iZombie – Bye, Zombies

By: Maggie Stankiewicz

Liv (Rose McIver), still reeling with witnessing her father Martin’s (Bill Wise) death, diverts her attention to taking care of the teenagers who broke out of jail that Ravi (Rahul Kohli) and Major (Robert Buckley) rescued a few nights prior. Renegade’s operations are a little lackluster though, especially without Graham’s help. The human brigade against zombies are feeling particularly peppy though, a stark contrast to our beloved leading zombie lady. Dolly Durkins (Jennifer Irwin) and General Mills (Andrew Kavadas) have established their relationship through a shared love of heavy weaponry and a mutual hatred for zombie-kind. Zombies 0. Humans 1.

To add insult to injury, Ravi is suffering not only from his monthly bout of zombification, but from the news that the Centers for Disease Control will not be releasing the cure as previously promised. There is too much money to be made in keeping the cure privatized. Saxon (Aaron Craven) sold out after Ravi provided him with the tainted Utopium batch. After the dirty doc acquired the goods needed to make the cure, he kicked Ravi’s ally off the team and moved the cure formulation lab to a highly secure area – strong-arming Ravi out from his own product. Time is running out. Liv is desperate to put a stop to the impending war and suggest that she and the gang take back what was taken from them.

It doesn’t take much convincing from Liv to get Ravi on board to steal the cure formulations back from Saxon and the CDC. They immediately Skype in Charlie (Quinta Brunson) to devise a plan. They come up with one that involves exploiting a flirty but married guard and a racist guard who assumes all black men are the same person. Once the initial details are flushed out, they call a meeting with Major, Clive (Malcolm Goodwin) and Peyton (Aly Michalka) to discuss Zone 19. Only Saxon has access to the room, which is guarded by three checkpoints. If any of the systems are triggered the emergency system will immediately activate. The rest of the gang is dubious about Liv and Ravi’s plan – more worried for their friends’ safety than lacking faith. This is when Liv realizes that despite not being criminal masterminds the zombie members of their group just have to find and consume the brains of those qualified to pull of the major heist.

They take to The Scratching Post to select a fine brain and settle upon two: American Ninja Warrior and Circus Acrobat. Don E (Bryce Hodgson) obliges and goes to pack up their order, opening the door for Blaine (David Anders) to stir the pot. He taunts Ravi about his relationship with Peyton. Tensions run high and it’s clear that while Ravi is confident in the love he shares with Peyton, Blaine is still soured from it all. They disengage with the villain and regroup at the morgue, also toting a Russian Hacker Brain. Clive brings to the table brains of pickpockets and car thieves. Clive is trying to secure the safety of his friends, but he’s scared. His fear is palpable. He thinks this is goodbye. Liv tries to console him, followed by Ravi, but the moment is somber as they prepare to execute the biggest con of their careers. Blaine is up to no good himself. Bubba (Artine Tony Browne) comes to him with evidence of Ravi stealing “his” Freylich’s kids. Already hot from their sparring match earlier in the day, Blaine orders Bubba to kill Ravi for saving his money makers on sight.

Major and Liv find themselves robbing a few graves to exhume the brains Clive profiled for them. They’ve come a long way and they’re about to go even further into the fire. They take a moment’s pause in the grave to deliberate on their plans, to express their fears and to…kiss. It’s slow and deep and a long time coming. It’s either a hello or a goodbye, neither of them are quite sure. Back in the comfort of his home, Clive and Dale (Jessica Harmon) have dinner together to discuss his reservations on allowing his friends to go into the darkness of night all alone. He’s worried the brains he found are inadequate, that he wasn’t able to help enough. Dale interjects and tells Clive that he’s the Clooney of this Ocean’s Eleven heist. She grants him permission to go. She knows he’ll come back. Major also makes the necessary preparations back at Fillmore Graves as well, mobilizing his soldiers in light of growing human aggression.

Meanwhile, Peyton gets herself situated to take care of the Freylich’s kids while the group is away. It’s been three days since Ravi has made any public appearances, despite Blaine’s attempts at stalking him. Instead, his new target is on Peyton, whom he believes knows where the Freylich’s kids are being hidden. He enlists Don E’s help in the recon, but neither of them can figure out how the building’s architecture facilitates Peyton slipping out of sight. Blaine waits until night time and uses one of Renegade’s runners to get into the Renegade hideout. He enters with his gun drawn, threatening Peyton for answers. Peyton tries to appeal to the humanity Blaine once seemed to have. It doesn’t work. He shoots down one of Liv’s comrades.

The first phase of the heist is to find Gladys (Ellie Harvie). Liv and Clive take point on the operation, blending into an evening event. Clive’s job is to distract Gladys while Liv and Ravi use her credentials, which Liv has expertly stolen.  He does a great job at this. Gladys really takes a liking to Clive. This gives Ravi ample time to drive his cover vehicle to the CDC. When he arrives security calls Gladys for confirmation, which Liv intercepts after stealing her phone. Ravi gets past security with ease, but bumps into a one-night stand while roaming the halls. She stops him to confront him on his unsavory behavior after their encounter. This delays the operation slightly, but he manages to disengage and continue with the hacking of Gladys’ computer.

The next day Major and some of his units are en route to an area in need of some militant discipline when their vehicle is hit by explosives and assaulted with gunfire by Dolly’s team. His men are falling quickly. He manages to kill some of their assailants, but they’re vastly outnumbered. At the height of the gun fight, Enzo (John Emmet Tracy) arrives with his crew and convinces the few soldiers still loyal to Major to switch sides. To go from keeping the peace, to eradicating humans. Major’s team abandons him for Enzo’s regime. They then open fire on Major, who jumps into the bay and out of sight. They leave him. Enzo hijacks Seattle broadcasting stations to declare war of humans vs zombies, supported by a live devouring of captured humans at the mouth of some hungry zombies. Dolly watches as Enzo makes his threats and sends her men out to recruit other humans.

Things are going a little better for Liv and her boys out in the field. Their heist wasn’t perfect, but it was functional. Now it’s time for Phase 2. Clive will infiltrate the building posing as a janitor, smuggling Charlie in with him (hidden in a trashcan). Liv and Ravi will take the back door in,using their ninja acrobat brains to get in undetected. They’ll rendezvous with Clive and Charlie to get into Saxon’s lab.

They pull it off. It’s time to enter the vault room. Unfortunately, the vault is nearly impenetrable. Saxon, having received a call about a break in, enters the vault room shortly after Liv and the gang. The data regarding the cure is safe when he opens it…exactly as Ravi and Liv planned. They appear out of hiding, disarm Saxon’s security officers and hold him at gun point. Saxon tries to bribe them with the possibility of making money. Ravi hulks out. He allows himself to embrace the zombie within and manhandles Saxon enough for Liv to grab the cure. They did it.

Liv calls Major to tell him the good news. All they’ll need to replicate the cure is the Max Rager formula stockpiled at Fillmore Graves. Major takes the call from a bench where his team abandoned him, bloody and beaten. Major doesn’t tell Liv about his situation. He only tells her that he’ll get the Max Rager. What he doesn’t say is what that might cost him.