S05.E03: Five, Six, Seven, Ate!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

While investigating the deaths of Gulliver and Nancy, the dynamic duo of Seattle's winning dance team, Liv and Ravi go undercover as dance partners to size up the other contestants aka the prime suspects. Meanwhile, Peyton confronts Major after she's told that one of his soldiers was out of line during a routine lice check at the school. Lastly, Clive and Bozzio receive a shocking surprise during Lamaze class.

Promo:

Original air date: 5/16/19

[Affogato]

I don’t see when Liv has time to be a house mother or Renegade, for that matter. 

I liked that they didn’t forget about Jordan’s family and that there is some ply bout zombie kids. I thout the lice check ploy was a good one and shows the human backlash is widespread. 

Oh, this is the first of the episodes I really liked. The dancing was hilarious at times. Ravi was showcased i. This episode. The baby triangle was a clever twist and the first step towards resolution touching.  

Edited May 17, 2019 by Affogato

[GaT]

I am so sick of anything that has to do with the army, it's boring. I enjoyed the dancing though. Not sure how I feel about this whole baby triangle, it seems like an unnecessary complication for the last season.

Do Zombie children grow up? How would they grow if they're technically dead?

Edited May 17, 2019 by GaT

[thuganomics85]

As much as I enjoyed watching Clive bust out his moves and help Ravi teach how to dance, I never could figure out that since there were two victims, why didn't Ravi just eat the brains of the other one, that way both of them would have been able to.  Where they just worried that having both of him and Liv on brains at the same time would have made them both too distracted?  I do like that they are continuing to not make the brains render Liv useless and she was still able to help with the case and didn't become a completely different person, but just Liv obsessed with dancing.

Forgot Jordan had siblings, so I'm glad that was addressed.  But how long will Major and Peyton be able to keep the peace before a full-scaled war happens?

I was wondering if they were ever going to bring up Michelle, again.  So, now Clive is possibly the father of two children?  I hope this doesn't devolve into soapy territory, but thankfully they're being mature about it so far.  Clive really is lucky that Boz is the best though!

Two episodes in a row of no Blaine (and Don E.!)  I wonder when he'll factor back in.

I enjoyed this episode, but admittedly having Rose McIver in that dress alone was enough to make this episode a win for me!

[JamieLynn832002]

1 hour ago, thuganomics85 said:

As much as I enjoyed watching Clive bust out his moves and help Ravi teach how to dance, I never could figure out that since there were two victims, why didn't Ravi just eat the brains of the other one, that way both of them would have been able to.

That was my first thought too but I don't think Ravi can get memories from brains if he's not on his "monthlies" which he didn't seem to be.

2 hours ago, GaT said:

Do Zombie children grow up? How would they grow if they're technically dead?

I don't think it's ever been all that clear, I'm guessing they do since Major told Michael to wait a few years before joining FG but I don't know if it really makes sense for them to. I've never been sure if zombies are actually dead, I know Liv and most of the world view it that way but I'd swear early on Ravi said she had a pulse, it was just nearly undetectable.

[Affogato]

1 hour ago, JamieLynn832002 said:

I don't think it's ever been all that clear, I'm guessing they do since Major told Michael to wait a few years before joining FG but I don't know if it really makes sense for them to. I've never been sure if zombies are actually dead, I know Liv and most of the world view it that way but I'd swear early on Ravi said she had a pulse, it was just nearly undetectable.

She did have a pulse.

But i remember the kids at fillmore graves early on wereN’t growing up.?  Or maybe it was so slow they didn’t know it was happening yet since it was a new phenomenon. I wonder if fillmore graves still has a school and why Joedan’s brothers didn’t transfer there. 

[AudienceofOne]

I really enjoyed this episode. It was fun and poignant as well. 

While I'm sorry to see the show go, I think cancellation has lifted their game. Also, this episode had no Blaine and I did not miss him at all.  

5 hours ago, GaT said:

Do Zombie children grow up? How would they grow if they're technically dead?

That's what I wanted to know! Maybe they do but just really slowly? 

5 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

As much as I enjoyed watching Clive bust out his moves and help Ravi teach how to dance, I never could figure out that since there were two victims, why didn't Ravi just eat the brains of the other one, that way both of them would have been able to. 

He's not on his "monthlies" i.e. he's human at the moment. I was kind of hoping he'd come into his zombie phase halfway through the competition and eat one of the brains but if this meant we got the threesome dance lesson then it's all good.

[marketdoctor]

I though Liv's wig looked great, but was a nice way to make it easier for a dance double (if they used one--there was some very nice dancing going on, from someone who's not a dance expert) and also looked like Ginger from Gilligan's Island, so it was a nice multi-Ginger reference.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I laughed SO HARD at the Dirty Dancing montage. They did a great job including a lot of the iconic dance moments from the movie.

Awww, I'm glad that Baron got a memorial with the coyotes (and a Veronica Mars shout out!).

16 minutes ago, marketdoctor said:

a nice way to make it easier for a dance double (if they used one

Rose McIver danced as a kid and she trained to do all the dancing in Petals on the Wind a few years ago so there was no need for a dance double (especially since the routine that Liv and Ravi did was pretty basic).

[Lady Calypso]

7 hours ago, JamieLynn832002 said:

I don't think it's ever been all that clear, I'm guessing they do since Major told Michael to wait a few years before joining FG but I don't know if it really makes sense for them to. I've never been sure if zombies are actually dead, I know Liv and most of the world view it that way but I'd swear early on Ravi said she had a pulse, it was just nearly undetectable.

I don't think zombie children would actually grow up physically. Maybe he meant to wait a few years before they grow up mentally (which is a fair ask). But zombies do have pulses, so technically, they probably can grow up...just at a slower pace.

I loved this episode. Keeping the cast smaller really helped. Peyton/Major got to have a plot together, which was fantastic. Getting to see both sides to the zombie situation was really good, and it gave both characters some realistic tension. 

Ravi and Liv going undercover was fun. Too bad Ravi wasn't on his monthlies, or else he could have eaten the other brain and been more convincing (and possibly won!). 

Seeing the dance practice sequence was great because we really got a glimpse of Ravi going from terrible to slightly more mediocre and passable. Clive getting in on the dance sequence was great as well. He was having a lot of fun, even with his issues with Dale.

Speaking of, Dale is getting a plot with Clive's ex lover! I loved that she got a whole scene to herself! She really is the best. She voiced her concerns and isn't happy with the arrangement at all, which is fair, but at the end of the day, she's going to be the bigger person and try to rise above this baby mama drama. I hope Michelle's baby isn't Clive's. I honestly don't feel like it would be, but the tension with finding out if it is or not isn't that bad.

Overall, a strong episode because of how they focused more on the characters, rather than the political/military/religious aspects. I'm always more interested in the characters and how they feel about certain situations, and it still felt like the show I fell in love with.

[dubbel zout]

10 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

Clive bust out his moves

I loved that montage, especially Clive's real joy for dancing. Rose McIver looks amazing in that wig, as fake as the color was.

3 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Awww, I'm glad that Baron got a memorial with the coyotes (and a Veronica Mars shout out!).

He was a marshmallow. *sniff*

[ElectricBoogaloo]

1 hour ago, Lady Calypso said:

Overall, a strong episode because of how they focused more on the characters, rather than the political/military/religious aspects. I'm always more interested in the characters and how they feel about certain situations, and it still felt like the show I fell in love with.

I totally agree. This show is so fun and funny when they aren't dealing with all the Fillmore Graves crap. I love all the friendships between the characters. I would gladly take an entire season of episodes like this with no more FG/Renegade/quarantine storylines. It's the final season so I'd rather enjoy the fun stuff than get bogged down in trying to resolve the storylines that I don't love anyway.

[tennisgurl]

It seems like with the show coming to an end, its forced them to focus more on characters than on the greater army/fillmore graves/zombie tension stuff, which I think has lead to a real bump in quality this season. I liked this episode a lot, even if I thought the case of the week ended rather abruptly. The character stuff all worked really well, and they seem to be using Liv and her brains a lot better. She still seems like Liv, just Liv with some new quirks or hobbies. 

The dance training sequence was everything! I love that Clive is an awesome dancer, and that you could really see Ravi going from sucky dancer to passable dancer to medium level dancer, and he never got amazingly super good after such a short amount of time. Generally I really enjoy when Ravi and Liv work together, they such a great dynamic. 

Peyton and Major got a plot together, which was great to see! They are both trying so hard to keep the city together, so of course tempers fly sometimes but they came back together really quickly and worked together. They have such a massive job in front of them, as there are many humans and zombies who want nothing to do with each other, or out right despise each other, and it seems like no matter what they do, another spark gets closer to lighting a flame. 

Good thing for Clive Dale is super understanding. 

[BonnieD]

I'd given up on this show, half watching it, fast forwarding through anything Filmore Graves related, and sometimes turning it off part way through, but this episode was everything I liked about the show to begin with. Funny and snarky.
But yeah, really, why couldn't Rafi have just had a portion of dancer brain. Also, I guess I wasn't listening well after the guy they interviewed drank from his bottle and died. I thought the killer was still on the loose and the case wasn't finished, but I guess he was supposed to have committed suicide by poison?

Using zombies and humans working to overcome prejudice as a metaphor for things going on in our society DOES NOT WORK! It's a preachy, stupid metaphor and they never should have gone down that road. Should've stuck with the initial premise
Sidenote: it annoys that all zombies except Liv choose to dye their hair. By rights most of the population should be going around melanin free at this point.

[Nessie]

11 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I laughed SO HARD at the Dirty Dancing montage. They did a great job including a lot of the iconic dance moments from the movie.

Awww, I'm glad that Baron got a memorial with the coyotes (and a Veronica Mars shout out!).

Rose McIver danced as a kid and she trained to do all the dancing in Petals on the Wind a few years ago so there was no need for a dance double (especially since the routine that Liv and Ravi did was pretty basic).

I saw it as more equal parts Dirty Dancing/Willard learns to dance in Footloose...especially Clive's reaction at the end.

Such a great episode!

[The Wild Sow]

 

 

1

7 hours ago, BonnieD said:

Sidenote: it annoys that all zombies except Liv choose to dye their hair. By rights most of the population should be going around melanin free at this point.

And Blaine!

[jewel21]

This was the first episode I enjoyed in a long time and it was all because of those dancing montages. I loved the call out to Dirty Dancing and the three-way dancing with Clive, Liv, and Ravi. It was so much fun to see Ravi improve and I loved Clive's joy and delight at shaking his hips, haha. 

I also enjoyed the "Marshmallow" shoutout. 

I was confused at the ending, though, and thought the killer was still on the loose and that this case was going to continue into next week. So the killer was the guy who died of poisoning a the end? Totally missed that...

Clive freaking out at possibly fathering two babies at the same time has me invested and intrigued. I want to know how this will resolve itself. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

For anyone who hasn't had the pleasure of watching Dirty Dancing approximately eleventy billion times (or for anyone who has and wants to make it eleventy billion and one):

[Frisson]

When Clive laughed and clapped at the end of their dance lesson montage, I realized that I don’t think we’ve ever seen his character smile that big before. He looked so different not brooding or bewildered by Liv’s shenanigans!

[AllyB]

The really annoying thing about the Baby Daddy Drama is that it's been quite some years since a prenatal DNA test posed any risk to the fetus as fetal DNA is detectable in the mother's blood from 14 weeks. They'd have their answer from a simple blood test in days.

[Affogato]

1 hour ago, AllyB said:

The really annoying thing about the Baby Daddy Drama is that it's been quite some years since a prenatal DNA test posed any risk to the fetus as fetal DNA is detectable in the mother's blood from 14 weeks. They'd have their answer from a simple blood test in days.

I thought nk it is the trauma of demanding it. She isn’t. Does it really matter? To whom?

[dubbel zout]

It matters to Clive, but I also think the ex not wanting to roil his relationship with Dale should count for something.

[mxc90]

A lot of funny moments.

Clive's reaction when Michelle walked in was priceless.  

Tag: "I wanna dance with some zombie"

Ravi mouthing "What the..." looking at Tina and Lars.

I know it's corny but Lars dropping to his knees and sliding across the floor was funny.

Ravi: This might be weird but I think Clive just got me pregnant!

Clive: Let's not joke about that right now! 

There was a moment in the montage where Ravi tried to lift Liv and his hand almost went to an X rated spot. I am sure that took many takes.

[Paloma]

On 5/18/2019 at 5:20 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

For anyone who hasn't had the pleasure of watching Dirty Dancing approximately eleventy billion times (or for anyone who has and wants to make it eleventy billion and one):

Thank you for that clip! I have watched DD approximately eleventy billion times yet somehow managed to miss the homage to that scene while watching this episode...guess I was just enjoying the dancing, music, and reactions of Liv, Ravi, and Clive too much to notice.

On 5/18/2019 at 12:17 AM, jewel21 said:

I was confused at the ending, though, and thought the killer was still on the loose and that this case was going to continue into next week. So the killer was the guy who died of poisoning a the end? Totally missed that...

On 5/17/2019 at 4:00 PM, BonnieD said:

I'd given up on this show, half watching it, fast forwarding through anything Filmore Graves related, and sometimes turning it off part way through, but this episode was everything I liked about the show to begin with. Funny and snarky.
But yeah, really, why couldn't Rafi have just had a portion of dancer brain. Also, I guess I wasn't listening well after the guy they interviewed drank from his bottle and died. I thought the killer was still on the loose and the case wasn't finished, but I guess he was supposed to have committed suicide by poison?

Using zombies and humans working to overcome prejudice as a metaphor for things going on in our society DOES NOT WORK!

I was confused about the resolution of the murder mystery also also. My husband and I were watching on the app and it kept buffering, so we thought we missed something. It was also hard to keep track of the names of the victims and suspects or of the supposed motivation of the killer. But when Liv and Clive came to interview the guy at his apartment, he offered them something to drink (which made me immediately suspicious that he was going to poison them) and then seemed to offer a vague confession--although I don't remember him actually saying he killed anyone. He seemed to be saying how terrible the female victim was and that he did not want to hurt the male victim but just wanted to get him away from her. So as best I can figure out, the killer and the male victim were lovers and on the water polo team (I think the team picture is how they identified the suspect, when they showed it to another dancer who had seen them together), and the killer was jealous of the time that his lover spent with the female dancer and/or their closeness as dance partners. Or maybe the male victim broke up with the killer in order to focus on practicing for the dance competition. I may rewatch to figure it out--or just to see the dance scenes again. 

Also agree that this episode was a return to what I liked about the show in the beginning. I haven't liked the FG plot either, but I actually thought in this episode it was used effectively to show how anger and violence can be stoked by police or military overreacting (in this case entering the school like an invading force rather than investigating to see what was really going on with the lice inspections and working peacefully with the community to resolve the situation) as well as by the spreading of videos that may not be accurate. 

Using zombies and humans as a metaphor for prejudice does not always work in this show, but there are times when the writers make good points using that metaphor...and for me the lice inspection plot and the resulting anger against humans that Jordan's brother felt was one of those times. But the "all coyotes are human, so don't think all humans are bad" at Baron's memorial was too easy of a resolution to his understandable anger and prejudice.

[UNOSEZ]

11 hours ago, Paloma said:

Using zombies and humans as a metaphor for prejudice does not always work in this show, but there are times when the writers make good points using that metaphor...and for me the lice inspection plot and the resulting anger against humans that Jordan's brother felt was one of those times. But the "all coyotes are human, so don't think all humans are bad" at Baron's memorial was too easy of a resolution to his understandable anger and prejudice.

True.. But Jordan's little bro is young as well so the simple idea that all humans aren't garbage may have resonated with where he was emotionally right then... Cuz he was on some all of the humans are trash tip... 

I pray we are all lucky enough to find a significant other like Dales Bozzio... She is awesome... I feel like this show would have both kids be clive's and while its obvious that Dale is the only one he loves they would have a one happy family thing going on... I'll miss this show its felt more like itself this season.. Last one I didn't always pay attn to... Partly because I was upset that the show gave all the hard work and sacrifice that a black woman made.. And handed it to Living.. It rubbed me the wrong way.. As did her video guy love interest... 

[CletusMusashi]

This really did have the fun of an old-time "brain of the week" ep. And the dance montage was so funny that I immediately rewound and watched it a a second time before continuing with the rest of the story. I think my favorite part, though, was Clive showing up like a proud parent to film Ravi's dance performance. Liv needs to make sure a copy of that video goes to Major. Poor guy needs a laugh.

I do kind of dread the show getting clogged up with Liv taking care of kids. But if we never see them after this, then that plot hole will be just as annoying.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

33 minutes ago, CletusMusashi said:

I think my favorite part, though, was Clive showing up like a proud parent to film Ravi's dance performance. Liv needs to make sure a copy of that video goes to Major. Poor guy needs a laugh.

I loved that too! Clive was so excited to see Ravi's performance, which I found adorable.

[Affogato]

On 5/17/2019 at 4:00 PM, BonnieD said:

Using zombies and humans working to overcome prejudice as a metaphor for things going on in our society DOES NOT WORK! It's a preachy, stupid metaphor and they never should have gone down that road. Should've stuck with the initial premise
 

Romero’s zombie movies are a out economic and other inequality. Also think of the ending of night of the living dead. Warm bodies, if you saw it. Zombie’s are ALL about those metaphors!  Vampires more sexual predation. Godzilla was about the UiS bombing Hiroshima. Monster stories are all about being metaphors. 

[AudienceofOne]

10 hours ago, Affogato said:

Romero’s zombie movies are a out economic and other inequality. Also think of the ending of night of the living dead. Warm bodies, if you saw it. Zombie’s are ALL about those metaphors!  Vampires more sexual predation. Godzilla was about the UiS bombing Hiroshima. Monster stories are all about being metaphors. 

And Korean zombie films are about unrestrained capitalism. 

But since modern American zombie film and television is entirely an expression of xenophobia - and iZombie is specifically a response to that xenophobia - than I fail to see why people would have a problem with this analogy. It's absolutely apropos. 

Edited May 30, 2019 by AudienceofOne
Not a test to see how many times I can use the word 'modern'

[LoneHaranguer]

3 hours ago, AudienceofOne said:

But since modern American modern zombie film and television is entirely an expression of xenophobia - and iZombie is specifically a response to that xenophobia - than I fail to see why people would have a problem with this analogy. It's absolutely apropos. 

If that's what the producers are going for, somebody needs to pin it up on the wall of the writer's room, because they haven't been consistent about what ism/phobia they're doing from week to week.

[Affogato]

2 hours ago, LoneHaranguer said:

If that's what the producers are going for, somebody needs to pin it up on the wall of the writer's room, because they haven't been consistent about what ism/phobia they're doing from week to week.

Fear of people not like us is consistent across the board. I think. 

[aradia22]

OK, that was delightful. My show is back. 

Clive possibly having also fathered Michelle's (?) baby is too much drama. Someone needs to rein in the writers. Too many plotlines.

Loved Clive and Liv dancing together. Also, I loved all the Dirty Dancing references.

[aradia22]

Quote

But since modern American modern zombie film and television is entirely an expression of xenophobia - and iZombie is specifically a response to that xenophobia - than I fail to see why people would have a problem with this analogy. It's absolutely apropos. 

I'm not saying don't have metaphors or analogies. I'm saying they suck at the execution. It's heavy handed and awkward. I think it was actually okay for the most part when it was just Liv and even when Blaine started scratching people, though there were still times they went overboard. But the writers have taken on really heavy topics that they're not equipped to deal with. You can't neatly map zombies onto issues of race, immigration, and every other thing they're trying to do. It's very messy. 

[Anela]

I don't like the added baby drama. It's too much. I'd totally forgotten who she was, until they approached her to say hello. I think it's her ex-boyfriend's, and they really didn't need to add anything else, just to screw with the happily married couple. Let them be happy, for goodness sake. 

[Anela]

Dale was very sweet at the end. 

[Dobian]

The "I Love the Nightlife" montage was very charming, and is a scene that can only work between characters who have been together for a long time and have built a relationship on screen.  Otherwise, it feels forced.  Liv and Ravi have that chemistry, so it was very believable and earned.

[morakot]

So if Jordan is a soldier for Fillmore Graves, why aren't her zombie dependents (or brothers) at the FG school for zombies -- especially if they are a) starving, and b) being harassed at public school? IIRC, they even had dormitories for them on site.