by Catherine Wignall
Episode two of this infectious pop-confection sees it fall ably into the murder-of-the-week set-up for us in the pilot, only with the added twist of a second zombie on the scene. David Anders had a superb entrance as Blaine this week, rising eerily from a morgue table when Liv’s back is turned. It’s a nice comic moment yet effectively manages to suggest Blaine may not be the nice guy he’s pretending to be. Obviously, the flashes Liv had of Blaine attempting to rip a guy’s skull open may have tipped us off, but the skill of Anders’ performance is in convincing us to believe that maybe we were wrong. Maybe he really is trying to turn his life around.
Episode two of this infectious pop-confection sees it fall ably into the murder-of-the-week set-up for us in the pilot, only with the added twist of a second zombie on the scene. David Anders had a superb entrance as Blaine this week, rising eerily from a morgue table when Liv’s back is turned. It’s a nice comic moment yet effectively manages to suggest Blaine may not be the nice guy he’s pretending to be. Obviously, the flashes Liv had of Blaine attempting to rip a guy’s skull open may have tipped us off, but the skill of Anders’ performance is in convincing us to believe that maybe we were wrong. Maybe he really is trying to turn his life around.
This week’s case allowed for some funny moments as Liv fell under the influence of the polyamorous Javier’s brain matter, seemingly unable to stop herself from flirting with the good-looking people who crossed her path, including his mistress and an ex-mistress’ boyfriend, all while entranced by the general beauty of the world around her. Liv’s newfound appreciation for the world around her is developing as a constant yet understated thread, and it’s enjoyable to watch. Even at this early stage, Liv seems to be growing into herself and learning what it means to be alive, even while dead.
Meanwhile, Blaine’s picking up his life where he left off, dealing out additives to the masses, although his poison of choice has changed slightly. While he was a simple drug pusher when we first met him, he appears to be pushing brains now. Though the drug market has a more established customer base compared to brain-addicts, Blaine seems to be solving that problem by creating new zombies as he goes. His suave seduction, infection, and blackmail routine implies this is not his first time, so expect to see the formation of a zombie club at some point.
One thing the show needs to clarify, though, is how exactly the zombie virus is transmitted. While Blaine’s bar hook-up is now a zombie, there were no discernable scars to suggest how she was infected. Did he bite her? Scratch her? Is it sexually transmitted? And if that’s the case, then Liv’s ill-conceived attempt at seducing Major is a worrying hint at future possibilities. At some point it’s going to need to be made clear exactly how much Blaine knows about the zombie virus, and if Liv’s at risk of innocently infecting her loved ones.
Meanwhile, Blaine’s picking up his life where he left off, dealing out additives to the masses, although his poison of choice has changed slightly. While he was a simple drug pusher when we first met him, he appears to be pushing brains now. Though the drug market has a more established customer base compared to brain-addicts, Blaine seems to be solving that problem by creating new zombies as he goes. His suave seduction, infection, and blackmail routine implies this is not his first time, so expect to see the formation of a zombie club at some point.
One thing the show needs to clarify, though, is how exactly the zombie virus is transmitted. While Blaine’s bar hook-up is now a zombie, there were no discernable scars to suggest how she was infected. Did he bite her? Scratch her? Is it sexually transmitted? And if that’s the case, then Liv’s ill-conceived attempt at seducing Major is a worrying hint at future possibilities. At some point it’s going to need to be made clear exactly how much Blaine knows about the zombie virus, and if Liv’s at risk of innocently infecting her loved ones.
Speaking of Liv’s ill-conceived seduction scene, it begs the question of how much of that was actually Liv. As Javier’s ingested brain made Liv more amorous, was it allowing her to express her need to be back with Major, or was she simply under the influence of the dead artist? While riding the effects of Javier’s brain she was attracted to people of any gender, but can the same be said when she’s detoxed from that particular piece of grey matter? Again, the rules of this world are still developing and hopefully this is something we’ll see answered in the course of the first season. Either way, it was nice to see Major refuse to roll over now that Liv was showing interest in him again, although there was a conspicuous silence regarding the woman we saw him with last week. Is he dating now, or is he still single?
Additionally, we’re going to need to see a convincing reason for Major to remain a part of her life each episode. It’s surprising he’s stuck around this long, and his reasons for doing so are not clear. In general, it would be good to see more of Liv’s old life interfering with her new life, as her roommate is still relatively unknown to us, and her family didn’t appear at all this episode.
However, the episode was a positive example of a series finding its groove. Rahul Kohli manages to remain a delight as Ravi, his gleeful, puppy dog nature making him a standout in a crowd of otherwise serious faces, and Anders’ Blaine has already set himself up as a serious villain in the making. The show zipped along quickly, and there was rarely a bum note (although what the intentions were with the attempted sexual assault remain unclear). Ultimately, Brother, Can You Spare a Brain? was indicative of a strong show in the making.
Additionally, we’re going to need to see a convincing reason for Major to remain a part of her life each episode. It’s surprising he’s stuck around this long, and his reasons for doing so are not clear. In general, it would be good to see more of Liv’s old life interfering with her new life, as her roommate is still relatively unknown to us, and her family didn’t appear at all this episode.
However, the episode was a positive example of a series finding its groove. Rahul Kohli manages to remain a delight as Ravi, his gleeful, puppy dog nature making him a standout in a crowd of otherwise serious faces, and Anders’ Blaine has already set himself up as a serious villain in the making. The show zipped along quickly, and there was rarely a bum note (although what the intentions were with the attempted sexual assault remain unclear). Ultimately, Brother, Can You Spare a Brain? was indicative of a strong show in the making.
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