iZombie Review: Mac-Liv-Moore (Season 4 Episode 9)

iZombie Season 4 Episode 9, “Mac-Liv-Moore” has plenty of delightful and playful moments to sink your teeth into and yet this might just be one of darkest installments the series has introduced yet.

How could this possibly be a dark episode you ask? Liv’s rap demos are playing in the background of nearly every scene.

That’s the beauty of iZombie, it is exactly the kind of show you want it to be when you need it to be.

If you focus on the comedy there are dozens of quality jokes to enjoy. We have Clive, who is taking a break from catching killers to slay his fellow co-workers in Dungeons and Dragons, and then there is Liv who, to no surprise, rocks a lost and found tracksuit like no one else.

But for those that find the crime investigation part of iZombie is what gives this show the weight it needs, “Mac-Liv-Moore” delivers a juicy new investigation involving an escaped convict that emerges as Seattle’s newest zombie serial killer.

There are real motives and real emotion behind the killer’s actions and this helps give Fillmore Graves some much-needed purpose amongst all this chaos.

Usually, iZombie attempts to separate the different aspects of comedy, crime, and drama slightly to give viewers breathing room and the option to focus on what they want to focus on.

With this newest episode, you can’t help but notice the darker and grittier undertone iZombie is gravitating towards because it’s something we don’t often see from this show. So much so that moments like Blaine shooting Lowell or the outing of Liv’s undead status to Major in season one stand out.

This episode taking a more aggressive approach is not necessarily a bad thing, depending on what you want from this show. These uncharacteristically dark moments are necessary sometimes for iZombie to get it’s point across.

Attempting to soften the blow with a blend of comedy and drama just can’t get that urgency and sense of danger across quite like these outlier scenes can.

And to no surprise, the man at the root of this show’s darkest moments seems to always be Blaine. iZombie has introduced us to a character that not only operates brilliantly in the grey area but will just as easily step into villain territory if he has to.

This episode sees Blaine tread dangerously close to the diabolical villain as he concocts an evil plan to auction off Ravi’s zombie cures and kill a well-known zombie to prove their authenticity. I mean as far as diabolical plans go, forcing your business partner to take hacker brains and killing the mayor just to sell your product is pretty darn clever.

It is also a terrifying reminder to us all that we should never underestimate Blaine, no matter how cozy he gets with the brain gang.

He is scarier than an entire military organization of zombie soldiers and that is likely why iZombie can’t be bothered to try and replace him every season with a bigger and better bad.

Killing off the mayor of Seattle is a bold and unexpected move for iZombie. This is a man who has escaped death multiple times over the course of 4 seasons. His death sets a very strong precedence as we inch closer to the finale: no one is safe in iZombie’s senior season.

This is relatively new territory for the series given that we have yet to lose any of the main cast.

Yet despite that, most side character deaths have still managed to have a large impact on the story. At the end of the day, iZombie understands that its characters are what makes this show work so well and there is no sense in jeopardizing what works for shock value.

That being said, going into the 4th season without a clear renewal and no real endgame for this season, a big death might just be what iZombie needs to make a lasting impression.

“Mac-Liv-Moore,” uses some dope rapping and D&D shenanigans to take the pressure off all the killing going on in this episode and it sort of works.

Liv’s freestyling makes for some interesting conversation and an even more interesting argument between her and Major that has been coming for a long time now. Isobel is a fun addition to the cast and her personality plays a large part in why this episode manages to effectively balance out Liv and Blaine’s separate lives during the lockdown.

If season 4 continues to go like this, Liv is going to have to put down the mic and prepare herself for a fight.

Top Quotes From The Episode:

Major: So you know, I’m out on the streets trying to catch a murderer.
Clive: [muttering under his breath] I catch a murderer every week.

Chase: It probably would have been easier to drop your grievances in the comment box.

Major: Renegade was breaking the law and fully aware of the consequences. Her death, while tragic, probably saved lives.
Liv: Hey Major, I’ve seen that movie too. You’re quoting The Bad Guy.

Clive: Fillmore Graves can declare Martial Law now?

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

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

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