iZombie 3.13: Looking for Mr. Goodbrain Part 2

When this season started it was clear that the writers had a very specific set of goals in mind that they wanted to achieve. Clear and concise planning on their part meant that this finale was able to achieve most, if not all of those goals, but there was still time for some interesting twists along the way.

iZombie 3.12: Looking for Mr. Goodbrain Part 1

We’re one episode away from the end of the season, and it’s looking like all that we were promised at the beginning is starting to come to fruition.

iZombie 3.11: Conspiracy Weary

At a time when tensions are running at an all time high, and the gang are facing a multitude of zombie problems and threats, Liv’s paranoid brain felt like a bit of an inconvenience. Thankfully, it also provided her with some vital clues in helping to solve some of the many mysteries she’s surrounded by at the moment. Having such an “excitable” approach to these mysteries may help her to stay one step ahead of everyone else in the face of so many obstacles, which range from annoying to potentially catastrophic.

iZombie 3.10: Return of the Dead Guy

As we reach the end of the season, the different plot strands introduced are starting to get quite heavy handed. There’s a lot of name dropping of characters we don’t really know too well, familiar faces resurfacing and muddying the waters, and many different threats popping up from many different sides. Maybe it’s time for a flow chart?

iZombie 3.09: Twenty-Sided, Die

Some of the investigations this season have been very much PD-by-the-numbers, but ‘Twenty-Sided, Die’ is a great example of how iZombie can change the game at any time.

iZombie 3.08: Eat a Knievel

There’s a moment early on in ‘Eat a Knievel’ when the season’s biggest plot takes a bit of a U-turn. It’s a twist that calls a lot into question, but it’s also brought with it a few exciting possibilities.

iZombie 3.07: Dirt Nap Time

Halfway through last season the major arcs were starting to intersect in some really exciting ways, with the big bads of the season tying the individual stories of most of the major characters together, and the result was kind of incredible. That type of intricate storytelling hasn’t been on display for most of season three thus far, and as we head into second part of the season it’s starting to look like things will remain mostly segregated for the time being.

iZombie 3.06: Some Like it Hot Mess

After the previous episode’s hard-hitting ending, ‘Some Like it Hot Mess’ had an incredible task in raising the emotional stakes. In a lot of ways it did that, and it was certainly a major turning point in this season’s memory loss plot, but I couldn’t help feeling a little deflated when the credits rolled.

iZombie 3.05: Spanking the Zombie

I’ve discussed it numerous times before, but one of iZombie’s biggest strengths is how easily it balances zany comedy and heartfelt drama. This episode is a shining example of that, shifting back and forth between one of its most absurd cases to date and the rush to save a principal character’s life. Tonally it shouldn’t work, but the writers of this show handle it with aplomb. Who would have thought that an episode where Liv turns into a dominatrix would end up being one the saddest episodes of the season?

iZombie 3.04: Wag the Tongue Slowly

Gossip is the word of the day in ‘Wag the Tongue Slowly’, with a scandal-obsessed Liv milking the tension in her friends’ lives for all it’s worth after she eats the brain of an office busybody. Though played mostly for laughs, Liv’s nosiness is used smartly as she looks to find dirt on the fallout of last week’s Ravi/Peyton drama, and pokes fun at how “boring” anti-zombie enthusiasts are. The case and all its candid details provided a good opportunity for the show to have some stand-alone fun, while still playing with serial storytelling at the same time. In other words, pretty typical iZombie stuff.

iZombie 3.03: Eat, Pray, Liv

Not much can be said for the case of the week in this episode, which provided little in the way of laughs and mystery. Instead, the drama that engulfed the lives of those around Liv takes centre stage, pushing likable characters to do very unlikable things.

iZombie 3.02: Zombie Knows Best

Clive has always been a good character. As Liv’s partner he’s capable, intelligent and strong willed; the perfect balance to the typically reckless and brain infected Liv, who’s at the mercy of whomever she’s embodying at any particular time. But it’s when the writers decide to break his harsh exterior and show a more sensitive side, one that’s caring and a little less stoic, that Clive becomes great. In light of the horrific discovery in the previous episode, ‘Zombie Knows Best’ gives us one of just a few peeks into that lesser seen part of him, though the strong characterisation shown here is lessened by a muddled and often confusing timeline.

iZombie 3.01: Heaven Just Got a Little Bit Smoother

iZombie’s third season starts with an episode that dives head first into some dark and impactful themes. There was no case of the week here, as we’re faced instead with the aftermath of everything that happened in season two, and the potentially devastating consequences of zombies becoming public knowledge. Though it lacks the familiar structure of standard iZombie fare, it feels like a necessary stepping block given where things left off in ‘Salivation Army’.