‘iZombie’ season finale part 2 recap: ‘Salivation Army’

If you like to skip to the back of the book to learn the ending, or if you’re fine with spoilers, read this “iZombie” recap first.

If not, check out the previous post for all the happs from Tuesday’s first episode, “Dead Beat” before you go any further. Take a minute. I’ll wait.

Ready now?

Let’s hit it, then, with the final finale of season two of the CW dram-rom-zom-com, dubbed “Salivation Army,” a name that may be underselling it just a tad.

As showrunner Rob Thomas had promised at the recent WonderCon fan convention, the hour is epic in that it kills off several significant characters (plus litters the landscape with scores of supporting players), features a zombie rampage and introduces a new ice-water-in-the-veins villain.

There’s the re-emergence of tainted Utopium, a prison-themed party, at least two touching reunions, a love triangle, a dead Rob Thomas (the Matchbox 20 frontman, not the “iZombie” creator) and a new member of Team Z.

And, oh yeah, a new world order, as described by the newly crowned villain named Vivian, a shady military contractor.

“Ready to do your part for your kind?” she asks Liv. “Someday soon, Seattle’s going to be the capital of the zombie homeland, and a lot of people aren’t going to want to see that happen.”

“So are you with us? Or are you against us?”

What do you say, Liv?

And there’s our cliffhanger for season three which, thanks to a recent announcement from the network, we’re already assured will happen. Likely launch date: sometime in the fall.

It’s tough to know where to begin on this episode, but it’s probably best not to hold back. Vaughn Du Clark (played to smarmy bloviating perfection by Steven Weber) is dead, devoured by a swarm of zombies that includes his daughter, Rita. That’s karma of the highest order.

Speaking of which, Rita’s dead, too, courtesy of a bullet to the brain from Major Lilywhite (Robert Buckley). He was, again, stepping in to protect Liv (Rose McIver). And again, karma.

The mute brute Chief is dead, and the scheming Don E might be as well, but that’s not a complete certainty. He may live to connive another day.

The most tragic death? Drake. Liv has no choice because he’s gone full Romero. It was either him or Clive, and she makes the right call.

And don’t fret, Rob Thomas fans. He’s not dead IRL, just on the series, where he provides some entertainment – in the form of a new single from his solo project -- before he becomes a zombie snack. And great use of his band’s hit, “Unwell,” in that last scene, by the way.

And though it’s touch-and-go for a while, Det. Clive Babineaux (Malcolm Goodwin) makes it out alive, as do Major, Liv, Dr. Ravi Chakrabarti (Rahul Kohli) and Peyton Charles (Aly Michalka).

Much to Ravi’s chagrin, that list also includes Blaine de Beers (David Anders), who pulls off some heroics and single-handedly saves Peyton from Mr. Boss’ henchmen. In return, he gets a truly emotional embrace, proving Peyton’s not finished with that relationship yet.

Ravi, unfortunately, gets the picture, even though it looks like he and Peyton had re-started their short-lived romance. They were canoodling before Blaine comes along. Canoodling! Poor Ravi!

Blaine, despite losing his memory, has had a decent run lately. He’s been walking around town undetected by his archenemy Mr. Boss. That lucky streak ends, and yet he comes out on top again while those around him fall. That’s so Blaine.

Much of the action in “Salivation Army” happens under the Max Rager roof, where Vaughn is gloating over his billion-dollar sale of the energy drink company to Vivian’s paramilitary firm. He keeps quizzing her about how she’ll use his latest toxic mixture, Super Max, and she won’t give him any details.

Vaughn’s as obsessed with her potential super soldiers as he is with the Clooney-adjacent Lake Como villa he plans to buy with the ill-gotten proceeds of the sale. It’s not at all sad that his Champagne and caviar dreams get dashed.

Liv, Clive and Major prove to be a great tag team, first infiltrating the Super Max launch party and then shooting their way out of it when the zombiepocalypse starts.

And the cause of that melee is different than I’d suspected coming into this finale. It turns out that there was a stash of tainted Utopium in the Max Rager lab/secret dungeon, and it was the same batch that transformed the boat soiree from a floating frat party into a flesh-eating massacre.

One of the lab researchers hands out the designer drugs like candy, and in short order, he and his friends are rampaging zombies. They attack the party – and Rob Thomas! – and trap Team Z. (Clive’s is the only noggin they want, but he’s prepared to shoot himself before he lets that happen. Liv says she can turn him into a zombie, but he politely declines.)

The goal of being there, and the reason Team Z doesn’t just flee, is to free the zombies Major had put on ice (and Max Rager had stolen to use as guinea pigs for a possible cure). Liv needs to find Drake and Major wants to locate his friend Natalie.

Does anyone notice if Blaine’s father is in that undead crowd?

Major doesn’t find Natalie – she may be a Romero – but Liv finds Drake, who’s too far gone to be saved. As terrible as it is, Drake’s death leaves the door open for Major and Liv to consciously recouple. I wouldn’t count that out for next season.

And there’s more to look forward to: unraveling the motives of megalomaniac Vivian, watching Clive work in his new reality, seeing what kind of trouble Major gets into next and rooting for Liv to save the world, or at least the Pacific Northwest.