My biggest problem with “Z Nation” is the look. I understand there’s a thematic look and feel the producers are going for, but the lack of color is distracting. In the 5th episode the weather is turning bad. Super-storm bad. One of the characters remarks how green the clouds look. The problem is you simply can not tell green from grey because it all looks the same shade of monochromatic crap.
The story isn’t overly original, but that’s alright. Fortunately it isn’t trying to be. Episode 3 features a plot that is ripped directly from The Walking Dead video game. There is also a reference in the series to George Romero’s Night Of The Living Dead. The people are having some fun with the genre, which is nice.
“Z Nation” takes a group of survivors and places them on a cross-country mission – to save humanity. 3 years after the zombie apocalypse a group of civilians pick up a mission from what remains of the government. As the series opens we have an experiment underway to see if a virus can be found. It isn’t necessarily the most voluntary of procedures. On top of this a zombie attack is underway in the research facility. Of course things go from bad to worse and the place is overrun.
We have a few different groups in the beginning of the first episode but they gather together eventually. The main storyline is getting one survivor to the last known functioning laboratory in California. Starting out in New York the path ahead is long and difficult.
There is a continuity and progression with each episode, which is great, but there are a couple of issues with the storytelling that I didn’t like. One episode has the group outside Philadelphia. The next has them outside St. Louis. What happened in between?
A second season is coming so you know there is more to the story. While it isn’t bad, “Z Nation” feels more like a secondary offering in an increasingly crowded genre. The DVD set comes with a number of special features, starting off with five featurettes that look at the making of the series. Then there is gag reel which is much better than many others of its kind. Finally there is a compilation of zombie kills throughout the season.
“Z Nation” Season One DVD isn’t bad, but the show doesn’t do a heck of a lot to differentiate itself. Yes, it has an end-goal, which is nice, but you sort of wonder if that will get explored or if we will either see the show cancelled before the story concludes or the ending will arbitrarily get shifted endlessly and new plot points manufactured. At least it isn’t afraid to kill off main characters.