‘Blaine’s World’ takes the show into some really dark places, most notably the consequences of the zombie cure, which is now gone, or at least near impossible to re-create. Liv started the episode ready to take the cure, to get her life back and put an end to her “disgusting” existence. Ravi tries to convince her that they need to wait so they can use it on all the other zombies all over town. She comes close to taking it anyway, but Major’s situation stops Liv just before she uses it. I get that she would want so desperately to be human again. For her it’s the solution to all of lives’ troubles right now. Being a zombie is the reason her life fell apart, and I don’t blame her for being selfish. Unfortunately for Liv, proceeding events forced her in a different direction.
Liv saving Major by scratching him after his satisfying confrontation with Blaine’s cronies, and a less than favourable one with a Blaine himself, was predictable but felt right in the moment. Her decision to use the cure on Blaine was inspired (and very reminiscent of the Vampire Diaries’ fourth season finale). She couldn’t use it in the way she wanted, but it was the only way to both stop Blaine and prevent a zombie apocalypse from tearing the city apart; if the zombie lord wasn’t around to keep his supply of brains in check we’d have a lot of brain hungry lunatics running wild.
It’s funny that this episode breezes through Liv’s ability to turn another human, and the repercussions that come along with it, when we haven’t really touched on it before (Sebastian’s accidental scratch aside). For the first time Liv is forced into a situation where it’s the only option to save someone she loves, and she doesn’t hesitate. It’s not until after the fact that we learn what it can do to the person being turned. Major owes Liv for what she did, but he had a point in blaming her for playing God. It’s what justifies her using the last of cure on Major, destroying any chance of reverse engineering it to put an end to the zombies that are slowly taking over the city.
While we’ve seen Liv learn something from each of the people she’s eaten, we’ve now discovered that there’s a more painful truth behind all of this, and that’s Liv never being able to truly be Olivia Moore again. Her actions here have made the chances of that happening pretty slim, and have forced her into experiencing firsthand what her decision to use up the cure has caused. Her brother is now fighting for his life, and with the cure gone and the painful truths Major dished out still ringing in her ear there’s almost no way she can do what she did for him to anyone else, even if that someone else is her little brother. It’s a powerful moment to end the season on.
While a lot of this season’s plots came to a close here, certain threads were left open ended, with a lot of conflict left over for season two to pick up when the time comes. Among other things Max Rager suffered a blow but are still very much in play, Clive has Major on his radar, and Liv is about to face one of the hardest choices of her life.
Plus
Peyton is still MIA. How long can she feasibly stay away?
He Said, She Said
Liv: “I want my life back, Ravi. I eat brains. It’s disgusting, I am disgusting.”
Blaine: “Eating brains doesn’t make you a monster; it takes a little more effort.”
Blaine: “I’m the Mick Jagger here; time is on my side.”
It’s without question that iZombie’s formula works well, but the show is at its greatest when it uses that formula to push the more important stories forward. That’s what made the last few weeks so incredible, and what made this finale near perfect. When season two comes around I’d like to see that continue. And judging by the events that transpired here I think we’re going to see that continue, but no matter what direction the show does take, I’m still on board. Hopefully everyone else is too, because I’d like to see this series live a long, undead life for seasons to come.
10/10
Also posted at Doux Reviews.
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