iZombie Season 3 Episode 7 Review: “Dirt Nap Time”

iZombie Season 3 Episode 7

Tonight’s iZombie is a table-setting episode in the truest form, but that doesn’t stop it from being wonderfully entertaining. As we enter into the second half of Season 3, the writers are beginning to put new stories into motion, such as Peyton working with Ravi on the Wekler case or Liv’s flirtation with Justin, while also upping the ante for storylines that have been going on since the start of the season, like Don E. and Angus’s takeover of the brain business from Blaine or, most importantly, the upcoming battle between humans and zombies.

“Dirt Nap Time” isn’t an hour filled with too many big, shocking moments, which comes as a bit of relief after last week’s twist with the cure. However, it’s still a very effective episode, one that’s more concerned with setting up future dominoes to fall rather than picking up the ones the show knocked over in “Some Like It Hot Mess.”

Liv quickly forgives Major for giving the cure to Natalie, and she isn’t forced to mull on her perpetual zombie state for too long thanks to a helping of preschool teacher brain, which is an absolute delight from start to finish. Major confides in Justin and tells him that he’s human, but he keeps the truth hidden from his fellow Fillmore-Graves mercenaries, even as they visit The Scratching Post. Plus, as Rob Thomas already confirmed in an interview with TVLine, we won’t be discovering the identity of the thief who took the cure until Season 4, so there’s no quick, easy answer to that pressing question as it lingers throughout the episode with Liv interrogating her and Ravi’s two main suspects: Blaine and Don E.

Speaking of Blaine, the only real fallout we see from last week’s iZombie is his terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day, or more accurately, days. Blaine’s break-up with Peyton is quickly followed up by Liv punching him in the face, Don E. stealing his business, and one of his father’s henchmen shooting him in the gut. Of course, this is Blaine we are talking about so it’s only a matter of time until he rises from the ashes and gets back what his dad and Don E. have taken from him, but I still appreciate that iZombie takes its time to illustrate just how much Peyton truly did mean to Blaine and also that even the best villains can get beat down sometimes. I can’t be totally sure what Blaine’s next move is, but given that we saw him making his own batch of Ravi’s “blue juice” in the closing moments of “Some Like It Hot Mess,” I have a feeling it will have to do with the memory enhancer and its powerful effect on the brains that zombies eat.

But even without the help of Ravi’s “blue juice,” Liv is a much better detective in “Dirt Nap Time” than she was in last week’s episode, when she was on hot mess brain. She plays an integral role in solving the case of the week instead of simply letting Clive worry about it on his own, and after how much iZombie has linked Liv’s identity with her passion for saving lives and solving crimes, it’s nice to actually watch her do what she does best in tonight’s episode. Not to mention, preschool teacher brain is infinitely more fun than the grating, forgetful, and selfish personality that Liv took on last week; everything she does, from giving herself and Clive stars and smiley faces to using sock puppets to try to calm down potential suspects, is hysterical, and as usual, Rose McIver is note perfect.

McIver also shines in the couple of scenes that Liv has with Justin, who accompanies Liv to The Scratching Post after asking Major for his blessing to pursue his ex-girlfriend. It’s clear that there’s an instant connection between the two of them, as they spend much of the night sitting at the bar, engaged in conversation while they wait for Don E. to arrive; plus, Liv passing the note to Justin through Major has just the right amount of cuteness and sweetness to make me root for these potential lovebirds. iZombie‘s producers have already promised that anyone Liv dates this season will not meet the same, unfortunate fate that both Lowell and Drake did in Seasons 1 and 2 (by the way, I loved the meta-humor of Major and Ravi commenting on the fact that every one of Liv’s boyfriends dies); however, that doesn’t mean that Justin is completely out of danger for the rest of Season 3, especially not if the final scene of tonight’s episode is any indication.

“Dirt Nap Time” leaves us off of what might be the best cliffhanger of the season yet, as Major and Justin try to stop two potential zombie killers on orders from Fillmore-Graves. However, their actions to save one zombie might end up causing the deaths of many more, because when Justin goes into full-on zombie mode while chasing after the truck, the zombie-hating men driving it capture footage of him. They escape the scene with a crystal-clear image of Justin’s face, assuring themselves that everyone will have to believe the truth about zombies now.

I’m not sure if that one shot of Justin will be what alerts all of Seattle to the presence of zombies, but his violent, rage-filled face will definitely be enough proof for some people. It’s also all but guaranteed to fuel the hatred of those who have already been posting on the zombie message boards, the people who may have suspected that zombies were real but didn’t believe enough to do something about. This image of Justin is sure to spark a fire inside of those posters, and it will result in more deadly attacks against zombies.

Could Liv be the next zombie these extremists try to attack? Will she grow closer and align herself further with Vivian and Fillmore-Graves now that exposure is more imminent than ever? Anything is possible in this ambitious third season of iZombie. “Dirt Nap Time” sets the stage for what should be a thrilling, action-packed second half of the season, and whether my predictions are right or wrong, I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Other thoughts:

I really have no idea how the Peyton storyline that’s introduced into this episode fits into the big picture of Season 3, but it leads to her and Ravi working together to stop some shady business so that makes me happy. Do you have any thoughts on what’s next with Peyton and her investigation?
How long do you think Major can keep up the zombie act in front of his fellow Fillmore-Graves mercenaries? And do you fully believe that Justin won’t tell anyone Major’s secret?
Macy and Will’s story about their open marriage ends up being a lie to cover up his murder of Jamie, but the expressions that both Clive and Liv make when they first hear the story from Will are fantastic. Just take a look at them:
Perhaps the only better Liv/Clive moment from the episode is when he takes the star Liv gives him after they figure out the license plate number on the Civic. “Who’s a superstar?” “Damn straight.”
Liv’s Season 3 brain rankings so far: Dominatrix Brain, Dad Brain (mainly due to her interactions with Teenage Girl Major), Preschool Teacher Brain, Office Gossip Brain, Hot Mess Brain, and Life Guru Brain.
The best comic-book title card from this episode is an easy pick. It has to be “Hit the Nail on the Head,” which pops up as Liv, Ravi, and Clive examine Jamie’s nail-covered body.
“She told me I could be an astronaut if I studied hard enough.” “Me too. We don’t all want to be astronauts, Liv.”
“No.” “No what, Clive?” “No thank you.”