NBC
The latest episode of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist is called ‘Zoey’s Extraordinary Reckoning’, and I’m not sure what the show was thinking about this insane attempt to talk about race relations in an evenhanded way. I suppose I can respect the attempt of it all, even if it was a pretty messy episode overall. But there’s something inherently problematic about having Zoey as a primary point of view character and driving much of the story since she’s not a POC.
When the show focused more on Simon in particular, it tended to work a bit more, and there certainly was a kind of sense to Zoey having blind spots. However, although the culture of SprqPoint was pointed as inherently racist, we’ve already seen a pretty awful set of experiences in the office over the course of the two seasons of the show. I’ve certainly remarked on the casual nature of the bullying and troubling commentary among the ‘bro-grammers’, and the simplistic Zuckerberg parody of CEO Danny Michael Davis.
Zoey starts the episode with the thought that she’s not ‘listening’ and offers up a town hall for people to discuss issues openly. It’s such a perversely stupid idea that you wonder if someone on the writing team actually experienced it — the episode never spells it out explicitly, but putting the onus on POC to explain things to others is a problem. I’d call Simon’s rendition of ‘Black Man in a White World’ by Michael Kiwanuka on the nose except that it’s even more so than that.
Zoey is trying to be a better ally throughout the episode, although she makes a lot of very uninteresting mistakes — again, they are believably enough written about a well-meaning white ally who isn’t getting it. Look at Zoey saying she’s ‘trying to be real’ or that she ‘meant well’. I’m sure those are direct quotes from someone.
The final resolution, shaming the Board into change, is perhaps one of the only ways realistically it could happen, but the fact that it was Zoey trying to get Tobin to speak out makes it seem like she’s the real hero of the episode. The episode explicitly says otherwise, but sometimes these things are said without the writers realizing they’ve said them.
NBC
I didn’t mind the expansion of Tobin’s character, who has simply been the ‘annoying jokey guy’ until now, and his performance of ‘Tracks of My Tears’ by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles (the lyrics reference hiding one’s true feelings behind a smile) was pretty decent. But I mean, come on, someone on the team calls him ‘Slumdog’ and who doesn’t say anything about that? Everyone!
Especially Zoey, who should understand that it was a problem, but I guess that’s her blind spot — or one of the writers’. The standout performance of the episode was Mo’s singing of ‘No More Drama’ by Mary J. Blige, which is a tough song to sing, so I was impressed by that. Otherwise the laughs in the episode were minimal and the storyline often frustrating.
Of course, most frustrating of all was Max and everything he does — I mean I do think at this point the writers don’t get how he’s annoying. Again, this is nothing against Skyler Astin, who is doing the best he can with the material, but the context of the characterization is, as always, full of issues that the show doesn’t realize. After a bug is shown for his terrible app and restaurant idea to Danny the CEO, he decides to recruit help from the old bro-grammer team.
Now it’d be one thing if he messaged them and asked for their help outside of company time, maybe even offered to pay them with the investment capital he’d just gotten. But instead he just walks up to the coders he never liked and Mackenzie, the new transfer who’s immediately inappropriate with him, and asks for their help with his app. For no compensation. On the literal floor of his old company. And Mackenzie commenting on how hot he is is not okay either, just because it’s a woman commenting on a man’s appearance (if it wasn’t the office, which it shouldn’t have been, I don’t think I’d have had a problem). And again, Zoey doesn’t notice anything wrong!
It’s such a misfire, I’d say it was out of the ordinary, but Max is 80% written terribly on this show. I suppose I didn’t mind him when he was being a supportive friend about Zoey’s dad or even the attempt at their relationship. But his terrible business idea (which admittedly could get funding in Silicon Valley because terrible ideas do often get funding) has never worked as a storyline.
It’s frustrating especially because the show isn’t entirely a trainwreck, often a lot of things are done pretty well and most of the performances are good to great. But they need to pick their shots better.
What did you think of this episode? Start a conversation in the comments section below.
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist returns Sunday, March 28 at 9:00 PM on NBC.
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