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iZombie: Eat, Pray, Liv

“A fundamentally decent person would realize you owe him.”

Not much can be said for the case of the week in this episode, which provided little in the way of laughs and mystery. Instead, the drama that engulfed the lives of those around Liv takes center stage, pushing likable characters to do very unlikable things.

A lot of pent up anger and frustration bubbled over, particularly where Ravi and Peyton are concerned. Ravi is frustrated that Peyton doesn’t see the treacherous man Blaine really is, which is totally understandable. She’s heard everything he’s done, Ravi even pointed out that he’s the man responsible for killing Major, but she still feels for Blaine anyway. Plus, you know, ICK. Ravi also comes clean as to why he’s so jaded by her feelings for Blaine; he’s still in love with her (obviously). His confession was pretty heartbreaking, and certainly makes you feel for him and the position he’s in.

It’s Peyton, though, that ends up the jilted party once again when we are forced to watch another heartbreaking moment unfold. Peyton makes a lot of valid points this week too, the best of which is that Ravi is the only one standing in his way. It’s a shame that the moment he chooses to put his jealousy aside and take action comes after he spends the night with Katty Kupps, his self absorbed ex-boss. I have to admit, I wasn’t sure where Katty Kupps’ presence was going, save for yet another investigation into the increasing popularity of brains, of course. Why, Ravi? All he’s done now is push Peyton closer to Blaine, who might start to become the man he used to be, if Ravi’s cure works the way he intends it to.

I’m surprised Blaine took the cure in the end. Major went so far as to point out the reasons why Blaine would want to forget his past. I can’t imagine he took it to help save Major, whose body is starting to break down. I’m guessing he’s trying to be the man that Peyton might fall for, someone who might risk their life to help save someone else. It’s an interesting situation, and one that might not be so fun to watch if the characters involved weren’t so well written.

There’s a chance that the cure might not work, and Blaine-light will continue to hang around, wooing Peyton with his piano solos. There’s also a chance that it will work, and Blaine will play everyone around him for as long as possible. The latter option is more likely given what we know about him, but there’s also the possibility that he’s been faking from day one. That’s what I love about Blaine; you never know what to expect, even when it seems he can’t remember his own father.

With everyone distracted by the love triangle — and the possibility of another courtesy of Major’s friendly new buddy Justin — nobody noticed Daddy DeBeers setting up shop in town. Since Angus has a business orientated mind, and has put it to use in the brain trade, there’s no telling what kind of damage he can do, especially with a loose cannon like Donny at his side.

Plus

Clive made me swoon when he went into that dumpster himself, because he didn’t want to make the guys below him do it.

Justin was the DJ at the event where most of FG turned into zombies.

He Said, She Said

Angus: “So, word is you lost your memory.”
Blaine: “I did, it was the darndest thing. I looked under all my couch cushions, in my car...”

Liv: “Can we get over this fixation over who did what and when?”
Clive: “It’s a murder investigation...”

Peyton: “Why are you being such a d*ck?”
Ravi: “It isn’t obvious?! It’s because I’m in love with you.”

It’s a shame that there wasn’t more to like about Liv on Zen brain. She balanced out the shrieking and confrontational characters she was around, but the lack of fun was a letdown in an episode that was wonderful in every other aspect. It’s a brave move to make fan favorite characters like Ravi act so terribly, but it only serves to make them richer and more dynamic in the long run. I’m glad the writers are aware of this, and hope that this kind of character building continues going forward.

3 out of 5 scratching posts.

Originally posted at PandaTV.

2 comments:

  1. Why so serious?

    I mean, the themes in this episode are certainly serious, but the trademark of iZombie was that they didn't take themselves seriously. They did some excellent drama, but always mixed it with humor. It felt somewhat... off. And yes, Zen brain wasn't used nearly enough. The only thing it did was prove that the dead guru was a real deal, which is already a stretch.

    It also didn't help that I guessed the murderer correctly seconds after he appeared on screen. What's more, I did it twice. Also, I saw Ravi getting the wrong cup a mile away.

    It almost seems like... I shudder at the thought... like they finally made a decent episode. Not excellent, not outstanding, not mind-blowing. Decent.

    To address one of your concerns, Panda: sleeping with the boss who made your life a living hell before might be a huge turn-on for some people. And it's not like Ravi hasn't been in a meaningless relationship before, and handled it badly.

    ReplyDelete
  2. If Blaine was really honest about losing his memory before now he will probably fake it for a while. I can't wait to get the bad guy back.

    The new brain business will probably go public sooner or later with all the conspiracy theorists going around.

    ReplyDelete

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