5 takeaways from Z Nation episode three season 1 "Philly Feast"

One thing I can say about Z Nation is that it is getting better every week. There are getting more creative with zombie kills and each episode features more and more zombies. The show is actually getting more and more fun as each weeks passes.

Here are 5 things that I took away from episode three, Philly Feast. NO SPOILERS!

1. No one in the world of Z Nation looks into a car before opening the door.

2. I really really like "Sunshine".

3. The Liberty Bell zombie kills looked great in that scene that was ripped off right out of Asylum's own Sharknado 2.

4. Tobias Campbell equals The Governor plus Negan but even more bat shit crazy.

5. All zombie shows/movies must bash us over the head with the disturbing fact they mankind will always be its own worst enemy even during a zombie apocalypse. (Yes, Z Nation worked some seriousness in there.)

New clip from Dead Snow 2: Red vs Dead

Check out this crazy scene from the sequel to everybody's favorite nazi zombie movie Dead Snow, Dead Snow: Red vs Dead.

Z Nation premiere draws 1.6 million viewers

SYFY’S NEW ZOMBIE SERIES Z NATION BITES OFF 1.6 MILLION VIEWERS DURING SEPTEMBER 12 PREMIERE

#1 IN TIME PERIOD AMONG TOTAL VIEWERS AND ADULTS 25-54

SYFY’S HIGHEST RATED ACQUIRED SCRIPTED SERIES DEBUT SINCE DR. WHO IN 2006

MOST SOCIAL ACQUISITION EVER

NEW YORK – September 15, 2014 – Syfy’s new zombie series Z Nation bit 1.6 million total viewers during its Friday, September 12 premiere at 10PM (ET/PT), becoming the channel’s highest rated acquired scripted series premiere since Dr. Who in 2006.

The dynamic action-drama from The Asylum (producers of the Sharknado franchise) also chomped on 695K Adults 18-49 and 853K Adults 25-54.

Z Nation was #1 in the 10PM time period among total viewers, Adults 25-54, Men 25-54, Women 25-54 as well as #2 among Adults 18-49.

In the past week, more L+SD total viewers fell victim to Z Nation than the most recent telecasts of The Leftovers on HBO, Teen Wolf on MTV and Doctor Who on BBCA.

Z Nation was also Syfy’s most social acquired scripted series premiere ever across all social metrics (tweets, unique authors, and tweets per unique). For the night, Z Nation ranked as the #4 entertainment program in tweets in both broadcast and cable.

In Z Nation, three years have passed since the zombie virus has gutted the country, and a team of everyday heroes must transport the only known survivor of the plague from New York to California, where the last functioning viral lab waits for his blood. Although the antibodies he carries are the world’s last, best hope for a vaccine, he hides a dark secret that threatens them all. With humankind’s survival at stake, the ragtag band embarks on a journey of survival across three thousand miles of rusted-out post-apocalyptic America. Z Nation stars Harold Perrineau (Oz, Lost) Tom Everett Scott (Southland, Beauty And The Beast), DJ Qualls (Supernatural), Michael Welch (Twilight trilogy), Kellita Smith (The Bernie Mac Show) Anastasia Baranova (The Darkness II) as Addy, Russell Hodgkinson (Big Fish) as Doc and Keith Allan (Rise of the Zombies) as Murphy.

Karl Schaefer (Eerie Indiana, Eureka, The Dead Zone) serves as executive producer and showrunner. Acclaimed action director John Hyams (Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning) directed the pilot. The series is produced by The Asylum and sold internationally by Dynamic Television.

Z Nation review: You have seen worse.

Many watched Z Nation expecting the worst and I believe many were pleasantly surprised. The show is obviously shot on a small budget but that doesn't keep it from being a zombie ass kicking good time.

One reason I love the show is that the characters in Z Nation have heard of zombies before the apocalypse. That means we don't have to go through those annoying scenes where no one knows how to stop a zombie until they hear or see a news report.

The acting is much better than expected for a zombie flick and maybe I shouldn't have been surprised by that. Harold Perrineau, Tom Everett Scott, Kellita Smith, DJ Qualls and Keith Allan are all veteran actors who know what they are doing.

I'm going to split this review up into three part, The great, the good, and the bad.

THE GREAT: A Star is Born

Move over bicycle girl zombie, well zombie, and tree zombie there is another famous zombie joining the pantheon of famous TV zombies, Zombie Baby!

Many slapped their heads and moaned when they first saw the Z Nation trailers featuring the zombie baby. It had campy written all over it and could have went badly. Instead the zombie baby was the highlight of the show. The zombie baby got more screen time than I expected and was crazy delight. (Although I would to see what Greg Nicotero would do with the zombie baby concept.) Two things bugged me out, how the baby went from not even being able to walk to moving 100 miles an hour and when did it get bit? I never saw it get bit. (Did anyone?)

THE GOOD: Zombie killing Action And a Few Scares

The show wasted no time in showing its propensity for violence and gore. There are several zombie and human kills early on and the action just ramps up from there. There are even two or three genuine scares especially the scene at the lake. Even though I knew what was coming it was still well done. Although the show seems to be more action oriented it doesn't forget the horror elements. If this continues this is most definitely a show I will continue to watch.

THE BAD: Lack of a budget and lacks of common sense.

I mentioned earlier that the show has a small budget and you can tell that what they do have to spend they put on the screen. The problem is with what they can't put on the screen. How many would have liked to actually see the zombie attack on Camp Blue Sky? Hopefully if the show proves to be a hit Syfy or whoever actually produces it can come up with some more money for the show's budget.

My other issue is not exclusive to Z Nation or any other zombie book or movie. The characters say or do incredibly dumb things to push the plot forward or just because the writer had a brain freeze. There were two instances that stood out for me. One in the beginning of the show where a character read a presidential executive order in the middle of a zombie attack before performing a medical test. The other was at the end of the show where the thought process had a main character going back in a building to kill zombie baby because they just couldn't leave it like that. Those that saw the show know what happened to that main character and although I expected that character to die in the pilot that was a shitty way to go out.

The zombies seem to be fast or slow depending on what the script calls for. Sometimes the zombies are hauling ass after our heroes and in other scenes they slowly enter a room one by one so that a single character with a hammer can kill several of them. But I can overlook that.

My only other gripe is why did the brotha have to die (both of them actually)? LOL.

SUMMING UP: I Like Z Nation

I like this show and will be tuning in weekly. I love the action, the sense of humor, and I really want to know where the phrase "I give you mercy." comes from.

Z Nation is good zombie fun!

George Cook thedeadwarzombieseries.com

Interview with PM Barnes the author of Zombie Seed

TDWZS (The Dead War Zombie Series) What inspired you to become an author?

PM Barnes: I have been writing for as long as I can remember. I actually have some books that my mother preserved from my childhood. A few of them are actually bound and date back almost 30 years.

I feel that my love of books and of writing came from my parents. I often hear tale of my father taking my mother to the park when she was pregnant with me and sitting her under a tree so he could read to her belly.

It’s also possible, that my father is to blame for my dark literary leanings. Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner and Poe were pretty frequent guests at these “readings”, so it’s not too hard to see why much of my work leans into the macabre.

TDWZS: Why write in the zombie genre?

PM Barnes: For one, I am a huge z poc and post apoc fan. I feel like as a writer, the love of a genre generally means that you are always thinking about ways to improve it or bring in some new elements. It’s part of not being able to turn it off.

I would often be reading these really great books and thinking about twists I wished they would take. When I set out to start my own series, Zombie Seed, I actually made a list of all the things I really wanted to read about in the genre and also, all the clichés and things I felt were really played out.

In addition to that, I am a student of human psychology and I feel that we see a more clearly represented human experience in times of adversity.

What drives people to still find z poc and post apoc stories interesting, is because they maintain their relevancy and may have even increased over the last few decades.

As we consistently are reminded of how tenuous our hold is on the current arrangement of society, our fear of what will happen when it all falls down grows.

The end of the world is our favorite concept to play with. We recognize the inevitability and our powerlessness against it.

TDWZS: Lets's get to your book. What's it about? Is it a series?

PM Barnes: Zombie Seed is a culmination of all the elements I just discussed. I’m trying to view the apocalypse from the psychological side of things and focus on the carnage that humans can exact in times of uncertainty. It was really important for me to blur the lines of good and evil. While reading the series, you will at times find yourself as frightened by some of my “living” characters, as you will of the undead ones.

As of right now, the series is set to have five books in it. The book that is currently out, is actually book three. There will be two before and two after.

TDWZS: As I'm sure you know there are thousands of zombie books out there right now. What makes yours stand out?

PM Barnes: Great question and I agree. There are some really good z poc books out there and I have had a pleasure to read quite a few and get to know the authors.

I feel like what sets mine apart, is my main focus. Again, I have chosen to zero in on more of the living monsters, than the undead ones. I also bring in some turns that are not usually associated with the z poc (which I would love to list, but finding out about them is part of the suspense in the book). It’s pretty much a guarantee that while reading my books, you’ll have an “I did not expect that”, moment.

TDWZS: What's the cause of the zombie apocalypse in your books?

PM Barnes: The cause of the z poc in my series, is discussed in the next installment, ZS II: CONCEPTION. I don’t want to give too much away and blow the feel of the book, but I can say that it is not an accident. My z poc is actually a synthesized event, in response to another event.

TDWZS: Are your zombies the fast or slow moving type?

PM Barnes: Another great question. I actually have both in my book. You have once again stumbled upon one of the elements that adds to the suspense and also sets Zombie Seed apart.

TDWZS: Are you trying to make any greater point with your books or just write a good zombie story?

PM Barnes: My main focus is to entertain. There are some laugh out loud moments and ones that will have you cringing on the edge. That being said, I did want to bring a mirror up to ourselves, by showing that the depths of human depravity are something that we all are subject to.

If I had to sum my book up into one quote, it would be one of many great ones by Golda Meir, “…nothing human is alien to me.”

TDWZS: Do you have an online presence? If so where? Blogs, web sites, Twitter, Facebook, etc.

PM Barnes: You can pick up Zombie Seed in e-copy at Amazon:

Or you can pick up the paperback copy at: https://www.createspace.com/4823824

I have Youtube channel that I will be using to post weekly video blogs: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK8to-LH0k7SJmTsERk3mRw

You can find my author page on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/PMBarnesAuthor

There is also a Facebook Page for the ZOMBIE SEED series: https://www.facebook.com/zombieseedseries