S03.E07: Dirt Nap Time

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

When Liv and Clive work together to solve the murder of a very charming, but womanizing, preschool teacher, things get interesting when they bring his jealous girlfriend Piper in for questioning. Meanwhile, Peyton is assigned a very interesting case. Lastly, Blaine finds himself in a bad situation.

Promo:

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Inside the episode:

 

Clip:

[Lady Calypso]

Aww, no! I'll admit, I got a little sad at the Justin/Liv scene, not because they don't have chemistry and aren't cute together, but because I'm really rooting for Liv/Major and don't want a second love triangle this season. Justin's too good of a guy, so it's hard to hate him when he's been pretty good all around. 

I just tuned out anything Peyton related. I tuned out some of Blaine's stuff until he got shot. I also enjoyed Liv punching him. I guess we're supposed to buy that he's not the same guy as he was as a zombie. At the very least, I think he's supposed to be in the grey area, rather than totally evil.

So, I was super annoyed by Teacher Liv. I was totally with Clive when she started interjecting with baby talk during the first interrogation with Shenae Grimes. 

[jewel21]

I hope Blaine makes it. I really like him as a grey character.

I legit laughed out loud, and then rewound the scene, where the husband finds out his wife is cheating and breaks into wracking sobs. Followed by Liv pulling out the sock puppet only to have Clive reach his arm out and put her hand back under the table, haha. Best part of the episode for me.

Also, how does Major think he can still be part of that team if he's no longer a zombie?

[emcmac87]

So I didn't watch this live, and I'm really hoping I got cut off and missed something. Did they really just have the 2 confronting gun range guy and friend? And they got away with that video? That just seems like crazy bad military planning. Also from the video? I would claim werewolf lol

Yay for Justin not being a bad guy and helping Major. I was really hoping for him to be a good guy. 

Blaine....you should know better, ur losing your edge. 

[Lady Calypso]

14 minutes ago, emcmac87 said:

Also from the video? I would claim werewolf lol

I'd probably claim some new drug and that the red eyes are just a side effect, along with the snarling and jumping onto the car (adrenaline). Which I imagine is what they might try to use as an excuse. I mean, drugs sound a lot more plausible than zombie!

[vavera4ka]

So... Liv is gonna have another love interest killed. There's no way Justin survives the end of the season lol

Or. Will they find the cure at the last moment and the zombie haters will check his heart rate and it will be healthy 65 BPM? lol

Just when Blaine has a glimmer of being interesting again they shoot him? Granted, David Anders off the show (for now enough other interesting characters) won't make me turn off the channel, but I'd be really mad. I need my DA fix. Come on show! Also, give Blaine his balls back. I want snark and cheek and wit back!

 

brain was meh... that was the first one i didn't enjoy... i think ever. too annoying and at moments creepy. bad creepy.

Edited May 17, 2017 by vavera4ka

[thuganomics85]

"It is sort of like being the drummer for Spinal Tap."  Damn, I feel awful for laughing as hard as I did for that line.  It is true that Liv's boyfriends tend to not last very long (she and Caitlin from The Flash have a lot in common.)  I hope Justin avoids that fate, because I really like the fellow.

Liv on "extreme teacher" brain was better then last weeks, but it was Clive's reactions that really sold it.  It's funny that I remember reading that there was some concern from the producers that Clive being in the know could mess that dynamic up, but I still think it actually makes it better, if anything.  Malcolm Goodwin continues to be the MVP of the season.

The actual case was fun, but I called the husband who claimed they had an "open marriage", as soon as I saw him, because he sounded like he was hiding something.

Peyton's stuff wasn't that interesting, but I guess it's going to lead somewhere big.  But she and Ravi are back to being civl with one another!

Blaine still doesn't seem to be the same person, and even got himself taken out of the game by Don E. (for now.)  And Angus just had his henchman gut-shoot him too.  But I doubt it will keep Blaine down for long.  It might look bad now, but I will not best against Blaine.

The anti-Zombie group now has video of Justin going all zombie on their car.  I wonder how Fillmore Graves will respond?

Weird seeing Roger Cross (a.k.a. the man required to appear in every Canadian-shot television series ever made) in a minor role, although him being a P.I. almost makes me think he's a character who could pop back up from time to time. 

I still doubt either Blaine or Don E. took the cure, but it seems like Justin didn't either, so now I don't know who in the hell has it.

Edited May 17, 2017 by thuganomics85

[GaT]

“We don’t all want to be astronauts Liv”

 

3 hours ago, jewel21 said:

I legit laughed out loud, and then rewound the scene, where the husband finds out his wife is cheating and breaks into wracking sobs. Followed by Liv pulling out the sock puppet only to have Clive reach his arm out and put her hand back under the table, haha. Best part of the episode for me.

Me too, & their faces afterwards made me laugh.

[Richness]

I rewatched the Spinal Tap scene several times and laughed just as hard every time. Justin is another great boyfriend, so of course he's going to die. *sigh* Still, I love this show and save it for my last show to watch for the night. It's so enjoyable compared to the Debbie Downer that the Flash has turned into.

[Delwyn]

I love you, show.

 

 

[Anisky]

The way the zombie brains are manifesting is confusing to me. When Liv eats brains now, it just takes the way the dead person behaved in one particular context, and makes Liv behave in that perfectly-appropriate-in-specific-contexts way in absolutely EVERY situation. It seems that she's either unable to differentiate, or unable to help herself. While they were alive, (at least some of) the people whose brains she ate were perfectly capable of operating like normal people, adapting their behavior to the people around them and the situation. This season, it seems that Liv is unable to do that. Did zombie brains always work like that? I don't think they did. For one thing, I've only started noticing it this season, but it's already bugged me in multiple episodes so far. This one just made it explicit.

Like, it first seemed weird when Liv was on Dad brains, and she was treating everyone like she was their dad. I kept thinking, wouldn't this guy just treat his daughter that way? I mean, sure, Liv could treat Major that way, fair enough. But they mentioned that the banker/accountant father was well-liked at his job, and I couldn't help thinking that if he insisted on treating everyone in that paternal way Liv was, it would not make him popular or well-liked at work. 

Then, the dominatrix episode annoyed me because I have known plenty of pro-dommes in real life, and none of them have randomly started trying to dom random vanilla people while going about their everyday life. I wondered if I should chalk it up to the show just not representing professional BDSM very well. 

But in this episode, it's absolutely explicit. This guy was a womanizer and an amazing listener, apparently. There is no way that he was getting into all those women's pants by treating them like preschoolers. So why was Liv treating everyone as a preschooler? Why wasn't she able to listen well to the women they called in for questioning, instead compelled to interrupt them in order to speak in baby voices to them through hand puppets? 

Before, it seemed like Liv was absorbing more general character traits (and when applicable, psychological conditions) of the people whose brains she ate, right? Things like alcoholism and agoraphobia, type A personality, super focus and industriousness, a zest for life, an upbeat attitude, an artistic temperament... those sorts of things. Mannerisms and certain ways of speaking when the person whose brain she ate ALWAYS acted and spoke that way. 

But why does eating Preschool Teacher brain leave her only able to act the way that person acted in a preschool classroom, when part of the whole point is that he acted very differently in his personal life? 

I don't get it.

Edited May 17, 2017 by Anisky
clarification

[AllyB]

I think it's too soon for the Justin/Liv relationship. At the end of the last episode she was lovingly kissing Major after he came back from his mom's while Peyton and Ravi looked on and grew uncomfortable at the length of the kiss. And she was with Justin at the Scratching Post on a mission to find the missing cure so she can take it and be able to properly be with Major. I could buy her growing to find Justin attractive over time as she loses hope of finding the cure but not this sudden 'do you like me' note passing and Major teasing her about having a potential new boyfriend literally 2 days after they were last together.

(Also wasn't the curly haired zombie friend of Don E's the drug dealing former social work client of Major who he bought utopium from last year? They didn't seem to have any recognition of each other when he brought drinks to the FG table.)

[AllyB]

12 minutes ago, Anisky said:

But in this episode, it's absolutely explicit. This guy was a womanizer and an amazing listener, apparently. There is no way that he was getting into all those women's pants by treating them like preschoolers. So why was Liv treating everyone as a preschooler? Why wasn't she able to listen well to the women they called in for questioning, instead compelled interrupt them in order to speak in baby voices to them through hand puppets? 

This annoyed the hell out of me in this episode. The women were literally sitting across from Liv, talking about the teacher's listening skills while Liv sat there without listening, waiting for her chance to throw in some stupid patronising platitude. It was so blatant I was waiting for it to be a clue in the murder. I thought Clive would figure that Liv's behaviour being such a contrast to the man described would lead to him somehow making a breakthrough in the case. Which would also be a new and novel way to show how Clive's knowledge of the zombie situation can help them solve cases.

[Anisky]

1 minute ago, AllyB said:

This annoyed the hell out of me in this episode. The women were literally sitting across from Liv, talking about the teacher's listening skills while Liv sat there without listening, waiting for her chance to throw in some stupid patronising platitude. It was so blatant I was waiting for it to be a clue in the murder. I thought Clive would figure that Liv's behaviour being such a contrast to the man described would lead to him somehow making a breakthrough in the case. Which would also be a new and novel way to show how Clive's knowledge of the zombie situation can help them solve cases.

And as the women were sitting across from Liv, all of them were like "WTF?!" and giving "What is wrong with this person?" facial expressions. There was no, "This reminds me of the weird but endearing quirk of the man I was in love with / was sexually attracted to." They thought she was a crazy person.

[Lady Calypso]

Yeah, I feel like they're going overboard with the brains this season. Sure, Liv has always acted inappropriately during interrogations, but they seem to have amped it up to an 11 this season. I'm not really sure why, because it worked alright before. Now, I just cringe at these interrogation scenes because Liv is so damn annoying. Plus, she seems to turn it on and off (well, the writers do) whenever they need to take a break from the main case but Liv still needs to be in the scene and act accordingly. They also seem to just be horning in on one annoying traits from the dead victim and punching that in ten times an episode, and it's just not as funny. 

[Mr. Sparkle]

6 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

The actual case was fun, but I called the husband who claimed they had an "open marriage", as soon as I saw him, because he sounded like he was hiding something.

I guessed crying husband. I got that one wrong! 

[sacrebleu]

Quote

 Malcolm Goodwin continues to be the MVP of the season.

Agreed. His reactions to Liv (especially the interrogation scene, and when he smiled and acknowledged, that yes, he was a superstar and deserved a sticker) were highlights for me.

Runner up is the continued bromance between Major and Ravi. 

I'm curious to see where the memory card thing is going-- which big bad was involved with the dominatrix? Other than that- I don't really care what Peyton is doing.

[dubbel zout]

9 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

 It's funny that I remember reading that there was some concern from the producers that Clive being in the know could mess that dynamic up, but I still think it actually makes it better, if anything.  

Same here. Clive knowing deepens his bond with Liv as well as the rest of the team, and it means he can better counteract some of the brain behavior. How he dealt with teacher brain was great.

8 hours ago, GaT said:

“We don’t all want to be astronauts Liv”

 "But the point is, you can!" Hee. I also cracked up when after hearing for the umpteenth time that the teacher was a good listener, Clive was kind of exasperated.

[sacrebleu]

I also wanted to add that the scene at the start of the show where Clive was eagerly awaiting Liv at the crime scene, expecting her to be human- and the look on his face when he saw she was still a zombie was really great, nonverbal acting. 

[swimmyfish]

3 hours ago, sacrebleu said:

I also wanted to add that the scene at the start of the show where Clive was eagerly awaiting Liv at the crime scene, expecting her to be human- and the look on his face when he saw she was still a zombie was really great, nonverbal acting. 

That was probably the highlight of the episode for me. His disappointment that she wasn't human was almost more heartbreaking than Liv's.

[Sakura12]

I always went with Liv's personality depends on what part of the brain she ate. She doesn't eat the whole brain since we only see her cooking pieces of it. Then she only gets part of that person's personality and for comedy purposes it's not always the most helpful part. 

[CaptainTightpants]

I didn't get the ending. The two zombie hunters drove over a spike strap and had flats on both fronts tires if I understood the scene correctly. 

But then they were able to drive away fast enough and far enough that they seemingly escaped from the zombie platoon? Granted this is TV, but wouldn't their truck be out of commission? 

And I was totally expecting both of them to get pulled backwards out the windows and turned by the platoon! Getting a zombie into the midst of the haters group seems like good corporate strategy. 

Also, I'm assuming that the Big Bad who has Natalie and the Big Bad who is apparently on the dominatrix's  memory card are going to end up being the same super villain. They are going to have to start dovetailing some of these plotlines soon, since it is such a short season. 

I really, really, really didn't see Blaine getting shot! That came out of nowhere. Hopefully the new Big Bad will eat Blaine's dad's face off before the finale. I miss clever scheming Blaine who got shit done. This Blaine who gets outmaneuvered by Don E. is just sad to watch.

As always Clive is the best thing about the show, with Ravi/Major being a close second. (:

[Pothunter]

In terms of Liv taking on the characteristics of the victim, they have gone from subtle shades to heavy-handed strokes.  Which is a shame.

Edited May 18, 2017 by Pothunter

[AudienceofOne]

22 hours ago, Anisky said:

But in this episode, it's absolutely explicit. This guy was a womanizer and an amazing listener, apparently. There is no way that he was getting into all those women's pants by treating them like preschoolers. So why was Liv treating everyone as a preschooler? Why wasn't she able to listen well to the women they called in for questioning, instead compelled to interrupt them in order to speak in baby voices to them through hand puppets?

I'm the same unfortunately. I've felt it a little bit before with this show but this was particularly stark. All these women are trooping in here talking about how he's this 'amazing listener' and she's talking to them like they're 4.

I will say the episode picked up considerably when it jettisoned that and had her be a more believable version of this character, even if they never really nailed 'womaniser'. Although maybe it's not a coincidence that she agreed to the date on this brain?

[bethy]

On May 17, 2017 at 4:15 AM, AllyB said:

I think it's too soon for the Justin/Liv relationship. At the end of the last episode she was lovingly kissing Major after he came back from his mom's while Peyton and Ravi looked on and grew uncomfortable at the length of the kiss. And she was with Justin at the Scratching Post on a mission to find the missing cure so she can take it and be able to properly be with Major. I could buy her growing to find Justin attractive over time as she loses hope of finding the cure but not this sudden 'do you like me' note passing and Major teasing her about having a potential new boyfriend literally 2 days after they were last together.

I agree with this so much. They just had Major wanting Liv to remind him of their first kiss and talking about how he'd get to react to meeting her for the first time again and now he's all, "Hey, my buddy wants to date you - ?"? No.

[sacrebleu]

Quote

And I was totally expecting both of them to get pulled backwards out the windows and turned by the platoon! Getting a zombie into the midst of the haters group seems like good corporate strategy. 

3

OOOOOH! Sounds like a perfect Fillmore Graves undercover assignment for the newly human Major! I think him not telling his bosses is crazy- Ravi had a cure-- it worked-- it was stolen. It doesn't make sense for him to fake zombie-ism. Ravi could even get Fillmore's help/resources to work on a cure-- for the zombie-fied kids and others who don't want to stay zombies.

Also-- Major's cover story to join the zombie haters is pretty strong. He was stalked by a zombie-- told police he shot one. He checked himself into a mental institution because of his belief in zombies. He torched the Meat Cute to kill zombies- was put in jail.  He was accused of being the Chaos Killer (when all he did was make zombies disappear). This is all probably verifiable through police records/ and probably some press accounts.

He'd make a perfect zombie hate group plant. And he'd be of more use to Fillmore in that capacity than as a not-so-super soldier.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Awwww, Clive! I loved that when he saw Ravi's car park in front of the crime scene, he was so excited to see human Liv, and then his face fell when he saw that she was still a zombie. I really love their friendship. A more selfish person would have been happy that he got to keep his crime solving secret weapon, but his concern was all for her. I have also really enjoyed his interactions with her now that he knows her weird behavior is due to the brains she's eaten. Now that he's aware of it, he knows when she needs to be coraled (like with the puppet).

OF COURSE Liv and Justin connect about a second before he's outed as a zombie. If he makes it through the next three episodes, I'll be surprised.

Speaking of surprises, both Liv and Major are okay with her dating someone else? They just had A Moment (and lots of sex), like, a week ago. I can see Major trying to be gallant and saying she should date Justin because he is a zombie, but it's hard for me to believe that Liv is willing to do it.

Refresh my memory - after Blaine became human again, didn't he try to rezombify himself by having Don E. or someone else scratch him and it didn't work? If that's the case, isn't it safe for Major and Liv to be together? The reason they couldn't be together the previous time that Major was human was because Liv didn't want to accidentally turn him into a zombie through a scratch or bodily fluids. Now that it isn't a possibility, what's stopping them?

I know I'm supposed to feel sorry for sad mopey emo Blaine because he's heartbroken over Peyton, but he brought all of this on himself by lying to her this whole time so I don't feel bad for him at all. The only thing that made me feel a little bad for him was when he got shot because his dad is still a raging dick.

I thought it was hilarious that Don E. recognized Major and let him into the club. Despite all the things that have happened between their two factions, Don E. was more than happy to welcome to the bar. On one level, it's a good idea to let any paying zombie in since Don E. needs to make it successful and keep himself valuable to Blaine's father. On the other hand, he can't possibly think it's a good idea for Liv's group of friends to know about this place, can he?

I love seeing Veronica Mars people pop up on this show. This week's was a little more subtle than Cliff and Vinnie. Adam Kaufman appeared in the S1 episode where Veronica's pregnant neighbor disappears, but I know him better as Parker Abrams on Buffy.

Major is putting himself in danger by not telling any of the higher ups at Fillmore Graves that he's human. I mean, I get that part of his hesitation is that he would have to admit that a cure exists and that would create a whole new problem for everyone. I think that ultimately, Vivian would let him stay at FG and give him a job that didn't require combat/fast healing, because she isn't blanket anti-human. She is anti-anti-zombie. She isn't concerned with humans like Clive and Ravi who are humans who know about zombies because she knows that they aren't trying to kill all of the zombies. Vivian is only concerned about the crazies like the guys that Major and Justin went after tonight. If anything, I think Vivian would see Major as an asset because he's a human who knows about humans, isn't trying to kill zombies, and supports protecting zombies. But I realize that in order for her to accept Major as a human ally, first she has to find out that he's human and that there's a cure which will open a huge can of worms. I wish Major would just find a way to transfer to another department at FG where he isn't risking being shot or badly injured.

[dubbel zout]

30 minutes ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

OF COURSE Liv and Justin connect about a second before he's outed as a zombie.

Didn't Liv already know Justin was a zombie? 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

2 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

Didn't Liv already know Justin was a zombie? 

Liv knows he's a zombie but thanks to that video, a lot more people are going to know he's a zombie now.

[dubbel zout]

Ah, I misunderstood your point. Sorry!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

No worries! I probably could have worded it better in my original post!

[luna1122]

1 hour ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

 

I love seeing Veronica Mars people pop up on this show. This week's was a little more subtle than Cliff and Vinnie. Adam Kaufman appeared in the S1 episode where Veronica's pregnant neighbor disappears.

 

THAT'S who he is! Jessica Chastain's hot, maybe- shady boyfriend! He looked so different.

[LoneHaranguer]

5 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

The reason they couldn't be together the previous time that Major was human was because Liv didn't want to accidentally turn him into a zombie through a scratch or bodily fluids. Now that it isn't a possibility, what's stopping them?

Liv's super zombie strength and the chance of "raging out" would still be hazardous to Major.

[dubbel zout]

Couldn't Liv re-zombie Major?

[swimmyfish]

6 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I love seeing Veronica Mars people pop up on this show. This week's was a little more subtle than Cliff and Vinnie. Adam Kaufman appeared in the S1 episode where Veronica's pregnant neighbor disappears, but I know him better as Parker Abrams on Buffy.

 

That just reminded me of a cute little throwaway - I think when they were outside the speakeasy and Don E. referred to Major as Tina Majorino - the actress who played Mac on VM. Small, but sweet shout-out, I thought.

[jewel21]

9 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

 Adam Kaufman appeared in the S1 episode where Veronica's pregnant neighbor disappears, but I know him better as Parker Abrams on Buffy.

 

OMG, that's who that was! I kept trying to place him and couldn't for the life of me. Probably because I hated Parker Abrams, grrr.

[CoderLady]

9 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Refresh my memory - after Blaine became human again, didn't he try to rezombify himself by having Don E. or someone else scratch him and it didn't work? If that's the case, isn't it safe for Major and Liv to be together? The reason they couldn't be together the previous time that Major was human was because Liv didn't want to accidentally turn him into a zombie through a scratch or bodily fluids. Now that it isn't a possibility, what's stopping them?

Mine too, please. Since this is a fictional universe it doesn't have to make sense but what is the rule now? Is the cure also a vaccine? If so, that would be big news except for the fact that there is no more available.

Edited May 18, 2017 by CoderLady

[moonshine71]

14 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

 If he makes it through the next three episodes, I'll be surprised.

Speaking of surprises, both Liv and Major are okay with her dating someone else? They just had A Moment (and lots of sex), like, a week ago. I can see Major trying to be gallant and saying she should date Justin because he is a zombie, but it's hard for me to believe that Liv is willing to do it.

 

 

 

Honestly, I thought that was all really just bad, it makes no sense. Even the idea of Major being noble and stepping aside doesn't work, because Liv is searching for the cure and has every intention of taking it. They're kinda turning Liv into this serial dater, which is certainly fine and doesn't make me like her any less, but at some point I'm just not gonna really buy into her relationships and believe they mean that much to her. She is a strong character, she can survive being single for a season.

I do recall an interview with Rob I read at the beginning of the season where he said Liv's love interest would not get killed this season, fwiw.

[MisterGlass]

14 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Refresh my memory - after Blaine became human again, didn't he try to rezombify himself by having Don E. or someone else scratch him and it didn't work?

No, though he seemed to be considering it.  (Edit: He seemed to be having a last human meal after being threatened by his father, but then his Dad got nabbed by the 'Chaos Killer.')  In the end the first cure failed, and he reverted to zombie on his own.  He also accidentally turned Candy into a zombie at this time, so being dismissive of her in this episode was jerk times two.  Since the second cure, he's mostly played amnesiac, but I suspect he's considering it again now, what with the gun shot.

I did laugh a little Blaine's emo reaction to losing Peyton.  It's in keeping with his sense of drama.

Edited May 19, 2017 by MisterGlass
Addition.

[tennisgurl]

I couldn't stop laughing at that scene where the husband finds out his wife is having an affair, and Pre School teacher Liv slowly starts to raise her sock puppet out from under the table, and Clive just pushes her hand down! That and the "being Livs boyfriend is like being the drummer from Spinal Tap" scenes were serious highlights for me. Its sad, but true.

Speaking of, I like Justin, but I am really hoping this doesn't turn into a love triangle with him in between Liv and Major. Because I like him, and I don't want him to get pulled into yet ANOTHER stupid love triangle (we just escaped the last one!) or die like most of Livs boyfriends. Honestly, why aren't Major and Liv together again? They clearly still have feelings for each other, there's no secrets between them, what's stopping them?

Clive being super excited to see Liv when he thought she was going to be human, and his sadness when he sees her still as a zombie was just heartbreaking. He and Liv have such a great friendship, it makes me so happy how much they support each other. I even loved her giving him stickers for being good at detective stuff, and him getting into it. So much cuteness.

Edited May 19, 2017 by tennisgurl

[luna1122]

19 hours ago, swimmyfish said:

That just reminded me of a cute little throwaway - I think when they were outside the speakeasy and Don E. referred to Major as Tina Majorino - the actress who played Mac on VM. Small, but sweet shout-out, I thought.

I missed that. Aww. That's adorable.

[KaleyFirefly]

I didn't get it either, why Liv and Major are not still together, and he seems fine with her dating someone else. That ruined the sweetness of the episode where they slept together and said "goodbye" because he thought he would be losing his memories of her.

The Spinal Tap drummers line was great. Wish they would dial back a bit more though on how Liv acts on various brains. It's way too exaggerated for comic effect this season, but gets annoying.