‘iZombie 4×10’ Review
Stars: Rose McIver, Malcolm Goodwin, Rahul Kohli, Robert Buckley, David Anders | Created by Diane Ruggiero, Rob Thomas
I said that last week’s episode of iZombie was a bit of a structural mess but it was entertaining regardless. This week, however, I can’t say the same as this feels like a filler episode. It seems to drag to the point where it’s uncertain how the show is going to have so many plot threats pay off by the finale which is three weeks away.
In this episode, Liv eats the brain of a renegade cop which means get ready for a few Die Hard puns which is typical iZombie humour. The good thing about the show’s humour is that it is incredibly self-aware and meta but this episode is more style than substance so it makes the bad parts of this episode more apparent.
The plot that really continues to stand out to me is Blaine’s mostly because I find the character so entertaining but it continues to delve into darker and more disturbing territory. This week, the focus goes back to Blaine and his father (Brother Love). The most disturbing part of the episode involves the public murder of Blaine’s abusive nanny from childhood who is devoured by zombies. This seems to win Blaine over and convert him to Brother’s Love side but Blaine isn’t the most forgiving type. It feels a little out of character for him to let the abuse he suffered at his father’s hands go since he’s strongly demonstrated throughout the series how much he hates him.
Isobel’s involvement in the story doesn’t develop much and she is there for humour this week. Ravi spends a majority of the episode acting like a concerned guardian to her. This is mostly seen with how Isobel hooks up with an actor from the previously seen, Zombie High. It’s a scenario that has been done in multiple shows by now and in the case of the show, there has been funnier moments with characters acting maternal or paternal than in this particular episode. Mostly notably ‘Maternity Liv’ in season one.
Major’s plot continues to be frustrating as he becomes more of an unlikeable character especially during his confrontation with Liv at the episode’s end. Yes, he’s not entirely wrong when he basically calls Liv self-righteous but it’s like he forgets he played the hero for a while before this annoying arc. Lastly is Clive who probably has the genuinely funny moments of the episode with how he recalls field stories. His relationship with Michelle keeps getting teased but it still hasn’t really gone anywhere. The Clive and Dale relationship could’ve been a good exploration of human and zombie pairings but it hasn’t delivered and this week continues to keep that story on hold.
Overall, this episode doesn’t develop anything and with only three episodes left, it’s very uncertain about how the season will end and not in the good way like season three’s game-changing bunch of last episodes. Season four started with a lot of promise but as this episode shows, it’s struggling to keep that quality going.
The next episode of iZombie airs on May 14th
