammond (Harold Perrineau of "Lost" fame) would be the main character in the series but alas he got chomped on by a zombie baby. That's a bad way to go. To round out the cast of survivors, we have Charles and Roberta (they are ex-National Guardspeople). There's also two college kids, an older guy and a sniper. A guy in the Arctic named Citizen Z monitors what little surveillance equipment is left and tries to coordinate the military. He also likes to play records and wax philosophical about the Zombie Apocalypse.

These are not your traditional zombies. I prefer my zombies slow and decaying so that out-of-shape-me could run away if need be. Apparently zombies also like to play dead. Remember where they were all washed up on shore (only to attack when people came closer)?

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If You See A Baby Like This, You Should Run! If You Don Believe Me, Ask Hammond. Oh Wait, You Cant Because He's D-E-A-D!

The zombie baby was a hoot. I think it might be Chucky's little brother. And why were they so freaked out about killing it? If its a zombie it's not a baby anymore. Put a cap in its ass.

Hmm this plot about getting someone to a far away destination to save mankind sounds familiar. Where did we see this before? Of yes, "The Walking Dead" (except they have a scientist and not a guy who has survived zombie attacks).

Favorite Quotes:

"Dont hold him like he's a live grenade" Charles to Roberta about the baby (before he turns into a zombie).
"Its not sad. Its a zombie"- discussions on what to do about the zombie baby.
"Here baby, baby, baby. Come to papa"- Hammond. That's apparently how you call a zombie baby.
"Genetically predisposed badasses" Citizen Z's description of those who have survived the Zombie Apocalypse.

Grade: 4 1/2 Monsters (out of 5). If you're into mindless zombie entertainment and arent interested in a plot, this might be the show for you. This is just zombies doing what zombies do best. It's B grade fun and I'm loving it so far.