The fifth episode of the season, “Love and Basketball”, has incorporated the many connecting threads that have been hinted at and explored separately so far, in a way that takes the season’s momentum and runs even further with it. All of the main characters interact, in ways both familiar and unexpected, but always moving the larger story forward.
The episode picks up right where “Even Cowgirls Get the Black and Blues” left off. Major (Robert Buckley) and Liv (Rose McIver) have reconnected, but Liv quickly puts on the brakes in an effort to spare Major the possibility of accidental zombie infection, something the show hasn’t really addressed before (although it’s clearly a consideration, when so little is still known about how the disease spreads). They decide to move forward as friends; the shift from the confusion and antagonism of the earlier part of the season to their newly reestablished connection is both jarring and welcome.
With the murder of a night watchman, who also happens to be a boys’ basketball coach, Liv takes on the personality of a rabid sports fan that gives her interactions with Major an especially funny turn. They help to coach the basketball team together — after Liv tricks Major into the coaching gig in an effort to give him back some of the joy he previously got from his job as a social worker — they watch Hoosiers, and Liv offers what may be the oddest and most moving pep talk in the show’s run. As Major tears up during her sports metaphor-filled inspirational talk, he manages to get out “God, you’re so weird”, diffusing the moment without discounting its points.
“Love and Basketball” does a great deal in one episode to bring back the thread of the missing astronaut by having Dale Bozzio (Jessica Harmon), the FBI agent introduced in the last episode, link him to Meat Cute. That one detail is instrumental in connecting Blaine (David Anders) to the disappearances, while also potentially opening up Liv and Major to suspicion if Bozzio also finds recent evidence of their time at Meat Cute.
In addition, Suzuki’s (Hiro Kanagawa) death, suspiciously ruled a suicide, becomes a lead for Clive (Malcolm Goodwin) to follow that actually leads to the episode’s biggest clue revealed in the final scene. As Suzuki’s wife admits that she doesn’t know if he really committed suicide after all, her suspicions unearth a container with a piece of brain inside. The discovery is immediately handed over to Clive, who is understandably perplexed, but seems to be coming much closer to discovering the existence of zombies. How iZombie reveals this existence in a way that doesn’t directly lead to finding out about Liv makes it theoretically possible for the show to drag that out even further, despite how increasingly unbelievable that appears.
Another important development in the episode centers on Gilda’s (Leanne Lapp) increased role as Vaughn Du Clark’s (Steven Weber) second. She pressures Major to continue his zombie killings; Major insists that she develop a stronger sedative. When Gilda’s on-call doctor studying zombies asks about the lucidity of the zombies Major is responsible for killing, it’s clear that her experience is limited to those in full-on, out-of-control zombie mode. Her disbelief leads her to ask Gilda to procure a blood sample from Liv, which she accommodates through a clever kitchen accident. What the tests on Liv’s blood will reveal remains to be seen, but it’s becoming more and more obvious that understanding the physiology of a zombie, and establishing a cure or a weapon to eradicate them, will be a long process.
Ravi’s (Rahul Kohli) work on finding a cure does get a boost when Gabriel (Yani Gellman) delivers some of the infamous boat party Utopium for him to experiment with. Unfortunately, it quickly becomes clear that this Utopium is also tainted when Gabriel impulsively injects himself only to die a quick and gruesome death right in front of Ravi and Blaine. The newly discovered power of the Utopium leads them to fight over the remaining amount until Ravi destroys it. Here again, is another moment this season in which iZombie takes unapologetic advantage of a moment with a brilliant music cue, namely the Cure’s (get it?) “Friday I’m in Love”.
“Love and Basketball” is a particularly strong episode in a season that’s been consistently delivering week after week. It manages to bring together many of the pieces from the larger series arc, while also posing new questions along the way. Major’s increasing reluctance to follow through on his orders to kill zombies, combined with the tests still to be done on Liv’s blood is setting up Max Rager to step up its plans, and in turn puts further pressure on Ravi to find a cure. There’s much still to be explored in the season, but iZombie is easily keeping the audience guessing and engaged.