Peyton Charles

"I wanted to talk to you in person. I went straight from the airport to the press conference. This is the first chance I've had. Can I just give you a hug? So you crushed your date tonight, huh? Tell me all about it."

- Peyton Charles to Ravi Chakrabarti

Peyton Charles is a character on The CW's iZombie. She first appears in the first episode of the first season. She is portrayed by guest star Aly Michalka.

Early Life
She graduated from University of Washington with Liv and Major Lilywhite.

Living with Liv
Peyton is living with Liv. She stages an intervention, disguised as a traditional "pot-luck Tuesday", in order to confront Liv about her startling behavioral changes and her lifestyle. She's convinced Liv has post-traumatic stress disorder from the boat incident, and urges her to seek When Liv makes an effort later in the episode, she's pleased.

Peyton walks in on Liv and Major, who are talking after he brings over a box of Liv's things from his place. Major offers Liv their unused engagement gifts, and Peyton suggests bringing over the juicer. When he leaves, Liv reprimands Peyton for asking for it, but Peyton quickly reminds Liv that she broke his heart. When Liv suggests that he shouldn't come over anymore, Peyton asks if it's because it's too hard for her, effectively pointing out that it shouldn't be if Liv was really okay with being apart. While she means well, she is unknowing of Liv's condition and doesn't understand why they can't be together. Later in the episode, when Liv is experiencing Javier's traits, she asks Peyton about an ugly piece of art on the wall. Peyton reveals a bit about who they were before Liv was turned, mentioning that they used the Louvre as a place of exercise because it was raining outside and they wanted to get in some cardio. Peyton thought it had been fun.

Peyton is revealed to be an assistant district attorney, working on a breakthrough case. She asks Liv to help her put together her cross examination, "like old times", and Liv agrees. During the practice cross examination, she reveals a picture that triggers one of Liv's visions. When Liv returns from an outing, Peyton shows her a video of Major and an unknown woman kissing at a party. Since Liv is experiencing sociopathic tendencies due to ingesting the brain matter of a sociopath, she doesn't react the way Peyton expects, impressing, but concerning her. Later, Peyton returns home to find Liv working tediously. She voices her surprise at her case being reopened, so to speak, as she had been sure the suspect in custody had been the murderer. Liv says that someone else had the murder weapon, and that one of the angles wasn't fully investigated, something she'd only know if she had looked at one of Peyton's confidential files. Peyton then accuses Liv of not caring about derailing her career, and not caring about her friends and family. When the case is finally figured out, Peyton persuades the real suspect to accept a plea deal, saving her career and putting Liv back in her good graces. At the end of the episode, when Liv can finally feel again, Peyton is seen holding Liv close as she cries over Major, looking as if she wants to cry herself.

Peyton finds out that her friend from her sorority was in an accident and phones Liv while crying. Peyton and Liv look at Holly’s pictures and Peyton blames Holly for being such a risk-taker. Liv remembers Holly comforting her after getting an 89 on an assignment by breaking into a swimming pool with her. Liv still feels guilty about voting her out. The sick guy, Lowell, is in a video on the page, filmed at a party the night before, and Liv has one of Holly’s memories, of him not wanting to jump. Later, Liv and Peyton shows up and go to talk to Major. People are planning to streak in Holly’s honor. Major offers to show Peyton to the alcohol. Liv walks around. Eliza, Ren, and Carson are surprised to see Liv there, knowing her only as a cop, and try to kick her out. Liv admits to being Holly’s friend and mentions Holly being drugged.

At the police department, Ravi is waiting impatiently for news on Major's release from jail while filling in a child's activity puzzle. Peyton comes in, finding a paperwork snafu that gets Major out of jail. Ravi looks on, impressed and clearly attracted to her. A pair of cops walk Major out to the waiting room, his face covered in cuts and bruises. In the waiting room, Major explains why he was attacked, and Peyton offers to put him in touch with someone to help him sue the city. He says he doesn't want that; he just wants to find out what happened to Jerome and Eddie. Ravi tells Major that their remains were found among those at the cultists' compound last week. Major says that he knows who killed them, and it wasn't the cutists. Everything the police say is a lie, and this isn't over. Back at her apartment, Liv comes home who asks who the guy is. She knows Lowell when Liv says his name. Peyton is single at the moment, although she does have a list of suitors. Later, Liv is heading back out when Peyton gets a call from Ravi. Liv urges her to answer him and give him a chance. When she answers, she agrees to go out with him.

Payton gets ready for her date with Ravi. She goes to his place where he laughs at Peyton for wearing tiny shorts and then many pairs of socks. Liv complains they didn’t send her noodles then tells Liv not to talk during Vertigo. There’s a knock at the door – it’s Major! She asks if he’s okay and he says a giant Indian threw a sink through the window and he got out (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest). He says he checked himself out then says he was looking for Ravi to get a key. They invite him in to eat. Ravi gives them some meaningless Chinese food trivia. Peyton says it’s Ravi’s first time with Vertigo. Liv doesn’t want to play it since it’s about a crazy person and Major is there. He asks if Harvey is also out. Peyton suggest Zombie High and Major says it’s okay when Liv flinches. He says he didn’t believe Scott E and then Liv sees the devil on the bag of hot Cheetos talking to her and saying that if she doesn’t get to the video first someone else will.

Finding out that Liv is a Zombie
Liv finds Peyton using her curling iron and says her hair looks cute and offers to do the back. Liv starts gossiping with her like a teenager. Peyton reminds Liv of the guy named Barrett who wrote her a poem to try and convince her to lose her virginity with him. They do childhood trivia on each other. Peyton says Ravi is nice and then asks Liv why they’re being so girly now and says it’s been a long time. Liv says they should go to spin class. Peyton agrees. Liv goes to see Clive who checked the security footage. Later, Peyton comes to get Liv for spin class but finds her making an apple bong then asks if she’s high. Liv gets a flashback of Cameron yelling at Nate about not going to the cops about this. Peyton tries to get her to snap out of it and Liv asks her for some weed. All Peyton has is some lollipops. She asks if spin is off and Liv says something came up. Peyton is at home getting ready to go out and it looks like Sebastian is lurking in their apartment. Liv comes home and finds Peyton’s luggage by the door. She then sees Peyton on the floor knocked out. When Peyton awakens, she sees Liv stabbing the guy through the eye while she was in zombie mode. Payton is horrified. Peyton asks what she is and why she’s not bleeding and isn’t dead. Liv says she would never hurt her. Peyton says she saw her kill him. Liv says she’s going to kill her and trust that she knows she’s still her. Liv tells her that she got scratched at the boat party. She says that’s why she broke up with Major and took a job at the morgue so she could get brains. She says that’s what she has to eat to stay herself. She tells Peyton there are zombies in the world and she’s one of them. She goes to get her some first aid stuff for the cut on her head. Peyton starts to cry. Liv comes back out of the bathroom but Peyton and her luggage are gone.

After leaving the country for a couple of months, Peyton returns to town in hope with reconnecting with Liv. After arriving back, Peyton first announces to the world that she is on the case of utopium and that she is going to stop it. Not long after, Peyton goes to Ravi's house where she sees Major. Ravi comes home calling for Major and says he crushed his date. The dog comes up tail wagging and he sees that Peyton is there too. Ravi says they house is full of surprises. Peyton tells Major to go to bed and says he needs some sleep. Major says he wanted to go to bed anyway. Peyton tells Ravi she’s sorry for disappearing. She says fight or flight is a real thing then says what she saw made her fly. Ravi says he knows what she saw and Peyton says it took her a while to wrap her head around it then she got the call about the task force. She asks if Major knows and Ravi say she does but is still trying to wrap his head around it. Peyton asks if she can hug him. He holds her close and sniffs her hair then looks uncomfortable. She asks him about his date.

At a hip hop class, Peyton enjoys an intense workout and then Liv is there. They hug. They each say they miss each other – Liv brought her a juice and Liv thanks her for the cake. Peyton says she resented Liv when she left and then put herself in her shoes and thought about how hard it must have been on Liv losing her career, Major and then her BFF. Liv gets a text from Ravi and says she has to get to work. Peyton says she has some zombie questions and they make plans to hang later. Peyton shows up with suitcases at Ravi's house and says Major told her she could crash there until her new place is ready. Ravi didn’t know but says she can stay. Peyton says she’s going to go eat and will be back later. Steph is shocked that’s the girl Ravi used to date and she says damn playa and asks for a high five. He refuses. At the station, Peyton talks to a utopium trafficker and offers to take two years off his sentence. She asks about Mr Boss’s crime organization and he says no way. A string of dealers all refuse to talk because they’re scared. Later, Peyton talks to another dealer who worked for Boss. It’s Blaine. He says he imports it from Hong King hidden in scrap copper through port 18. He says he will tell lots more if he gets immunity from crimes he will admit to. He gives Peyton a huge map of the whole Boss organization. Peyton tells him to tell the press that it was her savvy interrogation that got him to talk. Later, At Liv's apartment, Liv offers Peyton wine and tells her about how she unloaded on Major. Peyton says it was time and says Major is not the guy she remembers. Gilda comes home and Peyton says she doesn’t know about Gilda with the legs and liquor and suggests a background chick. Peyton tells her she doesn’t have a guy now but says she met someone interesting at work today she thinks Liv would like.

While working late, Peyton hears a noise then goes to check – the guy from the barber shop is in her office and corrects her chart on the Boss syndicate. It’s guy Stacey Boss! He tells her every so often a DA gets an idea to come after him then he comes to talk to them. He says three of the past four DAs are doing well and have plenty of money and great insurance benefits. Peyton threatens him with an arrest for bribery. He tells the wall is out of date and says he thinks it’s from an employee that left two years ago. Boss asks what will happen if that witness goes away. He says she’s fresh out of law school then says maybe her boss DA’s heart isn’t really in this but says he admires her pluck. He walks out whistling. Later, in an interview room, Clive asks Owens about Nikos and Novac, the shooters. Clive talks about Calvin’s shady college spread and comments on him getting the yips at the end of the games. Clive says they cleared up in the pros and Liv says Harry was blackmailing Calvin. He says Goran was a player with Calvin back in the day and his sons were the killers. Peyton tells him that Goran is a war criminal and says they will get them extradited and they will turn on him. Peyton says confess and she’ll keep him out of gen pop.

Peyton is making some smoothies while dancing to music. Ravi comes in and watches her in her short shorts and checks her out. When she realises, she turns off the music and they talk about his new GF and he says he’s freaked out that she changed her Facebook relationship status. Then he tries to talk more but Peyton turns on the blender to drown him out. Major comes in and says his relationship is real good but then says she left a message about death by drowning and Ravi says she ate a death magician and it will be better once she eats someone else. Ravi says he enjoys the variety of Liv’s personality when she eats brains and Peyton tells Major one time she went red eyed and killed someone. Later, Blaine sings Danny Boy and plays the organ ar his funeral home. Peyton shows up to see him. She tells him he has a nice voice and she says Mr Boss came to see her and says he saw the board and says he knows the source used to work for him. She says the guy is little and Blaine says he’s enormously terrifying. Blaine hands her a card and says it’s his cell so she can call if he drops by again. That night, Peyton comes downstairs and hears voices. Ravi is there and startles her. She says she’s such a dork then asks if he wants to hang out. She says they can watch Vertigo and he agrees happily then goes to kiss her. She asks about Steph and he says he ended it. She says her moving in was a bad idea and he says he’s just an idiot. Peyton says he’s amazing and funny and he says no need to explain. Peyton says they can still hang and he says no and says he has a Hare Krishna pamphlet he’s been meaning to read.

Production Notes

 * Alexandra Krosney was originally cast as Peyton Charles, as a main role, however, the role was re-cast and re-labelled as a recurring role.

Behind the Scenes

 * Peyton is played by Aly Michalka, who is part of the musical duo 78violet (formerly Aly & AJ).

Character Notes

 * Peyton finds out that Liv is a zombie in Dead Rat, Live Rat, Brown Rat, White Rat. She fled Seatle and the country due to the traumatic experience of seeing her kill Sebastian and realizing her roomate was a zombie. She returned in season 2, on good terms with Liv once more.