iZombie - Filleted to Rest

Filleted to Rest has some nice character moments and I was glad the detective case (an unbearable head chef, known in her classy restaurant as brilliant but monstrous is found with shrink wrap around her head, later determined to have died because of blunt-force trauma caused by frozen steak!) assisted them. The brain Liv eats is difficult because the chef was a cipher, her words and personality abusive, corrosive, and bossy. So when Liv tries to operate outside the case that brain can cause her to be an asshole to others. Ravi avoids her while Clive, much to his credit, seems capable of evasively maneuvering around her mistreatment and insults (a police officer in the office nervously prepares her coffee). Michelle, pregnant and moved into Clive’s old position for the time being, has a minor accident on what should have been an easy, non-violent assignment…in the hospital she informs him he’s most likely not the father of her child, although she recognizes him as such, included as her emergency contact. Clive is just a good guy so Michelle wants her child to be in his care if something were to happen to her. I just thought that was an uplifting part of the episode considering a majority of Filleted to Rest can be intense and disturbing. Like Justin, Major’s trusted officer, emerging as an adversary, helping the Pro-Zombie anarchists hoping to escalate war between zombies and humans. Or Liv’s one-on-one with her mom, the estrangement remaining intact due to Evan’s near-death. But Liv learning the name of her father (Martin Roberts) and soon finding him…it is Martin (Bill Wise) who has been orchestrating attacks on Fillmore-Graves, stealing those zombies who oppose Major or are criminals (including Enzo, who he thaws with a blow dryer) frozen and imprisoned! So you have Martin infiltrating Liv’s Rebel Underground, using Riley (Kaylah Zander) as a spy, not knowing that the very one who wants good zombie-human relations and is one of his major nemeses is actually his daughter! It is the kind of clever twist this show still has the ability to pull off deep into its final episodes of the season. The Michelle pregnancy was a light surprise settled here, while the Martin / Liv connection offers complications that can shape the entire story arc as the series finishes. Losing more officers at Fillmore-Graves, Major, thanks to Justin’s assistance to Martin’s efficient, black ops decorated gunmen, is having a hard time keeping Seattle from all out civil war. But when Major drops Justin with a bullet and tells his guys to clean that mess up, it is a loud and clear message that perceiving him as weak might be an assessment that is ill-advised. At least Major and Liv, on opposite ends of the table, share a nice meal with the kids after difficult cases/investigations. Peters, who happened to be in the wrong place instead of his post getting a snack, happens upon the carnage organized by Roberts and Justin, narrowly escaping his own demise…recognized as a dunce, Peters helping Major out Justin as a spy gets him some trust and respect from his fellow officers.

No Blaine or Don E or even Peyton in the episode allows Ravi to help out Dr. Charlie and twin sister, Laila, mend broken fences and talk about their Alzheimer’s inflicted mother, even as his concerns about Freylin-afflicted kids being hunted is barely addressed, except with one member of the CDC who doesn’t care about his warnings, telling him that he’s been dismissed from any further communication. The investigation into the chef’s death involves a closeted zombie who didn’t want to come out to his human parents, willing to kill in order to maintain his secret, with members of the restaurant team called in for questioning. Once again—broken record—Rose McIver assumes the personality of the chef impeccably, bringing to life this highly toxic persona that allows us to see just why she was not particularly well liked or highly favored by her peers. [4/5]