While Liv finds herself feeling incredibly maternal, Blaine’s influence continues to grow.

The CW

MOTHER BRAIN

Note: The following review goes into detail about the episode. SPOILER ALERT!

I remain consistently impressed with how well iZombie is fleshing out its zombie universe. We started the show with getting to know just Liv, but quickly Blaine entered the picture, and now we have rock-star Lowell in the thick of it. We’ve also had a few hints that Lieutenant Suzuki could be part of the undead crew, and after “Maternity Liv,” we now have a definitive answer. Just like a zombie outbreak, the show’s undead ranks are swelling each and every week, so much so that it’s going to get interesting to see how long the show can keep the zombies quiet from the public.

The “brain of the week” turned Liv into a doting mother to all around her, and Rose McIver once again excelled. While the two shows are radically different, McIver’s performance is reminding me a little bit of Tatiana Maslany’s work over on Orphan Black. Both shows see their lead actress playing a character/s with radically different personalities from week to week. I’m not going to get into a comparison on who is better, but McIver has been impressive. Liv’s maternal instincts brought some good humor to proceedings, and also ended up getting a better life for the little orphaned baby at the end.

Speaking of brains, Lowell’s latest meal ended up affecting his and Liv’s burgeoning romance in an unexpected way. The brain in question turned out to have belonged to a gay person, so Lowell suddenly found himself not too attracted to Liv. It was an unexpected but clever twist to throw into the mix. Not only did it not drive them apart prematurely, it actually ended up strengthening their bond as they spent Lowell’s remaining hours as a gay zombie having a really fun night together. Lowell and Liv have been really good together so far, and their relationship is allowing Liv to open up in ways that she couldn’t with a non-zombie partner.

The CW

In the overarching story, Blaine’s plans continue to move ahead. What started with a simple few shakedowns for money is starting to grow into a massive business. It’s really entertaining to watch. We are so used to the usual zombie outbreaks where the world goes to hell quite quickly. iZombie is treating their outbreak as if it’s a brand new drug sweeping across the city. The business is being kept in the dark, there’s a hell of a lot of money involved and it’s also starting to reach people in positions of power. We now know that Suzuki is definitely a zombie, but the way in which he dealt with the case here makes it look like he’s in league with Blaine. He definitely manipulated the outcome of the case this week, and even made sure that all of those missing kids were linked to it, which ties a lot of stuff up in a neat little bow. My guess would be that he’s not exactly a willing participant in everything, but instead, Blaine has turned him and is using his hunger to manipulate him.

THE BREAKDOWN

iZombie continues to surprise me with every single episode. I freely admit that I thought it sounded like a really dumb idea for a show when I first heard it, but I’m happy to hold my hands up and say I was completely wrong. iZombie is fun and quirky show, with a solid cast portraying some very likable characters. The plot is moving along quite nicely now and Blaine’s plans are growing, but I’m a little more interested to see what comes of Ravi’s experiments on those rats next week.

85/100 – Great

I want to hear your thoughts on how iZombie is doing so far. Are you loving it, or are you just about ready to quit? Tweet me @OldSnake24 Also, be sure to follow us @YouNerded!

*We do not comment on anything relating to previews for the next episode and beyond.