‘iZombie’ Review: “Grumpy Old Liv”

Erik Fattrosso ’17/ Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer
Copy Edited by: Brooke Hoppe ‘17

Photo Credits: IMDB
Photo Credits: IMDB
It’s only been a couple of months since the first season of iZombie ended, but the show is already in the midst of the second season. If the premiere is anything to go by, this season looks to be every bit as good as the last. Picking up three months after last season, Olivia ‘Liv’ Moore (Rose McIver) is still at her lowest point. Season one ended on the darkest note the show has seen, and none of that is resolved easily. Major Lilywhite (Robert Buckley) is actively avoiding Liv after his brief life as a zombie, Liv is out of a cure, Max Rager is still at large, Blaine DeBeers (David Anders) is still walking the streets of Seattle, and Liv’s family has completely cut her out. It would’ve been easy for the writers to quickly resolve a few of these things, but the decision to let them each play out with real consequence makes for a much better show.
The show returns to the show’s normal “case of the week” format in the premiere, this time with the murder of a grumpy old man. As always Rose McIver manages to play the part to perfection, with a balance between Liv’s personality and that of her latest meal. The show wouldn’t work if not for her ability to change her performance every episode. The murder itself is interesting enough, but it’s pretty standard fare. The real stand-outs this week are Major and Blaine. Blaine finding a way to still sell to zombies as a human is a great direction for the character, and David Anders steals every scene he is in. Keeping him around at the end of last season will certainly help the show move forward. Even if he moves out of the spotlight, it’s hard to imagine any villain being better suited to the show. Should Max Rager step in as the main antagonist this season, as it seems like it will be, having Blaine as a secondary villain is still a good plan.
Photo Credits: IMDB
Photo Credits: IMDB
On the other end of the spectrum, we have Major. After his zombie massacre and temporary zombification it was hard to guess where he’d end up, but the writers always seem to have something clever up their sleeves for him. Major, as a zombie hunter, has the potential to be the show’s best plotline, and his resistance to the job can only serve to make it better. His ignoring Liv also ties into her current feelings of isolation well. The loss of Major hurt, but the loss of her family really stings. Her brother forcing her out of the hospital room was hard to watch, but it also shows how well this show can balance drama and comedy.
Photo Credits: IMDB
Photo Credits: IMDB
There are still plenty of questions after this premiere though. The side effects of the cure are still becoming clear, but are any of them as deadly as the first attempt? How much longer can Clive Babineaux (Malcolm Goodwin) possibly be kept in the dark about the zombie thing? What’s Blaine’s plan? As a premiere, this episode did a stellar job of introducing a lot of new things to look forward to this season. It had the show’s familiar format and style, but kept things feeling new and exciting. Unfortunately, it seems like things are only going to get worse for Liv now that she’s living with a Max Rager employee, but worse for Liv has a habit of meaning better for viewers.
Episode Grade: A

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