iZombie 2.01 “Grumpy Old Liv”

The iZombie Season 1 finale left us dangling off some pretty serious cliffs. Liv watched her chance at a normal, happy existence disappear into Major’s arm, as she injected him with the last of Ravi’s questionable cure (the other dose having cured her mortal enemy). Just when it seemed like Liv’s life couldn’t get any more complicated, what with both her ex-fiancé and best friend discovering her secret and recoiling from her in light of it, things literally explode. Seriously, the adorably named Meat Cute blows up, critically injuring Liv’s brother, Evan, in the process. The worst part though? Despite sharing his blood type, she can do nothing but stand by and tell their mother that she won’t help (because she didn’t use the cure on herself). No doctor is going to take blood from a chick without a pulse.

Season two picks up a few months later. Both Liv’s brother and mother want nothing to do with her and who could blame them? After all, they believe that she just couldn’t be bothered to save Evan’s life. The good news: he’s all right! The bad: he hates her. Major is ignoring her, which seems a bit harsh, considering she chose his happiness above her own. Sure, she turned him into a zombie to save his life, but she fixed it, right? She cured him instead of herself. Her best friend, Peyton, has disappeared without a trace and even Ravi’s zombie rat runs and hides whenever Liv is near. It would seem that she is anathema to everyone but Ravi (an insanely lovable Rahul Kohli).

“Harden yourself Liv. You’re a monster. Act like one.” Not long after speaking these words to herself, she basically becomes one. A cantankerous old man named Wendell has been murdered and after consuming his brains to help solve his murder, she takes on some of his more charming personality traits. One of the most impressive things about Rose McIver as an actress, is the way that she manages to so seamlessly incorporate her character’s personality with that of whoever Liv happens to digest in a given episode. Aside from the tremendous range shown by McIver in playing an entirely different role each week (artist, hacker, sorority sister, etc.), she always allows parts of Olivia Moore to shine through as well.

As the episode unfolds, we learn that pretty much anyone could’ve killed Wendell on account of the fact that he was such a son of a bitch. So this week, Liv just gets to act like an asshole. She manages to offend every single person they interview. “Hey Archie Bunker, I’m of Asian descent,” Ravi tells her, after she complains about an Asian driver holding them up on their way back. Did I mention Wendell was a racist? Of course he was. As usual, the interplay between Liv and Detective Clive Babineaux is hilarious. Malcolm Goodwin makes an excellent straight man, in this case, to her cranky old recluse.

This episode sees Adam Rose join the ranks of Veronica Mars alum populating iZombie’s world. Ryan Hansen, Percy Daggs III and Daran Norris all showed up in Season 1. Rob Thomas worked with many of the same actors on his first post V Mars outing, the brilliant Party Down, so it’s no surprise to see them popping up on iZombie. Thomas’s return to TV is welcome, as his absence left a Veronica shaped hole in my heart that no heroine had managed to fill until Liv Moore made her first appearance. iZombie showcases the same sharp dialogue, clever mysteries and deft character development that made V Mars such a perfect show.

Speaking of character development, who’s developing in a more fascinating manner than Major? The way he went Rambo at the Meat Cute in the season 1 finale was nothing short of awesome! Major began as a fairly two-dimensional Ken to Olivia’s pre-zombification Barbie. It would’ve been easy to leave him as such, but this isn’t that kind of show. Major is trying desperately to move on: from Liv, from zombies, from his murdered kids. This is however, not as simple as he’d hoped. There are lots of twists in store for him in this episode, but that would be telling.

While we’re on the topic of ex-zombies, I’d be remiss not to mention our favorite psychopath, Blaine DeBeers. Curing him has made him more volatile than ever. As usual, Blaine’s got a plan (and of course, David Anders steals every scene he’s in). No longer a butcher, he is now a funeral director, thus letting the brains come to him. Blaine plays at going legit, but we know he’s just plotting like a proper super-villain. Although he was last season’s Big Bad, this time, Liv also has Steven Weber’s smarmy Vaughn Du Clark to contend with. Now that Max Rager has been revealed to be the impetus of the Zombie Apocalypse, Du Clark is willing to go to extreme lengths to clean up his mess.

The mystery wraps up in the manner I’ve come to expect from Rob Thomas. Not only unpredictable, but also rife with questions of basic morality. This episode has some loops and drops that serve as intriguing jumping off points for the rest of the season. In Liv Moore, Thomas and writing partner Diane Ruggerio-Wright have created a heroine that like Veronica, is capable and relatable, funny and vulnerable, but also distinctly herself. This show shares many of the characteristics that made V Mars outstanding, but it is definitely its own entity. Liv is finding her way, learning how to live again, rebuilding her relationships and just figuring out how to enjoy the hand that she was unfairly dealt. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for her!