S02.E01: Grumpy Old Liv

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Liv consumes the brains of a cantankerous old man to help gain insight into his death. After receiving an anonymous call on the tipster hotline, Liv and Detective Babineax stop by the residence of Byron Thistlewaite, to question the mysterious caller. Meanwhile, Ravi suspects that Major might be experiencing a side effect of the cure, and Liv pays Blaine a surprise visit.

 

Promo:

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Inside the episode:

[Primetimer]

Someone's listening in on your favorite undead detective.

Read the story

[sluggish neko]

The part where Blaine eats chocolate and taunts Liv was hilarious. The guy may be evil, but he's always amusing.

 

It looks like Liv is starting to lie to Clive now. I hope this won't be a replay of the Major storyline in season one. Clive better not stumble onto the zombie conspiracy and then check himself into a mental institution. Hopefully Live and Ravi learned something from their disastrous experience with Major, because it's sort of their fault that Major's now an official zombie hunter-- first, by not telling him the truth, leaving him no choice but to deal with zombies in his own way, and then by inadvertantly blabbing about his special zombie-sensing powers to Max Rager. Poor guy's now reduced to being blackmailed into being Max Rager's zombie janitor.

 

Liv might be scared that her mom might freak out, but why can't she tell her brother that she has a kind of disease that prevents her from giving blood? There are all sorts of reasons why certain people can't donate blood.

 

Hate Liv's new roommate/spy/Max Rager assistant. Love the ongoing feud with the police sketch artist.

[Cranberry]

I still love this show, but it bothered me more than usual tonight that Liv would be very much herself in some scenes, but very much Wendell in others. The writers need to do a better job of balancing her true personality with her "enhanced" one. If she's trying extra hard to resist the brain's effects in certain scenes, then they need to make that clear. I feel like they usually do a better job, but tonight she only acted like Wendell when it was convenient/funny, mostly when she was with Clive or Ravi as opposed to Major or Blaine.

[blugirlami21]

I thought the episode was pretty good. I felt like there was a lot crammed in. I like that there were repurcussions for Liv for not giving blood to Evan. Painful maybe but also realistic.

I'm sad that Peyton moved out completely. I thought she would come back eventually.

I hate to see Major struggle but he gets himself in stupid situations. Tell Liv about Max Rager, she can take care of herself. You keeping quiet is just stupid. Now you've murdered someone on top of you already murdering those zombies last season. The lack of relevant coversation and sharing of important info between Major and Liv bugs even more that he knows her secret.

I do agree about there needing to be a balance between Liv and the brain she ate. I'm mostly annoyed that she is unaware that she's not acting normally.

Some laugh out loud moments tho. Ravi telling Major that he doesn't react to zombie Liv is because she domesticated him. Also the whole scene with Liv and the black suspect at the precinct.

[GaT]

I had forgotten how the show ended, so it was good that they picked it up where it ended, I missed this show, but the crime was only so-so

I hate to see Major struggle but he gets himself in stupid situations. Tell Liv about Max Rager, she can take care of herself. You keeping quiet is just stupid. Now you've murdered someone on top of you already murdering those zombies last season. The lack of relevant coversation and sharing of important info between Major and Liv bugs even more that he knows her secret.

This so much. Every decision he makes is wrong, it's ridiculous.

 

I'm sad that Peyton moved out completely. I thought she would come back eventually. 

 

She's coming back.

Edited October 7, 2015 by GaT

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Major, you big dumb dummy, stop trying to be the silent martyr and at the very least tell Liv that the Max Rager guy has bugged her phone! Even if you're still mad at her, she deserves to know at least that much. Who knows what other information they could get from listening to her conversations?

 

Even though I know Liv is our protagonist and the Max Rager guy is a total douche, from an outside perspective he is trying to do the right thing by killing all the zombies. Despite this, when he told Major that the list of potential zombies had been determined by looking for credit card charges for tanning and hair coloring, I thought uh, hello, that means every trophy wife from California to New Jersey is a potential zombie!

 

So glad to have Ravi back!

[Sakura12]

Liv telling that guy his shirt was stupid and that's literal was funny. The one liners on this show are great, however I do agree that they need to keep Liv's brain personality consistent, she only acted like a grumpy old man when she was with Clive and Ravi. She acted normal with Blaine and Major. 

 

Making Major being blackmailed into being a zombie hunter is dumb. I don't know why EP's insist on keeping characters around when they don't really have any use for them. Liv's ex boyfriend isn't necessary to keep around. Her best friend who she lived with is more useful and she has less screentime than Major. I am interested how she would react around Liv now. 

 

Liv's family being mad at her makes sense. You'd think she'll tell them she's sick or something. Or she should've gone with drugs. 

[marketdoctor]

 

Liv's family being mad at her makes sense. You'd think she'll tell them she's sick or something.

 

YES.  She's a doctor; she could have come up with a disease that is blood-borne and serious enough to keep her from donating but not so serious that she'd die.  HIV has those characteristics; the only reason I think the writers didn't go there was out of sensitivity to people who have died from it, especially before the treatment got better.  (She could even use it to explain her odd behavior, as that can be a side effect--and her family doesn't need to know how under control it is.)

 

I liked that they didn't go to the "AB Negative" place; a shortage of O Negative is a lot more plausible--but still, I find this whole story arc depressing. 

 

At first I thought the evil roomate was named Glinda, which might have been too heavy on the good/evil issue.  The actreess played it well. 

I also like that the cure gives you zombie-sense and that Blaine has been hoarding Utopium (or as he probably thinks of it, creating demand.)

[LoneHaranguer]

When Clive told Liv "I'll forget you said that", I presumed her line had been changed. I had never heard of there being anything wrong with what she said until I read the recap. How is her comment "subtle racism"? (I tried Google, but it was no help)

[Chicago Redshirt]

When Clive told Liv "I'll forget you said that", I presumed her line had been changed. I had never heard of there being anything wrong with what she said until I read the recap. How is her comment "subtle racism"? (I tried Google, but it was no help)

Saying "You're one of the good ones" carries the implication of "the rest of you are bad." It's a backhanded compliment.

Along similar lines, saying someone is "a credit to your race" again is rooted in being patronizing about how inferior their race is and how you can judge them as a member of a superior race. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/YouAreACreditToYourRace

[Chicago Redshirt]

Even though I know Liv is our protagonist and the Max Rager guy is a total douche, from an outside perspective he is trying to do the right thing by killing all the zombies. Despite this, when he told Major that the list of potential zombies had been determined by looking for credit card charges for tanning and hair coloring, I thought uh, hello, that means every trophy wife from California to New Jersey is a potential zombie!

:)

 

Only the ones who like to use lots of hot sauce. 

Making Major being blackmailed into being a zombie hunter is dumb. I don't know why EP's insist on keeping characters around when they don't really have any use for them. Liv's ex boyfriend isn't necessary to keep around. Her best friend who she lived with is more useful and she has less screentime than Major. I am interested how she would react around Liv now. 

Especially given that Major was like, "I'm going to kill ALL the zombies" when we last saw him and has little else going on. Seems like he should jump at the chance to make sure zombies don't spread any further than they do and mess up more lives or kill innocent people and turn more folks.

 

But then maybe his own brief experience as a zombie made him more aware of zombie rights or something. 

[ThatBadgerChick]

Allow me to represent the fibromyalgia community (of racist assholes, I guess?) by gently placing my head into my hands and sighing.

I'm so glad this show is back but this episode was kind of a bummer. I like smart, ass-kicking Liv, not getting-played Liv. Also not fond of Major as a bad guy. A dumbass maybe, but not, like, evil. Ravi and Clive are still SO freaking great. I really could not give two shits about Liv's mother and brother. And wow, the actor who played the hipster perp sold me 100% on how heartbroken he was to have lost his dog, gotten her back, and then been forced to leave her again (for prison).

Am I nuts or could Blaine not just find a zombie, get bitten/scratched again, and be back in business selling Utopium AND brains? Can a person get re-infected after taking the cure? (I've got my eye on you, New Hope.)

[Chicago Redshirt]

I'm fanwanking until shown otherwise that the cure also inoculates people so they can't get re-infected. (Although it could be that Blaine doesn't want to be a zombie. After all, he can't enjoy chocolate or burritos as one.)

 

And I assume that Blaine is in the business of selling Utopium and brains out of "Shady Plots." (Love him or hate him, I think you have to give Blaine/John Deaux credit for his whimsical naming abilities. He puts Cisco on the Flash to shame.) 

Edited October 7, 2015 by Chicago Redshirt

[questionfear]

Allow me to represent the fibromyalgia community (of racist assholes, I guess?) by gently placing my head into my hands and sighing.

I'm so glad this show is back but this episode was kind of a bummer. I like smart, ass-kicking Liv, not getting-played Liv. Also not fond of Major as a bad guy. A dumbass maybe, but not, like, evil. Ravi and Clive are still SO freaking great. I really could not give two shits about Liv's mother and brother. And wow, the actor who played the hipster perp sold me 100% on how heartbroken he was to have lost his dog, gotten her back, and then been forced to leave her again (for prison).

Am I nuts or could Blaine not just find a zombie, get bitten/scratched again, and be back in business selling Utopium AND brains? Can a person get re-infected after taking the cure? (I've got my eye on you, New Hope.)

That assumes that Blaine WANTS to be reinfected. He may be enjoying being human again. 

[FurryFury]

Finally, the second fall show I love is back (the other one's Homeland, all of my other faves are back later)! Liked the premiere a lot. I mean, I am even kinda-sorta interested in Major's arc, which is something I never expected. Well played!

 

The case of the week was more interesting than usual, mostly due to a very entertaining victim and an unexpectedly relatable perpetrator. And that dog, man! So cute and huggable and I don't know what I'd do if some old jerk killed her (or implied he did) and I'm not even a dog person! 

 

That Liv/Blaine scene was gold. Great dynamic, and I look forward to more Blaine in another role. I never really liked him as a big bad. The Max Rager exec + his henchmen seem like they could have way more potential as villains.

[Sakura12]

If someone killed my dog, I might think about killing them. So I was on that guy's side. You don't mess with people's dogs. 

[LoneHaranguer]

 

Saying "You're one of the good ones" carries the implication of "the rest of you are bad." It's a backhanded compliment.

Seems like going out of the way to find a negative to me, but even so, in context shouldn't Clive's presumption be that Liv is insulting the police rather than African-Americans?

[marcee]

Am I nuts or could Blaine not just find a zombie, get bitten/scratched again, and be back in business selling Utopium AND brains? Can a person get re-infected after taking the cure? (I've got my eye on you, New Hope.)

Why would he want to be a zombie? Can't taste food, has to eat brains, serious maintenance and the possibility of being outed (no heartbeat, etc) - he apparently DOES still have a thriving brain-selling business, hence his reason for going into the funeral home business. So now he's making money as a funeral home, brain sales AND utopium...AND he can enjoy chocolate! The best of all worlds.

 

Seems like going out of the way to find a negative to me, but even so, in context shouldn't Clive's presumption be that Liv is insulting the police rather than African-Americans?

In context, she called the guy TuPac on her way in, Clive threatened the guy with Aryan Nation roomie -- the conversation was already steeped in race...not to mention her racist comments throughout the episode. And, like the recapper said, while Ravi could understand and dismiss her comments knowing what he knows about the brain-eating, I'd find it hard to believe Clive would be able to just let it go. That's something that stays with a person. Deep down, he'll always assume she's a little racist. It would've been like saying to a Jewish person, "Oh, you're one of the ones who doesn't care about money." It's insinuating that all black people are "bad ones".

Edited October 7, 2015 by marcee

[Julia]

When Clive told Liv "I'll forget you said that", I presumed her line had been changed. I had never heard of there being anything wrong with what she said until I read the recap. How is her comment "subtle racism"? (I tried Google, but it was no help)

 

I have no idea if you're male or female, but just, try to imagine you're talking to a person of whatever the opposite sex is for you, and they salted into the conversation that the sex you belong to is essentially trash, but you're better than most. I have to think most people would find that offputting.

Edited October 7, 2015 by Julia

[Lady Calypso]

I know this is supposed to be a lighter show, but I was hoping for a little break from Liv eating brains and having wacky adventures with her partner, in favour of dealing more with the repercussions of last season. I was hoping she might refuse to eat the brains for whatever reason, but I guess not. I wasn't impressed by Grumpy Liv at all. I was more annoyed, actually.

 

I'm interested in Major's arc; I do think he is relevant to the show. It gives Liv a reason to hurry on figuring out the balance of the cure, especially since the only other known 'zombie' test is Blaine. Plus, I'd like to see the side effects. Also, I like Major more than some, so that's why. 

 

I really like Ravi still. I'm still back and forth on Clive, but I think he's alright. I do hope we get more of their backstories, though. I'd like a few less cases, and more character development and background. I'd especially love to see more of Liv's family as well.

[Sakura12]

If Liv doesn't eat brains she goes full on zombie. 

[Anela]

If someone killed my dog, I don't like to think about what I might do. I freaked when he wandered out of the garden this morning (I found him relaxing in a ditch, enjoying the sunshine). 

 

I use a lot of hot sauce, so I'd be getting the side-eye from certain people in iZombie world. 

 

This episode was a little off, but I laughed at the Archie Bunker reference, and the T-shirt comment.

 

I expected the roommate to be the secretary. 

[AudienceofOne]

Oh, dear show. I am so happy you are back! Because of that, I'll ignore the fact this wasn't your best episode.

 

I found Liv's "cranky old man routine" a little laboured, mostly because of the cliched dialogue. And for the first time, I really hoped that Clive would start to twig her personality changes on every case because the racism was a little hard to take under the circumstances.

 

What's Max Rager's motive again? Other than "we're making money from being evil"? I got a bit confused by how killing zombies helped their cause.

 

I still hate Blaine. I don't find his character charismatic at all. I want to throw something at the TV whenever he is on.

 

 

I universally find the "bad guy who never goes away but keeps popping up" trope tedious. At least the show made him human instead of killing him, I can work with that. But I don't really care about his plotline. Also, I was a bit confused by Liv's assumption that Blaine wouldn't want to zombify again. At first I thought she was warning him he could die (he'd care about that!) but then it shifted to "wearing off" and I thought that was a big assumption. But his actions seem to imply she was right. So...?

 

Seems like going out of the way to find a negative to me, but even so, in context shouldn't Clive's presumption be that Liv is insulting the police rather than African-Americans?

 

 

Considering the guy who was hassling her, no. The comment was clearly racist. I'm not even American and have no first-hand experience of US race relations and even I knew that comment was racist. It was the subtle equivalent of "I'm not racist, some of my friends are [insert group here] but that doesn't change the fact that everybody knows that [insert group here] are all [insert insult here]."

[Sakura12]

Wasn't that the whole point of the cranky old man character? The sister in law said he hates all races including his own. 

 

Clyde never seems to pick up on Liv's personality changes. I hope he does start question it. I could see at first him just thinking she was a weirdo and those are the types that would work in the morgue, because's Ravi's kind of strange as well. But after working together this long, being a detective he should start to think something is up with her. 

[kennyab]

Saying "You're one of the good ones" carries the implication of "the rest of you are bad." It's a backhanded compliment.

Along similar lines, saying someone is "a credit to your race" again is rooted in being patronizing about how inferior their race is and how you can judge them as a member of a superior race. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/YouAreACreditToYourRace

 

Yeah, I mean, the recap is being generous in even referring to it as "subtle" racism, because there's nothing subtle about it. As a gay man, it'd be like someone "complimenting" me for not sleeping around. People who make comments like that obviously have majorly negative associations to other groups as a whole. Clive handled it better than I would have, no question.

Edited October 7, 2015 by kennyab

[Julia]

Wasn't that the whole point of the cranky old man character? The sister in law said he hates all races including his own.

 

Well, maybe, but I'm going to guess he hated white people for being what he thought of as second-rate white people, which is kind of different from thinking that people of other races, genders, or orientations who aren't second rate are exceptional.

[thuganomics85]

Glad the show is back, but it wasn't my favorite episode.  The case of the week being one of those cases where the victim is unlikeable, while the killer is more sympathetic (like the internet troll episode last season) was kind of interesting, but Grouchy, Old Racist Liv just wasn't as good as I wanted it to be, despite Rose McIver's best efforts.  And it is one of the times where I really will have problems if it ends up being ignored.  Ravi makes sense due to him knowing the truth, but I have to think that Clive will now always think Liv is racist due to her "You are one of the good ones" line.  But they'll probably forget all about it the next episode.  They need to do a better job at balancing out, and figuring out which lines she can get away with, when it comes to Clive.

 

I do like there is some blowback over her refusing to save her brother, but I do wonder why she didn't attempt to make-up some kind of disease to tell her mom and brother.  I know it would probably open up the door to a whole other set of problems, but it would have to be better then what is going on now.

 

Blaine is still around and now running a funeral home.  And, despite his claims, he's totally up to something very bad.

 

Major is now being bribed by Max Ranger into hunting down and killing zombies, because apparently becoming one and turning back, gives you some kind of ability to sense them (seemed like Blaine had it too.)  Oh, and Danger's assistant is totally Liv's new roomy.  Curse you, Ranger!

 

Ravi is still the best.  Although, in my personal opinion, calling the rat The Phantom Menace wouldn't be the worst Star Wars film to call him.  That would be Attack of the Clones, although admittedly, that's just splitting hairs. 

[swimmyfish]

I didn't pay attention to much of this episode, but I suddenly got very suspicious when Max Rager noted that zombies will show signs of frequent tanning and hair dye. Because he looks awfully tan himself and his hair is immaculate.

I don't know if part of that us due to Steven Weber's own upkeep regimen, but was that maybe a clue that Max himself is a zombie? (Or is that something we're already supposed to know and I just missed it?)

[dcalley]

- Max Powers does not intrigue me at all.

Simpsons fan?

 

I didn't like the stuff tacked on at the end, after the CoTW was wrapped up. I felt like it was a bit rushed and didn't quite understand why Max Rager would want to off all the zombies, anyway. I think I checked out whenever Steven Weber was talking earlier in the episode. I recognized the dog guy from Veronica Mars.

[Chicago Redshirt]

As long as there are zombies around, someone might put the pieces of the puzzle together that people + Max Rager + tainted drugs = zombies.

 

If Max Rager's profits/worth/whatever went down 30 percent on the news that the company knew that some of its consumers would rage out and buried it, what would happen if that little equation above became public, and the company knew it was the case?

 

Of course, one would think that they would start by taking out Liv, who clearly has accused them of creating zombies, but Plot Armor.

[mjc570]

 

Liv's nasty mom and her dud brother Evan have been total pricks to Liv in the three months since the blast at Meat Cute filled Evan with shrapnel....[Liv's] understandably miserable! But, seriously, fuck these choads.

 

I could not disagree more.  Liv didn't give them any reason whatsoever why she couldn't even donate some blood for her seriously injured brother - he's been in the hospital for at least 3 months, so obviously he was close to death.  I would never forgive a family member or friend who refused to help, without them giving me at least some excuse (even if not a good one).  After all, its not like they were asking her to donate a kidney.

 

While on the whole I like this show because it is funny, smart and well-written, this is another example of ridiculous, unnecessary drama arising out of a simple failure to communicate, just like the whole Major thing.

 

  I didn't really like this particular episode, but I'm just so glad to see Ravi, Clive and BLaine back I can put up with it.

[dubbel zout]

I do like there is some blowback over her refusing to save her brother, but I do wonder why she didn't attempt to make-up some kind of disease to tell her mom and brother.  I know it would probably open up the door to a whole other set of problems, but it would have to be better then what is going on now.

 

I admire Liv for not trying to come up with a disease that would prevent her from giving blood. Her mom is a lawyer (right?), so I can see her doing all sorts of research and wondering why Liv isn't doing x, y, and z. The lie would snowball, and it might become harder to handle than saying nothing in the first place. Maybe Liv feels as if all she does is lie, so it might be something of a relief to let the chips fall where they may.

Edited October 7, 2015 by dubbel zout

[AudienceofOne]

I admire Liv for not trying to come up with a disease that would prevent her from giving blood

 

 

I mean, if she said she had AIDS or some other bloodborne illness then her family wouldn't understand why she wasn't getting treatment. They'd be monitoring her tests and confused why she wasn't managing it through drugs. I also intially thought "tell them you have AIDS" but then realised this was not a good long-term plan.

[Julia]

I was going to say. I would have said I got drunk and had unprotected sex in a pile of dirty needles. Embarrassing, but better than letting your family think you want them to die. She could have had Ravi do the fake blood tests.

[mjc570]

Not to beat this to death, I agree that Liv shouldn't tell her family she has AIDs or soemthing that would snowball.  Surely, there must e some less life-threatening reason why she couldn't give blood - after all, she's a doctor.

 

Just to be clear - I wasn't ncessarily stating that I thought Liv was right or wrong not to donate blood - what I really objected to was the harsh characterization ("total  pricks . . fuck these choads") when I thought their hurt and distress was absolutely reasonable, given what they know (or don't know). 

[Bort]

I thought Hepatitis would have been a good excuse to give. I think it's "C" that can stick with you for a long time or may not ever really go away. It excludes you from blood donation for sure.

[AudienceofOne]

Just to be clear - I wasn't ncessarily stating that I thought Liv was right or wrong not to donate blood - what I really objected to was the harsh characterization ("total  pricks . . fuck these choads") when I thought their hurt and distress was absolutely reasonable, given what they know (or don't know).

 

 

And I agree with that. Their hurt and confusion is completely understandable

[LoneHaranguer]

 

I have no idea if you're male or female, but just, try to imagine you're talking to a person of whatever the opposite sex is for you, and they salted into the conversation that the sex you belong to is essentially trash, but you're better than most. I have to think most people would find that offputting.

The statement as such says nothing about what proportion of the group in question (which Liv didn't specify)  is good or bad, and you've got good and bad in just about any you could pick (short of "Vatican residents" perhaps). I know I've seen the phrase used on TV before (don't recall what show) in a sincere manner, so I'm apparently not the only one unaware of a hidden meaning.

[Julia]

The statement as such says nothing about what proportion of the group in question (which Liv didn't specify)  is good or bad, and you've got good and bad in just about any you could pick (short of "Vatican residents" perhaps). I know I've seen the phrase used on TV before (don't recall what show) in a sincere manner, so I'm apparently not the only one unaware of a hidden meaning.

 

WADR, if bad white people are treated as outliers and good black people are treated as outliers, it suggests a value judgment. 

 

That said, I really don't want to argue the semantics. When a fictional character who we're told is racist says something which codes racist, I'm willing to oppress the fictional character by assuming that they're being racist. 

[BPOX]

 I'd find it hard to believe Clive would be able to just let it go. That's something that stays with a person. Deep down, he'll always assume she's a little racist.

I know Clive is supposed to not know what is going on, but he's seen her be not herself before. He always gives the personalities little looks. Approves of some, rolls his eyes at others and makes the best of it. I figure he doesn't know what's up, but I wouldn't be surprised if he assumes the personality changes are related to the visions.

 

I found Liv's "cranky old man routine" a little laboured, mostly because of the cliched dialogue. And for the first time, I really hoped that Clive would start to twig her personality changes on every case because the racism was a little hard to take under the circumstances.

This personality wasn't funny or fun to me at all. The procedural part was boring. It wasn't a good choice for the premier. You have to lay down all these plot threads which isn't that exciting until they start paying off. They needed a more fun single episode thing.

 

Am I the only one who doesn't buy that Major is actually killing people? It's pretty much got to be a fake out. I will be super disappointed if it is not.

[Cranberry]

The statement as such says nothing about what proportion of the group in question (which Liv didn't specify)  is good or bad, and you've got good and bad in just about any you could pick (short of "Vatican residents" perhaps). I know I've seen the phrase used on TV before (don't recall what show) in a sincere manner, so I'm apparently not the only one unaware of a hidden meaning.

 

It was a racist comment in an episode that contained several racist comments. You just have to Google "one of the good ones" along with the word "race" to see how often that exact phrase comes up in discussions about race.

[jaytee1812]

Please don't let this show be headed to a second season slump, but I'm this is the premiere I'm not optimistic.

Not keen on Racist Liv, it felt like we were meant to find the racism absurd, but a part of me thinks some writer put jokes like this in because they're passed they can't actually be racist on TV now.

Blaine is dull, dull, dull, as is Major. Actually the whole Max Rager thing. I couldn't care less. I want Liv, Clive and Ravi crime solving, everyone else can GTFO.

As I was reading this thread I thought of half a dozen reasons Liv couldn't give blood. It may be different in the US but the last time I tried to give blood I had a huge form to fill in and was turned down because I take painkillers regularly and my gums bleed.

[xyzzy]

I also like that the cure gives you zombie-sense and that Blaine has been hoarding Utopium (or as he probably thinks of it, creating demand.)

I just quoted this part, but the point out her being a doctor is also relevant to what I want to say.

 

Liv is ostensibly quite bright. It never occurred to her that she could use her extreme pallor and listlessness after being scratched to support her decision not to give blood? It's so obvious that the more dramatic and interesting route (mom and brother hate her) seems forced.

 

And, related: Smart Liv cures Blaine in the finale only to turn around in the premiere and essentially give him the means to create as many zombies as he likes (without being a zombie himself) by giving him a roadmap to zombie creation? By telling him that zombies were creating using this mysterious cutting agent, that's exactly what she did. How can she not *see* this?

 

It doesn't matter, really. This show is hilarious and I can look past plot holes, but dumb characters do get more annoying over time. What's shruggable today might be obnoxiously annoying 10 or 20 episodes from now.

[AllyB]

I know Clive is supposed to not know what is going on, but he's seen her be not herself before. He always gives the personalities little looks. Approves of some, rolls his eyes at others and makes the best of it. I figure he doesn't know what's up, but I wouldn't be surprised if he assumes the personality changes are related to the visions.

I can't ever understand why she doesn't just tell him this. When she does something weird because of the brains in her system and he is taken aback by it, she could say that in the process of attaining a vision she has to channel the spirit of the dead person and that can briefly alter her personality. If he buys that she is a psychic he's hardly going to nitpick about the process.

[CletusMusashi]

I feel like we missed a couple of episodes.Last season's ending was not one that should be followed by a jump forward in time. 

Major is way more interesting with Ravi than he is with Liv, so let's actually see his conversations with Ravi instead of extrapolating them.

Show us a little more argument with the mother, and with good writing the anger would feel more justified.

Let us actually see the new roomie move in, before any hint is given about Max Rager spying.

Also, did Peyton just fall off the edge of the earth? Is she still talking to anybody? Is she still going to work? If we're supposed to forgot about her for now, give us a hint.

[Izeinwinter]

Liv is just.. not a good liar. She's good at keeping a secret, but at this point I'm going to go ahead and call it characterization that she can't make up a convincing lie to save her life. 

[Conan Troutman]

Clyde never seems to pick up on Liv's personality changes. I hope he does start question it. I could see at first him just thinking she was a weirdo and those are the types that would work in the morgue, because's Ravi's kind of strange as well. But after working together this long, being a detective he should start to think something is up with her. 

 

I think Clive does pick up on her personality of the week. The show always makes the point of getting some kind of reaction shot from him whenever Liv is doing her weird thing. So he clearly knows something's up, and he's portrayed as quite a good cop - yes, he may need Liv's help on all of those cases, but most of them would be nigh unsolvable (at least as far as getting evidence or a confession is concerned) without her visions in the first place and he usually does a good job of putting things together. So I'm pretty sure he's either made up an explanation for himself or is working on one. I find it hard to believe that he hasn't picked up on how Liv's weekly weird behavior is eerily similar to that of the victim. So he's probably put two and two together and came to the conclusion that Liv has to somehow enter the mind of the victim when getting her visions and picking up some ticks in the process, as a byproduct of her "gift" or psychic powers, and that's pretty spot on (minus the brain eating part, of course) and would explain why he more or less shrugs her antics off.

 

At least that's my interpretation of him. I'm hoping for a scene where he asks Ravi about her strange behavior, which is kind of due at this point and could be quite fun.

 

 

Overall I thought it was a solid start for the new season, with some flaws but pretty fun. I do like grumpy, snarky Liv, but racist Liv was a bit much. The case worked well enough from a structural standpoint and at least they got some hard evidence in form of the shoes. Blaine is probably even more of a dick in human form, when he doesn't have the excuse of being a zombie, but also not any less fun. That's probably my biggest beef with the Max Rager guy, who's just evil, but not very interesting or entertaining right now. I do like his secretary though, looking forward to her moving in with Liv.

Edited October 9, 2015 by Conan Troutman

[Ruby25]

I binge watched the show over the summer and liked it, but I think the heavy procedural aspect of the case of the week stuff makes it much better for watching week to week (oddly enough, I think its lead-in, The Flash is better binged).

 

But I do wonder how it won't get tiring to see her inhabit a new personality every week for 22 or 23 episodes. I assume they'll drop the cases more as the serialized plot gets heavier in the second half or something, but I think this concept has its limitations for being able to sustain itself.