Ep 8. Chivalry is Dead

Seattle-based supernatural dramedy iZombie has continued to follow medical examiner Liv Moore's (Rose McIver) life as a zombie who uses the brains of the dead to solve their murders. The latest episode, "Chivalry is Dead," sees Liv and her friends investigate a museum curator's death after his museum exhibit, which was supposed to promote gender fluidity, caused controversy with the public.

Liv eats the brain of the curator and takes on chivalrous traits- and he's not the only one. After attending a medieval role-playing event, Ravi Chakrabarti (Rahul Kohli) falls for a woman named Sarita (Mishel Prada), who thinks he's a knight. Meanwhile, Blaine DeBeers (David Anders) is going through serious withdrawal from the zombie cure, turning to Don E. (Bryce Hodgson) for help.

Liv's chivalrous demeanor has got her and her team stumped- the curator wasn't really known for being gallant. Nevertheless, they push onward in their investigation, with Liv constantly making small gestures towards everyone. She's all about opening doors, pulling out chairs, and offering a jacket.

This behavior raises some eyebrows, but none more so than that of her current boyfriend Levon (Daniel Bonjour). Despite his initial skepticism, Levon ends up using Liv's chivalrous tendencies to help him in his own investigation. He's trying to find a writer whose book was pulled from the museum's exhibit, and Liv's newfound respect for women intrigues him.

In the midst of all this, Blaine's symptoms are becoming worse. His withdrawal has him looking gaunt, pale, and overall unwell. In desperation, he turns to Don E., his former henchman. But Don E.'s reluctant to help, thinking that it might be a trap. He eventually gives in and gives Blaine some of the expensive (and illegal) blue brain. Blaine's relief is palpable, but his condition goes from bad to worse when Don E. is kidnapped.

Back on Liv's side, she and Levon end up in an abandoned warehouse after following the writer's trail. They realize that he's the one hiding and his book's been stolen. They manage to get away and catch a glimpse of a van with the same artist's logo as the curator's exhibit on it. It seems the artist is up to something.

The museum ends up reopening the exhibit despite the backlash, and Liv and her team attend the launch. When she's confronted by a masked man, she channels her chivalrous brain and ends up disarming him by pretending to be confused and asking for his assistance. Turns out that the masked man is the artist they're all after, and he admits to stealing the writer's book to write a new book. This makes Liv all the more angry- she doesn't take kindly to people who steal.

The artist's not the only one she has angry words for. Blaine, desperate for more blue brain, ends up shooting Don E.'s captors to get what he needs. This act of desperation unfortunately gets him kicked out of the house by Don E., who's had enough of Blaine's antics. In another part of Seattle, Angus (Robert Knepper) continues cultivating his zombie army, suggesting that there will be more trouble afoot before long.

"Chivalry is Dead" throws our team in a lot of different directions, and Liv's chivalrous tendencies end up being the least of their worries. There are still philosophical questions being raised involving the zombie dilemma, as well as the ethical implications of Blaine's addiction. Season 4 of iZombie continues to be as quirky and thought-provoking as ever.