iZombie: Even Cowgirls Get the Black & Blues
October 28, 2015 10:42 PM - Season 2, Episode 4 - Subscribe
While investigating a case, Liv eats the brains of a country-singing waitress. Detective Babineaux meets a female FBI agent who will be working out of their offices. Blaine tries to entice a former business associate to come back to the dark side. Meanwhile, Peyton’s return is messing up Ravi’s game, and Major continues his downward spiral.
I dunno. A large part of me really wishes Blaine would just go away and let the show grow in a different direction. Hopefully, Major showing up at Liv's door can be the start of something solid and good. But, I suspect it will be something Blaine will be able to exploit.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:49 AM on October 29, 2015
posted by Thorzdad at 6:49 AM on October 29, 2015
Aww, I like Blaine. Or more accurately, I like the actor who plays Blaine.
posted by Pendragon at 11:05 AM on October 29, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Pendragon at 11:05 AM on October 29, 2015 [2 favorites]
Liv contributed nothing!
Eh, she offered that hilarious red herring with the skeezy club owner, and she was willing to go to bat for the ex. I enjoyed both bits on their own merits. (Part of a fun mystery is some entertaining blind alleys.)
I also liked Lacey's brain having a subtler tug on Liv than many earlier ones. I mean, sure, she was spouting silly sayings and picked up a new musical instrument, but the stuff with Major... she really thought it was her, but it was clearly a Liv/Lacey cocktail of poor relationship skills that brought her to his doorstep, and I enjoy the ambiguity of, "How much of this is her being dramatic, and how much of it is the brain?"
Not *always* being sure there is better than the alternative.
Loved everything with Blaine except him kicking the new zombie out - that's a risky play from a guy who normally covers every angle so carefully, and I didn't really buy it. I especially enjoyed him playing Peyton like that.
Major's plot continues to be the best on the show. The kid being all, "Privilege drop!" was simultaneously the saddest and funniest moment all episode for me, and the show being able to pull that sort of thing off so well is part of why I love it so much.
posted by mordax at 12:10 PM on October 29, 2015 [5 favorites]
Eh, she offered that hilarious red herring with the skeezy club owner, and she was willing to go to bat for the ex. I enjoyed both bits on their own merits. (Part of a fun mystery is some entertaining blind alleys.)
I also liked Lacey's brain having a subtler tug on Liv than many earlier ones. I mean, sure, she was spouting silly sayings and picked up a new musical instrument, but the stuff with Major... she really thought it was her, but it was clearly a Liv/Lacey cocktail of poor relationship skills that brought her to his doorstep, and I enjoy the ambiguity of, "How much of this is her being dramatic, and how much of it is the brain?"
Not *always* being sure there is better than the alternative.
Loved everything with Blaine except him kicking the new zombie out - that's a risky play from a guy who normally covers every angle so carefully, and I didn't really buy it. I especially enjoyed him playing Peyton like that.
Major's plot continues to be the best on the show. The kid being all, "Privilege drop!" was simultaneously the saddest and funniest moment all episode for me, and the show being able to pull that sort of thing off so well is part of why I love it so much.
posted by mordax at 12:10 PM on October 29, 2015 [5 favorites]
Still concerned the show isn't going to make Major suffer the full consequences of being a multiple murderer of innocent people! Good episode though.
posted by Justinian at 2:19 PM on October 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Justinian at 2:19 PM on October 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
Still concerned the show isn't going to make Major suffer the full consequences of being a multiple murderer of innocent people!
Eh. I stand by my counterpoint to that objection from a prior thread, (which I guess there's not much point in rehashing unless someone wants to talk about it more), but aside from that, it's unclear that Major won't. There's an entire new character on the show, as of this episode, whose sole purpose is to solve those murders. The show's clearly setting it up to be dealt with one way or the other - no way to know if it'll be satisfying until the hammer comes down. (That's probably a long ways off because, realistically, Major's *not* playing by the standard serial killer playbook.)
posted by mordax at 4:20 PM on October 29, 2015 [2 favorites]
Eh. I stand by my counterpoint to that objection from a prior thread, (which I guess there's not much point in rehashing unless someone wants to talk about it more), but aside from that, it's unclear that Major won't. There's an entire new character on the show, as of this episode, whose sole purpose is to solve those murders. The show's clearly setting it up to be dealt with one way or the other - no way to know if it'll be satisfying until the hammer comes down. (That's probably a long ways off because, realistically, Major's *not* playing by the standard serial killer playbook.)
posted by mordax at 4:20 PM on October 29, 2015 [2 favorites]
True enough. Let's hope! To be clear I am really enjoying the show, I've just been burned too often by shows letting their viewpoint characters get away with awfulness without seeming to realize how awful it is.
Rob Thomas usually does better than that though so I will have faith.
posted by Justinian at 5:10 PM on October 29, 2015 [2 favorites]
Rob Thomas usually does better than that though so I will have faith.
posted by Justinian at 5:10 PM on October 29, 2015 [2 favorites]
I've just been burned too often by shows letting their viewpoint characters get away with awfulness without seeming to realize how awful it is.
I gotta give you that one, yeah. (If we ever do a Stargate: Atlantis rewatch, that could be the tagline for the entire series.)
posted by mordax at 5:57 PM on October 29, 2015 [2 favorites]
I gotta give you that one, yeah. (If we ever do a Stargate: Atlantis rewatch, that could be the tagline for the entire series.)
posted by mordax at 5:57 PM on October 29, 2015 [2 favorites]
I am hoping Major's cry for help is going to drive us seeing more of the real Liv. She seems pretty awesome.
posted by humans are superior! at 6:40 PM on October 29, 2015
posted by humans are superior! at 6:40 PM on October 29, 2015
FBI agent Dale Bozzio investigating missing persons -- why the 80s pop reference,? And is she hot for Clive?
posted by davidmsc at 10:44 PM on October 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by davidmsc at 10:44 PM on October 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
Wow, how did I miss that? That's great! I loved Missing Persons and both she and Terry Bozzio are very talented. Terry Bozzio is an amazing drummer and he was very good with Zappa.
I think it's further proof that Thomas is my age (and, in fact, he's just a year younger than me). I don't know how old Diane Ruggiero is. It's actually a little bit of a problem I have with the show -- I think I've written this before, but sometimes I can really tell the show's producers and writers are basically middle-aged people like myself. It feels very 90s-ish to me.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 11:03 PM on October 29, 2015
I think it's further proof that Thomas is my age (and, in fact, he's just a year younger than me). I don't know how old Diane Ruggiero is. It's actually a little bit of a problem I have with the show -- I think I've written this before, but sometimes I can really tell the show's producers and writers are basically middle-aged people like myself. It feels very 90s-ish to me.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 11:03 PM on October 29, 2015
Hah, I figured it was just a reference to Dale Cooper if anything. That's much funnier.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 3:53 AM on October 30, 2015
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 3:53 AM on October 30, 2015
I'm really surprised Liv had no Texas accent. I guess Rose McIver must not have been able to pull that one off? Did like the songwriting, and Ravi's outfit.
What was with that murder?
Remember, Liv, zombieism is sexually contagious!
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:45 AM on November 4, 2015
What was with that murder?
Remember, Liv, zombieism is sexually contagious!
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:45 AM on November 4, 2015
Oh man, yeah, that moment with Major and one of his former kids was heartbreaking.
posted by corb at 1:24 PM on December 4, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by corb at 1:24 PM on December 4, 2015 [1 favorite]
I really enjoy the quick-cut montage of Liv's brain meals, it's like a meal-in-a-gif type of thing, with brains.
posted by numaner at 3:41 PM on December 6, 2015
posted by numaner at 3:41 PM on December 6, 2015
No love for Blane's giant mute buddy being named "Chief?" I didn't really care for the turn upstream about Blane being the child of wealth and privilege, but I really dig the actor and his constant little "smarter-than-you" foible. His constant little lectures and sly asides and whatever.
This is the first episode where I was fully bought back into the show. I thought the first couple of episodes are weak, and I do wish at least Clive would make some overt nod towards thinking she picks up the personalities of the dead at this point. Mostly because it's trying to build a tension that almost a distraction in a story that by now has plenty of real tension. I do like Liv and Ravi starting to tease Clive. Sort of like the previous episode somewhere she asks him if he's ever considered wearing a square and his response is a perplexed "every morning." It's a nice acknowledgement of a friendship, plus probably a small and necessary window into the character of Clive. I can see a sort of fussy fastidiousness about someone who prides himself on being meticulous, and is generally rewarded for that behavior. (Though, did he get demoted? I thought they were calling him "Lt." in the S1 finale?)
Also, even if he obviously finds her character shifts an annoyance, it is often one of the unacknowledged secrets to their success together. I can think of a great number of times in the box where Liv's ability to connect personally with the interview subject got them to open up in a way Clive never could. I can't know that the writers know that or not, but rapport based interrogation [pdf] is - despite the example of 24 - best practices. How much better can she be at getting in someone's head? Anyway, we never actually see her forensic/medical skills despite being a hotshot medical student - Ravi does all of that, so it gives her something to do and be good at in both the A and B plots. The visions are helpful, no doubt, but I think Clive has to know she's good at getting people to open up as or more often than she clams them up or he wouldn't keep bringing the ME into the interrogation room.
posted by absalom at 6:47 PM on December 8, 2015
This is the first episode where I was fully bought back into the show. I thought the first couple of episodes are weak, and I do wish at least Clive would make some overt nod towards thinking she picks up the personalities of the dead at this point. Mostly because it's trying to build a tension that almost a distraction in a story that by now has plenty of real tension. I do like Liv and Ravi starting to tease Clive. Sort of like the previous episode somewhere she asks him if he's ever considered wearing a square and his response is a perplexed "every morning." It's a nice acknowledgement of a friendship, plus probably a small and necessary window into the character of Clive. I can see a sort of fussy fastidiousness about someone who prides himself on being meticulous, and is generally rewarded for that behavior. (Though, did he get demoted? I thought they were calling him "Lt." in the S1 finale?)
Also, even if he obviously finds her character shifts an annoyance, it is often one of the unacknowledged secrets to their success together. I can think of a great number of times in the box where Liv's ability to connect personally with the interview subject got them to open up in a way Clive never could. I can't know that the writers know that or not, but rapport based interrogation [pdf] is - despite the example of 24 - best practices. How much better can she be at getting in someone's head? Anyway, we never actually see her forensic/medical skills despite being a hotshot medical student - Ravi does all of that, so it gives her something to do and be good at in both the A and B plots. The visions are helpful, no doubt, but I think Clive has to know she's good at getting people to open up as or more often than she clams them up or he wouldn't keep bringing the ME into the interrogation room.
posted by absalom at 6:47 PM on December 8, 2015
I totally expected an awkward sub-plot where Ravi scrambles to hide the fact that he and the woman crashing at his house previously dated. But it turns out he was totally up front about it with her previously and there was no drama. Yay!
Babineaux has some nice shoes. Hope the new FBI agent is being genuine. I get a little tired of plots within plots and could use someone who's straightforward every once and a while.
So Major wakes up in Gilda's bed and doesn't realize he's at Liv's place? What? Or were they at Max Rager dorms or something?
Also, I realize Blaine's all cool and the boss and everything, but now that he's no longer a zombie you'd think one of his minions would realize that he's really not that tough anymore. I suppose previous disloyalty has gone badly, but still.
posted by ODiV at 6:31 PM on February 28, 2016
Babineaux has some nice shoes. Hope the new FBI agent is being genuine. I get a little tired of plots within plots and could use someone who's straightforward every once and a while.
So Major wakes up in Gilda's bed and doesn't realize he's at Liv's place? What? Or were they at Max Rager dorms or something?
Also, I realize Blaine's all cool and the boss and everything, but now that he's no longer a zombie you'd think one of his minions would realize that he's really not that tough anymore. I suppose previous disloyalty has gone badly, but still.
posted by ODiV at 6:31 PM on February 28, 2016
> So Major wakes up in Gilda's bed and doesn't realize he's at Liv's place? What? Or were they at Max Rager dorms or something?
That jumped out at me immediately as well.
Also, I'm getting increasingly irritated by the nonsensical depiction of this Utopium drug. I know it's a made-up thing, but enough people have done a little recreational this-and-that to know that drugs fall into some broad categories of effect. They established pretty clearly with the club that it's an Ecstasy sort of deal, but once Major became an insta-addict (ahem) it now behaves like...something that makes him numb and self-involved, but that he also likes to take while lifting? Whut? (And where is he getting his supply?)
posted by desuetude at 5:45 PM on April 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
That jumped out at me immediately as well.
Also, I'm getting increasingly irritated by the nonsensical depiction of this Utopium drug. I know it's a made-up thing, but enough people have done a little recreational this-and-that to know that drugs fall into some broad categories of effect. They established pretty clearly with the club that it's an Ecstasy sort of deal, but once Major became an insta-addict (ahem) it now behaves like...something that makes him numb and self-involved, but that he also likes to take while lifting? Whut? (And where is he getting his supply?)
posted by desuetude at 5:45 PM on April 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
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Great Blaine moments, though. And I'm really glad Major's arc is going in a direction other than down.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 5:04 AM on October 29, 2015 [1 favorite]