Thursday, January 14, 2016

iZombie 2x10 "Method Head" (Mental Pork Rinds) [Contributor: Isabella]


"Method Head"
Original Airdate: January 13, 2016

Welcome back, zombie-loving friends! It's been a lovely holiday break, but I must say, I did miss iZombie and I hope you did too.

This episode is actually set during Christmas/New Year's. And how do we know that? Well, apart from the title card that literally says "Christmas," one of the murders of the week involves Santa Claus. I won't go into too much detail about it because it's literally solved in the first five minutes. It served as something to showcase how awkward Clive and Liv's relationship is after he decided to stop working with her, which I will also talk about a little later on. The actual more in-depth case involves a murder on the set of Zombie High.

I always find it so fascinating when actors have to act like other actors because they tend to go out of their way to act incredibly over-the-top bad. But in Liv's case, she's a pretty talented actor — on account of her eating the brains of a method actor from her favorite show, Zombie High. What I found a little odd was that she wasn't very "method" throughout the episode. Rather, she took on more of a fangirl type of attitude when she was on set. Either her own mind had more of a control on the situation than the method actor's or the method actor was acting like how Liv would usually act (if that makes sense). It's tricky, but that's the only plausible situation for her not being that influenced by his brain at all. Her personality didn't change. Instead, we were able to see her obsess over her favorite TV show, which I'm pretty sure we can all relate to.

MAJOR MAJOR PROBLEM


After both Major and Liv and Clive and Liv decided to go their separate ways in the midseason finale, there's still a lot of tension in the air.


First, our favorite on-and-off-again couples, Major and Liv, receive the news from Ravi that there's an incredibly high probability that Major could turn back into a zombie at any given moment. This is both good and bad news because 1) now that they're both zombies, they can have sex without risking contamination of the zombie "STD" and 2) Major's going to turn into a zombie, which is something no one wants. The first bit of good news isn't technically "good" anymore because they aren't together for that very reason. Before we left for break, the pair decided to call it quits because they should stick with "their own kind." But now that they're pretty much the same, what's stopping them from being together?

If you remember, Liv was the one who broke up with Major, while he was pretty positive that when all of this was zombie stuff was fixed, they could and would work out. That's why it's really no surprise that there isn't as much tension between them than there is with Clive and Liv. I mean, Major even got Liv a Christmas gift.

But Major doesn't have time to worry about where he and Liv stand because he's got some work-related issues to get through. One of the doctors entrusts him with the news that he's done with the company and plans to go public with Max Rager's information. He also gives Major a USB with the same information in case. But then he disappears suddenly and can't announce this information for himself. Rather than wait around and see what's going to come of this announcement, Major decides to tell du Clark about what this doctor is planning, which is a huge no-no. To demonstrate what happens to people who go against him, du Clark traps the doctor in a room with a group of ravenous zombies as Major watches and does nothing. Just as you think the doctor's going to be taken by the zombies, du Clark lets him out. It was all a test to see if Major is really as loyal to du Clark as he says he is. And he passed! Hooray?

We're led to believe the same thing that du Clark believes — that Major really did choose to tell on the doctor and do nothing to save him. But if we know Major at all then we know that's not who he is. This is the man who's been freezing zombies rather than killing them. He would never willingly work with du Clark unless he had to. He did look visibly worried when the doctor was pleading for them to let him out, but Major still did nothing. And that's because he knew for a fact that this was all a set-up. Toward the beginning of the episode, he gave du Clark a workout-type of bracelet, which is really just a disguised listening device. So, he had overheard du Clark's planning and knew that he was testing him. I'm pretty sure this listening device will also help Major know where he stands with du Clark. And as of now, he's in a pretty good place.


As for Clive and Liv, it's clear that they miss each other and Liv's doing everything she can to get back to how things were with him. She can't help the visions that come when she eats Santa Claus' brains, so she decides to help Clive in her own sly way. She sends new suspects his way and writes him leading information, so it's no wonder Clive starts to warm up to the possibility of them doing business together, just like before. And it's not only that, but they have striked up a friendship. Clive misses her and not just her psychic abilities. I believe they actually had more tension than even Major and Liv had, especially when there's another case they have to solve.

When the murder takes place on the set of Liv's favorite show, she's even more eager to help Clive out, but he shuts her down. It's not until he realizes how sad she is that he starts to regret his choice of words and asks her, under the condition that he could use her expertise on Zombie High, if she'd be willing to work on this case with him again. The relationship pretty much goes back to normal between them. It's clear that without one or the other, they wouldn't be able to solve the mystery. They need each other's expertise in different areas to solve murders.

ZOMBIE HOOKER


Do you remember Natalie, the "zombie hooker," whom I grew very fond of in the last episode? Well, there's a brief mention of her that I found incredibly important. And maybe it's just me, but we find out who forced her into that job — Blaine. Honestly guys, I know a lot of people like him because they think he might be redeemed in some way (or you're just really into David Anders' charm), but knowing that he was the one to force her have sex with other zombies for her food is incredibly disgusting. Especially seeing how desperate Natalie was to kill herself, it just completely ruins Blaine for me. I mean, he's funny at times and it seems like he's mellowed out as the show's baddie this season, but that doesn't absolve him for what he's done in the past and is continuing to do. Not to mention that Blaine's customers are getting restless and miss Natalie, so Blaine's on the look-out for a replacement. Now someone else is going to have to go through what Natalie did.

Brainy Quotes and Undead Notes:

  • "Silver lining, you two are finally able to have hot zombie sex... Room temperature zombie sex?" — Ravi
  • It's almost mid-January and I'm sort of over Christmas. *gasp* I know, but this episode with its Christmas decorations and music just feels a tad too late. It doesn't really fit anymore.
  • This is the first time the show's ever shown Liv having a vision without us watching it. We're put in Major and Ravi's perspectives, which was pretty cool.
  • I like how the acting's so overdramatic in Zombie High.
  • "She's seen every episode, like, on purpose." — Ravi. But seriously, the way Liv was reacting is exactly how I would be reacting if I got to go on the set of my favorite show. I'd also be Clive with all the craft services.
  • "Well, there it is. Some of the most famous junk in America." "Cover it. Cover it. Who gets pierced there? Why?" — Liv and Clive
  • "It's front and center on his sex tape." "He had a sex tape?" "Oh, so innocent." — Ravi and Clive
  • "Some advice Clive: always keep your sex tapes on the cloud." — Ravi
  • "You know what'd be fun? A zombie show where a zombie's the star." "That's dumb." Oh my God.
  • "What's wrong? Why are you all twitchy?" "Zombies kind of freak me out." — Liv and Clive.
  • "I thought you hated the show?" "I did, but it's like mental pork rinds. I can't stop." — Liv and Ravi
  • Ravi ships two of the characters in Zombie High and I think that's amazing.
  • "If I'm hearing you correctly, there's gonna be a new Power Rangers movie!" — Ravi. This is funny because Rose McIver was actually one of the Power Rangers!

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