iZombie Season 5 Episode 12 Review: Bye, Zombies
Jasmine Blu
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After a rocky final season with much to be desired, the final installments of this series are coming in strong.
No doubt about it, iZombie Season 5 Episode 12 was the best hour of the season. It played out like a movie, and not solely because of the heist and Ocean's 11 vibes involving Clavioli or the action movie vibe coming from Major and to a lesser degree Blaine.
I'm going to miss this show a lot, aren't you?
The problem with the season overall was it took too long to get to the point. The season didn't play out as if it was leading up to a series finale, and it felt as though it was biding its time until the final few installments to pull off a grand finale.
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It felt like the series forgot it was the final season until now, and they're cramming all the good stuff into the last few episodes. It's noticeable, and I lament the time wasted, but damn if this hour wasn't great anyway.
It's nearly the end of the world as we know it, and Liv and the gang made one last-ditch effort to save humans and zombies alike by stealing the utopium needed for a mass cure from the CDC.
The hour had me at "heist." There is nothing like a group of skilled individuals coming together for a heist, and no matter how you break it down, it will be peak entertainment.
The timing was perfect with Ravi on his monthlies; he could consume the necessary brain to pull off the mission along with Liv. She wouldn't have had anyone else to help her pull it off.
We're zombies. We don't need Ocean's 11 to do this job. We just need the right brains.
Liv
But while Ravi on Russian hacker brain was an absolute delight and Rahul Kohli tapped into my sentimental side by existing during this hour, the real star of the hour was Clive.
Damn right Clive is the Clooney! He's the straight man, the Dad friend, and he keeps their circus running smoothly. The Clavioli scene where Clive, ever the worried dad out of their bunch, struggled to say goodbye to Liv and Ravi triggered allergies.
He loves Liv and Ravi so much; he didn't have to say the exact words, but it came out through his fretting and body language. He was worried sick about them going on a mission which could've cost them their lives.
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He always made it his responsibility to keep them in line but also safe. Somewhere along the way, he assumed responsibility for the two nerds, and he never relinquished it.
Acrobat brain, huh? New man in your life? I'll take that glare as a no. You're not so good with the boyfriends, no? Speaking of acrobats, how's Peyton.
Blaine
What's beautiful about the relationship between Clive and Dale is she knows how much his friends mean to him, and she encouraged him to accompany them on their mission instead of getting upset about it.
All he needed was her blessing, and he was on his way. Clive Babineaux is a gosh damn gift, and he always has been on this series. Episodes where they showcase how valued he is, are the greatest.
It's a blessing to the fandom when Malcolm Goodwin shows off his many skills. Is there anything he can't do? He played the honeypot and dazzled Gladys with his weird cat skill and those incredible dance moves.
Everything about Clive in that ballroom was a delight and left me giggling nonstop. Gladys was a tiger, but he handled it well, and Liv kept getting distracted while on pickpocket/grifter brain, but he handled her well too.
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They captured the different roles and unique personalities of a heist team well. Clive was also hilarious when he breezed past the racist guard who assumed all black men looked alike. Clive and the janitor he was portraying looked nothing alike!
The rotting brain of a dead pickpocket. This is the nicest thing anyone has ever did for me.
Liv
Ravi and Liv on the ninja warrior brain were cute because of them working together. It was shocking to see Ravi go full Romero on the CDC guy though. It was the closest Ravi ever came to damn near killing someone.
The mission was a success for the team, and they all survived it, but no one is out of the woods yet, and all hell broke loose back in Seattle.
At the moment, the two main characters who are in the most jeopardy are Peyton and Major. Peyton's task was simple; she was in charge of taking care of the zombie children while Liv was away.
It should've been an easy task, but Blaine's intel revealed Ravi was the one who took his Freylic shipment. It's disappointing that Peyton didn't catch on she was being tailed. She led Blaine and Don E right to the hideout, and the coyote Blaine killed led them in the door.
It used to be a time where Blaine even considering killing Peyton was unbelievable. His feelings for her were real. However, Blaine is a full-blown villain now.
I'm happy the show is committing to Blaine's villainy. At this rate, most of us are actively rooting for his demise. Blaine has never been a redeemable character, but they at least knew how to tease the idea.
Redeeming Blaine would've been a cop-out, but the buildup from Blaine the ambiguous, charming antagonist to Blaine the hardened, asshole, evil villain was abrupt.
Take care of Ravi please, I'm probably going to marry the guy.
Peyton
He didn't ease into the cold-hearted, evil antagonist; it was a blink and you missed it transition which happened somewhere between the installments where he was missing, and it gave me whiplash.
Related: iZombie: Villain, Antagonist, Antihero -- Why Blaine is Irredeemable and That's OK!
He came in hot trying to goad Liv and Ravi, he killed the coyote, and God only knows what he might do to Peyton. Killing her is a possibility for him, and it's something that wouldn't have been on the table two seasons ago.
Peyton is a beloved character who often struggled to have decent storylines. If she died, it would be sad, but it also would be a plausible narrative choice. Plus, she mentioned marrying Ravi, and I wouldn't put it past this series to rip our hearts out like this.
There is also a chance Major could die. The hour ended with him in a dire position. The Deadenders, CHIC, and Enzo have succeeded in starting a war between humans and zombies. Enzo has gotten the FG soldiers to turn on Major for good.
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He's on his own, injured, and he's about to go on a suicide mission for Liv and to save the city. I don't want Major to die; it would devastate me.
I'm really glad we're at this place in our relationship where we can dig up a grave without having to talk.
Major
It's an ending which would fit his character though. He's always the guy who runs toward the action, not away from it. He's always jumping headfirst into danger without a second thought.
He would sacrifice himself a million times over to save the people he cares about or people in general. It's who he is. Major Lillywhite is and has always been the action star of the series.
He's prime for dying a hero's death. And if he died saving people and completing his mission, he would die a happy man.
The season didn't do the best job building the romantic portion of his relationship with Liv back up. For most of the season, they barely crossed paths long enough to hint at romance, and when they did, the romantic tension wasn't there.
However, their moment digging the grave together was their best of the hour. It was a cute scene of them reminiscing on the ups and downs in their relationship and recognizing how much of a rollercoaster it has been.
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He kidnapped her, and she turned him into a zombie to save him. They were engaged once. They have been through it all.
Clive: We are in the south now. You don't put stolen jewelry in a black man's pocket.
Liv: It's not in your pocket.
Their kiss was the icing on the cake. Although, when you think about Blaine making the crack about Liv's boyfriends, it's hard not to take it as ominous given how the hour ended.
If Major dies, you can rest assured, I will not be OK!
This is really it, you guys! Only one more episode of this underrated series left, and I'm a mess thinking about it. How about you?
Did you love the heist? What are your thoughts about Blaine's turn to unrelenting villain with no charm? Who do you think the series will kill off?
Hit the comments below with your thoughts and tell me what you hope to see in the series finale!
If you're not ready to say goodbye yet, you can always watch iZombie online here via TV Fanatic.
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is an insomniac who spends late nights and early mornings binge-watching way too many shows and binge-drinking way too much tea. Her eclectic taste makes her an unpredictable viewer with an appreciation for complex characters, diverse representation, dynamic duos, compelling stories, and guilty pleasures. You'll definitely find her obsessively live-tweeting, waxing poetic, and chatting up fellow Fanatics and readers. Follow her on X.
