This episode has Sketchy and Sleezy. Oh yay.
This is a shame - because this season has managed to bring some backbone to Z Nation which has always leaped between being a deep, powerful apocalypse show and a zany slapstick comedy. Except for the jugaloo episode I’m trying to forget, these season has finally seemed to marry these elements: with a serious storyline, some genuine emotional moments, but still being happy to throw in jokes, one liners and the odd slapstick moment without overly derailing the plot or wasting our time
It’s an odd beast, Z Nation, and often gets it wrong but between the swings it can find a balance that works and largely has this season.
And then we have this. Honestly there’s not a lot to recap here because it’s mainly slapstick nonsense
There’s a storm of toxic foam which causes Doc and Murphy to seek shelter in a barber shop where Sketchy and Skeevy are also hiding. Absolutely no-one questions why there’s a fully functioning barbers in the apocalypse - it just is and everyone’s quite willing to let complete strangers with bared blades near their faces because of course they are.
It’s all a weird trap to rob people, because folks often drop into a barber shop in the apocalypse and we have lots of shenanigans, including Sketchy and Skeezy trying to want then, Doc trying to remember the main robber, the inclusion of a Deaf character which would be noteworthy if, well, it wasn’t this episode and it wasn’t just fodder for more gags. We have Tanned Zombie which I will never be able to unsee, vomit everywhere, absolutely everywhere, which I’ll also never be able to unsee, 10k and Lilley joining in the fun,m everyone in their underwear (including 10K which I will be very happy to not unsee) and some final random extra characters with improbably accents until everyone ended up dead except the main cast and, alas, Sketchy and Skeevy
On the whole, very little was achieved and it didn’t amuse. Ok, I did laugh in places and feel more than slightly ashamed I did but my overall feel of this episode is “really”? And if I weren’t recapping I’d have turned it off, skipped to next week’s and checked any online reviews to see if I missed anything. Alas, I am recapping so had to endure this nonsense.
We did have a moment were, among accusations of biting and the need for a key, Skeevy passes Sketchy a key with a kiss telling everyone they’re a couple - but Skeevy seems genuinely shocked so it’s clearly not the case and seems to continue at the end when they inherit the barber shop which they want for… reasons I’m not even going to pretend to care about. But Skeevy at least seems to have taken the kiss seriously so I guess this is technically the first LGBTQ representation on this show? Y'know a brief, slapstick joke complete with kissing with watchers looking disgusted.
Note to show creators everywhere: This should never ever ever be your show’s LGBTQ representation. Really.
Meanwhile Warren is having visions still and seeing the ghost of Dr. Tiller. She wasn’t involved in this episode. I presume because Kellita Smith took one look at the script and just glared at the show runners until they backed away slowly.
And I really want to know where Abbey and Sun are.
