Episode 106 - Mercy Quota

Now that season 6 of The Walking Dead has run its course, it's time for the Z-Realm Podcast to take its usual post-season hiatus. Time to kick back and reflect. Maybe take a relaxing cruise. But wait, what's that emerging from the mist of ham-fisted plot devices? Why, it's the premier of season 2 of Fear the Walking Dead, and it offers us that unheard of opportunity to tour the zombie apocalypse from the comfort of a luxuriously appointed yacht. We've got water desalination capabilities, fishing gear, sonar, auto-pilot and enough fuel for a long voyage. What could possibly go wrong? Oh, right. Two angsty teenagers who will find a way to make the worst of any situation. Send your thoughts to mail@z-realm.com or post a message on our Facebook page.

Episode 105 - It's All Over

Season 6 of AMC's The Walking Dead has concluded and we gather together to talk about what transpired and about the conspicuous lack of a certain tidbit of information that all the viewers were anticipating but which we were denied.  We finally meet Negan, as portrayed by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and he is indeed a presence.  His lengthy introductory monologue sets up his character and the final episode of the season really tells a lot about the capabilities of his people.  Our faithful band of survivors truly do seem to have met their match.  We talk about various other developments in our lives and other media that we've consumed in the past couple of weeks and we look forward to the return of Fear the Walking Dead which starts its second season next week. Please let us know what you thought of the Walking Dead and of the podcast by writing to mail@z-realm.com or post a message on our Facebook page.

Episode 104 - Careful with that Crotch Eugene

Why does AMC want to hurt us so much?  Why does it do the things it does to the characters we've  come to know over the past months on the Walking Dead? The most  recent episode, titled "Twice as Far", has several vicious blows to the solar-plexus. A very downbeat episode, with many bittersweet moments, this one left  us a little stunned. We continue the conversation with talk of other media, and a bit about new locations. Let us know what you thought of the show by writing to mail@z-realm.com or leave us a message on our Facebook page.

Episode 103 - Not The Good Guys

It's another two-fer this time  as we cover the last two episodes of AMC's The  Walking Dead.  Basically covering the initial onslaught in our group's attempt to "deal" with Negan.  The action is spread out over two episodes and focuses heavily on Carol and her current state of mind.  Both are excellent episodes and go deeper than most.  We meet Paula, mostly in the most recent episode, played expertly by Alicia Witt who brings a stunning depth and coldness to her portrayal.  Packed with violence, but not in an empty, gung-ho way.  Each death is significant, and weighty and we watch as our "heroes" begin to make us forget just what that word means.  Let us know what you thought of the episodes of the show and of the podcast by writing to mail@z-realm.com or by posting a message on our Facebook page.
Oh, and we kept calling him "Frederich" but it's really "Gregory"...sorry about that.

Episode 102 - Leverage

This week, on AMC's The Walking Dead, we learn that the people in the Hilltop stronghold are the sort of people who put out a welcome mat, and they expect you to USE it!  Please do not track your muddy footprints all over their clean rugs and floors. Be warned that there is a weird stretch of audio in the podcast that starts about 20 minutes in but it only lasts for about a minute, but it's not your iPod, so do not try to redownload the episode to fix it.  This was another "building" episode, where we meet new characters, see new locations, and set up new conflicts that are now looming on the horizon. Full of small, intimate moments, this was a solid episode.
Next week, the Z-Realm will be on hiatus as we move our New York based offices to their new location, but we will be back in two weeks with a king-sized episode.  Let us know what you thought of the show by writing to mail@z-realm.com or leave us a message on our Facebook page.

Episode 101 - Law of Averages

Things take a wide swing on the most recent episode of AMC's the Walking Dead. Titled "The Next  World" it introduces the world to Jesus a.k.a Paul Rovia a.k.a. Paul Monroe.  Played by British actor Tom Payne, fans of the comic book have been looking forward to his introduction and he certainly does make an impression in his debut.  Focusing more on smaller, more intimate moments, this was a very different episode than we've seen for a while on the show. And, speaking of intimate, there is some SERIOUS intimacy between two of our favorite regulars and this will likely have repercussions in the following weeks. We follow up our discussion of the show with talk of other media.  Please let us know what you thought of the show by sending email to mail@z-realm.com or post a message on our Facebook page.

Episode 100 - Bite Chew Swallow Repeat

You thought we were gone, but just like a couple of bad pennies, we are back! It is our landmark 100th episode and, with it, we go back to the fallen city of Alexandria and the desperate escape plan of Rick Grimes and his group of frantic followers.  To say that it was an explosive episode would be an understatement. There are several visually impressive set-pieces that elevate this one above most of the prior ones and some very serious events take place that affect our familiar band of survivors.
We follow up our talk of the Walking Dead with a long, rambling discussion of other media ( turns out a new Star Wars movie came out since we last talked ).  Let us know what you thought of the show by writing to mail@z-realm.com or by leaving a message on our Facebook page.