iZombie S01E03 Recap: The Exterminator

Murderers, Sociopaths, and Zombies. Oh my!

Story by @ErikaAshley

A couple of teenage film makers shoot footage for their most recent film at an abandoned building down by the shipyard when they stumble across a person down in cellar. Over at the morgue Ravi scrolls through his Google Search for “Seattle Zombies” finding a recent post from a local teenager featuring a picture of what looks to be a zombie. He suggests they do some recon and take a look for themselves but Liv refuses, at first, and then reluctantly accepts but insists she eat because she was started to feel ravenous and he wouldn’t be safe around her. The most recent dead man to come into their office is a hit and run victim and after reading the case file for the deceased gentleman, Marvin Webster, Ravi gives her the clear that the brain should be safe to chow on. Just as Liv finishes a much needed snack Blaine drops by the morgue and confronts her as to why she stood him up. She lets him know she doesn’t trust him since he turned her and not taking the news well he leaves.

Back at Liv’s apartment her roommate, Peyton, wants to celebrate her first high profile murder case for a local tech genius, Wally Walker. Peyton asks that she help her prep for the trial cross examination and when Peyton flashes the victim’s picture pretending Liv is the suspect, she has a flashback from Marvin’s memory. She sees Wally shot in the head by Marvin. The next day Liv visits Babineaux at the precinct to inform him that the big tech victim case is connected to Marvin because of a vision she had. Babineaux laughs in her face and dismisses her ridiculous idea. He says he can’t go to his boss without any evidence and the suspect in custody is already looking to be extremely guilty of the crime. Since having eaten Marvin’s brain Liv realizes he’s a hitman sociopath filled with crazy amounts of random trivia factoids. When Liv gets back home Peyton shows her a recent video post on Major’s Facebook profile of him kissing a new girlfriend while they play Jenga at a party. Peyton asks Liv if she’s ok or wants to make fun of the new girl but due to Liv’s new lack of empathy from the brain she’s consumed she awkwardly shrugs the entire thing off. She tries rationalizing knowing the video should have illicit some kind of reaction but she can’t feel anything but curiosity about the case.

Next Ravi and Liv go to the shipyard in hopes of finding the suspected zombie. They start to hear some strange moaning noises coming from the cellar and they peel the boards blocking the top to find a woman zombie stumbling around in the filth. Liv recognizes the woman as Marcie, the co-worker that asked her to go to the boat where she was turned into a zombie. The two stare at her for a moment and Liv begins to throw rocks at her when Ravi tells her to stop. He explains a theory he has that if Marcie is able to feed on human brains she might be able to revert back to her cognitive self. He throws a few tidbits of human flesh including a full brain down to her and suggests they come back to see if she gains her awareness.

Liv heads back to the precinct determined to solve the case and requests help from Babineaux. She fills him in on a new lead for Wally’s bookie, Fred Smith. Babineaux explains to her that Fred Smith is a retired cop that owns Smitty’s Bar where cops go to drink and unwind. When they arrive at the bar they are welcomed with confused and distrusting glances. When they ask to see Smitty the bartender takes a moment to retrieve him but when Smitty arrives and agrees that Wally owes him lots of money Liv presses for more information. The last night Smitty had seen Wally was on the night of his murder when he left the bar promising to pay him. Wally was also at the bar that night and won the trivia game resulting in his photo to be posted on the wall of winners. Babineaux and Liv visit Marvin’s widow at her home and request to see in his office for clues because they have suspicion that his murderer might be someone that knew him. While going through his office Liv has another flashback where she sees Marvin’s murder. They witnesses the car that that hit Marvin and then backed up to run over him again. She writes a few letters from the license plate and Babineaux finds the gun with the silencer that was used to shoot Wally.

The following day Liv searches the on the internet to find the car that was used to kill Marvin when Peyton comes home early and is upset. Liv tells Peyton that if they hadn’t have found the gun she would have sent an innocent man to prison and Peyton argues that Liv has single handedly derailed her career and is showing no remorse. Liv sits in their apartment apathetic to her roommates woes. Later at the morgue Liv tries to rationalize her new sociopathic episode and Ravi suggests she eats a new brain but warns her that Marvin’s murder might go free because she won’t be able to see his memory’s anymore. She agrees to finish the case when Major comes in to the morgue with a friend. He apologizes for not answering her text and says they need help with getting in contact with police officer. Major’s friend, Jerome, has a missing friend, Eddie, that’s missing from his shelter home. She takes them to Babineaux and they give him information about Eddie’s last whereabouts and Babineaux promises to give the details to missing persons and move him up on the list.

The guy that owned the car that killed Marvin shows up at the precinct for Babineaux and Liv to question. The man said he knows the person who recently bought his car and shows them the picture from the paper of Wally’s investor, Don Watts. The man informs them that the car still has low-jack on it and they could use the information to locate the missing vehicle. Later Babineaux and Liv bring Watts into questioning and grill him over the vehicle they finally were able to locate. The car had Marvin’s blood and hair on the bumper and his own hair in the car which quickly jogged Watts’s memory. Watts lawyer reminds the two that Watts is only there as a courtesy unless they are charging him. Babineaux confronts him as to how and why he killed Wally then Marvin. Watts uses his wits and power leaving Babineaux forced to connect him to Marvin in order to convict. Babineaux and Liv then use Marvin’s vehicle’s GPS to take them on a short journey to his most recent stops. Liv reluctantly consumes more of Marvin’s brains in order to have another vision. While Babineaux questions some bystanders at their recent stop Liv has a flashback placing a witness at Watts and Marvin’s last meeting where they argued over the price of killing Wally. She informs Babineaux and tells him she’s sorry she can’t look into it further because she has another arrangement to attend.

Ravi and Liv go back to the shipyard where Marcie is still in the cellar with no change. Ravi tried to take a specimen sample to examine and Liv, even more removed from her usual self, tries to find a rock to use to kill Marcie for good to put her out of her misery. Ravi argues with Liv to let Marcie be that he’ll try to cure her while attempting to get a sample falls into the pit where Marcie attacks him. Liv stands at the opening watching the fight and finally snaps to when Marcie almost gets to Ravi. Liv turns full zombie and bashes Marcie’s head in with a pipe and nearly moves towards Ravi when he tries to console her and bring her back into herself. She returns to normal and they make it back to Ravi’s car. Liv feels so guilty for almost letting Ravi die and he accepts her apology when they get a call from Babineaux needing them both to head over to the precinct.

When they arrive Watts and his lawyer refuse to cooperate any longer because of the allegations of Watts’s involvement. Babineaux questions Watts further and fills him in on the details that they were able to locate the witness a garbage man that picked him out of a lineup and can testify to his connection to Marvin. Peyton enters with a plea deal for Watts and against his lawyer’s advice Watts signs the deal. Peyton and Liv exchange silent apologies and Ravi was happy to assist in the case by pretending to be the garbage man. When all was said and done Liv heads back to the morgue and half tempted to remain numb by eating more of Marvin’s brain decides against it and gets rid of it. She allows herself to feel the pain of Major moving on and the guilt of killing Marcie.

Jerome continues his search for Eddie at a nearby skate park and ends up asking Blaine, whom he doesn’t know, if he has seen Eddie. Blaine tells him he knows exactly where Eddie is and offers to take Jerome. He excitedly agrees as he hopes to see his missing friend and they walk into the night together.

I rather enjoyed this episode because it digs a little deeper into what could happen to Liv if she isn’t too careful. Leading up to the additional zombie it was almost unbelievable that Liv and Blaine could continue functioning as undead but still “living.” With Marcie’s condition being full-on-zombie-mode the there is a chance that no matter how often Liv eats brains that could be her ultimate end result. I’m looking forward to see how the writers move the story along to include more realistic zombies and possible play with the idea that Liv might not be able to stay “human” much longer.