Recap: Day of the Dead Ep. 4 shows just how hard it is to convince people zombies are coming to kill them

After everything we've been through as a species, in the last few years alone, why is it still so hard for people to accept that zombies could be a thing? A thing that wants to eat you alive?

The fictional characters of Mawinhaken are no less incredulous with respect to the presence of hungry zombies in their quaint town, despite the heroic and repeated efforts of a few youths. For them, seeing is believing, and they won't even entertain the notion unless they get a good look at one of those "mythical" creatures.

Unfortunately for them, very rarely does one catch a glimpse of a zombie in the wild without it also trying to hunt you down shortly thereafter.

**SPOILER WARNING! Spoilers ahead for Day of the Dead Season 1, Episode 4, "Forest of the Damned."**

When we last left Luke (Daniel Doheny), Trent (Trezzo Mahoro) had just abandoned him in search of this alleged party, and a zombie has taken his place in search of Luke's flesh. And maybe some condiments. Luke whips out some martial arts skills to repel the zombie at least temporarily while he can find Trent and get the heck out of the forest.

At last, an elated Trent has found the party, but it resembles more a crime scene than an illicit bacchanal: Zombies have massacred the teens, leaving their half-eaten corpses strewn in a clearing (the beer, sadly, untouched). Trent, who hasn't yet witnessed a zombie with his own eyes, believes a particularly ravenous bear has laid waste to his friends, and freezes with fright.

Incidentally, not moving is one of the ways to avoid altercations with bears; unfortunately for Trent, we're not dealing with bears, we're dealing with zombies, and it's time to fight or take flight.

Meanwhile, back in town, Jai (Dejan Loyola) still has a wedding to crash — his own. Lauren (Natalie Malaika) gives him a ride, and drops Cam (Keenan Tracey) off at the police station so that he can look for his father. McDermott (Mike Dopud) hasn't answered any of his son's texts the whole day, and their strained relationship notwithstanding, Cam is getting a bit worried.

Inside, Cam finds the still-Mayor Bowman (Miranda Frigon) digging into Captain Pike (Marci T. House) for her perceived lack of police presence in Mawinhaken given the inexplicable uptick in violent crime. Pike pushes back: If Bowman hadn't cut her budget, there would be more boys in blue posted on the streets. Is this really the time to discuss balancing the books?

Cam proves himself to be the only voice of reason in the room when he, quite correctly, announces that there are zombies in Mawinhaken. Of course, such a proclamation is an offense to logic, and Bowman and Pike (both with great track records of sticking to their scruples, right...?) laugh Cam out of the room. Helpless to convince them, Cam sequesters himself in his father's office, looking for clues as to his whereabouts.

Only after he leaves do the Sheriff and Mayor Bowman realize the magnitude of the problem they're dealing with, as every officer has disappeared from their beat.

Out in the forest, Luke finally finds Trent, who shows the former the horrible scene. Luke explains this is the handiwork of a whole mess of zombies. Trent is dubious, questions Luke's sobriety, and scorns what he thinks is Luke's macabre sense of humor. That is until the zombies descend on them, and Trey bolts, leaving Luke to fend for himself.

Jai has finally arrived at the Mawinhaken golf club, greeted by his arch-nemesis and wife's ex-boyfriend/man of honor Sean. Sean is producing an unhealthy surplus of testosterone as his baseline, and this being Amy's (Kristy Dawn Dismore) big day, he's practically transformed into a raging bull. His target? Jai.

As soon as he's through the doors, Jai tries to explain his absence is because of... the zombies. If they stay at the golf course, he reiterates, they're sitting ducks; the wedding can't go through. The only effect all this has is to cause Sean's veins to bulge even more than they already were, and the latter stuffs Jai inside a work closet with his tuxedo, promising to not let him out until he's changed and ready to go.

Left with few options, Jai throws on his tux, and Sean opens the door. Once out of the closet, he doubles down on the zombie story, albeit in better attire. Amy and Herb are appalled at what they think is Jai's ambivalence toward the marriage, his lapse in sanity, or both. Amy's response is especially visceral, and she starts to upchuck, while Herb laments the waste of $50,000 and makes a beeline for the open bar.

Little does he know that just feet away, the zombies have taken over the photo booth and are snapping some selfies with their appetizers — the guests.