Photo Credit: Syfy
Z Nation is a zombie drama, and by virtue of its title, focuses on Z’s and eradicating them as quickly and efficiently as possible. Tonight’s episode raises a very interesting, off-beat question that most of us probably never thought of: Is this really the right thing to do? Are Z’s just “mindless freaks” like Mack (Michael Welch) called them last week, or is there a human part that is still there, one that is worth saving? A very heavy philosophical question and one that is seen through the eyes of two very different characters.
10K and “Giving Mercy” as the Human Way
The group barely survived the mega-horde from “Zunami” two weeks ago and finds themselves in what appears to be a relatively quiet area of the Midwest — The Black Hills, Montana. But, as we know, looks can be deceiving especially since the town is the home of a nuclear reactor and one that is on the verge of a meltdown. Grady and his daughter, Amelia (Anna Marie Clausen), are the only two people left at the reactor site, and when Grady is killed in a repair attempt, their only hope turns to Grady’s reclusive former boss at the plant, Homer Stubbins (Gary Taylor).
Homer had been a recluse since his only son had died, and when he meets the group, Homer and 10K (Nat Zang) immediately hit it off. Homer even goes so far as admit to 10K that he reminds him of his son, and while 10K doesn’t say anything initially, it is clear he sees a similar likeness of Homer to his father — the father that he, as we know, had to put down himself.
Homer finally agrees to help, quickly devises a plan to get into the reactor and make the repairs and also recommends that 10K accompany him, which 10K of course agrees to without any question. As soon as this plan was hatched, most of us probably knew it wasn’t going to end well and that it was going to be horrible for 10K, given that he has already lost his father. And, we were right.
10K and Homer almost make it to the reactor’s core but Homer is attacked by a Z, which rips his hazmat suit thus exposing him to deadly radiation. At that moment, Homer has some very wise words for 10K, saying that after this is over he needs to go on and live his life — and also that he needs to shoot him after he fixes the reactor because he is already dead anyways.
Homer ultimately is able to make the repairs, and just as he promised, he holds 10K to what he had said earlier and insists that he shoot him. Of course, 10K can’t do it, and so, Homer “makes it easy” for him by committing suicide. Once Homer turns, it indeed becomes easy (or at least easier) for 10K , and 10K gives him mercy just like he had to his own father not too long ago.
But, is that all of the story? Do we simply die, turn into a Z, and leave everything that defines us — everything that makes us human — behind? Is “giving mercy” the only real option and the humane thing to do?
A Different Kind of Mercy, According to Murphy
I interviewed Keith Allan a couple of weeks ago, and he said there was a good episode coming up where Murphy would become the voice of humanity and begin to question the group’s actions of simply piking the zombies without a second thought — and without any remorse nor emotion. These Z’s were once people, right? So, how can we do this and not have any reaction at all? With Murphy becoming a zybrid, he has a very unique perspective on this, is able to empathize with the zombies, and by the end of the episode, many of us probably were asking the same questions.
Grady’s daughter, Amelia (absolutely love the writers’ sense of humor with the Amelia Earhart reference), is a pilot, and so the group agrees to help in the repair of the reactor but only if Amelia can fly Murphy somewhere outside the blast zone, in case things go south and they are not successful. However, they have no fuel for the plane — but they do have plenty of vodka courtesy of Homer’s gigantic stash. And, with Warren’s (Kellita Smith) unique skill of converting a gas-burning engine into an alcohol-burning one, they now had a working plane and enough fuel to get Murphy to a safe area.
Photo Credit: Syfy
But, like everything else on this show, the mission goes sideways, the plane crashes, and unfortunately, Amelia is killed in the crash too. Now begins the weirdness. We already knew that the zombies become calm — almost docile — in Murphy’s presence. Well, more than that happened with Amelia. She began mimicking Murphy’s every move, and then, when Murphy tries to run away, she follows him. In fact, she follows Murphy for the full 10 miles back to the site of the reactor (Before the episode, I actually joked on Twitter that perhaps the woman we saw in the Preview might end up as a love interest for Murphy. Yes, Amelia is quite interested in Murphy, but this isn’t exactly what I had in mind!).
So, now the big question — if zombies are no longer human and don’t retain any of their consciousness, how are they able to imitate Murphy? As unsettling as the revelation is for Murphy, it makes him see that just stabbing these zombies in the head may not be right. Instead, a “different kind of mercy” is what we need, and that involves doing absolutely nothing. Zombified Amelia wasn’t bothering anyone, and so why not just leave her alone, which the group does finally agree to do.
I thought this was a really good episode, but not because of all the zombie-whacking, zombie-smashing action and not even because of the weirder-than-weird storyline of radioactive zombies. That made this episode stand out was the character development and the outstanding performances of Keith Allan and Nat Zang. Wow. I think the most 10K had ever said prior to tonight’s episode was in the flashbacks with his father. Karl Schaefer had said before the season even began that Nat Zang was an amazing talent, and he was certain we would eventually see big things coming from this kid. Well, if tonight is any indication, I certainly can believe that.
And, of course, the other thing that made this episode so memorable was the philosophical questions it raised about humanity. Should we blindly kill the zombies simply because it may be the easiest thing to do, even though we may not have all the information to make that kind of decision? Or, should we just leave them alone if they are not harming anyone? Which is the more human choice, you decide.
Z Nation airs on Fridays at 10/9c on Syfy.
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