Time to break down who survived the mini zombie apocalypse between the cartel, the military, and the bystanders caught in this mess.
In the midst of a zombie apocalypse, it begins to be tough to decipher who exactly is living, who is dead, and who is somewhere in the middle as an undead, barely feeling machine. In Amazon’s newest series, S.O.Z. Soldados o Zombies, it becomes important to differentiate these three groups of people, as everyone starts the series alive and well.
Who died and who survived in S.O.Z. Soldados o Zombies season 1?
Following a swirling circle of military personnel, drug cartels, prisoners, prison guards, and a few other random bystanders, the series depicts a zombie outbreak stemming from U.S. experiments on pigs, who then turn into killer pigs, who then start turning humans into killer humans. Let’s start the process with those that have sadly left this world and aren’t returning as a mutated zombie.
Dead and staying dead
Though small in size, this might be the most coveted group of people, those that aren’t killing or waiting to be killed. Some zombies fall into this group, those that were dispatched by Marroquín (Sergio Peris-Mencheta), his bodyguards, or the U.S. military. A few bystanders fall into this category as well, including the alcoholic priest that picks up journalist Lilia Acal Prado (Fátima Molina) after her car breaks down. Some immigrants attempting to cross the border had quite unfortunate timing and fell into this mess, dying in the process.
In terms of more central characters, Perro sticks at the top of the mind. Marroquín’s most loyal friend, and guardian of his son while the cartel leader was in prison, Perro was bitten while saving the child, turning into a monster, as everyone called him. He was chained to a playground set and couldn’t snap out of the mutation. And so, he was killed by the person who loved him the most, Marroquín’s nine-year-old, a kid with more guts and intensity than most children put together.
Dead but still alive
The overwhelming majority of Mexican guards that held Marroquín in prison are now zombies, including the two leaders (and lovers) of the pack. Dozens of pigs have become undead. A few soldiers continue to live the undead lifestyle, with more joining their ranks with each episode, and then some immigrants crossing the border into New Mexico, including a pregnant woman, have joined the undead army.
Alive but wished they were dead
Marroquín’s ally, the prison warden, has been taken into airport custody after sexually harassing Lilia. He is likely going to be killed by Marroquín or by the Prophet, another cartel consistently mentioned as Marroquín’s enemies. One of Marroquín’s guards was stuck in the house with an injury, and he likely will bite the dust before the zombies get to him. Then the military general, who green-lit the project that led to killer pigs and mutated persons, can’t be too happy about surviving this whole predicament.
Alive and really want to stay alive
Everyone else, including Marroquín (though he’s been bitten by a zombie), his son, Lilia, DEA Agent Joel Taft, Marroquín’s brother who escaped prison, the rapidly annoying scientist, a few of Marroquín’s men, and several soldiers who didn’t have the wits to kill half-wit zombies.
If season two happens, don’t expect all of these people to stay alive. They’re hanging on by a thread.
And that’s it folks, a breakdown of who died and who survived in Amazon’s S.O.Z. Soldados o Zombies season 1. What are you thought’s on the series? Comment below.
Sorry to be persnickety, but as the co-creator and head writer of the series, you got a few things wrong, or not quite right. And to be fair, we left a number of details intentionally unclarified, in the hopes of jump-starting a few brain cells and conversations among hardcore fans. First, though the series calls them ‘Zombies’, our ‘zombies’ are not living dead or walking dead – because, technically, in the initial biochemical process of change which alters them, almost none of them actually die. They do however transform into a new species – with altered biochemistry, altered neurology, altered brain structure and at least one significant new organ. (Part of the scientific underpinnings for exactly how and why this happens comes from the work of Lamarck, the French biologist who was Charles Darwin’s greatest rival, a few centuries ago; and part is due to Dr. Snowman’s twistedly brilliant concept of synthesizing army ant DNA into his transformative formula, where it all starts.)
Also, to be very clear, the military force that pursues the escaped Marroquín through subterranean tunnels, and which (caution: spoiler follows) undergo a deadly biochemical transformation into a new humanoid species, are NOT Prison Guards: they are in fact a deadly elite military SWAT force of Mexican police, whose initial task is to enter the prison, and transport the prisoner (Marroquín) to the border where they will hand him over to the DEA Agents who have come (to transport him to a U.S. Federal Prison). As such, they are definitely not prison guards; they are actual an elite military force, the equivalent of modern Samurai or possibly ninjas.
Also (caution: more spoilers follow) the actual way or ways in which this deadly new ‘zombie’ species can be killed, are both multiple and complex. During their transformation, they grow a 2nd heart (a byproduct of their new insect DNA, since most ants have multiple hearts or ‘pumping organs’); as a result, as we see a number of times, shooting a zombie through its heart will not necessarily kill them – it merely temporarily renders them out of commission until such time as their 2nd heart takes over. Our zombies are not immortal by any means but they can survive injuries which would stop or kill ordinary humans. Similarly, as in Perro’s case, relatively large portions of their skulls and brains can get blown away without either affecting or slowing them down. Scientifically, this has to do with the so-called reptilian brain or brain stem, at the heart of the human brain; since zombies ‘work’ differently neurologically speaking, and are driven or controlled literally by different instincts as well as different parts of their brains, they can, like Perro, survive wounds which would definitely kill a human. Side note: with their altered insect DNA, our zombies also possess a ‘hive mind’, with different ways of both communicating, and receiving orders from their leaders.
Most of the zombie vs human fun stuff – aka the carnage – aka 1000 and 1 different ways in which this new so-called ‘Zombie’ species can be ‘killed’ – happen in the final apocalyptic Episode 8. But paying careful attention to which zombies get killed – or how it happens – may hold more than a few clues as to whether or not the apparently dead ones…really have been killed. Ditto for a number of humans who seem to get killed during the final zombie attack. As many attentive viewers and fans will have noticed, our newer generation new-species of ‘zombies’ are neither slow-moving, nor driven by a need to eat humans or specifically eat their brains. Rather, operating as humanoid army ants, their instincts impel them to attack and neutralize any humans they meet – but not always to kill them, and almost never to ‘eat’ them. After subduing human enemies, most Zombies will not kill them – but rather, will allow the wounded – aka the newly infected – to ‘change’ and thus to join the growing ranks of what is literally their new army. However, when faced with aggressive humans who are actively trying to kill them – as happens in our final action-packed Episode – the Zombies modus operandi or military instincts change – and at this point, they are actually trying not merely to subdue their enemies, but to outright kill them.
When you factor in all of the preceding and spend some time thinking about it, you should realize that, possibly, some of the apparently ‘dead’ – both humans and zombies – from the final apocalyptic battle, may in fact have some life left in them, and more than one originally supposed. A lot of scientific advice and consultation, from serious biochemists in University research labs, helped us come up with most of this; and in the event that Amazon decides to commission a 2nd season, I can guarantee you that the complex questions – of just how and why our new species of ‘zombies’ either lives or dies – will be further explored, in entertaining and twisted detail.