Many of us binge on Netflix marathons but probably don’t munch brains with hot sauce. iZombie is a new comic book adaptation (yes another one) created by the same people who make the successful shows Arrow and The Flash.
The show centres on our medical student protagonist, Liv, who gets in a drunken altercation which leaves her undead. So how is this different to other zombie shows and films? Liv eats brains from the victims of murders in her morgue job and her condition allows her to gain their memories, skills and personalities. We’re ostensibly watching a character who is a zombified morgue worker, but she can also suddenly become a different character entirely, such as the promiscuous painter shown in the second episode. This offers the show a lot of diversity and scope into where the character can go. In addition to this, the undead have a ‘full-on zombie mode’, as Liv refers to it, where they can enter a fuming sense of rage to hunt and/or defend people.
If the concept of numerous personalities hasn’t tickled your taste buds yet then there is an investigation storyline during each episode, as Liv helps a detective solve crimes with the help of her dinner’s memories. This appears to be the primary storyline in each episode and may potentially become repetitive if stories are not mixed up a little throughout the show’s run. So far it has an overarching narrative of Liv getting to know the stranger who zombified her in the first place and he has a shady background and will hopefully offer the diversity for the storylines.
Unlike some recent pop culture films and TV shows about the undead, this show doesn’t have sparkly vampires and tends to stray away from romanticising the death aspect of such creatures. Liv struggles with adapting to her new life and the way it is portrayed is believable to an extent. Her morgue friend and confidant is informed about her condition and does not immediately freak out but is instead fascinated. Maybe this says something about the current generation and their views on undead beings but it does add to the characters’ dynamic in the show so it may be a tad over-critical.
iZombie is fun to watch and is something fresh coming from the comic-book world. The source material lasted for 2 years and received general critical success, so the show has a lot to play around with and has room to develop its own visual world. It has a light-hearted and comedic take on investigating murders that feels reminiscent of Pushing Daisies, which is no bad thing. iZombie is one to watch as the series develops and if you’re after something that’s easy to watch, a bit of fun and filled with pop culture references, definitely give it a chance.
George Driscoll
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