iZombie - Fresh Princess

Pivotal episode in the final season of iZombie, “Fresh Princess” even has a case attached to it that functions well with the ongoing arc of “zombies/humans relations in peril” as Liv’s victim’s brain gives her a power of positivity and “pageant beauty motivational personality” that helps her developing relationship with father, Martin. The twist about “Beanpole Bob”, the possible “father of the zombie crisis”, creator of the tainted Utopium that started the zombie situation in Seattle, is a bonafide corker! Ravi’s research into Bob takes him (and eventually, Peyton, fired by the city council from her acting mayor position for giving over the Space Needle for funding of the zombie/humans comedy) to even Don E, whose brother was actually a scientist responsible for taking some vials from a police station, while a dirty cop was killed by the Cobras after the vials he gave them were filled with water. It gets convoluted but some research skills from Peyton (the vials taken by Scott E were empty and kept in a box in Don E’s basement, currently occupied by Blaine who wants special concessions from the acting mayor for helping them…the funny spin on that is Blaine will not get anything because Peyton had to resign from her position) led to a lie about the death of Beanpole Bob from the leader of the Cobras, because there was only one report of gunfire and Bob wasn’t involved in that. And Peyton and Ravi locate the very home of Beanpole Bob…and that home belongs to Martin!!!

Martin is really putting on [mostly] a performance with Liv, regarding kicking the habit and getting her help to “get clean” while trying to figure out how to convince her to join his cause against all humans. With Dolly Durkins and her anti-zombie agenda behind the kidnapping of General Mills’ daughter, Sloane (Laura Bilgeri) and her boyfriend, turning them loose after holding them captive in porta-potties, starved and rotting until they have become primal savages with just the craving of human flesh remaining, leaving Major and his F-G officers no choice but to put them down when humans run for their lives at a pie-eating festival in the park; Martin sees the perfect chance to request that Liv “let him protect her” if “things get out of control”. So you have two conspiring sides looking to eliminate the other…Martin for the zombies, Dolly for the humans. And Liv, much like her own family (Eva and Evan have been estranged from her due to being a zombie and what the Blaine restaurant explosion did to Evan’s health, while Martin’s drug activity forced a separation), is stuck in the middle of it all. Eva calls for Liv to help her and Evan get out of the city so he might can get proper medical attention with Martin noticing just how special his daughter is. Liv’s consideration for his “sickness”, allowing him to live with her until he “recovers”, shows that she has a good heart and when Martin also realizes how devoted she is to human and zombies co-existing peacefully (as an example, her and Peyton’s strong friendship and bond) you can see the wheels turning in his mind. While I figure Martin is still devoted to his cause, it is possible that seeing his Liv in action has at least allowed him to think of the merits of what she believes in. Dolly, on the other hand, is all in. She wants to see all zombies dead. And Major, hoping he could make sure Sloane was kept okay, has lost what he believes was a bargaining chip against her father just nuking Seattle. Thanks, Dolly.

The case of a comatose pageant princess from the 90s ending up on Ravi’s slab, and the arrested girl a fellow contestant considered responsible for “tainting cosmetic makeup” (a supposed rash turned out to be a lot worse), eventually leads Clive and Liv (on the victim’s brain, adopting her personality and motivational speeches) to other contestants and the victim’s mother. The personality of the victim gives Liv the “motivation” to heartily address folks in a positive way and leave behind her “seize the day and make it great” ideals. She wanted to be a lawyer and “make a difference”. 4/5