Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist Review: Zoey’s Extraordinary Return (Season 2 Episode 1)

Everyone deals with grief differently, and Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist Season 2 Episode 1, “Zoey’s Extraordinary Return,” addresses that fact while bringing some levity to our television screens.

Following her father’s passing, Zoey is at her mother’s home, wallowing in her grief and unable to leave the house, much less hear any “heart songs.” A good bit of time has passed, and her absence has been felt, especially at her job.

This all sounds like it would make for heavy, depressing television, but what Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist has done from the start is to present these emotional moments with just the right balance of humor — Mo’s singing at Zoey to get her out of bed is just one example — and of course, music. 

Zoey does finally drag herself to work, for better or worse, to find that everything has changed. That’s one of the biggest moments of comic relief, with dogs running around and the standing desks.

Returning to work would feel overwhelming to Zoey regardless, but the drastic changes exacerbate her feelings and seem to be representative of her internal anxiety. Everything looks a little different now that her father is gone. There’s even something symbolic in the “No Bar.”

The company has struggled in Zoey’s absence, and no one has felt that more than her boss, Joan. Zoey barely has time to catch her breath before Joan offers her a promotion — a seat at her own desk, which we eventually learn is because Joan is leaving thanks to her own promotion. I’ll get to more of that in a bit.

Zoey’s personal life also looks different now that she’s sort of reemerged into her life. She’s shocked to find that Mo, Max, and Simon have developed a friendship. She finds them all laughing together and learns they became friends after bonding over their concern for Zoey.

Awkward much? But it makes sense, and it’s the sort of thing that could certainly happen in real-life. 

It also provides a hard lesson for Zoey: life goes on. And in this case, it’s gone on without her. From those changes at the office to in her interpersonal relationships, life didn’t stop while she was hiding away. 

What hasn’t changed, though, is the fact that both Max and Simon have feelings for Zoey, and at some point, she’s going to need to decide if she wants to be with either of them. 

These are “champagne problems” according to Mo, who is always there to offer tough love and difficult words of wisdom. It’s true that Zoey agonizing over whether or not to take that great promotion or which cute boy to choose are exactly that, champagne problems (I really can think of no better way to put it) and that’s a reality check that Zoey needs.

At the same time, it stands to reason that in dealing with her grief, moving on in her life in any way would be overwhelming emotionally, and I appreciate seeing all of that explored. 

It’s not just Mo’s advice that stands out. More significantly, Zoey and her mother stumble upon a series of videos from her father that he’d saved on his computer — each one addressed to a different family member.

In them, he pleads with his family to not waste time grieving, but instead to go about living their lives. It’s powerful, and made all the more emotional by Mitch’s declining speech and his struggle to get out what he’s trying to say. Still, it’s something Zoey needed to hear.

Among my favorite moments for Zoey is smaller than that, though. It’s when, after making a scene at the office, she storms out, only to be followed home by Joan. Joan arrives to her house and they have a heart to heart in Zoey’s childhood bedroom, which again, offers just a bit of levity.

Joan tells Zoey why she needs her to take that promotion — because she’s leaving, and because she wants her successor to be someone she trusts. Joan also apologizes for putting that pressure on her while Zoey is still grieving, and I have to say, if this is a permanent exit by Joan, I’m most certainly going to miss their relationship. 

Seeing that friendship between these two women develop has been a joy to watch. It’s gone far beyond a boss/employee relationship and to one of mutual respect and support. Their conversation in Zoey’s bedroom is evidence of all of that.

Zoey makes some decisions by the end. She takes that promotion, and right away it’s clear that she deserves it, not just because she understands the job but because she’s a good leader. She puts Leif in his place, which is always satisfying, and she effectively stops the hazing of newcomer George, played by Harvey Guillén, who couldn’t be more grateful.

It’s interesting that Zoey clearly feels a little healed after this interaction more than any other. After being overwhelmed by the concern for her and everyone asking if she’s okay, what winds up being helpful to her is to help someone else who needs it. George and Zoey’s hug is a small, sweet moment, but it’s one that means an awful lot.

There’s one more decision that Zoey makes, and it may be too soon, but it’s still pretty satisfying. She kisses Max, presumably, hopefully, choosing him.

It’s another really great moment, and it’s one that feels natural despite maybe not being so healthy for the character at this point in her grieving process. But, we’ll see. 

I’d be remiss if I didn’t backtrack just a bit to talk about Maggie’s grieving process on this episode. She’s been focused on getting Mitch’s financials dealt with, which is proving more difficult than it should be.

Honestly, my heart aches for her having to chase down email passwords and various pieces of information when she should be allowed to focus on her own healing.

It is relatable in the most awful way. Her focus on getting these things handled also gives her an excuse to avoid holding her grandchild, which becomes more obvious throughout the episode.

She’s frazzled and overwhelmed, but there’s more to it than that. She feels guilty that she has the chance to enjoy her grandchild when Mitch never did. This parallels Zoey a bit because Maggie finds she needs to figure out a way to move on as well. 

The music takes this to another level and works so well to signify a next step for Zoey and her mother, as well as for her brother and sister-in-law. They sing “Carry On” while preparing to sit down together for dinner. It’s this cathartic shared moment that you simply couldn’t get on a show without the musical element, and it’s done perfectly.

I don’t know about you, but I’m just really glad this show is back on my television screen.

—

What did you think of this episode of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Critic Rating:

User Rating:

 

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on NBC.

 Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!

Tell-Tale TV’s Top 30 TV Shows of 2020