S02.E18: Dead Beat / S02.E19: Salivation Army

[ElectricBoogaloo]

SEASON FINALE!

Liv and Ravi are in need of help and find an unlikely ally in Blaine. Detective Babineaux and Dale Bozzio pursue a new lead on an old case. Meanwhile, when Major finds himself in a world of trouble, sleazebag Brant Stone comes to his rescue. Vaughn's evil side reaches a whole new level of mean.

Working together on a mission, Liv, Detective Babineaux and Major crash Vaughn's Super Max Rager party, where Rob Thomas performs a song from his solo career. Meanwhile, Blaine reaches out to Peyton for help, which does not sit well with Ravi.

 

Promo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQyjnmowhUE

Edited April 7, 2016 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Inside the episode:

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Clip:

[bettername2come]

They ate Rob Thomas!

[Mr. Sparkle]

DAMN!!! That's how you do a zombie cliffhanger ending!! I loved pretty much all 2 hours of that. 

[xqueenfrostine]

Holy crap tonight's episode(s) was so intense!  Wow, we need to have all plot, no murder of the week episodes more often.  They're amazing!   It was a really nice change of pace and it left the show with plenty of room to wrap up the big storylines for the season.  Were these two our first ever episodes where Liv wasn't on a case?  I can't remember if last season's finale had one or not.

 

I was so happy that Liv finally let Clive in on her zombie secret, but so sad that his intervention on Major's behalf came at the cost of his relationship with Dale.  I was equally sad to see that Drake had gone full Romero as a result of having tested the proto Zombie cure.  And then Liv had to kill him to save Clive!  And then the ending!  We could be looking at a zombie apocalypse next season!!

 

I was very amused by the Rob Thomas cameo since he shares a name with the show's creator.  Ravi had the funniest moment of the night though when he insisted Blaine should take him along to his confrontation with Mr. Boss because he has mad Call of Duty skillz.  Somehow I don't think video game experience stands in for real combat experience.  Especially not when Ravi proved earlier how shaken he could be after taking a life.  

 

The next five months of waiting for season 3 are going to be brutal!  

Edited April 13, 2016 by xqueenfrostine

[Primetimer]

And they didn't even need a barbed wire baseball bat!

Read the story

[tennisgurl]

THAT was a great cliffhanger! Take that Walking Dead! So much happened, so much was set up, while so much else was wrapped up, that was just awesome. 

 

I was scared Ravi was going to get offed like 5 times in this episode. Never scare me like that again, show!

 

Rob Thomas got eaten! Rob Thomas (the show runner) does love his Rob Thomas (the singer) jokes. 

[AConspiracy]

Very well done, show!

 

Ravi sure got knocked around a lot.

[Actionmage]

All I have right now, besides this, are sounds and cuss words. I enjoyed this two hour season ender, but ....o.O x 1M. I liked it and will try to be more coherent later. 

[swimmyfish]

That was so stressful, you guys! My heart hurts and I feel like I might throw up. I am very relieved we got through that with Clive and Ravi mostly unscathed.

My main question from the episode - is that the first time we've seen Clive's apartment? That was some gorgeous real estate. I'm glad he'll survive to enjoy it, but I am sorry to see Dale go.

Good as the finale was, I do wish that had been spread over 2 weeks. That was a lot to take all at once.

[dcalley]

 

(Vaughn Du Clark said that line, a Party Down reference.)

 

Wow, that was intense.

 

I am not sure that I like that GildaRita is dead. I don't understand why she was zombied out, attacking her dad in the elevator just like the too-far-gone zombies. Was it just her anger and hatred at her dad that made her do that?

 

I enjoyed those two hours but really don't know how I feel about the setup for next season. But I'll try to ignore that for now.

[Mr. Sparkle]

 I don't understand why she was zombied out, attacking her dad in the elevator just like the too-far-gone zombies. Was it just her anger and hatred at her dad that made her do that?

Yeah, I also missed that. Was it the gas? It didn't get it. 

[Gin and Tonic]

I enjoyed that quite a bit, but I kinda hate that Ravi was so divorced from the A plot in the second episode. And I'm not really into a Blaine/Ravi/Peyton triangle, if that's what that ending was supposed to be setting up.

 

Liv and Major caring about each other as friends is great. I love that he unhesitatingly comforted her over Drake. But I wish the show would stop killing off all the love interests I find more interesting than Major.

 

And yay! Clive knows!

Edited April 13, 2016 by Gin and Tonic

[Cthulhudrew]

Ravi smashing evil bodyguard guy in the head with a fire extinguisher has to be one of the greatest moments on this show.

[Julia]

 

(Vaughn Du Clark said that line, a Party Down reference.)

I'm pretty sure Carol Burnett said Are we having fun yet? in The Four Seasons, back in 1981.

Edited April 13, 2016 by Julia

[placate]

 I don't understand why she was zombied out, attacking her dad in the elevator just like the too-far-gone zombies. Was it just her anger and hatred at her dad that made her do that?

Could be a combination of poison gas/anger.  Blaine went full on zombie mode when someone stole his wallet, so getting hurt by the gas and being extremely pissed that your dad is trying to kill you could do that.

[chaifan]

So, is Viv a good zombie or a bad zombie? Is a zombie homeland a sanctuary, or a starting point for zombies taking over the world? Where do Clive & Ravi fit in in a zombie homeland? Will we get really confused with Liv and Viv sounding so much alike? Tune in next week (or 5 months from now), same zombie time, same zombie channel...

[dcalley]

I'm pretty sure Carol Burnett said Are we having fun yet? in The Four Seasons, back in 1981.

Party Down was another Rob Thomas show, so that's why I think the line was referencing it.

[xqueenfrostine]

Yeah, I also missed that. Was it the gas? It didn't get it. 

 

I don't think it was the gas.  Vaughn said earlier in the episode that the gas knocked zombies out cold, which is why he turned it on.  He was trying to knock Major out so he could safely kill him while he was incapacitated.  I assume Rita was raged out, and that was why she went after her father.  As someone else already noted, we've seen Blaine go into mindless zombie rage before.  Liv's done it too, come to think of it, at least once.  It happened in the pilot episode when she got into a confrontation with the first Murderer of the Week.  She nearly killed him and ate him until she heard Clive approaching. 

 

I enjoyed that quite a bit, but I kinda hate that Ravi was so divorced from the A plot in the second episode. And I'm not really into a Blaine/Ravi/Peyton triangle, if that's what that ending was supposed to be setting up.

 

 

I didn't mind the Blaine/Peyton/Ravi side plot, but will say that everything about the Mr. Boss storyline has felt pretty pointless.  I still can't figure out what purpose it's meant to serve in the overall plot of the show.

Edited April 13, 2016 by xqueenfrostine

[regardez]

Wow that episode was so well done. I just don't know how next season will work.

 

I totally saw that Viv thing coming. Although I wished it was Dale who somehow figured things out and came to save her boo. I knew Viv was a zombie and was up to no good the minute her character was recognized. Hopefully LIv will due the smart double-agent thing. I am pretty sure she wants Zombie's to take over the world. 

 

I'm kinda sad Rita is dead. I wanted her to come to the good side.

 

I kinda like that the Mr. Boss subplot isn't related to the zombie things (that we know of yet). Except for the weird combination of the cut utopium and MaxRagger turning people into zombies. 

 

I love this show! How do we get more people to watch it?!

 

Oh and what was Vaughn du Clarke's original goal for the party? Did he know that Liv and Major would try to crash it?

Edited April 13, 2016 by regardez

[Cranberry]

Wow, they really thinned out the cast, didn't they? Chief is dead, Drake is dead, Janko is dead, Rita is dead (I'm disappointed about that one), Vaughn is dead, and Bozzio left (disappointed about that one, too). I'm going to miss Vaughn's over-the-top villainy, but I think new zombie boss Vivian has promise.

 

Not super interested in a Ravi/Peyton/Blaine triangle. I wonder if Blaine will ever get his memories back. He probably will once Peyton is in love with him, which... snore. I hope the show proves me wrong on that. They did go a different direction tonight than I expected (I thought they'd thaw and cure all the frozen zombies, who would lose their memories and not be able to turn Major in), which is good.

 

It was about time that Clive found out. He took it a lot better than I expected. He was pretty badass when he planned to put a bullet in his own head rather than let a zombie eat him or even let Liv scratch him!

 

Speaking of badass, I literally cheered when Ravi hit Janko in the head with the fire extinguisher.

 

I liked that everyone in the cast got to help out this week, even Peyton with seducing Ken Marino's character (I laughed when he ate the protein bar). It was great to see him. I'm always happy when he pops up on a show (usually playing a sleazeball, poor guy... but he's so good at it.)

 

I hope that Natalie's still alive. I liked her, and I think she'd be a good love interest for Major. She doesn't have to worry about Blaine now that he's lost his memories.

 

Rob Thomas the singer is a good sport, apparently, letting Rob Thomas the writer kill him!

 

I'd actually be interested in seeing a world where everyone knows about zombies and there are anti-zombie protests and different camps of zombies (human-hating vs. those who want to co-exist) and stuff... kind of like how everyone knew about mutants in X-Men and everyone knew about vampires in True Blood. I expect the show will get there eventually.

[Cthulhudrew]

Wow. That was a pretty intense two hours. A lot of unexpected things, sad to see Drake go like that. I think it would have been nice to see him and Liv together now that she knew his secret. 

 

Also sad to see Vaughn and Rita go; I thought they'd at least let Rita "live". They're going to need some new villains next season. Mr Boss is interesting, but he seems like he might be a little too easy to defang now. I imagine Vivian Stow will be the nemesis going forward. 

 

Glad that Clive got let in on the secret, and man does Malcolm Goodwin do a good job. Both he and Robert Buckley turned out to be so surprisingly good in their roles; in the pilot, I felt them both to be pretty flat as performers, and they showed me otherwise over the past two seasons. All the talent is good on this show; even David Anders- who I've loved to hate since Alias- is able to make the despicable Blaine somewhat charming.

 

The big question is: where's Natalie? I imagine they couldn't get the actress back, but were they suggesting that she was a victim of one of the early experimental cures, or did she get roped into sex trafficking again? I hope they don't just let that thread dangle; the character (and actress) was unexpectedly endearing in such a relatively small role, and she and Major had some chemistry. I hope she makes a return.

[Lady Calypso]

Well, that was an epic two hours. The second hour more so, and I loved every minute of it. So action packed and really closed doors and opened more. 

 

The first half was really just to wrap up all the major loose ends, like the Chaos Killer stuff, Dale, and it set up the second episode. I was happy with the way it turned out. It could have been a lot worse for Major. 

 

I'm so sad Rita's gone. I was hoping that they'd at least try to talk down zombie mode!Rita, but I can also understand why they didn't. Too bad; they could have used another shady zombie on their side. She probably would have come through for them, and we don't see enough female zombies. But Vaughn's finally gone. I thought I wanted Major to scratch him, but becoming zombie food was very satisfying.

 

So, Clive finally knows. I realize it had to go down that way, and I'm happy that he knows. Now nobody from the main cast is left out on the secret. I'm pleased with it, and I loved the trio of Major, Clive and Liv fighting the zombies. 

 

So, they got rid of a bunch of characters, Drake included. I almost expected the show to let him live and have Liv find him in time, but this was a nice surprise as well. Plus, he went out a hero with at least biding the others time. Also, Natalie's so alive. The question just becomes where is she and what happened to her? 

 

I can't even imagine how the third season is going to go. All I know is that there will be a lot more zombies, and I LOVE that the next antagonist is a woman. Fight the power, new zombie chick. 

Also, favourite line of the finale (at least the second half)?

 

"Hereeeeeeeeeee's MAJOR!". Epic, and a perfectly delivered line from Robert Buckley. 

[xqueenfrostine]

Just read the recap for the episode and wanted to reply on a point:

 

Liv and Ravi go to Major's storage unit to defrost one of the zombies -- after all, if one of the victims appears, there goes Dale's case. But they're all gone! Apparently, they were scooped up by Max Rager, which knew all along that Major was just freezing people? (Better not to ask too many questions about that part, it doesn't hold up in daylight.)

 

This was something that was established at the end of last week's episode.  I don't think Max Rager knew all along that Major was freezing his victims instead of killing them, I think they just found out recently.   At the end of last week's episode, right before the FBI nabbed Major, we saw Janko whisper to Vaughn that they had found Major's storage unit.  Vaughn then said to Major that instead of working out that day, they were all going to take a trip to Tacoma instead.  I took this to mean that Janko had been checking up on Major to make sure he was really carrying out his Chaos Killer duties and found Major's storage unit either by following him or by some other means (tracking his purchases maybe? they found zombies that way).  

 

 

The big question is: where's Natalie? I imagine they couldn't get the actress back, but were they suggesting that she was a victim of one of the early experimental cures, or did she get roped into sex trafficking again? I hope they don't just let that thread dangle; the character (and actress) was unexpectedly endearing in such a relatively small role, and she and Major had some chemistry. I hope she makes a return.

 

I assumed that this meant Natalie's dead.  I know no body often means someone's not dead but that makes more sense to me that they just decided not to get the actress back than her being alive does.  After all, I feel like if Vaughn was in the zombie sex-trafficking business that that would have been something they would have established while he was still alive.  

Edited April 13, 2016 by xqueenfrostine

[dcalley]

...Ken Marino's character (I laughed when he ate the protein bar).

Did he say his shiba inu ate it? I guess he wasn't concerned about the choco bar having much chocolate in it.

[Cranberry]

You're right, he did say that! I just checked. Would have been funnier if he'd eaten it.

[twoods]

Gah I don't think I can sleep now. So many deaths, and some I'm pretty bummed about. Would have loved seeing Rita being a good zombie, and screw the writers for killing another good love interest for Liv. Couldn't she have been happy with cop Drake for a while?

I was afraid that Ravi or Clive would turn into a zombie. Love that Clive knows about the secret. Him being involved in the zombie stuff makes the show so much better. I hope Dale comes back next season.

I'm liking the new baddie already. Not liking the triangle. Poor Ravi.

[GaT]

Wow, that was a completely different episode for this show. I'm glad Clive finally knows, sad that Drake is dead, & also glad that the Max Rage plot is finally (I hope) done. I really don't know how I feel about what the new story is going to be though, it feels a little "Fear the Walking Dead" ish & that doesn't make me happy. I still want Ravi & Liv & Clive solving crimes with help from brains.

[possibilities]

Having Liv shoot Drake was probably supposed to be amends for her failing to shoot Blaine earlier this season when she was on sharpshooter brain and he wound up killing Lowell.

[thuganomics85]

I still can't believe the show killed Rob Thomas!  And then did the "This is how a skull breaks" line and had that one military guy actually singing "Unwell", after chowing down on delicious Rob Thomas brains!  Might be one of my new favorite celebrity cameos ever!

 

So, man, a lot to take in.  I might have more to say later, but for now, with a few minor exceptions, I loved these two episodes, and after the spectacular disaster of another recent finale a few days ago (hint: Mr. Boss actually mentions it in this episode!), I'm glad to have a finale that is mainly great, and I'm actually looking forward to seeing where it goes.  So, that might be a bit of a low bar that I'm setting, but I really needed this.  So, thank you, iZombie!

 

First thing first is that I'm thrilled that Clive finally knows about the whole zombie thing.  It already felt like it was getting close tiring, so this is a much needed change. And judging from tonight's episodes, I don't see it making him and Liv together any less entertaining.  Even knowing she's a zombie, I can still seem them working cases together, and him being weirded out whenever she does one her weird things, when on another person's brains.  Plus, this should be able to open him up to interacting with the rest of the cast better too, which is great, because sometimes it felt like he was on the outside looking in.  I am so looking forward to seeing where this goes.

 

It is too bad that him finding out and helping Major, ended up pushing Dale away.  I really enjoyed her and Jessica Harmon's performance, and I will miss her.  At least she's still alive and Clive was still trying to call her, but there is always a chance she'll return hopefully.

 

Unlike, say, Vaughn Du Clarke and Rita.  I figured they were heading towards Vaughn being brought down by Rita and Major, but I loved how they made him go full-blown maniacal villain before then, and made it even more beautiful to watch.  I will miss Steven Weber though, because he was so much fun in this.  I'm still laughing over some of his line or his hilarious dancing.  Fare thee well, Vaughn.  You were a dick, but you were a blast to watch.  Am a bit disappointed Rita is gone though. I kind of thought she was getting more interesting as a zombie, and I was curious to see where she would be heading next.  But I guess it was death.

 

Oh, Chief and Don E.  You were so not cut out for this.  But I doubt Don E is dead, since we didn't see the body.

 

A lot of great zombie action in this one.  Was way more intense then I was expecting.

 

Only thing I really wasn't wild about was Ravi, Blaine, and Peyton being separated from everyone else in the second part, and them clearly setting up a love triangle between the three.  Lame.  Especially since I suspect that it's going to end with Blaine getting his memories back somehow, and going back to his asshole self, making Peyton feel like a fool.  Just not interested in that.  Plus, even though I like Peyton, I actually enjoy Blaine and Ravi more when they're the ones interacting.

 

Ken Marino!  Between this and Agent Carter, I'm all for him appearing on all of my shows, because he can make them all better!  Him being a defense attorney hopefully means the door is open for his character to pop back up. 

 

Looking forward to more of this Vic character and her group who apparently wants to create a new order with NonFeral Zombies.  Oh, and their group was called "Fillmore Graves", which makes me laugh harder then I should.  Oh, show!

 

I do wonder about the whole Natalie thing.  I know Major thinks she was one of the victims, but I wouldn't be surprised if something else is up. I noticed we didn't see Blaine's dad either.  It's possible he was one of the earlier subjects, and they just couldn't get Robert Knepper back, but maybe a select few were taken elsewhere for mysterious reasons.

 

Well, it wasn't perfect television, but I had a blast this season.  It's nice to have one show that isn't letting me down.  I'm really loving these characters and the cast is becoming one of my favorites.  Obviously think Rose McIver is the best, but Malcolm Goodwin, David Anders, Rahul Kohli (my person MVP), and even Robert Buckley really impressed me this season.  And, of course, the side characters are some of the best on television too.  Can't wait to see more of them.

 

Until then, it's sadly time to bust out my Matchbox 20 CDs, and poor one out for our dearly, departed Rob Thomas.  You died too young, man!

Edited April 13, 2016 by thuganomics85

[possibilities]

I doubt Don E is dead, since we didn't see the body.

Don E is certainly alive; he's a zombie and was not shot in the head.

[Minneapple]

Fun, fun episodes. Rob Thomas! Vaughn du Clark dancing to Rob Thomas music! Dead Rob Thomas getting his brains eaten and the zombie singing Unwell!

Yay, Clive knows. I was really worried that they'd turn him into a zombie so I'm glad he's still human. I hope they bring Bozzio back, though. I liked her.

I'm also glad Vaughn is dead. As much as I enjoyed Steven Weber in the role and as much as he seemed to enjoy himself, it was beyond time for the character to die. I was a bit disappointed to see Rita die, though. I was sort of hoping she'd become a good zombie.

Aw, man. They killed Drake. Sobs. They keep writing great love interests for Liv and then killing them off! I know, Liv/Major is probably endgame. But I've loved both Drake and Lowell.

So there was all that and then there was Peyton/Ravi/Blaine, stuck in a ... love triangle. Snooze. I was hoping they'd tie the plots together but nope. What a waste. About the only disappointing part of the episode.

[Brian Cronin]

 

Don E is certainly alive; he's a zombie and was not shot in the head.

 

Yeah, not only is Don E alive, but he tricked the bad guy into specifically not shooting him in the head by begging him to shoot him in the head and not giving him a painful death and then insulting the guy to the point where the guy wanted said death for him. Clever stuff. 

Edited April 13, 2016 by Brian Cronin

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Daaaaaaaaaamn! A lot of shit hit a lot of fans tonight!

 

First and foremost, I am glad that Clive finally knows. I will be interested to see his reaction next season after he's had some time to breathe digest all that information. I mean, he took it pretty well in the finale but there was so much going on that I don't think he had much time to process everything fully. I would be okay with Clive having some issues with Liv as a result of finally learning the truth because it would be understandable.

 

Near the end of the episode when he said he had to call in what happened even though he had no idea how he would explain it, I was thinking about Principal Snyder on BtVS and the various excuses he and the Sunnydale police used to explain all the crazy things that happened. I loved that even when Clive was trapped in the garage, he was ready to use the last bullet on himself so he wouldn't turn into a zombie.

 

Even though I was sad to see that Liv's secret destroyed Clive's relationship with Dale, I was also glad to see that he kept Liv's secret instead of telling Dale.

 

I was so afraid that Clive or Ravi would be killed or scratched. Ravi clocking Janko in the head with the fire extinguisher was the best moment. I totally cheered.

 

I would like to believe that there won't be a Ravi/Peyton/Blaine triangle next season (please, Rob Thomas!) because it's not necessary. I think that Blaine hugging her was just him being a kind person who was trying to comfort someone who had been kidnapped because of him. But I did appreciate Ravi and Blaine being forced to team up. As much as I love Ravi when he's with Major or Liv, it was nice to see a new dynamic.

 

It sucks that Liv had to shoot Drake but to be honest, while they were fighting all I could think was, "What are you waiting for, Liv?!" I'm going to give her the benefit of the doubt and assume that they were rolling around too much for her to get a clear shot at first.

 

Speaking of which, sorry, Ravi - playing video games does not mean you will be good with firearms. You can talk about Call of Duty all you want, but walking into Mr. Boss's office with the gun in one hand made it really obvious that he had no idea what he was doing. It's a good thing he didn't have to actually pull the trigger.

 

But back to Liv and Drake. I'm sad about Drake's death for several reasons. He was a nice guy and his mom is going to be devastated. I wish that Liv had been able to tell him that she knew the truth about him before he died. And I'm sure she is going to be traumatized by what she had to do (I'm glad that Major told her that Drake was gone before she shot him). To be honest, though, it's hard for me to get too worked up over someone killing their significant other on a tv show because they always pale in comparison to Buffy killing Angel to save the world.

 

They really cleared out a significant portion of the secondary cast members, but I'm fine with it. As much as I enjoyed Steven Weber's hilariously douchiness as Vaughn, it's time for a new big bad (and Mr. Boss wasn't doing it for me). I would have been okay with Rita sticking around and being one of those grey characters who no one liked but was still occasionally useful, but I'm not upset about her death either. At least she got revenge on her asshat of a father before dying. RIP Chief! I was cracking up when Don E. said that now things would be like Ken Adams Civil War music. Ha! Don E. is such a little weasel that I'm sure he's still out there.

 

Hahaha, totally loved one of the Fillmore Graves guys singing "Unwell" after they shared his brain. I have never been a fan of matchbox 20 or Rob Thomas's music, but he has always been a good sport about sharing the same name with Rob Thomas the writer. I remember they bonded over it during Veronica Mars, so it was fun to see him so game. I loved seeing Vinnie Van Lowe again too. He has been working like crazy lately. In the past month or so I've seen him on Agent Carter, Vinyl, House of Lies, and Fresh Off the Boat. It was nice to see him play someone who was slightly less sleazy than usual.

 

I'm not sure how viable Vivian's plan is. If there are too many zombies, then there will be more competition for brains. That doesn't seem sustainable in the long run. Ooh, unless they're going to start breeding humans for food. Ewwwww!

[Brian Cronin]

The thing that I liked the best about the episode is that it blew up the show's premise by talking about taking the zombie thing to greater heights, but at the same time, they did it in such a way that the show really doesn't have to change THAT much, as obviously Vivian's plans will be slowly implemented, giving Liv and her pals time to stop her. Clive knowing really won't change their working arrangement all that much either. It's a brilliant example of the illusion of change.

 

Speaking of Vivian, I'm pumped about her being on the show as I'm a big Andrea Savage fan. Everyone has to go watch the film Sleeping With Other People just for her and Jason Mantzoukas. Heck, you can even skip the entire movie and just watch them riff in the closing credits. It's worth the rental fee just for that. He's an improv legend and she more than hangs with him. Stunning comedy work. 

[Ruby25]

I love this show! Great finale, so much fun.

 

Why did they have to kill Drake though? I really liked him, and I WAY prefer him and Liv to anybody else she's dated. Plus, I really don't want to see her and Major get back together, I actually like Major much more when he's NOT with Liv.

 

Sad to see Rita go too, actually. I was hoping she could stick around as a reformed zombie or something. Steven Weber was fantastic on this show, but I guess he did have to go, but at least he had a blast with this role. Great last scene too, one of my favorite Major moments on the show.

 

I'm happy Clive knows and is okay with it. I really thought they were going to have him freak out about this more when he finally found out. But I do love him and Liv's friendship, so I hope this doesn't change much about them as a duo. Although, these episodes tonight were so good that it makes me think they could probably do less cases of the week overall, and with Clive in on the secret that's a lot more possible now.

 

I'm glad Blaine seems to be getting his personality back, if not his memories yet. I'm sure they'll come eventually, just in time to sink him and Peyton. I have to agree that he and Ravi are actually the more entertaining pair of that triangle though. I laughed out loud when he said he was considering using him as a human shield. Mostly, I think Peyton is just a fairly dull character and sorry, but I really don't think she and Ravi have any chemistry, so I'm not invested in that relationship at all. Whatever happens with Blaine might be more interesting, just because of the shady stuff he's involved in.

 

I can't wait til next season!

[Skyfall]

Wow, that was a completely different episode for this show. I'm glad Clive finally knows, sad that Drake is dead, & also glad that the Max Rage plot is finally (I hope) done. I really don't know how I feel about what the new story is going to be though, it feels a little "Fear the Walking Dead" ish & that doesn't make me happy. I still want Ravi & Liv & Clive solving crimes with help from brains.

No no, Containment is the TWD/FTWD/UTD CW ripoff!

[maxineofarc]

Well, that was quite a ride. I thought they tied up a bunch of loose ends a little too abruptly for my taste (Drake, Du Clark, Gildarita) and didn't care for splitting the gang in the second episode, because I don't care about Peyton's romance plot and I'm still not sure where they think they're going with this Blaine thing. I am glad Clive chose not to take the zombie route, if only because two zombies in the hero squad is my personal maximum- having him zommed wouldn't add anything new. I will miss Gildarita, though; her dialogue was terrific and the actress was perfectly made of disgust and hatred. Poor girl still clinging to to the hope that her father gave a crap about her right up to the end.

Things I'm looking forward to next season!

- Vivian seemed to know all about Max Rager's zombie connection. Or was she just planning to buy the company to... give Supermax to existing zombies and hope something happened?

- How exactly is a "zombie homeland" supposed to work, Viv? Seems to me like sort of a vampire problem: what exactly are the homeland zombies supposed to eat? And even more of a problem than the vampire analogue actually because removing a brain does have the side effect of fatality.

- Don E.'s banjo.

- Ravi. Just more Ravi, thanks. All the Ravi.

Things I'm not looking forward to!

- Anything involving Mr. Boss. He's creepy but that subplot is kind of getting in the way, and will continue to do so now that things are escalating.

- A potential Peyton love triangle. With her Boss plot gone, Peyton currently doesn't have a function to the plot. I like her and I hope she gets something more to do than "WHICH BOY WILL SHE TAKE TO THE PROM."

Things about which I am uncertain!

- Bl.....aine? I like David Anders a lot, I'm glad that he's got a steady gig, and I'm glad that cured Blaine still hasn't exactly turned nice- he wants to help (maybe this is just engendered by believing he's a powerless underling) but he also still wants to use Ravi as a human shield. But seriously, where are they going with this?

[swimmyfish]

The big question is: where's Natalie? I imagine they couldn't get the actress back, but were they suggesting that she was a victim of one of the early experimental cures, or did she get roped into sex trafficking again? I hope they don't just let that thread dangle; the character (and actress) was unexpectedly endearing in such a relatively small role, and she and Major had some chemistry. I hope she makes a return.

 

I do wonder about the whole Natalie thing.  I know Major thinks she was one of the victims, but I wouldn't be surprised if something else is up. I noticed we didn't see Blaine's dad either.  It's possible he was one of the earlier subjects, and they just couldn't get Robert Knepper back, but maybe a select few were taken elsewhere for mysterious reasons.

 

I think Blaine asking about Natalie was to set up her eventual return next season. One of the other unfrozen zombies did state he'd seen her; since that whole crew had a view of the zombies who'd been used to test Max Rager's cure, I imagine he would have mentioned that she went full Z if she'd been a test subject. And, while I do hope we see Natalie again, I agree that it was probably also helped cover Robert Knepper's absence from the episode as well.

 

I also really liked how all the unfrozen zombies recognized Major and were starting to put it together that he'd kidnapped them. I hope that gets picked up next season - it felt like it got dropped a little quickly.

 

Another point the episode distracted from is the precarious position Major is in. Since he's reverted to zombie, we know it's only a matter of time before he, like New Hope, deteriorates into full Romero-esque zombie. So, even though he's out of prison, he's still in exactly the same place of having to choose between losing his memory or losing his life. 

Edited April 13, 2016 by swimmyfish

[FurryFury]

Holy freaking shit! They've done it! Fuck you, status quo! Woohoo!

 

Too bad Major didn't take the cure willingly. I waited for it the whole damn episode. I really felt like the narrative supported it. I mean, Vaughn even taunted him about his part in everything, and then Natalie turned out to be dead. I just still don't care about this character. Although the "Here's Major" thing was hysterical.

 

The other thing I was disappointed in was Blaine's whole shtick. Bring him back, show! He used to be so fun! 

 

Also, not very great use of Ravi. 

 

But everything else, wow, terrific. Almost makes up for the overall lackluster season. I mean, Ken Marino in an obligatory sleazy role! (I love Ken Marino!) CLIVE! Clive was just awesome... other than dumping Bozzio because reasons :( The "Majored in Art History" off-hand joke! (Off-hand jokes are the best!) Full-on Resident Evil action (the games, not the movies, ugh) with axes and aiming for the head! And the ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE! Yes!

 

I'm so excited for the next season! I hope we won't get back to the cases of the week because I'm just about done with it. I so love it when shows change their formula!

 

To be honest, though, it's hard for me to get too worked up over someone killing their significant other on a tv show because they always pale in comparison to Buffy killing Angel to save the world.

 

Oh yeah, I'm with you - it will always be my favorite moment of TV ever. That said, Clarke killing Finn last year on The 100 was somewhat close, mostly because I feel like they were specifically paralleling it. Drake, OTOH, wasn't much of a character. Lowell's death hit me harder last year - they had better chemistry and I already knew that actor.

Edited April 13, 2016 by FurryFury

[xqueenfrostine]

Looking forward to more of this Vic character and her group who apparently wants to create a new order with NonFeral Zombies.  Oh, and their group was called "Fillmore Graves", which makes me laugh harder then I should.  Oh, show!

 

This show is great with its pun-y business names.  I thought Meat Cute was an adorable name for a butcher shop, and the "Shady Plots" name for Blaine's funeral home worked great on 2 levels since Blaine always has some sort of nefarious scam/plotline running.

 

 

 CLIVE! Clive was just awesome... other than dumping Bozzio because reasons :

 

I think it was the other way around.  Clive didn't dump Bozzio, she dumped him for torpedoing her case.  Clive clearly didn't want the relationship to end, but there wasn't a way to spring Major from jail without killing both of their cases against him.  And while he could have tried to explain himself to her about why he did it, there was no way for him to have that conversation without coming off completely crazy.  Without Liv there, there's no way Dale would have bought that Clive's actions were necessary to avoid a zombie crisis at the jail.

[libraryone]

 

I didn't mind the Blaine/Peyton/Ravi side plot, but will say that everything about the Mr. Boss storyline has felt pretty pointless.  I still can't figure out what purpose it's meant to serve in the overall plot of the show.

 

I wonder if they are setting up Mr. Boss as the counterpoint to Viv's plans. He said something like "I own this town," while she wants to make it the capital of Zombie Nation. So, you have murderous thugs up against potentially murderous zombies in that scenario. (I'm assuming that zombies will still be on the QT for a while, that Viv isn't ready to make her move yet, and Liv and Team Z won't want to go to the authorities themselves.)

 

And you could do a lot with Liv and the rest becoming reluctant allies with Mr. Boss in order to take down Viv. I don't think the opposite would happen, since I can't ever see Liv getting onboard with a plan to embrace being a zombie.

[Bruinsfan]

Am I the only one who thinks that if someone will angrily dump you over professional conflicts, the relationship isn't that big of a loss? Clive'll probably be better off dating someone he's not partnered with on the job.

[FurryFury]

It's not just professional conflicts - he used the insider info to destroy her case. It was kind of personal. I'm not blaming her at all, even if I do get Clive' POV.

[dubbel zout]

I figured they were heading towards Vaughn being brought down by Rita and Major, but I loved how they made him go full-blown maniacal villain before then, and made it even more beautiful to watch.  I will miss Steven Weber though, because he was so much fun in this.  I'm still laughing over some of his line or his hilarious dancing.  Fare thee well, Vaughn.  You were a dick, but you were a blast to watch.

 

I know. He was so much fun to watch, and it was obvious Weber was having just as much fun in the role. But I get why they got rid of him.

 

a Ravi/Peyton/Blaine triangle

 

Ugh. Just because Blaine is now a woobie doesn't erase the terrible things he did in the past. Run away, Peyton. You in danger, girl. Stick with the lovely doctor.

 

Am I the only one who thinks that if someone will angrily dump you over professional conflicts, the relationship isn't that big of a loss? Clive'll probably be better off dating someone he's not partnered with on the job.

 

That sort of conflict is one reason dating a co-worker is problematic, but I don't think Dale was wrong to dump Clive. He completely wrecked her case, and he probably got her in trouble with her superior. It was a pretty big torpedoing.

[Zipper]

Wow.  WOW!  What a great season finale.  I am 100% on board for killing off Vaughn and Rita, given the set-up for next season.  A battle royal for Seattle between Zombie Central and everyone else?  Love it.  I can even see them bringing Dale back if Clive decides to let her in on the stakes.  Little sad about Drake, but not for the loss of him (liked him find, didn't love him as a character or as Liv's BF),  for the consequences to Liv and her love life.  I will say that Major has really grown on me, and if Liv/Major is an endgame I might be more comfortable with that now than any time before.

 

I'm with those who don't necessarily see a triangle with Ravi, Peyton, and Blaine.  She was kidnapped, threatened with death, and in the middle of a gun fight.  Who wouldn't throw their arms around the person who saved you?  Maybe they will go there, but that seems a little trite for this show. 

 

I have a lot of faith in Rob Thomas and Diane Ruggiero, and I think they are absolutely up to the task of taking the zombie threat to a larger scale without losing the charm of this show.  And the new woman, Viv, seems like a fantastic set-up for a Big Bad.  Sooo excited for Season 3.

[xqueenfrostine]

It's not just professional conflicts - he used the insider info to destroy her case. It was kind of personal. I'm not blaming her at all, even if I do get Clive' POV.

Agreed. And it would have been bad enough if Clive had just told the judge and/or the DA about Dale's witness problem and that some of their evidence might have have been tampered with, but Clive also leaked that knowledge to Major's defense attorney. The former could be written off as Clive doing his job in making sure their case against Major was clean, but tipping off the defense attorney would be seen as grossly unprofessional is any context. Add that to the fact that Clive did this completely behind Dale's back without giving her a head's up, then no I don't think Dale was wrong at all to see this as a personal betrayal. It *was* a personal betrayal. Clive having the best reasons for torching their cases against Major doesn't change that.

[sacrebleu]

I imagine Viv's zombie takeover will be very similar to Blaine's but much larger in scale. I mean, if she has her trained military commandos scratching senators and congressmen-- and trading brains for votes-- than there really is no limit to what she can do with federal funding behind her company. (sorry, policy wonk here)

 

My one quibble is "full-on zombie mode" is supposedly brought on by extreme stress/adrenaline. It's the reason Lowell stopped performing-- I'm wondering why we didn't see Liv or Blaine, or Major go full-Romero the lock-in and the shootout were pretty stressful situations. Except when Liv told Clive and she brought it on, and was able to control it.  

 

But I thought the finale was amazing-- real game changer. 

[RachelKM]

These final episodes were so much fun.  Like many above, I'm saddened by Drake's death.  I was not as attached to him as I was Lowell, so it didn't hit me as hard; but it was still sad.  I would really like the show to stop killing all of Liv's non-Major love interests.  It's too sad.

 

Speaking of Major, I loved him tonight.  I've always liked him more than most on this board, but I really enjoyed him this season and I think integrating him more was necessary and good.  He and Ravi are my second favorite Ravi pairing (side note, most of my favorite character pairings involve Ravi, though I do also love Liv and Clive).  And Major's face and delivery of "What's up?"  when he and Liv walked in on Peyton and Ravi was delightful.  And his scenes at the end with Vaughn du Clark were great.  I still like him best not in a relationship with Liv. (I actually enjoy their chemistry and enjoy them as friends who still sort of have feelings; but somehow as an actual couple, I like both of them less).  

 

I'm sad about Dale, both her likely reassignment (to offscreen land) and for her relationship with Clive.  I totally get what Clive torpedoing her case they'd worked on together for a season was a big deal and his total lack of explanation had to just make it worse.  Maybe she'll be reassigned to something that will bring her back next season.  I'd like to see her again at least.  

 

I will miss Steven Webber and his gleeful douchery,  but I agree with others that he'd run his course.  It was a completely fitting end.  I will miss Rita too, but I don't really see how she would fit in without Vaughn tying her to the group as even a frienemy.  What reason would she have to work with or against them? Outside of Max Rager, she didn't have any specialized contacts or knowledge we were aware of.  At most she would be helpful in infiltrating the facility if taken over by the Zombligarchy. That would be sort of a one off.

 

I was legit surprised by the end, even though I knew "Filmore  Graves" had to be at least a little shady.  And yet, still, I thought it had something to do with the military angle.  I'm actually glad it didn't since that joke would have an anti-military bent that goes a bit further than I'm comfortable with on analysis.  I loved Viv and her guns ... you know, until she was sort of evil... and I loved the guy playing Unwell after eating Rob Thomas brain. 

Edited April 14, 2016 by RachelKM