Last time: Mo took Zoey to visit a psychic and her powers went on the fritz. She realized all the heartsongs were mixed up and she had to figure which song belonged to which person in her life. Especially a song Max sang that was calling out for help. In the process, Zoey learned that Rose is a recovering alcoholic, Perry is a devoted dad to his son, Mo is struggling with not being the focus of Perry’s attention, her team is highly competitive and her mother struggled with being around her couple friends again. And she learned that Simon loves her but is a bit insecure about their relationship, especially after she had to blow off a meeting with his woodworking club to solve the mystery of the mixed up songs. In the end, she reassured Simon but chose not to reveal the truth of her powers and discovered the call for help came from Emily.
Sorry for the delay in my posts! May ended up being a crazier month than I thought! I was asked to cover shifts at one of our branches and that affected the amount of time I had to write. And then I went on vacation which was immediately followed by a funeral for a family member. Honestly, Memorial Day weekend feels like the first real break I’ve gotten all month.June, though, is looking a lot less hectic. So I think I can finish up the season before July! And hopefully, we’ll know the fate of Zoey by then.
After all my strength is gone/In you I can be SPOILERS!
We pick up where the last episode ended, with Zoey comforting Emily in Miles’ room. Emily wipes her eyes and apologizes for breaking down like that. Zoey assures her that it’s okay. David pops his head in and Emily puts on a mask, pretending everything is fine. She tells Zoey that she doesn’t want David to worry – he just stopped watching Miles sleep for fear he would stop breathing. Zoey, though, thinks Emily needs to talk to someone but Emily just brushes her off.
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| (Putting on makeup to perform a self-imposed role) |
This is probably going to be a tough case for Zoey.
The next morning, Zoey wakes up and hears Simon giving someone a tough love pep talk. She wanders out into her living room as he tells whoever he is talking to to hit the books, study hard and push himself even more. He ends the call and Zoey asks what he was doing and why did she like it. Simon says his dad used to be the one who supported everyone and coached them so now he’s taken over it. He was talking with a cousin who just needs a push every so often to reach his full potential.
She tells him about Emily as he rubs her feet. Simon encourages her to find a way to reach out to Emily, to let her know that she can open up to Zoey and get the support she needs. Zoey thanks him and enjoys his foot rub.
Across the hall, Mo has made up with Perry and he tries several foods and drinks for Maximo’s new brunch options. He asks if everything has to be named after Mo and Mo gives him a look. Perry then has to get to work and Mo invites him to watch him (Mo) sing that weekend at church. Mo suggests that he should bring his children so they could meet as well but Perry is hesitant about that. He explains that it’s so soon after the divorce and there’s been enough turbulence in their life already. He wants to wait a little bit longer until he introduces them to Mo, which is understandable. Mo insists that he’s trying to get more responsible and to get in the mindset of being a parent. He even adopted a hamster and tells Perry he won’t introduce him to John Hamster until he meets Perry’s kids. Perry seems amused and leaves.
At Maximo’s, Rose and Max are hanging out. She’s looking through the paper and sees an announcement about a concert coming to the area. But her face falls when she realizes that it will be after she leaves. Max gets a little weird but tries to play it cool, like the fact that their relationship apparently has an expiration date doesn’t bother him. Rose reminds him that they are just keeping it casual and he agrees, saying he’s okay with that. But it’s pretty clear that he’s not. After all, from what we’ve seen, Max doesn’t do casual. He didn’t with Autumn or Zoey. But he’s trying to pretend otherwise.
Maggie gets some coffee and hands a cup to BERNADETTE PETERS! DEB IS BACK Y’ALL! Maggie says that they wrote her name as Peggy and Deb teases her that she got Peggy’s coffee. Deb then talks with Maggie about struggling to reintegrate into her friend group now that she’s a widow and all her friends still have their spouses. Deb experienced the same thing and so she invites Maggie to a night out to help her. Maggie happily accepts.
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| (Welcome back, Bernadette!) |
Zoey returns to her brother’s place and asks about Emily. He says that everything is fine. Emily then returns and is stressing about the fact that the wing place forgot to give them tater tots. Zoey watches David starts to sing “To Make You Feel My Love” as he tries to get through to Emily, who appears to be falling apart and barely standing in this heartsong. When it ends, Emily says she’ll just make it and David once again repeats that Emily is fine. Zoey doesn’t believe him as we go to our title card.
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| (This was such a beautiful number - from David's singing to the choreography) |
She confronts her brother in a bedroom and David admits that something is wrong with Emily. But every time he tries to talk about it, she just shuts him down and tries to pretend everything is fine. He’s at his wits’ end trying to help her. So Zoey suggests they revive the Check-In Dinner tradition their parents used to have with them – they would eat chicken parm and talk about what had happened and what they were feeling. David thinks that’s a good idea and that they are a good team so they can find out what’s bothering Emily just like they always found where Mitch and Maggie hid the Christmas presents every year.
I…don’t think that applies here, you guys.
Anyway, they have their Check-In Dinner and Emily enjoys the chicken parm. Maggie then explains the purpose of the dinner and Zoey goes first. She shares that she’s nervous about her relationship with Simon because it’s still so new but she’s also so excited about it. David then shares that he feels lost since quitting his job and wonders if his dad would be proud of him. They then ask Emily for her share but just then, Zoey hears music. She excuses herself and heads to the front door, finding Deb on the other side. Deb then starts singing Sia’s “Cheap Thrills” as she dances around the house. Zoey follows, trying to convince her to leave as it wasn’t a good time for an interruption.
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| (Always stop to enjoy some good wine) |
Deb finishes the song and Zoey’s all “Deb’s here.” Maggie apologizes and says she had texted Deb to explain that something had come up. She thought they could go out the next day. Deb says her grandniece locked her phone and so she couldn’t get any messages. Emily seizes the moment and invites Deb to join them and tell them all about her grandniece. David and Zoey realize they’ve been foiled.
Simon comforts Zoey after her failed attempt to reach out to Emily. He tries to convince her to leave Emily alone and wait for her sister-in-law to come to her. Instead, he suggests they enjoy a nice night in…and so Zoey decides that she’s going to have a Girls’ Night with Emily. She hopes some junk food and braiding hair will get Emily to open up to her while Simon just wants to spend time with his girlfriend.
Sorry, Simon.
While Zoey’s having a girls’ night with Emily, the guys are having a night of their own. Zoey tries to cheer them up before heading back across the hall. She first talks with Simon, saying she just needs to try this one thing and then she’ll wait for Emily to come to her on her own. Simon assures her that he supports her and then starts singing “Tearin’ Up My Heart” by NSYNC. Mo and Max join him and it seems everyone is having some romantic issues that they may need to work through.
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| (The next big boy band?) |
Meanwhile, Maggie and Deb go out on their girls’ night out. Deb takes Maggie to a casino and explains she likes to go there, creating new personas for her. She could be whoever she wanted there and not Deb who lost her husband. Deb tells Maggie to try it out and Maggie introduces herself as Savannah from Savannah as they join a roulette game.
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| (Bottom's up!) |
Emily arrives at Zoey’s and pulls off her coat, revealing she’s in a dress. Zoey is surprised and says that she wanted a girls’ night in, not a girls’ night out. But Emily pleads with Zoey, saying she really needs to dance it out. She even brought her pump so she could pump and then continue dancing. So Zoey agrees and goes to get changed, wondering what she is getting herself into.
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| (Zoey does look like fun for a girls' night in) |
At Mo’s, it’s clear no one is in the mood to watch sports as they seem to be focused on their own romantic issues. So he turns off the TV and tells Alexa to start his self-care routine. Alexa dims the lights and starts playing mood music as he says they are going to treat themselves and relax.
Maggie’s on a winning streak at the casino but she soon runs into trouble when someone at the table also is from Savannah. He starts asking her questions she can’t answer and she starts to flounder. Deb rescues her and they go to get more drinks. She assures Maggie that she’s doing well and they head to another table. Maggie introduces herself with another name and gives Deb a new name as well, saying Deb just got out of prison. Deb plays along and they are clearly having fun.
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| (Maggie is ready to party) |
(Honestly, I thought this was going to end up with Maggie and Deb getting arrested because they kept winning and using fake names, so it would make it seem as if they were cheating to the casino managers).
Emily and Zoey arrive at a nightclub. Emily immediately starts dancing while Zoey wants to head to a private room so they can talk. But it’s clear Emily doesn’t want that at all, much to Zoey’s exasperation.
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| (Party!) |
Back at Mo’s, the guys are busy doing facials. Max vents about his relationship with Rose, about how he really can’t keep it casual. So Simon and Mo advise him to be more honest with her and see what happens.
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| (Never underestimate the power of a good facial) |
Emily and Zoey have been dancing for a while. Zoey suggests getting them some water and then leaving. Emily seems okay with this and they part for a bit. When she returns, she finds Emily talking with another man. Emily brags to Zoey that the man was hitting on her and that she’s still attractive to other men. She assures Zoey that she’s not going to cheat on David but that it’s nice to know as the other guy gets awkward. It’s made worse when Emily starts to lactate and she also tells him that she has a nursing child at home as well. Zoey gets Emily to the bathroom.
In the bathroom, Zoey hears Emily start singing “Gasoline,” pleading for help. Zoey wants to help her sister-in-law and assures her she is listening, but there are still literal walls between them as well as the figurative ones Emily has thrown up around herself.
At Mo’s, they are doing pedicures while Simon talks about his relationship with Zoey. He asks them if they feel like Zoey has this ability to know exactly what they are thinking. Max and Mo share a look before insisting that they don’t feel it. Simon figures it must be him and they move on.
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| (And Simon bought these denials?) |
Zoey and Emily return to her apartment. Emily finally opens up to Zoey about how she’s feeling – how when she’s at work, she can’t concentrate because she just wants to be with Miles. But once she gets home, she is too scared to be around him and feels like she’s failing him. She admits that she thought it was just baby blues but now she believes she has post partum depression. And she feels like she’s always had to be the one who was together and so she can’t allow herself to fall apart. Zoey assures her that it’s okay and that they will support her.
The next day, Zoey and Simon go to Mo’s church for his solo. Perry is also there with his children and they all listen to Mo sing “I Look to You,” a song about relying on others and God for support. Zoey starts crying throughout the song, no doubt realizing that she needs more help as well. Simon comforts her and takes her out for brunch to continue a nice, quiet day together.
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| (Sing it, Mo!) |
Emily tells David that she believes she has post partum depression and needs professional help. David assures her that they will get her that help and that he will support her.
Perry introduces Mo to his children but only as his friend. Mo isn’t pleased with it but takes it. Amirah tells Mo that she loves his hair and Mo says that Perry probably doesn’t do hers. So far, it seems like things are off to a good start.
Max meets up with Rose and tells her that they need to talk. She’s nervous about that. Max admits that he can’t do casual relationships and wants more from Rose. She sighs in relief and admits she wants the same. Seems like these two are still going to be going strong.
And we return to the casino. Maggie is there alone now and she sits down again as the dealer addresses her as Peggy. She asks where her friend is and Maggie says she's alone. She also says her name is Maggie and she just looks so sad. I'm glad she wasn't arrested and I want to give her a hug.
And then we cut to this:
Zoey finally got a therapist, everyone! YAY! And she tells him that’s there because she has a superpower she believes is ruining her life.
I think next time is going to be very interesting!
I am so glad that Zoey is finally seeing a therapist! After the year she’s had, she definitely needs to talk to a professional. I’m glad helping Emily also ended up helping herself.
I liked the overall theme of the episode about connecting with others. Even though she was avoiding it, Emily did desperately need to connect with someone and that someone ended up being Zoey. She was finally able to talk about what was bothering her and realize that it was okay for her to be not okay. It allowed her to then ask for the help she needed and David gave her the support she needed.
Emily’s storyline is very good. I’m excited to see how this plays out and pleased they are giving Alice Lee something she can really sink her teeth into. And I think this show is absolutely capable of doing it justice. So far, they’ve done a good job. It may seem like a lot after dealing with everyone’s grief over losing Mitch in the first half but it’s very much like real life – our tragedies and tribulations don’t wait their turns. Sometimes they just pile on and we have to do our best to deal with them. And there are times were we may not and need to be reminded that it’s okay to reach out to ask for help, even if you worry that someone else is going through worse. Everyone needs help – suffering is not a competition and no one deserves help more than anyone else.
I loved Mo, Max and Simon’s bro night. It was refreshing to see three men have a good friendship and talk about their feelings. And that no one was mocked and they provided advice to help each other.
And I’m heartened that Mo and Perry’s relationship is still moving forward. They are taking baby steps but it’s nice to see. I think it’ll be good for Mo to have a relationship where he really isn’t his partner’s entire world and learn how to share someone’s attention. I am also intrigued by where Rose and Max’s relationship will go now that they’re dedicated to a serious relationship.
But most of all, I’m interested to see how therapy helps Zoey.
Next time: The best laid plans of mice and men oft times go awry.
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