Get off my lawn.
Note: Full spoilers for the episode follow.
The Season 1 finale of iZombie left Liv in a dark place, and the Season 2 premiere didn’t do much to bring her out of it. As mean as it sounds, I’m happy about it. One of iZombie’s best qualities is its lightheartedness — it doesn’t take itself too seriously — but that doesn’t mean they don’t handle the intricacies of relationships and betrayals (real or perceived) properly. It would have been easy to have everyone forgive Liv and to give her a happy new outlook on being undead, but it wouldn’t have been realistic. Liv’s family is still angry at her, Major hasn’t forgiven her, and Peyton hasn’t returned. People don’t get over falling-outs quickly, but television series often would rather move the story along rather than give conflict time to breathe. iZombie’s doing it right.
Liv does end the episode with a little more pep in her step thanks to brains from a grumpy old curmudgeon/murder victim. His personality was a doozy, to put it mildly. As ever, Rose McIver did a terrific job of portraying Liv as someone else while still retaining a touch of Liv-ness. In this case though, I would have liked to see more of Liv’s personality. For example, after she made the racist comment to Clive, a backpedaling apology would have made sense. Then again, maybe a long term effect of assuming the personality of others is that the brains have a stronger influence. Also, I don’t know if this harsh personality is one I would have chosen for the season premiere when new viewers might be coming in.
We want to hear it.
Clive seems like he’s raising an eyebrow more often in Liv’s direction, and I keep waiting for him to ask questions. Keeping him in the dark isn’t a sound long term plan, and Ravi and Liv should bring him into their circle of trust. Then again, Clive and Liv have a great back and forth as is, and it’s not likely he’ll be as accepting as Ravi was. And by the way, it’s so crucial to have Ravi in the picture, and I’m not just saying that because he makes Star Wars jokes. He’s Liv’s only real source of support at the moment, and the only one who can tell her what’s what.
Back to consequences from Season 1. Most of the threads were picked up. Blaine has found a different career, and his non-zombie state means he and Liv have a different sort of rapport. David Anders exudes so much charisma that he steals every scene, and you can’t help but want to see more of him. Watching him get back into the zombie feeding business as a human is a promising idea.
iZombie: “Grumpy Old Liv” Photo Gallery:
iZombie: “Grumpy Old Liv” Photos
iZombie: “Grumpy Old Liv” Photos
iZombie: “Grumpy Old Liv” Photos
iZombie: “Grumpy Old Liv” Photos
iZombie: “Grumpy Old Liv” Photos
Advertisement
iZombie: “Grumpy Old Liv” Photos
iZombie: “Grumpy Old Liv” Photos
Advertisement
Speaking of promising, look at what’s happened to Major. This character’s path continues to surprise me. It’s weird. He’s so likable. I hate to see him put in the situations he ends up in, but it makes for engaging storytelling so… He’s had it worse than most everyone else, and now Clive is still suspicious of him and he’s been recruited by Vaughn Du Clark. He wanted to be a zombie killer, but not like this. He’s a walking “be careful what you wish for” cautionary tale. Major and Blaine have something in common, too. It was smart to have the zombie cure cause side effects. I hope the shared afflictions will mean those two have more screen time together.
At first, Du Clark/Max Rager seemingly having ears everywhere didn’t add up – until we met Liv’s new roommate. This threat replaces what Blaine and his thugs brought to the story last year, and the stakes are high. It doesn’t look good for Liv or any of her kind, and it opens the door to bringing more of Seattle’s zombies into the picture.
We want to hear it.
The world of iZombie is bigger than it was when we first met Liv. It has to be tempting to pan to larger picure, but the series does such a solid job at filtering it through Liv and the rest of the primary cast. The show manages to wear so many hats at once and all of them fit well. It flips between comedy, procedural, and drama with ease. That’s due in large part to the way the characters and how they interact drive the story.
iZombie gets right back into the groove with its Season 2 premiere. The humor, relationships, and performances are all on point – it seems like this cast has been together for years rather than only half a season. In addition to the sharp wit, the mythology of the world was deepened and the stakes were raised. It continues to be unlike any other zombie series on television.
