Let’s talk Blaine!

When we last left our hero, he had just had his throat slit and was pushed into a shallow grave. Thankfully, he became a zombie and pushed himself up like a daisy, among a group off Daisies having an outing.

Blaine, sporting the latest in Picnic Wear

So, where does he end up but at the morgue and Dr. Ravi. Ravi sees that Blaine has reverted to Zombie form and proceeds to tell him that the cure killed the test rat, New Hope.

“Too much to hope for a rat suicide?”

Blaine still gets all the great lines.

Ravi continues on with the effects of the cure.

“Kind of skimping on the silver lining here, Doc.”

Ravi says he is working on a new cure.

“Hopefully it works. ‘Cause it would be a real shame if your local brain supplier died and you ended up with a horde of zombies runnin’ around Seattle just as the Mariners were ready to contend.”

Ravi gives Blaine some brains from the current murder victim, a burned alive female scientist…

Back at the Funeral Home, Blaine makes an entrance, dressed in some of Dr. Ravi’s clothes. He muses about the fact that he was killed by Mr. Boss and that his inside man, Drake didn’t say anything about it. He would have supposed he would have gotten a head’s up. Not happy. Meantime, Don E. is busy musing over a coffin filled with Utopium. Blaine decides to lay low for a while, relishing in the fact that Mr. Boss thinks that he is dead. He tells Don to bury the coffin in the hole originally meant for Major.

Fashion Faux Pas

He then tells Don that he is going to get cleaned up before he starts writing poetry about the moors.

Later, Major checks in at the funeral home. He calls for Blaine. No answer. Then, suddenly, the hair on his arms raises. Blaine enters. Major stares in amazement.

“You’re a zombie again?”

Blaine confirms it. Major laments that he thought he would have more time. But, no time for that. He has to get the name of the next zombie for his freezer. Blaine gives Major Drake’s name! He’s on the list! Major tells him okay and leaves. Another problem solved for Blaine.

A return visit to the morgue to return Ravi’s clothes, cleaned and pressed to boot, Blaine is given a needle of the experimental cure. To be used in case of death.

Ravi and Liv don’t want Seattle’s zombies to go unfed.

“So, it’s not the love that dare not speak its name that is burning between us?”

Ravi says not a chance. Blaine takes his leave with a parting shot.

“Oh, and I hope you don’t mind. I had to let out the crotch a little in those dungarees.”

Back to the funeral home, he has a meeting in the basement with Don E and Chief. He gives each of them the news that he is dying. Blaine hands each one a file with all the info they need to run the funeral home and the brain business. He explains that keeping the brain business intact is in the best interest of Humanity.

He sits down to a brain from a victim who was biking across the country to raise money for charity when he was hit by a car. He talks about the Premium Box scam that they are running. Blaine admits he even bought one. He also staked out a plot near the lake with the swan. Why, he wonders. Is it the view? Is it the swan?

In the end, we leave Blaine, in his office, on the computer, looking at the MS website. He injects himself with the possible cure.

Without a doubt, Blaine has become the character that gets most of the great lines. David Anders is incredible in the role. His timing and delivery are exact and crisp. His facial expressions are perfect for Blaine. In this episode, he adds pathos to his already huge repertoire. In many ways, he is becoming the show.

The murder is important to the show. It seems that poor Dr. Cash was doused with lighter fluid and set afire. Both Liv and Blaine got a sample of her brain. Liv made vegetable-brain soup. In one of her visions, she finds that the Doctor was being yelled at by Vaughn.

At the offices of Max Rager, Vaughn claims he has never heard of Dr. Cash. A picture, however, finds that Dr. Cash is, in fact, Dr. Irving, a disgraced acne medicine maker, now a Super Max researcher! But Vaughn has no intention of allowing anyone to question the scientists attached to Super Max. Corporate secrets and all that. Clive and Liv are stymied.

Further, Liv has another vision of the full Romero Zombie that is down in the basement! She has to get down there and see what is going on.

Liv Moore, Master of Disguise

Liv decides to disguise herself and apply for a job at Max Rager. She does get in and makes a try for the basement. Aside from being made by both Rita and Vaughn, the elevator requires a hand scan to go there. Of course, it doesn’t work and she ends up face to face with Vaughn. He explains to her that everyone in business has a secret basement where they develop new products. He is even sure that Fisher-Price has a secret basement.

Makes me a little more scared of Weebles, which wobble but don’t fall down.

And while we are here, let’s finish with Vaughn.

There is a new list to add to the old list. Subtly, the number of zombies is increasing. Not much is made of this and is further overshadowed by Major mentioning that Rita was Liv’s roommate and had also seduced him. Rita is wearing dark glasses. Believe me, it has nothing to do with her future being “so bright.” It hides a black eye, courtesy of Liv. Vaughn goes nuts, screaming that no one does this to his daughter!

Not a fashion statement

Wait…Rita is Vaughn’s daughter?!

Major explains that he had nothing to do with the black eye and beats feet out of the office.

Liv has bugged Drake to find out more about his behavior and try to separate lies from truth. Sadly, she spots him with Mr. Boss, who has just bragged about being the only game in town for Utopium. She intends to confront him. He is going to meet her at a pirate-themed restaurant, but Mom calls. She just won’t let him off the phone. Liv is seeing that it is getting late. Drake is stuck in the parking lot. Finally, Mom stops. Drake gets out of the car to go talk to Liv.

From behind, Major injects Drake in the neck with his sedative and carts him off, leaving Liv to try to figure out why Drake won’t face her.

Back to the basement of Max Rager.

The Romero zombie has been given Super Max and is running at ten miles per hour on a treadmill. Vaughn is loving it. But he wants to ramp it up. Using a cattle prod, the gets the zombie to reach more than thirteen miles per hour. Sadly, the restraints are not strong enough, and the zombie gets loose. The current research doctor is the first to be grabbed. Rita trips and falls. The zombie attacks her. As no one hurts his daughter, Vaughn does the only thing he can do.

He gets in the elevator and leaves Rita to her fate.

Defending yourself with a pointed shoe.

Sitting in his office, he stares. The elevator bell rings. Vaughn looks out his office to see Rita, scratched and bruised. She gives him a look of disgust and then leaves.

There is a single focal point that all will come together. Remember the ancient Raptor Proverb:

The Parallel Lines of Many Lives Often Cross.

There are four more episodes to go. Season Three is already in the works. What is coming next can only be guessed.

Oh did I mention that Clive and Bozzio now know that someone changed the report on the brains found in Suzuki’s beer fridge from “Human” to “Bovine?”

Chew on that one…

Thomas Dolby
Why do you think?