iZombie – Season 2 Episode 16

Mar 30, 2016 | Posted by in TV
iZombie

“Pour Some Sugar, Zombie”

iZombie continues its race towards the season finale when Liv’s stripper brain gives Peyton significant information to help bring down Mr. Boss.

Peyton as a character is handled strangely by the show. She can be a significant presence for weeks and simply disappear for a while with no explanation and no development of her campaign to bring down Mr. Boss. Despite that, it never feels like anything is being rushed when she does come back and it all appears to be part of the overall plan. It works because bringing down Mr. Boss isn’t an easy task and it’s a story that can go long stretches without anything significant happening as he covers his tracks so well that it’s difficult to find anything worth pursuing. Essentially her return usually heralds some revelation that moves the Mr. Boss plot forward and folds her into the character drama at the time.

iZombie

Peyton is put in a very awkward position

In this instance she gets a lead on one of his drug stash houses but her informant is killed before the information can get to her. Enter Liv who consumes the brain and has Peyton follow her around in the hopes that a vision will be triggered. This leads to the usual procedural elements involving Liv acting strange and eventually getting a clue that moves things along. It’s fine but doesn’t really bear discussing as it’s the least interesting part of the show as usual.

Liv on a stripper brain wasn’t as much fun as I thought it would be. She spent most of the time acting needlessly aggressive to the people around her which ties in with the brain she consumed but the whole stripper thing felt a little played out eventually. Peyton’s awkwardness when receiving a lap dance from her best friend was really amusing but overall it didn’t feel up to the usual standards of comedy that I expect from this show. I did like that the episode brought in Johnny Frost who had a connection to the case. Having him there didn’t feel contrived and it’s good that the show has built a world where side characters can come and go as needed.

With Peyton striking a crucial blow to Mr. Boss’ operation I fully expect her to be in mortal danger really soon. She is his main obstacle at this point and his treatment of Blaine shows what he does with people who get in his way. Is she headed for a grizzly death before the season ends? I for one hope not but it really wouldn’t surprise me.

The effects of the cure on Blaine was an interesting development as he forgets being a zombie and that zombies even exist. He also seems to be losing touch with who he is and becoming something of a blank slate. I wonder if the new cure has physical side effects or if Liv will have to make a choice to be cured or forget everything that has happened since she became a zombie and possibly before. I like this development for Blaine as it creates the potential for the character to develop in pretty much any way the writers want. The appeal of Blaine as a presence in this show is the unpredictability associated with him. This simply adds another dimension to that assuming his memory loss is permanent. Don E choosing to become a zombie as a way of protecting himself an Blaine from whatever Mr. Boss will do next is another nice touch.

iZombie

Welcome back Johnny

Gilda’s fate is answered right away as she is seen in full zombie mode sneaking into Liv’s apartment looking for brains before being taken away by -I assume- one of Du Clark’s heavies. I’m not sure what the show will do with her now that she’s a zombie but it feels like a fitting fate for her anyway.

Major’s world is coming crashing down around him as Ravi has figured out that he is the chaos killer. Seeing a picture of the victims with Minor in one of them is the first clue that points him down the path to discovery and his suspicions are all but confirmed when Dale shows him the picture of half of his face. After hacking into Major’s safe he confronts him immediately and the resulting scene is incredible. Both parties are angry and Major is desperately trying to get a word in to explain himself but Ravi is having none of it. He puts the evidence together and assumes that Major is hunting his victims because he feels that zombies aren’t people. This puts a big question mark on how he perceives Liv in Ravi’s eyes and the anger he feels is superbly acted by Rahul Kohli. It’s some of the best work both actors have done and the ending of the episode showing Major going full zombie was a brilliant note to end on. It was nicely seeded earlier in the episode when Major thinks that fresh milk tastes sour. It was just subtle enough to go unnoticed but became really important.

The emotional explosion from both Ravi and Major ties into the theme of secrets and lies that carries through this show. Major lies to everyone and slowly but surely his duplicity comes to light but the lack of context makes things look worse than it is. There is no resolution in the argument between Ravi and Major as certain assumptions are made due to a lack of information. I really like how the consequences of secrets and lies become very personal to those telling them. It has already manifested in Liv’s life as she has completely lost her family which really needs to be brought back as a story thread as it has vanished and the truth about Drake has now become known to Liv who starts to see things make sense now that she has the context. I wonder what she will do with that knowledge especially since it was Major who abducted him. Liv finding out about that must surely be imminent.

iZombie

Major goes full zombie

Verdict

A great episode that builds on the established characters well and starts to wrap things up. Peyton is now firmly on Mr. Boss’ radar, Blaine is dealing with amnesia, Ravi has to deal with the knowledge that Major is the chaos killer and Major is a zombie. Add to that Liv finding out the truth about Drake as well the fact that Gilda is a zombie and we have the ingredients for some really exciting final episodes. I found the comedy associated with the brain of the week to be a little below the usual standards for this show but it didn’t detract from my enjoyment too much.

 

 

Overall
  • 8/10
    Pour Some Sugar, Zombie - 8/10
8/10

Summary

Kneel Before…

  • Ravi and Major’s emotional explosion
  • Blaine’s newfound amnesia
  • Major being a zombie


Rise Against…

  • the brain of the week lacking the usual comedic touch
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