Even Cowgirls Get the Black and Blues

"Even Cowgirls Get the Black and Blues" is the fourth episode of Season 2 of iZombie. It was written by Deirdre Mangan and directed by Matt Barber. It is the seventeenth episode of the series overall, and premiered on October 27, 2015.

Synopsis
While investigating a case, Liv eats the brains of a country-singing waitress. Detective Babineaux meets a female FBI agent who will be working out of their offices. Blaine tries to entice a former business associate to come back to the dark side. Meanwhile, Peyton's return is messing up Ravi's game, and Major continues his downward spiral.

Recap
Three tweens are sharing a beer and talking about girl parts. A car drives by and they hid in the hedges. Then one of the kids finds a gun. Then he throws the bottle up in the air and shoots at it, killing his friends jackasses. The news talks about a suspect in a shooting. At a hip hop class, Peyton enjoys an intense workout and then Liv is there. They hug. They each say they miss each other – Liv brought her a juice and Liv thanks her for the cake.

Peyton says she resented Liv when she left and then put herself in her shoes and thought about how hard it must have been on Liv losing her career, Major and then her BFF. Liv gets a text from Ravi and says she has to get to work. Peyton says she has some zombie questions and they make plans to hang later. Major wakes not at his house. He’s in Gilda’s bed. His phone vibrates and he sees two missed calls from Ravi. Gilda wakes and enjoys the view of him dressing.

Major says he has to go and she tells him to check some zombie souls off his list today. Major comes home and the dog waddles over. Ravi says he gets his car back today. He calls the dog Minor and complains about the dog getting into the trash. The doorbell rings and Liv is there. Ravi says he called Liv for a ride. Liv pets the dog and asks its name. Major says Dog and Ravi says Minor because it whines when Major is not there.

They head to a cheap apartment and Clive says most of the force is on the manhunt for the shooter. Lacy Cantrell is the victim and she was choked. She works at a country music bar. Clive asks Liv to do her magic. She opens a suitcase and says she wrote to a guy named Matt Sudak at the jail and the letters were sent back unopened. Clive is told the manhunt is over and says they find the guy but not gun. The boss tells Clive that Agent Dale Bozzio will be working the rich missing person’s case.

He asks about the husband who killed Tyler and his boss says to give her what she needs. Liv mixes up some sweet and sour brains and Ravi says he hates to say it but it smells sensational. Clive shows up and says Matt was Lacy’s BF before he went to jail. He’s been out a month and the letters indicate she cheated on him. Clive reads part of a letter then gets embarrassed with the sex talk. Liv starts singing a country-sounding song.

He reads the letter where she says he needs to let her go when he gets out but the guy has a history of violence. Clive asks Liv to come with him to the pawn shop where Matt works and she says does a one legged duck swim in circles. He rolls his eyes and walks away. At the pawn shop, they ask for Matt Sudak. The guy tells them he’s in the back. He says he was expecting them and says he saw her once since he got out at the Slow Roll. He says he would have laid down in traffic for Lacy.

Matt says she couldn’t wait a year for him and slept with his best friend. Liv rants at him for nearly killing a guy with a pool cue and getting sent away. They ask his boss Phil where he was last night and he says he and “Sue” were knocking back beers at his place last night. Liv picks up a guitar and starts playing it then says she’ll take it. Clive jokes to wrap him up a banjo so they can do some picking and grinning. Liv plays a country song for Ravi. He says love and murder are staples.

She sniffs him and asks if he’s working cologne. He says it has pheromones in it and he’s a human sex experiment. Stephanie asks Ravi how he knows whose pheromones are in it and he says he imagines the Hemsworth brothers working out wearing sponges. Peyton shows up with suitcases and says Major told her she could crash there until her new place is ready. Ravi didn’t know but says she can stay. Peyton says she’s going to go eat and will be back later.

Steph is shocked that’s the girl Ravi used to date and she says damn playa and asks for a high five. He refuses. Liv and Clive show up to the country bar and ask for the manager. The manager is sick and says he saw Lacy last night. He says she was a bit frazzled about her finances and asked for an advance. He suggests she may have owed someone money. A beer swilling customer says he heard the manager Rick and Lacey arguing and she dumped coffee in Rick’s lap then smashed his tail light and left.

They see Rick speeding away in his car. Clive calls in an APB. Liv checks out a flyer about open mic night then she spots the first aid kit is out and gets a flash of Rick offering Lacy the cash advance in exchange for sex. She sees Lacy elbow him in the gut. They agree that Rick has motive for murder. Blaine talks to Chief about how two rich customer have gone missing. The mute drug dealer says two isn’t that much but Blaine says it’s $50k a month. Done E comes in and says he found Gabriel – the utopium cutter.

Gabriel is at a church preaching and talks about how he tried every drug in the book and says the most powerful drug you can take is love and you get it from Jesus. He welcomes Blaine, Don E and Chief. They beat up Gabriel for not talking. He says he’s out of the drug life for good. Blaine says they want his utopium formula but he says no. He tells Chief to knock him out and he does. Peyton talks to a utopium trafficker and offers to take two years off his sentence.

She asks about Mr Boss’s crime organization and he says no way. A string of dealers all refuse to talk because they’re scared. Rick and his pregnant wife Pamela come into the police station and Pamela says Lacy was in love with Rick. Then Rick says Lacy made a move on him. Liv says she was standing in front of his sink and he tried to hump Lacy when she asked for a cash advance. Clive says to stop lying and then Rick says it was just a hug that went on too long and Liv says he offered cash for sex.

Pamela freaks out and starts hitting Rick. They have to haul her out. She says she is not an alibi for him and says he didn’t come home til midnight. Clive arrests Rick. Clive calls about a ticket on a guy named Philip Nelson. He’s working with the FBI gal who asks why the guy has a scented candle. She says someone needs to stop him and says she hates strong scents. She says it should smell like a police station and he suggests a candle that smells like hookers and burnt coffee.

She asks for advice not to piss people off and he says he’s the one who pisses people off. She asks about the best food around and he tells her about an Asian food truck. She asks him to go but he has to take Pamela’s statement. She says she woke up when he came in and it was 12:03. She says he acted weird and when he mentions coffee and blood, she agrees that there was both. Clive tells her giving a false report is a felony and says there was no blood since the victim was strangled.

Liv goes to the bar on singer/songwriter night. She signs in and they tell her she’s up next. Ravi is there in cowboy duds and she’s excited. He asks if there’s a mechanical bull. She says she’s sweating like a $10 whore on nickel night. She’s worried she’ll get heckled and go full zombie. Liv takes the stage and she’s introduced as a Slow Roll virgin. She says it’s a song she wrote about two people she got to know recently. She says they can’t stop hurting each other.

Clive leaves a message saying Rick has an alibi – his wife lied because she was mad. A woman comes in and says her son found this and hands them a paper bag. Sue is there listening. He’s glaring at her. The crowd cheers her. Ravi hoots loudly. Ravi tells Liv it was amazing and she says she needs to go see Major. Ravi says he wants to convince one of the women to play Cowgirl and Indian with him. Sue follows Liv out to her car. He says it was good playing.

She thanks him. She tells him goodnight and he says he likes the song and says Lacy would have liked it too. He says growing up his dad would tell him how he screwed everything up and says he did that with Lacy. He says he loved Lacy and Liv says love isn’t always enough. He walks away. Major cuddles with Minor and sees a report about Colin Andrews and there’s a photo of the dog. Major sniffs some utopium just before Liv comes to the door.

Liv tells Major she knows he wants space but she says she knew they were meant to be together from the moment they met but that was before she witnessed a mass murder and ate brains. She says she watched him die then all this cruelty was directed back at her. She says space can’t fix what’s wrong with them and says she will never stop loving him but it’s over now. She says she has to let him go completely and forever.

Major says perfect and thanks her for stopping by then shuts the door in her face. Liv is so sad. Then she opens the door and tells him to stop and says she came like an adult and asks how he can be so cold. He asks whose brain she ate this week. She says she didn’t ask for this and went to a party because he told her she should and she woke up on a shore craving brains. She says she was confused and dangerous and all her decisions were made to protect him from her new reality.

Liv says she did the best she could. Major says he keeps asking for space and she’s there every time he turns around. Liv turns to walk away. She asks why he’s doing this and he asks what. She says making her doubt the only thing in her life she was sure was real. Later, Major sits playing video games when Ravi comes in and stands in front of the TV. He asks where the dog is and he says he was just there. Ravi says the back door is open and it’s gone.

Major says he’ll be back then tells Major to get his jacket and come help find the dog. Major comes with him. Don E and Chief talk about Jesus rising from the dead and Don E says Jesus was not a zombie. He says Jesus didn’t eat other people. They have Gabriel stuff in a coffin. He refuses to tell them the utopium recipe. Blaine tells Chief to do his thing and he scratches his cheek. They close him back in and Blaine says they’ll have a fresh angry zombie soon. They screw the lid shut.

Peyton talks to another dealer who worked for Boss. It’s Blaine. He says he imports it from Hong King hidden in scrap copper through port 18. He says he will tell lots more if he gets immunity from crimes he will admit to. He gives Peyton a huge map of the whole Boss organization. Peyton tells him to tell the press that it was her savvy interrogation that got him to talk. Liv offers Peyton wine and tells her about how she unloaded on Major.

Peyton says it was time and says Major is not the guy she remembers. Gilda comes home and Peyton says she doesn’t know about Gilda with the legs and liquor and suggests a background chick. Peyton tells her she doesn’t have a guy now but says she met someone interesting at work today she thinks Liv would like. They wake zombie Gabriel and Blaine taunts him with brains. Blaine says give him the utopium recipe and he will cure him. Gabriel refuses and they kick him out hungry and newly turned.

Liv shows up and says she just heard his voice mail. She says she ran into Sue at the slow roll and says she doesn’t think he’s a killer. Clive says Sue life about his alibi. One of the guys says the mom brought in the gun her kids found near Evergreen Manor. Major comes home and finds Ravi cleaning up Minor. He says a jogger found him in Seward Park. Ravi demands to know what’s going on with him and says he can’t take care of himself much less an animal.

Major promises to pull himself together and Ravi says not to invite any of his exes to live with them. Ravi walks off with the dog. Major is in a shady area looking for utopium. He comes upon one of the kids he used to help and he says it’s a privilege drop. He gives him some U for free and tells the others that Major used to try and keep them off drugs. Rita aka Gilda texts Major and asks if he’s around. Clive talks to the shooter in the Evergreen case – he thinks he also killed Lacy.

Clive says he thinks he was hiding in her place then panicked and choked her to death. He says the pantyhose on her floor were likely the same ones he wore in the robbery. He tells the guy to confess so her family can have some closure. Liv says Lacy was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and Clive says it happens. The guy writes up his confession. Liv writes another country song but then tears it out of her notebook and throws it away.

There’s a knock and it’s Major. He cries and says he needs help. She hugs him. They kiss and then look at each other then kiss again. She pulls him inside her place and they keep kissing passionately.

Starring

 * Rose McIver as Olivia Moore
 * Malcolm Goodwin as Clive Babineaux
 * Rahul Kohli as Dr. Ravi Chakrabarti
 * Robert Buckley as Major Lilywhite
 * David Anders as Blaine DeBeers

Guest Starring

 * Aly Michalka as Peyton Charles
 * Raphael Sbarge as Richard DePalma
 * Daniel Bess as Sue
 * Jessica Harmon as Dale Bozzio
 * Leanne Lapp as Rita
 * Bryce Hosgson as Don Everhart
 * Yani Gellman as Gabriel
 * Barbarra Beall as Pamela Dipalma

Co-Starring

 * Marci T. House as Lieutenant Devore
 * Debs Howard as Steph
 * Adrien Cote as Troubled Man
 * Nadeen Lightbody as Dance Instructor
 * Mike Kovac as Trucker
 * Robert Salvador as Detective Cavanaugh
 * Andre Tricoteux as Chief
 * Allyson Grant as Lacy Cantrell
 * Jeremy Jones as Phillip Nelson
 * Jack Irvine as Dirt Mustache
 * Darien Provost as Jordan
 * Sonia Beeksma as Reporter
 * Tarun Keram as Barback
 * Wolsey Brooks as Officer Watts
 * Nathan Barrett as Drug Dealer
 * Conor Gomez as Host
 * Parker Brando as Prison Inmate #1
 * Teana-Marie Smith as Lady Inmate
 * Tyson Bellusci as Prison Inmate #3
 * Gayan Dias as Lawyer
 * Zach Pick as Cowboy
 * Anne Openshaw as Mom-Type

Soundtrack

 * Show Me by Jaycal
 * A Day With No Sunshine by Red Johnson
 * Three Bucks A Fifth by The Neil Nelson Band
 * It's A Time by Trevor Holbrook
 * We Got Something (Acoustic) by People People
 * Let You Go (feat. Rose McIver) by iZombie Cast
 * Cheating Again by Whitey Morgan and the 78's
 * Iran by Johnny Ringo
 * Crash and Burn by Angus & Julia Stone

Production Notes

 * The lyrics to "Let You Go" as written in Liv's notebook read, "So you heard from some folks that I ain't been true. / I guess you still get gossip in the clink. / It happened one night, I's full of Soco and lime / When a Pretty Boy bought me a drink / And he said darlin', you're too pretty to be sad. / And I said Mister, I needed t'hear that real bad. / And come the next morning, I find Pretty Boy in our bed / And visions how you'd kill us in my head. / --- / There's only nightmares ahead of us / And sweet dreams long ago / It's time to wake up, baby / It's time I let you go / I've got to let you go" and, in parentheses, "Repeat x2", before she tears it out, crumples it, and throws it away.

Cultural References

 * Jessica Harmon's portrays FBI Agent Dale Bozzio, who we are told is "looking into a string of missing persons cases." This is a not-too-subtle reference to 80's glam pop band Missing Persons lead singer Dale Bozzio.
 * The novel Even Cowgirls Get the Blues was written by Tom Ribbins and was published in 1976.
 * Matt Sudak is referred to as "Su" several times. This is likely a reference to the Johnny Cash song "Boy named Sue." There is even a Johnny Cash poster in Lacy Cantrell's room.