Connect with us

Reviews

[TV Review] “iZombie” Episode 2.14: ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Caffeinated Mind’

Published

on

iZombie review

Hello iZombie fans! First, I would like to apologize for my absence last week. I was at a screening for The Witch, followed by a Satanic Ritual and I wasn’t able to watch The Whopper until the weekend (I would have given it a 3.5/5, in case you were wondering).

On to this week’s episode, whose title is a pun on one of my favorite movies, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (if you’ve never see it, stop reading this review and go buy it now and watch it). “Eternal Sunshine of the Caffeinated Mind” sure was spinning its wheels for a while there with a rather ho-hum case-of-the-week, but nearly buckled under its own weight when is essentially threw a surplus of plot developments at us in the final ten minutes.

There wasn’t anything particularly noteworthy about the case-of-the-week, in which a bubbly coffee shop owner named Leslie walked outside only to have an AC window unit fall on her and crush her head. It did give us a very positive Liv, whom we haven’t seen in a while what with all the drama going on in her life, so that was a refreshing change of pace for the character. Slightly random was the return of Pam from Liv’s stint in jail. Her presence seemed superfluous (that could have been any random new character), so maybe she’ll become more important in the season’s final five episodes.

It was a little obvious that Leslie’s daughter Cher (played by the actress who played Abigail Hobbs on Hannibal) turned out to be the culprit, but it wasn’t obvious that she would get away scott-free! This conclusion was a darker turn from iZombie. It has let the killer get away before, but it’s been a while so the fact that her taxi wasn’t pulled over by the cops (or hit by an 18-wheeler) as she left for the airport was surprising to say the least.

How about the crazy plot developments this week, huh? Major and Rita/Gilda come face-to-face in front of Liv! Mr. Boss finds out that Blaine has been ratting him out to the D.A. and has him “killed!” Drake is actually an undercover cop whose boss (Enrico Colantoni, aka Keith Mars from Veronica Mars).

First, Major and Rita/Gilda! It was great to see Liv vocalize the audience frustrations with that whole “How weird that it took this long for you to finally meet!” line, but just when you think the writers are going to sweep it under the rug, Major calls Gilda “Rita,” immediately clueing Liv into the whole situation. Then, Liv actually confronts Rita by punching her in the face. It’s all rather fun, but it came at the expense of Major confessing his identity as the Chaos Killer, so that was a bit of a disappointment. The show can’t show all of its cards though so I’ll give it a pass. His whole “No I suddenly know why you didn’t want to tell me you were a zombie” bit was a classic example of too little, too late though.

Drake’s surprise identity as an undercover cop (for a year and a half!) was a relief, since last week’s episode made his relationship status with Liv a little worrisome. Never fear though, because he’s actually a good guy! He’s sort of playing a triple agent though, hiding his zombie identity from his cop boss, his undercover identity from Blaine and Mr. Boss, and all of it a secret from Liv. It’s a lot of lies to juggle, and they’re probably going to come bit Drake in the ass soon. We’ve got five episodes left this season and it would be nice for that to happen sooner rather than later. If anything, it’s nice to have a clearer image of who Drake is and what his motivations are. Seeing him defend his relationship with Liv spoke volumes about the character.

As Drake is working on getting closer to Mr. Boss, Mr. Boss discovers that Blaine is the one ratting him out to the D.A. (and as Mr. Boss points out, has accrued a total of 400 years in prison sentences to his lackeys). Seeing Blaine get his throat slashed was shocking to say the least, but as soon as the camera cut to those picnickers you knew he was going to come crawling out of the ground. Now that Blaine is a zombie again things should really start to get interesting. It also means that Major will probable be reverting to zombie status again soon, which will be an interesting twist in Liv and Drake’s relationship.

With only five episodes left in the season, iZombie just kicked things into high gear. It’s too bad so much of the episode was focused on the case-of-the-week, but that last act really stuck with you.

Random Notes

  • Chapter Titles of the Week: Dug U Fresh; A Piece of Her Mind; Wide World of Corpse; Aproned Saint; Money & Cher; Undercover Lover; But Is It Art?
  • Brain Recipe of the Week: Brain scones! I’m not the biggest fan of scones. They’re just so dry!
  • That death by AC unit was very Six Feet UnderMore of this please.
  • “What’s your notion of heaven, Clive?”
  • Candy had sex with Blaine and now she’s a zombie. Bummer.
  • That CGI rat was….CGI. I won’t hold it against the show since it so rarely uses it, but I’m betting that’s not the last we’ve seen of it.
  • “Oh Star Wars, right. I’ve never seen it!” -Poor Ravi just can’t catch a break.
  • “Don’t worry they’ll remember me. They were out of toilet paper. I had to improvise.”
  • Liv whistling “When the Saints Go Marching In” while she was cleaning the blood off of the autopsy table was a hilarious image.
  • “I’m optimistic.” “No argument there.”
  • “Oh look! A hole! Someone could fall in there!” -Blaine, sarcastic to the very “end.”
  • “You’re a sick bitch and I just want you out now!” -How cathartic was that punch? I think I actually fist-pumped.
  • “Have you seen Blaine? He’s been ignoring my texts all day. He knows I have abandonment issues.”
  • Looks like we’re on another month-long hiatus. See you all on March 22nd when iZombie returns for the final five episodes of the season!

A journalist for Bloody Disgusting since 2015, Trace writes film reviews and editorials, as well as co-hosts Bloody Disgusting's Horror Queers podcast, which looks at horror films through a queer lens. He has since become dedicated to amplifying queer voices in the horror community, while also injecting his own personal flair into film discourse. Trace lives in Austin, TX with his husband and their two dogs. Find him on Twitter @TracedThurman

Books

‘In Search of Darkness’ Book Review: A Must-Have for ’80s Horror Fans

Published

on

In 2019, the documentary of 80s horror In Search of Darkness became an instant hit with horror fans. Now, a beautiful coffee table style companion book is available and is a must-own for all fans of one of horror’s greatest eras. The book is a walk down the horror aisle of the best mom and pop video store in the heyday of VHS, featuring full color photos, poster art, insightful essays and more. More than just a nostalgic throwback, In Search of Darkness is the kind of book I wish I’d had back in my years as a burgeoning horror fan but is also satisfying for the film fanatic I have become in the years since.

The format is beautifully and simply laid out, with at least a dozen (usually more) movies from each year of the decade presented in order of release accompanied by informative and insightful essays by the authors Heather Wixson and Patrick Bromley. Both authors have been mainstays of film journalism, specializing in horror, for many years. Wixson began her career in 2007 with Dread Central and has spent the past ten years as the Managing Editor of Daily Dead, from which she recently retired to focus on books and other projects. She has devoted the past several years to interviewing and writing books about the Make-up and Special Effects wizards that have brought so much to film over the years, specifically the horror genre.

Bromley is a film journalist and critic whose work can be found all over the place including right here on Bloody Disgusting. He recently provided the commentary for the Vinegar Syndrome release of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 and is known as something of a Tobe Hooper expert. He is also the founder and editor of F this Movie!, an eclectic film website, and host of its accompanying podcast. So, to be clear, the authors know their stuff.

Wixson and Bromley divide writing duties roughly in half and though each has a distinctive voice, their writing styles dovetail beautifully into a cohesive whole. Each author plays to their strengths. Being familiar with both their work I didn’t even have to look at the bylines to know that Heather covered Christine and Terror in the Aisles and Patrick took on The Funhouse and Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers. Wixson’s passion for make-up effects is clear and comes through in many of her contributions. In general, Wixson takes on the “big” titles, the movies that defined the decade the most, and Bromley covers what the more cynical among us might call schlock, but he would likely call pure cinematic bliss. There are exceptions and surprises, of course, as there should be (Patrick covers The Shining for example). Each essay dives into the history behind the film, the major players involved, the reception, and legacy with often surprising aspects drawn from interviews with the filmmakers from various sources and insights from the authors.

For all their in-depth explorations of each film, in general the authors keep their critics’ hats safely stowed, keeping in mind that every entry on the book has its fans. In fact, they may well have sold me on finally hitting play on some of the schlockier offerings of the decade like Evilspeak, Nightbeast, and Blood Diner. Hell, I may even give The Beast Within a spin for shits and giggles. The point is that this book is a celebration through and through. The authors are honest about the critical receptions of the films, which were often unkind, and sometimes let their own opinions shine through, but recognize how beloved even the schlockiest films can become given time and availability. And that is an ongoing theme of In Search of Darkness. What may have been dismissed in its day often becomes revered as the years pass. Variations on the phrase “the years have been kind to…” referring to various maligned projects like The Thing, Halloween III: Season of the Witch, The Blob and many, many others, can be found throughout the book for good reason.

Each chapter of the book also includes a rundown of the top horror movies at the box office for the year as well as the top movies of all genres for context. The final page for each year highlights some of the major news and pop culture events including the top songs, albums, and television shows. There is a large central section that pays tribute to the talent involved with the greatest horror films of the 80s including directors, actors, effects artists, and more. This section includes brief biographies of John Carpenter, Wes Craven, Stephen King, Tom Savini, Barbara Crampton, Robert Englund, and many others presented in a dynamic and engaging fashion.

One of the beauties of the book is that it covers so much ground. Sure, you’ll find Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Hellraiser, and the Halloween sequels in it, but you’ll also find deeper cuts like The Changeling, The Being, and Tetsuo: The Iron Man. I was happy to find the same love given to Frank Henenlotter and Larry Cohen as to George A. Romero and David Cronenberg. In other words, In Search of Darkness is extraordinarily eclectic, highlighting the diversity that truly defined what is often viewed as a homogenous decade. The authors make the case that the 80s was horror’s greatest decade, and with what they lay out throughout this book, it’s tough to argue against that. I even came across a film or two I hadn’t even heard of before, which has become increasingly rare as the years go by.

At just shy of $85, the cover price may give some horror hounds pause, but believe me, it’s worth every penny. This is a beautiful volume that every fan of 80s horror will want on their shelf or prominently displayed on their coffee table. Filled with favorite titles, hundreds of full color photos, insightful and informative writing, this is simply a must own.

You can order your copy now.

Continue Reading