iZombie Season 4 Episode 9 Review: Mac-Liv-Moore
Jasmine Blu
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Liv got bars!
The most delightful part of iZombie Season 4 Episode 9 (and there were a few delightful moments), was listening to Rose McIver rap during scenes or playing in the background.
The hour managed to be fun while also serving as an information dumping ground. Miscellaneous bits and loose ends that were necessary in order to move the plot forward were sprinkled throughout the installment.
It worked overall, but barely.
I'm trying to recall, was there ever a genuine reason why Liv needed to be on rapper brain other than to be funny as hell for the remainder of the hour? She had that one vision, and she and Clive interviewed the victim's brother, but for the most part, the investigation came to a halt.
It ended as soon as fugitive, zombie killer Cain was brought up. It was all about tracking down this zombie killer, but no one ever appeared to go looking for him, not really.
Related: iZombie Round Table: Is Isobel the Key to the Brain Shortage?
He didn't become crucial to the hour until the very end. It's unlike Chase to be caught off guard to the degree that he was when Caine came in. What happened to the guy who took out two or three of his fellow soldiers who turned against him? He let one human get the better of him.
Why am I just hearing about this now?! I can't do my job if I don't know what's going on in the city!
Chase [in a rage]
Chase has been stressed out, and that was evident when he flipped out about Angus' congregation. That was one of the many info dumps of the hour. It turns out Major did put in his report that he and the kid cadets encountered Brother Love's congregation, but someone chose to withhold the information from him for whatever reason.
That answers that question, but I wonder, what is going on at FG where Chase's soldiers don't trust him with information? The inner-workings of Fillmore Graves remains a mystery, but I can't be the only viewer who would love to be enlightened on all of the things going on over there.
So, maybe that's why Chase was an easy target for Cain. I also wonder if Chase feels guilty about the zombie situation. Cain killed his wife and daughter because they were zombies, and he blamed Chase for turning them into zombies on D-Day.
He holds Chase responsible for the death of his family because, in his mind, they were already dead.
It seemed unlikely for Chase to allow Cain to shoot him in both kneecaps like that. Of course, Major was there to save the day as always. Chase doesn't trust anyone but Major. That's incredibly isolating for him.
Once again we were treated to Major giving that puppy-dog face as he debated the moral implications of a task he was asked to do, but he went ahead and did it anyway. If Cain was as good as dead anyway, why did Chase need to make an example out of him?
He wanted Major to turn Cain into something he despised; all of that so Cain could be publicly executed.
Major and Liv were able to air out their grievances, so at least that was acknowledged in the hour. I'll count that as another info dump. That's progress, and it beats the passive-aggressive thing Liv had going on.
Major: So what am I in trouble for now?
Liv: You seriously have to ask? You were right there when Chase Graves crushed Mama Leone's skull. You probably had to wash bits of her off of you.
Major: Renegade was breaking the law and fully aware of the consequences. Her death, while tragic, probably saved lives.
Liv: Hey Major, I've seen that movie too. You're quoting The Bad Guy.
Peyton is convinced that the two of them will move past this and reunite. She could be right, but I'm not sure if I want to see them back together any time soon.
Most of the gang were stuck in the precinct because of the lockdown including Isobel. I like Isobel, and I appreciated that her presence there was to get the ball rolling on her immunity storyline.
Related: iZombie Season 4 Episode 8 Review: Chivalry is Dead
Of course, we all knew Ravi would be on board with scratching Isobel to save her. I love that he was willing to do it himself during his zombie time of the month to protect Liv. Ravi is such an amazing friend.
Through Liv, he found out about Isobel's immunity and her attempts (and the attempts of other zombies) at scratching Isobel. Then, Isobel and Peyton revealed that Liv took over as Renegade.
The gang is committed to the "no more secrets" rule.
Now that Ravi is in on the action, we'll get back to him working on a cure and using Isobel (who volunteered) as a guinea pig.
The timing couldn't be better because Blaine dusted off those zombie cures and put together a diabolical plan to profit off of them. He also confirmed that he knows something is off about Ravi.
Blaine was being too generous to Don E. Obviously, the guy had ulterior motives. The show could benefit from showing Don E on brains more often because whenever they do, it's gold. Of course, Don E is one of the best secondary characters of the series.
We saw Ravi eating a brain tube. How is Peyton sleeping with him if he's not a zombie? And if he's not a zombie, why the brain tube? What is he?
Blaine
It's confirmed that Blaine still has lingering feelings for Peyton based on his reactions and responses while Don E was combing through her private emails. As long as Peyton has a hold on some part of him, it could be beneficial down the road.
I don't know what will happen between the two of them when she realizes that he's the one who killed the Mayor. That was a bold move on his part. If there is any question of whether or not Blaine has gotten worse as a villain, it's answered after that stunt with the mayor.
Does he know that Peyton is interim mayor now? Peyton is moving on up in the world of New Seattle, and I can't complain about this development. It's a vast improvement from anything she's had going on before.
We also got our answer as to whether or not Clive geeks out over D&D. He jumped at the chance to hold is own game while the city was on lockdown. His squad including Ravi, Vampire Steve, and Jimmy the Sketch Bitch is the nerdiest group of dorks ever.
Michelle joining it was a real treat. Who knew she was a closet nerd? Apparently, this was to play off of that chemistry she and Clive have. The two of them even exchange a kiss. I'm not mad at this.
Other Brain Bits:
- The kid cadets are having trouble in their relationship. The two of them are so underused that it was jarring to see them take up as much screentime as they did. It also felt weird that Major was so annoyed by them.
- I snorted when Clive made that comment about Chase enacting Martial Law. Clive, bro, where have you been all season?
- I can't believe someone else will be getting publicly executed and it's not Russell. How long until that jackass is dead?
- Will Peyton stay mayor or will they hold an election? Will they bother with an election in New Seattle?
- Blaine's mask gave me flashbacks to that Three Ninjas movie.
Over to you, iZombie fanatics. What did you think of this hour? How much did you enjoy Liv on rapper brain? Are you looking forward to the Isobel immunity storyline? Hit the comments below!
There's still time to catch up on the season. You can watch iZombie online here via TV Fanatic.
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is an insomniac who spends late nights and early mornings binge-watching way too many shows and binge-drinking way too much tea. Her eclectic taste makes her an unpredictable viewer with an appreciation for complex characters, diverse representation, dynamic duos, compelling stories, and guilty pleasures. You'll definitely find her obsessively live-tweeting, waxing poetic, and chatting up fellow Fanatics and readers. Follow her on X.
