TV Review: iZombie (Season 4, Episode 1)

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The New Seattle, as it has come to be known in the three (almost four) months between the seasons, is a far cry from what we have to expect from the city. Blaine calls it Baghdad, and he is not wrong – over a really short time, a wall has been erected, the streets are full of patrolling zombie soldiers, yet street crime and black market deals are on the rise.

iZombie wastes no time in destroying the idealised version of a zombie homeland from last season and the worldbuilding in this episode is truly superb. In a society where one of the predators on top of the food chain is entirely reliant on one part of the body of the other one, zombie life has become industrialised.

Brains are scarce and rationed. That has led to the creation of gangs on the one hand, and on the other, the building up of tension and anti-zombie sentiment, which, while we might rush to disagree with it, is not completely unwarranted.

None of that lends to a peaceful living. The guillotine Chase Graves is preparing to keep discipline sharp and the constant awareness of a possible nuclear intervention just add to an overall atmosphere of dread.

On top of all that, it seems none of our characters seem to be happy with the way their current life is. Not much has changed in the way Clive and Liv work, but the whole police department operates under that way. Major goes back to his calling, youth counselling, but the reality of the streets is even direr than the last time he worked.

Blaine has been reduced to being Chase Graves’ information, and continues to pine for Peyton, in an awkward reminder of one of the more bizarre subplots of the previous season.

All this being said, ‘Are You Ready For Some Zombies?’ doesn’t feel much different in terms of tone.

The pun-filled title cards that hark back to the show’s comic beginning are as hilarious as ever, as well as the soundtrack choices (there’s a scene with a well-chosen appearance of ‘U Can’t Touch This).

The sequences of making brain food make human brain look as tasty as ever, and Liv (and now Ravi) influenced by weird brains remains fresh and funny.  

While the world of iZombie has fundamentally changed, the show retains its creepy-funny vibe, and has proven so with this episode, and I for one, can’t wait until

The fourth season of iZombie returns with new episodes every Tuesday on Netflix.