All the brains served up so far in ‘iZombie’ S5
The CW is losing a lot of great shows this year. We’ve talked a lot about the loss of Jane the Virgin, but iZombie will become dead for real on August 1st. The crime zombie show has rocked our worlds for four glorious years, giving us a chance to welcome Liv (Rose McIver) and Clive (Malcolm Goodwin) to our screens every week.
For those who chose to ignore iZombie while it was on the air, the show focuses around former medical resident Liv Moore who becomes undead after going to a party that was attacked by zombies. Liv then takes up a spot in the city morgue to eat brains, which gives her the memories of those murdered. As a result, she moves into detective work and joins the Seattle PD as a psychic.
Based on the Vertigo comic series, iZombie has been a sleeper hit for The CW, with a dedicated fanbase – understandably, as this is one of the most innovative shows on network TV, combining as it does sci-fi and crime into one deliciously addictive show.
The twist of Liv gaining the corpses’ memories when she eats their brains also includes their mannerisms. Some of the show’s funniest moments have come from Liv essentially turning into the deceased once she eats their brains. She has become a caped crusader, a self-obsessed DJ, a frat bro, and plenty of other fun roles in which McIver can break clichés left and right – arguably the show’s best running joke.
In previous seasons, we see Liv transform into many different people. Watching Clive try to maintain professionalism during the ensuing chaos creates hilarity along with an arguably effective method for solving crimes. In iZombie’s last season we witness another season of Liv preparing expertly crafted meals with the main ingredient of human brain, which reminds viewers of Hannibal and his fantastic skills with similar ingredients.
To honor the end of our time with Liv Moore, here are all the brains she’s had the privilege of eating in season five so far. Of course, some spoilers lurk ahead about the crimes she’s solved in season five, so watch your lumbering step!
Episode 1: “Thug Death”
Surprisingly, the crime solved in this episode didn’t have a brain or a body; Clive and Liv had to go in blind to save the day. Don’t worry, fans of seeing a zombie act like a nutjob, Ravi (Rahul Kohli) is here to fulfill your needs.
The brain Ravi takes a snack on was a macho man’s – a professional leg-breaker – giving Ravi the confidence of a thug. It’s hilarious overall, but the best part occurs while Ravi is Skyping a new character about solving the zombie problem. Ravi randomly transforms back into the thug and starts screaming at the doctor, but also has the attention span of a toddler.
Episode 2: “Dead Lift”
Again, the crime the Seattle PD is solving doesn’t involve a body, but Liv still needs some nutrients to get the bad guy in the end. Her brain of choice in episode two is a deceased fitness guru’s, so you can imagine how well that turns out.
Liv is moving, grooving, and jumping around the whole episode, looking to get the best workout possible. Of course, she can’t control her need to exercise – she even starts working out while the team is on the case interviewing suspects. Unexpectedly, Clive busts out incredible moves, showing Ravi how to move his hips just so.
Episode 3: “Five, Six, Seven, Ate!”
And we’re back on the more traditional cases! Liv gets her dancing shoes on through a deceased dancer’s noodle. Liv & Ravi then have a dance competition to investigate. It helps Liv master her undercover alibi, being a skilled dancer and all.
Probably the highlight of all the brain moments this season is the dance battle Liv and Ravi get into. He’s obviously not a skilled dancer, but nevertheless brought it for Liv during this battle, even if it’s clear Liv has comparatively more skill. This is the scene you don’t want to miss in season five, because you’ll be on the floor laughing.
Episode 4: “Dot Zom”
As you can guess by the title, we’re going into the world of tech development. The head of a traffic app company is dead and Liv, Clive, and Ravi are all called on the case. Liv ends up eating a tech-wiz brain, giving her an edge when it comes to solving the case, more so than usual.
Clive is so on board with the new Liv and even wants to keep this Liv around permanently. Liv’s more on top of it than usual and gets the job done faster.
Episode 5: “Death Moves Pretty Fast”
This one is less funny and more cringy. Clive is out of the case after slipping and hurting his back, so Ravi & Liv are up to bat. A rich 19-year-old crypto brat has been murdered, so Liv takes a munch on his brain to help solve the case.
This ends up taking a turn for the worse, as Liv turns into an obnoxious idiot. Liv is also trying to cheer Ravi up after some personal issues, but that goes as well as you think considering Liv’s a self-absorbed prick now. Plus, her attitude gets in the way of properly solving the case.
Episode 6: “The Scratchmaker”
A professional matchmaker has met her untimely end, so Liv takes on her skills. Liv’s ready to play Cupid with everyone in her life, from Major to Don E. She’s on the search for love and nothing’s gonna get in the way.
Liv is really focused on getting Major some love in his life, which is ironic considering Liv broke off her engagement with him early on in season one. What makes it particularly delicious is how Liv gets visions of everyone’s perfect match; Don E’s match is the murderer, naturally.
Episode seven: “Filleted to Rest”
A chef with expensive tastes is the one on the slab this go around. Once Liv takes a bite, she develops expensive tastes and becomes a perfectionist – not just in the kitchen, but in all parts of her life.
Liv constantly criticizes of every piece of food and drink at work. We all know the coffee that’s been sitting in the pot for a few hours isn’t going to be delicious, but there’s no need to scream to the whole office it’s disgusting. That whole scene is how we feel about the stinky leftovers in Film Daily’s office fridge. We know who you are!
Episode 8: “Death of a Car Salesman”
Someone finally decides to do something about those car salesmen who just won’t play fair and keep tailing you until you buy something. Of course, Ravi and Liv decide to take a snack on his brain when it ended up on the slab. The two go head to head with each other as they compete after consuming the go-getter’s grey matter.
It gets so bad at one point that Ravi & Liv take a break from the case to sell raffle tickets. The two won’t stop going at it trying to sell more tickets than the other. Of course, Clive is pissed because they’re doing all this in the middle of an investigation.
Episode 9: “The Fresh Princess”
Miss Teen Seattle from the 90s is the latest victim, so Liv needs to master the pageant wave and go undercover. She takes a bite out of the brain and is suddenly transformed into an entirely different zombie queen.
Those who love 90s nostalgia, get ready. The looks and slang coming out of Liv will send you right back to the era of Pogs and orange soda. We loved watching Liv transform into a beauty queen, an identity that’s so different from her usual sardonic self.
Episode 10: “Night and the Zombie City”
This episode allows Liv to step away from her usual psychic role to become a straight-up detective. A P.I. is murdered and once Liv takes a bite of his cerebellum, she channels a classic noir film private dick. She wants to get to the bottom of the mystery even more than usual.
Liv is living out a detective fantasy, but everyone else here in the 21st century just stares at her like she’s a nutjob. Clive showcases his famous eyeroll and stare, while Ravi finds amusement in Liv’s newfound identity.
Episode 11: “Killer Queen”
Of course a drag queen being murdered is definitely something to be concerned about. But Liv goes after the murderer in a typically flaming fashion, becoming a snarky drag queen through and through.
With sequins and Cher by her side, Liv immerses herself in the community trying to find the killer. Of course, Liv is kind of a side plot in this episode as the rest of it sets up Ravi and Major for the end.
Episode 12: “Bye, Zombies”
With this being the penultimate episode of the show, it’s a complete mess. Both Ravi and Liv are going nuts after they eat a ninja brain and an acrobat brain, respectively. Our three musketeers are trying to go after the cure for zombieitis, but Ravi doesn’t really care about anything and Liv is too focused on getting rich off of expensive jewelry. All of this is happening while Clive is getting groped on the dancefloor.
By the end of the undercover operation, Clive is back on the dancefloor breaking it down, Ravi is fighting his ex, and Liv is shoving jewelry in Clive’s no-no zones.
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It doesn’t take much brains to figure out it’s going to be one strange series finale.
