iZombie Is Back For Season 2
(Light Spoilers)
iZombie made its return with plenty of drama and mayhem. Liv, on a batch of grumpy old man brains, spent most of the episode grousing at hipsters and giving the impression she was just barely containing the urge to wave a walker over her head while yelling at kids to get off her damn lawn. I’m a bit disappointed that they didn’t give her a wardrobe to match the attitude; some high-wasted trousers and suspenders would have added the perfect touch. The final reveal in the murder case was surprisingly poignant.
Sadly, there was less humor to be found on the home front for Liv. Her mother and brother hate her for not donating blood when he was on the verge of death following the events of the season finale. However, Liv’s choice to just refuse to donate blood to her deathly ill brother rather than make up an excuse feels a bit forced. She could easily have lied about having a blood-borne disease of some kind. Her mother even offered her a an excuse in the form of accusing her of doing drugs. Family tension is a great tool for creating drama, but it should make sense; the audience should never feel the hand of the writing team deliberately injecting conflict where none seems like it needs to exist.
Blaine is back, cured from his zombie condition by Liv in the season finale, and takes a savage delight in showing off to her how much he can now revel in simple human pleasures like food again. It’s poignant how Liv’s method of eliminating the threat he posed has had such benefits for him; surely she must be thinking of all the murders her committed, the harm he did to Blaine and her brother, and how little he seems to be suffering his ‘punishment.’
Clive, unhappy with the loose ends in the investigation of the Meat Cute Charcuterie explosion, seems to be poised on the verge of receiving actual character development in his quest to get answers. With the exception of his undercover cop episode, he’s a character that essentially ceases to exist outside of the murder-of-the-week interludes. I’m tentatively hopeful that the writers intend to finally let him in on Liv’s big secret.
Liv has a familiar face–to the audience–as a roommate in Peyton’s absence. While it is guaranteed to be a great source of tension, I do hope Peyton returns and brings a bit of gender balance to the show. Like Veronica Mars, it has a great female lead who interacts only sporadically with other women.
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