Welcome Back Undead Science Fiction Thriller Fans,
Our grade for the third episode continues to be a Straight “A” for sheer entertainment value.
Even more fun was realized this past Friday when the official SYFY Twitter account interacted with “Day of the Dead” admirers during “The Grey Mile”, delighting the fans with retweet’s and comments as the Zombie action unfolded on our screens!
Thanks SYFY!
The fun new science fiction thriller on SYFY in the United States and CTVSciFi in Canada continues to enthrall the viewers with its campy look and feel in a tribute to iconic George A. Romero, creator of the “Living Dead” series of films.
“Day of the Dead” is a very enjoyable science fiction thriller series that features a large number of puns and comedic one liner’s that make viewing the show each week a pleasure with its fast paced action and exciting sequences.
“Day of the Dead” stars Keenan Tracey as Cam McDermott, Daniel Doheny as Luke Bowman, Natalie Malaika as Lauren Howell, Morgan Holmstrom as Sarah Blackwood, Kristy Dawn Dinsmore as Amy, Miranda Frigon as pistol packing Zombie hunter Mayor Paula Bowman, Mike Dopud as Detective McDermott, Dejan Loyola as Jai Fisher, Marci T. House as Captain Pike, Kevin O’Grady as Rhodes the corrupt corporate foreman at the fracking facility, Jay Brazeau as mayoral candidate Pops Parker, Matty Finochio as Bobby Hart, Trezzo Mahoro as Trent, Christopher Russell as the adulterous Trey Bowman, Caitlin Stryker as Nicole, Trey’s adulterous lover and Mayor Bowman’s campaign manager, Lucia Walters as Doctor Logan, and Stefanie von Pfetten as Cindy who is coming up beginning in the fifth episode “Til the Dead Do Us Part”.
This week the series spotlight focus is on a superb guest star, Paula Shaw as Mrs. French, who has appeared briefly in the first three episodes.
In “The Grey Mile” episode, Mrs. French, a favorite patient of Jai, is front and center in the action as she sacrifices all to help save the fictional town of Mawinhaken, Pennsylvania from the Zombie Apocalypse by literally blasting a bunch of the foul creatures to smithereens!
“Day Of The Dead” was created by Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas. The series features dynamic directing by entertainment industry veterans Steven Kostanski, Jem Garrard, and Jacquie Gould.
If you are not watching “Day of the Dead”, we suggest a mini binge watch to catch up. You can watch the episodes for free at SYFY in the United States, and on CTVSciFi in Canada. Additionally, the first two episodes are available free from SYFY on their YouTube channel!
Before beginning our review analysis for the latest episode, we include below for your enjoyment an updated official preview from the great team at SYFY.
The Grey Mile:
The episode was jointly written by Jared Rivet and J. Wilder Konschak with direction provided by Steven Kostanski.
We find a nice beginning to “The Grey Mile” with a pan and scan of the beautiful fictional town of Mawinhaken, Pennsylvania, before many citizens are even aware that a Zombie Apocalypse is about to tear their cozy little city apart.
The episode opens at The Grey Mile Retirement Home after we look at the front page of a local newspaper regarding the mayoral race with the headline in a news stand proclaiming “Meet The Mayoral Candidates”.
The Grey Mile Retirement Home is also the official polling place for the election where all hell is about to break loose!
Mayor Bowman, Trey and Nicole are freaking out about smuggling a dead body from “The Grey Mile”, who Trey accidentally shot in last week’s episode.
Their mission is to get the dead body out of the retirement home before Pops Parker can find out. Discovery of the incident could ruin Mayor Bowman’s chances for reelection.
Trey is seemingly relieved to find out that that the man he shot appears to not be dead. Surprise Trey, no need to smuggle out the body, the victim has become Zombie Zero (Nikolai Witschl) snacking on a human leg from one of many victims Zombie Zero slaughtered at “The Grey Mile”!
Nicole and Trey think Mayor Bowman has lost it when she proclaims she can be a hero, perhaps even governor by killing Zombie Zero and saving the town just as a television advertisement is broadcast with the mayor stating “I’m Paula Bowman and I approve of this message”!
Next we are with Cam and Lauren who hit Jai with Lauren’s hearse after he was being chased by a Zombie near the mortuary. Running on to the road like a mad man, Jai is found unconscious in the back of the hearse.
Having been saved by Cam and Lauren, Jai recounts his experience with witnessing the Zombie eating people while trying to call his fiancée Amy. No luck. Jai gets voicemail and the three heroes proceed to the retirement home where a protest against Mayor Bowman is underway.
No worries Jai, you are safe with Cam and Lauren for the time being. Lauren shares that she has been bitten by a Zombie but is afraid to go to the hospital. Jai suggests that they go to the infirmary clinic at The Grey Mile Retirement Home, unaware that one of the Zombie’s have just massacred many of the elderly residents.
The scene switches to Sarah who is escaping the fracking facility subsequent to being punched out and tied up by the butthead corporate foreman Rhodes.
As we learned previously, Rhodes is trying to cover up the discovery of corpses in a fracking cave fearing that it will lead to an investigation of the facilities that could shut down the operation.
Sarah’s car develops a flat tire. Closer inspection reveals that the tire has been slashed by Rhodes. As she is examining the tire, corrupt foreman Rhodes opens fire with a high powered hunting rifle who is screaming at Sarah “God you’re a pain in my ass”.
Sarah takes cover, setting a trip wire then later circles back to her car where she too has a high powered hunting rifle in the trunk of the vehicle. Sarah sets off to do some hunting of her own in self defense.
Sarah’s target? You guessed it, corrupt corporate stooge, Rhodes!
Back to the retirement home where Nicole is pressuring Mayor Bowman to reveal the secret that Pops Parker is blackmailing her about the facts regarding her son Luke.
Mayor Bowman tells Nicole that Luke is not Trey’s son and that Trey doesn’t know about it. Obviously, our pistol packing Paula has been having an affair herself.
As the three are looking for a way to avoid Zombie Zero, Trey disappears. Trey pops out of a corridor and scares Nicole and Mayor Bowman to death causing Paula to drop her gun. Nefarious Nicole picks it up but removes the cartridge clip.
Way to go Nicole, you idiot! The three of you are going to need that loaded gun in a few minutes!
Sure enough, Zombie Zero attacks, making Nicole one of their own as Trey and Mayor Bowman flee for their lives after skewering Zombie Zero with a flagpole immobilizing the foul beast to save Trey after bullets prove to be ineffective against the Zombies!
Segue to Detective McDermott who has been locked in his hospital room by Doctor Logan. Logan is examining a finger that McDermott had bitten off during his encounter with the Zombies in the cave at the fracking facility.
McDermott is shocked by the loss of his finger, and appears to be in the early stages of turning into a Zombie after finding a Zombie tooth embedded in what is left of his finger. No doubt this is the source of the contagion in his bloodstream that turns McDermott into a Zombie as we observed in the Pilot episode.
Logan is even more shocked when she discovers that McDermott’s finger is still alive, wiggling under her microscope!
Things are getting worse by the minute in Mawinhaken!
We move to Jai, Cam and Lauren at the retirement home infirmary clinic treating Lauren for her Zombie bite. They find Mrs. French who is hiding with a breathing apparatus and an oxygen cylinder that will come in handy a bit later.
Mrs. French quips “I was having a little trouble catching my breath” … “After I had a cigarette”.
After Jai scolds Mrs. French for smoking, she follows up by telling Jai, “I’m dying (from cancer) kid, if I gotta go, I’m gonna go out enjoying myself”.
Lauren offers Mrs. French another cigarette which Jai forbids.
Another fun line by Mrs. French erupts; “Buzzkill” to Jai as she steals a few more cigarettes while Jai isn’t looking because he is finishing stitching up Lauren’s Zombie bites after disinfecting the wounds.
Outside the retirement home, the Zombies are multiplying rapidly making new members of the Undead that is fast becoming an apocalypse!
Inside The Grey Mile Retirement Home, Zombie Zero has infected and turned more victims into the Undead Zombies that will soon threaten Jai, Cam, Lauren and Mrs. French along with those that already exist within the retirement home.
The episode winds down with Doctor Logan and her assistant named Miller investigating why and how McDermott’s finger reanimated while he was at the fracking cave.
Doctor Logan finds dead people, soon to come back to life as Zombies with the floor bubbling up in a very odd fashion. The Zombie Apocalypse must be caused by fracking folks!
Unfortunately, one of the Undead comes to life as a Zombie attacking Miller who without doubt will become one of the Undead as well.
Although the scene cuts away, it certainly looks as though Doctor Logan may become trapped too, ultimately joining the growing Zombie Apocalypse!
The final scenes are quite enjoyable and help us understand how we may be able to defeat the Zombie Apocalypse in the future of the “Day of the Dead”.
Our heroes, Jai, Lauren, and Cam, with the help of the savvy Mrs. French, plan to lure the Zombies that are infesting The Grey Mile Retirement Home into a trap and blast them to bits!
Mrs. French explains to Jai, Lauren and Cam that once the fire alarms are tripped on, it will automatically lock all the doors in The Grey Mile Retirement Home facilities.
What Mrs. French does not explain is that she plans to use her own oxygen cylinder as an explosive device once the Zombies are trapped in the room, with herself as the detonator!
Next, at the exit door that Jai, Cam and Lauren have gone through safely, Mrs. French breaks off the valve on her oxygen tank to execute her plan to fill the room with the explosive gas.
Mrs. French, then locks herself inside the room with the Zombies while Jai screams at her to come outside to safety.
As the open oxygen tank floods the room with the explosive gas, Mrs. French is heard saying “I’ll be dead in six months, at least this way I can make a difference”.
Pulling out the last cigarette she’ll ever try to smoke, Mrs. French last laugh line is when she tells the Zombies:
“You can kiss my saggy ass!”, then uses her lighter to ignite the flammable oxygen, and KABOOM the entire room is vaporized! Bye bye to many of the Zombies. Only many hundreds to go folks!
Jai, outside safely with Lauren and Cam, is in tears as he realizes that his favorite patient has sacrificed herself so that they could escape the Zombies.
Rest In Peace Mrs. French!
The final sequence takes us to Trent and Luke at the lake who have been planning a kegger party with friends.
Paula has already told Trey to go get them and return home ASAP. This may never happen since we find Luke alone surrounded by Zombies!
In closing for now, we at Team WHR look forward to tweeting with you next Friday during the fabulous “Forest of the Damned” episode!
We leave you with a fun video from SYFY about the fun of making “Big Kills” while filming special effects during “Day of the Dead”.
Thanks again SYFY!
We will be back in the near future with more of your favorite television series and movie analysis. In the meantime, please feel free to share this article with your friends, co-workers and or family and leave your comments! We look forward to you visiting our dedicated review and analysis web site here in the future! Or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit WHR on Twitter, or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story. I and TeamWHR look forward to Seeing You on The Other Side!“
Thank you. 
Best Regards,
Kenn of #TeamWHR
