I loved iZombie's first two seasons, I really did. The second one, in particular, was exceptionally good at balancing the procedural aspect with the character drama and the genre fare. I loved the tone, the cast, and, above all else, the characters. That's precisely why the mediocrity of the show's third year, which was then folllowed by two actively bad seasons, was so upsetting to me.
Not only did iZombie lose itself in the impossible vastness of its all-consuming plot, it also lost sight of its core optimism and signature good-humored wit. The tonal whiplash became unbearable, with episodes going from zany to gritty -- sometimes in-between scenes. The writing got sloppy and mean (a character, or rather a caricature, was introduced for the sole purpose of mocking an entire country and culture; he was insulted and slapped around a few times before being violently discarded). Worst of all: hardly any of the characters we'd come to know and love felt like themselves in the end.
IZombie died sometime in its third season and went on as an animated shell of its former self for two more years. A fitting end for a zombie show, maybe, but a disappointing one nonetheless.
Not only did iZombie lose itself in the impossible vastness of its all-consuming plot, it also lost sight of its core optimism and signature good-humored wit. The tonal whiplash became unbearable, with episodes going from zany to gritty -- sometimes in-between scenes. The writing got sloppy and mean (a character, or rather a caricature, was introduced for the sole purpose of mocking an entire country and culture; he was insulted and slapped around a few times before being violently discarded). Worst of all: hardly any of the characters we'd come to know and love felt like themselves in the end.
IZombie died sometime in its third season and went on as an animated shell of its former self for two more years. A fitting end for a zombie show, maybe, but a disappointing one nonetheless.