The CW's iZombie - Episode 5.09 "The Fresh Princess"
Liv and Clive investigate the murder of Miss Teen Seattle beauty pageant contestant, Laurie-Beth Spano, who went into anaphylactic shock onstage in 1999 and ended up in a coma. At the time, police arrested rival contender Velma Charlet for spiking Laurie-Beth's makeup. In present day, Laurie-Beth has passed away and Clive has arrested Velma for her murder. Velma claims to be innocent and Liv consumes Laurie-Beth's brain in hopes of tracking down the murderer.
In 2018, there were 495 scripted shows airing amongst the linear channels and streaming services. The way people are consuming content now is so different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, there is less necessity to provide ample coverage of each specific episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site is making the move to shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the next episode of The CW's iZombie.
"The Fresh Princess" was written by John Bellina and directed by Tessa Blake
Both Dolly Durkins and Martin Roberts have created full romero zombies in order to advance their agendas for New Seattle. That proves that they are essentially of the same mindset. They want to push the conflict between humans and zombies past the point of no return. They don't see a reality in which they can peacefully co-exist together. That has been the narrative Liv, Major and Peyton have been trying to create in New Seattle. But now, that mission may be officially dead. Major is unable to find out what happened to Sloane before Dolly sets her and her boyfriend loose on innocent humans. Peyton is finally fired as acting mayor of the city because she sold off the naming rights to the space needle. She always knew this day was coming. It comes with the recognition that Hi, Zombie has fans within the city. That's significant but doesn't seem to make a huge impact either. And Liv is mostly distracted by the case-of-the-week in which she consumes pageant contestant brains. It's a fascinating look at how the stereotype is of these women being too simplistic and naive with their world views while aspiring to change the world from some fabulous careers. The lives that ultimately came for them could be just as rewarding as well. Liv wants to create a better world where everyone can get along. It is corny when she says it while on this brain. But that is genuinely how she feels. She doesn't think that she will ever have to choose a side in this war. She wants to support both humans and zombies. Dolly and Martin had different plans. And now, Major is essentially forced into firing that opening shot. That's such an intense closing moment that is bound to kick the final season into high gear. The show could only walk around this conflict for so long. Now, it should be fascinating to see how Martin responds. He has been interacting more with Liv. He has invaded more of her life. Right now, he is only seen as a father trying to get clean. Liv supports him and helps him through the difficult parts of withdrawal. It is kindness. The audience just knows that it's all going to end in heartbreak and betrayal. We understand that he too is a significant threat to the existence of humans and zombies in Seattle. He has already plotted a way to avoid getting nuked by the United States government. He has ensured that the virus has spread beyond the walls. That may ensure that Dolly's plan doesn't do more than make New Seattle even more of a paranoid police state with its citizens turning against each other based on whether they are human or zombie. The attacks will keep on coming. There are countless lives that will be lost because of this fight though. Liv and her friends are united. She still has so much compassion in this world. She sees the best in people. However, that may doom her in all of this as well. Ravi and Peyton are the ones who follow the clues that lead back to Martin being the father of the entire zombie race. That will also provide a significant shakeup to the narrative in the final season. It will be personal drama that is far more engaging and exciting than the false ruse of Martin trying to earn good will while getting sober. Plus, the return of Liv's mother and brother is rushed and quickly dispatched. She helps them escape the city. That means they won't be present for whatever comes next. That is important. It just doesn't make them seem all that necessary or vital to the overall story the show is trying to tell at the moment. It's just clear that things will always remain tense because Liv's mom believes her daughter died during the boat party and was replaced by someone else entirely.
