Episode Recap: Zombie Fun Run

Things just keep getting worse and worse for the beleaguered cast and crew of Thr33 Days Dead, and it doesn't get any better in the latest installment of Town of the Living Dead.

In the closing moments of the last episode, the crew set fire to a barn (accidentally) after setting fire to Chase (on purpose). Now Tina and the gang have discovered that after the barn burning, the production is flat broke. Tina informs the crew that they're "sitting on 36 cents of fortune with 16 scenes left to finish the film" and asks them to brainstorm ways to raise cash. Bryan suggests a Zombie Bikini Car Wash, which is instantly rejected. Catie, Tina's daughter, pitches a Zombie Fun Run.

In the next scene, we get a glimpse into the life of Chase, one of the movie's supporting actors. Outside of his work on the zombie movie, Chase works as a photographer specializing in cosplayers (those ultra-fans in costume you see at comic conventions and the like). These moments are my favorites in the series - it's fascinating to see how the crew makes ends meet in Jasper.

Chase reveals that when he's editing photos for work, he tends to eat a lot and now wants to lose weight. His proposed weight-loss method? Enrolling in a karate class with Master Ferrell, the elderly kung fu sensei from a previous episode. After a quick interview with his new pupil, Master Ferrell informs Chase that he'll need to start in the little kids' class. The Master has spoken.

Across town, Tina tries to convince Jasper's mayor, Sonny Posey, to let them use all of downtown on a Sunday to host their Zombie Fun Run. She brings him some delicious chicken and that seals the deal and he allows the fundraising event.

In the episode's funniest scene, we check in on Chase's progress in Master Ferrell's karate class, where the young actor/photographer is suited up in his kung fu gear and mixed in with kids half his age. To gauge Chase's skill level, Master Ferrell brings him in front of the class and proceeds to kick the crap out of him. "When I'm done with Chase, he'll be anywhere from 50 to 100 pounds lighter," Master Ferrell predicts. One of Chase's classmates says that if Chase were a Ninja Turtle, he'd be Michaelangelo because it looks like he really likes pizza. (Did Mikey like pizza even more than the other Turtles? TMNT fans, weigh in!)

With the Zombie Fun Run all set to happen, Tina goes to a local radio station to promote the event. Many of the callers don't like the idea of zombies, even make-believe ones, invading downtown on a Sunday. "I don't wanna come back from church and see a bunch of dead people running around," one of the callers complains. Tina counters by saying the Bible actually kinda mentions zombies and that Christ was, in a way, the first zombie. This doesn't go over so well.

The day of the Zombie Fun Run finally arrives and there's a strong turnout of locals participating in the event. The race actually looks like a lot of fun – runners have to complete the 5K course without being overrun by zombies. Laura, Tina's assistant, directs car traffic around the race, but midway through she needs to use the restroom and has the notoriously dumb Ben Farley stand in for her. Ben Farley acts like a goon and directs a pickup truck right into one of Jasper's beloved mule sculptures. The cops show up and threaten to arrest Ben Farley when he dares to drag the wounded beast to the sidewalk.

The next day, things have seemingly calmed down, though Tina takes the crew far from downtown so as not to cause any more disruptions. They go to a lake to shoot a scene in which Chase has to wear nothing but tighty-whities, which allows him to show off his new and improved body, courtesy of his working out with Master Ferrell. Spoiler alert: his body looks no different. At all.

While the crew is shooting the scene with Bryan and Chase in a rather compromised position, a cop car rolls up. Everyone panics and their fears are confirmed: because of Ben Farley's shenanigans, they've received a cease-and-desist order to stop filming in Jasper.