Z Nation Season 4 Episode 11 Review: Return to Mercy Labs
Ron Gilmer
at
.
Updated at
.
At long last, the true purpose of Black Rainbow is revealed.
Z Nation Season 4 Episode 11 finally gives us the goods on Black Rainbow, and it exactly lines up with the theory I put forth in my review of Z Nation Season 4 Episode 2: it's a doomsday weapon designed to wipe out everything on Earth except the Zona folks.
Citizen Z: Black Rainbow is a biological weapon of mass destruction. It's a fourth strike weapon meant to kill anything left after an all out nuclear war.
Warren: The Reset. That's what Zona was working on. Killing everything so that THEY could start over. That must be what black rainbow is.
This was what The Founder meant by "The Reset," and Warren had a pretty good idea from the jump what was going down.
Her literal vision quest has been at turns both fascinating and scary to watch, with her almost robotic movements and singular drive to keep on mission, to what end we still don't know.
The prevailing thought is that Warren is on a mission to stop Black Rainbow from happening, but what if it's the OPPOSITE?
Stay with me here: she was in a cocoon for two years, has been experimented on, and transformed into what appears now to be a human/Z/robot hybrid of some sort by the Zona scientists.
The Founder has said she is very important, and Dr. Teller has told her the same on more than one occasion.
She has crossed the country to retrieve two mysterious cylinders that definitely have something to do with Black Rainbow.
What if she's not meant to stop Black Rainbow, but to INITIATE it? Is she the avenging angel, or is she the agent of death, the killer of this world?
It's entirely possible the cylinders are an integral part of STARTING Black Rainbow, not stopping it.
If she was programmed by Zona scientists, the same ones who are so keen to reset the earth, then why would she be given the knowledge and power to stop it from happening?
The fact that the vaccine from Murphy's blood didn't pan out, turning the Zona folks into murderous maniacs, is the one hole in this theory.
If the Zona leaders know they aren't safe from the Reset, you would think the Zona troops would be searching for Warren to neutralize her before she starts Black Rainbow.
The jury is still out as to whether Warren is an agent of good or evil. I just wanted to put my thoughts out there.
The journey back to Mercy Labs was a sad one indeed.
The crew had flashbacks of their pitch battle with The Man, as well as Dr. Teller's failed experiments to cure the Z virus, turning his wife into a mutant Z in the process.
Oh crap. Not this place again!
Murphy
There were many morose moments; the first being 10K remembering the first time he met Red and 5K.
There were hints at the beginning of the episode about a little something blossoming between Sarge and 10K.
I didn't get that vibe, and I think it would be a terrible idea to force a romance between the two right now. The writers need to give the audience the final word on whether or not Red is alive or dead before moving on to something like that.
Doc got to put his therapist skills to good use, trying to help 10K deal with the aftermath of Red's disappearance.
10K: I just wish I knew if Red was still alive.
Doc: Well, maybe she'll be waiting for us in Newmerica. Wouldn't be the first time she came back from the dead.
I wish Nat Zang brought more depth to this scene as 10K, but it just didn't happen.
He seems more adept at the comedic moments.
As Doc, Russell Hodgkinson can quickly move between the funny and the pathos, so he bailed Nat out on this one.
The saddest moment, of course, was the revelation that Dr. Teller not only used his wife as a guinea pig but also had his dead son Andrew encased in amber, for what purpose is anyone's guess.
He had turned, as evidenced by the bullet wound in his forehead.
Murphy insisted he was alive inside the chamber, so had Teller found some way to keep him alive, or was he still a Z?
Sarge: You sure this Dr. Teller's a good guy?
Murphy: They were trying to cure the zombie virus, instead this happened.
Doc: Thanks, science.
Does this mean Murphy is starting to regain his psychic bond with Zs again?
Warren made the right call of course: sacrificing an already dead boy to get the lowdown on Black Rainbow served the greater good.
Other than the Black Rainbow revelation, the Camp Northern Light scenes were throwaways.
I must say it was cute to see Citizen Z play with Jay Z, and the chemistry between Citizen Z and Kaya in the Skya is palpable.
It was good to get the crew back on mission since there are only two more episodes left in the season. I expect the action will be fast and furious from now to the end.
My fear is the possibility of a cliffhanger at season's end. As of this writing, there is no word yet on whether Syfy is going to renew Z Nation for a fifth season, so to leave us hanging with such high stakes would be very bad indeed.
Random Bites
- Still no sign of Addy, Sun, or Red (other than flashbacks). Sigh.
- Just how will Warren be able to secure the thumbprint of the president to stop Black Rainbow? Your guess is as good as mine.
- The flashback where 10K was teaching 5K how to use the slingshot was heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time.
And little Jay Z gives us The Line of the Night:
It's a puppy!
Jay Z
Those are my two cents: now it's your turn. Do you think Warren is a force for good or evil? Any theories about what's going to happen next? Let me know in the comments section.
And, as always, you can watch Z Nation online anytime, right here on TV Fanatic!
