Courtesy of The CW
The devil is in the delivery as two food deliveries prompt homicides in the latest episode of iZombie.
Let’s bitch it out…
Time restrictions last week prevented me from writing about recent developments on iZombie, which saw the introduction of a hunky new zombie love interest, Lowell (Merlin‘s Bradley James) for Liv (Rose McIver) and saw Major (Robert Buckley) embark on a dangerous pursuit of the Candyman who has been pilfering homeless kids from the skate park. ‘Virtual Reality Bites’ saw the continuation of both story lines, and introduced a minor complication into Blaine’s (David Anders) business model in the form of Detective Clive (Malcolm Goodwin).
While the case of the week remains the weakest component of the series, at least the effect of Liv’s brain consumption affords a unique weekly twist. This week’s agoraphobia offered star McIver a chance to use her comedic chops as Liv was confined to her apartment (and Skype) during crucial moments of the case and later saw her teeter into the police precinct on wobbly knees after imbibing Lowell’s anti-anxiety meds. McIver is proving adept at handing a diverse range of genres, following in the spiritual footsteps of Rob Thomas predecessor Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars) and fellow CW star Gina Rodriguez (Jane the Virgin). Liv was nearly fully formed straight out of the gates in the pilot, but her developing relationship with Lowell, her tension with Buckley and the camaraderie with co-worker/confidant Ravi (Rahul Kohli) are smoothing over the less engaging episodic components of the series. Thankfully the last few episodes have seen some fairly large developments in the overall arc of the series. This week Clive nearly loses his noggin’ after stumbling across Blaine’s butcher shop while investigating the murder of the poor deliveryman whom Jackie (Sarah-Jane Redmond) eats in the opening. This near-miss and Major’s discovery of the Candyman in the skate park videos suggest that both men are closing in on the revelation that zombism exists. Add to this, Liv and Ravi’s discovery that Blaine is behind the rash of missing homeless by episode’s end and we’re shaping up for a dramatic confrontation sooner rather than later. Good stuff! Other Observations:- Opening with Major on the slab following last week’s smack down is a cruel trick, but I’ll admit that I momentarily fell for it.
- Having Liv sew up her ex-fiancé wounds once again teases their romantic connection, but Ravi’s confession to Major that she’s entertaining Lowell at her apartment likely puts the kibosh on that idea for the time being. Although…Bradley has been cast as the title character on The Omen television adaptation, Damien, so who knows whether Lowell is sticking around. (Side Bar: His connection with Liv is great, which probably spells doom for them as a couple. Rob Thomas has never favoured the obvious “good for each other” couple)
- Skype conversations continue to be ripe for comedy. Liv slams her laptop closed on Ravi when he jokes about Lowell’s appearance at her place and later Liv repeatedly ends up talking to an empty room when Clive abandons her to pursue leads in the case.
- Not sure how I feel about pulling Liv’s mom, Eva (Molly Hagan) – and possibly her brother, Ethan – into Blaine’s storyline. I’m all for condensing story lines and upping the ante, but this seems a little out of the blue.
- RIP Jackie. Your role on the series was never well defined, but my hope is that with your death we’ll get more insight into Blaine’s relationship with his weird chef. What’s her story?
Best Lines:
- Clive (when Ravi describes the victim as a grape that’s split open): “You just ruined grapes for me.”
- Liv (after Clive confirms that the body in question was murdered): “Son of a bitch!”
- Ravi (mocking Liv’s need to drink the corpse’s liquefied brains): “I’m sure Liv will suck it up and help any way that she can”
- Liv (admiring her sudden attraction to donuts): “Great, I ate Homer Simpson’s brain”
- Liv (when Ravi brings her the dead man’s laptop): “Are you expecting me to eat the hard drive?”
- Liv (to Lowell, when he calls his unannounced visit a “drop by”): “Maybe that’s what you call it in Buckingham Regalshire”
Your turn: are you happy with the series’ recent developments? Do you want Clive and/or Major to learn the truth soon? Was Liv’s mom’s appearance at the butcher shop a little too convenient? Do you agree that McIver seems adept at handling whatever material the show throws at her? What other ungodly brain matter do you hope Liv consumes next? Sound off below.
iZombie airs Tuesdays at 9pm EST on The CW. Next week Liv get hormonal. Here’s your preview: