Looking for a more bearable lightness of being for the long hours of lockdown I came across Daybreak, a post-apocalyptic “zombie” parody that bills itself as a cross between Ferris Bueller and The Walking Dead. The description alone would have sent me scrolling away madly only a couple months ago, but desperate times call for desperate measures. I’m glad I un-douched long enough to give it a shot.

Daybreak is a fucking hoot! The setting is the aftermath of a bio-weapon disaster that’s left only teenagers untouched and the entire adult population of Glendale, California a horde of bloodthirsty zombies. Not exactly a new idea and I’d call it more Parker Lewis Can’t Lose meets Dawn of the Dead (the mall setting) but it’s totally a novel approach. The writers have included every possible 21st century angle you can think of across 10 episodes including teen angst, teen sexuality, dating, social media, alienation, cliques, friendships, virginity, political correctness, feminism, pride, homophobia, racism, acceptance, inclusion and so on. It’s hard to say who the real target audience is. I’m tempted to say it’s aimed at 25 and under but there are 40 to 50 years of pop culture references that you would need to be over 35 to even catch.

It’s clever shit!

I’m going to leave it here with this. Not all light entertainment is mindless. Daybreak does its job as a parody. I’ll expand on the DNA: Ferris Bueller, Walking Dead, Parker Lewis Can’t Lose, Day of the Dead, Mallrats, American Pie, Braveheart, Mad Max, My So-Called Life, Pretty in Pink. A lot more…