Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist Review: Zoey’s Extraordinary Boss (Season 1 Episode 3)
The need for satisfaction abounds on Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist Season 1 Episode 3, “Zoey’s Extraordinary Boss.”
Spending time with the leading ladies in Zoey’s life gives Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist the mojo it’s been lacking.
It’s almost as if television shows can benefit from fewer love triangles and instead more focus on strong female characters. What a concept!
Before we get into the big hits of the hour, I must ask, did I miss the part of the show where Zoey’s ability to hear “heart songs” is actually a gift from the universe? When did her freak accident during a CAT scan become an open invitation from the universe to intervene in the marriages around her?
Granted, yes, Zoey’s musically-assisted intuition is being used to improve the situations around her. Her sudden turn as a marriage counselor, however, feels weird.
Yet, somehow it works, due mostly to the extraordinary women around her. (No pun intended, though the play on words works.)
“Zoey’s Extraordinary Boss” allows us to spend some long-overdue time with Joan (Lauren Graham).
Joan’s lack of satisfaction stems from her unhappy marriage to tech-Jesus, Charlie, who for all intents and purposes is just a dick. There’s nothing there to spin. Nothing that can redeem him, at the moment.
Charlie treats Joan like garbage. He’s controlling, emotionally manipulative, and thoughtless when it comes to the needs of his partner. The world orbits around Charlie, and because Joan finally takes a stand for herself he basically expels her from that orbit.
Zoey’s gentle intervention for Joan is sweet. She’s clearly outside of her usual comfort zone in how she communicates with her boss, but offers Joan exactly the support she needs to stand up to Charlie, and find her own self-worth.
It’s a nice empowerment callback between these characters, as Joan offered empowerment advice (criticism?) to Zoey when it came to asserting herself as a leader back on the pilot of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist .
There was also something special in the swift way Joan’s reunion with Charlie was written back in, and then quickly nixed again in favor of Joan recognizing her value and telling him to beat it. Under the circumstances of many shows, this storyline would have been an entire arc, so I’m hoping this means big things coming for Joan.
While Joan is absolutely a standout shining star on “Zoey’s Extraordinary Boss,” a lot of credit needs to be given to Zoey’s mother, Maggie, as well.
I mean, SOMEONE should be giving her credit for everything she’s been doing to care for her husband, mostly on her own, even if that someone isn’t him or her children.
Maggie’s story is so important on multiple levels. Viewers should be reminded that caregivers are often overlooked and as a result, they often aren’t looked in on for a check on their own well-being.
There’s also something to be said about Maggie working tirelessly to care for Mitch, and how hard it is to have the first thing communicated to her from him in months be another request. (Lemonade must really be important to good ol’ Mitch.)
While the moment is played for comedy, there is something incredibly heartbreaking about the way that Maggie fights the college girls who are throwing a Beyonce party for the lemonade. There are so many months of tension and frustration and heartbreak under the surface of Mary Steenburgen’s performance.
I almost hate that my first instinct is to laugh at it before I can dig deeper for the underlying feelings, but then again, isn’t this the mark of a truly remarkable and complex performance?
Zoey’s ability to hear her mother’s heartsong ultimately relieves some of the pressure Maggie has been feeling, and helps both Zoey and her brother realize that they haven’t given her as much help as they could be giving to her.
My biggest disappointment in the hour is Mo’s role in the episode.
I don’t want to see them relegated to a support character who keeps the audience updated on a non-existent love triangle. Mo is such a fun and special character who is capable of a storyline of their own, songs of their own, maybe even a love interest of their own?
This could be a case of the fact that the show is still in its early stages and characters are still developing, but Mo feels like a character that is fleshed out enough to stand on their own as of now. It’s a bit wasteful to sideline them.
Another small issue is that any time at all is spent on the “team” mentality.
Simon and Max are both in relationships. Neither of them are in a relationship with Zoey.
I find it so dumbfounding that this continues to be a plot point when there isn’t anything truly happening.
Zoey is showing signs of jealously over Max’s new relationship, but very subtly. It’s not exactly clear what she feels regarding Max, because she’s too busy empowering ladies around her.
I appreciate that.
The constant “team” ping-ponging is truly just a distraction. Until there is some significant movement there that enables anything, I consider it a true storyline.
Overall, “Zoey’s Extraordinary Boss” is a strong improvement from the previous episodes. The story is concise, the performances rich, and it makes for a very enjoyable hour of television.
If Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist continues on this path, they may make me fall in love with the series yet!
Music Notes:
- “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” was okay. Not what I anticipated, honestly. Using it as the recurring theme of the episode worked well.
- “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” was beautifully sad. I enjoy getting into Maggie’s headspace, and I’d like to spend more time there. It’s heartbreaking and riveting.
- “Superstar” was done well, but just a tad too “on the nose” as far as what the show was trying to get across about Charlie.
- What even was that rap thing with Simon?
- “Roar” made me cry. I should confess, though; I am a sucker for a girl-anthem, and I always cry when I hear, “Roar.”
What did you think of this episode of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist airs Sundays at 9/8c on NBC.
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Christine Laskodi
Christine is guilty of watching Hart of Dixie more times than the average human will in their lifetime. She's the host of Long Live the Hart: A Hart of Dixie Podcast (available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!) as well as co-host on The Shipping Room, a podcast devoted to television's greatest relationships. You can find some of her older television reviews at TV Fanatic and IGN. Christine eagerly anticipates every cheesy holiday movie that networks can throw at her, and current favorite shows include The Good Place, The Resident, Shark Tank, and All Rise.