Tell-Tale TV Panel: iZombie Season 3

From the rollercoaster that was Blaine and Major switching from zombie to human to zombie to Fillmore Graves’ D-Day, iZombie Season 3 was full of surprises.

See what our panel of writers thought about this season, and be sure to join the discussion by responding in the comments below!

Our panelists are:

• Allison Nichols, associate editor for Tell-Tale TV
• Jamie Steinberg from Starry Mag
• Anisha Vashare from TV Goodness
• Jasmine Peterson from TV Fanatic

On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate the season overall?

Jasmine: I’ll go with an 8. There were a lot of interesting developments (maybe too many developments), and in a way, it revitalized the series. I like that the show has expanded beyond the “case of the week” format.

Allison: I’m going to give it a 7. I feel like at times, it lost its momentum, but the finale definitely picked up speed and reminded me why I love this show so much.

Anisha: 7. This season started with lots of potential to start exploring how zombies fit in on a bigger societal scale. Unfortunately, the back half of the season got a little chaotic, leading to a rushed conclusion.

Jamie: I’m going with a 7. I thought this season got a little too dark and confusing. The last few episodes were interesting, but there was some things that got muddled along the way.

What was this season’s biggest mistake?

Jasmine: As much as I enjoyed the season and many of the developments, there was too much going on. The season felt unnecessarily convoluted; they were juggling (and abruptly dropping in) too many random storylines, and there was a lot of wasted potential.

I hate how quickly Vivian was killed off. I also hate that Katty was barely seen and then killed off. Then, Natalie for more Major angst (which I loathed, too).

Allison: I completely agree with Jasmine! There was just so much happening. As the finale loomed closer, you still were not entirely sure what the “big bad,” so to speak, would be, until it the finale started rolling, basically.  Everything that was going on in this season made it difficult to really wrap your head around the flu.

Honestly, the worst part of the season might have been all the Major angst. It was a rollercoaster, and I am so ready to get off of it. Give him something else to do besides mope.

Anisha: On a smaller scope, I think the show had no idea what to do with Major once he wasn’t a zombie. He was a directionless, sad sack, and watching him shack up with a Chaos Killer groupie was gross and depressing.

But overall, the main problem was that this season was definitely overstuffed for an abbreviated 13-episode run. iZombie always has lots of moving parts, but the pacing felt rushed, which damped the gravity of significant moments.

For example, I could not care less that Natalie died. There was no space for her to exist as a significant character, making her death less meaningful. We didn’t even get to see Major or Justin grieve at all after the explosion.

Jamie: I’m also with Jasmine, there was too much going on. First Blaine is cured, and then he’s not cured. Someone stole the cure, but we never learned who that was and where the cure ended up.

Things just got a little too dark for me in the finale, too. Most of Seattle are now zombies. Ravi might be a zombie. Dale’s a zombie. Major re-zombied?! Not cool.

What worked really well this season?

Jasmine: Clive. Clive Babineaux is the sunshine of this show. It has been so much fun watching him be ingratiated in all things zombie. His reactions have been priceless.

I love that he and Liv are closer now that he knows the truth. Clive has also been comedic gold this season, more than usual.

Allison: Definitely Clive! Him learning the truth was one of the best things to come out of this season. It made the cases of the week more entertaining to watch. We got to explore a new facet of Liv and Clive’s partnership.

Anisha: Even though a lot of character development was put on the back-burner for the sake of plot, I actually loved how settled and integrated our main characters are. I really enjoy Peyton as a main character, and Clive as an official part of the inner circle.

And I totally agree with Jasmine and Allison, Clive is my favorite character on the show! Every single joke involving him lands perfectly. I also just adore the platonic friendships on this show. Liv and Ravi saying that the love each had me aww-ing out loud.

Jamie: Two words: Jason Dohring. Two more words: Boxer shorts. Well, sure, that was a highlight towards the end of the season.

It was another great go though for Rose McIver and her personas. She does a fabulous job of taking on the brains she’s eaten and really immersing herself. Plus, now that Clive knew about zombies it made it easier for he and Liv to really have a true friendship.

What was the biggest surprise of the season?

Jasmine: The Aleutian Flu got me. I knew Discovery Day was looming, but I didn’t expect the turning of half of Seattle. That not only shocked me, but it’s a total game changer!

Allison: THE ZOMBIE SECRET IS OUT! I still can’t believe this. This is going to change the entire show, and I’m so excited.

Anisha: Even though I didn’t like how Natalie was handled, the house party explosion really shocked me.

The only time mopey Major seemed to perk up was when he was with his army buds, and it was pretty shocking to see the entire crew minus Justin wiped out that quickly. The contrast between a celebratory party and a suicide bombing is one of the biggest gut punches iZombie has ever delivered.

Jamie: Yep, the zombie secret is out. I did not expect them to broadcast the news on local TV! Sure, tanning and hair dying can get expensive, so this is just a bonus for the already undercover zombies to finally cut their budget.

However, I’m still shocked that they decided to full come out of the closet and find themselves free to roam. What will this mean for Liv and her family since she had to avoid helping her brother due to her zombie-ism? 

What are your hopes for next season?

Jasmine: For starters, I hope that my precious Ravi doesn’t become a zombie. Isn’t there like an unspoken rule that Clive and Ravi must remain human? Did I just make that up? Wishful thinking on my part.

I want to see more of morally compromised Major, potentially against his friends, but only for a bit. I’m both annoyed and intrigued by it. Can Jason Dohring join full-time? I would like to see more of Chase Graves.

I just hope to see more of “the new normal” now that Seattle is run by zombies and humans are at their mercy.

Allison: I need Jason Dohring to be a series regular or at least in the majority of next season. He was bringing the Echolls charm during the finale, and I was loving it. I really enjoyed watching his dynamic with Liv.

I also want to see more of Bozzio next season. Not only is she in the know about zombies, but she is one! I’d love to see how she’s handling the change, and how it is affecting her job.

Anisha: I’m hoping for more focus on characters next season. With the possibility of some serious world-building on the horizon, I don’t want to lose the smaller moments that ground iZombie.

And I’m also dying to know who stole the cure! I’m excited to see if and how the show shifts further away from the procedural structure since a city full of zombies seems like it might have bigger issues than solving an isolated murder or two.

Jamie: I’m torn about this. I’ve already read what Rob Thomas said about what is in store for the coming season, and I have to say I’m not pleased. I really enjoyed the formula that was set for how the series progressed, which was what made it such a fan favorite to me.

Knowing that next season is going to be quite dark, I’m not sure how much I see myself continuing to enjoy the season. I do hope that I will be surprised though and that Thomas’ vision keeps what we love most about iZombie: personas, friendship, and snark.

iZombie returns next year to The CW.

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