IZombie comes to the end of their season with, “Looking for Mr. Goodbrain, Part 2.” That kind of makes me wonder if next season will open with Part 3, but maybe that’s just me. Things don’t go really well for anyone, and they definitely do a major change in the status quo by the time they’re done. Next season is going to be a completely different show. There will be at least some spoilers below, so be warned.

Liv, Ravi, and Peyton are watching the news on tv about the bombing at the Fillmore-Graves party and getting more and more worried. Finally, looking a lot the worse for wear, Major comes in with Justin behind him. They had a rough night thanks to Harley Johns’ party crashing.
Major tells them about Natalie’s death. When Justin presses about why Liv wasn’t there, she comes clean about what she’s been up to under the influence of Dr. Kupps’ brain. I don’t blame Justin for not accepting this as a good excuse. He stalks off.

Blaine and Don E are at work, and, as usual, Blaine’s patience is being tried. What gets really entertaining is the current batch of side effects from the special “blue brain” they’ve been selling. The amusement fades when they get the news that the Feds have managed to capture both the current shipment of brains, and Tanner. Blaine just can not catch a break with his shipments lately. I wonder if there are curses in this world?

In the aftermath of the bombing, Liv and Ravi have a very grim jigsaw puzzle to solve. While they work at it, Clive comes in and brings them up to speed on what he’s learned about Patrice Gold and the connection to the current flu outbreak. Ravi comes up with a brilliant idea about the dispersal mechanism for the flu, and Liv ends up having to tell them about sleeping with Chase Graves. Then again, Ravi was there for the big scene with Justin, so I’m not quite sure how he missed it the first time. As this ends, there’s a scene of bored housewives getting a lot less bored when they see something unusual in the street.

Blaine has a meeting with Chase Graves, and finds out what the rest of us knew already. Chase is a dick. He not only turns down Blaine’s business plans, he lashes out at Blaine’s business itself. This scene goes badly for Blaine (what goes well for him lately?) and then Chase changes partners as Blaine leaves and Major comes in. Major comes to Chase with a surprising offer, and Chase tells him to be sure.

Liv and Clive go on a midnight mission to Chase’s house to try and prove their theory. Liv amps up on Max Rager. Did you ever see the Six Million Dollar Man, or Wonder Woman, where they would casually jump over a wall? Liv can kinda do that, but has some complications on the other side. Eventually, Chase, Liv, and Clive talk, and neither side is quite sure what to make of the other.

At the Scratching Post, business is horrible after Chase’s decree. While they mope, Peyton is holding a meeting about how bad the flu outbreak is going to get. The answer is, really, really bad. Newscaster Johnny Frost is on the tv talking about the mandatory vaccine program Mayor Barachus has ordered. Clive is getting paranoid as his germophobia resurfaces, and Ravi teases him. Liv gets a vision about Katty Kupps’ death.

Chase has another meeting, and this one goes badly for him. He confronts Carey over her behind-the-scenes coup at Fillmore. A lot of things are done and said and we see that Chase is a badass in addition to being a dick. Clive and Liv come in at the end of the scene, and, once Chase tells them some of what Kari admitted to, Clive is happy to look the other way.

Johnny Frost proves that he’s still a slimy coward, and does so on camera this time. Clive gets back to work and is surprised by Dale Bozzio being at his desk. She has Tanner, and Tanner says he’s Clive’s Confidential Informant and won’t talk to anyone else. Clive goes in with Dale shadowing him, and realizes it’s time for some desperate measures. Let’s just say Dale knows about zombies by the end of the scene. Maybe that will eventually lead to them getting back together. I hope so. I liked them as a couple.

Ravi remembers something important from one of Katty’s stories and starts working on something new. While he does this, Liv gets more visions about how Katty died and what she was up to. I swear, Dr. Kupps is having a lot more influence on the show since she died, aside from being the partial cause of Ravi and Peyton utterly blowing up as a couple.

Liv goes sneaking off to the Gold house by herself, trying to figure out what is going on with Fillmore, the vaccines, and the brains. What she gets is a surprise when both Tatum and Patrice attack her. But Liv has more experience to draw on and kicks ass, as well as getting a new lead. Following up on this, Liv sees first hand what Fillmore is up to, and it’s really, really bad. She also learns she has burned her bridges with Justin, who sides with the mercs against her. She manages to get away, barely, running past an ad for Johnny Frost’s tv show, which was a nice touch.

Clive and Dale are in line to get shots, and Dale mocks him about their “date.” Liv calls, and Clive can’t hear her, so he goes outside to take the call. Liv hurriedly warns him about the flu shots. Good news, the call is in time to save Clive. Bad news… well, Clive wasn’t alone there.

Ever heard the saying about desperate times call for desperate measures? Well, that’s where Liv is now as she rushes to Johnny Frost. We get hints about what’s happening to him, and then Liv comes in and confirms everything. Frost actually manages a useful, compassionate broadcast about what’s happening. But the cat is out of the bag now, and people panic.

The show rushes through several scenes of things getting worse and worse. Uninfected people riot and break in to a gun store, stealing whatever they can. Fillmore-Graves gets their video message out, after overcoming some resistance from Frost’s producer. Chase’s plan is detailed and ruthless, but it makes a certain kind of sick sense. F-G soldiers are running distribution points to get brains to the newly made, and hungry, zombies of Seattle. A mob attacks one and things go ugly. Mayor Barachus gets a scene very reminiscent of George Bush during 9/11. All this ends back at the morgue when Ravi tries something really desperate with Liv’s help which is our big cliffhanger for the finale.

What I liked: I enjoy it when a show is brave enough to shake things up, and they sure were here. It’s an overused phrase, but things will never be the same. Liv is trying so hard to save people. Frost was unexpectedly useful and not just wacky comic relief. It was nice to see Dale back, and Clive proved his story to her in the simplest, most direct manner possible. Chase is a dick, but he’s smart and skilled.

What I didn’t: There was at least one time it went from what seemed like mid-afternoon to full night really quickly. I’m not sure how Ravi missed the big Chase/Liv reveal the first time through.

This was a hell of a note to go out on. I’ll give it a low 4 out of 5, and the season itself the same rating. I had my doubts when I first learned about the series, but it has really grown on me. I’m very much looking forward to next season.