| Puppies and Kittens | |
| Season 1, Episode 1 | |
 | |
| Air date | September 12, 2014 |
| Written by | Karl Schaefer |
| Directed by | John Hyams |
| U.S. Viewers | 1.58 million |
| Episode Guide | |
| previous - - |
next "Fracking Zombies" |
"Puppies and Kittens" is the first and premiere episode in Season 1 of Z Nation. It first aired in the United States on September 12, 2014.
Plot Synopsis[]
The President is dead; the ZN1 virus has taken over the earth, and is being called an “extinction-level” event. Lt. Mark Hammond, a Delta Force soldier, is rushing to rescue the last doctor working to create a vaccine for the virus, just as new orders come that everyone is evacuating to California. An NSA operative named Simon "Citizen Z" Cruller helps get the chopper to his location.
As Hammond arrives in the doctor’s office, he finds three prisoners being infected with a strain of the zombie vaccine. It doesn’t work for the first two, and they’re killed, but just as they test the virus on the last prisoner, confusion ensues as the zombies attack. Hammond evacuates the Doctor and puts her on the chopper, just as he goes back for the last prisoner. Meanwhile, Citizen Z gets left behind at the Northern Lights listening post.
One year later, in upstate New York, we join the funeral of an dying elderly woman named Sophia "Nana" Grizwald. Roberta Warren, a US National Guardswoman does the honors and puts her out of her misery. She receives a call that two men are arriving by boat. She joins fellow guardsman Charles Garnett and the two wait for the men in the boat to roll up to shore. The two men are revealed to be Hammond and Murphy, the last prisoner with him, now identified as the “last best chance to save humanity.” Back at the Northern Lights station, Citizen Z is conversing with a recording of his girlfriend Daisy. A call comes in – the government needs to know where Hammond and Murphy are and “Operation Bite-Mark” is a failure. Meanwhile, Roberta and Charles decide to help get Hammond and Murphy to the Tappan Zee Bridge.
And now we meet Addison "Addy" Carver, Mack Thompson and Steven "Doc" Beck, three survivors who are getting some ammunition tips from two peddlers named Skeezy and Sketchy. Addy decides on an aluminum bat with spikes in it while Doc trades with aspirin and oxycontin. They’re attacked by four zombies and kill them before moving on back to Camp Blue Sky.
While at the camp, two other survivors, Redburn and Donner are out patrolling when they discover several zombies resting ashore and hundreds more floating in the water. The zombies are only pretending to be dead and rush the camp. Roberta and Charles are worried when they call back to camp and can't make contact. Mark then decides to tell them why Murphy is important, and show them the zombie bites on Murphy. Doc turns up on the radio and realizes that Camp Blue Sky has been over-run by zombies. While Addy, Mack and Doc flee for their lives, Mark, Roberta, Charles and Murphy come back for them.
The team pulls up to the rendezvous station outside a high school, and learn that everyone’s been over-run by zombies. They then discover a baby inside of a damaged car.
The survivors also save Cassandra, a Cambodian American survivor who has been locked in a cage hiding from zombies for two days. She tells the team that the school was overpopulated with survivors and then zombies attacked. The team decides that they’ll take the baby to the next outpost, and raid the place for supplies. Meanwhile, a sniper is seen watching them. The sniper then saves Doc’s life from the roof after he gets attacked by a zombie. Then a ton of zombies attack. During the attack the baby dies, for unknown reasons. Hammond goes in to find the baby and kill it, while the rest of the team debate leaving the infant in there for good.
When Hammond finds the reanimated baby, he is attacked by both the infant and the mother, who begin to eat him. The team shoots the mulitated Delta Force operative, as well as the undead mother and baby. Charles Garnett then takes over as the group's leader. The team stands around the high school parking lot considering what to do, and while they’re doing so, Citizen Z interrupts them, making contact. He learns that Hammond is dead, and asks if the package is safe. Since Charles Garnett is in charge now, Citizen Z brings them up to speed on Operation Bite-mark, which is getting Murphy alive to California. Charles decides that they’re on board, and they stop on the way out of the high school to pick up 10K, the sharpshooter who saved Doc. While driving off, Murphy pulls a tooth out of his head.
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
- Kellita Smith as Roberta
- DJ Qualls as Citizen Z
- Michael Welch as Mack
- Keith Allan as Murphy
- Anastasia Baranova as Addy
- Russell Hodgkinson as Doc
- Pisay Pao as Cassandra
- Nat Zang as 10K
- Tom Everett Scott as Charles
- Harold Perrineau as Mark Hammond
Co-Stars[]
- Scott Roddan as Donner
- Lisa Coronado as Dr. Merch
- Lowell Deo as Redburn
- Phil Andrade as Tattooed Skinhead Prisoner
- Jacqueline S. Davis as Sophia Grizwald
- Ben Andrews as Lieutenant
- Sali Sayler as Daisy
- Doug Dawson as Skeezy
- Mark Carr as Sketchy
- James A. Smith as Red Hanson
- Art Hickman as Little Brother
- John Daniels as Middle Brother
- Keith Cox as Older Brother
- Len Levitt as Puppeteer
Uncredited[]
- Daniel Locicero as Valdez
- Lucas Rick O'Brien as Prisoner Zombie
- Brian Richardson as Zombie
Deaths[]
- Tattooed Skinhead Prisoner (Alive and Zombified)
- One Unnamed Prisoner (Alive and Zombified)
- Valdez (Alive and Zombified)
- One Unnamed Male Nurse
- Lieutenant (Alive)
- Hernandez (Alive)
- Unnamed Northern Lights Members
- Sophia Grizwald
- Red Hanson (Zombified)
- Little Brother (Zombified)
- Middle Brother (Zombified)
- Older Brother (Zombified)
- Unnamed Sky Blue Residents
- Donner
- Redburn
- Unnamed Upstate New York survivor group members
- One Unnamed Baby (Alive and Zombified)
- Mark Hammond
Notes[]
- First appearance of Mark Hammond.
- Last appearance Alive.
- This is the first main character to die.
- First appearance of Simon Cruller.
- First (and last) appearance of Lieutenant.
- First appearance of Marilyn Merch.
- First appearance of Alvin Murphy.
- First (and last) appearance of Sophia Grizwald.
- First appearance of Roberta Warren.
- First appearance of Charles Garnett.
- First appearance of Daisy.
- First appearance of Addison Carver.
- First appearance of Mack Thompson.
- First appearance of Sketchy.
- First appearance of Skeezy.
- First appearance of Doc.
- First appearance of 10K.
- First appearance of Cassandra.
- First (and last) appearance of Hernandez.
- First (and last) appearance of Donner.
- First (and last) appearance of Redburn.
- First (and last) appearance of Daisy.
- First (and last) appearance of Raymond Valdez.
- First (and last) appearance of Tattooed Skinhead Prisoner.
- First (and last) appearance of Red Hanson.
- First (and last) mention of Donna.
- First (and last) mention of Marion.
- First mention that the president is dead, Bill Carney. He will appear for the first time in "Mt. Weather".
- Lindsay Barton was the last president to sign that Murphy has been selected for exposure to an experimental substance.
- Z Nation premiered to 1.58 million viewers![1]
- This is also the episode with the most deaths out of all the episodes of Season One.
- When Murphy and Mark Hammond arrive to the safe camp, they tell them an 'ex-cop and some others taking shelter in a prison' told them about the camp. This is likely a reference to a similar show titled 'The Walking Dead'.
Memorable Quotes[]
"God I hate moral dilemmas!" Mark Hammond
"I didn't tell Hammond go get eaten by a baby." Charles Garrnet
Image Gallery[]
Videos[]
