iZombie Review: Looking for Mr. Goodbrain Part 2 (Season 3 Episode 13)

Discovery day has arrived, and nothing will ever be the same.

iZombie Season 3 Episode 13, “Looking for Mr. Goodbrain Part 2,” throws a lot at the audience.

Rob Thomas usually nails his season finales, but the lack of certain character interactions leaves me feeling a little unsatisfied. Before we get to the life-changing developments, let’s breakdown the action.

Carrie Gold being revealed as the big bad of the season feels like a letdown. I only cared to learn her name about one episode ago.

She turns out to not only be behind Vivian’s plane blowing up, but Carrie was also responsible for killing Wally and his family, pinning their murders of the zombie truthers, killing/disposing of Katty (after Patrice and Tatum try to kill her), and bringing the Aleutian flu to Seattle.

This woman wears her villain badge proudly. I just wish there was some more build-up to her reveal. We know nothing about this woman. She’s mostly been in the background, interjecting when needed.

Chase is able to take out Carrie when she tries to throw a mutiny against him, but the damage is done. Bringing the Aleutian flu to Seattle was all in the name of creating more zombies.

Despite the fact that I hate that the flu was just introduced into the plot, it’s genius to use it as a way to infect humans. Hiding zombie blood in the vaccinations is pure evil.

A large portion of the Seattle population are zombies now. This is a huge development!

The show is going to look completely different after this. Everyone in Seattle, the United States, and presumably the world now knows zombies exist.

I am trying not to get nit picky and complain about realism on a zombie show, but Fillmore Graves taking over Seattle just doesn’t seem plausible. Seattle is a city, inside a state, inside a country. There is no way Washington DC wouldn’t get involved. There’s no way the U.S. military wouldn’t get involved.

Chase has turned out to be an interesting character. His motives were unclear for a while, but I liked his witty banter with Liv, so I was hopeful for him to be a good guy.

His decision to move forward with Plan B shows he is now committed to having zombies and humans getting along. But let’s not forget that this plan was put in motion by a woman who didn’t give people a choice.

Everyone infected through the vaccines now has to live a life they didn’t choose. Are they expected to just be happy with that? The mercenaries shouldn’t be shocked that angry mobs of humans show up to fight.

As far as the battle lines go, Major has placed himself firmly on Team Z. Yep, Major is a zombie again.

I can’t say I’m surprised by his decision. Major found a home at Fillmore Graves after being rejected by mainstream society for his temporary Chaos Killer status. His friends (and Natalie) were killed in the blast, and Major wants to be useful again.

Major’s decision to turn into a zombie again is glossed over quickly. I wish we could see more of a reaction from Liv. Now that they are both zombies, you would think they could finally be together, but I don’t see that happening anytime soon.

They are bound to have conflicts with each other. Liv may be a zombie, but I can’t see her ever picking one side. She cares about humans and what happens to them. If Major only cares about zombies, they are going to have a big problem.

Liv’s admission of cheating sends Justin running out the door, but Chase seems just as interested in Liv as ever. I don’t think she will hook up with him again, but you never know. They do have a lot of chemistry.

Justin turning on Liv is predictable. I expect him to be nothing but resentful toward her in future episodes. I don’t blame him for being upset. Liv using Katty’s brain as an excuse is stupid. She made a choice to sleep with Chase whether she wants to admit it or not.

We get to see very little from Blaine and Peyton in this installment. Blaine’s business is now booming with the rise in zombie citizens, but I am curious where his storyline is going. Blaine used to be the main villain, but those days are long gone.

Peyton taking the job with Baracus is smart. She can keep an eye on him and be in the know for all political matters.

I have to wonder if the scene where she interrupts his reading to students is a jab at President George W. Bush. Perhaps this tells us everything we need to know about Baracus as a leader.

The two best developments of the finale are also the most devastating. Dale returns, gets clued into the existence of zombies, and then turns into one through the vaccine. Clive was so close to having a relationship with her again.

I will say that Clive is loyal. I don’t think he’s going to abandon Dale at this critical time. At least that’s how I take the quick clip of him helping to dye her hair. It comes across as so gentle and loving.

Perhaps they will be an item, but remain as platonic as they can be. Basically I just want Clive to be happy. Is that too much to ask?

Then we have Ravi getting scratched by Liv. NO! NO! NO!

I need to know that Ravi’s new cure works the second iZombie Season 4 starts. The fact that Ravi is so willing to put his human life on the line for the greater good shows just how good of a person he is.

I just can’t imagine the show keeping Ravi as a zombie. It just doesn’t seem right. Turning Dale into a zombie is one thing. It’s an entirely different matter when it comes to Ravi.

I do appreciate the love that Ravi and Liv express to one another before she scratches him. I know there are fans rooting for their relationship to turn romantic, but I don’t think that’s in the cards for them.

They work so well as friends. In fact, they are more than friends at this point. They are family.

It’s going to be a long hiatus until the next season, and I am anxious to see what Rob Thomas has in store for us. If there’s one thing I can wish for, it’s that the plotting be tighter moving forward.

I don’t really appreciate a finale that is mostly an information dump. I don’t want stories where the main villain is someone we only started caring about one episode prior. The Aleutian flu storyline happened so quickly, I thought that it was the same thing as the zombie virus. Clarity is important in cases like this.

This finale has some interesting developments and touching character moments, but it all feels a little cramped. Ambitious plot lines can be a good thing, but pacing is everything.

After all is said and done, I love watching iZombie. It’s a series that took me by surprise, and I am thankful to the TV Gods for its renewal.

What did you think of the season finale of iZombie? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Reviewer Rating:

User Rating:

 

iZombie will return in 2018 on The CW.

Follow us on Twitter @telltaleTV_

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!