DISCLAIMER: This iZombie recap contains more spoilers than the number of times Ravi has won over the ladies with his super sweet dance moves. Hey, when you’ve got it, you’ve got it. You’ve been warned. Prepare for the zombie uprising, and enter at your own peril.
Welcome back, zombies of New Seattle! iZombie aired the first installment of a two-part episode this week. Liv consumed the brain of a hopeless romantic, launching a plethora of well worn rom-com tropes. We discovered that Bozzio is cheating on Clive, thus earning her a spot on my perpetual s*** list. Chase gave Blaine a new assignment – take down the elusive figure known as the Renegade. Should he succeed, Chase will leave Blaine to continue on in his various enterprises. Later, we learned that Liv and Clive’s murder suspect may actually be a serial killer. Plot twist!
Alright, ready to delve into “Brainless in Seattle, Part 1?” Just be sure to grant Liv some alone time with the love of her life, Allan. She’s only known him for 45 minutes, after all.
We open with a woman named Annie (Aliesha Pearson) being smuggled into New Seattle via Bruce (Christopher Macke). The latter appears to act as some kind of people smuggling service driver. Is there really a niche for that? Anyway, Annie seems jittery, but Bruce alleviates her nerves. They stop at a toll area and witness a firing squad in action. This is the reality of New Seattle – zombies being lined up by the dozen to be executed. Our pair make it past the checkpoint. Next, we see them clamber through what appears to be a factory, or perhaps a sewer. The two apparently look interchangeable to me. Annie is coaxed up a ladder courtesy of Bruce, but to where, we can’t say…
Later, Liv (Rose McIver) and Ravi (Rahul Kohli) are en route to meet Clive (Malcolm Goodwin) for their latest case. Liv scoffs at a sign advertising a “Humans and Zombies” night at The Scratching Post. Hey, at least we’re attempting some semblance of unity. However, she believes Blaine is desperate for business.
Now, they meet with Clive, who identifies the victim. Annie, as it turns out, met her demise. She ascended that ladder to her death! She was shot through the heart in one fell swoop; however, the murderer also sloppily scooped remnants of her brain out of her skull. Unfortunately, Liv won’t have access to the whole brain to unleash the full effects of the visions. Time to ration those brains!
Later, Liv bakes what little of Annie’s brain she possesses into adorable heart-shaped chocolates. I’ve said this a handful of times before, but I feel like iZombie actually makes me crave brains. Or maybe I long for the creative food dishes used to house said brains? Perhaps there’s only one way to find out…I kid, I’ll never resort to cannibalism, unless I do turn into a zombie. Scout’s honor.
Then, Clive and Liv head into the interrogation room to grill with Allan (Sam Huntington), who was dating Annie at the time of her death. When Liv lays eyes on Allan, sparks immediately fly. Allan moves in slow motion, akin to those “love at first sight” moments in romantic comedies. As it turns out, Annie was a hardcore romantic. Liv’s eyes practically morph into bulging red cartoon hearts. Clive is simultaneously nonplussed and horrified at Liv’s reaction to Allan. However, the show must go on.
Next, Allan reveals that he met Annie on a dating forum a month ago. She was living a happy life out of state, but she insisted on traveling to New Seattle to meet him. Despite only knowing each other for a month (and only via internet, for that matter), Allan and Annie were head over heels in love. Unfortunately, Liv breaks the news to him that Annie has passed, which sends the latter into an emotional tailspin. She attempts to coerce him into attending the event at The Scratching Post. However, Allan is too heartbroken to even consider then offer. General rule of thumb: never hit on a grief stricken person. Liv insists that Allan is the love of her life. What about Major, Liv? What about Major?
Meanwhile, Major (Robert Buckley) approaches Chase (Jason Dohring) at Filmore-Graves with news of the biting incident from the previous episode. Major also informs Chase that someone was filming the act. Chase orders Major to make sure nothing appears online, and to destroy any evidence of Jordan going full “rage mode.” It’s just bad publicity for the undead, you know. Whatever happened to all press is good press?
Then, Chase is in a meeting with his closest and most trusted advisers. They inform him of the steadily declining supply of brain rations. Chase brings a certain “coyote” group to the forefront – a group that’s paying zombies handsomely to leave New Seattle for various medical studies and lab tests. He demands said group be abolished. However, his advisers remind him that his sole focus should be on the zombies in the city, the ones that are currently starving. They only collectively have enough brain rations to last them 4-6 months. Yikes. Time to kill more humans, I guess?
Later, Chase pays Blaine (David Anders) a visit at The Scratching Post. He presents an offer that Blaine cannot refuse. Chase drops a name we’re familiar with – the Renegade. Remember Mama Leone from the previous episode? She seems to be making waves all over New Seattle. Blaine’s mission, should he choose to accept it, is to track down the Renegade and kill him or her. Wipe the Renegade off the map. Should Blaine succeed, he’ll be free to run his enterprises in peace, free of Chase Graves breathing down his neck. Blaine, of course, agrees. Everybody wins!
Meanwhile, Don E (Bryce Hodgson) is testing out some new brain product courtesy of Dalton (Ryan Devlin). Dalton brings forth a large sample of none other than Annie’s brain. Yes, it would appear Dalton or someone in cahoots with him nicked the majority of Annie’s noodle. Hmm. After Don E makes a few selections (even though Dalton was seriously lacking some frontal lobe noms), Blaine approaches the seller with questions regarding the elusive Renegade. Dalton replies that he overheard one fresh out of the womb zombie boasting about how the Renegade turned him. Blaine demands that Dalton bring this man to him.
Later, Ravi arrives at Liv and Peyton’s (Aly Michalka) residence at the behest of his former lover. Peyton is alarmed at Liv’s lovey dovey behavior. Liv is insisting they attend the event at The Scratching Post, and Peyton is dragging Ravi with them. Initially, Ravi doth protest a lot. However, all it takes is one makeover montage to win our favorite nerdy British doc over. Liv gives Ravi a handful of outfits to try on. He saunters out model style, putting each outfit on display for Liv and Peyton’s approval (oftentimes disapproval). Major barges in on the makeover fun, effectively smothering the camaraderie like a dingy wet blanket. Liv declares her newfound love for Allan to Major, her on-again-off-again boyfriend. Of course, Major realizes Liv is on some heavy duty brains. However, he forlornly exits the scene like a lonesome puppy.
Next, our trio arrives at The Scratching Post for a night on the town. Ravi immediately melts into the crowd and finds a group of ladies to dance with, proudly executing the ever-popular “sprinkler” move to the excitement of his new female friends. That does it for me, too. Liv gushes about Allan, and Peyton reminds her that he is a murder suspect. Peyton, while petrified at the prospect of running into Blaine, decides to join Ravi on the dance floor. Liv, in turn, also joins her friends to drop it like it’s hot.
Then, Liv encounters another handsome fellow and is immediately smitten. Tim (Keenan Tracey) plants an intense smooch on Liv, and suddenly Allan is long forgotten. He’s so ten minutes ago. Hormones – I mean, love is a many splendid thing, am I right?
Suddenly, Liv spots a familiar face in the crowd. Bozzio (Jessica Harmon) is making out with someone who isn’t Clive. Uh oh. This won’t end well.
Later, Liv wakes up and is dismayed that Tim’s phone number was erased from her hand. She also confides in Peyton of what she witnessed at the club – that of Bozzio cheating on Clive. Does she tell all to Clive? Or make the decision to not meddle? He is her friend, after all.
Next, at the precinct, Liv has an awkward encounter with Bozzio and Clive. After Bozzio departs in confusion, Liv reveals that she had a vision of Annie’s potential murderer, and it wasn’t Allan. Liv also spots a new police officer in the precinct, an attractive woman that she insists on introducing to Clive. You know, cupid style. Way to subtly drop the cheating truth bomb, Liv.
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Then, Liv sits with the resident sketch artist of the precinct. We think she’s describing Bruce, the man with Annie, but the sketch results in a picture perfect rendition of Tim, her new love. Of course, the sketch artist is irritated that he has to start again, but at least Tim looks good?
Later, while Liv is enraptured by Casablanca, she receives a call from Mama Leone (Dawnn Lewis). The Renegade herself pays Liv a visit. She reveals that Annie’s murderer is not one of her own. Her group tries to shelter those they whisk away from and to New Seattle. Liv asks for guidance on how to solve the problem, but Mama Leone’s only solution is to mourn the lost and move on. Hmm. Something doesn’t quite add up with her.
Next, Blaine meets the man who was bragging about the Renegade turning him. Anthony (Daryl Shuttleworth) unfortunately refuses to divulge any information on the Renegade, much to Blaine’s chagrin. No bother. Blaine has his ways of getting what he wants. He reveals the sixteen vials of the cure he has on hand. If you recall, Blaine stole those vials from Ravi at the end of last season. Blaine threatens to use the cure on Anthony so he can torture him as a human, which will be exponentially more painful than it would be as a zombie. Anthony refuses to budge. He made a vow to the Renegade to keep her secrets safe with him.
Then, we see Blaine has succeeded. Anthony is laying face down on Blaine’s desk, the contents of his head fully exposed. Blood covers the surface. Blaine is contentedly munching on the man’s brain, which means he turned Anthony human. The cure worked! Now, since Blaine has consumed the former zombie’s brain, he’ll be privy to Anthony’s thoughts, which could lead to a revelatory vision. Blaine is a man of limited means. He also makes brain consumption look good, which is quite a skill.
Later, Clive and Liv discover the factory that Annie and Bruce were in (not a sewer as I initially thought). Clive stumbles upon a dutch oven, which contains the charred remains of several victims. While the path to Annie’s death still remains shrouded in darkness, they now know they’re dealing with a serial killer. Yay serial killers!
iZombie gave us an undeniably fun episode this week. The writers really seemed to enjoy exploring the rom-com tropes, and McIver appeared to have a blast playing the lovesick Liv. iZombie has struck the perfect balance between “brain of the week” frivolity and pushing the plot forward in a meaningful way. Not to mention, McIver consistently knocks her performances out of the park week after week. Thumbs up all around from this gal!
Do you think Dalton is to blame for Annie’s missing brain parts? Did Bruce kill her, and is he in turn a serial killer? What will Blaine discover from Anthony’s brain regarding the Renegade/Mama Leone? Is Mama Leone someone that can be trusted? Join me next week as I continue to recap iZombie, here on Geek Girl Authority.
iZombie airs Mondays at 9pm on your CW affiliate.
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What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium.
Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
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