Though the first half of ‘Brainless in Seattle’ ended on a terrifying note, the second half ended up returning to the wackier tone that this two-parter started out on. It was a nice surprise to see the writers focus so heavily on the lighter aspects of the show over a longer narrative stretch, but it does make me wonder if this was a story befitting of two parts.
Since we spent a significant chunk of time on makeover montages and long monologues last week, I was expecting to see the expanded murder case take up a lot more screen time here. Instead, Liv’s personal journey on romcom brain became the main focus of the second half, with the resolution of the murder mystery becoming rather inconsequential by the time the credits rolled.
We spend the episode following Liv as she comes to the realisation that her true love isn’t the guy she barley knows (who coincidentally is a potential member of Angus’s group of zombie extremists), but the friends she’s had by her side the entire time. Aww. She took an fun little journey over the course of these two episodes, though it did feel like the writers relied too heavily on the comedy of it all rather than the more emotional aspects, which would have given her scenes some much needed gravitas.
It’s disappointing that the idea of a serial killer in Seattle’s midst ended up not being much of anything, but it was interesting to see the show flesh out its B plots in more detail than a single episode would have allowed. The plot strands of the previous episode carried over into this one, with Blaine completing his search for Mama Leone and turning her over the Chase Graves. I’m worried for her, but the fact that Chase hasn’t killed her outright makes me think he has a different plan for her. Will she be forced down a path she doesn't want to go down?
Chase’s second open-ended plan was partly completed by Major, who managed to track down the victim of Jordan’s outburst two episodes previous to this. Said victim, Tucker, was shunned by his zombie-hating friends, but managed to find solace in Angus’s church, which is more than welcoming for the disenfranchised zombies of Seattle. When Major managed to speak to Tucker in the church and convince him to turn over the phone containing the incriminating evidence, his group were confronted by a horde of Angus’s creepy followers. The only reason they manage to get out alive is because Angus remembered Major’s role in the Chaos killings. They might have escaped this time, but now that they’re aware of what Angus is building things will probably get messier from here on out. Not to mention the fact that Angus made it clear that Major won't be able to use his get out of jail free card a second time.
Plus
I enjoyed the flashbacks revealing how Mama Leone knew Liv, and what motivated her to use her zombie knowledge to help people, just like our leading lady.
Blaine on truth brain was amazing. It’s a shame he wasn’t on it during Part 1 as well.
Don E wasn’t aware that Blaine had the zombie cures.
Major was very annoying on Wrestler brain. Let's hope it's not a thing again. Ever.
He Said, She Said
Liv: “I could cut the sexual tension between you and Ravi with my artisanal cherry wood tomato knife.”
Liv: “Maybe our soulmates are the people who are already there, standing by our sides while romances come and go. And if these are my soulmates, I just might be the luckiest girl in the world.”
I love that iZombie is a series that isn’t afraid to take a risk and break from the confines of its narrative structure. ‘Brainless in Seattle’ may have ended up being a little less explosive that it hinted at becoming, but it certainly took advantage of the increased fluidity of a two-part story.
7/10
Also posted at Doux Reviews.
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