Wait… that’s Rachel
Bloom? You have Rachel Bloom and you only have a cameo? Hey that’s ok I love
her in everything
Um… except for an
adaptation of Rent that decides it’s acceptable to exchange “AIDS” for “Zombie
virus”, that can just die in the hottest possible fires for all eternity.
This episode is
unique in that it is maybe the first without any murder… which in turn leaves
more room to explore other storylines… though I’m not sure it did that really.
More, it allowed the B plot (the meta plot) to be the main story it needs to be
without the murder getting in the way. But it doesn’t allow room for the minor
plots either
Which I think I
approve of given the major plot
So, Liv is eating a
brain this week because she’s hungry - and ends up with Rachel Bloom’s
theatrical brain (and in classic iZombie fashion someone’s profession is
presented as some kind of all consuming obsession and foundation of their
personality). This includes some of the standard shenanigans with Liv acting in
a sexual harassment seminar (run by weatherman Johnny Frost due to his sexual
harassment. Which… doesn’t make sense but hey) her main focus is convincing
Mama Leone’s group to accept her
Which is a hard sell.
They’re not exactly trusting of outsiders, and, besides, half of their network
has disappeared after Mama Leone was killed so horribly publicly. She offers to
scratch people for them but they have zombies in the group. They don’t need her
for this
I actually like how
hostile they are to her, if anything it’s not enough. Because she’s not
offering to join the group, she’s offering to replace Mama Leone and lead them
- this woman who none of them knows. Why should they embrace her? And even if
she is well meaning, what does she actually bring to the group? Mama Leone had
contacts, a network, knowledge and respect- what does Liv bring?
So she has to prove
herself -which she does with theatre. There are some recently smuggled humans
about to die in a shipping container because the people meant to get them out
have run away with Renegade’s death. Treating it as a play she sets out a
perfectly executed plot, involving lots of plots, Rose McIver’s real accent,
and a character who better be a lesbian after the lesbian joke.
It works perfectly
and Liv willingly scratches the people she rescued -on camera, proving her
commitment
Oh yes, hot
film-maker guy/Liv’s next love interest is filming all of this highly illegal
activity for good PR but mainly so we can have a big dramatic scene where Liv
is exposed. That’s my bet. But it does make a good scene proving her
commitment.
After this plan
succeeds, hot film-maker guy calls Liv Renegade. I am not ready for this even
if it is flirting. And he gives her the applications of the hundreds of desperate
people wanting to come to New Seattle - and they have capacity for 3.
Plot line b) is
romance! Peyton is approached by one of the survivors of the bus crash who
wants to know whether her dead ex-husband had a dog. Her child lost their dad
and she doesn’t want them to lose their dog… but only the dead man knows where
it was
She asks Liv to do
some brain eating - but backs off when she realises the dead man was a heroin
addict. No-one is expecting Liv to endure that so they back off
But Ravi, clearly
hoping to impress Peyton and having one of his zombie relapses, decides to eat
the brain himself: and suffers the deeply debilitating, devastating effects of
heroin withdrawal. It’s well acted, non demonised and non-romanticised. And
just an awful experience which he endures with the help of mainly Peyton - and
after he gets the necessary vision and finds the dog she kisses him. The
romance is back on again
While Clive’s and
Dale’s romance gets more complicated. He arranges a date with Michelle which
then goes all awkward when the sexual harassment seminar reveals his
relationship with Dale. Michelle is not amused until Clive reveals the open
relationship he’s in - though Michelle still rules herself out as she wants a
deeper relationship
The nature of Dale
and Clive’s relationship is kind of everything successful polyamoury isn’t.
Clive definitely doesn’t want another relationship (less is known about Dale)
and any other relationships they pursue are, ostensibly, because they’re just
that horny. In essence the storyline presents them as forced into multiple
partners by their libido not affection, seeking a connection or even a desire
for multiple partners
Dale also witnesses
this awkwardness and is troubled
Final storyline -
after Tucker begs for food and is kicked out of the restaurant by Blaine, he
spouts some of the religious words of his new prophet. And later he joins a
sit-in with Angus and many of his flock. All occupying tables and demanding to
be fed
It seems Blaine,
despite regularly visiting the well, hasn’t noticed his father escaped
Angus even offers to
forgive Blaine.
Since Blaine was
abused as a child by his dad… well.. That statement is NOT well received at
all. Only Angus’s flock stops Blaine attacking him.
Outnumbered, Blaine
agrees to feed them once a week…. But is no doubt plotting against this
I would have thought
just reporting the Prophet to Chase Graves would make some difference - there’s
no way Fillmore Graves can be happy about this.
Ok… Liv proved
herself… did she? I mean her plan was excellent, but it was done with Rachel
Bloom’s brain. If anything this only shows that a zombie eating whole brains is
unpredictable as a leader. On top of that for people who near revered Mama
Leone, I think I want more than one episode before they replace her with a
pushy white person none of them know.
I think people need
to poke more at this whole people smuggling save the world thing. Because
healing everyone who is terminally ill sounds lovely but there’s a definite
food supply issue here which Liv must be aware of. And she does have a network
- Major, Peyton, Clive: she’s a connected woman and she’s putting all of those
people and their positions at risk doing what she’s doing. Especially since she
took Major’s uniform
And I’m still really
unsold on filming everything being a good idea. Really really not.
I’m not sure how
invested I am in Clive/Dale/Michelle. I wanted Clive to get more storylines but
I’m also not entirely convinced this will go anywhere since it’s so low
importance compared to the other storylines brewing
I’m also surprised
no-one is blinking about Major being involved with Fillmore Graves after the
death of Mama Leone
