Before going into just what happened in episode 12 of iZombie, we must take a moment to thank horror author Michael West who mentioned this brilliant series via a Facebook post. Thanks Michael, this comic book based show on CW is full of topical jokes, pop culture references and on top of all that, zombies. Win, win, super win.
There is a lot to say for a show that allows new viewers to come in after 11 episodes and feel immediately at home in the verse. In this world of zombies there are no The Walking Dead shambling hulks of decaying dead bodies looking to nom-nom victims and create more mindless undead. Taking a page from the old gag of eating brains, these undead creatures ingest cerebral organs in order to carry on “as normal.”
One amusing drawback is that the eater takes on the memories and personality of the person whose brains they have gobbled down. New Zealand actress Rose McIver plays Olivia “Liv” Moore. This young lady is turned into a zombie after an attack, at a boat party, leaves her with scratches and a nasty infection. Turning into a zombie, hence the cute title iZombie, she starts working as a coroner’s assistant where she can have easy access to brains and uses the memories to solve crime.
Anyone who just watched the premiere episode of Stitchers will recognise the whole memory plot device, although in the ABC Family program, not one person actually eats a brain, they just “stitch” into the dead person’s cerebrum and uses the limited amount of time the memory is accessable to work out a number of things.
This time limit does not exist in iZombie but that is not a problem as the ABC show is science based, sort of, and this is a supernatural program with a popping score, great actors, and some excellent writers.
In episode 12 the start of the show is a direct homage to I Know What You Did Last Summer that ends with a twist and is referenced throughout the episode, although, the hit and run victim actually begins killing the kids immediately. There is a stalking period but it does not begin until after the first girl dies. A cheerleader type who is the only teen upset about the guy that they just ran over.
The show managed to let the viewer know who everyone was during the airing of the episode. Liv’s former fiance Major Lilywhite, played by Robert Buckley (One Tree Hill, Lipstick Jungle) wants to kill all the zombies and by the end of the show titled Dead Rat, Live Rat, Brown Rat, White Rat, he has been captured by the program’s villain Blaine DeBeers (David Anders) and it looks like Liv’s little brother Evan is about to join him.
The whole episode entails Liv eating her way to a conclusion about who is killing the “I Know What You Did Last Summer teens,” revealing to Peyton that she is a zombie and Blaine trying to get back his astronaut brains. (That’s the recap out of the way.)
All the actors are top notch. Clive Babineaux as Malcolm Goodwin, Rahul Kohli as Dr. Ravi Chakrabarti, and Aly Michalka as Peyton Charles all knock it out of the park in their respective roles. The intro to each set piece in the series is a comic book frame with an amusing chapter title. Overall the show is one of the few on television that really entertains.
If there is any complaint about iZombie, it would be that if feels like a zombified version of Dollhouse. The 2009 Joss Whedon vehicle, that showcased Eliza Dushku’s acting talent, offered a lead who took on different personalities. So too does iZombie, showcasing Rose McIver’s ability to take on the characteristics of the person whose brains she had eaten. In episode 12, she becomes a vacuous cheerleader and a stoner band member.
Regardless of the deja vu feeling of the female lead in the show, the series is a cracking one that manages to overcome this, been there done that taste. This CW offering is a great addition to their regular lineup and one which bears watching. A lot.