Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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As Emily starts to spiral, she finds herself sharing the need to talk and therapy with many cast members.
| Episode Title | Zoey’s Extraordinary Girls’ Night |
| Director(s) | Richard Lewis |
| Writer(s) | Alicia Carroll |
| Aired (NBC) | 4/18/2021 |
This content contains pertinent spoilers. Also, images and text may contain affiliate links, which, if a purchase is made, we’ll earn money or products from the company.
Recap
Counting The Days And Weeks – Max, Rose
With no sign Rose plans to move to San Fransisco, so comes the question of what this means when it comes to her relationship with Max? The answer was, originally, keeping things casual. However, Max doesn’t really do casual, so he proposes they stay together even after she moves back to New York. Which, as of now, is agreed upon, but considering the emotional rollercoasters Max goes on, will this decision stick?
Changing How I’m Seen – Perry, Mo, Maggie, Deb
Maggie is sick of being treated like the sad widow, so she FINALLY calls Deb, and they hang out. Thus leading to her playing Deb’s game, at the casino, of pretending to be other people. However, after a certain point, this doesn’t do much for Maggie. But here is hoping that, with seeing Maggie at the casino alone, she isn’t going to pick up gambling and drinking to deal with the only consistent company she has being her children.
Though, let it be noted, Maggie isn’t the only one trying to change how they are seen. Mo is making an effort so that Perry will see him capable of being around his kids by getting CPR certified. This is taken note of, and Mo setting up a situation where he can meet the kids at his church. But rather than introduce Mo as someone he is dating, Perry presents Mo as a friend. This stings a little, but Mo doesn’t fully understand kids and how to process their part in their relationship, so they go with it.
Mommy Needs A Night Out – Emily, Zoey, Simon
Zoey continues to struggle with how to be a good girlfriend to Simon, who is just asking for more time, intimacy, and vulnerability, as well as be a good sister to Emily, who avoids intimacy and vulnerability at all costs. Yet, with wearing her down, or rather just consistently showing she is more than David’s wife to her, Emily eventually opens up to Zoey.
Granted, is there a part of us that thinks Jenna should have been part of this? Yes. But, you know, Jenna served her purpose, and having those two truly bond and heal doesn’t compare to Zoey getting the opportunity. Even if Emily has barely been on her radar for most of the series.
Things To Note | Question(s) Left Unanswered
- Why does Mo have such a small and old TV? Considering how they live their life, you’d think it would be something they’d call Perry to put up on the wall.
- The show is taking a break till May 2nd.
Review
Highlights
Emily Getting Her Just Due
Are we feeling a bit salty that Emily hit rock bottom after her sister left? Yes. Especially since David and Zoey finally got a cute sibling moment, so it would have been nice for Emily to get that as well. But, you know, sometimes you take what you can get, and honestly, Emily needed this.
Since the beginning of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, Emily was the black sheep who seemed a bit too serious for David and didn’t necessarily fit in with his family. Perhaps explaining why, despite Zoey clearly needing friends and Mo formerly there to see what hijinks Zoey got into, Emily was never an option. But now, with feeling nudged by her powers fluctuating, she now is connecting with someone who probably needed her to be far more welcoming long before Mitch died.
Zoey guilt aside, you have to appreciate that Emily having postpartum depression can easily be seen as a long arcing storyline. For if it isn’t the isolation, her being a stay-at-home mom, then a working mom, and making it seem she wasn’t sure about having kids in the first place (if I recall right), it has all built up to this. And there is no denying the almost manic/depressive means of handling postpartum depression adds another layer to a condition that is likely more prevalent than given credit for.
So here is hoping that, just because Emily has reached the pinnacle of a stuttered storyline, this doesn’t mean we should expect her to fade away now.
Something On The Horizon For Maggie
Clearly, Maggie is feeling the need for a change in her life and is struggling with what to do. Deb, who she has had the number of for months, seemed less of a “catching up” call as it was an act of desperation. Otherwise, she would have been invited to that dinner party as Maggie’s guest. So, with that in mind and us ending the episode watching Maggie drinking and gambling, could this mean Maggie is about to downward spiral?
We don’t necessarily want that but considering Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist has increasingly been about the characters’ mental and emotional health, Maggie having an episode would be on-brand.
Zoey Going To Therapy
As noted, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, while a musical show, is also very much about people’s mental and emotional state and how much they bury those feelings. Hence Zoey playing a therapist to everyone to help draw them out of their funk, apartments or getting them to open up. Thus, as much as you can see when she wants things about her as selfish, on the other end, take note of all the people she helped – whether she liked them or even knew them.
It makes her going to therapy feel long overdue since Zoey hasn’t just carried her own burdens but that of others, and even if it often is sugarcoated with a song, it is a burden just the same. Now, if she can get the whole family in, since each are struggling, so comes the question if she may begin to lose her powers? Since, based on how her powers started and her interaction with Nova, there is a need to ask if her powers would dissipate once she is more open and interactive in real-time, rather than mainly focused on what she can do and control on a screen.
Leaving me wondering, could Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist be using Zoey as commentary on how people need to look away from their devices, stop taking the easy way out to get to know people, and just communicate in real life?
Max And Rose Trying Make It Last
I see what the show is doing here. We get just enough to like Max and Rose, but never enough where you can push aside Max and Zoey potentially being end game. If you don’t think this is true, look at how short-lived the good moments are between Simon and Zoey. It all seems like, to prolong the inevitable, both Zoey and Max get into these relationships, which are imperfect. The only difference is, Rose isn’t like Autumn, and she is not only on his level financially, mentally, and perhaps emotionally, but they have a history that predates Zoey – and the story is cute.
Making it so, as much as there is a strong inclination Zoey and Max are endgame, again, I would be cool if they weren’t and Max married Rose. It would probably be the biggest twist since Mitch actually being killed off, but it could happen!
On The Fence
Mo Introduced As Perry’s Friend
While you get why Perry is easing Mo into his kids’ lives, at the same time, there is a need to question how Mo will feel about it. Note: Mo and Perry have dated and flirted in public, so there is no need to assume there is shame involved. However, Mo isn’t the most patient person, so there is a need to wonder how long being daddy’s friend will be tolerated? Never mind, will it lead to comical moments when the kids could potentially catch them or not?
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