IZombie: Astroburger

"Astroburger" is the eleventh episode of season one of the paranormal crime drama series iZombie. It was directed by Michael Fields with a script written by Kit Boss. It first aired on the CW Network on Tuesday, May 25th, 2015 at 10:00 pm. In this episode, Liv Moore must consume the brain of a suicide victim who happened to be someone close to Major Lilywhite. She begins experiencing waves of intense emotional turmoil and paranoia. Clive Babineaux learns about a computer file that might shed some light on the investigation.

Crew

 * Joseph Berger-Davis - Co-producer
 * Scott Graham - Producer
 * Gloria Calderon Kellett - Supervising producer
 * Kit Boss - Co-executive producer
 * Dan Etheridge - Executive producer
 * Danielle Stokdyk - Executive producer


 * Diane Ruggiero-Wright - Executive producer
 * Rob Thomas - Executive producer
 * Michael Wale, CSC - Director of photography
 * Matthew Budgeon - Production designer
 * Warren Bowman - Editor
 * Josh Kramon - Composer

Notes & Trivia

 * iZombie was developed by Rob Thomas & Diane Ruggiero-Wright. Based on the characters created by Chris Roberson and Michael Allred for Vertigo.


 * This episode is rated TV-14.


 * This episode is production code number 3J5511/T2712511.


 * This episode aired in Canada on Shomi on May 27th, 2015.


 * This episode is included on the iZombie: The Complete First Season DVD collection, which was produced by Warner Home Video and released in Region 1 format on September 29th, 2015.


 * Series co-creator and executive producer Diane Ruggiero is credited as Diane Ruggiero-Wright in this episode.


 * This is the second episode of iZombie directed by Michael Fields. He directs three episodes from season one. He previously directed "The Exterminator". His next episode is "Blaine's World".


 * This is the second episode of iZombie written by Kit Boss. He writes two episodes from season one. He previously wrote "Liv and Let Clive".

Allusions

 * The opening tagline of this episode is "Game over, man". This phrase was made popular by Bill Paxton's character, Corporal Hicks in the 1986 sci-fi film Aliens.


 * The movie that Peyton Charles wants to play is Vertigo, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and starring Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak. The film was produced by Paramount Pictures and released in 1958. It may also be a tongue-in-cheek reference to the Vertigo comic book imprint of DC Comics, which publishes the iZombie comic book series.


 * The astronaut seen on the new report, Alan York, is a reference to a similar character in Rob Thomas's novel Rats Saw God.


 * Major Lilywhite makes reference to the film One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest in this episode. Specifically, the end scene when Chief picks up a bolted sink, throws it through the window and escapes from the mental institution.


 * Ravi Chakrabarti makes reference to Joe Friday from the 1967 TV series Dragnet.


 * Another film referenced in this episode is Harvey, which was directed by Henry Koster and released in 1950. It also stars Jimmy Stewart who plays a man who believes that a large talking white rabbit is his companion.

Quotes

 * Liv Moore: Careful. Don't open yourself up to the classic Reversed Sicilian Gambit. That's a chess thing, right?
 * Major Lilywhite: Sounds more something a call girl would make you pay extra for.

....
 * Ravi Chakrabarti: Did you know there were two General Tsos, both from the Qing dynasty? This dish was named after the other who suppressed the Dungan Revolt.
 * Major Lilywhite: No. But I do now.
 * Ravi Chakrabarti: Then this chicken did not die in vain.
 * Peyton Charles: I can almost taste the crushed dreams of Dungan rebels.

....
 * Major Lilywhite: If you want to feel better about your mental health, spend a couple of days with some clinically insane people.
 * Peyton Charles: I do it every Thanksgiving.

....
 * Blaine DeBeers: In the future, remember that I like my information the same way you like your brains.
 * Lieutenant Suzuki: Unconditional?
 * Blaine DeBeers: Fresh.