iZombie Review: Death of a Car Salesman (Season 5 Episode 8)

Liv and Ravi might not have closed this case but their antics as competitive salesmen sure did seal the deal on this episode!

iZombie Season 5 Episode 8, “Death of a Car Salesman,” proves two crime-solving zombies is always more fun as Ravi joins in on the latest murder investigation to drive Clive crazy.

And while our favourite detective may not love the matching suits and power poses, Liv and Ravi’s desire to turn everything into a sales competition makes for one loveable concept.

Liv and Ravi on salesman’s brain isn’t a tough concept to sell but it does take some of iZombie’s trademark wit to truly excel.

This brain doesn’t have to be a completely fleshed out character to have its concept pay off in big ways. Just seeing that exasperated look on Clive’s face every time Ravi enters a room is enough of a payoff, but the oversized Bluetooth earpiece and toothpick chewing is an appreciated bonus.

The competitive nature of this brain adds some much-needed drive to an otherwise basic murder mystery and gives Liv and Ravi some laughable material to work with as they attempt to one-up each other at every turn.

Normally I would be more pleased to see Liv focused on solving murders with Clive but her desire to best Ravi instead only adds to the selfish persona of this salesman’s brain. The strong execution of this idea puts this brain in the running with co-dependant salsa brain for the best brain persona of Season 5.

How is it that we can have an episode filled with slimy salesmen and Liv’s father is still the biggest scumbag present?

iZombie does attempt to make Martin seem more empathetic by showing a softer, more remorseful side to him. It’s a valiant effort but the fact of the matter is too many of Martin’s cards have been already been shown.

He blatantly lies to Liv about how he became a zombie and doesn’t exactly show the empathy he should when Liv reveals she was turned into a zombie at the boat party massacre he helped orchestrate. He’s clearly not a good dude and now we have to watch Liv get strung along by him, a choice that feels tedious when we have so little time left with her.

However, it is quite smart of iZombie to introduce Liv’s father as the reason for her existence as a zombie and possibly as the reason she turns human again — although let’s not hold our breath.

Being Liv’s absent father hasn’t made Martin a more convincing villain but thankfully, it has made him a more complex character.

It’s no surprise Martin Roberts is this Bean Pole Bob everyone has been talking about. What is surprising is the reveal that Liv’s father was patient zero for the zombie virus and not, in fact, an Aleutian flue vaccine victim as he so boldly tells his daughter later on.

The clever reveal prompts several flashback scenes to the night of the infamous boat party that are fascinating regardless of their purpose. Watching drug dealer Blaine interact with Scott E and Don E knowing what comes next is a nostalgic trip I didn’t know we needed to go on.

The only disappointment is that we didn’t see these flashback scenes amount to anything more.

The first flashback tells us more about Liv’s shady father but the second one is more of a novelty scene with no follow-up to justify its existence. The Scott E throwback scene feels more like a fun gag but has potential to be so much more if tied into the plot better.

“Death of a Car Salesman” keeps this season’s momentum going with some OG Brain-Gang time that could have easily been replaced by more pressing storylines. Instead, the show continues to caters to its fans with scenes centred around our core four that prove to be imperative to the success of this final season, regardless of their importance to the actual plot.

Speaking of things that aren’t important to the plot — let’s talk puns.

iZombie’s pun game has only gotten stronger with each passing season and this final season is no different as we are treated to a whole slew of Don E jokes that are simply the best. I don’t know what warrants more praise, Don E renaming the bar Don E Be Goodz or Blaine referring to Don E’s mother as Mom E.

We really don’t give iZombie enough recognition for these subtle details.

And I know Martin watching the Renegade documentary is meant to be threatening as we realize where his allegiance lies but really all it does is remind us how awesome Paul Rudd’s narration of that fake documentary was — as the late Chase Graves would say, “Paul Rudd, he’s a good get”.

iZombie proves with “Death of a Car Salesman” that there is still plenty of Seattle left to explore this season with the introduction of the city’s first zombie.

Meanwhile, Liv and Ravi prove that two co-workers on competitive salesman brain are an unstoppable raffle ticket selling force.

iZombie is continuing to define what a final season should strive for.

And I’m sorry Peyton, Hi Zombie is good but it’s no Zombie High.

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

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

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