iZombie Season 1 Episode 2 Review: Brother, Can You Spare a Brain?
Lindsay MacDonald
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What is the proper terminology for someone who turned you into a zombie?
Sire? Maker? Zombie-daddy? I feel like we should figure this out ASAP since we finally got to meet Blaine in iZombie Season 1 Episode 2.
Before any of that though, it seems like it's another day, another murder for Liv and Ravi. Babineaux's newest case pulls Liv in after she chows down on the victim's brains. She lends her "psychic assistance" to the cause again, tapping into his memories, zombie style.
I've got to say, I love how we're balancing the crime procedural elements of this show with Liv's supernatural origin story. There's a good give and take going, something I was worried about after the pilot episode.
This newest case is interesting, to be sure, and it provides for some fun side effects on Liv's personality. One of said side effects is a flirty new attitude and a passion for painting. The painting is of course harmless, but the flirting? Not so much.
Tito: I'm a quarter Cherokee
Liv: Yeah you are.
Besides prompting Liv to come on to every suspect in the case – male and female – it also gets her into trouble wit her ex-fiance, Major.
We didn't get a lot of face time with Major last week, so it was hard to get a good feel for who he was other than that he had a wicked sense of humor. That humor shined through again this week, making it easy to understand how Liv fell for him in the first place. He's got that dorky-cute, totally adoring boyfriend vibe about him, which you've got to love.
Liv: Why was I such a jerk?
Major: Who knows? It was just one of the many things I accepted because you're super hot. I'm kidding... to a degree.
Unfortunately, Liv takes it too far and kisses Major, sending majorly mixed signals. Did anyone else's heart break a little when he kicked Liv out of his house?
Elsewhere, Ravi's APB on Blaine somehow brings the zombie himself a'knocking on the morgue doors.
Liv: Until that vision, I thought I was the only one.
Blaine: Yeah, until like three seconds ago, so did I
Let me tell you, I was so sure Ravi was going to be the standout side character of this series, but now that we've met Blaine, I have to reevaluate. This guy is one smooth talker, and a fantastic manipulator. He had me totally believing that he was just another confused zombie victim like Liv, right up until he flipped the script and started turning people to turn a profit.
The very brains that he pathetically begged Liv for, as if he desperately needed them to stay afloat, now sell for $25k a pop. No wonder this guy was a drug drealer, he seems to be a pro at the business already.
Blaine's origins are murky at best, but he's definitely not as wide-eyed as Liv about his whole Zombie situation. Which leads to questions about just how much he knows, and what was he doing on that boat in the first place? He may be undead, but that doesn't mean he's not still looking out for number one. As violently as possible...
First rule of brain club, you don't talk about brain club.
Blaine
My only complaint is that the investigative portion of the show, no matter how hilarious, almost pales in comparison to Liv's personal mysteries. Right now there's a great balance, but eventually solving the crime of the week might be overshadowed by all the intriguing zombie shenanigans.
But who knows? Veronica Mars made a similar situation work, maybe Liv can too? Tell us what you think of the mix in comments below!
Don't forget to watch iZombie online for your weekly serving of brains!
