++++Warning, this will contain some season 1 spoilers, but no major giveaways from season 2 +++++
The 19-episode second season of iZombie aired during the 2015/2016 TV season. If you are unfamiliar with the show, it was one of The CW's "other" comic book-based shows. It is a different show based on the premise that if zombies have regular access to brains, they can remain high-functioning members of society, but if they go without brains for too long, they end up as "The Night of The Living Dead/28 Days Later" version of a zombie. The ironically named Liv Moore works in the medical examiner's office (providing her regular access to the brains of murder victims, whose personality traits and memories she temporarily takes on) and helps a member of the Seattle police department solve murders.
For those who have seen season 1, the show keeps the case-of-the-week format and has multiple serial storylines based on the events of the first season. Blaine and Major begin the season as cured zombies thanks to being injected by Liv at the end of season 1. Blaine finds a way to keep his food operation going in a more legal manner than in season 1. Major works for Max Rager unwillingly, and Liv and Ravi continue to work on finding a cure. Live becomes estranged from her family, Clive keeps digging into the Meat Chute murders, putting Liv and Major at risk of being found out, and a returning Peyton begins a crusade to take down the local crime boss. There are a ton of different interweaving storylines over the course of the season that all ultimately end up tied together. Despite that, it never feels like the show is trying to do too much, and they do a great job balancing all the various arcs while still telling good case-of-the-week stories.
This season, the writers blend a lot more comedy into the show, usually based on the personality traits Liv inherits. Rose McIver shows off great comedy chops, and Rahul Kohli plays off her very well. David Anders continues to be great in his slimy bad guy, sometimes reluctant good guy role, and a somewhat mysterious twist late in the season leaves something of a cliffhanger for his character going into season 3. A lot gets revealed in the season, and while some of the story arcs are concluded, it is set in a very intriguing direction going forward. There are also a couple great guest cameos during the season. One by Kristen Bell, who did a solid for the showrunners who also ran Veronica Mars, and Rob Thomas, of Matchbox 20 fame, who shares a name with the show's creator.
For those who get the Blu-rays, the show looks and sounds great. Since season 1 was originally released only on DVD, I was never expecting to see a Blu-ray, but it is well worth the upgrade because the show's great visuals look so much better in the HD format. For extras, it is very similar to the season 1 release. There is a 30-minute excerpt of the Comic-Con panel with the showrunners and the main cast members and deleted scenes on several, but not all, of the episodes. It would have been nice to get some commentary tracks on a few episodes, but overall, the extras are good. The show continues to be smart, funny, sometimes dramatic, and enjoyable. It does not take itself ultra seriously, and it definitely seems like the cast has a lot of fun and either has or fakes great chemistry. It is not a "typical" zombie-themed show (although there is some of that, especially toward the end of the season), but it works. I definitely recommend it.
The 19-episode second season of iZombie aired during the 2015/2016 TV season. If you are unfamiliar with the show, it was one of The CW's "other" comic book-based shows. It is a different show based on the premise that if zombies have regular access to brains, they can remain high-functioning members of society, but if they go without brains for too long, they end up as "The Night of The Living Dead/28 Days Later" version of a zombie. The ironically named Liv Moore works in the medical examiner's office (providing her regular access to the brains of murder victims, whose personality traits and memories she temporarily takes on) and helps a member of the Seattle police department solve murders.
For those who have seen season 1, the show keeps the case-of-the-week format and has multiple serial storylines based on the events of the first season. Blaine and Major begin the season as cured zombies thanks to being injected by Liv at the end of season 1. Blaine finds a way to keep his food operation going in a more legal manner than in season 1. Major works for Max Rager unwillingly, and Liv and Ravi continue to work on finding a cure. Live becomes estranged from her family, Clive keeps digging into the Meat Chute murders, putting Liv and Major at risk of being found out, and a returning Peyton begins a crusade to take down the local crime boss. There are a ton of different interweaving storylines over the course of the season that all ultimately end up tied together. Despite that, it never feels like the show is trying to do too much, and they do a great job balancing all the various arcs while still telling good case-of-the-week stories.
This season, the writers blend a lot more comedy into the show, usually based on the personality traits Liv inherits. Rose McIver shows off great comedy chops, and Rahul Kohli plays off her very well. David Anders continues to be great in his slimy bad guy, sometimes reluctant good guy role, and a somewhat mysterious twist late in the season leaves something of a cliffhanger for his character going into season 3. A lot gets revealed in the season, and while some of the story arcs are concluded, it is set in a very intriguing direction going forward. There are also a couple great guest cameos during the season. One by Kristen Bell, who did a solid for the showrunners who also ran Veronica Mars, and Rob Thomas, of Matchbox 20 fame, who shares a name with the show's creator.
For those who get the Blu-rays, the show looks and sounds great. Since season 1 was originally released only on DVD, I was never expecting to see a Blu-ray, but it is well worth the upgrade because the show's great visuals look so much better in the HD format. For extras, it is very similar to the season 1 release. There is a 30-minute excerpt of the Comic-Con panel with the showrunners and the main cast members and deleted scenes on several, but not all, of the episodes. It would have been nice to get some commentary tracks on a few episodes, but overall, the extras are good. The show continues to be smart, funny, sometimes dramatic, and enjoyable. It does not take itself ultra seriously, and it definitely seems like the cast has a lot of fun and either has or fakes great chemistry. It is not a "typical" zombie-themed show (although there is some of that, especially toward the end of the season), but it works. I definitely recommend it.
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