The first two episodes laid a strong foundation for Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist. Zoey’s Extraordinary Boss adds to that strong foundation by ramping up the comedic moments and allowing ample room for character development.
In general, a large aspect of life is making difficult decisions and overcoming obstacles that test our resolve. In this episode of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, Zoey has accepted her musical powers, but figuring out how to handle a heart song when the situation is uncomfortable is another story. In Zoey’s Extraordinary Boss, Zoey’s faced with a few difficult situations, which she initially fails to solve by trying to skirt problems instead of facing them head-on.
On the family front, Maggie has placed all of the responsibility for taking care of Mitch on herself. Zoey’s trying to find a way to lessen the load her Mom is carrying, but broaching the subject is easier said than done.
Meanwhile, at SPRQPOINT, Joan, Zoey’s Extraordinary Boss, is having a hard time feeling much satisfaction especially when it comes to her marriage. To say that Zoey is uncomfortable serving as a relationship guru for her boss is an understatement.
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One of the strongest elements in this series is watching Jane Levy’s mannerisms during uncomfortable conversations and this episode is full of them. I’ll be diving into these scenes more in the spoiler section on the next page. Levy’s facial reactions and body language are always a strength of hers, but she elevates these mannerisms to another level in this episode. Just look at Zoey’s panged facial expression and stiff as board body language in this still shot.
This is just one moment in an excruciating, yet endearing scene for an episode that’s full of similar moments from Levy. Also deserving recognition is Executive Producer Sam Laybourne’s script for this episode. Not only does Laybourne take full advantage of Levy’s comedic chops, but every member of the ensemble is given a moment to shine due to some strong character development and sharp dialogue.
Laybourne provides Joan with some much-needed depth that garners sympathy from Zoey. Bubbly dialog and portraying sympathy is a much better fit for Lauren Graham than being the authoritative, dismissive boss we’ve seen in the series so far. Mary Steenburgen also receives some much deserved time in the spotlight. There’s a scene in a grocery store that escalates to an unbelievable scale.
As for music in this episode, the song choices continue to amaze. In one episode, we have songs from Jesus Christ Superstar, Miley Cyrus, The Rolling Stones, Meghan Trainor and more. An added bonus is Graham and Steenburgen perform their first heart songs in this episode. The former actually has 2 songs in this episode. Continue to page two to learn more about what they sang and how the song correlates to the episode story.
If all of those comedic and dramatic family moments aren’t enough, Zoey’s Extraordinary Boss caps the best episode in the series so far with one of the most poignant lines I’ve heard on television in years:
There is nothing in the world that I love more than your smile. But not if it isn’t real. So maybe if we take a little bit off your plate… you can find that real smile again.
-Zoey to Maggie
Zoey’s Extraordinary Boss does have a couple of missed notes. Joan’s husband, Charlie (Justin Kirk), is a one-note character. He’s the epitome of egotistical, talks down to Joan and forces Joan to humble herself after he bailed on her. Every other character on this show is given opportunities to show their strengths and their flaws with the exception of Charlie.
My other issue is with a specific story element that I thought the show was hinting at with the lemonade bit, but never resolved. Essentially, when life gives you lemons, well you know the rest…
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist is currently streaming on Hulu and Peacock.
This ends the mostly spoiler-free portion of review. Go to the next page for the unabridged musings on the film’s plot, characters and more. For now, here’s the rating.
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