Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist: Understanding and Acceptance

Last time: As Mitch deteriorated to the point that Maggie had to cancel their anniversary tradition, Zoey struggled with the anger it caused in her as other issues popped up. Newly single Simon invited her over for dinner but had fresh family issues to angst about, Leif’s feelings for Joan were stronger than what she wanted, and Ava Price decided to compete with them over the Chirp – and Max chose her over Zoey and Joan. Zoey ended up blowing up at several people – Mo, Simon, Max and Howie – before Mo forced her to dance it out and Simon had a heart to heart with her. In the end, Maggie and Mitch got to have an anniversary dinner at home and Zoey was ready for the next step of grief.

Not much to say heading into this episode except how much I love the fact this episode gives me both Renee Elise Goldsberry AND Bernadette Peters.

Thank you, show (and probably Robert Ulrich. I see his name in the credits and still have some good vibes about him from The Glee Project).

We gotta get out of this place ‘cause girl, there’s a better life for SPOILERS!

Zoey, Maggie and David sit a car as they psyche themselves up to go make final arrangements for their father. They are concerned because Maggie tends to be a pushover but she promises that she won’t be this time. So with that, they head inside and meet up with one of the directors.

He starts to go over all their options and Maggie is already overwhelmed. Zoey and David suggest going at a slower pace so he takes them to a room full of coffins, asking her to pick out the one she wants to bury Mitch in and then they could discuss coffin liners. As he drones on, Zoey realizes her mom isn’t doing well…right before Maggie starts singing “Gotta Get Out of This Place.”

Everyone in the casket showroom also joins in, including some priests and sisters. Zoey watches as they sing and dance before rescuing her mother. She thanks the director but say they need some time. Zoey hurries her mother away, telling Maggie she can curse if she needs to. Maggie first says she’s fine but then lets out a curse covered by our title reveal.

(This is a unique shopping experience)

Zoey arrives at SPRQ Point and jumps into an elevator with Max and Leif. She greets them with a good morning and they point out that it’s the afternoon. Zoey says she has had a day but realizes that Max doesn’t want to talk about it. And I get it. Zoey cleared the air with Simon, Mo and Howie but not Max. She can’t just jump on the elevator and act buddy-buddy with him after the awful things she said to him.

Just no.

Since Max is giving her the cold shoulder, Zoey asks Leif how things are going with the Chirp. He gives her a vague answer and she figured it’s because Max is in the elevator. She tells Leif he can brief her at her desk as they arrive at their floor. Zoey gets off and waits for him to follow her but he stays put. He and Max tell her that Leif now works on Max’s team on the sixth floor. Zoey is stunned and she asks Max if he’s that mad with her that he would work with his least favorite person at SPRQ Point just to steal her best coder. Max says that Tobin is his least favorite person and that he wants his team to win. Leif is just happy that they think he’s a great coder. He also points out that he requested the transfer before they let the elevator doors close.

Zoey storms over to Joan’s office and asks if she approved Leif’s transfer to the sixth floor. Joan confirms she did. She says that she messed up by getting involved with him and that she wasn’t going to make him stay some place where he was uncomfortable. But she’s still certain they can win the bake off and Zoey vows to make it happen, even though it isn’t the best time given everything with her father. Joan assures her that she can take whatever time she needs and has the flexibility to help her family. She says Zoey was there for her in a time of need so Joan is going to be there for her now.

Did…did Joan attend a management seminar? Read a book? Actually step foot in HR?

(More on Joan’s change of heart later)

Joan then has a relatable moment when she starts yelling at her watch after it tells her to take a mindful breath.

After work, Zoey goes to Mo’s and downs an entire glass of wine. Mo makes a sarcastic comment about straws and Zoey informs him that she spent the morning at a cemetery with her mother. Mo goes to get her a straw for her wine as he explains that he has already planned his funeral, even recording songs to be played at the service as no one would be able to sing them as well as him. And everyone must be appropriately grief-stricken or they will be tossed out. Zoey is impressed and asks Mo to plan her funeral, especially as he’s likely her best friend now.

Mo realizes that means that Zoey and Max are still on the outs. Zoey doesn’t know if she can repair that relationship and I wonder – did the writers forget about all the awful things she said to him last episode? How he didn’t deserve his promotion and wasn’t good at his job? Anyone? Is it just me? Anyway, their conversation is cut short when someone enters the apartment. Mo reveals that he gave Eddie a key to his place.

Eddie comes in and greets Zoey, who is now happily sucking down wine like it was a juice box. He then tells Mo that he’s got a callback audition for a show on a cruise ship. Mo is surprised by that and Eddie admits he didn’t say anything because he thought it was a longshot. But now it’s not and it would be a really lucrative gig – though it means he would have to be at sea for eight months. And that does not go over well with Mo as we cut to commercial break.

(Mood)

The next day, Zoey finds Mo replacing his lock. He reveals that he ended it with Eddie because he doesn’t do long distance relationship. So Mo figured it was best to cut his losses now. Zoey thinks he should give it a chance but his mind seems pretty made up.

Zoey, David and Emily return to the cemetery to see if they can handle some things for their mother instead. So the director gives them a tour and he shows off some of their chapels/gathering rooms, including one with a large screen. He confesses to going in there after hours to watch The Crown on that screen and Emily says she loves the show as well.

Next, he starts to talk about the different plot options and goes into full salesman mode, offering them all plots for a reduced price. Emily reveals that she doesn’t want to go into the ground and wants to be cremated, which surprises David. He thought they would be buried together and Emily replies that the vow was “until death do us part.” The director quickly hurries them along and Zoey wanders to a window, looking out at some of the plots.

She then spots a woman with a fun umbrella. When she moves the umbrella, we see it is the one and only BERNADETTE PETERS! Music starts to play and we get a delightful performance of Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good.” Which is a bit of an unexpected choice for a cemetery and I first wondered if her storyline was going to be about how the death of whoever was in that grave gave her freedom.

Bonus points if she killed a cheating, cruel husband.

(Maybe I’ve seen too many soaps and/or crime shows).

(Work it, Bernadette!)

Bernadette finishes her performance and walks off. Zoey makes note of her and then hurries to join her brother and sister-in-law, who are still arguing about their final resting places.

They manage to find plots but Maggie doesn’t approve of them. She begs them to get their money back and says she’ll find the right one for Mitch. Maggie wishes she could talk to her husband, knowing that he would be better at making decisions. They didn’t think they would have to plan for this, not when they were still relatively young.  Zoey realizes that her mother is experiencing something beyond her knowledge and abilities to help. She asks if there’s anyone that Maggie can talk to but she’s the first of her friends to lose a husband. It seems she’s alone.

Zoey hurries into work, apologizing for being late again. She then notices that there’s someone at Max’s desk and wonders who it is. The person turns around to reveal it’s Joan. She says that they are short people and so she’s going back to where it all started to help the team out. Zoey thanks her and says it’s odd to see her in a hoodie. Joan makes a comment about how expensive the hoodie is before asking if Zoey can get away that night. Zoey says she can and Joan says they’ll meet up after work.

(Joan the Coder)

At one point, Tobin laughs and Joan realizes he’s communicating with Leif. Tobin swears he’s not telling him anything about what they are working on. He just wants to make sure everything is going well and that he’s settling in. But Joan tells him to not fraternize with the enemy.

Up on the sixth floor, the team has a major breakthrough on the Chirp. Max praises his teammates and singles one out in particular. They apparently have a complicated handshake they go through. Max then tells someone else that their work was appreciated but the other person went the extra mile. But that the other person will get his own handshake soon.

(This is a complicated handshake)

Max then checks in with Leif, who is impressed with how good a manager Max is. And he does seem to be a very good manager. Some people are just meant to be managers. And Max also isn’t our main character, so I guess he can be allowed to be good at it right away while Zoey struggles. Anyway, Max notices that Leif was drawing something and wants to put it up on the creativity board. But then he realizes it’s a drawing of Joan and Leif inside a broken heart. Max tells Leif he knew about him and Joan and asks if that was why Leif wanted to come to the sixth floor. Leif says it was and that he’s trying to move on. Max invites him out for a drink after work and Leif accepts.

I’m sure you can figure out where this is going, right?

Joan and Zoey end up at a karaoke bar, which surprises Zoey. She asks if Joan wants to perform a duet but Joan says that it’s just the closest bar to the office.

Zoey says she knows why Joan wants to talk to her – she knows she’s been distracted and hasn’t been as productive as she usually is. She starts to apologize but Joan stops her, saying she really brought Zoey there to talk about her (Joan’s) mom. Joan’s mom was pretty much an awesome woman who probably could’ve done so much more if she wasn’t stuck in a small town. But she got sick. And when she passed, Joan was in her office working on the Google Pencil, which was short-lived. It’s clear she regrets not being there for her mother’s final moments and doesn’t want Zoey to have the same regrets, so she promises Zoey that she can have whatever she needs as she navigates her father’s final days.

Aww, I’m loving Joan’s growth here.

Hey, remember how Leif and Max were going to grab a drink after work? Guess where they decided to go?

Yep.

Things get awkward when the two groups spot each other. Leif tries to convince Joan he’s totally fine while Zoey tries to warn Max that Leif will just stab him in the back. Rebuffing her, Max then pulls Leif away and they get some drinks. Leif and Max also have a heart-to-heart, both about Joan and Zoey – since everyone knows about how Max and Zoey are fighting.

SPRQ Point has no secrets, does it?

Anyway, Leif is called up to perform a song and Max is happy he’s getting into it. Until he gets up there and starts singing Air Supply’s “All Out of Love.” Directly at Joan.

This night just keeps getting more and more awkward.

(Oh, Leif)

Joan is mortified and says there is nothing worse than having someone looking in your eyes as they sing to you, something Zoey understands all too well. Zoey motions to Max to see if he can intervene. He responds by singing “Bye, Bye, Bye.” But it’s his heart song and I like think that since he knows about Zoey’s powers, he deliberately chose that song in hopes that her power would kick in.

(BYE BYE BYE)

With Leif leaving his broken heart on the stage and Max ending things with Zoey, Joan and Zoey decide to bail and quickly exit.

Zoey returns to the cemetery in the morning and thanks the director for being so understanding. He knows this is a difficult time and that planning funerals isn’t easy. He tells Zoey he’ll be there when her family is ready. She starts to head out and spots Bernadette Peters in the middle of a crowd, regaling them with a story. When the crowd disperses, Zoey goes up and introduces herself. Bernadette is Deb here and says she’s a regular around the cemetery, joking that she should be giving commissions for all the business she’s sent their way. Zoey asks if she’s available to talk and Deb agrees.

We then see Zoey and Maggie at their favorite pie place. Maggie is glad that Zoey invited her out and Zoey says she felt she needed this. Deb then calls out to her and Zoey tries to act surprised. She doesn’t fool anyone as she and Maggie join Deb. Deb is introduced to Maggie and then asks: “Who’s ready to talk about death?”

Maggie looks ready to bolt but Zoey convinces her to stay. She says that she can’t help her mother and that since there’s no one else for Maggie to turn to, Zoey believes Deb can help Maggie deal with what was coming. She pleads with her mother to give Deb a chance and Maggie agrees.

Over at SPRQ Point, it appears Zoey took the day off and Joan is still working with her team. Tobin announces that he’s nailed a piece of code and is going to take a celebratory lap. Joan, though, notes that they all know his bathroom schedule so he can just go. He races away and she realizes she needs something from him. But since he’s halfway to the men’s room, she decides to check his computer. That’s when she sees that he’s on slack with Leif and that Leif is sharing the code the sixth floor is working on with Tobin.

Uh oh.

(Showboating)

Leif gets off at the fifth floor, which appears to be under construction. I hate to be in charge of the team that gets to be between Joan and Ava. He calls for Tobin but finds it’s Joan instead. She asks him why he gave Tobin the code and he says he wants the fourth floor to win. He’s using it as some misguided way to win her back. Joan apologizes for hurting him and for letting their affair get as far as it did but says she can’t condone corporate espionage, even if it’s in the same company. He asks if he’s going to get fired but she promises that she’ll handle it.

Zoey has left Maggie and Deb to their conversation. Maggie admits that she can’t make a decision about Mitch’s funeral and feels so lost. Deb understands, telling her about losing her own husband. She say she annoyed her own children with her inability to make decisions, that everything had to be perfect. But when she was at the service, all she could focus on was a woman’s shoes. She says it doesn’t really matter what type of flowers are on the casket – though Maggie points out she and Mitch work in landscaping. But she understands what Deb is saying – not making a decision about Mitch’s funeral and final resting place won’t delay his death. Deb agrees, saying it’s a train that’s coming whether they want it to or not. All they can do is hang on and make the best of it.

And that seems to help Maggie. She sends a positive text to Zoey, who is with Mo. Mo needs to return things to Eddie and decides the best place to do it is during Eddie’s callbacks for the cruise ship. Zoey makes sure that Mo really wants to end things and doesn’t want to try a long-distance relation and Mo seems resolved. He then starts to cross the dance floor, singing “Issues” as he approaches Eddie.

(Applause for the timing this had to take)

His performance is stopped when the choreographer wonders what he’s doing wandering through her auditions. And for those who weren’t aware, that was the show’s choreographer Mandy Moore. Mo continues over to Eddie, finishing his song before dropping off his stuff and telling Eddie to lose his number.

Oh, Mo.

Zoey then heads home. Maggie has finally committed to decisions for the funeral, including a plot. She says it’s in a lovely spot and that she has gotten permission to plant a tree there too. David asks how many spots she got and she says two but that they could always buy more if they want. Emily says that since it’s important to David, she thinks they can compromise and half of her can go with him. He thanks her while Zoey tells her mother that she’s proud of her. Maggie looks like she’s proud of herself too.

(A sweet family moment)

Joan and Ava meet on the fifth floor and Joan reveals that Leif’s been sending code down to the fourth floor. Ava wants to fire him but Joan insists she’s handled it, saying that since he was on her team, she’ll take the blame. She then suggests that they put aside their competitive natures and hatred of each other to actually work together, setting a better example for their teams. It’s like Joan realized that teams who are working for the same company should actually work together and not against each other!

(Truce?)

They gather their teams and announce that they will be working collaboratively. Zoey and Max look suspicious of this. But then Ava and Joan start singing “Get Together” as the rest of the groups merge together to be one big happy team.

(Love Fest!)

That night, Zoey heads up to the sixth floor and notes that she could use her own keycard. Max is still cold with her and she asks that if Joan and Ava could put their grievances aside to work together, if Max would be willing to listen to her. He agrees. She explains that she just spent the past few days at a cemetery and dealing with her father’s inevitable death. It made her acutely aware of time and how they didn’t know how much they had. She says that it pains her to think of spending any more time not being his friend and doesn’t want to fight anymore.

Max says it’s not fair that she used both the Joan and Ava card as well as the dying dad card on him. He says that he wants to work on their friendship too. Zoey understands that things won’t just go back to how they were but that if they work on it, they can figure out whatever they are now. And he agrees with that.

(Happy ending?)

This scene bugs me and I’ll go into later.

Zoey heads home and Max is then called into Ava’s office. He jokes that she’s ruining his plan to be the last one out of the building. But Ava is not in the mood for jokes. She tells Max that he let a “fox into the henhouse” and reveals that Leif had been sending code to the fourth floor. Max is surprised and it increases when Ava says she can’t trust his judgment anymore so she’s firing him.

Ouch. You know this is partly because Joan wouldn’t fire Leif.

Alright, let’s unpack some things about this episode. Especially as this is the penultimate episode of the season and I think there’s a lot to go through, even more than meets the eye.

Much of the season has been about how her powers have allowed Zoey to grow as a person. She stopped seeing everything through a rather technical lens, where she almost treated the world as if it were code – just a series of 1’s and 0’s. Zoey has come to appreciate the complexities and complications and messy aspects of being human and started to embrace them. She’s learned how to think of others, is more considerate (except when it comes to Max but we’ll get to that) and has learned to fail. And in this episode, we saw further growth – even just from the last episode. There, she tried to fix everything for her parents. This week, she realized she couldn’t help her mother and found someone who could. She’s learned her limitations and how to work within them.

But Zoey’s not the only one who has grown throughout the season, which makes sense. We’ve seen how Simon has grown, where he learned to open up more and to start really dealing with how his dad’s death affected him. And we’ve seen a softer side to Tobin and how he’s now willing to show that to Zoey, even if he has some misogynistic tendencies still.

Mo is still scared of rejection, hence why he decided to end his relationship with Eddie rather than attempt a long-distance relationship with him in case it went down in flames. And it’s similar to his worries in Episode 4, which makes sense. So I suspect we’ll continue to see him grow in that aspect.

We saw some growth from Leif. The Leif in the premiere would’ve done anything to climb to the top – and he definitely wouldn’t have sent code down to the fourth floor during a bakeoff. He would’ve used it to try to undermine Max and take his job. Falling in love with Leif and I think Zoey’s abilities to hear his heart songs and so understand his emotions have made him less focused on himself and he’s finally focusing on other people, even if it could cost him his job. Though he still stabbed Max in the back so he’s still got a ways to go but it’s a start.

Joan certainly showed a lot of growth this episode and I liked the glimpse into her past we got. I love how she is supporting Zoey through this difficult time and advising her. Honestly, I think this was one of the first times I really saw her mentor Zoey. I already like their dynamic but I’m digging it even more. And I like to think Zoey has gotten her to be more vulnerable now.

I also think what happened with Leif changed her as well. She had gone a little wild after her divorce from Charlie and who can blame her? It’s her life, she should live it. But she had blurred a dangerous line with Leif and knew it. She only wanted some fun but he wanted more. When Zoey pointed that out, Joan realized it was unfair to Leif. So I think her guilt made her more aware of her relationship with others, especially her team, and she started to become a better manager because of it.

Maggie grew as well. She’s coming to terms with losing her husband and continuing to make decisions on her own. It seems this episode was Maggie finally accepting the inevitable.

As for Max, I’m not sure how much growth he’s undergone. It’s clear he blossomed while managing his own team and he bonded with Leif. But then there’s his relationship with Zoey.

It’s not the greatest and I think maybe they do need a break from each other. I was not thrilled with the scene where Zoey went to repair her relationship with Max because she never apologized for the awful things she said to him in the last episode. She never acknowledged how she hurt him. Did the writers forget about that?

The more of my rewatch I do, the less I like the Zoey/Max dynamic. And they are both to blame. I still think Max is in love with the Zoey in his head rather than the real Zoey. But I also think she takes Max for granted and so doesn’t treat him as well as she should. I think a longer break would’ve benefitted both of them – maybe he would’ve gotten perspective on how he really felt about Zoey and maybe she would’ve learned to appreciate him more.

Maybe Max getting fired will be a good thing for them. Force him to expand his social circle and get to know more people. Maybe he’ll finally realize that he’s idealized Zoey and start to accept her as the person she is, not the person he wants to be. And maybe Zoey will realize how dependent she was on Max, build new relationships and start to respect and appreciate Max more.

Next time: PAIN