iZombie – All’s Well That Ends Well

By: Maggie Stankiewicz

Major (Robert Buckley) wanders around a department store after his close-encounter with Enzo (John Emmet Tracy) and his regime of Fillmore Graves traitors. He scavenges the store for weapons, anything to help his survive the war Enzo is declaring on humanity – literally on television. The broadcast is shown throughout the store, humans and zombies alike, including Graham (Dejan Loyola), bearing witness to the catastrophic news. Enzo’s declaration sends shockwaves throughout the city and it doesn’t take long for Dolly (Jennifer Irwin) to mobilize her troops and begin playing a little hunting game. One card for each powerful zombie. The goal to finish off the entire deck. More life-changing events seem to be set off in the midst of war – specifically Dale’s (Jessica Harmon) impending labor. When Clive (Malcolm Goodwin), Ravi (Rahul Kohli) and Liv (Rose McIver) manage to get out of Atlanta, they agree to take a flight to get back in time for Clive to witness his wife give birth. While on the plane Liv’s seatmate recognizes her and mistakes her for Kristen Bell. Liv tries to formulate a plan with Ravi to drug the woman and mitigate any risk of being truly identified.

With one problem seemingly solved, the stewardess managed to catch a glimpse of Liv. Soon the plane suspiciously is grounded and law enforcement called on board. Liv and her friends are taken aside, but it soon becomes apparent that the stewardess and the police officer are siblings who conspired to grant Liv and her friends safe passage back into Seattle – friends of zombies. Considering all of the delays and painful travel logistics, Dale’s water breaks and she begins to find herself deep in the midst of labor. Just as the doctor urges Dale to push Clive breaks into the room and holds Dale’s hand. As promised, he was there for the birth of their child. It’s not all rainbows and newborn babies, though. While Liv and her gang were traveling and while Clive was rejoicing over the miracle of life their friends Major and Peyton (Aly Michalka) were left to fight for their own.

Peyton and her Freylich kids are being held captive in the home of Blaine’s father trying to figure out a means of escape. One of the children soon suffers from a nosebleed, which Peyton uses to get Blaine (David Anders) downstairs. She ambushes him with a baseball bat and leads the kids outside. She manages to load the kids up in a van, but not before being shot to death. The afflicted teens arrive back at Renegade HQ just a few moments after Ravi and Liv and are forced to break the news to their caretakers. They watched Peyton fall to the ground, bloodied and unmoving, but had no choice but to run for their own lives. Ravi and Liv are destroyed by the news, but they make a promise to continue working towards the cure. Liv will go try to find Peyton’s body and Ravi will work on perfecting the formula.

As all of this is happening, Major has no choice but to infiltrate Fillmore Graves under the guise of surrendering himself to them. He calls Collins (Elfina Luk) to “turn himself in” and arrives on campus. Enzo takes him into custody and sends him off to the containment unit, intending on making Major transition to “Full Romero.” When Major is dragged downstairs by a soldier who pats him down they engage in a fight. Major is in danger, but Collins shows up in time to shoot Major’s opponent. Collins sets Major up for an escape, covering for him just long enough for him to collect the Max Rager and exit the building. Her betrayal of Enzo is discovered quickly and she’s executed on the spot – loyal to Major until the very end. Major intersects with Ravi to deliver the cans of Max Rager that he collected. Major comforts Ravi, still broken at the news of leaving Peyton, and requests that Ravi create one specific cure.

Blaine is unbothered by Peyton’s death…mostly because he turned her into a zombie. They eat dinner across the table from one another, sniping as usual. When Blaine’s had enough he goes outside and leaves Don E (Bryce Hodgson) to entertain Peyton. As Blaine visits the very well he trapped his father in, Peyton has a vision from eating Bubba’s brain – a vision of Darcy being killed. She tells Don E about Blaine’s involvement in Darcy’s (Valerie Tian) death. Don E storms outside and pushs Blaine into the well in a fit of rage. A few moments pass and Liv shows up, desperate to find Peyton. Instead ,she stumbles upon Don E whom she throws a rock at. He falls into the well and Liv dooms him and Blaine to spend eternity in the darkness – together. Just as Liv’s sadness swells, Peyton shows up and they embrace. Undead BFFs.

Ravi and Major have concocted a plan to put a pause on the race war. They go to the news station and attempt to convince Johnny Frost (Daran Norris) to take the cure on air. Johnny refuses. Major then decides to take it upon himself to take the cure – placing a call to Liv first, leaving her a voicemail just in case things go south. Johnny minimally participates though and uses his show to alert the public about the cure’s existence. Enzo interrupts and threatens to kill Johnny just as the Dead Enders arrive. While the Fillmore Graves soldiers engage in battle with the Dead Enders, Enzo challenges Major. Major declares that he’ll take the cure to prove its real – even if that means dying. Enzo agrees, injects Major and proceeds to shoot him multiple times – desperately believing that the cure is not real. Major’s body falls motionless and Ravi tackles Enzo. He also injects him with the cure. Graham then shoots Enzo dead. Soon after, now off the air, Major wakes up. Ravi knew that he’d try to make a hero play and gave him a placebo syringe, saving Major’s life while securing the end of Enzo’s.

Clive, only aware of Major’s apparent sacrifice on live television, tells Liv what happened. She then notices her voicemail and listens to Major’s last message to her about how he loves her, always did and always will. Liv lays down to grieve in her office when Michelle (Christine Laing) steps into the room in search of Clive. Michelle is followed in and just when she is telling the person they can’t be there the morgue is blown up with her and Liv still inside.

We speed ahead to ten years in the future. Clive and Dale are the matrimonial co-captains of the police department. Clive is summoned to a virtual reality teleconference with Ravi, Peyton and host Byron Deceasey (Chris Lowell). Clive is raising Dale and Michelle’s children. Peyton, now DA of Atlanta and Ravi, head of the CDC, are still happily in love and married. Byron speaks to the gang about the 10-year anniversary of the War for Seattle – where Liv and Major ultimately died and/or disappeared.

The city formerly known as Seattle has been transformed into an island, a safe haven for those who voluntarily chose to remain zombies while the rest of the world kept their pulse. The war is over. The good guys won. Except for the two leaders are missing. The interview ends and the old friends are left to catch up in their virtual chatroom. Liv and Major’s figures materialize. They never died. In fact, they chose each other. They chose zombie island. Years before Liv found her way back to her hideout and bumped into Major. They kissed and decided to never stop kissing again. They reconnect with their oldest and best friends, teasing them that all it’ll take to truly reunite is a simply little scratch. It’s true – all’s well that ends well.