Bro’ing it up
Note: Full spoilers for the episode follow.
It was bound to happen eventually. Liv takes on different personalities each week after she consumes brains, and in order to communicate how the brains are affecting her, those personalities have to be slightly exaggerated. It’s usually done just right with only a little ridiculousness, but tonight’s frat boy brains? The jokes were all about stereotypes. Every fraternity member we met seemed to be cut from the same obnoxious cloth, and all Liv’s mannerisms were too Animal House. And all the words that were bro’d up like “brocabulary?” No thanks. I rolled my eyes more than I laughed.
Infusing Liv with recognizable personality traits means walking a fine line. They’ve stepped over said line in the past two episodes by pushing Liv into caricature territory. It’s not nuanced. Unless it’s part of long term dietary effects — that the brains are having a stronger influence on Liv — it’s frustrating. If it is a side effect, Liv or even Ravi should notice the change and mention it. Preferably sooner rather than later.
On the upshot, the mystery of the week was one of the most surprising ones yet. The twist of having two characters with the same name was smart, and the killer wasn’t obvious despite being the only person with the furry costume — selling that takes skill. Like last week’s episode, the situation made Liv consider consequences.
iZombie: “Zombie Bro” Photo Gallery:
iZombie: “Zombie Bro” Photos
iZombie: “Zombie Bro” Photos
iZombie: “Zombie Bro” Photos
iZombie: “Zombie Bro” Photos
iZombie: “Zombie Bro” Photos
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iZombie: “Zombie Bro” Photos
iZombie: “Zombie Bro” Photos
iZombie: “Zombie Bro” Photos
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She’s not making headway with Major, and that’s as it should be. He has way too many problems to overcome to forgive her, but it’s understandable he’d ask her to stay in a moment of weakness. And it’s relatable. He’s obviously in a dark place but him opting for drugs wasn’t something I expected. If Major continues to use, his addiction has the potential to cause problems between him and Ravi — well, probably between him and everyone but there’s a different dynamic with Ravi since Ravi sort of introduced Major to Utopium. Related: I appreciate continually seeing reminders of Ravi’s scientific, practical nature.
And speaking of Major and Ravi, their friendship and scenes together were the best part of the episode. Robert Buckley and Rahul Kohli have a great back and forth. They tease each other like they’ve been friends forever. I feel like Princess Sparkles is a real life nickname.
Another standout moment from the episode was the introduction of Blaine’s father, Angus. Robert Knepper made an impression immediately — as he usually does in any series he appears in. He’s a fantastic contrast to David Anders, and the relationship between Angus and Blaine has promise. Angus’ dialogue also gave us a more complete picture of Blaine’s entrepreneurial tendencies and persistence. He turned his own father into a zombie. He’s that cutthroat.
Tonight’s iZombie brought a weird combination. The mystery of the week was one of the most clever cases so far, but Liv’s brains were the most boring. The frat jokes got old in a hurry. But, the silliness was tempered by Ravi and Major’s scenes and the introduction of Blaine’s father.
