‘I am allllll-ready dead’ the opening credits alone are ridiculously catchy, but thankfully the zombie apocalypse is a little less so in this series, with it being more a hiding of those who’ve been turned. Although when you’re a medical examiner, work with the police and can see how a victim died – it’s that little bit harder. Liz Moore is a zombie who serves justice by eating the brains of murdered victims, and thereby finding clues on how they died. Oh, and not forgetting taking on their personality too.
But how do you get turned? Sex/getting scratched/or a complicated cocktail mix – take your pick. But for poor Olivia “Liz” Moore (Rose McIver) she didn’t choose this life and in being turned a zombie, she has to give up old relationships, stop practicing medicine and to instead work in a morgue. Thereby avoiding any chance of turning someone, while having a ready supply of fresh brains. But Liz is cultured, she wouldn’t just tear into a skull and munch down, oh no she creates gourmet meals to tasty snacks, each episode showing a different dish that wouldn’t be out of place on any Instagram account.
But don’t zombies go around all bitey-bitey? Not really, here the only clue is pale skin, white hair and a hunger that can get to you – no different really than a sweet tooth – while your personality stays the same, except for when you eat brains; taking on their traits and quirks until your body’s digested them. Bring on the gags, with hilarity ensuing as Liz becomes a new person each episode; a frat-boy, an over-bearing dad, artist etc etc. But more than this she also has flashbacks to the victims’ last memories – and thus begins her new found direction in solving their deaths along with the determined detective Clive Babineaux (Malcolm Goodwin). Clive on the other hand believes that his new “partner” is psychically attuned, and not a brain-eating zombie.
Each episode primarily focuses on a murder case for Clive and Liz to solve, but throughout the seasons there’s the connecting thread of zombie issues – How? Why? And what to do next? In helping with this, (whilst also being Liz’s new bestie), is MD Ravi Chakrabarti (Rahul Kohli), who’s terribly excited by the fact that she’s a zombie, and thrilled in having the exciting new hobby of finding a cure.
Thrown into this mix however is the far less kind and caring zombie; Blaine DeBeers (David Anders) who, thanks to his new “zombie” powers, connections and greed, moves rapidly up the food chain of criminals, from drug dealer to head honcho, all the while taking his stupid sidekick Don E (Bryce Hodgson) with him, who could easily become the understudy for any dumb and dumber film being more than a little hyper. Blaine meanwhile sees a business in brains, with zombies being able to walk unashamedly in broad daylight, their disguises (tanning and hair dye) meaning they can be in positions of power.
It’s also here that iZombie takes on a more interesting perspective; looking at what really makes a monster, is it the zombies, prejudiced humans, or power-hungry individuals? This all sounds very serious, but the series is primarily a comedy-detective show, the laughs side-splitting to just a snort in others, and all the while providing a series of perspectives – with the talented Rose McIver able to play any character Liz may momentarily take on.
There are five seasons in total, and seasons two and three happen to be the best, the jokes are more on point and the show has fallen into a nice routine; the characters having become established, while removing those that added too much mess to an already full show. The last season on the other hand feels more rushed, all in an attempt to introduce a new threat (that really deserved two seasons), and in having everything tie neatly together for the fans. Resulting in the rich and nuanced character of Blaine being reduced to just a merry-go-round – never knowing what side the show’s going to stop him on, and though credit has to be given to David Anders who plays the multiple good, bad and evil sides of Blaine with equal relish, he deserved much more. Thankfully they did not do this to Ravi, who remained a steadfast anchor to the series, as did his bromance with Major Lilywhite (Robert Buckley) – who also has an on-again off-again relationship with Liz. Having said this though, there’s just not enough scenes of Ravi and Major’s friendship, especially when they could fill a whole series with their exploits and adventures, their personalities being both comfortably different, and similar. More than anyone else in the series Ravi – Rahul Kohli – delivered the funniest lines, his jokes quick and snappy, while he epitomised the cool nerd/geek you wish you were.
This series is for you if you want any of the following; a new take on zombies and tired detective shows while wanting a good chuckle, or a knowing smile as you see the directions our heroes run off in. Don’t miss iZombie.
Creator: Diane Ruggiero-Wright
Other notable works:
- Bates Motel 2013-2017
Creator: Rob Thomas
Other notable works:
- Party Down 2009-2010
Inspired by the comic book series iZombie by Chris Roberson and Michael Allred
