Reanimated Podcast

Not gonna lie, it's difficult to stay positive about this show, but there are some bright spots - we're looking at you Elton and your Tuffy Stitch!

Reanimated picks up season 2 of World Beyond and struggles with some of the more inexplicable meta plot, but basically enjoys the ride so far.

The sun finally comes up on Midnight Mass this week on the show as our brave trio of hosts wade through founts of crimson, reams of scripture and several minutes of monologue to close out the Netflix miniseries. All criticism of our pontificating ensemble aside, this show kicked . Listen to us talk about it!

It's all about the life of Riley.

We're back with reinforcements for the third and fourth episodes of Midnight Mass as the Crock Pot tries to come to terms with inexplicable events that quickly go from joyful Neil Diamond montages to blood-soaked madness.

A little departure seemed in order this fine October, so the podcast takes a trip to Crockett Island to immerse ourselves in some briny, slow-burn monster horror for a while.

We've reach the end of the first chunk of #TWDFinalSeason and it's honestly pretty bad . Listen along as we roam with a herd toward some unsuspecting Reapers.

Out of the Ashes and On the Inside were both Nicotero-directed episodes this week on the podcast and one of them was extra horrific. We’re not sold on the Commonwealth and we’re generally feeling a lot of deja vu about some of the arcs our characters are going through.

In Hunted and Rendition, Reanimated revels in its death pool success rate and gets to know the new neighbors, the Reapers. Come along and ride on a fantastic voyage.

Heey, we’re back with The Walking Dead prime in its final season. Listen along with Reanimated’s H.A. and Stuart as we bravely spelunk into the metro.

It was Blood Red Sky this week on the podcast. This Netflix original had Reanimated wishing we’d taken the voucher when they overbooked the flight, because nobody was getting out of this trip “ok.” Sure, it wasn’t perfect, but Blood Red Sky took some liberties with well-trodden plan-based thriller formulae and we kinda liked that!

Jam packed episode for our 299th this time on Reanimated! First we tackled What if … Zombies? which was the latest in Disney+’s multiversal musings, then we hit up Ashin of the North for some Jurchens, Joseon and Zombies in medieval Korea AND we did it all with a little help from our friend Kyle who joined H.A. and Stuart for the discussion.

Reanimated returns after some time away to finish up the last two episodes of Black Summer season 2. What a triumph! Not perfect by any means, but a very solid zombie show that we would happily recommend to all fans (except perhaps for fans of Z-Nation who really thought this show was going to be a prequel in spirit as well as in name.) We cover a sliver of news and then dig in, come with!

Black Summer takes a turn in episode 5 by introducing some (a lot of) dialog, and does it well! Reanimated sits down to enjoy a double dip and a Braithwaite's brew.

Between the nail-biting tension of Card Game and the frenzied mayhem of Cold War, the third and fourth episodes of Black Summer’s second season are just dynamite. Reanimated plows ahead with its recap/reviews of Black Summer this week!

It’s time to revel in Black Summer season 2 on Reanimated - so get comfy on your chaise lounge, with your mai tai and then plunge with us into the frigid arctic scenery with some familiar characters.

After a lengthy absence, Reanimated finally put Season 6 of FTWD to bed in this podcast. Reanimated remains skeptical of these showrunners’ ability to restore its faith in the show, but there are a few areas of potential in Season 7. At this point the loss of faith in the show is deep and dark.

We hit up Slither this week while we wait for the last two episodes of FTWD to be released. We dug this movie!

Army of the Dead lived up to Reanimated's expectations of the project - a dazzling spectacle that was a little weak in the story but had plenty of eye candy and ridiculous bread crumbs left behind by Zack Snyder to keep us laughing and enjoying it.

Not entirely sure what Fear can do to get back on our good side after such an underwhelming run in Season 6. Keith Carradine is a highlight in E13, but the story is mediocre.

Fear the Walking Dead started to claw its way back from a handful of bad episodes in the post-John Dorie era with “The Holding,” only to sink to new lows with “In Dreams.” Do people legitimately enjoy episodes of television that lean this heavily on dream sequences?

Reanimated digs deep to find Grace. No not her, inner peace. This show tries our patience but Ruben Blades is a treasure.

"Things Left to Do" only managed to leave a bad taste in Reanimated's collective mouths.

Strong start to the second half of season 6! Lots of spoilers in this podcast recap, so caveat emptor

Negan goes through several hair iterations and some beard dye in the actual season ender for S10 of TWD prime. Additionally, Reanimated addresses our own rosey-by-comparison review of the previous episode “Diverged”, the question of the Walking Dead’s timeline that is raised in this season finale and the enjoyable presence of a very unexpected cast member in the episode. All that and more!

Carol and Daryl work out some of their issues in this exploration of their terrible, horrible, very bad no good days.

The extended season is going four for four so far with the addition of “Splinter” which puts Princess in the hot seat and actor Paola Lázaro brings the heat!

Episode 18 of this season is One More which more or less serves as a vehicle to highlight how great two regular cast members are (but who get nowhere near enough credit or time on screen). Seth Gilliam and Ross Marquand put up great performances here and get to play against Robert Patrick to great effect! Awesome episode, listen on for our spoiler-full recap.

Daryl and Carol have some long-overdue discussions in this episode of The Walking Dead and we see how Daryl was living not his best life out in the woods for a few years after Rick’s disappearance. Also we get a sneak peak into how Daryl courts women in the zombocalypse by throwing fish at their front door from 20 feet away. Pretty sweet honestly.

Exit Humanity blew our minds this week by making its two hour runtime feel like much, much longer! Its savings graces came in the form of the beautiful locations, occasionally good cinematography and music.

It’s been a few, but we’re back this week with a recap/review of Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula. We also briefly talk over Deadlocked, which we had recorded but in the grand tradition of our podcast, we lost the audio, adding to our lengthy absence. Listen on!

This cabin-in-the-woods style zombie creature feature owes a lot to other properties, but it's still a good enough time to be worth the watch.

Wow.

It was time to watch Zombi Child on Reanimated this week. The French film is definitely not a genre zombie movie. It plays around with voodoo zombies but most of the running time is spent on the malaise of teenage girls who can’t even at their prestigious boarding school.

Alone was on the menu for Reanimated this week and the gang talked about how the American zombie film measures up against the Korean #Alive, based on the same storyline. One of these was definitely better than the other! Listen on for our hot takes.

Reanimated wrapped up the abridged Season 6A from FTWD this week and I think we’re relatively happy with where the show has gone so far this season. That doesn’t stop us from gabbing about it, however. Join us!

In the Fear episode Alaska, Reanimated comes to the conclusion that we basically like Althea whenever she stops talking about journalism.

Why does Fear the Walking Dead feel like 100% a different universe from World Beyond? Could it be as simple as YA vs grown ups? A different writers room? Whatever it is, this show is better.

Reanimated got a little ranty on the podcast this week as they suffered through the poorly thought-out season one finale for the TWD spin-off. There were some glimmers and silver linings in the shape of the character Elton, and Felix has a lot of upside, but, despite the best efforts of the cast, the story is just not carrying the show.

After a glitch that cost us another irreplaceable episode of the the podcast, Reanimated rallied and recorded a make up this fine day with three recaps of World Beyond, summarizing much of the sordid details of the saga of Tony and Percy. Follow along gentle listeners!

The Madman Across the Water tried our patience at Reanimated last week on The World Beyond. The drip-drip approach to unveiling the dramatic tension between Elton and Hope is painfully slow and seems to underscore that the show has very little to say about these characters beyond their individual traumatic background flashbacks. At the same time, the overarching plot of walking from Nebraska to New York is underplayed. The kids have walked across all of Iowa, and remain perfectly coiffed, their clothes and hair are unsoiled. This might work on typical YA audiences, but they have to know that not everyone watching this is 15.

Reanimated still has reservations about TWB. The Blaze of Gory was a lengthy distraction, but the Wrong End of the Telescope did at least play with some interesting cinematography. The characters are developing, but occasionally in a fashion that feels hamfisted. In a society that is traumatized this year, a show about kids dealing with trauma could be good, but will it be?

Jury’s still out on this show for Reanimated but first two episodes are out and we’re committed.

Perhaps there was no way for this finale to rise to the challenge of the extended delay and Reanimated’s own internal hype, but we couldn’t help but walk away from this one a little deflated. Sure, it wrapped up one big arc and replaced it with another and we appreciated that, but some notes just didn’t work as well as we would have hoped.

These two episodes were hot fire! A Strange Case and Meet Me in Daegu both explore themes of otherness and expand on this world of magic that the writers of Lovecraft Country are building block by delicious block. Fun times. Come and hang out with Reanimated while we enjoy this bubble bath of horror.

#Alive was fun. I don’t think it’s changing our lives but it feels very much of the moment and therefore it will likely stay with us longer than other films we see for a while.

This week we looked at Lovecraft Country’s A History of Violence which was a Goonies, Indiana Jones fest, but also chock full of so many other plot elements that our heads were spinning. We also dug into the big Walking Dead news that dropped this week. Holy heck!

The episode “Holy Ghost “brings Leticia Lewis into sharper focus on Lovecraft Country and actor Jurnee Smollett proves that she has great range! Leti is a complex character and this episode puts her through the wringer. It’s a lot of fun and hey, there’s ghosts, so come along for the ride!

Reanimated takes a stab at the bulbously packed second episode of Lovecraft Country. We're still into it, but there's at least 10 lbs of in this 5 lb bag.

Switching gears yet again on Reanimated when yet another emergency precluded the ability for half of the hosts to finish the book “Survivor Song” by Paul Tremblay. We’ll get to it eventually, promise!For now, Lovecraft Country is stealing our hearts.

It’s been one thing after another here at Reanimated HQ lately, so, better late than never, we present a double feature of Reality Z and Night of the Living Deb. These are the doldrums of the summer of COVID, y’all, but we’ll get to the other side. pinky sware.

This Belgian "sleaze horror" film throws everything at the wall to what will stick. The result is a bit of a mess, but if you don't think about it too hard, it can be a fun mess.

The Dead Lands continues to entertain Reanimated this week! Next episode we close the loop and we’ll see if the dead will rest in the afterlife.

Reanimated runs through the forests of New Zealand with Waka and Mehe, chasing after “the boy” - wondering all the while why this 6 ft 5 grown- man is referred to as a boy by the cast - but no matter. The show continues to entertain, although these episodes suffer from some drag.

Indian miniseries Betaal is the order of business on Reanimated this week. We've now lined Reanimated HQ with turmeric, salt and ash. Listen on for our impressions!

This was the second best Italian zombie movie ever reviewed by Reanimated. The End? had its share of problems - primary of which was the protagonist Claudio was a huge . Listen on for our impressions of The End?!

Reanimated went on a journey with the 2018 German film Endzeit (Ever After) this week. This was more thoughtful zombie fare than we’ve had lately and it definitely took a couple of turns that were unanticipated while the gorgeous cinematography took top prize.

Watching Blood Quantum was a feast for Reanimated. Great cast and amazing first act, the movie had a few hiccups along the way, but overall it was a blast for us to hang out with. Definitely a fresh take on piscine zombies.

We say “see ya later” to Kingdom, but possibly not goodbye? It sure looks like there could be a season three if the South Korean zombie show gets renewed by Netflix. Well they’ll definitely be getting the Reanimated bump, so that should help.

There were a couple of missteps in episodes 2 and 3 of S2 of Kingdom, but Reanimated isn’t altogether deterred. We can hang with a couple of overly prolonged death scenes, because we know there’s mad zombies coming. Also, there was a samurai.

It’s time for awesome hats and medieval Korean zombie action with our recap of Season 2 of Kingdom on Netflix. It took a minute to remember who all these heroes and villains are, but hot dog! what a show.

Let’s pretend “What We Become” never happened and focus on the stellar episodes 14 and 15 from this season - all we get to see for now of The Walking Dead Prime season 10, until our IRL situation is less horrible. Join Reanimated for this discussion!

It's a way better version of the Battle of Winterfell in episodes Morning Star and Walk with Me this week on Reanimated. We also get treated to some a cappella Iron Maiden which has us whistling along

Two stellar episodes in this week's Season 10 recap, along with the sad news that the season won't wrap until we emerge from the shadow of COVID19. But we still have a few tricks up our sleeves that should carry us a couple more months on Reanimated, so fear not, gentle listener!

We bid farewell to yet more doctors in the Walking Dead Universe in these episodes of The Walking Dead. We also acknowledge that watching TWD reminds us that things could be worse IRL, so join us in our ongoing recap of TWD Season 10!

Reanimated is still transmitting in the time of coronavirus. Here’s what we had to say about Negan rejecting his mini Savior and joining up with the Whisperers!

These episodes continue to document the downward spiral of Carol, the ever mounting creepiness of Alpha and lots of great scenes from the show's mainstays.

We go back to the TWD well, opening up Season 10 on the eve of the mid season premiere. A busy couple of episodes to launch the season and plenty to talk about!

There's a good reason why this film showed up with as much hype as it did. Go watch One Cut on Amazon or on Shudder and then join us for a discussion about this fascinating film from Japan.

While it’s not in the same horror league as “Dead Earth,” “The Driver” still manages to entertain once you get past the first act. Once the film settles down into a “Cargo” meets “Thelma and Louise”-style road trip movie, the Dacascoses do great work together. Taken together, these two are part of a cool continuum and Reanimated looks forward to more zombie fare from Wych Kaosayananda.

Our first Thai zombie movie is a steamy slow burn for Reanimated this week. The pros of great attention to zombie survival details are diminished slightly by the choice of set, but the production turns around a fun zombie flick nonetheless.

Reanimated packs up ZOMBOAT! into the canalbarge and bids it bon voyage down river towards whatever fate lies in in or well before Milton Keynes.

Reanimated boards the ZOMBOAT! for some hilarious hi-jinks and the right kinds of fan service.

The season ends with both a bang and then a whimper after Alpha strikes and the heroes are left picking up the pieces.

Chokepoint and Scars are two very enjoyable episodes that bring us closer to the nutso finale of the season. Strap in!

Ryan Hurst's Beta shows up in this episode and scares the bejeesus out of everybody.

Samantha Morton makes her debut as Alpha in this pair of episodes that plunge us further into the new big bad faction of the Walking Dead.

A solid outing from Season 9 lets us get to know the 'new guys' and takes us in for a closer look at the Whisperers.

The Walking Dead makes some big changes in these two episodes, setting the groundwork for some good story telling.

Season 9 continues as just the ticket to reinvigorate the flagging confidence after Fear the Walking Dead. Angela Kang is changing up the pacing of the meta season story arc and while it can seem accelerated, overall it’s still a good thing.

It’s good to be back in a well-made season of TWD, putting Fear S5 behind us and the endless war between Rick and the Saviors. But it’s not all rainbows and puppers for the gang. Join us on Reanimated as we delve into Season 9.

Survivor Man meets Blair Witch meets zombies. This movie is based on a good recipe and does its darndest, but can quite make it work.

A successful zombie comedy! Though it will not replace Shaun of the Dead in H.A.'s heart, it tickles Reanimated in almost all the right places.

Virginia and her cowboys remain a large unknown, but not in a cool, mysterious way. More in a "we haven't bothered to flesh them out yet" way. Next season is set up to be a long slog with the giant, bloated cast split up in separate camps. Morgan might be dead. I wish he was dead, but the show lacked the balls to finish him off and might swoop in.

Morgan and his group are now the most heavily armed pacifists since Switzerland.

Despite the addition of a couple of new characters with good performances and possibly interesting backstories, these two episodes are stinkers. The cast is definitely feeling bloated, the stakes are feeling too low and what drama there is is feeling manufactured. Only a handful of episodes remain to turn the season around.

A seriously disappointing start to the midseason with the showrunners doubling down on Al's camera fixation to help tell a ridiculous story of a guy who puts landmines all around his house, but never tells his family where they are. Also, Morgan and Grace are going to be a thing, but first we'll have to suffer through Morgan getting over his wife and child being dead since season 1 of TWD. Not to suggest that such a loss would be easy, ever, but Morgan has literally seen and been a part of the deaths of like 300 living people by this point on the story, so...

In truth, the less said about Dead Trigger, the direct to VOD Doplh Lundgren zombie flick, the better. However, Reanimated couldn’t leave well enough alone and waded in. Don’t be like us.

FTWD Season 5A wrapped up a week back and Reanimated is pretty ok with how things are working out. Sure the show still suffers from 500% too much walkie talkie and these last two episodes also tended to allow blubbery dialog to take priority over a nuclear meltdown, but hey, at least they’re going to totally deal with the radioactive threat without pulling any punches! … Oh… wait, mm hmm, ok, I’m being told that they seem to be totally downplaying elements of the radioactive threat including Alicia drinking radioactive zombie blood and Morgan’s tainted stick. Whatever!

Al finds her soulmate, and maybe learns to stop filming everything (cross your fingers). Then the gang decides to build an airplane, because you know, they can!

Reanimated says Bah Humbug to some over the top elements in these two episodes but we're still here for FTWD.

FTWD launches this season with a new mission, some determined heroes, big set pieces and still some characters determined to make poor decisions.

Planet Terror