IZOMBIE Co-Creator Teases the Cure’s Impact, Liv’s Struggling Relationships, and Season 2 Brains

IZOMBIE is back for its second season, and things are a bit different: Liv is a still a zombie, but her big foe (Blaine), and her former fiance (Major) were cured of being zombies at the end of season 1.

So what’s in store for the CW show’s sophomore year? I spoke with IZOMBIE co-creator Diane Ruggiero-Wright about the show finding its footing, that zombie cure (and its long-standing impact), Liv’s secrets, and much more…

Season 1s are always a journey to find what works on a show. What do you feel you’re taking into the show now that you didn’t have in the first year?
Diane Ruggiero-Wright: I think one of the things about the first year is we were trying to figure out how things work. We spent so much of the beginning of the season figuring out how we were going to make the brains work, and have fun. And figuring out the ratios of A-story to mythology was. I think we really kind of landed in a place where we realized we were going to have less A-story than we had originally intended and more mythology.

[We also learned] what kind of brains worked better, played better with the story, and what was more fun. A very specific brain kind of works better. A cheerleader brain and sex therapist brain and stoner brain all work well. Whereas things that were a little more subtle got confusing and people couldn’t tell when she was on the brain and when she wasn’t. It made her character seemed less defined. So we hit our stride on that.

The thing that was definitely the most interesting for me is that we knew about Lowell, going in. We knew we were having this love interest and we were going to kill him. We hoped people would like him, but we were worried because who can compete with Robert Buckley (Major). And so we’re like, people are going to like him, but they’re only going to like him so much because of Buckley. We had no clue people were going to like him as much as they did. And I didn’t know I was going to like him as much as I did. And I was going, “Do we have to kill him?” I knew we had to, and I was proud that we did, and I thought it was kind of ballsy, and I thought it made for good television, but I had no idea it would be such a big deal. We had hoped it would be, but it kind of exceeded our hopes.

How does having that death in season 1 change the stakes of the show?
DRW: I hope it’s changed it for the audience. I think one of the things for [IZOMBIE co-creator] Rob [Thomas] and myself is we’re not big on schmuck bait. We like to answer questions, like we did at the end of the season. Yeah, there is going to be some cliffhanger, but we’re also going to answer a bunch of things…I do think it keeps you on your toes, and you’re not like, “Oh, nothing is going to happen to that guy.” And then it’s like, “Oh shit, things can happen.” It keeps you invested, it keeps the danger. It’s also this weird kind of respect, because then the audience knows you’re not jerking around.

Now that Blaine and Major have been given the cure, how will be coming into play? And will they each have a different reaction to it?
DRW: I can say that they’ll have reactions, and it’ll be an issue.

Is it impacting them in different ways?
DRW: It will eventually be impacting them in different ways. I can say Ravi will still be even more invested in finding a cure. But it’ll be harder because [the drug] is a key factor in it.

Robert Knepper is coming on for an arc as Blaine’s father. What can you tease about that?
DRW: I’m so excited about him. I feel like learning a little bit about Blaine, and hearing his motivation is going to be exciting. And [Knepper] will be in more than one episode. He has an arc.

Will we be seeing their history via flashback?
DRW: We don’t really have flashback. We [have used] time jump a little [in the past], but since we have visions, it’s hard to do anything like that. It’s not off the table…but I’d say it’s fairly certain off the table. Sometimes it’s better to see what they say to each other in the [present] scene and how they deal with each other.

Given all Liv went through in season 1, is she open to trusting people at this point?
DRW: I feel like she’s pretty open. I feel like she’s strangely open. I feel like with the people she’s put [her secret] out there with, it’s out there now. “How much further can I go? You’ve seen it. You’ve seen me turn into a zombie or you know my truth. It’s out there.”

I don’t know how fully open she’d be to new people. But I think she’s still open and hopeful to the people in her life that she’s now dealing with the fallout [of many knowing her truth.]

How much will she be struggling to continue to keep this from her family, especially after she wasn’t able to donate blood to her brother at the end of season 1?
DRW: I think it’s heartbreaking and dramatic, and there’s a lot to that fallout. And there’s a lot with Major and her other relationships. Her fear going in was what would people do when they found out, and if they’d get hurt. She feared if they found out, they’d reject her, and they did. She’s just trying to get through and do the right thing, and it all fell to shit. I love the character, and Rose [McIver (Liv)] just makes her so much more compelling.

What kind of interactions do you see in store for Major/Liv in season 2? Are they really on a will they/won’t they path?
DRW: We’re definitely going to adjust their relationship this season. It’s an important part of season 2, their relationship, and the fallout of season 1. There’s definitely a potential for the future with them together, and the fear that it won’t [work out]. The reality of how do you get past that deception, and how do you get past someone not getting past that?

What can you say about the cases?
DRW: She eat the brain of an Archie Bunker type. She eats a frat bro brain. The third episode is a REAL HOUSEWIVES OF SEATTLE situation. It’s very fun. The brains are the fun bit of relief when we have more dramatic stories…I think we locked down a good rhythm for the brain. We got our sea legs with that the first season.

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IZOMBIE airs Tuesdays at 9 PM on The CW.

Related:

IZOMBIE: Season 2 Trailer
IZOMBIE: Rahul Kohli Teases Season 2
IZOMBIE: Rose McIver Teases Season 2

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