I’m out 2 weeks and there’s 3 episodes? Are we having some double feature nights?
Alright for fun I’m going to review each episode before watching the next.
3.05 – Spanking the Zombie
Dang Liv, Ravi, y’all are breaking my heart with the pseudo-funeral y’all are giving Major. I guess that’s why we had so much fanservice with Liv and some of that black leather earlier in the episode so we’d stick around for all the sappy stuff at the end.
I’m also delightfully torn about the outcome. This episode really shakes up the conclusion that Ravi’s magical memory cure didn’t work – because Liv both experiences and mentions having more visions more often. Does this mean Blaine was lying earlier about not remembering? It would be in character for him…
On the other hand, nobody is tortured in this show like Major is so it would also be in keeping with the motifs for him to now lose his memory and undergo new traumas. I guess all his earlier efforts to befriend the black guy paid off now when he needs to be rescued. The bit in the war zone was… interesting. It does make logical sense for the mercenaries to take the brains of the enemy – better than killing innocents and they can gain intel on the enemy from the consumption. I doubt the show will examine it because of cost but if Not-Yet-Evil Co gets a hold of Ravi’s magical memory cure warfare could be drastically altered as secrets becomes literally impossible to hide from the enemy.
Case of the week was silly fun and provided a needed contrast with the somber close of the episode. Clive is just getting even better as the straight man of the group now that he’s in on Liv’s secret.
So all in all… fanservice cannot influence grade… fanservice cannot influence grade… fanservice cannot influence grade… I think this episode was a B-.
3.06 – Some Like it Hot Mess
Heh, well what do you know, Blaine WAS faking all this time. Well I do approve that the memory loss is temporary more than Ravi has invented a magical memory cure in a basement lab.
On the other hand I have to give it to the show writers for creating at this stage in the show a completely functional cure for the show’s hook. It’s my understanding that the creator had a previous show (Veronica Mars, I think) and it was canceled before its time so maybe he’s expecting it to end this season. On the other hand maybe he’s pushing out writing challenges to keep things fresh – which I heartily approve of. Or very soon the show will drop a new twist.
Overall fine episode. I’m just going to assume some of Major’s… acting this episode was a result of the sugar high he got from all that ice cream. Clive was in top form all around. His expression at the realization of the brain that was going to affect Liv almost toppled me out of my chair. The two of them also shared a real moment there with his “can’t you wait until I get my captain’s bars?” line. I also really liked that they followed up on the case of the week from the previous episode. For one thing I too thought it was wrapped up strangely and it also gives the world a sense of being real (plus I chuckled at the paperwork bit).
So a standard episode of iZombie’s usual high quality I give it also a B-. It was almost a C+ but the closing scene of revealing that Blaine is going to work on copying the cure black-market-style got me interested in him again as I’m curious if he’s going to work on a genuine path to redemption now (like curing those he infected) or if instead he’ll find a new way to fall.
3.07 – Dirt Nap Time
Ok, I’ll admit when I screw up. This time I at least have the excuse as I was preparing for the trip I’ve recently returned from and so I was only half paying attention to the show. It was thus that it was until now I noticed the new corporation in this season is named “Fillmore Graves.” FILLMORE – GRAVES. A name that makes my “Evil Co.” joke seem positively subtle. It’s like a dad joke smuggled into the show.
This was also the episode I noticed Liv’s food was a PB&J sandwich, a traditional lunch associated with children, and our victim this week was a teacher. This time, it was obvious enough even I got it (but then, I’m not a foodie).
Also, I chalk up another win in my predictions where we see Ravi actually use his technique to increase the “data download” Liv can get from a brain. That’s another reason why I love this show – they develop something in the script and then reuse it instead of letting it be forgotten! Hooray!
It was… an interesting choice that in an episode so much about how people can be hurt by infidelity Liv goes out with the DJ zombie (I’m going to learn his name soon, I swear) when she was just intimate with Major two episodes previously. Seems like after everything Liv and Major had been through, it’s unrealistic how cool they are with the rebound. I get the show may not want to do the languishing breakup since they did it already in earlier seasons but give the woman an extra episode or maybe have Major be just a bit uncomfortable with it. Then again for two episodes in a row now Liv has been affected the brains of “cheaters” so what could be a complaint could actually be subtle writing. This show has earned more than enough goodwill from me that I’ll err on the side of “this might come up later” for now.
The case of the week from two episodes previously now stretches on into this episode which is fascinating to me as we almost never see this in TV. It also makes me appreciate more why that episode felt so unfinished and incomplete at a gut level – because it was! Well played, writers.
And Blaine got shot. Now I understand he’s quite popular among the fandom so if he actually dies, THAT is taking a risk and being gutsy. Or will we now learn that there is yet another twist to cure #2 and Ravi will have to get back to work yet again?
Good episode, I give it a grade of B+ thanks to Clive having to deal with sock puppets and stickers.
