iZombie Review: Five, Six, Seven, Ate! (Season 5 Episode 3)
Nobody puts iZombie in a corner!
iZombie Season 5 Episode 3, “Five, Six, Seven, Ate!” finds its groove with a routine that ditches the complicated and returns to the basics this show knows all too well.
Liv and Ravi don’t even need to hit the dance floor to steal our hearts with an innovative new brain persona and a proper crime-solving team up that feels all too surreal.
It is an episode that feels refreshingly new while still managing to call back to the simpler times of iZombie — something we have missed dearly!
Liv on co-dependant salsa dancer brain is rightfully the star of the show!
Everything about her fiery red wig and needy tendencies is flashy and over-the-top. Liv even adjusts her tone to a higher volume to emphasize just how irritating her co-dependency can be — but this brain is far from irritating.
This newest version of Liv may just be McIver’s best character work yet on the show.
From the extravagant costumes to the questionable dancing, you almost anticipate a big end number that will blow everyone away. But that wouldn’t be true to the spirit of this show and so it is in the moments between that showcase the best parts of this cast, including Ravi’s flossing skills.
“Five, Six, Seven, Ate!” has us craving more brains as fun as this.
This episode’s leading lady is framed brilliantly by her two partners in crime and in dance.
Ravi as the reluctant dance partner is expectedly loveable and laughable, but it is Clive who really surprises us with his ability to rise to the occasion as the wise dance teacher with hips that just don’t quit.
Liv, Ravi, and Clive’s spontaneous dance montage is worth everything as the three goofballs joyfully remind us of why we fell in love with this show and how these characters can still surprise us.
The three department employees have been forced to put their serious faces on in Seattle’s new political climate, so a dance training montage is exactly what iZombie needed to get it’s groove back if you ask me.
iZombie doesn’t let the good times stop at a dance montage though.
Malcolm Goodwin’s incredible range is on full display as he bounces back and forth between concerned husband and dance teacher.
Proud Dad Clive even makes an appearance at Liv and Ravi’s big dance competition, warming our hearts all over again as he eagerly cheers on his two morgue children from behind his cell phone camera.
It seems like a fun addition to a moment last season on iZombie Season 4 Episode Episode 5, “Goon Struck” when Clive is asked which hockey player on the ice is his to which he proudly replies “the little blonde one”.
Clive’s love for Liv and everything she does continues to be one of the best aspects of their partnership.
That and the depth of Clive’s humanity and empathy, which is on full display as he attempts to comfort a pregnant Dale while supporting ex-girlfriend Michelle as a single mother who may also be carrying his baby.
This awkward baby daddy situation adds some welcoming human drama to what feels more like a zombie soap opera lately and puts Clive in an awkward situation — which is inevitably when Clive’s loveable character shines brightest.
The Fillmore-Graves storyline follows in step with the simple theme of this episode and provides a side story that preaches peace between humans and zombies.
The concept isn’t too overzealous and only needs Major and Peyton to be executed properly.
The whole thing feels small scale compared to what the two have been dealing with lately, but iZombie proves with this newest installment that it may just operate better when on a smaller scale.
The crime of the week isn’t anything overly complicated either unless you factor in the creativity of cyanide protein powder. Again, an uncomplicated storyline can be used to this show’s advantage as it allows aspects that have long been buried under a gigantic plot to shine again.
Fresh wit and killer moves breathe new life into this undead drama.
iZombie has been operating on such a grand storytelling scale these past two seasons and it is a good change of pace to see this zom-dram briefly return to its rom-com roots with “Five, Six, Seven, Ate!”
This episode manages to restore more faith in the potential of this final season than any of the politically charged ones that have come before it.
At the end of the day we fell in love with a different iZombie than the one we were introduced to at the start of Season 4, but this episode demonstrates that both versions of this show can work brilliantly together when they want to.
Top Lines From “Five, Six, Seven, Ate!”:
Ravi: “This might be weird, but I think Clive just got me pregnant.”
Clive: “Let’s not joke about that right now.”
Liv: It’s gonna be just like in the movies, except better. Because you’re not dancing to win child support money, or because your friend is throwing an outlaw prom. And you’re not dancing to say “Hey, Dad, I’m a woman now! I’m sick of this repressive 1960s paternalism”! You are dancing for justice.
Dale: “I’d say small world, but it’s a walled-in city, so…”
Liv: “Nobody puts Ravi in a corner.”
Clive: “[mouthing] I love you.”
Dale: “[mouthing] You better.”
What did you think of this episode of iZombie? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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iZombie airs Thursdays at 8/7c on The CW.
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Alicia Gilstorf
Alicia is a Rotten Tomatoes Certified Critic and a Critics Choice Association member. She credits her passion for TV to workplace sitcoms, paranormal dramedies, and coming-of-age stories. In her free time, Alicia loves to curl up with a good book and lose herself in a cozy game. Keep a lookout for her coverage of Ghosts. You can also find her work on Eulalie Magazine and Cool Girl Critiques. Follow Alicia on social media: @aliciagilstorf