Episode 77 - And Now We Wait

We have reached the half-way mark in Season 5 of AMC's The Walking Dead. The episode title is "Coda" and it packed an emotional wallop.  The cast is reunited by the end, at the hospital where Carol and Beth have been for the past few episodes. It is not a happy reunion.  Listen to our thoughts on the show and then hear us spiral off into all sorts of other topics, including Star Wars, Interstellar, The Happening, and many other subjects.  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.

Episode 76 - Crisscrossed

Struggling against the fickle caprices of the Internet deity known as lag, the Z-Realm crew managed to complete this episode, but it was an uphill struggle the whole way.  We return to AMC's the Walking Dead again, for episode 7 of season 5, "Crossed".  We get coverage of all the characters this time, and there is much shenanigans.  There is also fishing.  Listen in to what we thought of the episode and let us know your own thoughts by writing to mail@z-realm.com or by posting a message on our Facebook page.

Episode 75 - We Ain't Ashes

The Z-Realm returns for a double-dose of AMC's The Walking Dead.  The focus this time is on episodes 5 and 6 from season 5 of our favorite zombie program. Episode 5, "Self Help" reveals much of the backstory for Abraham and features an important reveal from Eugene as well.  We also learn that a mullet can also be called a Tennessee Tophat!  We follow that up with episode 6, "Consumed" where we finally see what happened with Carol and Daryl after the night they left on the trail of Beth.  Featuring one of the most ridiculous moments in the 5 seasons of the show, we still ended up enjoying ourselves while watching it. Perhaps we are all getting soft. There was much geographical questioning, and only later did we discover the answers to those questions here ( warning, this does contain spoilers ).  We then turn to other media, talking at length about the magnificent Birdman before bidding you all adieu until the next time.  Let us know what you thought about these two episodes of the TV show and also about the podcast. Write to mail@z-realm.com or drop a message on our Facebook page.

Episode 74 - Beth I Hear You Calling

Episode 74 goes back to the well of AMC's The Walking Dead, focusing on the 4th episode of season 5, Slabtown. In many ways we wish we could put that episode ON a slab.  Focusing entirely on what happened to Beth Greene after she disappeared while out with Daryl last season, the show goes off on a mostly unsuccessful tangent and introduces us to new characters, and to new lows in acting.  Olga is back as we tear in to the episode and rend it limb from limb. Afterwards we move on to other media, including George Clinton's old show "Cosmic Slop".
Let us know if you agree with our criticisms of the show and also what you thought of the podcast by writing to mail@z-realm.com or by posting a message on our Facebook page.

Episode 73 - Tainted Meat

Poor Bob...We are back this week, looking once again at AMC's The Walking Dead. Season 5 continues with the third episode, titled "Four Walls and a Roof" and it packs a strong visceral punch. The hunters return, with Gareth continuing his soliloquies and taunts. We see the rest of the cast making decisions that will send them each off on their own journeys ( both internally as well as externally ) and the body count of both living and dead, grows and grows.  We go on at length about other media and subjects, focusing on a wide range of different topics. Please let us know what you thought of the show by sending email to mail@z-realm.com or by posting a message on our Facebook page.

Episode 72 - Everybody Can't Be Bad

We struggle to little avail this week with the gremlins that haunt the internet. The airwaves were a rocky place where our conversation could find no purchase. But we did not give up! We continued our conversation this week, discussing the second episode of Season 5 of AMC's the Walking Dead.  Our favorite third, Olga, returns to bring her welcomed perspective to the proceedings. We meet Seth Gilliam who is playing Father Gabriel Stokes, a featured character from the comic.  We also finally learn the identity of another group from the comics, the Hunters!  Focusing more on character development instead of exploding gas tanks, this was a slow-burning episode, but it left us all with a punch in the gut, and one of the characters with an ache that was NOT going to get better.
Let us know what you thought of the show by writing to mail@z-realm.com or by posting a message on the Facebook page.

Episode 71 - Butcher or Cattle

The Z-Realm finally returns after a long, deathless slumber. The 5th season premiere of AMC's The Walking Dead has lured 2 of the 3 co-hosts back together to ruminate on this mostly triumphant return to form.  Featuring a completely badass Carol, and an utterly frantic Rick, this was a very strong episode that truly started off the 5th season with both a figurative as well as literal BANG ( I mean, look at that screen shot! )
We then turn our attention to the SyFy channel's new series "Z-Nation" and the conversation takes a bit of a nosedive until we remember that even the Walking Dead doesn't always hit homeruns. With a somewhat lighter take on the idea of a zombie apocalypse, Z-Nation shows potential, but mostly left us wanting for more.
We wrap up with a short but far-ranging talk about other media before calling it a night until next time. Please let us know what you thought of the podcast, and the topics we discussed by writing to us at mail@z-realm.com or by posting a message on our Facebook page.

Episode 70 - Night of the Living Dud

As the start of season 5 of AMC's The Walking Dead nears, Z-Realm co-hosts, Marty, Olga and KMO dust off the long-dormant Z-Realm machinery to bring you the first new podcast episode in many months. The episode starts with an excerpt of a C-Realm interview with June Pulliam, editor of the new zombie tome, Encyclopedia of the Zombie: The Walking Dead in Popular Culture and Myth. June speaks in glowing terms about the 1990 remake of Night of the Living Dead, in which the character of Barbara, who was particularly useless in the 1968 original, takes on a more competent and active role in Tom Savini's re-working of the Romero Classic. KMO hadn't seen the remake since the early 1990s, and Marty and Olga had never seen it, so they decided to check it out and share their responses with the long-deprived Z-Realm audience. Of course, there are plenty of asides and references to other media. The Z-Realm is back!

Episode 69 - A is for Anvilicious

Episode 69 is here, after a longer-than-usual delay, we are finally back to talk about the season 4 finale of AMC's the Walking Dead.  The crew from the prison find themselves AS prisoners after finally completing their journey to Terminus.  We talk about what we thought of the episode and hint at what we do and do NOT want to see when season 5 returns in the fall.  Listen in to that and to the other media we've seen since the last show. Let us know what you thought by sending email to mail@z-realm.com or by posting a message on our Facebook group.

Episode 68 - Teach Him All the Way

Season four of AMC's the Walking Dead is almost over!  This episode we talk about the penultimate episode, titled Us.  The newest cast member, Joe, played by the excellent Jeff Kober, is featured prominently and we learn a lot about his philosophy and the various rules he and his men live by.  KMO admits that he totally disagrees with Paul McCartney,  and the rest of the crew commiserates. This was a set-up episode of the TV show, getting all the bits and pieces lined up for what must surely be a whiz-bang finale.  Listen to the podcast and let us know what you thought by sending email to mail@z-realm.com or by posting a message on our Facebook page.

Episode 67 - Look at the Flowers

Episode 67 of the podcast deals with one of the most buzzed-about episodes of AMC's the Walking Dead so far.  We look at episode 14 of Season 4, The Grove.  Featuring a standout performance by Melissa McBride as Carol, the story is taken, in large parts from an incident portrayed in the original comics.  We disagree about how successful the show was with telling the story. We then turn to other thoughts and hit some random areas before finally wrapping up the festivities.
Please let us know what you thought by writing to us at mail@z-realm.com or by posting a message on our Facebook page.

Episode 66 - Schrodinger's Tyreese

Episode 66 of the podcast returns to AMC's The Walking Dead where the storyline picks up from last week's episode following Daryl and Beth ans they continue to make their way together through the dangerous world of the zombie apocalypse.  This week we also catch up with Bob, Maggie, and Sasha who are pursuing Glen and hoping to find him at the mysterious "Terminus" which waits in the distance.  We talk about the twists and turns of the show, make amends for dissing last week's episode, and look forward to the very small number of episodes remaining in season 4. Join us!
Please let us know what you thought of the show by sending email to mail@z-realm.com or by posting a message on our Facebook page.

Episode 65 - Peach Schnapps

We continue our conversation about AMC's The Walking Dead, focusing on Season 4, episode 12, titled "Still".  It was one of those episodes where not too much happened, so we ended up with a shorter show than usual. We do look at some of the main themes of the episode and try to figure out some of the nagging questions it raises. Listen in and see if you think we were on the right track with our theories. Let us know what you thought by sending email to mail@z-realm.com or by posting a message in our Facebook page.

Episode 64 - Do Something With Your Life

Marty returns from the coughing depths to join KMO and Olga to revel in the hijinks of living and not so living men in episode 11 of season 4 of the Walking Dead, called "Claimed." Join us as we wonder aloud, how low can that mattress sink? And, will we ever see Glenn smile again? And, how smart IS Doctor Mullet? Please let us know what you thought of the show by sending email to mail@z-realm.com or by posting a message on our Facebook page.

Episode 63 - Enter Abraham

A post-episode dissection of this week's The Walking Dead episode, Inmates, will have to wait until next week. Marty is out sick, and so in this episode of The Z-Realm Podcast, KMO shares part of a conversation that he recorded with Joe Snuffy, the author of Suburban Survival: Preparing For Socio-Economic Collapse. Joe describes his interest in both the zombie apocalypse narrative and survival preparedness. He describes how zombie stories like The Walking Dead would be different if they followed the experiences of a coordinated group of trained survivalists rather than an ad hoc group of survivors thrown together by circumstance. Later in the episode, KMO and Olga talk about their underwhelming first impression of the tv version of Abraham compared to his Thor-like comic book incarnation.

Episode 62 - 120 Ounces

The Z-Realm Podcast has returned from a long winter slumber to herald in the mid-season premiere of AMC's The Walking Dead.  Picking up directly where they left off several months ago, we find Michonne leaving the decimated prison, along with two fresh "pets".  We also follow the severely wounded Rick and the VERY teenaged Carl as they make their way together, looking for supplies and shelter.  With some very interesting psychological elements, this episode really shone and bodes well for the rest of season 4.  The conversation meanders a bit towards the end and incorporates a variety of disparate subjects.  Tune in to see what we talk about, just make sure you have all your forms properly filled out and stamped in the appropriate areas!
Send us your thoughts to mail@z-realm.com or leave a message on our Facebook page.