'Reality Z' Season 2: What are the odds for Netflix's first-ever Brazilian zombie horror's renewal?
Spoilers for Season 1
The ending of Netflix's Brazilian zombie thriller 'Reality Z' is a little abrupt but does more for the series than any of its previous ten 30-minute long episodes do. Based on Charlie Brooker's 'Dead Set', the story's first five episodes cover the original plot of reality TV cast and crew seeking refuge in the show's studio amid a sudden zombie outbreak.
The setting is in Rio, Brazil, and sees the same arc as 'Dead Set' until other survivors arrive at the refuge once zombies kill all the reality TV people. Thus the story turns into one of power, politics, and manipulation as a Congressman starts killing people under the name of making allies through sacrifices. In the end, one of the surviving inmates, Teresa, presses a hidden button to open the shutters of the building and let the zombies in. It's a pretty cold cut case in the end, but then there's a glimpse at the aftermath and something tells us that's the backdrop for a second season.
Creator Claudio Torres has already said at the Rio Creative Conference's Primetime panel in 2019: "My challenge was to turn a five-part anthology miniseries into a series that can unfold into many seasons without losing the spirit, humor and social critique that [Brooker] conceived in the original 'Dead Set'." Let's add to that the teasing end scene where we see some of the inmates as zombies, and pretty much thriving.
Barbara is her usual beauty conscious self, adoring her looks in the mirror with her lifeless grey eyes matching the blood gurgling out of her mouth. Cristina (Julia Ianina) has clearly taken the reigns following the demise of their resident leader who was trying to play God — Congressman Alberto Levy (Emílio de Mello.) We don't see any of the other characters in their zombie form, and clearly the group of previous inmates have been eliminated even in their zombie forms.
But it's ironic that Barbara and Cristina should be the ones to run the place after their subtle catfight over Robston, whom Levy 'sacrificed'. We saw Cristina avenging her lover's murder by slashing Levy's throat, so if there are other survivors to plague their safety nest, be it politicians, or prisoners at large — she is withstanding it all.
At the same time, given the current climate (talk about impeccable timing for a zombie outbreak horror) it doesn't look like Season 2 will be coming any time soon. Plus with Teresa's preachy message asking whoever finds her phone to be more human than they were, Season 1 looks very conclusive. Still, it doesn't hurt to dream that Torres would return with an all-zombie flick. His original twist in the tale is way more interesting than the first half that copies Brooker's original, and knowing his twists, the concept of a zombie dominance doesn't seem too far!
All 10 episodes of 'Reality Z' are available from June 10 only on Netflix.
