iZombie Review: Wag the Tongue Slowly (Season 3 Episode 4)

Gossip brain is neither the best nor the worst brain we’ve seen Liv on. Either way, a gossipy Liv is far more entertaining than a Zen Liv.

iZombie Season 3 Episode 4, titled “Wag the Tongue Slowly,” is a solid installment by pushing the overall plot of the season forward and giving us a decent case of the week.

Clive and Live are tasked with investigating the death of a woman named Cheryl who had a big mouth and no issue sharing the private details of her co-workers’ lives. Turns out her yogurt had been laced with Utopium and the combination with her medication killed her.

The culprits are easy to sniff out. Nearly every person who worked with Cheryl is suspicious and they all had a motive to kill her. Turns out the truth is more complicated.

While it’s easy to figure out that a few of Cheryl’s co-workers were behind her death, the reality is that they never intended for her to die. This is simply a case of an office prank gone horribly wrong.

The case isn’t the greatest one we’ve seen, but there are plenty of enjoyable aspects. Liv on gossip brain is delightfully intrusive. The smirk she gets when she realizes she’s about to learn something juicy is hilarious.

Clive also has time to shine. The realization coming over him that Liv had eaten the brain of the office gossip is a stand-out moment. His narration of how the murder went down is a lot of fun.

Aside from the case of the week, Clive and Liv get a lead on the zombie murders. The brother of one of the lab technicians at Max Rager, who died in the massacre, was one of the people who had posted to the zombie message board.

It’s unclear if his brother told him everything that had been going on at Max Rager, but he seems certain zombies exist. He also made it clear he has no issue shooting at zombies should the time come. His exact words are, “You can’t murder what ain’t alive.”

There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding these zombie murders. The killer could be from the message board, or it could very well be Vivian from Fillmore Graves trying to further along the war between zombies and humans.

The love triangle between Blaine-Peyton-Ravi gets a lot more complicated. After his idiotic night with Katty and his ruining a potential reunion with Peyton, Ravi spends the majority of the episode wallowing in his own misery.

Ravi’s moping is pathetic, but the writers smartly play up his angst for laughs. Gossipy Liv filling him in on every detail she notices about Blaine and Liv pushes Ravi to his annoyance limit. There’s also the way he reluctantly tags along on Major’s stakeout to find Natalie.

While Ravi basks in self-pity, Blaine and Peyton get even closer. Ravi stupidly tells Blaine he should have someone watch him to make sure the serum doesn’t kill him, so of course Blaine turns to Peyton.

The entire situation Peyton has found herself in is unfair. She fell for a man who has committed horrific acts in his past, but can no longer remember them and appears to be a good person now.

However, Peyton’s willingness to be with Blaine makes me uncomfortable. Liv’s accusation that perhaps Peyton has forgotten the bigger picture is spot on. The serum not working on Blaine means Major would have to die or forget his memories, and Liv would have to stay a zombie.

Peyton’s feelings for Blaine complicate the results she wants. The serum not working on Blaine also means she can keep this version of him. Still, that doesn’t erase what he’s done. Let’s not forget about the time he killed all those kids!

The love triangle is being handled beautifully because there’s no easy answer. Ravi may not have handled his feelings for Peyton well, but his concern for Peyton is in the right. There’s also the matter of the nature of good vs. evil.

If Blaine has been telling the truth about the amnesia, should he be given a clean slate? If evil is learned, than perhaps Blaine could remain a good guy. If evil is innate, than it’s only a matter of time before that side of Blaine reappears.

Should Blaine’s amnesia be a lie, then this entire love triangle will be finished. I’m still torn, but my gut is telling me Blaine has been full of bull-crap. The Blaine we first met was only focused on his self-interests.

Having a convenient case of memory loss puts him on Liv’s team and in Peyton’s bed. He’s got a good thing going right now. Why ruin it?

The questions surrounding Blaine’s amnesia are what make the reappearance of Natalie all the more compelling. Honestly, I haven’t been too concerned with Major finding her.

Major is loyal and dedicated, but his search for Natalie has seemed forced. We’ve seen Major play up the savior role before, but sometimes he can come across as having a giant death wish.

Once Major tracks down Natalie’s location, he storms the ivory (apartment) tower to the tune of “I Don Quixote” from Man of La Mancha. Never doubt Rob Thomas’ ability for a stellar music cue.

Natalie insists on staying locked up, but Major gives her the serum that Ravi gave him. Major promises her that the serum will turn her back into a human, but she will lose her memories.

If Natalie takes the serum and doesn’t lose her memories, that could blow Blaine’s amnesia claim wide open. I wasn’t invested in this story line, but I sure am now.

Leftover Thoughts and Questions

• Ravi and Major’s friendship is a true gift. Also, Major knows how to give one sick burn!

Major: And we know you’re good waiting in cars.

• Why wouldn’t Major just get another syringe from Ravi before heading out on a mission with Fillmore Graves? It’s almost as if he would rather die than lose his memories.
• Where is Liv’s family at this point? We haven’t heard a peep from them.
• If Peyton discovers Blaine has been lying to her, do you think she’ll try to run back into Ravi’s arms? Should Ravi let her?

What did you think of this episode of iZombie? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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iZombie airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on The CW.

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