iZombie Season 1 Discussion and Spoilers

[Grendelsbayne]

When did "global apocalypse" become the go-to scenario for zombie stories? I mean, the modern notion of zombies is quite a recent invention, with the basic idea only dating back to 1968's Night of the Living Dead and the brain-eating concept originating in 1985's Return of the Living Dead, only 30 years ago. But this idea that a global apocalypse -- not just the risk of one, but the actual onset and aftermath of one -- is an expected part of any zombie story seems to be more recent, a product of the current century. Maybe it dates to 28 Days Later?

Anyway, it's weird to me to see this show and its audience treating these zombie tropes that are far younger than I am as if they were ancient, immutable traditions of zombie lore.

For the record, I don't believe the two need to go hand in hand. I'd be perfectly happy if Blaine's self-serving threats of apocalypse turn out to be exactly what I think they are - total BS. I'm really enjoying the fact that this show has a much more original take on the zombie genre, so I'd prefer it not revert to all the basic cliches.

 

[Christopher]

For the record, I don't believe the two need to go hand in hand.

Sure, but it's still something that inevitably becomes part of the conversation about any zombie story these days; if an apocalypse doesn't happen, people ask about what's preventing it from happening.

I'm really enjoying the fact that this show has a much more original take on the zombie genre, so I'd prefer it not revert to all the basic cliches.

I'm not sure I'd call it original; as I said, it feels like it's taking the well-established TV-vampire conventions from shows like Buffy, Angel, Forever Knight, True Blood, etc. and replacing blood-drinking with brain-eating. And stirring in elements of Tru Calling and The Dead Zone along the way. The concept is really kind of a hodgepodge; any freshness comes from the execution, the way the stories are told. Though even that just feels like having Veronica Mars tossed into the conceptual salad.

 

[Grendelsbayne]

For the record, I don't believe the two need to go hand in hand.

Sure, but it's still something that inevitably becomes part of the conversation about any zombie story these days; if an apocalypse doesn't happen, people ask about what's preventing it from happening.

True enough.

I'm really enjoying the fact that this show has a much more original take on the zombie genre, so I'd prefer it not revert to all the basic cliches.

I'm not sure I'd call it original; as I said, it feels like it's taking the well-established TV-vampire conventions from shows like Buffy, Angel, Forever Knight, True Blood, etc. and replacing blood-drinking with brain-eating. And stirring in elements of Tru Calling and The Dead Zone along the way. The concept is really kind of a hodgepodge; any freshness comes from the execution, the way the stories are told. Though even that just feels like having Veronica Mars tossed into the conceptual salad.

Well, original execution is what I meant. Most of what I've seen here, I've seen somewhere else, too, but never all together. Especially the idea of using the 'zombies relive their victim's memories' trope in order to solve crimes I find absolutely hilarious.

Although, I do kind of feel like the explanation for the zombie virus is pretty original and one of the most believable I've ever heard. Usually it's just a mutated virus or a biogenic weapon or an unintended drug side effect. Making it the product of completely unpredictable drug interactions is pretty cool.

 

[shivkala]

I see your point about terrorism. I think it is a part of why zombies are so popular, but I get that it isn't related to your comments about a global apocalypse situation.

 

[JD]

I finally got caught up today. I really enjoyed the show a lot.
The finale did have a few surprises for me. With the biggest being Blaine being cured and Major being zombified and then unzombified.
It will be interesting to see where Major goes from here.
I expected Blaine to be the show's big bad, so I was surprised they actually cured him already. It should be interesting to see where they take him now.
I am glad that Major knows, even if he is mad at Liv right now.
I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who wasn't entirely clear on why Suzuki sacrificed himself.
I have to admit, I was expecting Du Clark to be a zombie, so I was kind of shocked that he wants to wipe out the zombies instead.
It will be interesting to see where they go with Liv and her family after what happened with her brother.

 

[Christopher]

Especially the idea of using the 'zombies relive their victim's memories' trope in order to solve crimes I find absolutely hilarious.

Is that even a trope, i.e. a recurring idea in fiction? I thought it was the invention of the show. I mean, most zombies in fiction seem to be mindless and don't have much of a point of view. There's Unity the zombie in the online comic strip Skin Horse, who gets smarter when she feeds on brains, but I don't recall if she specifically absorbs the knowledge or memories of her victims.

Although the more general idea of gaining memories by consuming brain tissue has been around in science fiction for decades, going back to a study in the '50s or '60s that seemed to show that if you taught a flatworm to run a maze, blended it, and fed it to other flatworms (ew), the other flatworms would absorb the memory of how to run the maze. That led to a whole bunch of sci-fi about "memory RNA" and quick-learning techniques based on it. But the flatworm study was never replicated and the results were apparently -- wait for it -- a fluke. (Rimshot!) But the myth has persisted in fiction for a long time.

Although, I do kind of feel like the explanation for the zombie virus is pretty original and one of the most believable I've ever heard. Usually it's just a mutated virus or a biogenic weapon or an unintended drug side effect. Making it the product of completely unpredictable drug interactions is pretty cool.

It's still a variation on the modern convention of a zombie outbreak having a medical/technological origin rather than a magical or demonic basis like traditional voodoo zombies or Sam Raimi Deadites. I suppose that's another thing that goes back to Romero and Night of the Living Dead, since that film suggested radiation from a space probe as the cause of the epidemic. Radiation was the big fear back in the '60s; more recently it's been viral pandemics or bioweapons, and iZombie taps into our first-world fears of harmful food additives and corporate coverups.

 

[Ganja Tea]

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who wasn't entirely clear on why Suzuki sacrificed himself.

My take on it was that he was always reluctant but went along with Blaine because he needed brains. But with his brains hookup effectively shut down he was looking at now having to fend for himself which ment actually doing his own killing which I think for him was a step to far.

 

[Grendelsbayne]

Especially the idea of using the 'zombies relive their victim's memories' trope in order to solve crimes I find absolutely hilarious.

Is that even a trope, i.e. a recurring idea in fiction? I thought it was the invention of the show. I mean, most zombies in fiction seem to be mindless and don't have much of a point of view. There's Unity the zombie in the online comic strip Skin Horse, who gets smarter when she feeds on brains, but I don't recall if she specifically absorbs the knowledge or memories of her victims.

Although the more general idea of gaining memories by consuming brain tissue has been around in science fiction for decades, going back to a study in the '50s or '60s that seemed to show that if you taught a flatworm to run a maze, blended it, and fed it to other flatworms (ew), the other flatworms would absorb the memory of how to run the maze. That led to a whole bunch of sci-fi about "memory RNA" and quick-learning techniques based on it. But the flatworm study was never replicated and the results were apparently -- wait for it -- a fluke. (Rimshot!) But the myth has persisted in fiction for a long time.

I don't know if it's been used often enough to be a trope, technically, but I have seen it recently. Warm Bodies, for instance. It's much better used here, though.

Although, I do kind of feel like the explanation for the zombie virus is pretty original and one of the most believable I've ever heard. Usually it's just a mutated virus or a biogenic weapon or an unintended drug side effect. Making it the product of completely unpredictable drug interactions is pretty cool.

It's still a variation on the modern convention of a zombie outbreak having a medical/technological origin rather than a magical or demonic basis like traditional voodoo zombies or Sam Raimi Deadites. I suppose that's another thing that goes back to Romero and Night of the Living Dead, since that film suggested radiation from a space probe as the cause of the epidemic. Radiation was the big fear back in the '60s; more recently it's been viral pandemics or bioweapons, and iZombie taps into our first-world fears of harmful food additives and corporate coverups.

Yeah, I just mean in terms of 'realistic' - or maybe I should just say non-supernatural - causes for zombie-ism, it's one of the most original and most plausible sounding ideas I've heard.

 

[Zaku]

7 Scientific Reasons a Zombie Outbreak Would Fail (Quickly)

Let's pretend for a moment that zombies are real (as if half of you weren't already daydreaming about that very thing). Have you noticed how most zombie movies take place only after the apocalypse is in full-swing? By the time we join our survivors, the military and government are already wiped out, and none of the streets are safe.

There's a reason the movie starts there, and not earlier. It's because the early part, where we go from one zombie to millions, doesn't make any sense. If you let the creeping buzzkill of logic into the zombie party, you realize the zombies would all be re-dead long before you even got a chance to fire up that chainsaw motorcycle you've been working on. Why?

 

[marillion]

I really found myself engaged in the show and I'm looking forward to next season. One thing I'm wondering if I missed, though, was the idea of animal brains. Was the thought ever brought up to try animal brains instead of human, as a way to stave off the hunger?

I see a quick solution to rat infestation and the feral cat population. Sorry sorry!! I know we love our cats!

 

[Enterprise is Great]

Robert Knepper to Play Blaine's Dad in Season 2

 

[JD]

I'm a big fan of Knepper, so that is good news to me.

 

[Grendelsbayne]

I really found myself engaged in the show and I'm looking forward to next season. One thing I'm wondering if I missed, though, was the idea of animal brains. Was the thought ever brought up to try animal brains instead of human, as a way to stave off the hunger?

I see a quick solution to rat infestation and the feral cat population. Sorry sorry!! I know we love our cats!

I don't think it was mentioned, but I can imagine at least 1 possible reason why it wouldn't work on this show - the Zombies are already at the mercy of the personality of the person who's brain they eat, just imagine if they suddenly started acting like a feral cat. Not only would they be instant social outcasts, they might actually attack someone.