S01.E02: Zoey’s Extraordinary Best Friend

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

Zoey tries to figure out how to control her new abilities while navigating her best friend's romantic feelings for her. A new medical victory for Mitch gives the family hope.

Airing Sunday, February 16, 2020

[dubbel zout]

I was thisclose to quitting the show after the coffee shop number, and then Peter Gallagher sucks me back in with "Moondance."

"Swag is for the interns. It keeps them happy so we don't have to pay them." Sadly, this is true.

 

[twoods]

I didn’t realize I needed to hear Skylar sing a Jonas Brothers song but hot damn. I am definitely going to play that on repeat for the next week.  I forgot what an amazing performer he is (now I want to pull out my copy of Pitch Perfect). 
I liked the other songs as well. Will keep watching as long as the music is good and Skylar keeps singing.

[SomeTameGazelle]

I feel like I can never be sure when Zoey is bad at her job because we are supposed to see her learning and when she is bad at her job because they don't know how to depict someone who is good at managing developers. In this episode I spent too much time wishing they would address the fact that it might seem weird to give tech guys physical paper journals when they could use an app.

I like the cast and enjoyed the musical numbers, including the conceit that people really singing are less good and less polished than what Zoey hears in her head. And I did especially like the bit where Zoey assessed what she had learned about how her power worked. (I still haven't recovered from Being John Malkovich where John Cusack made a bunch of assumptions about how the system worked based on one experience of it.)

Edited February 17, 2020 by SomeTameGazelle
extraneous word

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

I was thisclose to quitting the show after the coffee shop number, and then Peter Gallagher sucks me back in with "Moondance."

Yes, plus “Moon dance” was the first song I learned by heart on the flute so many moons ago. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Requisite reference:

 

[Dowel Jones]

Thanks, Zoey, for making me feel really old, when you said you didn't recognize the song Moondance or Van Morrison. 🙂

[Harvey]

Zoey's kinda mean way too overconfident neighbor "friend" is not likeable. It is grating to watch her be bitchy again and again to perfectly polite Zoey.

It was funny when Zoey's boss shot down the idea of "crazy hat day" before she even suggested it 😄 Why would she even think that was a good idea.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I can't lie - when Zoey's brother called to show her how their dad could communicate with the Taboo buzzer, I legit teared up.

I think that Zoey has the ability to become a good leader but she needs to move out of her elementary school idea of team building. Crazy hat day? GURL. Don't let the cereal bar and conversation pits at work fool you into thinking that crazy hat day should be a thing for adults at work.

Yay, Stephanie Styles! The ironic thing is that I last saw her when she performed in San Francisco a few years ago in the musical adaptation of Roman Holiday with Drew Gehling.

4 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

Thanks, Zoey, for making me feel really old, when you said you didn't recognize the song Moondance or Van Morrison. 🙂

Or Sade! And she wasn't sure if she was hearing a Whitney Houston song! I get not knowing every song in existence but WHITNEY HOUSTON!

[alexa]

I find the whole show a bit cringeworthy, and I don't really even care for the main character.  The way she is at work among other things, I am not really into her.  Peter Gallagher--they have really wasted him in this show, imo.  For me to have him sing once in a blue moon, but otherwise just sit there with not much to do is just frustrating.  I think I am out.  I didn't like the first episode, but gave the second one a chance, and it just isn't for me.  I also find that Lauren Graham's character really isn't enough for her either.  

[Lady Calypso]

I did enjoy this second episode but, for me, it's a bit obvious that this isn't a series meant to last multiple seasons, so I am 100% fine if there is only one season. It's fun and heartwarming, and that's all it really needs to be. With Zoey declaring that she was just going to ride it out and see what happens instead of trying to find a solution (a smart idea, since it doesn't bog down Zoey with spending half a season trying to make sense of something that doesn't make sense), it does work to a short premise. 

The songs were also well done. I liked the coffee shop scene, just for the interactions with Zoey and Mo. 

I also like the heartwarming, somewhat sappy moments, especially with the family. I also liked seeing Zoey and Max's moment at the end, when he showed up at her house. What especially worked well for me there was Max showing up, not knowing that she'd be there, so he was genuinely going to see her father. Maybe not a huge moment, but a fantastic character moment for him.

The only part that isn't working for me? Lauren Graham, believe it or not. I like the actress, but it's hard to see how she fits into this world. 

[mommalib]

I don't think I could ever buy a romance between Zoey and Max. He just don't seem like somebody she would go for. Now I could see her and Simon together but the situation is obviously messy.

Edited February 17, 2020 by mommalib

[chaifan]

2 hours ago, alexa said:

Peter Gallagher--they have really wasted him in this show, imo.  For me to have him sing once in a blue moon, but otherwise just sit there with not much to do is just frustrating.  

If Gallagher were more of a main character and had more total on-screen time, I'd agree with you.  But so far, he's been on-screen for very limited time and the bulk of that time is spent in a musical number.   So his active screen time vs. passive screen time is a pretty high ratio.  Whether you want more of him overall is another issue.  I don't think there needs to be more home time.  In fact, while I enjoy the family, you could completely delete those scenes and it wouldn't make a difference to me. 

I enjoyed his singing much more this week than in the premier, though.  I know he's been on Broadway and has a good voice, but I really didn't care for his version of the Cyndi Lauper song in the first episode.  I liked Moondance much more.  (But I didn't like MS's version of it at the end.)

[dubbel zout]

1 hour ago, chaifan said:

(But I didn't like MS's version of it at the end.)

I couldn't figure out what she was singing until the very end of it. 

[alexa]

1 hour ago, chaifan said:

If Gallagher were more of a main character and had more total on-screen time, I'd agree with you.  But so far, he's been on-screen for very limited time and the bulk of that time is spent in a musical number.   So his active screen time vs. passive screen time is a pretty high ratio.  Whether you want more of him overall is another issue.  I don't think there needs to be more home time.  In fact, while I enjoy the family, you could completely delete those scenes and it wouldn't make a difference to me. 

I enjoyed his singing much more this week than in the premier, though.  I know he's been on Broadway and has a good voice, but I really didn't care for his version of the Cyndi Lauper song in the first episode.  I liked Moondance much more.  (But I didn't like MS's version of it at the end.)

That is not what I mean.  I don't need him to be on more--I just don't like what they did with his character direction.  Honestly I wish he had normal abilities and could interact with everyone when he is in a scene.  I have no particular great love for him--just wish he was used in a better way.  

[springbarb]

The Zoey and Max stuff was interesting, because as soon as she got promoted, she really CAN'T date him and DOES need to pull back from their friendship. Even though for her that fight wasn't really about the promotion, all that was 100% true. Although I do like the idea that Zoey will fall for Max partially because he keeps singing songs to her.

I love all the stuff with Zoey and her dad.

[sigmaforce86]

10 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

Thanks, Zoey, for making me feel really old, when you said you didn't recognize the song Moondance or Van Morrison. 🙂

I was upset watching the first episode when she didn't recognize "I Think I Love You"  (was and still is my favorite Partridge Family song).  But then again I like oldies as much as I like current stuff and I think we're supposed to believe Zoey has been too busy to get deep into music since she wasn't completely sure about Mad World or I Wanna Dance With Somebody either.  As though she sort of knew them but wasn't sure.

Things I don't hate but have trouble with - Zoey not being as interested in Max as he is in her because, well, it's Skylar Austin for pete's sake, can't imagine turning him down.  Also Andrew Leeds as David because I can't see him as anything but the evil Pelant who tried to frame and kill Bones & Booth multiple times.  Very hard to look past the former character and see him as "nice guy" now.

But those are just perceptual things more based on the actors than the show or characters.  I like the show, I like the song and dance numbers, some more than others.  I like wondering who is going to sing next, why and what song will it be.  It is, so far, just plain fun.   Also very curious if "I Got The Music In Me" is the permanent opening sequence now or if they'll switch it up (or a mix of the two, the song is permanent but picturing them changing up the ending each time from piano drop to Zoey falls in the bay to being hit by a rogue street car - morbid I know).

Oh one other complaint - Mo needs to sing more because Alex Newell has an amazing voice.  Don't want to see him or any of the others over used but do want to hear him at least every other episode or so.

Basically it's just an hour of fun when things are too serious.  Wondering too if it's really successful will they release a soundtrack of the best songs from the series.

[DrScottie]

The "one for yes, two for no" system reminded me of the original Star Trek episode "The Menagerie" with the former Captain of the Enterprise being severely injured from radiation poisoning and could only communicate in "yes" or "no" through a blinking light.  At the end, he was saved by very powerful aliens who were able to bring him back to his old self by their mastery of illusion. Unfortunately, we don't have that yet, but at least Zoey can hear him through songs. 

[Lovecat]

17 hours ago, twoods said:

I didn’t realize I needed to hear Skylar sing a Jonas Brothers song but hot damn. I am definitely going to play that on repeat for the next week.  I forgot what an amazing performer he is (now I want to pull out my copy of Pitch Perfect). 

 

2 hours ago, sigmaforce86 said:

Things I don't hate but have trouble with - Zoey not being as interested in Max as he is in her because, well, it's Skylar Austin for pete's sake, can't imagine turning him down.  

Hot like fire, he is.  Seven words:  Skylar Astin, put a baby in me.

[twoods]

Seriously. I would find it hard to be best friends with someone like him, and now I’m sure it will be for Zoey knowing what a lovely voice he has.

I am also enjoying her crush a lot that it’s hard to choose between which male character I like better for Zoey. He seems like a nice guy and didn’t lose his shit when she broke his award.

Edited February 17, 2020 by twoods

[chaifan]

3 hours ago, sigmaforce86 said:

I like the show, I like the song and dance numbers, some more than others.  I like wondering who is going to sing next, why and what song will it be.  It is, so far, just plain fun.   Also very curious if "I Got The Music In Me" is the permanent opening sequence now or if they'll switch it up (or a mix of the two, the song is permanent but picturing them changing up the ending each time from piano drop to Zoey falls in the bay to being hit by a rogue street car - morbid I know).
 

I also really liked the opening.  At first I thought this was a new development with her "condition", but as soon as the scene changed I realized it was a dream sequence.  I loved the group routine, and I hope they'll either do as you say - keep I Got the Music in Me, but give a different ending each week; or, a totally new whole cast dance number each week.  OK, I know the second one is probably not very likely, just from a production standpoint.  But I really liked having everyone in the number. 

PS - I hope the getting smashed by a piano isn't foreshadowing, that the only way for the music to stop is her death. 

[possibilities]

I just wish they hadn't chosen such an annoying buzzer for dad. There are more pleasant-sounding options in the world of buzzers.

[dcalley]

I guess this wouldn't have exactly worked with the plot, but I desperately wanted Zoey's mom to just write the alphabet down and point to each letter, waiting for Mitch to buzz yes. I assume he can still spell. I hope the family gets some sort of a communication board for him now.

[buckboard]

2 hours ago, dcalley said:

I guess this wouldn't have exactly worked with the plot, but I desperately wanted Zoey's mom to just write the alphabet down and point to each letter, waiting for Mitch to buzz yes. I assume he can still spell. I hope the family gets some sort of a communication board for him now.

Yes, I just saw a week or so ago a system where a paralyzed man was able to spell out words on a computer with his eyes, so it should be possible for Zoey to create a program like that for her dad.

But as someone wrote in a previous post, it's best not to get all worked up about the realism of the story line.  This is a fantasy, not a documentary.  Don't try too hard to deconstruct everything; just enjoy.

[LisaM]

I teared up when Zoey and her brother were discussing the new buzzer system for their dad. 

[Bulldog]

Seemed like they really cut back on the music from the pilot.  I get that the musical rights are probably expensive and they were really trying to sell the musical aspect in the pilot, but it seemed really noticeable to me. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

13 hours ago, chaifan said:

I enjoyed his singing much more this week than in the premier, though.  I know he's been on Broadway and has a good voice, but I really didn't care for his version of the Cyndi Lauper song in the first episode.  I liked Moondance much more. 

I think Moondance was in a better spot for his current vocal range. As you age, your upper range gets weaker, especially if you aren't actively keeping your voice in shape for professional singing. Even in his lower range, you can definitely hear a noticeable difference in his voice between now and his Guys & Dolls days (which was almost three decades ago).

Quote

(But I didn't like MS's version of it at the end.)

11 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

I couldn't figure out what she was singing until the very end of it. 

I love Mary Steenbergen but one of the things I learned from watching Elf is that she is definitely not a singer. She is almost tone deaf which is why Moondance was so unrecognizable when she sang it.

On a related note, Lauren Graham is also not a great singer (although she isn't tone deaf) so I'm not looking forward to hearing her sing.

10 hours ago, springbarb said:

The Zoey and Max stuff was interesting, because as soon as she got promoted, she really CAN'T date him and DOES need to pull back from their friendship. Even though for her that fight wasn't really about the promotion, all that was 100% true.

I liked that she was smart enough to give him a legitimate reason why she was acting weird and keeping him at a distance because despite her actual reason (knowing that he has romantic feelings for her), everything she said was very true. As a manager, she needs to be aware of the fact that everyone knows she and Max are friends and not give anyone a reason to accuse her of favoritism now that she is his boss.

10 hours ago, sigmaforce86 said:

Things I don't hate but have trouble with - Zoey not being as interested in Max as he is in her because, well, it's Skylar Austin for pete's sake, can't imagine turning him down. 

 

8 hours ago, Lovecat said:

Hot like fire, he is.  Seven words:  Skylar Astin, put a baby in me.

As much of a musical theater nerd as I am, Skylar Astin does absolutely nothing for me. I mean, I acknowledge that he is a good singer but that's it, so I buy Zoey not being into her best friend (especially because I had a male BFF in my 20s and neither of us were ever attracted to each other in the slightest).

Quote

Also Andrew Leeds as David because I can't see him as anything but the evil Pelant who tried to frame and kill Bones & Booth multiple times.  Very hard to look past the former character and see him as "nice guy" now.

I'm glad it's not just me. I keep waiting for him to stealthily kidnap/murder someone!

[tennisgurl]

So happy to finally get to see the second episode! This was a ton of fun, and I am excited to see where they go from here now that Zoey has just decided to go with the flow. The songs are inconsistent in when and why and how they come, there is probably not any explanation that makes any kind of sense, and thats ok. Just like Zoey, we are all just along for the ride! 

Lots of good interesting song choices, especially I Wanna Dance With Somebody as a slow mournful ballad and the cute opening with Zoey and the whole cast rocking out...only for a piano to hit her. Skylar Astin is my musical MVP so far, he has nailed every song so far, and is just so freaking likable that he absolutely sells every second of this, no matter how over the top it gets. 

I hope that Zoey finds her managerial style soon, and while I get that she has to be more professional with her friendship with Max (even if that started as just an excuse) they really need to have a talk, he seemed really hurt when she seemingly randomly just started shutting him out. It was really sweet that he went to see her dad. 

The plot with Zoeys dad is my most consistent Feels of the show. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

15 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

What especially worked well for me there was Max showing up, not knowing that she'd be there, so he was genuinely going to see her father.

I liked that it showed how thoughtful he is but it also drove home just how close Zoey and Max are that he would save his dessert from a fancy restaurant just so her dad could have it.  When he later said that he'd been to many dinners, barbecues, and holidays at her parents' house it really showed that he is not just a work friend. They spent a lot of time together outside of work, enough that it's not at all weird for him to show up at her parents' house unannounced to bring her dad dessert, which makes it all the more understandable why he was so hurt by her shutting him out at work without any explanation.

9 hours ago, DrScottie said:

The "one for yes, two for no" system reminded me of the original Star Trek episode "The Menagerie" with the former Captain of the Enterprise being severely injured from radiation poisoning and could only communicate in "yes" or "no" through a blinking light. 

 

7 hours ago, possibilities said:

I just wish they hadn't chosen such an annoying buzzer for dad. There are more pleasant-sounding options in the world of buzzers.

 

7 hours ago, dcalley said:

I guess this wouldn't have exactly worked with the plot, but I desperately wanted Zoey's mom to just write the alphabet down and point to each letter, waiting for Mitch to buzz yes. I assume he can still spell. I hope the family gets some sort of a communication board for him now.

As a kid, I watched one too many soap operas/tv movies where someone was in a coma but could hear what people were saying so I became paranoid that it would happen to me one day (in my defense, it seemed to happen A LOT on tv so I just assumed it was very common). I told my sister that if I were ever seemingly unconscious, she needed to try the "one for yes, two for no" method with me with blinking, finger tapping, toe wiggling, and anything else she could think of.

That's why when her brother busted out the obnoxious Taboo buzzer, I thought well, if Peter Gallagher can move his finger, there's no need for him to use that particular noise maker. Just let him tap his finger on his lap! But since it's tv and you need something more dramatic than a close up of his fingers, just get a different buzzer. I was imagining him using the Staples "that was easy" button and driving everyone crazy with it.

Jean-Dominique Bauby wrote an entire book while he had locked in syndrome (he used an eye blinking system to painstakingly dictate so it seems to me that the family could come up with a way for Peter Gallagher to communicate beyond yes or no questions. Divide the alphabet into six section (A-D = section 1) and have him tap the button to tell them which section of the alphabet and then the specific letter while they point at a board. Sure, it will take time, but isn't that ultimately less frustrating than trying to guess what he wants to tell them?

11 hours ago, sigmaforce86 said:

Also very curious if "I Got The Music In Me" is the permanent opening sequence now or if they'll switch it up (or a mix of the two, the song is permanent but picturing them changing up the ending each time from piano drop to Zoey falls in the bay to being hit by a rogue street car - morbid I know).

Oh one other complaint - Mo needs to sing more because Alex Newell has an amazing voice.  Don't want to see him or any of the others over used but do want to hear him at least every other episode or so.

Basically it's just an hour of fun when things are too serious.  Wondering too if it's really successful will they release a soundtrack of the best songs from the series.

It would be hilarious if they changed the way she dies at the end of that song for each episode (kind of like the girl at the end of the opening credits saying something different in the last season of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend).

I'm glad Zoey got to sing this week. I was not a fan of Alex during the Glee Project but it's always nice to see the various Glee alumni still working - and on a show with singing!

FYI - some of the performances on the show are available on itunes and amazon. I'll start putting a list of which songs can be purchased/downloaded in each episode thread.

Edited February 18, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Songs available on itunes/amazon:

• I've Got the Music in Me - Jane Levy
• Sucker - Skylar Astin
• I Wanna Dance with Somebody - Stephanie Styles

[ItCouldBeWorse]

9 hours ago, DrScottie said:

The "one for yes, two for no" system reminded me of the original Star Trek episode "The Menagerie" with the former Captain of the Enterprise being severely injured from radiation poisoning and could only communicate in "yes" or "no" through a blinking light.  At the end, he was saved by very powerful aliens who were able to bring him back to his old self by their mastery of illusion. Unfortunately, we don't have that yet, but at least Zoey can hear him through songs. 

 

7 hours ago, dcalley said:

I guess this wouldn't have exactly worked with the plot, but I desperately wanted Zoey's mom to just write the alphabet down and point to each letter, waiting for Mitch to buzz yes. I assume he can still spell. I hope the family gets some sort of a communication board for him now.

Exactly.  He could learn to use his eyes to trigger a communications board setup.

.

[bros402]

That was a good episode. I hope this does well and people watch it.

[Mermaid Under]

Two things.

Yes, I agree with the folks that said this is a one season show, and I'm okay with that.

And.  It has been more than a decade since Gilmore Girls ended.  I learned from dealing with my aging parents,  and from looking in the mirror at myself, you don't notice someone getting older when you see them every day.  When they leave your life for more than ten years, and then return, it is a shock to your system.  Yes she still looks just fine.  But she doesn't look like Lorelai anymore, and on some level that takes some getting used to.   I'll wait for everyone who can't understand the thing about the words  and the reading to attack me for being judgemental about all the older women in the world.

[Clanstarling]

 

On 2/17/2020 at 12:04 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Requisite reference:

 

We had to look this up - both of us knew the song by heart, but couldn't for the life of us remember who did it.

On 2/17/2020 at 5:01 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I can't lie - when Zoey's brother called to show her how their dad could communicate with the Taboo buzzer, I legit teared up.

 

18 hours ago, springbarb said:

I love all the stuff with Zoey and her dad.

 

16 hours ago, DrScottie said:

The "one for yes, two for no" system reminded me of the original Star Trek episode "The Menagerie" with the former Captain of the Enterprise being severely injured from radiation poisoning and could only communicate in "yes" or "no" through a blinking light.  At the end, he was saved by very powerful aliens who were able to bring him back to his old self by their mastery of illusion. Unfortunately, we don't have that yet, but at least Zoey can hear him through songs. 

Mr. Starling went immediately to that reference. Whereas I went to Hector Salamanca (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul). with his bell.

7 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

The plot with Zoeys dad is my most consistent Feels of the show. 

I choked up a number of times (didn't help that I love Moondance). May have something to do with the fact that we're in the same age ball park as Zoey's parents.

Was Leif recast? The actor I think is supposed to be Leif didn't say much in this episode, but seemed to me to look a bit different. IMDB was no help, as the number of episodes for each actor is pretty inconsistent (Jane Levy is listed as having 12 episodes, Skylar Astin as 1).

 

[chaifan]

Considering that Zoey's dad gave the doctor a quick thumbs up to respond "yes" to some question, I don't quite understand why the buzzer for yes/no was such a revelation for them all.  Even in total fluff shows I do appreciate a little plot continuity. 

 

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, chaifan said:

Considering that Zoey's dad gave the doctor a quick thumbs up to respond "yes" to some question, I don't quite understand why the buzzer for yes/no was such a revelation for them all.  Even in total fluff shows I do appreciate a little plot continuity. 

 

They also showed him smiling after Zoey's mom sang Moondance to him. I could hand wave both as being signs that he might still be able to regain use of his body, but that he can not routinely smile or do a thumbs up, still, a thumb's up should've been noticed and applauded by those who saw it.

Edited February 18, 2020 by shapeshifter

[Guest]

17 hours ago, chaifan said:

Considering that Zoey's dad gave the doctor a quick thumbs up to respond "yes" to some question, I don't quite understand why the buzzer for yes/no was such a revelation for them all.  Even in total fluff shows I do appreciate a little plot continuity. 

 

Repeatability. The thumbs up was slow and seemed to take a lot of effort making it difficult to use for regular communication. It just let them know he was aware enough to communicate so the buzzer was a revelation as a realistic possibility for meaningful communication. 

16 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

They also showed him smiling after Zoey's mom sang Moondance to him. I could hand wave both as being signs that he might still be able to regain use of his body, but that he can not routinely smile or do a thumbs up, still, a thumb's up should've been noticed and applauded by those who saw it.

To me their reactions seemed realistic for the circumstances. The doctor walked in at that moment and they exchanged hopeful but anxious looks as they looked for a sign of major improvement. The doctor was kind but quickly killed their hopes by saying that it was just a sign that the meds are working to prolong the deterioration. Still great news but far short of what they desperately wanted to hear. 

I was extremely impressed with the subtle reactions of all the actors in that scene. A ton of emotions were displayed with very little dialogue. 

Edited February 19, 2020 by Guest

[Guest]

4 hours ago, Mermaid Under said:

And.  It has been more than a decade since Gilmore Girls ended.  I learned from dealing with my aging parents,  and from looking in the mirror at myself, you don't notice someone getting older when you see them every day.  When they leave your life for more than ten years, and then return, it is a shock to your system.  Yes she still looks just fine.  But she doesn't look like Lorelai anymore, and on some level that takes some getting used to.   I'll wait for everyone who can't understand the thing about the words  and the reading to attack me for being judgemental about all the older women in the world.

I’m pretty sure that’s a result of Hollywood’s complete inability to let actresses age. Even actresses in their 20’s are beginning to take on that slightly plastic look that suddenly makes them look different in way that’s hard to pinpoint. Sometimes it works but in LG case is seems to just highlight that something is different. 

Edited February 18, 2020 by Guest

[jmonique]

Yeah, I'm with those who find it easier to believe Zoey can see everyone singing and dancing than it is to believe she's repelled by the idea of Max crushing on her.

[Kromm]

13 hours ago, Mermaid Under said:

Two things.

Yes, I agree with the folks that said this is a one season show, and I'm okay with that.

And.  It has been more than a decade since Gilmore Girls ended.  I learned from dealing with my aging parents,  and from looking in the mirror at myself, you don't notice someone getting older when you see them every day.  When they leave your life for more than ten years, and then return, it is a shock to your system.  Yes she still looks just fine.  But she doesn't look like Lorelai anymore, and on some level that takes some getting used to.   I'll wait for everyone who can't understand the thing about the words  and the reading to attack me for being judgemental about all the older women in the world.

She shouldn't look like Lorelai.  Then again, she's 52 and has no doubt had enough plastic surgery that she's not exactly presenting as her real age either.

On 2/16/2020 at 8:59 PM, dubbel zout said:

I was thisclose to quitting the show after the coffee shop number, and then Peter Gallagher sucks me back in with "Moondance."

It was clear from Day 1 that he was going to be the MVP of this show.  This just confirms what we already knew.

On 2/17/2020 at 2:14 AM, Dowel Jones said:

Thanks, Zoey, for making me feel really old, when you said you didn't recognize the song Moondance or Van Morrison. 🙂

It's been clear that she doesn't know a LOT of music (the character I mean).  So it's not just an age thing.  She did know a Jonas song, admittedly. So age isn't totally a non-factor, but the vibe is really that Zoey just doesn't appreciate music. Which actually kind of helps the premise, I'll admit.

On 2/17/2020 at 7:56 PM, buckboard said:

Yes, I just saw a week or so ago a system where a paralyzed man was able to spell out words on a computer with his eyes, so it should be possible for Zoey to create a program like that for her dad.

See the Episode 3 description (it's publicly released, so not really a spoiler).

[Cthulhudrew]

22 hours ago, Bulldog said:

Seemed like they really cut back on the music from the pilot.  I get that the musical rights are probably expensive and they were really trying to sell the musical aspect in the pilot, but it seemed really noticeable to me. 

Rights isn't really an issue for this show, as I understand it. It is a byproduct of a development deal with Universal, and draws on their vast catalog of music that they already own the rights to.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

On 2/16/2020 at 9:20 PM, SomeTameGazelle said:

I feel like I can never be sure when Zoey is bad at her job because we are supposed to see her learning and when she is bad at her job because they don't know how to depict someone who is good at managing developers.

I think the issue is more that she's good at her actual job (coding) but she has no clue how to manage, hence why she ended up micromanaging, yelling at her team, and then doing the special project for Simon all by herself. Being good at your job doesn't mean you will automatically be good at managing and supervising, especially when it's your former coworkers who are not used to seeing you as an authority figure. I'm okay with her having to figure it out and failing.

On 2/17/2020 at 8:18 AM, chaifan said:

I don't think there needs to be more home time.  In fact, while I enjoy the family, you could completely delete those scenes and it wouldn't make a difference to me.

While I get that not everyone is going to love scenes with Zoey's family, they're important (at least in the first few episodes) because they made her realize that this seemingly pointless "power" she has isn't actually pointless. She never asked for it and she was annoyed by how disruptive it was to her until she saw the positive side of it - being the only one who knows what her dad feels.

Even after True Colors, she was still annoyed with her new power until Moondance. After that, she accepted it and told Mo she wasn't going to even try to understand the how or why. I think she just wants to take advantage of being able to help her dad for as long as she can even if that means she also has to deal with people singing and dancing at work, at the coffee shop, etc.

[Bill1978]

As long as they have one big major choregraphed number every episode I'm sticking with this show. Maybe it will fill the void left by Insatiable's cancellation

[SomeTameGazelle]

2 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I think the issue is more that she's good at her actual job (coding) but she has no clue how to manage, hence why she ended up micromanaging, yelling at her team, and then doing the special project for Simon all by herself. Being good at your job doesn't mean you will automatically be good at managing and supervising, especially when it's your former coworkers who are not used to seeing you as an authority figure. I'm okay with her having to figure it out and failing.

Since she was promoted, coding is no longer her actual job. Now her job includes coding plus managing a team of people. Those are different skills and I was frustrated in the first episode when Zoey kept answering the question "why do you deserve this promotion?" with "I'm the best coder!" Then toward the end of the episode to show that she was ready she included a statement to her boss about her leadership ability. It seemed like her recognizing that there was more to the promotion than coding was part of her growth.

Then in this episode it seemed clear that her big paper memo was a flub for being big (but not necessarily for being on paper?) and the journals were not received well. But at the end of that storyline where Zoey salvaged things by using her old entries to flatter her employees, she was flipping around and reading inappropriate sections since she hadn't prepared properly -- and I don't think there was any indication that any of her coders had benefited from using a journal. So it felt like her learning how to manage wasn't really as successful as they were making it out to be. I don't need her to be perfect; I just wonder where the line is sometimes.

[Clanstarling]

1 hour ago, SomeTameGazelle said:

So it felt like her learning how to manage wasn't really as successful as they were making it out to be.

I saw it as a first step toward learning, and figure she's got a lot more to learn. No one learns how to do that overnight.

[shapeshifter]

4 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

On 2/16/2020 at 11:20 PM, SomeTameGazelle said:

I feel like I can never be sure when Zoey is bad at her job because we are supposed to see her learning and when she is bad at her job because they don't know how to depict someone who is good at managing developers.

I think the issue is more that she's good at her actual job (coding) but she has no clue how to manage, hence why she ended up micromanaging, yelling at her team, and then doing the special project for Simon all by herself. Being good at your job doesn't mean you will automatically be good at managing and supervising,

7 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

I saw it as a first step toward learning, and figure she's got a lot more to learn. No one learns how to do that overnight.

It's The Peter Principle. I hope this isn't going to be an ongoing arc of the show, because, for me, it would be the opposite of entertainment.

 

[shantown]

I cracked up at two parts - Zoey describing the lyrics of Moondance to Mo, and Mo going "This power is really wasted on you." and then at the end when Mo came in with the idea to put her in a room full of mimes. I'm hoping they keep this weird friendship going.

[Guest]

I really like this show so far.  I like the main character. I love her interactions with her dad.  The musical numbers are fun. I hope they don't drag out the love triangle (maybe rhombus?) portion too much though.

[shapeshifter]

I am just now recalling how Eli Stone's musical hallucinations were 

Spoiler

ultimately revealed to be a brain tumor

and wondering if this is at least in part where this show is going.

[SoMuchTV]

7 hours ago, deaja said:

I really like this show so far.  I like the main character. I love her interactions with her dad.  The musical numbers are fun. I hope they don't drag out the love triangle (maybe rhombus?) portion too much though.

I’m feeling a little slow here. What is the love triangle/rhombus? The only thing I picked up on was Zoey and her best friend/team member/supervisee.