iZombie Season 3 Episode 10: Return of The Dead Guy Review

This iZombie review contains spoilers.

iZombie Season 3 Episode 10

While it’s definitely still experimenting, iZombie seems to have found a great way to balance season-long arcs with the murder/brain of the week in this particularly pun-riddled episode, and it did not come how I expected it. A flashback brain certainly would have felt less episodic, but using multiple brains from the same case, from people who died over time, really bolsters the serialized storytelling and helped tie some of these narrative threads closer together. With so many narrative irons in the fire and great characters we love, it feels so important for every episode for iZombie to find ways bring these plots and characters in closer tension with one another. This week was hit and miss overall, but the model for drawing these elements closer together largely succeeded, and was a rather creative one at that.

Ravi redeems himself

In what I can only imagine as the rebuttal to the season two finale (and likely the justification for season three Ravi thus far), Ravi take a giant leap toward heroics. I’m interested to learn more about the woman in the bunker – why is she there, if she questions the Zombie Truthers too?

Did anyone else feel disappointed in Major for not questioning Ravi’s weak excuse for even a moment? I always thought their love was stronger than that. He is going to feel very guilty very soon. Since we’re on Major, he and Shauna built a pun-y sex fort, because why not. How long before she turns out to be a zombie, or evil or whatever? Something tells me that camp song video wasn’t really for tumblr. 

I have hope for Don E. and not just because I, too, watched the previews. He was making obnoxious comments right up until the bitter end. As for Ravi, I pretty much refuse to entertain what iZombie would be like without him. At worst, they could turn him into a zombie, but honestly I think he and Clive will be the Xanders of the crew, holding it down for humanity long after Peyton and everyone else is binging on brains. 

Zombies (in your head)

I’m glad we finally got to see some emotional resolution for Liv after the brutal season two finale. Mercy-killing anyone would be horrific, but doing it to someone you love and then pretending it never happened would definitely take a toll. This is the second time this season that iZombie has handled a pressing issue from the finale on a pretty serious delay, and then retconned a reason why, the first being Ravi hiding Major’s hate mail. I sort of buy Liv burying her feelings, but we’ve see no real evidence of it – it’s not like she’s eating more brains or taking on more cases than previous seasons. 

The downside of Dominatrix brain is that we are reminded once again that it exists largely for fanservice. If you doubt that for even a second, you are reminded of the fact by Peyton, who has not consumed a brain of any kind, comes out in a leather catsuit and uses a flyswatter on Liv’s bottom while she (Liv) is on the ground on all fours, presumably to induce a vision. Don’t worry though, later in the episode Liv explicitly says she doesn’t want to get with Peyton even though she’s, “thought about it,” so they’re not actually into each other, just queerbaiting or doing it for the fanboys, I guess? Oh and Liv makes out with her dead/invisible (male) ex and sleeps with a dude, just to make extra double sure we know where she stands. Happy Pride! I know the murder of the week brain is often corny, but really? And did it have to come this week, the week of the slobbering thinkpiece?

Over in the productive side of the plot, while Liv did see the dearly departed commit the murder, that’s not all she wrote. It turns out his daughter and her friend are on Phillmore Graves tube brains (mark my words, those things are gonna be the Zombie equivalent of Soylent Green… which may just be regular Soylent Green…) and he didn’t actually commit suicide. I’m glad we’re seeing a murder of the week stick around, I just wish that didn’t mean the sloppy, stereotypical way the characters that come with those plots are handled was staying, too. On a show with such well-seen characters, the tonal difference between the two widens the longer the show is on the air. 

Zombie Blaine is back

The other major development here is that Mr. Boss’s storyline has thankfully intersected with the zombie world. While it took him kind of a while to figure it out (my pet theory is he was being intentionally obtuse just to piss Blaine off), Mr. Boss got with the program, both Team Z and Team B. Boss will be working for Blaine, making his supply chain issues disappear. I expect power struggles galore. How long until Stacey Boss convinces a low-level henchman to turn him?

The best and Blainest thing zombie Blaine did all episode? Showing up at Liv’s door to ask if Peyton was around, waiting just a beat too long before breaking, and then inviting Liv to go kick some Zombie Truther butt. 

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So how will Liv and Blaine do against these bullies with guns? Will the jerks harm a perfect hair on Ravi’s head? Will Stacey Boss own literally everything by the time Blaine gets back? Is it possible that Clive and Peyton are living way better lives than everyone else, just eating steak and discussing Dark Side of the Moon?

For the longer term, I’m interested in the Phillmore Graves of it all. Where is that rascal Logan Echolls/Chase Graves, and how are they going to handle these anti-zombie gun enthusiasts? So far, these Zombie Truthers seem to be pretty good at gathering intel – most of their guesses about zombie identities and behaviors are correct. D Day is coming and fast.