iZombie - Liv and Let Clive

Live and Let Clive is a really strong “Babineaux episode” and gives us some of his back story. He worked Vice, went undercover for a year, had another partner named Ray also deep in with the Black Cobras (a criminal organization in the ‘Hong Kong section’ of Seattle), and had an informant helping them named Sammy. Well, Sammy winds up on a slab in Ravi and Olivia’s morgue (I like the shortened nick, Liv, so I will just use it going forward with future reviews), and as soon as his brains are eaten, the visions show her something unexpected…Babineaux seemingly participating in voluntary violence with the Cobras! So Liv is really concerned as Ravi believes there has to be some explanation for the vision. Sammy had bruises all over his body so it was clear he was kicked to death by repeated foot blows. Is Babineaux a dirty cop? That is hard to accept…perhaps there is more to this than meets the eye? I think viewers who understand undercover behavior will anticipate that Babineaux is “playing the part”. Anyway Liv isn’t allowed to accompany Babineaux, and he insists she doesn’t use her “psychic” visions this go-around. He doesn’t want her to see him in that world. He tells her later after he realizes she lost trust in him that because of his work in Vice cops wouldn’t partner with him. Obviously Liv feels guilty about ever questioning his ethics. I like all this. I like that their relationship has reached a point where it isn’t just a cop and psychic work-related partnership but has progressed to a friendship. So seeing a vision of this guy that doesn’t even resemble the Babineaux she knows is jarring. I like how McIver plays this, too. You can see that she doesn’t know quite how to rationalize it.

Babineaux’s character in question, the investigation into Sammy’s murder, this leader of the Cobras (AJ) posing a threat to Liv, the rescue of another undercover cop, and the undercover shakedown of the Cobras make up the central plot of Liv and Let Clive. Other subplots include Liv trying to orchestrate a new roommate for Major, hoping to convince Ravi to do it because of her concern that another girl will move in on the man she still loves and Blaine’s restaurant/takeout venture (the woman who helps him operate the main street store is always toiling away with new menu items involving brains!). Blaine has a stocked supply of frozen bodies in his restaurant freezer, and when two of his “delivery guys” try to concoct their own competitive venture to oppose him, it doesn’t end well for them. Jackie (Sarah-Jane Redmond), his wealthiest client and lover, is wooed by them but she is loyal to Blaine and tells him about it. The end of the episode illustrates to us Blaine’s psychotic nature as a henchman of his takes the shoes from Jerome, a friend of Major’s who went missing and wound up dead because of his quest to find a missing student. Blaine has the henchman participate in carving Jerome up, so he can get rid of the evidence. This is all we need to know besides Blaine purposely slashing folks just so they can become basically slaves to him. Blaine will no doubt be a major adversary for Liv and Babineaux down the road. And if he keeps turning folks into zombies or killing people for their brains to feed them, the city will be in for a world of hurt. Blaine has proven to be crafty, driven, and unencumbered or impeded by guilt or shame for what he is doing in Seattle. Major and Ravi moving in together with Liv realizing why this is happening dangles a carrot for the viewer…will this be the beginning of a rehabilitated relationship for Major and Liv? I reckon the show will find ways to keep that from happening… Also included is kung fu skills acquired from the brains eaten of Sammy’s by Liv. Liv goes toe to toe with AJ, entering beast zombie mode when it appears he might try and hurt her brother, Evan (Nick Purcha). Evan is staying with her while their mom recovers from another hissy fit because he got two Bs along with all his As. It is revealed that Evan crushes hard for Peyton. Liv using kung fu is the perfect rib for us. Unlike past episodes, this one does include visions but not a lot of personality influence. She acquires some obvious paranoia because Sammy always feared for his life (a rotten piece of irony for the kid), but not much else. The kung fu is a nice little surprise. As is the trip to a ‘Hong Kong Video’ where Ravi inspects the Adult section of store and Liv poses as a ditsy, gum-chewing, bubblehead hoping to get some goods on Ray, the undercover cop. AJ emerges with Ravi and Liv immediately intimidated by him.

Liv and Babineaux have their Come to Jesus meeting where they address the job and its pratfalls, his behavior undercover and her distrust in him. She does the apology and he sets her straight on the demands he has had to endure. Although they do shake down the Cobras and all, Babineaux wants Liv to realize the sacrifices he made. Getting on the same page and all, these two rectify it all and come out of it swell.