Max Rager went down in bloody fashion in season 2 of iZOMBIE, but a new corporation has taken its place: Fillmore Graves. In the season 3 premiere we saw Liv, Major and Clive learn that FG is preparing for news of zombies to go public (which it sort of already did thanks to a Max Rager security guard). In order to ensure that zombies aren’t threatened if the public decides to go on an anti-zombie killing spree, the company is preparing its own mercenary squad and building a private island for all the zombies to live. At the end of the premiere we saw Major — who has had a tough time finding a job since being labelled the Chaos Killer — make the choice to join FG’s ranks.
During a visit to the iZOMBIE set in Vancouver, we spoke with Rose McInver (Liv), Robert Buckley (Major), Rahul Kohli (Ravi), Malcolm Goodwin (Clive) and Executive Producer Dan Ethridge about the role FG will play this season, the death of Clive’s little zombie friend, Major’s new job and more.
Max Rager versus Fillmore Graves. When asked about how the writers distinguish these two corporations, Ethridge explained that “we’re teeing up the worry [in season 3] that the world could find out that there are zombies. That really wasn’t a concern of Max Rager. They were really trying to exploit…. frankly [they were] just trying to make a billion dollar-selling company. Whereas that [comapny] was — and I’m being simplistic — that was a Bond villain on the scheme to make a billion dollars. I think you’ll see that what we’re starting to deal with [with FG] are the implications of zombie versus human — zombies taking over the world, humans knowing. I feel like there is a moral/ethical side to the dilemma presented by Fillmore Graves in the world that wasn’t necessarily the same dilemma presented by Max Rager. I think that’s the differentiation.”
Can Humans and Zombies Get Along? McInver explained that in season 3 a big arc for Liv is “trying to make sense of how zombies and humans could coexist, if they could, or whether Vivian and Filmore Graves [are] onto something and actually, it’s us against them. I think Liv is not sure at the moment. I mean, she set some pretty good examples of how humans and zombies coexist in her personal relationships, but obviously with some bigger threats out there, and people who potentially don’t care for them the same way, she’s kind of got to navigate that going forward, and luckily she has like a council now of people to sort of bounce these ideas off so that very much comes into play.” Liv is also wary right now about whether trusting Vivian is the right choice: “I think there’s a mutual respect between Liv and Vivian,” McIver admitted. “They can both feel out that they’re strong-willed, intelligent, resilient women – zombies – but, I think there is a definite hesitation for Liv to trust somebody. She also hasn’t had a female zombie friend yet. Things weren’t so great with Gilda, so, she’s [thinking] this has the potential to be a good friend for her. But, I don’t think she quite knows yet whether she can trust her intentions.”
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Major’s New Career. Will Major’s decision to join FG’s mercenary squad impact his relationship with his friends? “Initially, not directly,” Buckley said. “I think everyone is happy he’s found a job. But it is something that will eventually find him and the group coming to an impasse together. It’s going to pose some interesting questions for everyone in the group. It is a main component of Major’s arc this year. Fillmore Graves, the people he meets and is friends with and the relationships he forms. It’s a big part of his journey.” McIver went on to clarify that “I think Liv doesn’t have a lot to stand on in terms of making Major’s decisions for him. He has been so accommodating and so compromised. I think she loves him and will always love Major in various capacities, but I think she’s very wary of his allegiance. And Filmore Graves, we don’t really know quite how pure their intentions may or may not be. She’s still feeling that out, so I think she’s very wary knowing that Major is buying into it. From what she understands, at the end of the first episode, it’s us or them. He’s totally onboard with Fillmore Graves. That’s it. So, I think she feels like the rug has been pulled out [from] under her a little bit.”
The Search for Natalie. We saw that Natalie’s disappearance is still on Major’s mind in the season 3 premiere of iZOMBIE and his promise to her is going to continue to drive him. “That’s a storyline from last year I loved,” Buckley said. “It is something that does come back this year. It’s a big part of Major’s quest is what the hell happened to her. He is a very noble guy; one of his pursuits is fulfilling his promise that he’d be there, and he wasn’t. It’s him trying to make this right and find her. She is someone he is definitely pursuing. She might come back.”
Wally’s Death. It’s the death of the young boy he cares about (who he later discovers is a zombie) that really convinces Clive that Team Z is a good place to be. Goodwin explained that “at that point he’s not really sure whether or not he’s Team Z yet or how he feels about that, just dealing with that there’s a zombie community and it seems like he has to pick a side. But once he realizes that someone, a family that was close to him, and that they were zombies and that there is a real threat of this human versus zombie war percolating, he has to pick a side. Throughout the entire season, he’s trying to figure out who killed that family, Wally and his mom Anna.” Goodwin also teased that “there is an episode where you get to see how he met Wally and Anna, how he became so close with them. Clive was pretty much like a father figure to Wally. There was potential for that relationship and that family environment becoming a permanent thing, but something stops it and you get to see exactly what prevented that from happening.”
Is There Any Hope for Major and Liv? Liv becoming a zombie initially broke up the pair and while it’s clear they still care deeply for one another, getting together anytime soon doesn’t look like it’s in the cards. Buckley said that “I think both Liv and Major would love to see it work. But as we’ve seen in the two years, they are just absolute stars at not having the stars aligned. They are just the champions of not having a successful relationship ever since their engagement. I think we will see them continue to try and navigate the waters and see if there is a shot. In my heart, I still think there is a shot. I root for them. But there’s also been these impositions: ‘I’m a zombie, you’re not a zombie.’ Or, ‘my ex-boyfriend just died in front of me, I’m not in the mood.’ We’ll see this year. But from the jump, I’m holding on [to] hope.”
New episodes of iZOMBIE air on Tuesdays at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.