iZombie finished its 4th season with a dramatic flair this season. Our normal quippy and zany zombie show delved into much deeper issues this season. In truth, it was a much darker and serious season. In this new Seattle, Zombies and Humans are supposed to be living peacefully, but really its a powder keg of crime and tension. With not enough brains for the zombies, not enough protection for the humans and way too much power for Filmore-Graves, Seattle has become almost an East Berlin situation with no one allowed to leave or enter the city for fear the epidemic will spread.
Liv and Major find themselves on opposite sides of the battle as well as Major aligns himself with the militant force to keep the peace and Liv continues to work outside of the law to find more peaceful solutions for zombies and humans alike. Liv takes on the lead role of an underground railroad system for people wanting to become zombies so that they don’t die. I was excited to see Liv and Major as a couple again in the beginning of the season and very sad when once again their beliefs had them split up. But each one is continuing to do what they believe will help their cause the most.
We meet several new characters this season as part of Renegade’s (Liv’s) underground group, including her new love interest, and old characters have new allegiances and roles. Blain is still a villain in many regards as his only concern as ever is how to make money off of people’s misery. Blain’s father turns into a zombie priest and starts an entirely new religious movement where he tells zombies they are superior and humans are only food. Between Blain, his father and Chase at Filmore-Graves the dangers are abundant this season and the stakes between life and death couldn’t be higher. Chase has turned into an even more intense Nazi version of himself, set on destroying anyone who defies him. We are also introduced to a new character who cannot be turned into a zombie–a teenager that Ravi and Liv grow to care for very much. She has an incurable disease and yet her brain may be the cure for zombism.
The season finale was very intense and Liv and her new boyfriend Levon are both sentenced to die by Chase as an example of what happens to people who turn zombies illegally. Although they are not together, Major still cares for Liv very much and rushes to save her along with Clive, Peyton and Ravi, and hundreds of other humans and zombies who are against Flimore-Graves. They don’t get there in time to save Levon who is executed right before Liv, but they do save Liv and Chase is killed in the struggle. Making Major the new head of Filmore-Graves in the hopes that he will take the group in a new direction.
Liv is devastated by Levon’s death and says she is going to give up her role as Renegade until she walks out to see hundreds of people cheering for her and remembers why she does what she does. We have no idea what the fate of this new Seattle will be or how to fix the tension between humans and zombies or what will become of Liv. And the one cure for zombism that Ravi wanted to give to Liv, of course she selflessly gave to Clive’s new wife so that they could be together and have a family.
Don’t get me wrong, there were still plenty of funny moments this season, but also a deeper social commentary on hate, judgement and in many ways immigration and fear. Of course as a fan of Major and Liv, I will always hope they find their way back to each other, but as for what will happen with Seattle is anyone’s guess.
