iZombie Season Premiere Review: Thug Death (Season 5 Episode 1)

iZombie has transitioned from a wacky undead crime drama to one of the most politically relevant shows on television.

And going into the show’s final season, iZombie Season 5 Episode 1, “Thug Death,” isn’t looking to reinvent itself again. For better or for worse, this political and segregated side of New Seattle is here to stay.

Not much may have changed for the residents of the undead city since we last saw them but as far as we are concerned, everything has changed. Our beloved zom-com-rom-dram is ending and with that comes a sense of urgency and concern when things get a little too political for Liv and the Brain Gang.

Thankfully iZombie has always been one thing — and that’s funny!

So darn funny!

iZombie makes the decision early on to flex Ravi’s appetite for brains and have him showcase his worst brain yet — but our personal favorite.

Thug Ravi talks in a terribly gruff accent, chews up the scenery in every scene, and is looking to pick a fight with Peyton he will not win. Thug Ravi is over the top and misogynistic, but his hilariously awful attitude is so loud he dares to drown out any undesirable storylines with his ridiculous getup.

Obnoxious zombies are the best zombies and with Liv practically benched for this season premiere, it’s nice to see one of our undead favs step up and punch some stuff for comedic effect.

With Liv and Major beginning to fill their respected roles in Seattle’s new world order, the two characters are unfortunately left to their own devices for the majority of this premiere.

This means there isn’t an abundance of witty banter to be had between them and the rest of the Brain Gang. Thankfully, Blaine is still kicking around and has no problem stirring up trouble for our own delight.

Blaine is the villain we love to hate and iZombie knows this. He is, as Major so perfectly puts it, a Jack the Ripper everyone treats like Jack Sparrow.

So Blaine does what he does best — he puts on a show. He rallies up all the border security officers that dare to defy him and reminds us exactly why he is still a big player in this game. With no next season to keep Blaine in check, his character brings welcoming chaos and admiration for the lengths of which he goes to in order to be such a well-rounded villain.

We’d be lying if we said we weren’t looking forward to seeing Blaine finally getting the karma he’s had coming to him for five seasons now. His downfall will be epic but until then our love for this tv villain is still very much alive.

And how could we not talk about the pregnancy announcement?

You may think the middle of a zombie apocalypse is a terrible time to procreate, but when it comes to Clive and Dale’s happiness I think there is no better time to start a family. Sure, The Walking Dead has never had much luck with the subject but I have faith this can’t go nearly as bad for iZombie.

There was a time where the thought of seeing Clive and Dale together again seemed nearly impossible. Now Dale is pregnant and we are only episodes away from seeing a little Babineaux Baby running around the station.

Not only does the arrival of a baby allow Clive to put all those years of experience babysitting zombies with personality disorders to the test, but you know adding a pregnant Dale to the mix will cause all sorts of laughable and adorable moments to ensue.

With our world in similar disarray, it seems only fitting that the humans start an apocalypse and not the so-called monsters of the show, the zombies.

Even a show about undead crime solvers knows it would ultimately be a middle-aged white woman demanding to see the manager that would bring society crumbling down.

I think Jennifer Irwin’s Dolly is a clever addition to the cast. She is clearly an antagonist from the moment she opens her mouth, but the woman is no multi-millionaire owner of an energy drink company and she’s not some private contractor of a zombie military cooperation.

Dolly is a run of the mill human-being with racist views fueled by religious means and fear of those different to her. Which might just make her the most dangerous and concerning threat to Seattle’s zombies yet.

That being said, much of this New Seattle plot still feels like it belongs on a different show.

I know we have been living in this new world for over a season now but that doesn’t make it any more tolerable at times.

Humans turning out to be the real monsters is right on par with the original theme of this show. However, Liv upholding her mantle as Renegade and Major commanding an undead military squad just seems so far removed from Liv and Clive solving murders in a clueless Seattle.

We can’t go back to the way this show was but one has to hope iZombie will stop holding onto the parts of this storyline that are clearly not working and focus more on creating a nostalgic, full circle experience for fans in this final season.

There is a lot packed into this season premiere — maybe too much.

Surprisingly the political and dystopian undertones of last season are very much a central theme for the series during the premiere and that may not set up the funniest punchlines, but it does showcase how capable this wonderful cast of characters is at investing their audiences in almost any storyline.

And with “Thug Death,” only the first of a two-parter episode, it’s safe to assume this show is saving the best for the next installment.

Going forward, one has to hope iZombie won’t spend too much time trying to take itself so seriously in the show’s final days. No one likes a buzzkill zombie.

Other Thoughts About “Thug Death”:

• Blaine starring in McConaughey-esque car commercials is one of the funniest ideas this show has come up with yet!
• Also making them those pesky video ads you have to sit through before a video– wow diabolical move Blaine.
• With only cheap chocolate and rootbeer left to scavenge, it’s clear the apocalypse has already started.
• Please never stop referring to Ravi’s zombie days as his “monthlies”.
• Clive is going to name his kid after a Game of Thrones character, I just know he is.

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iZombie airs Thursdays at 8/7c on The CW.

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