Last time: Zoey wanted to recreate a memory from her childhood where she watched the Leodons Meteor Shower with her father. It was coming around again but she could only go with Tobin and Leif, whose love life problems caused her to miss the shower. She then tried to see it on the second day but had the opening of Max’s and Mo’s restaurant while trying to solve Leif’s problems. In the end, Max rounded up some friends and they went to see the stars after the opening with Zoey.
In addition: David joined Aiden’s band to get out of the house more, Leif’s date just wanted a job at SPRQ Point, Simon is now the hottest thing on the San Francisco tech scene, Max reconnected with an old friend from camp named Rose and Mo was making eyes with the Fire Marshall.
All in all, it felt like a good reset after the hiatus and set up the backend of the season.
No word yet on a possible season 3. Alice Lee (Emily) has been cast in another pilot but that doesn’t mean much. She could just end up being a recurring again rather than a regular if a third season is picked up. So we’ll see what happens.
A little less conversation and/a little more touch my body/cause I’m SPOILERS!
Zoey tries to get Miles to say her name even though Emily points out that he’s too young to do that. Maggie asks Zoey to get out the nice plates and Zoey asks what the occasion is. Her mother tells her that it’s the start of her birthday week so she’s made a special dinner. Zoey hesitates and says she’s not sure she wants to celebrate her birthday that year, especially after Mitch’s death. Maggie points out that it’s her 30th and if Mitch were there, he would want them to celebrate it. After all, his motto was “Bigger moments, bigger memories.” So Zoey agrees to have a party at the house on Saturday, the day before her birthday. David teases her about having only six friends and Zoey promises that she can fill the house with people.
We then cut to her inviting Alicia, the receptionist on her floor, to her party. Alicia is confused – surprised that Zoey even knows her name and then asking if she’s being asked to do the catering. Zoey confirms she’s inviting Alicia as a guest and Alicia accepts.
Zoey then enters Simon’s office and asks if he’s not busy saving the world on Saturday, can he come to her birthday party? He moves the “Saving the World Committee” meeting from Saturday and says his schedule is clear for him to come. They have an awkward moment where the promise of more lingers in the air before she thanks him and leaves.
She then makes an announcement in engineering about her party, saying they are all invited. Tobin asks about the man to woman ratio and she tells him that it will depend on how many women he invites. He immediately gets on that. Zoey then also announces that Danny Michael Davis wants to redesign their phones and is asking anyone in the company to submit ideas. She says it would be really cool if engineering submitted the winning design and encourages to be creative. Tobin says it’s not fair since Leif is at some conference but Zoey assures him that he will be fine. McKenzie challenges him and they get to work.
At Maximo’s, Mo tells our favorite fire marshal about their plan to add another fire alarm for safety. He says that’s a good idea and then just bluntly tells Mo that if he wants to spend time with him, Mo can just call him. Mo is surprised that he saw through the charade and seems to be pleased by how forward he was.
Zoey then shows up to invite Mo and Max to her birthday party. Both are eager to celebrate with her. And that’s when Rose shows up, apologizing for being late. Zoey immediately picks up on something between them and there’s an awkward moment where Max doesn’t know what to introduce Zoey as. Zoey says she and Max are friends and Rose asks how they met. Zoey starts to explain the story as Rose starts singing “I Need You Tonight.” Max joins in and they dance suggestively around the restaurant before returning to Zoey, who quickly finishes her story. She and Rose say it’s nice to meet them before Rose walks away with Max. Mo asks if it’s just him or if those two want to fuck as we head into our title card!
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| (Hot damn) |
And I’m not sure how Zoey feels about the heartsong she just witnessed. She first seemed a bit annoyed that Rose’s song interrupted her story but then she seemed into it, even when Max was singing along. I didn’t get a very “jealous” vibe off her.
We go back to Aiden’s garage as the band finishes rehearsing. David starts to brag about how much sex he’s having with his wife – apparently Emily finds him being in a band a big turn on. Though they should probably be careful – how old is Miles at this point? Because women are very fertile within the first few months of giving birth, so hopefully they are using protection because while I know Emily mentioned having a second child, I don’t think they want them to be Irish twins.
Anyway, the band calls him out for discussing his sex life and informs him that he is being creepy. And he is creepy, honestly. Two bandmates head out for some air or smokes or something, leaving Aiden and David behind. Aiden talks about how he has a woman haunting him but still inspiring him to write music. David encourages him to talk about it but Aiden hesitates, saying he probably shouldn’t. We the audience realize it’s Zoey but David doesn’t. Aiden opens up and they start writing a song together.
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| (Aiden and David) |
Zoey and Mo go home together while Zoey tries to process how she feels about the heartsong Max and Rose sang. Mo asks the same questions I was last week – what exactly is the nature of Zoey and Max’s relationship? Are they still on pause? And then he asks that if they are still on pause, do they have any rules? Zoey confirms that they did not establish rules so Mo suggests that they get on the same page. She agrees and decides to talk to him face-to-face as it would be the mature, 30 year old thing to do. Mo says he wouldn’t know as he is perpetually twenty-something and Zoey asks how long he’s been in his twenties. He says he’s lied so much he’s not even sure him before telling her goodnight.
So the next day, Max comes over to Zoey’s apartment and she starts the conversation very awkwardly about their pause. Max is pretty confused until Zoey just lays it out for him – she heard him and Rose sing a heartsong and so wants to know where they stand. He’s surprised and annoyed, saying he hasn’t figured out his feelings for Rose yet but it seems Zoey has been able to just look into his head to get it for him. He then asks if she’s jealous and she doesn’t really answer. But she does tell Max that in the spirit of honesty, she still has feelings for Simon and that they have been intensifying. Max gets even angrier and asks if she just asked him here to talk about her feelings about someone else. Zoey tries to get the subject back on hand but Max tells her to just forget it and to leave him alone before storming out of the apartment. There’s a lot of sarcastic use of the word “mature” thrown about and it’s just frustrating all around.
A despondent Zoey tells Mo that it didn’t go well with Max and that the party is off. Mo tries to convince her to keep the party on – mostly because Mo has already invited the fire marshal to the party as a date. But Zoey is convinced the timing is not right and that she’s just not in the mood to celebrate.
She then tries to break the news at work but Tobin and McKenzie ambush her with talk about their ideas for the phone – he wants to make it almost tablet sized while she’s talking about a microphone of sorts. Zoey tries to encourage them all when she realizes they’ve walked her up to the ever rotating bar. Simon is waiting for her with cake and goodies modeled after her clothing. Everyone tells her happy birthday and they celebrate. She asks if Simon was responsible for it and he says he got the ball rolling with the first email.
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| (SPRQ Point knows how to throw a party) |
Zoey then announces that her big party on Saturday has been cancelled as she’s not really ready. Everyone is actually bummed, including Tobin – who had so many Tinder ladies lined up – and McKenzie – who wanted to raid Maggie’s medicine cabinet. But they accept it and Zoey takes a bag of candy as she heads back to her office. Simon starts singing “Don’t Leave Me This Way” and Tobin and McKenzie join as well as the others. In the end, Zoey announces that her party is back on and everyone is happy again.
Which brings us to the night of the party! We see that Emily really is truly turned on by David being on in a band as they can barely keep their hands off each other. Maggie tells them that if they are going to makeout at Zoey’s party they should do it the right way by going in a closet for seven minutes. She then asks where Zoey is and they say she’s up in her room getting ready. Maggie heads up to check on her.
Zoey is up in her room crying as she holds a box with earrings. Maggie asks her what is wrong and Zoey explains she forgot jewelry so she went through her old jewelry box. The earrings she found were the ones her father gave her for her sweet 16. She misses him and once again wonders if the party is a good idea. Maggie assures her that the party is a great idea, that she struggles with missing Mitch every day and she’s nervous about the party too. But Mitch always pushed her out of her comfort zone and she always ended up having fun so she is going to take the chance and encourages Zoey to do the same.
Downstairs, guests have started to arrive. Tobin and McKenzie arrive together, still arguing about their designs. McKenzie takes his coat and he warns her that it’s Italian leather…but she tells him that it’s not. She opens the closet and David takes their coats before going back to kissing Emily as McKenzie closes the door again. They head into the party, clearly intrigued now.
Mo notices Zoey coming down the stairs and compliments her outfit. He then introduces her to the fire marshal, who is named Perry. Zoey chats with him for a bit before Max shows up and Mo makes an awkward excuse to give Zoey and Max some space. Max says he got her a present and they decide to go up to her room so she can open it.
She tears the paper and reveals a poster of Kelly Clarkson’s “A Moment Like This,” the heartsong Max sang to her during their first time together and she sang along to. It then leads to them finally having the adult conversation they needed about their relationship. Both agree that if they are experiencing feelings for others, it wouldn’t be fair to stand in each other’s way. All they want is for the other to be happy so they pretty much agree that their pause is now a break up. They are free to pursue other people but will remain good friends. They hug it out before returning to the party downstairs.
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| (All's well that ends well?) |
Zoey meets up with Tobin and McKenzie, asking where all his Tinder women are. He swears they are coming but McKenzie says they aren’t because they are all Russian bots. Simon then shows up with Tatiana and they wish her a happy birthday. Zoey thanks them before going to get a drink, clearly jealous that Simon might be dating Tatiana. She meets up with Mo, who wonders how Perry is feeling about him.
Music starts to play and Mo starts singing “Kiss Me,” which always takes me right back to the 90s and all the rom coms that made me think my 20s were going to be more exciting than they really were. Perry sings along with him and damn does he have a good voice. He’s fine and he can sing, please let this work out between him and Mo so we can keep him.
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| (Yay, Perry and Mo) |
Others join in the song and Zoey wanders around, listening to everyone singing and watching them all dance. Emily and David sing to each other and then Zoey gets a surprise when McKenzie and Tobin sing to each other. That was definitely not a pairing I was expecting (honestly, I was lowkey shipping Leif and Tobin. Actually, I still am). And then Zoey finds Tatiana singing to Simon but he doesn’t sing back. It almost seems like she’s begging him to kiss her.
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| (This is quite the pairing) |
Zoey returns to the bar set up in her house as the song ends. She then tells Mo that he and Perry just sang about wanting to kiss each other. He asks what song he was singing and I’m sure he would be horrified to know what song he really was singing, so he should be glad Zoey doesn’t know music that well. She says people were singing to each other and wishes that someone had been singing to her.
Maggie then gets everyone’s attention and makes a toast to Zoey. She then introduces Aiden’s band, who are going to perform a special song for her. This is the first original song the show has performed and it’s called “Crimson Love.” As he sings it, it becomes obvious to everyone – especially Zoey and David – that the song is about her. Mo notes that someone is singing to her but Zoey is not thrilled with it, especially as it seems she doesn’t return his feelings and the song is pretty sexual in nature as well. He ends it by declaring his love for her and waiting for her response.
Awkward.
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| (We are all Emily) |
Zoey tells Aiden she is flattered by the song but that she’s not into him. He doesn’t seem to believe her at first but she finally convinces him. He takes it okayish. He doesn’t yell at her but he does say she’s going to regret not taking her chance before leaving her party.
David realizes that he needs to quit the band and Emily agrees. But she encourages him to continue his artistic and creative expression, knowing how happy it made him. And how horny it made her.
Mo asks Perry if he wants to continue the night elsewhere but Perry says he needs to go by his ex’s house to pick something up. Mo asks what it is and he says he needs to pick up his kids. Mo then asks if he means a pair of goats but Perry confirms that they are two human children he shares with his ex-husband. That throws Mo for a loop and Perry makes it clear that he’s looking for something serious and that he is a package deal. He understands if that’s more than Mo wants but hopes that their budding relationship will continue.
Tatiana wishes Zoey a happy birthday before saying she’s heading out. She says that she’s going to meet up with a Bumble date and if it doesn’t work out, will just go curl up on her couch at home. That surprises Zoey, who tries to ask about Simon without being obvious. Tatiana confirms that she’s into Simon but that he’s not into her. She gives Zoey a knowing look as she says that he’s hung up on someone else.
And that makes Zoey happy.
The party ends with everyone starting to sing “Happy Birthday” to Zoey but she stops them, saying she’s had enough singing. So she just blows out the candles and here’s hoping her wish comes true!
The next day, Mo surprises Zoey with a birthday breakfast. Zoey blows out the candle and enjoys it while Mo tells Zoey about the fact Perry has children. Zoey encourages Mo to give Perry a chance and teases him a bit, causing Mo to tease her about having gray hair.
David comes home after breaking up with Aiden’s band. He says it went well though he did cry. Maggie comforts him and is certain he’ll find something new to do. She then brings out some old instruments she found and they play together for Miles’ entertainment.
We get a brief montage of our current pairings – with Mo and Perry sharing some wine, Rose and Max eating together and McKenzie and Tobin working together. It ends with Simon stopping by Zoey’s with a cake to celebrate her birthday. He starts singing “Into You” by Ariane Grande as they dance around the kitchen together. The song – and the episode – ends with Zoey kissing him.
Happy birthday, Zoey!
Well, that was an interesting birthday. Let’s break it all down.
The show has addressed Zoey and Max’s pause. And I think it makes the most sense. It’s been clear that Zoey still has feelings for Simon and that they have been getting stronger lately. And I think that Max may have just been more of a security blanket in the aftermath of her father’s death – he’s a known entity and proven to be there no matter what. So I think he’s what she needed – though I use “needed” in the loosest terms possible as I don’t think Zoey needed a romantic relationship in the state she was in – and now that she’s moving forward with her life, it’s time to try something new.
And I guess I’m more of a Zoey/Simon fan than a Zoey/Max fan since I was happy with the outcome of this episode.
Though I am a Zoey/Simon fan, I don’t know if they are endgame or if it will ultimately be Zoey/Max. I’m not sure if Rose is meant to be a long term character or not – right now she’s written so that she can around for a while and if they decide it’s not working, she can be written out but if it does work, they can also make her permanent. And I love Katie Findlay so I would love to have her around for a long time.
But I can see Simon and Rose as stepping stones for Zoey and Max to get back together and have a stronger relationship. Especially Rose for Max. Last year, I wrote that I thought Max was more in love with the Zoey in his head than the real Zoey. But I don’t think that’s true anymore. I think Max is just the more romantic of the two and he has certain scenarios in his head and doesn’t react well when Zoey doesn’t follow the “script.” Rose, though, so far seems to be someone who is following his “script.” I believe she’s reacting how he had hoped Zoey would’ve reacted – express interest in him, wanted to be with him, etc. And I think maybe as he starts to experience this, he realizes that he likes the fact that Zoey doesn’t follow his “script” and that it gives their relationship more meaning.
At least, that’s my theory for now.
I’m still loving Perry. I really hope it works out with him and Mo.
I also guess this the last of Aiden and I’m not too bothered by that. In my opinion, he was ultimately pointless and I don’t know what the writers hoped he would do. It seems like another George – a promising character with a good actor playing him but ultimately pointless to the plot.
But I do hope David finds something to do to get him out of the house. Should be interesting.
Next time: Zoey’s powers glitch again!
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