iZombie Review: Are You Ready for Some Zombies? (Season 4 Episode 1)

Disappointed is not an emotion one experiences too often while watching this show. But iZombie Season 4 Episode 1, “Are You Ready for Some Zombies?,” leaves little room for anything else but disappointment.

Ever since the surprising Season 3 finale left the world of closeted Seattle zombies exposed, everything we have come to love about Liv’s double life as a brain-eating crime solver has been put in jeopardy. The premiere brings with it both anticipation and worries, as this new world is either going to welcome us with open arms or push us away for good.

Unfortunately, New Seattle is hardly welcoming, as it lacks the quirky and witty fun this show has come to wield brilliantly. Instead, we are treated to the harsh realization that the show we have come to love is gone, and in its place is something nearly unrecognizable.

The thing about a show like iZombie is that, despite what the title promotes, this show does not benefit from more zombies.

If “Are You Ready for Some Zombies?” is an indication of anything, it’s that populating Seattle with more zombies not only takes away from the unique and humorous storytelling we’ve come to expect but detracts from Liv’s purpose as our undead narrator.

The hour is plagued with tedious set-up for the show’s new world (tedium that not even Blaine can escape) as our favorite characters use most of their scenes to explain why there is now a wall segregating humans from zombies, why zombie counselling needs to be a thing, and how Seattle has managed not to be wiped out by a bomb yet.

It is all technical and political dialogue that is neither fun nor interesting when coming from expressionless zombie buzzkill Chase Graves and the even more surprisingly dreadful Major Lilywhite.

Sure, Major can be a bit of a mope at times, but in a way that only makes you adore Robert Buckley more for playing such a tormented soul. However, the premiere gives us the return of Soldier Major, who is nothing short of a major downer with his stoic behavior and lack of dorky smirks.

But what comes as the biggest shocker of this episode as far as disappointments go, is the number of rambling zombies on screen.

Whether it is a Shakespearean zombie on blue juice brain at the Scratching Post or Blaine’s father having inhaled too much well water, too many scenes suffer from undead people who are not Liv shouting nonsense that is neither funny nor productive to the actual story.

When Liv is on a brain, that brain’s personality is usually the center of the episode. While Super Bowl Seahawk fan brain is a positive highlight from the premiere, it is overshadowed by the sheer amount of new zombies either reacting to their new diet or complaining about not having enough brains.

Just imagine how annoying The Walking Dead would be if every zombie could talk about how hungry they are.

And here lies the true reason this new world order does not work for iZombie: All these zombies take away from Liv and her journey as a creature of the undead.

Having multiple zombies on screen together at once has proven effective in the past. Teen Major and Father Liv come to mind. But when there is at least one other zombie in the room at all times, it takes away from what made this show work so well.

Liv still works with Clive to solve murders, but now so do a handful of other zombies. Liv has to tell people during interrogations that she has sampled the victim’s brains, and when she is acting bizarre, she no longer gets concerned looks followed by an apology from Clive. Now, she just gets disgusted looks for being a zombie.

All the excitement and suspense surrounding the fact that zombies aren’t common knowledge has proven to be the main element that made this show come together so well at the end of the day. It has proven to be far more effective to the story to let the secret out slowly, eventually bringing Peyton and Clive in on it.

But now that the entire world has found out about Liv and why her hair is so blonde, that feeling like we were all in on one funny inside joke is gone, and so is the innocence iZombie has clung to so well for three seasons.

iZombie should be applauded for doing what takes shows years to accomplish as far as storylines go.

This show is starting over from scratch. The only familiarities we viewers have to cling to are the characters. At the end of the day, iZombie understands it is not the kind of show that can go on forever and has put a plan in motion that would usually take ten seasons to execute, not four.

In doing so, however, this show has prematurely begun to dig its own grave by giving little room for the usually refreshing and comical writing to shine in such a hopeless world.

It begs the question: If the show wasn’t broken before, then why try and fix it?

Despite how much did not work in this premiere, there are several positive moments that stand out.

Liv as a racist Seahawks fan is worth the wait, and Ravi on nudist brain isn’t nearly as hilarious as Clive’s reaction to seeing him naked in the middle of the kitchen. Between Liv and Ravi, we are treated to some good old banter and a reminder of how fun these characters can be when they don’t have the burden of the world on their shoulders.

Unfortunately, “Are You Ready For Some Zombies?” is everything you fear seeing in a show like iZombie: a lack of direction and purpose. It’s a painful reminder that what we’ve come to love most about this show can’t be brought back from the dead.

Top Quotes From The Episode:

Clive: Try to dial it down a bit, Liv. Let’s not remind them that zombies eat their loved ones.
Liv: Zombies are the worst. Pale ass, brain-eating bitches.

Liv [to Ravi]: I see it’s your time of the month.

Ravi: This new world is going to take some getting used to.
Clive: Why bother? Someone is probably going to bomb us any day now.

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

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

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