Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist Review: Zoey’s Extraordinary Failure (Season 1 Episode 5)

Aptly titled, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist Season 1 Episode 5, “Zoey’s Extraordinary Failure,” is just that.

I find it very convenient that Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist chose “failure” as the title to an episode that is just a massive miss for a show that was on a steady climb, after just beginning to get its footing. 

I’ve been trying to suss out what it is, exactly, that doesn’t work for me when it comes to this episode, especially after two solid weeks featuring Lauren Graham and Alex Newell.

I think the biggest reason is that for the first four weeks of the series, Zoey has spent one-on-one time with those around her hearing their heart songs and solving them in a case-of-the-week procedural way. It’s a tired formula, but it works.

That pacing helps us get to know the characters, which is great in the beginning, however it also means the show has also spent four weeks highlighting their main players. And each of those characters doesn’t really get their due on “Zoey’s Extraordinary Failure.” 

Mo is once again relegated to the role of “sort of sidekick” with very little to do other than to comment on Zoey’s love life and help her figure out her “powers.” 

After the events of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist Season 1 Episode 4, “Zoey’s Extraordinary Neighbor,” I had hopes that Mo would step forward more, that Zoey would lean more on her neighbor, that the series would give this unique character more opportunity to shine. 

To completely move Mo to the side, immediately following such a breakthrough, feels like a step back in character growth. 

Mo could be used as a voicebox to help Zoey figure out what’s happening with her brother and sister-in-law by calling back to the lessons learned last week. This is a great opportunity for Mo to remind Zoey that it’s hard to be honest with yourself when facing fear of backlash, because it’s a lesson that certainly applies to her brother’s situation.

That’s just the problem with this episode. 

Many of these characters with case-of-the-week issues for Zoey to solve are left hanging, unresolved. Zoey could be using the lessons she’s already learned over the last four episodes to solve them, and let these characters show true growth.

Zoey’s brother being afraid of becoming a father, and feeling overwhelmed by sharing those feelings with his wife because he already feels like he’s had to convince her to have this baby, is a really challenging story to introduce in one episode.

While we’ve spent time with David, there haven’t been enough clues dropped along the way to make me feel any sympathy toward him.

In fact, I think it makes me like him even less, because he was already kind of clueless when it came to his mother and her struggle to care for Mitch alone. Now he’s taking a step back with his wife as well. 

His need to paaaaartaaaaay isn’t helping to redeem him either, nor is his frustration with Zoey for trying to call him out on his issues.

This storyline just makes me angry, and there’s no heart song that can fix it.

Max. Remember Max? 

That’s kind of how I feel when he steps forward in this episode. After Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist Season 1 Episode 2, “Zoey’s Extraordinary Best Friend,” which was an episode that I did not love for Max, his story has taken place so far in the background that I forgot he was a major player.

This is where Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist is failing in their pacing formula. In focusing on some, they push others back.

This show could be an ensemble. The cast could exist in scenes sans Zoey, but because of the way they’ve written their players, no one can truly exist without Zoey present.

No one can grow without Zoey present, and Zoey cannot be in seven places at once, which unfortunately means that each week four to six characters are going to suffer growth setbacks.

But back to Max, he broke up with Autumn because he’s still into Zoey, essentially. Incompatibility, blah, blah, blah. It’s all about Zoey. Cool, I guess? 

My biggest issue with Max is that he could be a compelling character. I love underdogs, but I don’t know enough about Max. I don’t care enough about Max.

I don’t have enough opportunities to feel empathy for Max, so when he breaks up with Autumn, presumably because she’s just not Zoey, I don’t care at all. 

I definitely care about Zoey and Simon’s situation, unfortunately, and it’s not great.

I think my biggest problem with Simon is that there hasn’t been on-screen enough to show that his relationship with his fiance is in any kind of turmoil, or that they aren’t perfectly compatible.

If Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist wants to move forward with Zoey and Simon, the writers need to start showing why Simon and Jessica aren’t right for each other, otherwise the audience has no real reason to be rooting for an engaged man to cheat on his fiance.  

Any time that we’ve seen Jessica she’s been a lovely, kind partner. She doesn’t seem like the kind of person who wouldn’t be supportive of Simon if he shared what he’s been feeling with her, as far as the feelings regarding his father.

It’s very hard to dislike her. 

It’s growing much easier to dislike Simon, however, as his wandering eye wanders closer and closer to Zoey, and by proximity, it’s making me dislike Zoey a bit more. Zoey’s mother gave her sound advice when she warned her to cool off her friendship with Simon, advice that Zoey is only heeding halfway. 

Do I think that these two engaged in any scandalous activity when Simon’s heart song ended? I want to automatically say no.

However, this show has been pushing the Zoey and Simon relationship as a huge plotline, and that in itself feels inappropriate, so I wouldn’t be terribly surprised if they went there with at the very least a confusing kiss.

Forget Max or Simon. I’m just Team Joan and Team Mo. Give me more of that, and this show could be incredible.

Music Notes:

• “Everybody Hurts,” and the story that went along with it, was just okay. If I’d liked the rest of the hour more, I may have felt differently about it.
• “Just Give Me a Reason,” only just recently got out of my head because the radio overplayed it. So, thanks for that. The song also didn’t seem to match the storyline with David and his wife. 
• “It’s Your Thing,” was the brightest spot of the episode. Peter Gallagher is phenomenal. If he sings one song a week, I guarantee it will always be my favorite part.
• “You Gotta Fight,” wasn’t a total highlight for me, however, I liked the businessman-playing-pool choreography quite a bit.
• “Should I Stay or Should I Go,” was excellently executed, I just don’t quite love the circumstances surrounding it. 

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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