Welcome Back Undead Science Fiction Horror Fans,
We are at the mid-season point for Day of the Dead with the ‘Til the Dead Do Us Part episode.
This is a fun series. But before I begin my review, speaking of mayors, I wonder what happened to Pops Parker (Jay Brazeau). I hope he turns up later, probably as a zombie, but I also kind of hope not. We will see.
There are and have been numerous great bits, and if you are a zombie movie fan, you will see Easter eggs throughout like the guest appearance of Dan Shea, and main Day of the Dead actors Mike Dopud as Detective McDermott and Garry Chalk as Herb, all well known by the fans in our Stargate Hall of Fame.
Speaking of Stargate, since the series has so many Canadian actors who have mostly appeared in such SYFY hits like Stargate SG-1, perhaps it would have been a good idea to include some of the other Stargate main actors like Amanda Tapping, Michael Shanks, Chris Judge, Richard Dean Anderson, Gary Jones, Teryl Rothery, Ben Browder, Claudia Black, Beau Bridges, Robert Picardo, Lexa Doig, Peter DeLuise, and Corin Nemec to name but a few of them as candidates for cameo appearances?
I would also have suggested considering Stargate Atlantis actors had I been a Producer and Casting Director for Day of the Dead. While it is obvious that not all of the fine actors that I mentioned in both series could have appeared, some could have been given a cameo in episodes, say as military officers with similar names to their Stargate character names so as not to infringe on the MGM Studios Stargate franchise copyright.
The list of Stargate suggested cameos would be endless for producing a lot of fun bits. Stargate fans would have loved it, and doing so would have no doubt boosted the Day of the Dead ratings to stellar heights to help ensure a second season.
Til the Dead Do Us Part:
The episode was wonderfully written by Liz Hsiao Lan Alper and Terri Hughes Burton, with delightful direction by Jacquie Gould.
As we learned last week that the wedding cost for Herb (Garry Chalk) is $50,000, we also learned that it was about to get crashed by a group who are not there for the free booze and great food.
They have other specific dietary requirements.
We meet Herb’s wife Cindy (Stefanie von Petten) who seems to have some issues being married to, “fun and charming” Herb. What about poor Jai (Dejan Loyola), who only wants to marry his lady love, Amy (Kristy Dawn Dinsmore)?
It might be an understatement to say that the wedding has a few bumps in the road.
We also learn the fate of one Detective McDermott (Mike Dopud), who is just doing his job, but gets in way over his head.
Dear McDermott continues to wear the coveralls he donned in the last episode with the name “Bub” stitched over the left pocket.
We are informed by Mike Dopud that it’s “An ‘homage’ to the original “Night of the Living Dead” movie by the iconic George A. Romero.
Luke (Daniel Doheny) and Cam (Keenan Tracey) are still mortal enemies in this episode, more’s the pity. Maybe they will finally become friends now that they have an immortal enemy to deal with.
At the police station, the Mayor (Miranda Frigon) is doing a bang-up job calming nerves and looking for a way to deal with her current major crisis.
She is working with Capt. Pike (Marci T. House), who is doing her best to be, “by the book”.
That never works in a crisis, at least on T.V. What a mess.
We find Luke where we left off last week, stuck on a bridge with a bit of a problem. He has two zombies to the left of his, one on the right – we are stuck in the middle with Luke. His dad, Trey (Christopher Russell) who’s day is also not going well, comes riding in driving a black truck to save his boy. Trey flattens a zombie, but since he now can’t see with all the guts on his windshield, he slams on the brakes and can’t get started again.
Luke is now to the rescue. He grabs his own car and pulls up next to dad. They are away with relief and gratitude all around. As they drive, Luke and Trey discuss their family situation. Trey begins bawling like a little kid. This really alarms Luke who, naturally, tries to comfort his father. Trey confesses that he was going to leave Paula for Nicole after the election. Luke tells him that Nicole is dead thanks to a zombie. This gets Trey all worked up again. His life has just fallen apart. Luke does his best to comfort his dad again. “You killed that zombie with your truck”. Yeah, at least he is a good dad if nothing else.
Meanwhile, McDermott and Sarah Blackwood (Morgan Holmstrom) have guns on Doctor Logan (Lucia Walters) and a security guard. The order of the moment seems to be, “Don’t shoot”. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on your perspective, Rhodes (Kevin O’Grady) barges in. Shooting commences. McDermot is injured.
Blackwood takes the opportunity to run. She gets away, but McDermot gets caged. When he wakes up, he discovers that this is a cage made for two. He has a Zombie roommate. Fortunately, it is chained to the far side, so, as long as McDermot keeps to his end, all will be well. Blackwood is nowhere to be seen.
Doctor Logan informs McDermott that his zombie friend seems to be an early settler from Europe based on his clothing. So he has been in that drilling hole where they found him since the 1700’s.
McDermott responds that he was obviously put there for a reason and he should be put back. That would be the smart thing to do. But Logan, although book smart, is obviously not common sense smart.
In a pickle, I mean, a cage, McDermott continues to try to reason with Logan. It is a lost cause since she is more focused on what a boon to humanity a cure for death might be. She tells him that his body is fighting off the zombie virus.
While Rhodes has been hanging around in the background listening to all this, it is obvious that, like McDermott, he thinks she is off her nut as well. She sends him to find a dead rodent to test.
As Rhodes leaves he calls her Dr. Frankenstein.
At the wedding, Herb agrees with Cindy that the wedding should get started so he heads to the golf club to see what the holdup is all about. While Cindy is wondering what might be coming through the floor of the wedding venue, Herb is on his way to find his daughter. He finds Amy in the bathroom and Jai outside trying to reason with her. Herb’s first wrong assumption is because it’s about a prenup that Amy has no idea about. The door opens and Amy as well as Shawn (Victor Zinck Jr.) exit. Shawn is one creepy dude. As the argument continues, Jai, the only sensible one, notices that the music has stopped.
At the police department, Capt. Pike is on the phone looking for backup. She is told that it is three hours away. Cam is in another room trying to contact his father through the police radio system. Sadly, dad can’t hear him. He has no radio in the cage. He wants his father to know that, although they hadn’t really gotten along over the years, he still loves his dad very much. Aw, so sad.
Cindy has decided to apply what you do in a fire, to what you do with Zombies. It is not quite, stop, drop, and roll, but she has decided to drop and crawl around the wedding guests as they end up as the main course. Reception before the wedding. How fun. Jai and Shawn have decided to take things in hand. Jai wants to save people. Shawn wants to prove that he is the Alpha male. Amy and Herb bring up the rear. All the while, Herb just wants out of this disaster. Jai reaches under the now bloodied wedding tent drapes and pulls out victims. Shawn manages to pull out a zombie. Shawn is such a loser. He doesn’t seem to get anything right.
Cindy shows up spattered with blood. She has clearly lost it since her main concern is the wedding and saving the wedding cake. When she picks up the cake from a draped table, she gets pulled under and all that is left of her when Amy tries to save her mom is the cake and the two arms that are connected to it. Amy drops the cake but saves the wedding topper of the bride and groom.
Ever loving husband, Herb, does not seem at all concerned about his deceased wife. Amy and Jai have run back into the golf club. Amy is distraught at the death of her mother. Jai comforts her and gently takes the cake topper from her and sets it on the table. Jai notices two pictures on the wall of Aboriginal people.
He explains to Amy, Herb, and Shawn that the zombies are the Indigenous people who are buried (not anymore) under the golf course. Herb is more focused on getting help. He tries to contact the police department but gets no answer. Shawn, ever the jealous loser, decides that now is the time to propose to Amy. He doesn’t get a reply because that is when the zombies decide to make an entrance.
Again, Shawn gets it wrong by deciding to show Amy that he is the real hero and the ideal mate when he rushes toward the nearest zombie. He will destroy it, win the day and the fair maiden. If his ambition was gold, he’d be a billionaire. However, he just doesn’t have the technique. The zombie overpowers him. Shawn the romantic becomes Shawn of the Dead. Herb, Amy, and Jai are left to fend off the rest of the zombie hoard of about six or seven zombies.
Enter Lauren Howell (Natalie Malaika) who is now in the golf club with a cleaver. She cleaves a zombie’s head and everyone rushes to her hearse. Great choice of vehicle.
Luke and Trey arrive at the Cop Shop to tell Paula that the zombies are everywhere. They have to get out. Paula again takes charge and looks up the perfect place to hide out during the zombie apocalypse. She settles on the local department store, the Paymart. It is perfect because it has minimal entrances, minimal windows, and will be difficult for anyone to get into who is not supposed to get into it. Too bad that the producers of that other zombie show that is filmed in Atlanta never thought of that.
Rhodes is angry. He is royally pissed off that no one is working at the drilling rig site. His boss, the lunatic Logan is busy playing mad scientist while his crew is not earning him money. Rhodes is not long for this life, I think. He gives Logan her dead rat. She pumps it full of some concoction. At first, it doesn’t react. But then it twitches and squeaks. McDermott attempts to continue to rationalize with Logan and then with Rhodes and the guard. No one but the guard seems to be listening.
That’s when Blackwood shows up and shoves a pistol in Rhodes’ neck, “Let McDermott out.” After a few threats, McDermott is released from the cage. He knocks out the guard and takes his gun.
He forgets to relock the cage so, naturally, the zombie manages to pull himself away from his handcuffed arms and lunge at McDermot. Meanwhile, Rhodes attempts to overpower Blackwood.
Blackwood is a better fighter or Rhodes is a terrible fighter. Either way, Blackwood overpowers Rhodes. Rhodes gets beaten up by a girl. How embarrassing.
She and McDermott have one last conversation, “Tell Pike what is happening.” As Blackwood flees, McDermott passes away for now, only to become undead at the end of the episode!
At the Hoosegow, everybody loads up with weapons. Since the town is being overrun, it’s time to get to the Paymart.
Captain Pike sends out a mass email for everyone in town who is not a zombie to meet there. Zombies may disregard the message. Once there, Paula starts giving orders to set up the place as a crisis centre. This is definitely going to be a mass casualty event.
“Til The Dead Do Us Part: is a good way to clean out the town of unpleasant people like Shawn. It is sad to lose some of the better characters like McDermott who ends up being caged again for Doctor Logan’s hideous experiments.
The common sense says that McDermott has shown does not seem too be common in Mayor Bowman’s town, but we will see McDermott again as a Zombie, so no more Mr. Nice Guy!
What’s next? Tune in at SYFY in the United States and CTV Scifi in Canada next week to see who lives, or who is undead as a Zombie!
Thanks to Kenn for staging images, the featured video, and, many thanks to you for stopping by WormholeRiders News Agency!
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Regards,
