iZombie - A "No-Brainer" Smörgåsbord of mainstream TV series stuff

" iZombie is a series centered on the life of a zombie, but of course has its emphasis on the human experience."

Image from ComingSoon.Net 

Hey Peeps, I am posting here a personal review of "iZombie."

What? No! It is not a new app for IOS or Android..what the hell!?

Okay, It is a newly debuted TV show that has a very refreshing and cool take on the "Zombie Genre". Now, wait right there! I understand that most of you have your "fix of the undead" via The Walking Dead, but before you say that the last thing you need is another frickin' zombie show, I tell you this - This is a series you should most definitely give a shot.

Its All About the Brains, No Trouble

You gotta ask, what is iZombie all about right? I will keep it as a quick one to pique your interest: The protagonist Liv Moore (Yep! A female lead, portrayed by Rose McIver - see the Zombie Irony there? "Live More", Yahtzee!) has her origin story told in lightning fashion in the first three minutes of the pilot episode: She is a surgical resident who seems to be your regular girl; has the makings of being good at her job, has a fiance, and has a supportive family. All of it took a 180 when a seemingly feel-good boat party turns into a drug-caused-zombie-boat-party massacre and Liv woke up in the shore as a zombie (although a half-zombie since she has high functionality). After that, she leveled down and instead opted to work on the morgue, eating the brains of the recently deceased to maintain her cover and preventing herself from becoming a shambling and groaning member of the undead (like the ones in The Walking Dead). Now did I had your interest piqued? Fantastic!

Worry about your hair, Anna...I mean Liv
(Image from www.geeksundergrace.com)

Now carrying on, the bulk of the story picks up about months (five to be exact) after Liv's transformation (Of note is she became pale-skinned and white-haired after the incident). The thing is she has a steady supply of sustenance (Braiiins!) and has her life in order (although boringly). However, she feels isolated and aimless after she was forced to quit her promising job and breaking her engagement with his fiancé. When her new boss at the morgue found out about her condition, she strangely finds a new ally in him as he is fascinated with her undead condition rather than being scared and disgusted.

From Promising Heart Surgeon to a Morgue Assistant = Unlimited Grub!
(Image from www.thewrap.com)

Liv also finds a surprising new purpose in life beyond eating the brains of the deceased sent to the morgue. A homicide detective, who ain't really skilled at his job (bottom line, he sucks at it), comes to the morgue for clues about a murder and surprisingly finds them when it turns out that Liv assimilated memories from the brains she just consumed. Under the cover that Liv is a "psychic", the detective brings her along on the investigation and Liv discovers a solidarity for her fellow dead, making the case personal and having Liv hell bent on solving it. She finds it a good career path to take rather than isolating herself in a room watching Night of The Living Dead and munching on Instant Noodles topped with Chopped Human Brains...in overwhelming amounts of Hot Sauce.

The New Diet Staple...Yum!
(Image from www.usatoday.com.)

Not your ordinary Zombie fare though

As you can see, as compared to most Zombie Genre shows (The Walking Dead at the top of it), iZombie is in a different zone and strayed from the norms of the established genre. Instead of protagonist/s waking up to a world where the undead has outnumbered the living (You know, Rick Grimes), it presents a playful twist as the protagonist just woke up as an undead person in a world where everyone else is still... Well, alive and human and instead of fighting for survival, she is fighting to fit in and find her place in it with her strangely newfound condition. It is a refreshing take albeit risky. The good thing about that is it has its own personality and not just imitating the de facto Alpha Zombie Genre show on TV right now. I mean, how can you expect to get a share of viewers when your show is just a bootleg copy of The Walking Dead? (Z Nation, I am looking at you)

The fact is, iZombie is not just your run-of-the-mill Zombie genre show too. It has a lot going for in it, to be honest. It is a teen-oriented show complete with all the drama and pizazz, a crime procedural show in the vein of CSI/Criminal Minds, and a Supernatural-slash-Superhero concoction with some Comic-Like fill in the side. Oh and of course, don't forget the "Zombie" stuff too.

Image from www.MTV.com

Let us put it this way, it is like when the head honcho of the network asked for a pilot of something Zombie-related, but not mimicking The Walking Dead, the makers of iZombie just decided that "Hey! Let us put all the elements of the good stuff from TV right now and pack it into one Zombie-related show package!" Now, here is what you get, a Smörgåsbord of mainstream TV stuff that may look overwhelming in content, but surprisingly is palatable to watch. It is a safe bet that if you want to make your mom or your grandma watch something Zombie-related without them getting freaked out with the blood and gore, but still have their interests on it, then iZombie is the way to go, definitely.

Bottom Line

If you like zombies, supernatural mysteries, crime procedurals, some cleverly thought dialogue, or just feel-good and entertaining television, then iZombie is absolutely worth watching. It is a fun Jack-Of-All-Trades kinda show presented with a Zombie-themed central plot, but not as quite as gruesome as "The Walking Dead."

It is an inventive re-imagining of the genre - there are compelling characters, we have a heroine that is a much more like a "Decomposing Disney Princess", but still a heroine that we can root for (considering she is the Zombie on the show), and a setting where the world is not a barren wasteland and everyone is a member of the undead  (lets admit it, we do not want the post-apocalyptic setting in real life). Putting those into consideration, it goes to show that  iZombie is a series centered on the life of a zombie, but of course has its emphasis on the "human experience." 

Now, could you believe all those factors being present in a Zombie show? You gotta be kidding, right? Nope! iZombie is not kidding.

Image from www.screenrant.com

If you want to detoxify from the latest character death or stressing plot progression of the The Walking Dead - the clever and witty humor of iZombie can get you covered on that..and still provide you with enough Zombie fill.

Until next time,


Ciao!

*Post-Mortem..err..Post After Thoughts:

• 03/25/2015 - Okay, Liv may be a member of the undead, but I think she is "Adorkable." She could well be the Poster Girl of the Zombie Genre on TV.
• 03/25/2015 - Maybe we can consider Liv as a "ZILF"...if you know what I mean? LoL!