by Catherine Wignall
iZombie continues to find its feet this week, demonstrating its diamond-in-the-rough elements with a decidedly mediocre case of the week, but absolutely superb turns from the subplots and supporting characters.
iZombie continues to find its feet this week, demonstrating its diamond-in-the-rough elements with a decidedly mediocre case of the week, but absolutely superb turns from the subplots and supporting characters.
After nibbling on the brain of paranoid and anxiety-ridden Sammy Wong, an Asian gang member, Liv starts to receive flashbacks showing Detective Clive Babineaux among the gang’s ranks. Hindered by her newly received paranoia, Liv is unable to deduce that Clive was working undercover and is not, in fact, a dirty cop. Rose McIver’s performance is enjoyable as always, but Liv’s interactions with Clive left something to be desired. While it’s clear the pair are slowly taking steps towards a warmer working relationship, the emotional connection the episode was aiming for struggled to materialise. Additionally, the lazy Asian stereotypes failed to deliver laughs. Not every Asian gang member is going to be an expert in martial arts. Seriously, writers, you can do better.
Meanwhile, in an attempt to stop Major moving in with his new paramour, Liv inadvertently ignites the flames of a beautiful bromance between Ravi and Major as the two become flatmates. Rahul Kohli lights up the screen with his performance each week, and it’s a delight to see his energy bounce off Major. Additionally, it’s a relief to finally find a reason for Major to stick around each week. He has been the odd one out for the past three episodes, but tying him to Ravi allows for a new dynamic and a more plausible reason for Liv to continue to see him.
Meanwhile, in an attempt to stop Major moving in with his new paramour, Liv inadvertently ignites the flames of a beautiful bromance between Ravi and Major as the two become flatmates. Rahul Kohli lights up the screen with his performance each week, and it’s a delight to see his energy bounce off Major. Additionally, it’s a relief to finally find a reason for Major to stick around each week. He has been the odd one out for the past three episodes, but tying him to Ravi allows for a new dynamic and a more plausible reason for Liv to continue to see him.
Further tying Major into Liv’s new world is Blaine’s nefarious brain business. Major’s unlikely to stay quiet if at-risk youths keep going missing, so it’s fair to say he’ll soon find himself in danger if he puts Blaine’s operation in jeopardy. Blaine clearly has no issue with taking out threats to his budding zombie empire, not hesitating to put a bullet into the brains of two zombie gym buffs before putting them on ice (additionally, this is an interesting new bit of zombie lore for us to contend with. Is it simply extreme cold that will make a zombie take a time out, or is the bullet a necessary ingredient?). Blaine is a fascinating antagonist with a good sense for business, and David Anders is magnetic. Though last week was Blaine-lite, this week definitely made up for it.
It’s a shame that the overarching sense this week was ‘I wonder what everyone else is up to’ while Liv attempted to discover the truth about Clive’s past, but it’s ultimately forgivable from such a new show. While the case-of-the-week formula is currently the necessary framework on which the fascinating character dynamics hang, there’s always hope that a Season Two could rectify this. iZombie remains an ambitious, engaging new show. While there remain bumps in the road, it shows every sign of overcoming them as it matures and learns from its mistakes. It’s definitely a show to stick with.
It’s a shame that the overarching sense this week was ‘I wonder what everyone else is up to’ while Liv attempted to discover the truth about Clive’s past, but it’s ultimately forgivable from such a new show. While the case-of-the-week formula is currently the necessary framework on which the fascinating character dynamics hang, there’s always hope that a Season Two could rectify this. iZombie remains an ambitious, engaging new show. While there remain bumps in the road, it shows every sign of overcoming them as it matures and learns from its mistakes. It’s definitely a show to stick with.
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