iZombie is a great show. The season finale two parter ("Dead Beat" and "Salivation Army") aired this last week, and it continues to impress by solid storytelling, fascinating characters, and a take on zombies that I never expected. Because the zombie outbreak (established in season 1) is chemical and linked to Max Rager energy drinks, there's a mechanic present that makes being a zombie more of an unfortunate lifestyle choice rather than an "end of the world" plague. As you can probably tell from that one line pitch, the story has got lots of humor but can go dark really quick if the situation warrants it. This gives it a kind of humor/horror mix I find really appealing, and it reminds me a little bit of Buffy.
Season Two had lots of very satisfying story arcs too. Clive figures out that Liv's a zombie. At first you think that this is going to be a card that they play very late in the series, but the writers don't shy away from it. Liv needs to reveal herself in order to stop Major from going full zombie in prison (and hurting a lot of people) and proves she's a zombie (to Clive) by stabbing herself in the heart. Unlike in other shows, the writers don't delve into Clive feeling betrayed, etc. and then trying to reconcile that over several episodes.
I also like how Blaine's character evolved. Initially a douchebag zombie, the cure left him with no memory at all of Mr. Boss (who orders Blaine killed). That plan fails and Blaine ends up rescuing his girlfriend in a story arc that's kind of romantic.
The season two finale had a lot of things packed into it, including singer Rob Thomas being eaten by a zombie along with a lot of Max Rager staff. Now the military contractor that had purchased Max Rager is composed entirely of the undead, and Seattle is going to become the capital of a new zombie nation. That sounds really cool...like an apocalypse of a different kind as the nation goes to war against zombies who need to eat their brains to stay human and use cell phones and check Facebook. It makes me wonder who will win, and it makes me wonder if zombies are ultimately doomed or will they become overlords of the humans and begin to raise them like cattle?
The CW is knockin' it out of the park with these shows. Sheesh.
I've only watched a couple of episodes of this. Not entirely a comedy fan, and this just didn't catch my interest. Maybe someday on a bored, netflix week.
ReplyDeleteHaven't watched it. But everyone is making better shows that the four major networks.
ReplyDeleteI don't watch that. Maybe at some point.
ReplyDeleteiZombie is one of the best shows on TV. Zombies and apocalypse shows seem to be everywhere these days but none of them are written as smart as this. I like the way it tries to stay lighthearted despite the grim subject matter and I think it succeeds for the most part.
ReplyDeleteThe showrunner is the same guy that did Veronica Mars and you can see fingerprints of that show all over this one. It has a similar spunky female lead who investigates crime but in this show the secondary characters are much more interesting.
I can't believe you didn't mention Major's story arc from this season. The elevator scene in the season finale might be the favorite thing I've seen all year. Here's Major!
There was an article someplace about Clive's reaction to the zombie reveal. They talked to the actor and show creator, if I recall correctly. They decided that Clive wouldn't react in certain ways because of who he is.
ReplyDeleteThe two Walking Dead programs are as much "zombie-inspired" entertainment as I can handle.
ReplyDeleteI watched Season one and that was really good. Will catch up with Season 2 when I can. CW has some top notch shows.
ReplyDeleteI caught the first few episodes of this show and liked it, especially the humor. But then I stopped--just don't have the time, I guess. But I'm glad you're enjoying it.
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