iZombie recap: “Love & Basketball”

I got real excited to watch this week’s iZombie because the title of the episode was “Love & Basketball” and ladies and gents that movie, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, is really great and oh my god I’m getting the feels just thinking about it.

ANYWAY, the episode wasn’t really a take on that film, but rather a take on both love, the feeling, and basketball, the activity, and the ways Liv was interacting with them (hello, heart and someone else’s brains!). But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t, to use the only sports language I know, a slam dunk of sorts. On that note, let’s get this ball rolling (bouncing?) on”Love & Basketball”!

BRAINSSSY:

• “Oh my god. Horny boys are the worst! When all the blood returns to the normal locations in your body, you’re gonna care whether that makeout session has left you living, or living dead.” YES to this and to the fact that they addressed the whole “Wait, can Liv and Major be sexing, like from a physical perspective, right now?” thing right off the bat. That said, I’m still not fully sure, even after Major was like “We’ve got condoms, so we’re FINE.” (Typical dudesplain line.)

• “Shot through the heart and who’s to blame?” I’M A BON JOVI FAN, RAVI! I’M RIGHT HERE. AND I’M MORE INTO YOUR HAIR EVERY DAMN WEEK.

• That moment of Liv pretending to use her “Third Eye” was hilarious. How have we not had one of these moments before? Because OF COURSE there would be a time when Clive asked Liv for info before she’d had her morning brains.

• “Clear eyes. Full stomachs. Can’t lose.” New Twitter bio. Also, would this have been better in a football-themed episode?

• Rose McIver super sold Liv’s pump-up speech to Major. Like maybe one of her best monologues of Season 2 so far in terms of performance?

• Another primo performance from this episode? The FBI agent Dale (I found her name on IMDB, guys!) pretending to go down the stairs and ride in a canoe behind the blinds. If they are trying to get us on board with the Dale/Clive (DIVE?!) ship, anchors away!

• Speaking of Dale, is anyone suspecting she’s got some secrets up her sleeve we don’t know about yet? I WANT INTEL.

• And speaking of Clive, anyone else dig how he got all in on this case, particularly as he was investigating the bat and smelling the bleach? If that’s Clive’s version of letting loose … I’ll take it!

• Holy tension between Gilda/Rita and Liv in that kitchen scene. Even if I’m not 100 per cent into their conflict relating to a dude, I do appreciate primo dramatic interactions between female characters and man, this one was juicy. And not just because of the blood loss.

• OH MY GOD BLAINE’S “THE CURE” MOMENT COULDN’T HAVE BEEN MORE PERFECT. Also, I’m going to have “Friday, I’m in Love” in my head for the next week, which I actually don’t hate.

• Another pro to the Cure moment? This fight scene between Ravi and Blaine, which got homoerotic real fast. Or am I just being a perv?

• In general, I feel like this episode was more about overall storylines and less about the Case of the Week, which I think is progress. As much as I love the cases, especially when they give Liv amazing personas to try out, there are so many bigger picture things happening in the background now. LIKE CLIVE GETTING HIS HANDS ON SOME BRAINS!!!

• Best meet cute (NOT Meat Cute) of the ep? Minor and Liv! <3 <3 <3

NOT-SO BRAINSSSY: 

• And we’re back … to no Peyton again. : (

• I’m sorry, but Gabriel did NOT look great as a zombie.

• “Boy, that Rita. She is a walking visit from HR.” EWW. JUST EWW.

• I don’t care if Liv was under the influence of a basketball coach, but you don’t suggest renaming rats in honour of basketball players when they’re already named after Star Wars movies! Not this year, especially!

iZombie airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on The CW. Canadians can catch it on Shomi.

(images via The CW)

Emily Gagne (@emilygagne) is one of the founding members of Cinefilles, a site for wannabe female film and TV critics, as well as an admitted heroine addict. She may not have super strength, or be able to make a stake on command, but she can slay you with her rhetorical devices, endless knowledge of Final Girls, and passion for geek girl scoop.

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