Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist | Season 2 Episode 7 - "Zoey's Extraordinary Memory"

Spoiler Alert!

 

Hello everyone!

Zoey is back which makes me so happy! Not only that but also the show is back to its old self which is also really nice! I don't know if you remember but I had a few issues with the last episode. Episode 6 was all about the Black Lives Matter movement and, again, don't get me wrong, I understand the importance of the movement and I know it's something that we as a society have to work on but, in this show, and in particular the way they approached it in the previous episode, it didn't sit well with me. I'm not going to get much into it because I said everything I wanted to say in my last post but not only the episode seemed a bit forced but they dragged Zoey's character. In the last episode every single of her friends made her feel like she was so annoying to them and yeah... Everyone was pretty mean to her, without a cause, I should say, and I did not enjoy that. However, they redeemed themselves in this episode, and that's what I liked the most about it.

As I said, this episode got back to the usual happy but still emotional tone of the show. Both main stories of the episode focused on that and, in the end, it gave me a really heartwarming feeling.

This whole episode revolved around a memory that Zoey had with her father - a stargazing/meteor shower that only happens every once in a while and Zoey wanted to recreate that memory now that the meteor was happening again. Unfortunately, her dad isn't around anymore so she decided to go by herself. I mean, what she actually wanted was to go with her friends but, because of everything that happened in the last episode, now she feels like she's a burden to them so she doesn't bother them with this. However, Leif and Tobin also want to go so they end up going together. Unfortunately, Zoey and Leif miss the meteor shower because Zoey hears Leif sing about a failed date with a girl, and that's what propels the whole episode.

Well, as per usual, Zoey wants to help everybody so she sets out to help Leif with his problem and after Leif confides that this girl left him hanging, she sets up another date between them in MaxiMo's opening.

Then there's this whole thing that Zoey wants to catch the meteor shower again but it's the opening of the restaurant and she wants to be there for her friends so it's a race against time and everything crumbles when, not only she finds out this girl is only using Leif in order to get a job at SPRQ POINT, but also she misses the meteor shower again and she really 'looses it' when she reads Danny Michael Davis speech and he talks about being at this meteor shower. And that's when her friends get back to normal and say that she can always count on them. That's what I wanted!! That last episode really felt out of character for basically everyone so it's nice to see things go back to normal. Needless to say that things end up fine and they all go see the stars no matter what (when I say all of them I mean Zoey, Leif, Max, Simon, Tobin and this other girl that I can't remember the name but it's one of those that work at SPRQ POINT as well).

The other story of the episode that was really cute as well as David wanting to join Aiden's band. Not only I loved that the played Watermelon Sugar, but I also loved that they gave something else to David besides the whole baby thing - can't wait to see more of him in this bad. And, because we're talking about songs I have to talk about the musical numbers in this episode. Overall I really liked all of them but besides Watermelon Sugar, loved when Leif sand Tainted Love and, my favorite (maybe biased) was Max and Mo singing Let's Get Loud - amazing!

And yeah, I guess that's basically it. There was also this whole triangle thing as well not only with Simon flirting with Zoey a lot (a bit out of nowhere) but also a new girl called Rose that it's clearly a «love interest» for Max, which I do not like. But let's see where this leads. In the meantime, let me know what you thought of the return of Zoey's Playlist and I'll see you later this week with a lot more rants!

Love,

Daniela.

Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist | Season 2 Episode 6 - "Zoey's Extraordinary Reckoning"

Spoiler Alert!

 

Hello everyone!

Finally here with the new Zoey's Playlist rant and... Okay, I have a lot of thoughts.

I'm going to be careful here because people might take what I'm about to say the wrong way since we're talking about a touchy subject. This whole episode was about the aftermath of the last episode - Simon exposing SPRQ Point as a not inclusive work place. So this whole episode revolved around that and around racism and... I get it. I understand that this is an important subject and it needs to be talked about but, at the same time, this episode rubbed me the wrong way. One of the reasons why was because when this is airing. I know the climate that we're in is making everyone think a lot more about these issues but, at the same time, it doesn't feel natural. To me, it feels like they had to write this episode otherwise they would be perceived as racists for not talking about the issue. You can't really win here, I guess. If you don't talk about it you're part of the problem and if you do it feels like you're only doing it so you don't look bad, and that's how I saw this episode (and all the shows that decide to talk about this right now). It felt a little out of place because the story of the show doesn't revolve around that. But again, I understand that this is something that needs to be talked about but it just rubbed me the wrong way that they decided to make an episode about racism just like every other show right now.

Then, there's another thing that I didn't quite like and something that I've seen in real life - which is blaming white people for being privileged and seeing racist things in every little detail. But before I get into that, I would like to point out that I'm talking as a white person in Portugal, outside of the US, so my perception of racism might be a lot different from people in the USA. I just needed to let everyone know because I know that things are different in different countries (even though there's racism everyone, I know that).

There's one particular scene in the episode that made me a little mad. The scene between Simon and Zoey in Simon's office when Zoey's going to tell him that he needed to retract his statement. She goes there from a place of both friend and boss and, at this point, we already know that Zoey is a good person so when she says that she sees Simon as Simon, her friend, just that and he tells her that she needs to see him as a black person... I don't get it? I really don't... I've had this conversation in real life but like, I don't see people as their colors. It doesn't matter to me if you're white, black, Asian... I will treat you the same, no matter what. And when black people say that we need to see them as black people, doesn't that defeats the purpose of what they want - equality?! I don't know... I'm truly confused with this and I would like to understand. And once again I really connected with Zoey. Both me and her know that we aren't racist and still we are faced with some things that might be a bit tone-deaf and we get confused. I felt the same thing with the scene with her and Mo.

Zoey goes to Mo for advice on how to tell Simon that the company wants him to retract the statement and Mo goes off on Zoey that she's going to her black friend to ask advice on how to talk to her other black friend. Personally, I didn't see it that way. I saw it as someone who went to her friend to ask for advice on how to talk to another friend. It didn't matter the race. She could've gone to Max but, let's be honest, Mo has always been the one that Zoey goes to for advice so... Why make it about race? 

And then, there's the scene in the stairs when Simon tells Zoey that he's going to quit, in which Zoey just says 'Okay', and that really felt out of character to me. I get it that they wanted to show that Zoey understood that maybe she was part of the problem and she needed to be more understanding and just be there for Simon but... Zoey would maybe say that she would like him to stay but she would support him no matter what. I know that's what I would say... 

I don't know, I just felt that some things were forced and some things didn't make sense but maybe that was the point?! Maybe I felt 'attacked' because I really connected with how Zoey was feeling maybe she was portraying what I've been doing wrong... I don't know...

With all of this said, I would like to reinforce that I still appreciate this episode. I know that it is necessary and it does show us some things that we can change in order to be more inclusive.

Besides that, the episode also gave us some amazing performances and amazing musical numbers and I really appreciated the Tobin story-line in this episode. Not only I loved his solo musical number but I feel like his story in this episode is really relatable and I truly think a lot of people would think the same way and be afraid to speak up because of the consequences. And not only that, but also that people don't want to be the center of attention and if it's not bothering too much, it's better to stay this way than make it worse. But I also liked that in the end he spoke up and he helped Simon not get fired and helped change the structure of the company. 

Also, because there can't be one rant where I don't talk about Max... It was just a little plot with Max and Mo asking Danny Michael Davis for money but it brought Max to the office and that was something nice to see. I would've like to see Maggie's take on all this racism thing, as well as Emily, since she's Asian and she could have a different view... I don't know, but I would like her take on this.

Anyway, this rant was a little bit different but I touched on all the important points, I think. Important messages, some things that I wasn't the biggest fan of but that's okay... I still appreciate it for what it is. There was not a lot more to the story itself so I guess that's it from me.

I would love to know all your thoughts on the episode as well as on the things that I said in this post and please, take it easy on me. All of this comes from a good heart, I promise you. And if I said anything that is offensive first, I'm sorry, and second, educate me, I would love to learn more about everything and understand it a bit better.

Okay, I've rambled enough. The show only comes back in the end of March so, until then, I'll see you with other reviews!

Love,

Daniela.

Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist | Season 2 Episode 2 - "Zoey's Extraordinary Distraction"

Spoiler Alert!

 

Hello everyone!

Back with a new Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist rant and OH MY! I'm so excited to talk about this episode! We've waited a whole season and it finally happened - Zoey and Max are officially together!

That's right, this episode was mainly focused on Max and Zoey and we even got a Zoey and Max duet!

So, rewinding a bit, the episode starts right where the last one left off - Zoey and Max making out - and that's when her mother interrupts them. The remaining of the episode is really just about them trying to hook up. That's the truth - every time they "plain it", something happens and they can never do it. And those things that interrupt them are the other sub-plots of the episode.

One of them is Zoey and her work. Not much Zoey herself but Leif and his struggles as the new Team Manager. Turns out the guys are constantly messing around and not focusing on the work which leads Leif to do all the work by himself which leads to the SPRQ Point watch to malfunction. Well, it takes a while but Zoey comes up with a solution. With something that seemed really out of place (Zoey meeting with 3 other female programmers in the elevator) she realizes that what the 4th floor needs is more women, and that's what she does - she transfers 3 of the guys to the 5th floor and gets those 3 girls into her floor and well... problem solved!

But Zoey wasn't the only one to have interruptions - Max had this own issues as well which, in a way, also concerned Zoey. We knew this partnership between Max and Mo could possibly be an obstacle for Zoey and Max's relationship, but I wasn't ready for it to be so important right away. This didn't exactly affect them as a relationship, this time it was just a 'c*ck block' but something tells me it's just the beginning. Anyway, so Max wants to sign a contract with Mo, just to be 'formal' and be clear that they have a 50/50 partnership, but that just triggers Mo. Of course, Zoey being friends with both, tries to help but Mo just shuts her down. Actually, that scene where Mo is doing Zoey's makeup and then just tells her to leave as a shock to me! I know Mo is so straightforward and doesn't hold back, but I wasn't really expecting it. Luckily, Zoey doesn't give up and on her second attempt, she encourages Max and Mo to do some trust games and that's when Mo reveals that she had a partnership before in which he screwed up his partner and the thing here is that Mo's afraid he'll do the same to Max. Well, needless to say that Mo comes to his senses and they do go on with the partnership and that's when we see the photo in the banner, in which Zoey has a complete makeover.

Another minor plot is Emily and the baby and the introduction of her sister Jenna. It wasn't a bit part of the episode but I feel like it's important to mention because it will most likely be important in future episodes.

Anyway, with all of this issues taken care of, Zoey and Max finally have a full house to themselves. But that's when another issue arises - Max singing 'heart songs'. This made for the funniest sex scene ever, with Max switching from 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game' to 'I'll Make Love to You'. And then, after letting Zoey know that she knows everything that's going on inside his head and he doesn't, that's when they have a duet of 'A Moment Like This' and the production behind this scene! Amazing! The sound design is so beautiful switching between a full on song when it's Max's turn and an acapella version when it's Zoey's. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!

And that's it folks! As usual, this was such a fun episode and I just love me some Max and Zoey! However, from what I've been reading, next episode is going to be an obstacle on their relationship already so, we'll see. I try not to see any previous because I like to be surprised but let me know what you thought of this episode and what you think it's going to happen in the next one and I'll talk to you tomorrow with a brand new The Challenge rant!

Love,

Daniela.

Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist | Season 2 Episode 1 - "Zoey's Extraordinary Return"

Spoiler Alert!

 

Hello everyone!

So here it is, the brand new addition to the blog - Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist. With the end of Supernatural I thought I should bring a new show to the blog for me to review and, after asking on Twitter, I decided on Zoey's Playlist. I started watching the show actually just last year, during quarantine, but I fell in love with it right away. And it's so weird because it's not my type of show at all but I just loved the story, the characters, the songs... Yeah, I love it so much to the point that I didn't even know if I wanted to review it. You know, when you love a show so much that you don't want to "bother" with analyzing it? No? Is it just me? I don't know, but in the end I decided to review it and with this big ass introduction, I guess it's time to really get into the episode. (Oh, and I know I'm a little bit late).

This episode jumps straight into the story, which was a bit jarring at first. I don't know, I guess I was expecting a bit of an introduction... But we jump straight to Zoey not being her best self after her dad's death. They do address the fact that 6 weeks have passed so it's not a huge amount of time but it's still a good amount of time where things changed, and that's when the story of the episode really starts.

Mo is able to cheer Zoey and, after six weeks, she leaves her rooms, dresses up and goes to work. Once she arrives at SPRQ Point, she's faced with a bunch of changes - Leif was replacing her as the 'supervisor', he also changed the desks to standing desks, hired someone to replace Max - a new character called George - there's dogs in the workplace now, no bar and, on top of all of that, Joan wants to promote her and make her the head of that whole floor (basically replace Joan). I already knew that Lauren Graham was leaving the show so I was curious to know what would happen to her and to the company. We now know.

Anyway, all those changes really overwhelmed Zoey and, on top of that, she got her powers back and had the whole company singing to her. Yeah, a bit too much for a first day.

Oh, I completely forgot to mention one of my favorite parts of the episode - Max and Zoey meeting before she goes to work. Max gives her a shield ring which has a music note reversed so it resembles a Z. OMG, could Max be any cuter? (and well, you didn't know this but I guess it's pretty obvious now that I'm team Max right?) Which leads me to the next scene - Zoey going to Mo's house and being faced with Mo, Max and Simon all hanging out together. And has she arrives and they're watching football, she's met with one of the funniest lines of the episodes - you're going to have to pick a team (or something along those lines) - which just made me laugh so hard. No other show does what Zoey's Playlist does - this shows plays with that ship concept and that you have a 'team' and I just love that about this show. Well, after that follows a music number with Max and Simon singing to Zoey 'Are You Gonna Be My Girl' which, again, I loved!

Needless to say that all this stuff has been too much for Zoey to handle so she goes back home and has to deal with more stuff - her grief. She finds some videos that her dad left on his computer and, at first, they are too much for the family to handle but, by the time the episode ends, they come across a video where Mitch is feeling 'fine' and he just tells them to move on after he's gone and, of course (because this is a show) that gives them some perspective and things start getting better. 

For the most part I love this show because it is so relatable. It puts things as they are and, as we see in this episode, it's hard to deal with things like these and Zoey is so relatable and the show openly talks about all this important topics and yeah, I just love that. Of course, things have to move on a bit quicker than they would in real life (I imagine) and so that's the only thing that's not so believable, but I get it (I mean, that and her seeing people singing songs, of course).

With things put into perspective, Zoey decides to accept Joan's offer and, in the very end of the episode, she also decides to address what happened between her and Max before they get the call about her father (the whole make out session and whatnot) and the episode just ends with her kissing Max! I ship them so hard so I was so happy to see her 'choosing' him! However, I'm with people in general - this is the first episode of the second season and they're 'already together' so... Something tells me things won't go smoothly for them. But I'm okay with that, as long as they end up together in the end. We'll see what happens next episode.

I guess that's it for me for this first Zoey's Playlist rant. Let me know what you thought of the episode and in which Team you're on (Simon or Max) and I'll see you soon with another review!

Love,

Daniela.