iZombie – Heaven Just Got a Little Smoother

By: Emily Cross

“iZombie” is back! It feels like ages since we last had a new episode and it’s good to be back with our merry band.

We pick up right where Season Two left off. Two and a half minutes later, to be exact. Vivian Stoll (Andrea Savage) instructs Liv (Rose McIver), Major (Robert Buckley) and Clive (Malcolm Goodwin) on their cover story: Max Rager’s SuperMax drink caused employees to begin attacking each other and Vaughn’s armed guards overreacted, killing them all. Liv adds an addendum to explain the Chaos killer victims being found. Vivian tells them that all the survivors are being taken to her medical facility so that they can recover and learn the official story. Clive protests that certainly there will be material evidence. Soon, that is not an issue, as Vivian’s counterparts blow up the basement facility.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Ravi (Rahul Kohli), Blaine (David Anders) and Peyton (Aly Michalka) are speaking to the police about their own mess: Mr. Boss’s dead associates. The trio tell Detective Cavanaugh (Robert Salvador) that Blaine killed all of the men to rescue Peyton. Cavanaugh isn’t quite believing that Blaine has feelings for Peyton, but Peyton doesn’t reciprocate. Ravi isn’t too happy about this line of questioning either. Peyton also gives the cop the mayor’s number so that he can confirm this should all be kept out of the press.

Back to Liv, she’s at home grieving the loss of Drake. Although we have had months to come to terms with his death, Liv has only had a few hours. The only thing keeping Liv together is the soldier brain she’s on. Everyone else (Major, Clive, Ravi and Peyton) is at her apartment too and Liv’s been caught up on all the Peyton kidnapping drama. After everyone realizes why Peyton was kidnapped to draw out Blaine, Liv makes everyone promise that there will be no secrets between the five of them anymore. In this light, she tells everyone that Vivian and her mercenaries are zombies and want to make Seattle a “zombie-friendly” city. Liv suggests that she, Major and Clive visit Vivian and figure out exactly what she meant by that. Everyone agrees.

Blaine arrives back at the funeral home to find Don E (Bryce Hodgson) pretty hyped up and wondering where the money is. He also claims to know the truth, that Blaine has been pretending to have memory loss all this time so that no other zombies would take the cure because then he would lose his business. Oh yeah, and as a bonus, the new improved Blaine would be able to get Peyton. None of this seems to be ringing a bell with Blaine, who I truly believe has lost his memory. Don E quits and Blaine tells him not to expect a letter of recommendation. Before Don E leaves, he checks Chief’s body for the money. No dice, but he does come upon the body of Angus (Robert Knepper), Blaine’s father.

Major and Ravi arrive back at their house to find it graffiti’d and trashed, calling Major “Chaos Killer.” Ravi warns him that it’s only going to get worse now that he’s been cleared.

In the courtyard of Fillmore-Graves, Liv waits for Clive while Major leaves a message for one of the Chaos Killer victims asking about Natalie. When Clive arrives, Liv and Major (still both on soldier brain) scold him for being late. Clive is still getting used to the whole zombie idea.

Inside, Vivian is watching a news interview with one of the Chaos Killer victims, who explains that he was planning on investing in Max Rager until the accounts of violent behavior. Apparently, a lot of other victims had similar Max Rager connections. We know that isn’t the truth, just the story they’re all telling to cover up their zombie-ness.

When Liv, Clive and Major arrive in Vivian’s office, they get right down to business. Vivian explains to them that she is preparing for D-Day: Discovery Day. She knows that once humans find out about zombies, they will exterminate them. She trains zombies to be smarter, stronger and faster than humans so that they will survive. Not only that, but the company owns an island where all zombies will eventually live.

On a walk around the campus, Vivian reveals how she became a zombie. Harrison, her husband, was infected first by a guy who extorted him for brains, demanding $25,000 a month (sound familiar?). Harrison planned on leaving Vivian for her own protection, but Vivian couldn’t stand to live without him. So, one night she took his arm and scratched herself while Harrison was sleeping. When Harrison figured out a way to get brains on his own, the guy who was extorting him killed him. Vivian promises that she will find this zombie one day and kill him, marking yet another person who wants Blaine dead.

Later on, Vivian also reveals that she scratched all of her employees to save them from a biological weapon they had encountered in Africa. When they run across a class of kids (all zombies) a kid named Wally (Mataeo Mingo) recognizes Clive. It turns out he used to live in Clive’s apartment building and Clive gives his card for Vivian to give to the kid’s mother.

Outside of the complex, the trio discusses what they’ve just learned. Clive is uncomfortable keeping such a big secret, Liv thinks that Fillmore-Graves is being too hasty in assuming the worst of humans and Major sees some sense in their plan.

At the morgue, Liv fills Ravi in on the new information and tells him that the soldier brain is the only thing keeping her from falling apart. In return, Ravi laments his love-triangle situation with Peyton and Blaine. He can’t help but picture them together; however, Liv tells him to get over it.

At the funeral home, Blaine is removing a brain while listening to a radio tribute to singer Rob Thomas, giving us the title of the episode. We are also treated to Blaine singing along to “Smooth,” which we definitely need to see more of. “iZombie” musical episode, anyone? Before he can really get into it, though, Peyton visits with some good news. Mr. Boss made it to Montenegro on a fake passport. Although Montenegro doesn’t extradite to the US and Mr. Boss is therefore free, he is no longer a threat to Peyton or Blaine. However, Peyton is still a bit jumpy. She thanks Blaine for saving her life and he offers to be a supporting friend if she ever needs it. He also asks her if they were a couple, and the scene ends before Peyton answers.

Major goes to a coffeeshop and is bummed out when the cashier clearly recognizes him and puts the name “Chaos Killer” on his cup. He leaves without finishing his coffee and leaves a newspaper with circled classified ads on the table. Poor Major!

At the morgue, Ravi walks Clive through the retrograde amnesia that is a side effect of Zombie Cure 2. However, the situation is a bit dire for Major, who will soon suffer death from Zombie Cure One. Ravi also shows Clive his new experiment: trying to come up with a formula to reverse memory loss. He’s close, but Clive reminds him that only seventeen zombies get to take the cure as they have no more tainted utopium. Ravi doesn’t like thinking about that, but it’s going to have to be dealt with at some point.

Liv bursts in, telling Clive and Ravi that radio show presenter Chuck Burd (Aaron Douglas) is about to go on air with a Max Rager witness who will reveal what really happened. Liv and Clive race off to stop Billy Cook (Keith Dallas), the security guard from the Max Rager party. They fail to stop the interview before Billy says that people were eating brains, but Billy recognizes Clive from that night.

Liv and Clive listen to the radio show on their way back to the station. Chuck is closer to the truth than they would like and Clive once again suggests telling someone high up yet trustworthy about zombies. Liv disagrees, saying that only some humans will react well. She then starts to break down in tears, and it’s clear that soldier brain is wearing off. Clive comforts her, saying that Drake was already dead and Liv was being merciful.

At home, Peyton catches up with an old college friend who warns her that something is up on Twitter. Peyton promises to check it out.

At the lab, Ravi is working on his memory loss cure when Clive brings a very drunk Liv in and lies her down on the couch in Ravi’s office. She’s coherent enough to thank Clive for listening to her and says she’s glad he’s finally in the know. He reminds her that she saved his life by killing Drake. After Clive leaves, Ravi ignores a call from Peyton who leaves a message saying that someone is harassing her on Twitter and she needs him. Before Ravi can listen to the message, Major arrives in oddly good spirits, proclaiming that he’s gotten a job.

As Blaine is playing the piano and singing “You Keep Me Hangin’ On,” he gets a call from Peyton. She wants to take him up on his offer of comfort and distraction.

Meanwhile, Don E is thawing out Angus’ body who wakes up rather ominously. Don E explains his Blaine-remembers-everything theory and notes that Angus is out of the freezer because “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” (a quote he assumes is originally from Star Trek). Don E suggests that they start their own brain business to compete with Blaine’s. Angus loves it, but tells Don E he’s thinking too small.

The next day, Liv has a massive hangover and is in want of a new brain. As she speaks, a new body comes rolling in to the morgue. It’s a special case, having come from the Max Rager massacre, and comes with a friend: Katty Kupps (Christina Cox) from the CDC. She’s also Ravi’s old boss who fired him. Poor Ravi can’t catch a break! The trio awkwardly perform the autopsy together and almost immediately after Katty finds brain tissue in the digestive tract Liv and Ravi get called away on a murder. Before they leave (thankfully). Katty comments that the body looks like it’s been dead for longer than three days.

Ravi and Liv arrive to the crime scene to learn that the victims are Wally (the kid Clive knew), his mom and his uncle. The uncle had his fingernails ripped off and cans of Max Rager stuffed in his pockets. The team surmises that this is a message and the victims were killed because they were zombies. This makes Liv realize that humans aren’t ready for the truth. Clive agrees with her. However, there’s a problem. Clive will never be allowed on the case given his relationship to the victims and they can’t risk other detectives finding out the truth. So., they decide to solve it on their own time.

In a short montage, Vivian finds out about Wally’s death and informs his teacher and classmates. Liv visits her at the compound and assuming tells her what they’ve surmised. As she leaves, she sees Major running with other soldiers. So this is his new job…