iZombie: Patriot Brains

May 13, 2015 5:21 PM - Season 1, Episode 9

Liv and Clive investigate the mysterious death of a former sniper, Everett, who has been working as an instructor at a paintball facility. They begin questioning family members including Everett’s ex-wife and her new husband Sean and realize things are not what they seem. Meanwhile, Major continues to get closer and closer to the truth, and Blaine does the unthinkable.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich (14 comments total)

I am willing to forgive all the past clunky murder-of-the-week storylines for that Chekhov's gun gag.
posted by bibliowench at 6:54 PM on May 13, 2015

Hey I was complaining an episode or two ago that I thought they were really eliding the whole horror-at-eating-people's-brains aspect of Liv's situation but they hammered it pretty hard this episode. Me happy.
posted by Justinian at 8:39 PM on May 13, 2015 [2 favorites]

There were several aspects of this episode that are a definite improvement. I'm repeating myself week-to-week, but it really seems to me that the episodic procedural stuff is where the show is quite weak, while otherwise the characters and acting are pretty strong and when it moves into the serialized, character development stuff, the show jumps up a whole level.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 8:57 PM on May 13, 2015 [1 favorite]

They should take a page from HANNIBAL and drop the procedural into the background.
posted by Justinian at 9:32 PM on May 13, 2015

I've only managed to catch a couple of episodes of the show, and I'm not at all familiar with the comic book, so, can you folks explain to me why Liv seems to be the only white-as-a-ghost zombie? All the others appear to have normal flesh tones.
posted by Thorzdad at 4:27 AM on May 14, 2015

All the other zombies use bronzer.
posted by Pendragon at 8:23 AM on May 14, 2015

Stuff is going down, ya'll.

I'm glad Ravi isn't a zombie.

I'm glad they are making connections that it's all Blaine.

How the hell did Blaine's henchman survive and if he was able to survive does that mean there is hope for Liv's new boyfriend dude that I can't remember?

Thank goodness that Clive isn't getting much airtime.

RIP Jerome and the other poor people.
posted by lucy.jakobs at 6:30 AM on May 15, 2015

How the hell did Blaine's henchman survive and if he was able to survive does that mean there is hope for Liv's new boyfriend dude that I can't remember?

The henchman survived because he was shot in the chest (you'll recall that you have to destroy a zombie's head/brain to actually kill them). If Lowell was shot in the head, he's done. Blaine wasn't aiming for his chest.
posted by briank at 6:44 AM on May 15, 2015 [1 favorite]

I get that, but I'm still wondering what exactly it is that makes Zombies stronger + more resistant to death?

I think I ask these questions every week. Maybe I need to be paying better attention to the show!
posted by lucy.jakobs at 8:27 AM on May 15, 2015

ugh Blaine and the neverending Nirvana story.

all the crying face emojis for Lowell.

hoping the rat bite means something more, like maybe Ravi is immune to zombie-ism?

one thing I questioned, though: if Liv/Lowell killed Blaine, then what happens to all the zombies in Seattle without their artisanal brain delivery service? is Blaine the only person preventing a zombie outbreak?
posted by kerning at 8:50 AM on May 16, 2015 [2 favorites]

Oh noooooooooooooooooo Lowell :(
*cries*
He was adorable.
I can't even enjoy a Wallace cameo now.

So at least one guy points out that he kept getting dead teenager visions, but Lowell wasn't all the time?

Also, ordering up astronaut brains. Damn. That's cold.
posted by jenfullmoon at 6:24 PM on June 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

I really am still liking the pace and development of this, and the episode before this one really paid off I thought, but I remember the one thing I didn't like about VM. I don't mind the interior monologue, but that's always the weakest part of the show for me. Because it just goes on like twice as long as it needs to.

Me: "I understand and appreciate this new lesson you have learned and are trying to impart. Thank you, really."

"Wait, you're just saying it again? I got you."

Also: I'm not as impressed as he probably would like with the copy of Uncle Vanya on the dresser where Major stashes Checkov's Gun.
posted by absalom at 4:37 PM on October 30, 2015

I am impressed by the nice inversion of Chekhov's Gun, though. Or, I guess, Chekhov's Guns.
posted by absalom at 5:15 PM on October 30, 2015 [1 favorite]

aw man! i thought the guitar guy was a bad dude and instead they were just setting up to kill him :(
posted by nadawi at 8:49 PM on November 2, 2015