Something interesting happened while watching this last weeks Z Nation. I didn’t groan. I didn’t shake my head. My wife didn’t say “Oh SYFY.” This is during the episode where they make a Sharknado reference. There were zombies caught in a tornado being flung around and they played it straight for the most part.
Oh my god, this just might not end up being the train wreck I expected.
There was lots of zombie action, most of them looking quite good. We are not talking TWD good, but better than in past weeks. I get the feeling that the production team is getting better as time goes on. There were also some neat gags with fireman zombies that I haven’t seen anywhere outside of Left 4 Dead.
Effects wise there was never a question that this episode would be heavy on cgi. Other than one hiccup, most of it was handled well. Zombies being flung half a mile by the tornado looked about as good as it could have been done, even on a bigger budget. One particular zombie bounced off the ground right in to a tree, leaving a huge blood stain. That one was so good we had to watch it three times. The Asylum may not always be known for quality, but I think this shows they are growing as a production company.
Lastly, it is clear that Murphy is not as out of the woods as we thought him to be. The vaccine that stopped him from turning in to a zombie a year ago must be wearing off, as his wounds are starting to rot and his hair is falling out. The crew thinks he cut his hair, but it was falling out so I think he just pulled it out off screen. He does not look good. I had noticed the past few episodes he had been looking worse, and I think they handled the transition with great care.
So I am more excited about the show than I had been. It is getting better, and I hope they can keep up the momentum. Here is a promo for next weeks “Resurrection Z”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=R19cKYEHf9c