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iZombie: Real Dead Housewife of Seattle

“All my friends are cold hearted bitches, and that includes the men.”

Half way through iZombie’s debut season, the fruits of its world building really began to show. We saw just how much power certain characters were starting to develop and how far that power reached in the zombie world. We also saw how this expanded world incorporated most of the major characters, but certain people were left in the background for a lot of the season, even though they were a constant presence. This week, the return of an important person in Liv’s life was handled extremely well, as their re-emergence coincided with the growing threat of Max Rager, and the threat to the zombie world.

I was so sure that Peyton would get phased out completely by the end of season one, so sure in fact that I had ruled out her even being talked about when the show came back for round two. I’m pleasantly surprised that she wasn’t totally forgotten and that she will continue to be an important part of Liv's life. Her return this week felt natural too, as she arrived back into town quietly, and though she didn’t immediately make amends with Liv and Ravi, she took the first step in repairing the broken friendships she left behind.

I liked that they explored Liv’s need for companionship, here. She’s got Ravi, sure, and Clive in a somewhat limited capacity, but for all intents and purposes she’s been living quite a lonely existence. With her family closing her out, and Major giving her the cold shoulder, she’s got nobody to confide in. Meeting someone she could connect with, even though the only reason she could connect with her was down to the housewife brains she ate, was a nice way to explore that loneliness she’s been feeling. Of course, watching that disintegrate as she found out her new shopping buddy was responsible for killing the woman she’s been channelling made her really feel the loss of a best friend. It was a welcome relief to see that she isn’t as alone as she thinks now that Peyton is back, who and hasn’t forgotten her ex-BFF’s birthday.

Hopefully Liv can make room for Peyton by kicking out her nasty new roommate soon, who’s not only encroached on Liv’s home life, but her love life as well. I’m glad we got some sort of payoff for the chemistry that was building between Major and Gilda. The writers have definitely embraced his dark descent this season. I’m curious to see how far it goes, and if Liv will be the one to save him in the end.

Plus

That catfight in the clothes store was one of the highlights of iZombie for me. Did anyone get Syd and Anna flashbacks?

Who caught that Veronica Mars shout-out? “A long time ago, we used to be friends.” Not very subtle, but I definitely appreciated it.

Speaking of Ronnie, another ex-Neptune resident appeared this week: David Starzyk aka Big Dick Casablancas.

He Said, She Said

Liv: “I thought this dress was a good look for work, because I wear it like someone’s paying me to.”
Ravi: “As I do with this.”
Ravi’s twirl after he said that was everything.

Clive: “You ever hear of casual Fridays?”
Liv: “You ever hear of casual elegance?”

Bringing Peyton back into the fold, and making her part of the Utopium plot was a great way to give the viewers more of a personal stake in the drug focused story, but also re-introduce her back into the world of iZombie without making her return all about the bridges she burned before she left. This week’s episode also continued to develop the great side action with Major which should take him to some interesting places over the next few weeks. So far, season two has delivered on all the fronts a second season should, with bigger stakes, more confident storytelling and an incredibly well utilised library of characters.

4 out of 5 birthday cakes

Originally posted at PandaTV.

2 comments:

  1. “A long time ago, we used to be friends.”

    I've been waiting for that line. I'm surprised it took this long.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Not gonna lie, I let out a cheer when I heard "A long time ago, we used to be friends." It was a great way to tip the hat to all us Marshmallows out there, and yet the line still fit well enough within the context of the scene that it didn't detract from anything.

    Did we already know that the CEO of Max Rager is Gilda's father?

    Seriously, how do Malcom & Rahul manage to keep a straight face when they're acting with Rose McIver while she's acting out the personas of the brains Liv eats?

    I'm glad to see Peyton back, and I'm cautiously optimistic about how she'll be worked back into the storylines going forward. The brief conversation with Ravi and the gesture of bringing the birthday cake to Liv suggest that she's handling the whole zombie thing much better than Major is. Plus, having her in charge of the Utopium task force ties her to Ravi's hunt for more of the tainted Utopium he needs to make the zombie cure. I'm looking forward to Peyton & Liv's first scene together, which will hopefully be at least the beginning of their reconciliation.

    ReplyDelete

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