iZombie - Flight of the Living Dead

The show has been toying with the sexual tension of Major and Liv over the early episode tenure. Will they get back together ever? I guess if you want your zombies that sort of ongoing story thread is probably not at the top of your viewership priority list. But is a part of the everyday struggle of a zombie trying to find her way through the altered life she currently has. A parachuting, adventurous hottie who lived for the next thrill is impaled on a protruding branch of a tree. It appears to be an accident, but something about this doesn’t sit right with Liv. Just to be sure, and at Ravi’s suggestion, Liv eats her brains to see if anything was fishy about her death. The toxicology report comes back that this victim was drugged and that she was in no shape to jump from a plane with friends. This victim was actually a sorority sister and friend of Liv and Peyton’s, kicked out of the house because of her partying behavior which was starting to interfere in the lives of those living there. Liv sees a vision of one of the parachuting thrill-seekers, Lowell Tracy (Bradley James; I knew him as Arthur from the Syfy show, Merlin), and it was unpleasant (on the plane right before jumping), another at a party (where he was a bit distant). So Liv goes to Babineaux with her urge to work on this and get him involved if their tox report shows something criminal. As mentioned earlier in the write-up, she is proven to have been dosed so someone on that plane was responsible for her death. The investigation ensues and Liv joins Babineaux as they interrogate each member on that flight. Lowell reveals to Liv he’s a zombie after calling her out much to her shock. He had been spellbound by her in the interrogation room, leaving her rather taken aback by him. He eventually is found not to be involved and considered the victim his only real friend amongst this team.

The missing persons once occupying a skate park hangout become a point of emphasis on the show, but Babineaux’s boss, Lieutenant Suzuki (Hiro Kanagawa), tells him to stick with Homicide. Major was bothered by Jerome’s absence and returned to Babineaux hoping he might make something happen. This episode reveals to us that the zombie spread was more severe than first thought. Suzuki pulls out hot sauce from a desk after shutting Babineaux down regarding the missing folks at the skate park hangout. Lowell also was turned zombie, but he doesn’t elaborate just how it happened. The twist on Suzuki is brief but comes after Lowell made Liv a drink with hot sauce and pepper involved. Major goes to the skate park hangout himself, locating a man wearing Jerome’s shoes, confronting him about it. This bruiser for Blaine takes issue with his confrontational manner and engages in fisticuffs with Major. Major is winning the fight until this guy goes into zombie mode, overpowering him, tossing him to side like a bag of trash. Babineaux had took a long look at the post-it board at the skate park, seeing a litany of missing person sheets stapled, even overlapping each other. Blaine is using this as his own personal cattle farm!

The investigation allows Liv to pick up her friend’s desire for thrills, riding a bike throughout Seattle in a carefree style, including down steps and all around. But she doesn’t necessarily convey a great deal of her friend’s overall personality as we had seen in previous episodes. I guess you could say she ate just enough to trigger memories to help solve her murder. A snowboarding media darling (Ryan Hansen) and his girlfriend (Summer Bishil) were on the plane as was another member of their entourage (Blair Penner). It turns out Hansen likes his sex, having slept with Bishil, Liv’s friend, and even Penner! And ultimately an email is what springs the killer into action, with her missing when Babineaux and the cops arrive at her home! An email. GHB forged in Hansen’s handwriting also ties to the victim. These are details that emerge while Liv and Peyton reminisce about the loss of their exciting and lovely friend. Peyton is just bummed that such a friend as vivacious and fun as her had to die in such a way. Liv gets to investigate her murder, contributing to finding the killer…that gives Liv a chance to be of service to her friend, still mulling over kicking her out of the sorority for bad behavior she now feels she should have overlooked. Water under the bridge, though, really.

Blaine isn’t in this episode but I think his handiwork can be felt. Did he cause the zombie infection of either Lowell or Suzuki? His enforcer certainly is prowling about the skate park. Major appears to be invasive on the territory, and although Suzuki orders Babineaux to cease and desist in Missing Persons (this doesn’t paint that division in a positive light), it is a given he won’t just forget about what is going on at the skate park.

And then the show introduces Lowell as a potential romantic love interest for Liv. Liv seems to dig him and that smile on her face when he openly issues a request to go on a date, talking about how being a zombie limits his options (as Liv has experienced herself), is quite giddy. So that will probably serve as a season development going forward. I noticed when researching James he was only in about five episodes so his tenure on the show was short-lived. So it is a minor diversion but does allow for Liv to have a chance at love, even if not long-lasting.