Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist: I Wanna Sex You Up!

Last time on Zoey: Zoey re-emerged from her self-imposed exile after losing her father to find that the world had gone on without her. She tried to reintegrate into that world but everything kept changing. Leif had taken over and made a lot of changes, including a new hire named George. Max, Simon and Mo were best friends who hung out without her. Joan wanted to promote Zoey to run the Fourth Floor and ultimately revealed she was leaving for Singapore. And Maggie struggled to enjoy her new grandson while mourning her husband. In the end, a video from Mitch gave them the push they need to move on. Zoey accepted the promotion and gave Leif her old job, Max and Mo decided to start a business together and Zoey chose Max.

Apparently I wasn’t alone in questioning if the show had really wrapped up its love triangle in the first episode. People are worried about Max and Zoey’s relationship and Austin Winsberg says that they have reason to worry. Once again, it seems my feeling that Zoey may (inadvertently) be taking advantage of Max may be correct.

So let’s see how that starts to unfold.

Some people wait a lifetime/for a moment like SPOILERS!

Zoey and Max are making out when he pauses, saying he’s a bit creeped out by her giraffe. She looks up to find the stuffed animal watching them from between her pillows. Zoey exiles the giraffe from her bed and they continue. But they don’t get too far when Maggie bursts in to say that their favorite show is on, surprising all of them. It gets awkward before she leaves and heads downstairs.

Zoey and Max agree the mood has broken. They decide to have dinner and sex at Zoey’s apartment the next night. Max asks if Zoey is okay with how fast everything is moving given she just lost her father. Zoey says she forgets about her grief when she’s with him and says that she considers it a “grief vacation.” Max says he’s happy to help and then he leaves.

I feel this “grief vacation” is going to blow up in Zoey’s face. Not necessarily for the concept – I think it makes a lot of sense. But I worry that even though she may not realize it, that she’s just using Max as a way to forget her grief for a little bit and that it may be more of a friends with benefits situation than a real romance. And I worry that Max is going to want more than Zoey will be willing to give, maybe not right away but sooner rather than later.

Anyway, we come to the next morning. Zoey gets ready for work and finds her mother on the laptop. Maggie is looking at the foundation for Mitch’s condition, wanting to stay connected to that community. She says that even though Mitch is gone, she still hopes there are breakthroughs and a possible cure one day. And she wants to see what happens. Zoey understands but tells Maggie that she should take a break for a little bit.

She then tells her mother that she will be spending the night at her apartment. Maggie asks if she’s ready to move back there but Zoey says it’s just so she can have some privacy. David and Emily realize it’s for some romance and speculate on who it may be – David is Team Max while Emily is Team Simon. But Emily is also distracted, saying her sister Jenna was supposed to arrive but is characteristically late. Zoey asks how Emily’s sister is as she hasn’t seen her since she almost fell into the cake at David and Emily’s wedding. (Given an accident Zoey had with Emily’s dress, it’s clear the sisters of the bride and groom did not have much luck at that reception). Apparently Jenna almost hit a squirrel and so took it to get medical care, leading her to hooking up with an orderly so Emily had no clue when to expect her sister.

Someone then knocks on the door and they answer it to find Jenna on the other side. She apologizes for being late but says she wanted to stop and get everyone some breakfast burritos from her favorite place. Emily accepts the bag and then starts singing “Poison,” alarming Zoey. She decides to take her burrito to go and warns her mother to keep an eye on Emily and Jenna.

(Talk about sibling issues)

Zoey arrives at work to find the team playing some sort of game with a bottle rather than working. She calls Leif over who explains that they are just blowing off some steam. He said he read studies that suggested it helped with productivity. Zoey is okay with letting off steam but reminds him that maybe a game that implies they are hitting each other in the crotch isn’t the way to do it in a professional setting. Leif promises to get a handle on the games and Zoey tells everyone to get back to work because they may be able to leave early.

She then heads into her new office and Simon greets her, noting she is his boss now. Zoey says that she won’t treat him differently because of their relationship and promises to ride him just as hard…she then stops because she realizes how that sounds. Simon laughs it off. He then says that the SPRQ Watch is blowing up. Zoey congratulates him on a job well done but Simon clarifies that the watches are literally blowing up on people’s wrist. He shows her a video posted online and she wisely asks if they are sure it’s their watch. The person then yells that it is a SPRQ Point watch and gives the exact make. Zoey and Simon realize they have a big problem as we cut to the title card.

(SPRQ Poiont, we have a problem)

At this point, I wondered if the video was a fake. I mean, who yells the exact model of their watch as it’s BURNING THEIR WRIST? It all seemed very convenient and a very obvious set up.

Max and Mo split some work on their restaurant idea. Max then hands Mo a contract to sign but Mo hesitates. Max insists it’s nothing complicated or major – just a simple 50/50 ownership agreement he found on the internet. But Mo suddenly starts talking fast, saying that they don’t need to rush to contracts and then goes to get a smoothie and maybe some shoes. Poor Max is left behind feeling very confused.

(Right before it all went sideways)

Zoey sends him a text that she needs to push back their dinner by a couple hours due to something at work. She then puts her phone away and begins the meeting with everyone on the fourth floor to deal with the SPRQ Point watches blowing up. Before she gets too far, Danny Michael Davis appears on the screen behind her. Even though he’s not supposed to be involved in company business…he still wants to be, so he’s sneaking into their meeting. Zoey tells him that house arrest is agreeing with him but he says the giant metal device on his ankle says otherwise before taking a gulp of wine. He then tells Zoey to proceed and he’ll just “consult.”

Anyway, their best guess as to why the watches are blowing up is that the software updates recently released are overloading the systems. Leif grows very nervous and insists that it could be hardware, which Zoey and Danny acknowledge. But Zoey asks Leif to have his team review the software updates so they could rule it out and he agrees.

Danny Michael Davis then asks how they can do damage control before the videos ruin SPRQ Point. Tobin suggests doing deep fakes where their competitors smart watches are the ones blowing up and then they claim the original videos were the real deep fakes. Danny Michael Davis tells him to leave and we have a few awkward moments where Tobin has to walk past everyone to leave the room. Simon then suggests that they spin it as SPRQ Point just being overeager to get the new updates out that some quality checks were not conducted. SPRQ Point apologizes for that but not for being eager to give their customers the newest and best technology possible. Danny Michael Davis likes that and declares Simon that he’s the new spokesperson, which throws Simon for a loop as he’s in marketing and not PR.

(Oh, poor Simon)

While Zoey and her team work to fix the watches, Jenna tries to bond with her sister and nephew. But Emily keeps shooting down her suggestions and rebuffing her sister. Jenna feels helpless and Maggie watches, deciding she needs to help the sisters after all.

Zoey realizes that she’s two hours late for her dinner with Max and heads out. She finds the guys playing another game but Leif explains that they were able to replicate the conditions that make the watch blow up. Now the guys are having fun blowing up watches. She tells Leif to wrangle them together in order to fix everything and he agrees. Zoey runs onto the elevator and is surprised to find three other coders who are women. They make a comment about how rare it is to see that many women coders in one place and Zoey starts talking about solidarity before running out while screaming “SEX!”

(We've all been there)

She and Max have dinner at her apartment. Zoey jokes about how she’s sure he has no idea that they’re eating takeaway and Max plays along, surprised she didn’t make everything from scratch. They share a laugh before she apologizes for the apartment being so cold and smelling bad – she hasn’t been back since her father died and clearly she left something in the microwave she’s afraid to clean out. It’s not very romantic but it’s private so they make the best of it.

Then Mo starts playing opera and singing along to it. She notes that Mo only plays opera when something is bothering him and says that she’ll go over to let Mo know that they are there. Zoey heads across the hall and tells Mo she’s having dinner with Max. Mo promises to turn down the music before starting to sing “Too Good at Goodbyes.” Zoey decides that she doesn’t have time to deal with all of that and heads back to her apartment for sex.

But the respite from opera doesn’t last long and so they are unable to get it on. Max admits that he might be the reason why Mo is upset and explains what happened. Zoey realizes she’s going to have to solve Mo’s problem in order to finally have some sexytimes.

So Zoey texts Mo the next day and asks for a makeover. Mo is ecstatic and asks Zoey if he can burn her sweaters. She tells him no before focusing on work, where everyone is still playing games rather than fixing the code. Leif assures her that everything is under control before singing “Baby Did a Bad Thing,” leading her to call him into her office to figure out what’s going on.

(Oh, yeah, he's hiding something)

Leif folds easily. He admits that he essentially couldn’t get his team to work on the updates and so he did it all himself. So he fears that he messed up somewhere and that’s why the watches are blowing up. Zoey calms him down, tells him to get control of his team and to fix it. He agrees to do so.

Meanwhile, Maggie and Jenna go on a walk together. Jenna tells Maggie she knows that Maggie is babysitting her and thanks her for entertaining her. She has a heart-to-heart with Maggie about how she struggles to bond with her sister and how she wants to help but that Emily makes it so hard. She has everything planned and is so prepared, it feels like there’s nothing she can do. And compared with her, Jenna just feels inadequate.  

Maggie offers Jenna some insight into what Emily probably needs but can’t bring herself to say. And it pretty much boils down to that Emily needs a break from Miles, that having a newborn is draining. Emily could use someone who takes the baby so Emily can either nap or just clear her head. Jenna takes this suggestion and thanks Maggie for the talk.

That evening, Mo does Zoey’s makeup and Zoey tries to casually bring up Max. But Mo sees right through her and accuses Zoey of spying for Max. He’s rightfully upset but Zoey really has an out – she could tell Mo that she heard him singing. Mo knows what that means – that if Zoey hears a heartsong, she’s obligated to help. I think Mo would still be upset because he doesn’t really like to be one of Zoey’s “projects” but I think it would take the sting of betrayal away. But Mo throws Zoey out of his apartment, not carrying that he hasn’t blended her makeup yet.

So Zoey decides to take desperate measures. She and Max show up the next day at Mo’s. Zoey hands over a bunch of icebreakers and trust exercises she had put together after becoming manager of the coders, hoping that they could help Mo and Max. Mo reluctantly agrees when Zoey agrees to a complete makeover (though not to burning her sweaters, even if Max does agree to that) and Max enters the apartment while Zoey heads to work.

At work, Zoey finds Leif asleep in a chair and asks if he worked all night. He confessed he did as he still couldn’t get the coders to stop playing games and work. Can no one in this company get fired for insubordination? It does have shades of Zoey’s early days as manager and she reminds Leif that she struggled at first as well. She says he’ll find a way to lead the guys and get them to do work.

Meanwhile, Mo and Max struggle to work out their problems. Mo wants to give up but Max convinces him to do one more exercise. They agree on two truths and a lie. Max starts and at the end, he confesses that he’s never once heard his father say he’s proud of him. Mo is surprised by how deep Max went and Max says he’s taking desperate measures, hoping Mo will open up to him in return.

It works. Mo tells Max about a venture he went into several years before with a friend. But things didn’t go as fast as Mo expected and he started to clash with his friend. When he got another idea, he left the business and hadn’t spoke to his friend. Mo points out that he has a tendency to just walk away and can clearly do so easily. He doesn’t want to do that to Max. Max tells him that they can work together and that Mo doesn’t always have to walk away. He even suggests reconnecting with the other friend, though Mo seems hesitant. But it’s clear Mo also has a lot to think about as well.

(Mo has some guilt and trust issues)

Max gets a text saying that Zoey needs him ASAP for an emergency. He rushes over to her house and asks about it. Zoey calms him down but says the emergency was that she has the house to herself that night. Her brother and sister are having a date night and getting some time to themselves while Maggie and Jenna babysit Miles. She opens her bedroom door to reveal candles and rose petals on the bed.

It’s finally time for sexytimes!

As they get ready for it, Max assures Zoey that he found a therapist who could help him learn some tricks so that his heartsongs didn’t interrupt them. Zoey is pleased and they start undressing when Max starts singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” Zoey covers his mouth and asks if the trick involves baseball. He nods and is pleased it’s working. Zoey figures it could be worse and decides to proceed.

But it doesn’t work as well as Max hoped. Instead, he starts doing the oddest mashup ever – “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” mixed with “I’ll Make Love to You.” He and Zoey start to get frustrated – he wants to stop singing and she just wants to start banging, even if he’s singing the entire time.

(So close yet so far)

She finally gets him to stop and they talk. He says it’s not fair that she knows what’s going on his head and he has to guess. Zoey acknowledges that and tells him that she’s feeling the same as him – she’s nervous but mostly excited. He then starts to sing “A Moment Like This” and Zoey joins in, confusing Max. She tells him that he’s singing a song she knows and so she’s joining in. They duet the rest of the song before the screen fades to black as they finally get to enjoy sexytimes.

In the morning, the Clarkes are surprised when Max joins them for breakfast but play it cool. They all acknowledge that they are adults and will act maturely, though David says that if the women weren’t there, he’d probably revert to frat behavior. That gives Zoey an idea and she tells everyone goodbye before heading to work. David then says that he would high five Max but Zoey is his sister so he threatens to end him if he hurts her.

(Awkward)

Zoey and Leif come up with a plan to change the culture on the Fourth Floor. Leif announces that three extras are being transferred to the Fifth Floor effective immediately. Tobin freaks out but Leif assures him it’s for the best before introducing their newest team members – the three women Zoey met in the elevator. Tobin and George look nervous as the women join their team. Leif and Zoey tell them to get to work.

(New faces! Yay!) 

We end the episode at Mo’s. He’s made over Zoey to look like an extra in an 80s music video. She, Mo and Max enjoy some wine and Mo reveals he signed the contract. They celebrate and all seems right in the world.

(Cheese!) 

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I still think this “grief vacation,” while not a bad idea in and of itself, is still going to blow up on Max and Zoey. And preview shows it could happen next week.

I guess we’ll have to see.

The Mo storyline was pretty consistent with his character. We’ve seen that while he makes a lot of friends, he does have a problem trusting people because of how he’s been hurt before. He knows that he’s likely to walk away – after all, he nearly did it with Patrick last season. And with their relationship hitting a rough patch, I’m sure Mo is even more vulnerable than he wants them to know. I’m glad he and Max had that heart-to-heart and have (hopefully) moved past it.

Jenna is an interesting character and I can’t wait to see more from her.

While I liked that Leif struggled to manage the coders and that they struggled to see him as someone in authority, I hope they don’t just keep playing all Zoey’s plot points for him. I’m also interested in getting to know the new coders on the floor.

Next week: Nightmares haunt Zoey and she turns to Simon for comfort.