S01.E03: Philly Feast

[ottoDbusdriver]

A group of psychotic outlaws confront the survivors in Philadelphia. But a connection exists between the two parties.

[SoSueMe]

I had always heard that Twinkies would survive anything, just like cockroaches, lol.

[ottoDbusdriver]

I'm trying to figure this out -- so, a cannibal cult/prostitution ring that consists of what looks like about a dozen people operating out of old quarry outside of Philly is what Cassandra is so afraid of ?  And they can move like ninjas getting in and out of the city.

 

And members of this cult roam a zombie-infested version of New Jersey on motorcycles between Philly and the Tappan Zee bridge in northern New Jersey looking for resources/keeping an eye out for Sunshine/Cassandra.

 

And somehow this cannibal cult/prostitution ring regularly gets customers, that they then turn into a source of food (so much for repeat business) -- how do they get the word out ? What do they advertise in the Zombie Penny Saver ?   And isn't this whole cannibal cult thing pretty much exactly what happened at Terminus in 'The Walking Dead' season 4 finale ?  And using music in a car to Pied Piper zombies was done by Merle on 'The Walking Dead' as well.  Do the Z Nation writers have any original ideas ?

 

The scene with the motorized Liberty Bell was pretty stupid -- I think it actually picked up speed as it rolled off that truck.

 

Did someone move the Rocky statue in addition to the Liberty Bell ?   Because I thought the statue was at the Art Museum in Philly

 

How does 10K not know what porn is ?  It's only been 3 years since the Zombie apocalypse and he's never seen porn on the Internet.  He's in his late teens/early 20s to be in the military, so he would have been 16 or so at the time the apocalypse started.

 

Citizen Z didn't add a whole lot this episode, aside from belching and acting as a music source on the low AM bands (broadcast from where exactly -- there appears to be no functional electrical grid to power an AM transmitter, let alone how the NSA would connect remotely to broadcast).

 

Addy ignored one of the primary rules of the movie 'Zombieland' -- always check the back seat first.

Speaking of Addy, how convenient that she decided to record her radio comms with Citizen Z ?  That's some forward thinking.  

I would think that her memory cards should be filling up by now after 3 years.  How did she get her old clothes back at the end of the episode, because she basically had the outfit she had on at the start before they got back to the truck.

Edited September 27, 2014 by ottoDbusdriver

[wayne67]

How does 10K not know what porn is ?  It's only been 3 years since the Zombie apocalypse and he's never seen porn on the Internet.  He's in his late teens/early 20s to be in the military, so he would have been 16 or so at the time the apocalypse started.

 

 

I don't think we had any indication that 10k was in the military. He might have grew up in a region with poor internet or an Amish boy or a Luddite or he might have been a late bloomer. He could be 16 or 17. Those prostitutes apparently could handle a rifle. Learning how to use a gun in a post apocalypse society would be easier than it is today. Lots of ammo and guns lying around and lots of opportunities for moving targets all year long.

 

I love the fact that while everyone was busy interrogating Sunshine 10 k was the only one paying attention to their surroundings. I have trouble believing that these people managed to survive this long considering that they don't pay much attention to their surroundings. 

 

I still only know about 3 of these people's names. I'm going to continue watching for 10 k. 

[MDKNIGHT]

I actually liked this ep a lot.  Sure canabalism during any apocalypse has been done before but the reason it is done is because people WOULD be thinking along those lines.  I appreciated that the writers gave some thought on how to make the canabalism more shocking given that we HAVE seen it before and I thought the explanation that they keep the victims alive so the meat doesn't go zombified was horrible yet kind of logical.  It amped the horror.  Cure guy making the joke about the smart pig followed by "Too soon?"  was awesome. 

 

I assume that the cannabal camp runs a brothel some of the time so that the word gets out that you can get hookers for barter and they only take a percentage of the customers as food.  Only way the set up works.  If somebody comes looking for a missing buddy they break out the machine gun.  And it isn't like people are keeping in touch with facebook.  If somebody goes missing the likelihood is that their friends think they got eaten by the zombies.

 

Agree that how citizen z is doing stuff is impossible but am buying into most of the other mythology and letting that one go.

 

I liked that the women stuck together and insisted on going back for Cassandra.  I'm glad they didn't dwell on it too long but reality is that without cops and jail there are a LOT of violent men (and really predominantly men, that is a statistic not a bias) who would start raping people (both men and women look at jails).  So it really WOULD be harder to survive in a lawless country if you are a woman and you would tend to stick with a group that you know won't rape you.  That being said I could see how someone with a conscience would flee in terror like Cassandra did.  That dude went totally off the rails.  Cassandra was also feeling guilt and shame for what she did which shows she's a good person at heart.    

 

I too think 10K was not actually in the army and is younger than we think.  It would explain why he's never seen porn.  If he was a kid 3 years ago he may not have had access and then the internet died.  I bet the army gear was his dad's or he picked it up from dead soldiers while scavenging.  If dad was a soldier he may have taught him to shoot at an early age because of the zombies or even before that if they lived in a rural setting where they teach kids to hunt even at 8 or 9.

[Joimiaroxeu]

That was hilarious when the Liberty Bell took out all those zombies. Bet the Founding Fathers never envisioned it literally becoming a weapon.

 

Heh, "Ride of the Valkyries" was a good music choice for the final rescue mission to get Sunshine. It harkens back to the movie Apocalypse Now.

 

Where did Doc go to get himself cleaned up like that? His hair and clothing looked like they had been washed.

 

So are we to assume/hope that the rest of the cannibal cult got eaten by zombies?

[SoSueMe]

Yeah that whole 3 year time frame reminds me of how annoying it is when the writers/producers/directors don't bother trying to address the fact that the actors look somewhat recently barbered. It was especially annoying in The Walking Dead with the Carol character. Even in season one her hair was so short that it didn't fit with the time frame. And don't get me started on Darryl.

 

Seems like they could work a little buddy system grooming into the plot, lol.

[Helena Dax]

Loved the bell, lol. 

 

That "family" was very creepy and I thought for a moment that Addy or her boyfriend were going to die, which would have sucked. I really like  them. Also, Antidote Guy looks so much like scruffy!Jon Hamm it's almost distracting.

[technorebel]

That was hilarious when the Liberty Bell took out all those zombies. Bet the Founding Fathers never envisioned it literally becoming a weapon.

 

Heh, "Ride of the Valkyries" was a good music choice for the final rescue mission to get Sunshine. It harkens back to the movie Apocalypse Now.

 

Where did Doc go to get himself cleaned up like that? His hair and clothing looked like they had been washed.

 

So are we to assume/hope that the rest of the cannibal cult got eaten by zombies?

 

I actually didn't recognize Doc at first.  I really love his character and his great one-liners.  This was my least favorite episode because of the cannibals...squick.  I don't know how I can watch so many zombie shows, but the thought of non-zombie cannibalism makes me queasy.  Especially since this show was so explicit about the means by which the "meat" was obtained.  I had to avert my eyes.  I hope the cult leader isn't going to be like the Governor on The Walking Dead and keep turning up.

 

Loved the scene where the liberty bell takes out a few zombies. 

[Ubiquitous]

Antidote Guy reminds me of a disheveled Will Riker.
 

Edited September 29, 2014 by Ubiquitous

[To Poop On]

I missed the very end.  Did they show what happened to the poor people who were tied up to be eaten?  Were they "mercied"? I think I will have nightmares about them for a long time.

[technorebel]

I missed the very end.  Did they show what happened to the poor people who were tied up to be eaten?  Were they "mercied"? I think I will have nightmares about them for a long time.

 

No.  They showed the cult leader trying to go through them, and it looked like they grabbed hold of him and held him there as the zombies came running in to feed.  Then they cut to a shot of his wife still sitting at the dinner table and hearing him scream.  Next scene, our heroes are back traveling in the truck through Philly.

[MDKNIGHT]

BTW I'm not sure what the writers were going for with cult leader's wife but my guess was that the idea of eating humans especially still alive humans horrified her so much it  made her go into a catatonic state.  I initially thought she was dead and cult leader had her preserved but then it was made clear they fed her and tended to her.  If it were something medical she probably would have died and turned, so I'm going with it being psychological.  Still can't believe they actually showed cult leader cutting off a slice of writhing alive human ON SCREEN.  This show is more hard core than I thought. 

 

I've come to like red head a lot.  Hope she doesn't die.

[candall]

I've always been a practical girl.  I wouldn't quibble about the source of the protein if I were dying of starvation in some frozen mountain pass with a bunch of bodies lying around.  And if I were the first casualty, I would come back as a ghost to whisper "eat, stupid" at anyone who chose starving over desecrating my own mortal coil.

 

But THIS was nasty!!!

[Ohwell]

I wonder if vegetarian humans turn into vegetarian zombies.  It would be a nice change to see them chomping on plants and bushes. 

[wayne67]

I think the biggest problem for me is not that they ate people alive it's that they kept them conscious. I find it hard to believe they had the medical resources to keep someone alive while they chop bits off them. Why have 5 people in your freezer ? They can only eat so much human at a time.

 

Anyway couldn't they have shot their victims in the head and eaten their corpses then? Zombies need brains to be zombies. Wouldn't that kill the virus if there's no brain to process the virus through the system. I'm confused by this show's mythology.

[Cattitude]

Wow that was pretty graphic. Glad I didn't watch it before bed b/c those human feasts hanging alive wrapped like mummies was frightening. And I would think a steady diet of only meat would cause you to get vitamin deficient. Everyone needs veggies.

 

Doc and 10K continue to be my favorites and patient zero was less annoying b/c he stopped being so twitchy.

 

Killer Liberty bell was awesome!

 

Did anyone hear if the dog ever got a name?

[Ubiquitous]

I thought he named the dog but cannot for the life of me remember what.

[GreyBunny]

I think the biggest problem for me is not that they ate people alive it's that they kept them conscious. I find it hard to believe they had the medical resources to keep someone alive while they chop bits off them. Why have 5 people in your freezer ? They can only eat so much human at a time.

Plus they had their Mummy Meals hanging upside down.  The human body evolved to control blood pressure in terms of gravity from the top to the bottom.  When inverted, blood and fluid start pooling in the lungs and head and then bad things happen.  Pulmonary edema, blood clots in the brain, blindness, stiffening of the lungs, muscle exhaustion, and stroke, among other things.  You can last maybe about a day before you pass out and die.  The Mummy Meals were a little too active and a little to alive after being hung like that. 

 

I'm getting a kick out of Citizen Z and 10k (after he gets his 10k he wants to be called Jeff.  Nice!)  Doc is cool too.  After Cassandra was rescued, I loved that the women pointed out to the men that, yes, it's a girl thing and the world is more dangerous for women.  Though, as usual, it's a shame that they even have to.

 

I don't think the dog has a name yet. CZ was still trying to figure one out.  I'm pleased we got confirmation that they have food to last about ten years. 

 

If the Killer Liberty Bell and the Zombie Baby Usain Bolt were in a race, I wonder who would win.

Edited September 30, 2014 by GreyBunny

[technorebel]

I wonder if vegetarian humans turn into vegetarian zombies.  It would be a nice change to see them chomping on plants and bushes. 

 

Oh, no, no, no.  Everyone knows that all zombies crave human flesh to the point that perfectly juicy looking dogs can walk right through a crowd of them without being bothered like in Dawn of the Dead.  But then there was that zombie on The Walking Dead that ate half a cow and still had room to chow down on Dale, proving that zombies are open to having a varied diet...as long as no veggies are involved.

 

 

 

If the Killer Liberty Bell and the Zombie Baby Usain Bolt were in a race, I wonder who would win.

I'd bet on Zombie Baby.  That infant moved like the wind.

[ladyrott]

Ubiquitous , Citizen Z did make a suggestion of a name for the dog (which I didn't catch) but said right after that he didn't like it.  Unless I am mistaken, he also went from calling the dog a female in the last episode to a male in this one (which, of course, could be chalked up to him finally taking a look at the undercarriage).

 

Killer Liberty Bell just cracked me up (as did someone's crack about the world coming to an end but there still being an idiot out there with a spray paint can in reference to the bell being defaced).   I am actually really enjoying this show, although I am having a damn hard time remembering any of the character's names with the exception of Doc and Citizen Z.  I like the red haired chick (Abby?) and 10K.  The Antivirus dude is NOT funny and not adding anything to the story that I can tell, except giving them a reason to travel to...wherever the hell it is they are going.  I keep waiting for him to end up in some great peril and the gang have to rescue him.  Why couldn't the cannibals take HIM instead of Abby?  Would have loved to see a showdown with them explaining this ass is the savior of the human race!

[technorebel]

On another forum, it was discussed that the antidote guy (Murphy?) really is infected, just in a different way.  Remember in the car when he suddenly took a molar out of his mouth and shrugged?  I don't remember him getting hit or anything so I do wonder if the virus is affecting him after all, and he'll be a different type of zombie.  Something to think about.

[GreyBunny]

He took out a tooth, and there was something about one of his wounds that wasn't quite right.  Didn't Doc give it a weird look?

 

Maybe this vaccine protects him against becoming a zombie but he still morphs into something like the Toxic Avenger or whatever the hell Dr. Sam Isaacs ended up being at the end of Resident Evil: Extinction.

Edited October 2, 2014 by GreyBunny

[NurseGiGi]

OMG, I'm so ashamed to admit it but I do like this show.  It's cheesy and horrible and I like it.  I find the antibody guy annoying but he was better this episode, I thought, since they seem to be adding more humor.

 

I, too, think antibody guy is not going to be the cure but will be a different kind of zombie.

[technorebel]

Antibody guy is weirdly hot!

The actor playing Murphy is plenty hot in real life.  I remember him from another zombie movie.  (I watch too much of this kind of thing!)

[ladyrott]

OMG!  I never thought about him ending up as a different kind of zombie instead of the "savior".  THIS is the reason I love coming to these boards (was active on TWoP from 2001 until it closed and then came here).  Now I am all excited about this idea that maybe he will mutate into something else...something worse than a normal zombie.  Would be cool if they get him all the way to where they are supposed to bring him (California?) and, right as they reach the place, they discover (a) zombies have killed everyone and (b) Murphy is a mutant zombie. 

[NurseGiGi]

I've decided that 10K is my favorite character, especially since he wants to be called Jeff after he reaches his goal.  Also, he kinda disappears for a bit only to reappear! just when he's needed and takes out zombies right and left.  With a slingshot, even.  Now that's cool.  I really like all members of our determined little group except Antibody.

 

I'm so glad they didn't drag out the cult guy story.  I was afraid he was going to be another Guvnuh.  Glad they didn't go there.

 

I'm feeling some DVR remorse.  I deleted my episodes and wish I had kept them for rewatch.  I'm so excited for tonights show!  I really shouldn't be this excited about a cheesy, low budget TWD on SyFy of all places but I am.

 

Oh, and also, I think I would have liked seeing some mummy zombies.

Edited October 3, 2014 by NurseGiGi

[editorgrrl]

Yeah that whole 3 year time frame reminds me of how annoying it is when the writers/producers/directors don't bother trying to address the fact that the actors look somewhat recently barbered. It was especially annoying in The Walking Dead with the Carol character. Even in season one her hair was so short that it didn't fit with the time frame. And don't get me started on Darryl.

Seems like they could work a little buddy system grooming into the plot, lol.

The Walking Dead's Carol hacks off her hair every few weeks as an eff-you to her abusive dead husband. Plus it's an exceeding practical hairstyle. (Don't zombies grab Michonne's locks?)

How (and why) does this show's Addy color her hair bright red?

[CletusMusashi]

Did the virus kill off all of the world's DVD players?

Apparently the only way to play music in a car now is to have an actual radio DJ play actual vinyl records.

[Rockstar99435]

It was better than I thought it was going to be. There were no scenes of creepy men making gross comments to Addy or watching her change. I liked that the women from TeamDelta all stuck together, though I thought it was funny that their girl power stuff didn't extend to the other prostitibaits. I think I would have like it better if there was a scene with Addy and the new women where she tried to help them and they were totally on TeamCannibal so she decided they couldn't be saved.

 

I was mostly annoyed because Addy never should have been captured to begin with. One, Cassandra totally should have told the group that they needed to avoid Philly. She didn't even need to share her sins. She could have just said, "I heard from another survivor that there are cannibals there. We should stay away." Two, Mack was supposed to have her back. When the team split into small groups, I was so excited that they used the buddy system. And when Addy starts working on the radio, it looked like Mack was right next to the car keeping her safe from zombies while she was focused on what she was doing. But then it turns out that Mack was several blocks away. What? Why? I know Addy's a badass and he knows she can handle herself, but she's trying to fix something out in the open. She can't watch all directions and fix the radio at the same time. Also, while I'm asking questions, why would the cannibals let the Food have sex with the women in their group? If they're only attacking lone survivors, why not knock them out the minute they're in the trailer? Why give them 20 minutes first? 

 

The dinner scene was too creepy. Addy trying not to scream while the guy thrashed around the table was awful. And all the hanging bodies? Shudder. I'm glad that everyone on DeltaTeam made it out. I like all of them, even the antivirus guy. 

Edited February 9, 2015 by Rockstar99435

[Muffyn]

I wonder if vegetarian humans turn into vegetarian zombies.  It would be a nice change to see them chomping on plants and bushes. 

what do vegetarian zombies crave?  Grains.  Graaaaaaaaaains. 

[Paloma]

On 9/27/2014 at 4:32 AM, MDKNIGHT said:

I liked that the women stuck together and insisted on going back for Cassandra.  I'm glad they didn't dwell on it too long but reality is that without cops and jail there are a LOT of violent men (and really predominantly men, that is a statistic not a bias) who would start raping people (both men and women look at jails).  So it really WOULD be harder to survive in a lawless country if you are a woman and you would tend to stick with a group that you know won't rape you.  That being said I could see how someone with a conscience would flee in terror like Cassandra did. 

I just started watching this show as a way to pass time on the treadmill, and it's kind of a guilty pleasure. Most of it is cheesy but it does get in some good points, like this one about the greater danger for women in any kind of lawless situation. If anyone is still looking at this thread, do we know why Cassandra was locked in a cage when they found her and how she got there? As far as I can remember, she was not anywhere near the cannibal headquarters.

[Bongo Fury]

If you think the show is cheezy now, just wait there's an episode in the future where ... well ... I won't spoil it for you, but the show gets REAL cheezy.

[SoSueMe]

I am a fan, cheesy or not. :) I think of it as the little show that does a lot with a little.

@Paloma, sorry it has been a while so I can't help with your question. It's nice to know that someone else enjoys the show, though.