“Method Head”

iZombie returns for the first episode of 2016 and due to a mix up in dates I’m publishing this review a day late. I didn’t realise it was back this week so sorry about that those of you that were waiting for my thoughts. I know that you exist!

There was a lot going on before the hiatus with Major and Liv’s breakup, Clive taking away Liv’s investigative privileges and Ravi’s discovery that the cure is likely to wear off and restore the cured to their zombie status. Each of these is given attention in this episode but not always to the extent that I would have liked. For example the breakup is barely mentioned.

Ravi wastes no time in telling people the bad news and gets right to work in running tests as well as looking for the Tainted Utopium stash so that he can continue his research into making it permanent. I liked how the episode moved through the time frame by using “Christmas”, “New Year” and “The Present” as title cards to show the passage of time since the break. At first I thought that this was going to be a Christmas episode nearly a month late but fortunately it wasn’t as I’m not sure how far Liv devouring a store Santa brain could really go in terms of plot but it seems that it occurred off screen. I guess the producers really wanted a Santa brain story but just couldn’t really make it happen.

The one thing that struck me most about the cure is how everyone seems to take it in their stride. There is some alarm when Major finds out but he quickly transitions onto something else. Blaine is pretty much the same to the point he actually seems in really good spirits. I get that they’ve had a few weeks to digest it but I would think they would be a bit more affected by it. It will definitely be an ongoing issue so maybe that’ll come soon though I’m still waiting for Liv’s conflict with her family to be dealt with in some way so there are some lingering threads still to be dealt with.

Major is getting deeper and deeper into the whole Max Rager situation in a way that will almost certainly come back to bite him -no pun intended- when the wrong people find out. He is using a Fitbit to eavesdrop on Vaughn Du Clark’s conversations. It’s a really proactive thing to do but it’s also incredibly risky as well. I’m surprised that Du Clark would take the Fitbit at face value without getting it checked in some way to make sure that Major isn’t being duplicitous. He has no real reason to trust Major considering his reluctance to take out the zombies. From Du Clark’s perspective it should seem as if Major’s change in attitude comes a little too easily.

Steven Weber is as magnetic as usual as Du Clark. His performance is always so effortless with likable qualities even though he’s almost soulless in the way he regards other people. His one interaction with Gilda shows that clearly as he disregards most of what she says and even insults her mother right in front of her. He seems to have no feelings one way or another for his daughter but the fact that he employs her suggests some form of compassion there.

His test for Major was a little too transparent but fun nonetheless as it’s easy to believe that a scientist would want to expose him and might go to Major for help doing that. Major either saw that it was a test for him or saw it as an opportunity to prove to Du Clark that he can be trusted. Either way it works and it’s good that he doesn’t compromise his compassionate nature by letting the poor scientist endure death by “old school” zombie.

I found the case of the week a lot more interesting this week but not because of the particulars of it. The whole meta framework made it a lot more fun to watch. It also became less about the brain Liv consumed and more about the situation as it was presented. The brain was part of it and brought a lot of laughs such as Liv’s demonstration of method acting as echoed by Ravi who loved every minute of it. When Rose McIver and Rahul Kohli share scenes true magic really does happen. I also got a kick out of the Power Rangers reference which of course calls back to the fact that Rose McIver was once in Power Rangers RPM. There’s all sorts of other references like saying that a show where the lead character is a zombie is a “dumb” idea and the filming nowhere near the show is set for Tax reasons. It’s all a fun wink to the audience that goes over well

The fictional TV show Zombie High actually came as a bit of a surprise. I wondered why the CW would let this send-up happen as they have done similar shows to this in the past that were possibly more corny than this fake one. It works as a joke because I’ve seen and stopped watching shows that are as bad as that.

We get different aspects from the show to seeing scenes that aired to an insight into what goes on behind the scenes. In some ways it reminded me of the Supernatural episode “Hollywood Babylon” particularly with Clive’s reaction to the food put on by the caterers as it was very similar to the way Dean reacted. It’s good to see Clive loosen up a bit and enjoy himself in this situation too.

The general reaction to Zombie High by the characters was really amusing. Ravi in particular got my attention as he started off hating the show and pointing out how scientifically incorrect it is. We’ve all seen those types of comments and many of us have made those sorts of comments, I know I have. The amusing thing is that by the end of the episode he’s a fan. He knows it really sucks but can’t tear himself away from it. Another really relatable thing as I’m sure we all have a show that’s purely a guilty pleasure. The most recent one for me was Impastor. There have been many others in the past and I am sure there will be more in the future.

I was a bit iffy about Liv and Clive working so closely together on this case after him effectively banishing her in the previous episode. It feels that this has been resolved a little too quickly and hasn’t been developed in any meaningful way. Clive letting her come back because he seems to feel sorry for her doesn’t really fit his character but I can see that it had to be this way since it’s pretty much the main premise of the show and there’s not an awful lot of mileage if they aren’t working together. I’d have liked to see them apart for an entire episode to show how different their lives are and how Clive’s police work goes without the psychic clues.

Blaine doesn’t really do much in the episode but any scene featuring him is as great as ever. Seeing him full of the Christmas spirit at the beginning was really entertaining and having him a little flustered by Dale’s interrogation is a refreshing change for the character. David Anders is always watchable no matter what side of Blaine we see.