Even Cowgirls Get the Black and Blues Recap

Three boys are walking home and drinking beer. They hide when a car drives by, and find a gun on the ground. The leader tosses up his empty beer bottle and shoots it.

Peyton is watching a news report about an armed suspect gunning down a convenience store clerk. She then goes to dance class and afterward, finds Liv waiting for her. They hug and Liv thanks her for dropping off the birthday cake. Peyton admits that she resented Liv for not telling her the truth, but realized how hard it was for Liv. As they talk, Ravi texts Liv and she says that she has to go. Peyton says that she has some questions and they'll talk later.

Major wakes up in bed next to a sleeping Gilda. He gets a text and quickly gets dressed. Gilda wakes up and tells him to check off a few zombies on his list. Major goes home and apologizes to Ravi for not being there to give him a ride. Ravi says that his car will be back from the shop soon and says that the dog, which he named Minor, got into the bathroom trash. Liv arrives and Ravi explains that he called her when it didn't look like Major would show. Major quickly takes Minor out, and Ravi warns Liv that Major still needs time.

Ravi and Liv go to a home and Clive explains that a lot of the officers are tied up tracking down the shooter at the convenience store. The dead girl, Lacy Cantrell, is on the bed and is a waitress at The Slow Roll, a C&W bar. Ravi figures that she was strangled, and it looks like the killer was waiting for Lacy in the closet. Lacy was wearing dishwashing gloves so there won't be any DNA from the killer. Liv finds a lot of envelopes to a man named Matt Sudak at the state penitentiary, and they were all sent back unopened.

At the station, Clive meets with the lieutenant in charge, Devore. She tells Clive that they've brought in the convenience store shooter. However, they need the gun to make the case stick. FBI agent Dale Bozzio is there and Devore explains that she'll be working out of their office looking into a string of missing person cases. Dale explains that several rich guys in Seattle have gone missing, and Devore suggests that Fowler fits the pattern. She tells Clive to give Dale whatever she needs.

At the morgue, Liv eats Lacy's brain. Clive comes down later and explains that Lacy and Matt were a couple. They broke up while Matt was in prison, after Lacy said that she had an affair with one of his buddies. Matt got out a month ago and sent Lacy one letter about how Matt threw a man across the room when he hit on Lacy. Liv starts singing a C&W song while Clive notes that Matt had a wicked temper. Ravi confirms that Lacy was strangled with berserk strength, and Clive asks Liv if she wants to come with him to the pawnshop where Matt is working now. Liv starts tossing out country clichés and Clive just goes to his car.

At the pawnshop, Clive and Liv find Matt in the back. He isn't surprised to see them since Lacy was murdered, and says that he only saw her on stage once at The Slow roll. Matt got upset when she sang and left without talking to her. Liv says that the letters showed that Lacy want to forgive her, and Matt angrily says that Lacy couldn't wait a year for her. Clive asks where he was, and Matt says that he was busy drinking with his buddy Phil Nelson, the clerk at the desk. As Clive talks to Phil confirming Matt's alibi, Liv picks up a guitar and starts playing it. She buys it and an irritated Clive goes out to wait.

Later, Liv is at the morgue playing the guitar She's working up a song hoping it will give her a clue, and realizes that Ravi is wearing cologne. He admits that he's going out with his girlfriend Steph. That night, Steph comes over to Ravi's place. As they kiss, Peyton comes in with suitcases. She realizes that Major didn't tell Ravi that she could crash there until her new place is ready. Ravi immediately says that it's okay and Peyton goes out to grab something. Once they're alone, Steph congratulates Ravi on dating Peyton.

Clive and Liv go to The Slow roll and the bartender says that the manager is in the back. Hey go back and the manager, Rick Dipalma, says that Lacy clocked out the night before at 9. He doesn't know that she has any enemies and says that Lacy asked for an advance on her paycheck. As they go, a man approaches Clive and tells him that he heard Lacy and Rick yelling at each other the night before. She dumped a pot of hot coffee in rick's lap and drove off. They watch as Rick drives away.

As Clive put out an APB on Rick, Liv looks around Rick's office. She spots a mirror and it triggers a flash of Rick telling Lacy that they could work out something for her cash advance. Liv tells Clive what she saw and they figure it establishes motive for Rick killing Lacy.

At the funeral home, Blaine worries to his henchman Chief that two of his customers have gone missing. Don E comes down and says that he found Gabriel, the guy who cut the Utopium the night of the boat party.

Gabriel is preaching at a halfway house and talking about Jesus. He sees Blaine, Chief, and Don E in the back, and they take Gabriel in back and beat him. Gabriel insists that part of his life is over, but Blaine says that he wants the formula he used to cut the Utopium.

Peyton tries to cut deals with Stacey Boss' former associates, but they all know better than to betray their boss.

Rick turns himself in and he and his pregnant wife Pamela tell Clive that Lacy was in love with Rick. Liv comes in, and Rick claims that Lacy made a move on him. When Liv calls him on it, Clive tells Rick not to lie to them. Rick insists that it was a misunderstanding and Pamela blows up at her husband and says that she lied and he doesn't have an alibi. Clive separates them and arrests Rick.

Later, Clive looks into a moving violation for Phil from two nights ago. Dale overhears him and asks him for advice about how to not piss the other officers off. When Clive gives her the location of a food truck, Dale suggests that they go together . Clive gets called to talk to Pamela now that she's calmed down, and he asks Dale for a rain check. In the interrogation room, Pamela says that Rick didn't come in until just after midnight. Clive soon realizes that Pamela is telling him what she thinks that he wants to hear.

Liv goes to The Slow Roll with her new guitar for singer-songwriter night. Ravi is there, dressed as a cowboy, and Liv worries that she'll get stage fright. The MC calls her up and Liv starts playing. She sings about Lacy and Matt's relationship, while Ravi records the entire thing.

At the station, Clive leaves a message for Liv about how Pamela lied. A woman brings in a bag and says that her son found it, and Clive directs her to another officer, Cavanaugh. He then tells Liv that Matt's alibi fell through.

Liv finishes singing while Matt listens from the back. Everyone applauds and Ravi congratulates her. She tells him that she has to see Major and leaves, and Matt watches her go. Matt comes up to her in the parking lot and congratulates her. He admits that he screwed up his relationship with Lacy even though he loved her, and Liv says that love isn't always enough.

Major is at home watching a news report about one of his victims. The photo shows him with his dog, Minor. Liv arrives and says that she just needed to tell him that she knew from the moment they met that they needed to be together. Then she witnessed a mass murder, became a zombie, and ate fresh brains. Liv says that they're a dream that's dead and she has to let him go. Major just says, "Perfect" and closes the door. Liv starts to go, and then barges in and asks how he could be so cold. She points out that she didn't ask to become a zombie, and she didn't come to Major because she was a monster. Everything she did was to protect Major from her new reality, and Major points out that he can't get away from her. Liv asks him why he's making her doubt the only thing in her life she thought was real, and walks out.

The next morning, Ravi finds Major playing video games. He asks where the dog is, pointing out that the back door is open. Ravi wants to go out and find it, and Major follows him after a minute.

At the funeral home, Chief and Don E are arguing about Jesus being a brain when Blaine comes in. They check on Gabriel, who is tied up in a coffin. He promises to die before giving them the mix, and Blaine has Chief scratch his cheek and then locks Gabriel up in the coffin.

Peyton brings Blaine in but admits that she doesn't know what she can offer him for information on Stacey. Blaine readily tells her how Stacey imports his drugs and wants immunity in return. Once he gets it, Blaine lays out the entire organization. He agrees to give Peyton the credit.

Later, Liv and Peyton hang out together and Liv tells her friend what she said to Major. Peyton admits that Major has changed. Gilda comes in and says she isn't interested in hanging out. Once she goes to her room, Liv suggests that they do a background check on her. Peyton says that she isn't dating anyone but she met someone interesting at work. However, she doesn't mention Blaine's name.

At the funeral home, Blaine opens the coffin and dangles some fresh brains in front of him in return for the information on the Utopium. Gabriel figures that God is testing him, and Blaine shoves him out to let him go ona feeding frenzy.

The next day, Liv tells Clive that she ran into Matt at The Slow Roll. She doesn't believe that Matt killed Lacy. Cavanaugh comes in and everyone congratulates him on finding the murder weapon. Clive realizes that the kid found the gun on Evergreen avenue.

Major returns home and discovers that Ravi has found Minor. Ravi confirms that someone reported spotting Minor at the park where Major killed Minor's owner. He then demands to know what's going on with Major, and Major says that he'll get his act together. Major goes out and goes to a dealer to score some Utopium. The dealer is one of the boys from the shelter, and gives Major a couple of drops for free. As Major walks off, Gilda calls him and asks what's up.

Clive talks to the convenience store shooter and figures that he went into Lacy's house and hid in the closet. When she stumbled across the killer, he killed her. Clive suggests that she confess to the murder and give Lacy's family some closure. As the man signs, Liv figures that Lacy was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Later, Liv sits at home trying to write her song but gives up. She figures that nothing means anything and there's no grand plan. Major arrives at her apartment and says that he needs help, and Liv hugs him. After a moment, they kiss.

Written by Gadfly on Oct 28, 2015