“Zoey’s Extraordinary Distraction” Spoilers Ahead
It’s been an exceptional week for TV and we actually had a tough decision to make this week. (We missed this challenge.) WandaVision has finally premiered and though we still have no idea what’s happening on this show, we’re into it—especially where costumes and humor are concerned. A Discovery of Witches had another fantastic episode that’s setting the season up with great new characters. The Expanse gave us an incredibly heartwarming and beautifully vulnerable moment between Naomi and Filip right before everything went south. (This was our second choice, by the way.) And the Heartland premiere came with a shocking death no one was expecting. But in this house, we finally binge-watched all of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist and the latest episode was the right kind of joy we needed.
Is there anything lovelier than when a ship finally sails and the couple’s given the chance to be together? Very, very few things are indeed lovelier. Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist is taking on grief beautifully by allowing its characters to feel whatever it is they need to. Sometimes it’s sadness. Sometimes it’s happiness. Sometimes it’s sheer frustration. Sometimes it’s disbelief. And sometimes, it’s sitting around with your two best friends knowing that for a moment, all is well in the world.
Zoey and Max tried to have sex but getting distracted by Max’s heart songs were precious–as was the duet to Kelly Clarkson’s “A Moment Like This.” And that’s what a large majority of this episode focused on— beautiful moments that made the darkness behind losing Mitch feel a little less heartbreaking. As he would have wanted. But that said, while I adored this moment with all of me (see what I did there?), it was the final scene between Mo, Max, and Zoey that got me. First, this makeover is fantastic? Zoey Clarke rocks this hairstyle and she should absolutely let Mo give her more makeovers for fun. (Or rather, I’ll take one if she won’t.) But it’s also a big moment for Mo and Max.
Mo and Max finally signing the ridiculous google contract for their business showcased growth on both ends, and for Mo especially who’s learning not only how to trust others, but how to trust his own loyalty as well. This friendship is unlike anything any of them have ever had and it’s worth fighting for. It’s worth the partnership and it’s worth the journey. This trio is all about bringing out the best in each other. It’s about being there for each other through the good and the bad. It’s about fighting and making up. It’s about talking to one another and being vulnerable. It’s about celebrating each other’s victories out of genuine adoration. It’s about taking pictures to hold over your friend’s head because isn’t that what the best of friends do?
Sometimes when the rest of the world is garbage, we need great moments of TV like this to remind us that people are still searching for joy in the midst of darkness. Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist is a gorgeously special show that’s telling hard stories about human emotions in a distinct, cathartic manner.
Now streaming on Roku Channel: What are your thoughts on Zoey and Max’s scene in “Zoey’s Extraordinary Distraction?”