iZombie Review: Twenty-Sided, Die (Season 3 Episode 9)

Liv and the gang playing Dungeons & Dragons is something I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing again!

I have never played D&D before, but I know a lot of people (all adults) who do on a weekly basis. Needless to say, they really get into it.

After a series of lackluster and/or annoying brains, Liv on D&D brain is hilarious. The enthusiasm and commitment to the voices and characters being played on iZombie Season 3 Episode 9, “Twenty-Sided, Die,” is spectacular.

Liv’s game night with the group is highly entertaining. Ravi, Major, and Clive’s growing investment have me laughing out loud. Clive’s desire to make the game a weekly event is so cute. I just wish Peyton could geek out with the rest of them, but I guess it’s more fitting for her character to be impatient to get out of there.

The case goes like this… A dungeon master is poisoned. Clive and Liv focus on the group involved with the game. The one girl in the group managed to draw the adoration of all the guys, but she and the dungeon master were together.

Turns out no one in the group killed him. He had apparently been spying on a Russian power plant, and the FBI is brought in to take over the investigation.

I really appreciate how this D&D case manages to bring back Jimmy the Sketch Artist and Vampire Steve. If there’s one thing this season has excelled at, it’s making sure certain characters and plot points will come back around and play a larger role.

Seeing Jimmy’s sketch of Liv as a dominatrix is a nice callback to their memorable scenes in iZombie Season 3 Episode 5. I also love learning that Steve took on his emo-goth persona in order to impress a girl.

My only complaint about the entire case is that all the guys fell for the one girl in their group. It just reinforces the ridiculous notion that men and women can never truly be friends.

With none of the immediate suspects taking the fall, I’m inclined to think this story might be brought up again, just like the dominatrix case. Peyton is definitely on to something with Baracus.

Now that she knows he was a client of the murdered dominatrix, she dig even deeper. She needs to find that missing video. Whatever is on it might blow multiple story lines up at once since Baracus is tied to Fillmore Graves. Maybe they were involved somehow.

While I do believe men and women can be friends, I still think it’s weird how relaxed Major is with Liv dating Justin. It’s admirable they genuinely remain friends and wish the best for each other, but they were so close to getting back together for real.

The chemistry between Liv and Justin is there, but it’s also felt a little force fed. I like Liv flirting and having a good time, but as a viewer, I can’t help but feel sad that Liv has moved on so quickly.

It also seems like the writers are gearing up for a weird love square or pentagon. Liv meets Chase Graves and he definitely gives her a “vibe” that can’t be ignored. He’s still an unknown figure at this point. We don’t know if he can be trusted.

There’s also Major meeting with a woman who wrote him a kind letter amidst all his hate mail. Frankly, I don’t know what is going through his head when he invites a stranger to his house for a first encounter.

She also claims in her letter that she was accused of something she didn’t do. Well, that could all be a lie and she’s just a crazy stalker of killer men.

Major’s deep dive into his hate mail is surprisingly funny considering the majority of the people wish him, and anyone he cares about, harm. Leave it to Major to try to look on the bright side and crack jokes to make himself feel better.

One of the more interesting developments of the installment is Ravi’s interactions with Harley and his followers. Ravi has to reveal his work at the morgue in order to stop the group from kidnapping zombies.

It’s a risky move considering now Harley and his friends know where he works. Also Harley showing up at the morgue spells a disaster if he barges in while Liv is there. There should really be locks on all the entrances.

Harley means business and he has no issue getting violent. He doesn’t seem particularly interested in learning more about the zombies and how they are able to lead normal lives. I guess in his mind they aren’t… they are simply pretending.

Harley has also kidnapped Don E and brought him to Ravi to test out the cure on. Despite being on the wrong side with Blaine, I like Don E. I don’t want anything bad to happen to him.

Blaine’s grand idea for selling blue potion brains is going to backfire and put everyone at risk. Not only will those super-soaked brains give the zombies prolonged visions, but those visions could lead them into full-on zombie mode.

This also puts the general population is danger because Don E could have easily scratched or bit someone while under the influence of the brain. Basically Blaine’s business isn’t going to last long.

With his father down a well, Blaine thinks he’s back on top. Little does he know that Mr. Boss is back in town.

Mr. Boss’ whereabouts have been unknown so far this season, but now he’s back in Seattle and ready to settle some debts. Maybe Blaine will need to grab his father from the well and use him to get rid of Mr. Boss for good.

Leftover Thoughts and Questions

• Rachel, the photography girl, that Ravi meets will definitely return, right?
• Speaking of new characters, who seems the most untrustworthy right now: Justin, Chase, Rachel, or the girl who wrote Major the nice letter?
• Don E envisioning himself in the middle of a World War II battle is quite the site.
• Who shot Baracus? Was it someone from Harley’s meeting taking matters into their own hands?
• Clive’s reunion with Bozzio is short lived and bittersweet. Clive deserves some love, so I hope she doesn’t stay away.

What did you think of this episode of iZombie? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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iZombie airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on The CW.

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