Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Imagined as a prequel series to Syfy’s now-cancelled Z Nation, Black Summer is an intensely visceral and disorienting spin on the zombie apocalypse. Set about six weeks after the initial zombie outbreak, this harrowing Netflix drama throws viewers immediately into the fray as panicked civilians in the ‘burbs attempt to make their way to a downtown stadium for evacuation. Military escorts fizzle and checkpoints fall, creating ever elevating chaos, and it becomes clear that only the tough and resilient few will survive.
Survival is at the core of Black Summer. As the show moves at breakneck speed for eight episodes of varying lengths (the longest episode clocks in at 44 minutes, the shortest episode at only 20), there is no time for exposition or traditional character introductions. The survivors of Black Summer fall together quickly out of necessity. While the anchor of the show is Jaime King’s desperate mother, Rose, Black Summer goes back and forth (almost haphazardly) between various individuals and groups in a non-linear fashion, hurtling characters towards an inevitable collision.
It is difficult to impress genre fans with new takes on familiar tropes, but Black Summer succeeds with their fast-moving zombies (with seemingly accelerated strength) and human marauders, ready to screw over anyone who gets in their way. With its hand-held cameras, grainy cinematography, muted color palette, and frenetic editing style, the show immediately puts viewers on edge with the threat of a zombie attack (or even worse, a human attack) looming over every frame.
While there is much to praise about Black Summer, one of the standout sequences of the series comes in Episode 2, aptly titled “Drive.” After almost getting hijacked in her van, rich lady Barbara (Gwynyth Walsh) is saved when line worker William Velvez (Sal Velvez Jr.) beats up her attacker. He jumps into the van as Korean immigrant and non-English speaker Sun (Christine Lee, a true star) sneaks in the back. This unlikely trio speeds forward together, as a unit, desperately trying to navigate towards the presumably safe stadium.
While zombies are scary enough, the first threat our group encounters is a black truck that stalks them to steal their gas. As they drive down a side street, bandits hurl bricks and even a Molotov cocktail to slow them down.
Though they escape, they soon realize that something is stuck under their tire. As Sun volunteers to hop out and check it out, she looks at Velez wordlessly, pleading with her eyes for him not to leave her. It’s a heart wrenching moment that will prove if Velvez is the good guy he claims to be. When she discovers a children’s bicycle lodged behind the tire, she struggles to remove it…and soon, a terrifying figure appears in the distance.
As they scream at her to get back at the car, Sun moves quickly but the swift zombie manages to LAUNCH ITSELF ON THE BACK OF THEIR VAN.
A moment of relief washes over them when they think they’ve shaken the creature, but when the zombie climbs into the windshield from the top of the van, terror resumes. The camera whips around to catch all of their horrified faces in a masterful handheld shot as the zombie busts through the window and grabs Velvez.
Thinking quickly, Sun springs into action, grabbing a hammer from Velvez’s bag and climbing out of her window to fight off the determined zombie. And fight it off she does!
Back at the wheel, Velvez takes control as Sun climbs back in through the window. He accelerates, then breaks, flinging the zombie off the car. And what’s the ONLY logical thing to do after that?
In this masterful episode, Director (and EP) John Hyams succeeds in crafting a truly memorable zombie chase sequence that strikes a fitting tone for the rest of the series. The end of the world is violent, swift and merciless, and only those who keep their wits about them and good people close, have a chance at survival.
