The past two cases of the week on iZombie, have been much stronger than most of the cases in the past for one reason: they are tied to the main season arc. This week’s case was another one that brought Liv closer into Blaine’s crosshairs and Major out of the mental institution. The brain Liv ate this week also gave us one of the most interesting brain “powers” all season as it played with Liv’s mental state and caused her to hallucinate.
Poor Scott E(berhard). He never stood a chance, did he? “Astroburger” opened with Major discovering Scott E.’s body with slit wrists in the bathtub. Not only did his death have its own little subplot (involving a rather unprofessional doctor attempting to get pregnant), it had a direct connection to Blaine as well.
Blaine had been visiting Scoot E. (using the name John Deaux, no less), but once Liv let it slip that John had a video of the zombie attack on the boat (said video contained footage of a newly zombified Liv eating a corpse’s brains which, blech), he immediately went on a mission to find it. I’m not sure if I believe that Blaine would have been satisfied by simply burning down the apartment (it seems like he would actually want to have found the flash drive), but it was a good way to bring him into the story.
Anyway, Blaine met with Suzuki this week and we were able to see just how much control he has over him. Suzuki is clearly afraid of Blaine, and it certainly makes him more intimidating as a season-long villain (though rumors are that David Anders will be in iZombie’s second season so it appears that he may survive the finale). Suzuki told him that Liv was dating Lowell, which didn’t make him happy. We also got to see where the episode got its namesake from, as they made burger’s from a dead astronaut’s brain (the one that businesszombie was inquiring about a few episodes ago).
It was fascinating to get a peek inside Blaine’s business, though with two episodes left I wonder if we’ll ever get to see Liv’s brother Evan work there since his mom got him that application a few weeks ago. I thought we were going to get to see more of Liv’s family after “Maternity Liv” but alas, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
The highlight of the episode (for me, at least) had to be the side effects of Scott E.’s brain. Not only did I find that Chip Bag Devil hilarious (he sort of reminded me of Danny DeVito’s Penguin in Batman Returns), but the double whammy of twists at the end was perfection. I admit, the reveal that Johnny Frost (Daran Norris) was a figment of her imagination took me completely by surprise. Daran Norris, who was a Veronica Mars regular, was spectacular in the episode. I’m almost a little bummed that he was a hallucination because I would like to have him around more often, but whatever.
The other big reveal of the episode was that Liv confessing her zombie-ism to Major was also a hallucination. It was a scream-worthy moment, if only because Liv’s reluctance to tell Major the truth has been one of the only real frustrating aspects of the series. Once she confessed and he took it so smoothly, it wasn’t as surprising that the whole thing was fake. I admit to letting out an exasperated sigh when the reveal happened though. Hopefully she actually tells him in the next episode so the finale doesn’t revolve around that. we’ll find out soon enough, I suppose.
“Astroburger” was a solid episode of iZombie that laid the foundation for the final two episodes of the season. I’m hoping that some revelations (i.e., Major finding out the truth) come out in the next episode so that the finale (titled “Blaine’s World”) can focus on Blaine and his army. Still, the mystery of the week (and the brain Liv ate) made the episode, which is not something I thought I would be saying a few weeks ago.
Random Notes
- This Week’s Chapter Titles: Game Over, Man; Meals on Wheels; One Flew Out Of the Cuckoo’s Nest; The Devil and Miss Moore; Pale In Comparison; In Orderly Fashion; Premium Cuts. I give the edge to “Game Over, Man” since I’m a huge Aliens fan.
- Zombie Power of the Week: Hallucinations and Mental Instability!
- Peyton’s back! Glad to see Aly Michalka is still getting work.
- Ravi cured the zombie rat! Hooray!
- “Turns out it’s a great place to get murdered and learn about zombies!.” -Liv, on mental institutions.
- “You’re not gonna go all “Single ‘Very White Female'” on me, are you?” Ravi is really good with those zombie insults.
- “Has anybody been watching ‘Zombie High?’ I hear Season 2’s amazing!” – Peyton, in a subtle nod to iZombie’s season 2 renewal.
- “Hey Whitey! Wanna see my “O” face?” – The Chip Bag Devil made me laugh out loud on several occasions, so I thought I’d just post my favorite line.
- “Those teeth are God-given?” -Liv really hitting it to Johnny Frost.
- “Is this your dad? He must be very excited to be a grandfather.” -Liv is very persnickety. Almost as persnickety as anther Rob Thomas heroine I love….
- The penultimate episode is next week you guys! Here’s the promo: