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Celebrating 1,000 NCIS-franchise episodes

S01.E13: Doctor of the Dead

ottoDbusdriver

By ottoDbusdriver
in Z Nation [V]

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editorgrrl

editorgrrl

(edited)

So Dr. Kurian started the ZA?

Lab tech Brendan Doyle was patient zero—and the first guinea pig. He could talk, but Murphy could read his thoughts. Another zombie-human hybrid. So's Cassandra.

There was a box of pharmaceuticals in the back of the van. (A nice callback, plus reassurance that Doc stayed true to his character.) Mack & Addy are alive—but the latter was dressed like a sister wife.

Edited by editorgrrl
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Arynm

Arynm

What a cliffhanger! I was so glad that they said the show would be back in 2015. Did we know it was renewed? I hope Citizen Z gets it together and turns those nukes around. I am sure he can do it, he controls everything! Nice to see Addie and her man, They are close, I hope the gang all meet up.

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ottoDbusdriver

ottoDbusdriver

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(edited)

Have to agree with Arynm -- that is one of the cliffhangeriest season finale's I've seen.  Incoming nukes ..... everywhere.  

 

Bad enough the containment nuke is inbound (apparently launched from Canada, which is odd), but there are nukes from other countries flying as well -- looked like one headed from Europe/Russia to Miami, about 5 headed towards or over Northern Light.  Not sure how Citizen Z can stop those.

 

Same complaint here as I had with Revolution when it comes to nukes -- they need a lot of maintenance and rocket fuel has a pretty short shelf life.  Unless someone was maintaining those nukes, they probably wouldn't work (especially considering that the tactical nuke headed for Fort Collins was apparently immune to 3 years of the bitter weather elements of Northern Canada).

 

So, Mack's alive ?  How could he be in the Sisters of Mercy compound with Addie ?

 

I'm almost inclined to think that this might be a dream sequence (or some kind of simulation) -- Sunshine/Cassandra is somewhere in between human and Z (was Sunshine bit by Murphy on the cheek ?). Mack is alive.  Murphy thinks he can drive far enough away to avoid a nuke blast.  Doc's been shot. Murphy has molted into ....... something.

 

If this lab was the source of the infection, that means that all those dead bodies had been there for awhile.  And that cake Murphy ate was 3+ years old.

 

Where have Dr. Kurian and those soldiers been all this time ? At another base nearby ? Cruising the skies in a airship powered by evil ? Were they sitting idly by waiting for Murphy to show up, let alone how did he even know about Murphy. 

Edited by ottoDbusdriver
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editorgrrl

editorgrrl

(edited)

So, Mack's alive ? How could he be in the Sisters of Mercy compound with Addy?

I'm almost inclined to think that this might be a dream sequence (or some kind of simulation).

Ugh. It never even occurred to me this might be yet another hallucination or dream.

Mack & Addy were each shot separately. I had zero impression they were together.

Edited to add: Murphy shed his skin, and we only saw him from the back. Would TPTB recast the part? There's nothing wrong with Keith Allan, but this show loves to throw curveballs—like killing off Hammond in the pilot, then Garnett. And with a season under their belt, they might be able to attract a "name." (Haven snagged Shatner.)

Edited by editorgrrl
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ottoDbusdriver

ottoDbusdriver

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So that first scene in New York (Year 4 B.Z.) took place a year after Hurricane Sandy which puts it square in 2013 -- so that means that present day in the show is 2021. And the next flashback has Year 3 B.Z was when Dr. Kurian was in Liberia during the Ebola outbreak in 2014, and the monkey experiment videos were also date-stamped in 2014.  It looks like Dr. Kurian assembled the Z virus from parts of several other virii/weirdly infected patients -- that was brain fluid he was extracting from all those different patients.

 

And "somewhere west of the Rocky Mountains" would technically put our intrepid group somewhere west of Colorado, most likely in Utah -- so yeah, more travel shenanigans are afoot. But a 150 miles from South Park, Colorado (where they were last episode) would put them in Fort Collins, so whatever.  (Nanites !!)

 

Someone mentioned in last episode's forum if Doc grabbed any drugs at Mesa Pharmaceuticals and from the looks of the back of the van it looked like they grabbed a bunch of drugs, unfortunately they didn't grab any antibiotics for Sunshine/Cassandra which seems odd since they knew she was injured (was it all Oxy, or were all those boxes filled with Viagra ?).

 

Murphy was definitely mind-controlling Sunshine/Cassandra -- when he told her to kill them, she went into berserker-mode.  Cassandra was shot multiple times by Kurian, which means she should be dead.  Doc was shot right above the heart, and despite being revived by Warren does this mean he's going to turn zombie if they manage to survive the nuke ?

 

One minor correction -- that tactical nuke headed for the Fort Collins lab was launched from northern North Dakota, not Canada.

 

Per Citizen Z's display, there were nukes headed to L.A., San Francisco and Seattle on the west coast, and Miami, New York, Detroit and somewhere in New Hampshire/Maine on the East Coast.

 

Is Citizen Z okay?  I saw that they were sending a missle to an NSA spot and I hope it's not Northen Lights.  If it is them I'm going to be sad if his puppy is hurt :(

 

There were missile trails for 6 nukes that Citizen Z could see with at least 1 inbound to Camp Northern Light. And where was Citizen Z's dog ?  That's what makes me think that this was all a simulation/hallucination/dream -- the members of the group don't know about the dog.  And how would Mack or Addie have seen a missile passing overhead if they were still in Utah (as has been implied from the Sisters of Mercy episode), let alone that Mack is still alive ?

 

That black ops SUV left by Kurian's team was WAY too clean for the Zombie Apocalypse -- is there a working car wash wherever Kurian and his soldiers have been camped out ? Plus, I'm just ignoring the fact that they left the keys in the ignition of the SUV. </snark>

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editorgrrl

editorgrrl

Murphy was definitely mind-controlling Sunshine/Cassandra -- when he told her to kill them, she went into berserker-mode. Cassandra was shot multiple times by Kurian, which means she should be dead. Doc was shot right above the heart, and despite being revived by Warren does this mean he's going to turn zombie if they manage to survive the nuke?

How did Murphy infect Cassandra? When the door closed I assumed he was kissing her, but her cheek looked like he tried to bite her face off. I missed how they gave Patient Zero mercy, but I assume zombie-human hybrids (Humbees? Zoomans?) are immune to body shots, so Cassandra's not dead. But Doc might need Murphy to bite him.

If it's not yet another in a long line of hallucinations, can Murphy control nuclear warheads? (Something must have changed now he's shed his skin.)

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ottoDbusdriver

ottoDbusdriver

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I missed how they gave Patient Zero mercy

 

Murphy stabbed him in the head with Warren's machete.

 

How did Murphy infect Cassandra? When the door closed I assumed he was kissing her, but her cheek looked like he tried to bite her face off.

 

I suppose Murphy could have kissed her, but Cassandra probably wouldn't have been up for that since her and 10K seem to be an item, so I'm thinking he bit on the cheek. But remember a couple of episodes back when Murphy bit that douchebag at the gun show -- and when the douchebag was killed he didn't turn, Then last episode with Murphy mind-controlling that woman after spitting in the water, so yeah there's some funkiness going on from a bite/saliva from Murphy.

 

I wonder what 10K is going to think now that his girlfriend is ... well .... zombified.

 

zombie-human hybrids (Humbees? Zoomans?)

 

Or maybe Zombans ?  Hombies ? HZs ?

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editorgrrl

editorgrrl

(edited)

I wonder what 10K is going to think now that his girlfriend is ... well .... zombified.

Can Murphy read Cassandra's mind? I can picture him singing "Tommy & Sunshine up in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G."

Edited to ask if anyone's seen The Andromeda Strain? Supposedly the decontamination scene was an homage to that 1971 film. (Boy, was Doc's t-shirt tan distracting!)

Edited by editorgrrl
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Helena Dax

Helena Dax

(edited)

Wow,  that's a cliffhanger!

 

So Cassandra died and she turned into a new kind of zombie thanks to Murphy's bite? And he can give her orders she must obey. I'm not sure I would want an antidote if it meant I could be controlled by Murphy.

 

I don't think it was an hallucination, so I wonder what's going to happen with all those nukes. And Mack and Addie are still alive! I didn't see that coming.

 

When Murphy started to shed his skin I thought of snakes. He could look like a regular human again. And I'd be very surprised if  he didn't start abusing his powers now that he's on his own. 

 

This show is so fun! I enjoyed this season and its surprises a lot and I can't wait for the next one. 

Edited by Helena Dax
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Joimiaroxeu

Joimiaroxeu

That was a most excellent cliffhanger. Not sure I like this business of Murphy creating his own mind-controlled zombies though. That doesn't make him much different than a vampire and I hated when True Blood came up with these zombie vampire things. How about we stick with one type of supernatural being, huh?

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wayne67

wayne67

I thought it looked like Cassandra had scratch marks on her face...

So I'm guessing he scratched her face for some Murphy reason perhaps to make a zombie sleeper agent. His zombie king powers seem to be erratic though that may be a result of a weird episode line up .

 

Using nukes as a cliff hanger is way too Revolution to me . God that show drove me bonkers.

 

On the upside I can't wait to see what hilarious nonsensical thing the Zombie King does now. Run super fast ? fly?

 

Did Doctor Death develop a disease to make profit or to fund his own private research into cheating death. That is the question.

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MrHufflepuff

MrHufflepuff

I can't get my cell to work correctly half-the-time.  I'm glad to see that the cell companies have improved their service in the ZA.

 

If Citizen Z could access cell phones and consoles and everything else downstairs, why take the risk of sending the team at all into the decontamination zone?  He could have just tried to search for someone downstairs on his own first.  Mind you, we got to see 10K without his shirt, so I'm not complaining.

 

Since nuking Northern Lights has nothing to do with the contamination issue, I have to think that some unknown bad guy intentionally decided to take out Northern Lights at the same time.  Maybe Kurian has a boss?

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nitrofishblue

nitrofishblue

I have really enjoyed the first season of this show. I am a big fan of the Walking Dead and love that Z-Nation is completely different and has a sense of humor about it. The doc is my favorite character. Knowing that the show was renewed helps me from having a heart attack after the season finale last night. Please don't nuke citizen Z.

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editorgrrl

editorgrrl

(edited)

Since nuking Northern Lights has nothing to do with the contamination issue, I have to think that some unknown bad guy intentionally decided to take out Northern Lights at the same time. Maybe Kurian has a boss?

The map showed missiles all over the place, and Citizen Z said it was a dead man's switch. When Murphy triggered an alarm and literally no one responded, all the nukes were launched.

It's game over if all those nuclear warheads detonate, so I agree with ottoDbusdriver's theory that it's yet another hallucination. Or perhaps naked Murphy has new powers and can wish the missiles into the cornfield.

Edited to add that "everybody dies, the end" would've made a satisfying series finale if Z Nation hadn't been renewed.

Edited by editorgrrl
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MrHufflepuff

MrHufflepuff

But why have a dead-man's switch that takes out a bunch of unrelated places?  Maybe it's just more plot holing, but it makes no sense to design such a thing from a strategic standpoint (unless that wasn't the design, and the deadman switch malfunctioned).  But, maybe it is just a hallucination.

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Ubiquitous

Ubiquitous

So that first scene in New York (Year 4 B.Z.) took place a year after Hurricane Sandy which puts it square in 2013 -- so that means that present day in the show is 2021. And the next flashback has Year 3 B.Z was when Dr. Kurian was in Liberia during the Ebola outbreak in 2014

If memory serves, that part of Africa's had Ebola outbreaks for a couple decades now, so it might not be The Big one from 2014. I suspected they were going to reveal he caused the nastier 2014 outbreak somehow.

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Latverian Diplomat

Latverian Diplomat

(edited)

But why have a dead-man's switch that takes out a bunch of unrelated places?  Maybe it's just more plot holing, but it makes no sense to design such a thing from a strategic standpoint (unless that wasn't the design, and the deadman switch malfunctioned).  But, maybe it is just a hallucination.

I had the impression that the one launch (to "decontaminate" Fort Collins) triggered a set of automatic responses from other countries. Why Canada "attacking" the US would trigger launches from Europe against Miami, etc? I don't know.

 

They seem to have deliberately written themselves into a big hole. They have a year to figure their way out of it, but those sorts of things never go well. 

 

It's possible they just wrote a super bleak ending and then didn't have the budget to undo much of it when they got renewed. Good luck fixing that, guys.

Edited by Latverian Diplomat
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MrHufflepuff

MrHufflepuff

(edited)

I had the impression that the one launch (to "decontaminate" Fort Collins) triggered a set of automatic responses from other countries. Why Canada "attacking" the US would trigger launches from Europe against Miami, etc? I don't know.

 

Ah, ok.  So, the theory is that the deadman switch to take out the contamination triggered deadman switches in other countries (and perhaps those triggered other deadman switches back in the US).  Then I guess, all the deadman switches everywhere are only partially functional, because of the ZA, so that's why we got a random assortment of targets.

 

Perhaps we should stop trying to figure this out.  Let them write themselves out of their own plot hole.  Why should we do all the work?  Lol.

Edited by MrHufflepuff
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Latverian Diplomat

Latverian Diplomat

(edited)

Ah, ok.  So, the theory is that the deadman switch to take out the contamination triggered deadman switches in other countries (and perhaps those triggered other deadman switches back in the US).  Then I guess, all the deadman switches everywhere are only partially functional, because of the ZA, so that's why we got a random assortment of targets.

 

Perhaps we should stop trying to figure this out.  Let them write themselves out of their own plot hole.  Why should we do all the work?  Lol.

Yeah, that's about it. BTW, I think the show is misusing "deadman switch" here. It's not just any automatic trigger, it's a trigger that requires a live human to continuously exert force to keep it from engaging. It can be something that stops a train if the driver stops pushing on a lever, or triggers a bomb if  the bomber stops squeezing a handheld device, but the key idea is, once the human is gone/dead, the switch flips. That's not really what is making those missiles launch in this episode.

Edited by Latverian Diplomat
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bookrat

bookrat

I would think that with his mad computer skills, Citizen Z will be somehow able to have the bombs explode in space or something. I can't figure out what Dr. Death was trying to do; create a race of mind controlled soldiers, or a super weapon. Either way it seems to be an epic fail as it appears most people are now dead. I don't think he knows what Murphy's powers are...I guess he was hoping to experiment on Murphy. So is Dr. Death hoping to be "king" or leader of the few remaining undead? I guess we'll find out next season...unless the zombies get to him before he reaches the shelter.

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GreyBunny

GreyBunny

(edited)

No kidding.  I was expecting Citizen Z to do some wacky hacking that doesn't exist in the real world and neutralize those missiles, not stand and stare out the back door.  (And where was the dog?!)

 

So, for season 2 the new quest will be to try to find the runaway Murphy in whatever form he's morphed into?

Edited by GreyBunny
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Labsci

Labsci

So, the nukes are flying. I like this show, but I do have to have my brain in neutral. Why does the lab have to be nuked? Why not just have another door that just doesn't open if the contamination has not worked? Or have localised incendiary devices for sterilising everything within 1 mile?

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editorgrrl

editorgrrl

So, the nukes are flying. I like this show, but I do have to have my brain in neutral. Why does the lab have to be nuked? Why not just have another door that just doesn't open if the contamination has not worked? Or have localised incendiary devices for sterilising everything within 1 mile?

The season 1 finale of The Walking Dead blew up the CDC in Atlanta with a thermobaric bomb, so this show had to raise the stakes.

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editorgrrl

editorgrrl

I can let all the other stuff go because this is my fluffy fun zombie show, but why didn't Citizen Z call his dog?   Even if he hasn't named him, he could whistle or say, "Come here Dog!" or something.   

 

It might be an indication that it's yet another hallucination.

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Ubiquitous

Ubiquitous

So, the nukes are flying. I like this show, but I do have to have my brain in neutral. Why does the lab have to be nuked? Why not just have another door that just doesn't open if the contamination has not worked? Or have localised incendiary devices for sterilising everything within 1 mile?

Yeah, I was expecting the same setup as the CDC in The Walking Dead and The Omega Factor when the space virus inside the underground lab mutated to destroy rubber and plastic.
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MrPissyPuppy

MrPissyPuppy

It might be an indication that it's yet another hallucination.

 

Two hallucination shows in one season would be a bit much, but it wouldn't shock me if they went with that to get out of their predicament.  Or perhaps Murphy can stop the missiles with the power of his mind now that he's morphed into whatever they decide to morph him into. 

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editorgrrl

editorgrrl

Two hallucination shows in one season would be a bit much

 

Citizen Z's made-up-girlfriend

Mack & Addy's shared dream

Citizen Z's cosmonaut hallucination

 

I thought the cold open of the fireman episode was just a happy dream. And the end was trippy.

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maczero

maczero

(edited)

Holy fuckballs, THAT was a cliffhanger!

 

Mack and Addie are alive?  WTF?  How did THAT happen?

I can understand the shock regarding Mack being alive but why are people surprised that Addie's alive?  The last time we saw her, she was totally drinking the mormon lady's kool-aid so why would they kill her?

Edited by maczero
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editorgrrl

editorgrrl

I can understand the shock regarding Mack being alive but why are people surprised that Addie's alive?  The last time we saw her, she was totally drinking the mormon ladie's kool-aid so why would they kill her?

 

Yep, Addy was dressed like the member of a polygamous cult—even the Hot Topic–dyed hair looked like it'd been styled by her sister wives.

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raven

raven

It's been a while, but I thought we saw Mack shot once (not fatally).  The next two shots we heard but didn't see, then we see the woman who had sex with Murphy standing on the cliff.  I thought maybe Addy grabbed a gun and shot the two women who were standing on the cliff - to prevent them shooting Mack again.  So I wasn't totally surprised to see them again.

 

I liked the campiness of the show but these last eps weren't balanced right for me, the campiness with some serious stuff.  I did like flashbacks about how it all started, I don't like the idea of Murphy mind controlling people.  I do want to see what he look like now though.  Don't want Doc to become a zombie.

 

The show is a little wacky, maybe the bombs will explode harmlessly or something....anyway I'll be back to see what happens. As long as nothing happens to the dog, LOL.

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candall

candall

I came to see if anyone else had fallen asleep FIVE TIMES trying to watch this episode.  Looks like it's my own personal Nyquil-Z.

 

But with all the yowza cliffhanger talk, I guess I'll keep it on ice until next season starts.

 

I do kind of think that explaining a huge cliffhanger situation with "Ha ha, just a dream!" is cheating, though. Get some rest, writers!  You need to come back with renewed vigor to tie up those loose nuclear ends.

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wayne67

wayne67

I'm not sure how they're going to deal with the dropping nukes in Z Nation. Perhaps they'll just have faulty navigation post apocalypse and hit different unintentional targets reducing the overal level of zombies while imcreasing the nuclear toxicity of the nearby zombies area.

 

Would be an entertaining way of killing off that super zombie herd while irradiating? distant zombies with radioactive spores.

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technorebel

technorebel

I'd say I won't be back if they kill Doc off, but who am I kidding?  It's zombies...I'll be back for sure.

 

In regard to the nukes, maybe Citizen Z can pull off a last minute save and divert them somewhere or disarm them.  I think the writers have proven they're not afraid to be bold (or ridiculous) with the story on this show. 

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natyxg

natyxg

I don't think I'll be back next season. I just can't stand Murphy. He's not a good guy but he's the focus of this show and I can't take any more of him. 

 

I did sort of like Murphy, but i didn’t like the shift I felt in the show at the end of the season. I like zombie shows and movies because I like to see the characters escaping and running and surviving, I am not here for convoluted conspiracies. So I enjoyed the show more when it was just a road trip show, zombie style, and dread that they might change the dynamic now that they introduced the bad guy and Murphy rebelled.

 

So, Mack's alive ?  How could he be in the Sisters of Mercy compound with Addie ?

 

 

I figured he was hanging around in the outskirts of the compound, trying to figure out how to get Addie back. I guess the show will go back there again and destroy the evil evil cult of women. Whenever I see amazon like situations on TV or movies I always dread that they will make them evil and then fuck them over to remind us all that tsk tsk tsk it's not okay to hate men and live away from them. I really thought that bear was going to eat them, but I guess there is still time for that. That compound was gorgeous, by the way.

 

Where have Dr. Kurian and those soldiers been all this time ? At another base nearby ? Cruising the skies in a airship powered by evil ? Were they sitting idly by waiting for Murphy to show up, let alone how did he even know about Murphy.

 

Citizen Z was looking for the doctor who injected Murphy. I figured Kurian intercepted his communications and fooled him into thinking he was her or something.

 

How did Murphy infect Cassandra? When the door closed I assumed he was kissing her, but her cheek looked like he tried to bite her face off.

 

He bit her on the cheek. What I didn't get was how come she became a zombie hybrid whatever after she died, but the guy he bit in that previous episode, the one who had the van Murphy wanted to steal, just died. Murphy noticed that he didn't turn, which implied that the cure worked on other people.

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Jordan27

Jordan27

I have a couple of ideas how they get around this....

 

1.  The nukes really aren't coming.  It's a radar malfunction.

2.  The nukes are coming, but won't explode because they are no longer functioning properly.

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ottoDbusdriver

ottoDbusdriver

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The nukes really aren't coming.  It's a radar malfunction.

 

The only problem with that theory is that they all saw the nukes with their own eyes -- heck Citizen Z could see 4 or 5 inbound to his location when he went to the surface.  

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natyxg

natyxg

I have a couple of ideas how they get around this....

 

1.  The nukes really aren't coming.  It's a radar malfunction.

2.  The nukes are coming, but won't explode because they are no longer functioning properly.

 

#2 was the first thing I thought of when I saw the finale, frankly.

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Rockstar99435

Rockstar99435

I'm so glad this show has been renewed. Otherwise the cliffhanger would kill me. So the evil Doctor has to be working for some kind of Umbrella Corporation, right? It doesn't make sense for him to be working alone. Especially since he still appears to be working with the virus and he's got a security team. He's got to have a lab somewhere with a support team. I'm guessing they'll end up there next season.

 

I'm so glad that Mack and Addy are alive. I assumed Addy was physically fine, if not emotionally. But I was worried about Mack. I rewatched the end of the Sisters of Mercy episode and he gets hit by their 'warning shot', but we don't see any blood. And when he jumps out of the car and runs away, we don't see him get hit but we do see bullets hitting the ground by Roberta's feet as she runs to the car so maybe the women didn't see Mack but just the car and were trying to scare them away. I think Mack's hiding out near the compound trying to figure out how to get to Addy. If the nuke problem gets solved, I'm sure they'll end up back together next season.

 

10K's name is Tommy! Aw. He is just adorable. And I like him and Cassandra as a couple. I like how subtle their relationship is. There are little hints that they were getting closer; missions together, longing looks, etc. But we didn't get confirmation until now.

 

A friend of my husband was one of the scientist extras in the lab scenes. Because there were only a couple of extras and the main cast was also filming in that location, he got to meet everyone. He said they were all very nice and that the guy who plays Doc is an awesome old hippie in real life too. He was cracking jokes about how they had to film the naked scene so he'd been doing pushups and situps all morning but it wasn't making a difference.

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