iZombie - Insane in the Germ Brain

Insane the Germ Brain, despite its kitschy title, is the most somber episode of the fourth season. Pretty much every subplot has some sort of tragedy or is building badly for the show’s heroes. 

• Chase Graves kills Major's young lovers recruits for a momentary bit of teenage clumsiness, allowing his chief drug smuggler of brain bags, Russ Rouche, to accidentally grab one of their guns and get away. Opening fire on them out of rage, it is clear Chase has cultivated an increasing hostility that is boiling over and he no longer can halt it. Major sees him no longer as a hero but a loose cannon
• Isobel spends the episode faking her death by fooling Liv, Ravi, and Levon into believing she's dead when they find her plopped on the floor in a small pool of her own blood. Eventually it is no longer a trick as Ravi unfortunately finds out. He planned to grant her a wish of teaching her how to drive, with Liv even mimicking "Acting Mayor", Peyton, smuggling Isobel's mom in the city to see her daughter one last time.
• Angus has now been given a media platform, stretching beyond the church, to tell Seattle's zombie populace to turn on all humans and overrun and take over the city. All humans sense that the end is near as zombies look over at regular folks, eyeballing them intensely. A human tries to assassinate Angus but his former friend (a zombie turned by accident, once a zombie bigot) rescues the prophet in the nick of time. 
• Don E has eaten the brains of a film director and is now a prima donna film auteur, taking his edit of Angus' sermon on the mount very, very seriously.
• Peyton is to leave Seattle for Washington, DC, in the hopes of keeping her city from being nuked, but with Angus' following growing into a formidable vocal groundswell, her efforts might be in vain. Ravi meets her parents and they (he agrees with them) try to talk her into never returning.
• Bozzio overhears Clive mentioning wanting kids and family, calling it quits with him, although it pains her. Michelle is there, though, to replace her immediately. Clive combats the flu the best he can as does other humans in the city.

The case of the episode has Liv eating the brains of a germaphobe trans-individual, with dress and male penis that Ravi finds himself deeply interested in. Although the trans part of the episode is given some focus in the episode, in regards to the interrogations (a guy named Vince punched the victim when he found out that the person he was flirting with was not as he expected), the germaphobe side is where the comedy is based. I still found the focus on the trans aspect of the victim rather surprisingly uncomfortable, not expecting the victim's lifestyle to be turned into a joke. Ravi mentions that the victim, while dressed as a woman, has a penis, pulling the sheet up and down, copping an intrigued eyeful. Nevertheless, the case moves forward and ultimately a zombie with a tear condition (he cries a lot) is found responsible. It is a case that just feels backward, which is something of a surprise to me because those behind the creative of the show, despite the joyful "brain cuisine" montages where Liv prepares her meal, are mindful of their audience. To me a misstep but just the same the episode treats the case with little regard anyway, far more interested in the overall seasonal story arc. Blaine's absence in such a critical episode is somewhat noticeable.

2.5/5