In its early episodes, iZombie would use the abilities/personality of whatever brain Liv ate as a major component to the story it was telling, almost in a gimmicky way. Look, Liv can speak another language! Or wow, Liv knows kung fu! It was fun (and often times, very funny), and it helped spice up the supernatural series’ more basic procedural elements.
And even though whatever brain Liv has eaten has still played a major role in recent episodes of iZombie (one only need look at the soldier’s brain that motivated her to try to kill Blaine two weeks ago), it’s no longer the most interesting part of the show. Over the course of these eleven episodes, I’ve become so invested in the relationships between these characters and the overarching plot of the season that I sometimes forget exactly what traits Liv is exhibiting on a given week, and in “Astroburger,” that proved to be crucial, as I had absolutely no suspicions that Liv could have been hallucinating (aside from the talking devil), which made the episode’s final scene such a “wow” moment.
The fact that Liv was not only hallucinating Johnny Frost but some of her conversations with Major (most importantly, the one in which she tells him that zombies are real and that she’s one of them) is a neat twist, especially because it not only surprises the audience and makes sense, but also because it doesn’t negate anything that came before it. So even though Johnny Frost wasn’t a customer of Scott E.’s, Liv is still able to find the former drug dealer’s phone, unlock it (thanks to Johnny’s weather report), and watch the video he recorded, which features her as the star, chowing down on some brains.
Even more impressive, though, is that iZombie doesn’t try to cheat us out of Major discovering the truth about zombies. He finds out on his own by tracking Blaine and Julien and stealing their coolers of brains, which illustrates Major’s intelligence and stealth skills and provides a very satisfying ending to his journey over the past couple of weeks, as he’s come closer and closer to finding out what’s really going on. However, even better than that is the fact that Major doesn’t react as calmly and coolly as Liv had previously hallucinated; instead, he’s now on a mission to kill all the zombies and get revenge for Jerome, Eddie, and the rest of the kids that were murdered.
After months of trying to separate her new life as a zombie from her old one as a human, Liv’s worlds have finally collided, and the look of shock, terror, and sadness on her face in the episode’s final moments says it all: this is not going to end well. The situation that she thought she had control of is now completely out of her hands, and no matter what she says next to Major, whether she lies yet again or is finally honest about who she is now, it won’t go over as peacefully has she had envisioned before. Just like her hallucinations throughout the episode, the barrier Liv thought she had constructed to keep her friends and family (and herself) safe is coming undone and revealing what’s really standing in front of her: an ex-fiancée that finally knows what’s going on and a video that could make this difficult situation even worse.
Liv can’t live inside delusions anymore, whether they’re from Scott E.’s brain or the ones she has developed for herself, letting her believe that nothing would change, that everything would be alright. With only two episodes left in iZombie‘s first season, a new, very different world for Liv is emerging, and she’ll have to do her best to adjust to it. And no matter what happens, I can’t wait to watch.
Other thoughts:
– I have to applaud the iZombie team yet again for where they’ve taken Major’s character this season. It would have been so easy (and so boring) to keep him in the dark until at least Season 2, but the fact that they have paced his story so well and have allowed him to discover the truth on his own has turned him into one of the very best characters on the show. Now I just wonder if/when Clive will learn about zombies…
– Major stealing Blaine’s supply of brains is causing the zombie crime lord some major problems. I’m expecting him to piece everything together, regarding Liv and Lowell and what Major has done, next week, leading into what should be quite the bonkers season finale.
– Also, Ravi may have discovered a cure! Well, he at least has a template, thanks to his work the zombie rat, which is no longer a zombie.
– And while things went well for Ravi and his work, they also seem to be going just as great in his personal life. He and Peyton make for a very fun couple. I want to see more of them together.
– Did Liv’s brother ever end up applying to work at Blaine’s butcher shop, or do you think that storyline has been dropped?
– While there was so much to love about “Astroburger,” I don’t think anything beats the sheer joy I felt watching Johnny Frost dancing. That whole scene could have gone on for much longer, and I wouldn’t have complained. I couldn’t stop laughing.
– In fact, I’d like to pitch a Johnny Frost web series for The CW Seed, although at least one episode would have to feature him and Scott smoking pot and discussing life’s “big questions.”
What did everyone else think about tonight’s episode of iZombie?
[Photo credit: Katie Yu/The CW]
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