iZombie - Brother, Can You Spare A Brain? - Advance Preview

"I'm just a fake Psychic zombie trying to do her part"
iZombie premiered last week to a really great pilot that had all the makings of a good hit; witty dialogue, interesting concept, conflicted characters. I live tweeted and it was quite a blast to see all the positive response to the pilot. While the pilot was solid, the ratings were merely decent and like any show after it's premiere, the next two to three episodes are going to be the real test on whether or not the show has a fighting chance. I'm already hooked and as of now would love to have another season of the show. Last week ended with Liv finding a renewed purpose in her afterlife and awaking to a vision of the sleazy drug dealer from the life altering party she attended now a zombie. So how does hour two, Brother, Can You Spare A Brain, of iZombie stack up?

"Dying is also the best thing an artist can do for his broke-ass art dealer"
This week's case centers around an artist, Javier, who was impaled through his eye by a paintbrush. Ravi and Liv are on duty (#RaviOli) and arrive at the scene and Clive pesters Liv to have a vision. Liv let's Ravi know that the psychic act could get old real quick and is afraid that Clive may get on to her soon. Later, Liv has a bite of the Javier's brain(prepare for some minor gore) and of course the visions start to occur. The case gets complicated when Liv's vision of Javier having an affair turns out to not be an affair, but something his wife knew and encouraged. What's even more complicated is Liv's libido now that she's got a passionate artist in her system. Liv can't help but hit on everything, much to everyone's dismay.

Javier's personality does some other things to Liv, things that help to make the already murky romance with Major get a bit more murky.Like any procedural, the case takes a few twist and turns with some misleads here and there. Of course, Clive is set in the fact that it's always the spouse. Things get interesting when Liv is confronted by a suspect she put the libido whammy on earlier in the interrogation room and in order to escape Liv slips into "Full-Zombie Mode". (It's interesting to watch Liv gain control of her Zombie self). The case itself is pretty cut and dry and is the least interesting aspect of the episode. The most fun comes from watching Liv deal with "Brain Effects" and seeing Liv muse over her own legacy that she'll leave behind.

"What's more meta than a zombie having a bad zombie dream?"
Don't expect Liv's vision from the last scene of last week to go by the wayside. Liv is determined to hunt down the identity of the Zombie from her dream. Ravi, knowing how much this means to Liv, enlist the help of a sketch artist to help Liv discover his identity which doesn't work out so much. Though, the brian Liv did just eat is from an artist, and watching Ravi's face as Liv touts her new skill is just adorable. (#RaviOli for the win!) Liv's search won't go unnoticed for long, with the fake zombie psychic coming face to face with the man zombie from her nightmares, Blaine(David Anders). Tru Calling fans prepare for a Jack and Tru chemistry between the two, cute at first but knowing this can only go south. Ravi, as expected is generally excited about another subject to study. Liv is decidedly wary of Blaine, the former sleazy dealer who is the reason she is a zombie. He, unlike Liv, seems too comfortable with the idea of who he is. Blaine spouts that he's changed, but it seems like Blaine is still a bit sleazy, and that he's got something up his sleeve and it should be interesting to see how it turns out.

Overall thoughts: The hour was decent and a nice continuation of the pilot, though it was pretty tame. There's plenty of romance angst between Major and Liv, culminating in a pretty heated scene between the two. Liv does gain some insight on her afterlife by eating Javier's brian, and while this a nice tool for character growth, we are just two episodes in and I'm already hoping it doesn't become a trope the show consistently relies on. There are still plenty of good lines to go around and Rose McIver kills it once more playing up the quirks she gets from eating brains. I liked the introduction of Blaine and I do hope the show plays up the obvious foils between him and Liv a bit more. I'd love to watch these two go to war over zombie morality in a Tru vs. Jack cat and mouse game, and it looks like we might get that. All-in-all it was an okay hour, I'm scared to say it was filler since it's only the second episode, but I will say that offering episodes like this ensures it'll be an uphill battle making sure eyes-balls stay glued to the screen, depending on what the audience is looking for. For me, a fan of Veronica Mars and Tru Calling, the show's sort of predecessors that both had a subtle humor, dry wit and so-so hours, I can sit through an hour like this, and still enjoy the more subtle points of the hour just fine. C

Check out these awesome sites and podcasts about iZombie!

Brother, Can You Spare a Brain? airs Tuesday March 24th at 9pm Est following The Flash on the CW.

From the sneak peaks that you've seen and your reaction to the pilot last week, are you hooked on iZombie? Or Are you cautiously optimistic? Can we officially call Ravi and Liv, #RaviOli? Sound off Below!

About the Author - Winston Mize

Winston is a 24 year old goofball, born in the north, and currently living in the south. He loves TV.... for some it's coffee, for him it's TV talk that gets his day going. He wants to be a screenwriter, and watches some of everything. You name it, he's probably checked it out. And he would like you to know that it is okay for a 24 year old to play with action figures... well, he does anyway

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