S01.E07: Zoey's Extraordinary Confession

[formerlyfreedom]

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Zoey is forced to admit some hard truths to Max. Tobin worries his friendship with Leif is on the rocks. Mo struggles to communicate with the new man in his life.

Airing Sunday, March 22, 2020.

 

[dubbel zout]

Zoey! Max is your direct report! That is reason enough not to get romantically involved with him! FFS. You shouldn't really be best friends, but I can hand wave that for the show.

And seriously, no one has a problem with the app Joan and Leif are developing? I hope the legal department is more on the ball.

[Roaster]

So I really like "A Little Less Satisfaction", but let's face it:

Elvis Presley - great singer, mediocre actor
Mary Steenburgen - great actor, mediocre singer

[Lady Calypso]

Oh boy....this episode was a bit of a miss for me. There was a lot that actually frustrated me more than pleased me.

The Zoey/Max dilemma is something that frustrated me, for sure. Max is definitely showing off more of a jerk side. Although I agree with him that Zoey handled this all wrong and I get that he's hurting over being rejected...I'm just not liking how he reacted to Zoey. I mean, I can't blame him for being skeptical, but he was getting to the point of being mean all because Zoey couldn't tell him that she didn't love him back. 

And yeah, the flash mob was totally inappropriate. Skylar Astin is very lucky that he's charming, because Max is not really that great of a character.

Simon needs to chill the hell out when it comes to Zoey. If he wants to be with Zoey, he needs to be breaking off his engagement, because this jealousy and emotionally attached behaviour with her is getting bad. But, similar to Skylar, John Clarence Stewart is very charming and he's trying to make his character work, even when Simon's being a total ass to his fiancee and seems to be on the path of acting like a jealous asshole toward Max. I am NOT here for the inevitable Max/Simon physical fight, even when I know it'll be tuned to a great song like "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" or "Eye of the Tiger" or something.

And Zoey continues to try to improve as well, since her reactions haven't been too great either.

So, Leif's bestie gets his own song and I like how he resolved things with Leif. 

And Leif....makes out with Joan? That's so random and I don't like it. Leif's just a creepy character in general, but the actor is quite possibly the best singer of the bunch (probably on par with Skylar, but Skylar has been getting the worst songs that don't show off his vocal range...besides 500 Miles, oddly enough). And I'm annoyed with how they've handled Joan as a character. They didn't need her in a marriage just to break her out of that marriage all within her first episode. And they didn't need her to work with Leif for, I presume, about a week and then start making out with him. 

And yes, I hope that the legal department comes for Joan and Leif for their horrific app idea. And how did nobody call it out or even look a little uncomfortable?

Now, the Mitch/Maggie stuff was great. I knew the guy would end up being Mitch's caretaker. I do think Maggie has the right idea in not wanting to make Mitch FEEL like he's so sick that he needs all of these machines and hospital equipment, but he obviously needs to progress somewhat with his treatment. Hopefully the guy that they picked will be good in transitioning Mitch into the next steps (and, judging from him putting spinach in Mitch's milkshake, there's hope there). 

[phalange]

Yeah, that app is even worse than I thought. Searching personal databases? No way is that ethical. I’m surprised Zoey didn’t say something about it. 

Tobin singing Don’t Speak to Leif had me rolling. It’s hard to feel too bad for him though, because they’re both so douchey. Leif and Joan is just...ugh. 

I was not expecting Max’s song at the food court to be a flash mob. It’s good that Zoey told him about her power, and I can understand why it took a lot to convince him, because it would definitely be hard to believe. I ship them, but it’s understandable that Zoey isn’t ready to deal with a relationship right now and just needs her friend. I think they both could’ve handled it better, and maybe they will going forward. 

I like Mitch’s caretaker; he seems like a good fit for the family. 

Also, I love that Zoey listens to true crime pods to relax. 

 

[roctavia]

37 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

Oh boy....this episode was a bit of a miss for me. There was a lot that actually frustrated me more than pleased me.

The Zoey/Max dilemma is something that frustrated me, for sure. Max is definitely showing off more of a jerk side. Although I agree with him that Zoey handled this all wrong and I get that he's hurting over being rejected...I'm just not liking how he reacted to Zoey. I mean, I can't blame him for being skeptical, but he was getting to the point of being mean all because Zoey couldn't tell him that she didn't love him back. 

And yeah, the flash mob was totally inappropriate. Skylar Astin is very lucky that he's charming, because Max is not really that great of a character.

Simon needs to chill the hell out when it comes to Zoey. If he wants to be with Zoey, he needs to be breaking off his engagement, because this jealousy and emotionally attached behaviour with her is getting bad. But, similar to Skylar, John Clarence Stewart is very charming and he's trying to make his character work, even when Simon's being a total ass to his fiancee and seems to be on the path of acting like a jealous asshole toward Max. I am NOT here for the inevitable Max/Simon physical fight, even when I know it'll be tuned to a great song like "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" or "Eye of the Tiger" or something.

And Zoey continues to try to improve as well, since her reactions haven't been too great either.

So, Leif's bestie gets his own song and I like how he resolved things with Leif. 

And Leif....makes out with Joan? That's so random and I don't like it. Leif's just a creepy character in general, but the actor is quite possibly the best singer of the bunch (probably on par with Skylar, but Skylar has been getting the worst songs that don't show off his vocal range...besides 500 Miles, oddly enough). And I'm annoyed with how they've handled Joan as a character. They didn't need her in a marriage just to break her out of that marriage all within her first episode. And they didn't need her to work with Leif for, I presume, about a week and then start making out with him. 

 

 

Max doesn't bother me as much, since I think he's just sort of oblivious and takes people at face value- like being an idiot about Autumn, she said everything was cool, it was a good breakup! But he's too boneheaded to realize it was a big deal, since a break up is a big deal for most people. 

I also get why he was so upset when he did start to believe zoey about the powers and that she set him up with someone else to get his attention off of her... so their conversation was okay to me when they talked it out. It can hurt to be rejected, but he at least listened to Zoey about her not knowing how she felt and worried about ruining their friendship. 

This could go well or it could go very bad depending on how the writers want to play it, i hope it's more of a we're friends and it eventually does become something more and not, I'll keep pining away and putting in nice coins until the zoey machine pays out. It can be a subtle thing to write. 

I took Simon's conversation in the elevate more of just curiosity and not jealousy. Like zoey was there for him and he wants her to be happy the way he is happy with his fiance. I wish they hadn't put the "should i stay or should I go" song a couple of weeks ago, because having this as a drawn out love triangle is lame. Simon can go be happy with his fiance and still have zoey as a friend, just not as close of  a friend, and that lets zoey figure out what she wants, if she wants a man at all right now. So I really hope Max and Simon don't "fight" over zoey... i hate love triangles!!!

And the Joan/Leif thing is wack and i don't want it on my screen!! Stop! Yuck! No!!

[Guest]

I loved the idea of Zoey mistaking a flash mob for her power but this episode was a train wreck from beginning to end. 

David acting like a petulant child, Max’s over the top declaration of love and whatever the hell just happened with Lief and Joan made me want to throw things at the screen. 

I’m tired of shows portraying grand gestures as the pentacle of romance when they are frequently selfish. Ironically Autumn would have ate that shit up but with Zoey it’s tone deaf. 
 

How many episodes are there because there were a ridiculous number of plots in this episode. I wondered if they are trying to cram everything in before the end of the season.  Suddenly everyone is moving at light speed.

[mommalib]

I have come to hate love triangles and it seems like every show I watch just can't help themselves when it come to them. In saying that i'm glad Zoey friend zoned Max and I hope it stays that way because I see potential between Zoey and Simon, they just have to find a respectful way of getting his fiance out of the picture.

[chaifan]

Leif's number was amazing!  The character is a jerk, but the actor has an amazing voice.  Probably one of the best songs all season.  

On the other hand, Maggie just ruined one of my favorite songs.  Possibly forever.  I don't think every character has tonsing, especially when there's no mystery as to what they're thinking.

 

 

 

[memememe76]

Did I miss it or did Zoey not mention her feelings for Simon? She tells Max that she will be 100% truthful but explains her not declaring her love for him based on some bleh fear of losing their friendship, but doesn’t mention that she happens to have feeling for another guy? 
 

I gather the brother and the wife are okay? I want to go back to that storyline, not some stupid Leif and Lorelei romance. 

[taragel]

Agree with everyone who thought this episode was kind of a mess. I feel like they came up with the idea to make Max's number "real" and liked that twist so much they didn't care how it messed up the arc for Max and Zoey. It felt way too soon/abrupt for him to be making huge declarations of love when he's barely hinted at feelings for Zoey aloud (aside from his songs). I wish they could have let that build a little bit more and let Zoey actually maybe start to feel something more for him, too. Especially, because it then sort of forced Max into a weird space where he had to demand an answer/get shirty with Zoey and that didn't feel likely or natural for that kind of character. Sometimes Max is great, sometimes he seems like a really entitled Nice Guy tm kind of asshole. I wish the writing was more consistent for him.

There is no universe where I can imagine Joan being into Leif. Sorry. Nope. (Unless maybe...MAYBE if she heard him sing. Because DAMN. I think he might be the best pure vocalist on the show.)

 

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, phalange said:

Yeah, that app is even worse than I thought. Searching personal databases? No way is that ethical.

Having created my first web page in the early 90s and expanded my tech repertoire since, I am having trouble believing that I am wrong for not being alarmed by the app or seeing anything nefarious about it. I suppose it could have hacking vulnerabilities --but that's true of most apps. There isn't any private info it could gather without permissions. It would just collate and cross reference information that was in public domain.  And, as someone with a problem remembering names, I think it's a good idea. And it's not really any different than most adds on the web that are served up based on what we have visited or data we have shared about ourselves. What do y'all think all those cookie pop-ups are about?

 

 

1 hour ago, Dani said:

I loved the idea of Zoey mistaking a flash mob for her power but this episode was a train wreck from beginning to end.

Such a waste of what should have been the best number of the season. Zoey should have told Max about her super power right before the flash mob began and the audience should have seen Max setting it up so we could watch the unfolding of Zoey's realization that it was not imaginary and Max's realization that her superpower hallucinations were real as well. 
Too bad.

 

Was there any chance that Leif was seducing Joan just to take over the company? I mean, Leif has been a fair-weather friend who it was revealed in this episode engaged in sophomorically sabotaging his immediate superior, so why not the big boss? I couldn't really tell from the song.

 

Edited March 23, 2020 by shapeshifter

[Maverick]

8 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Was there any chance that Leif was seducing Joan just to take over the company? I mean, Leif has been a fair-weather friend who it was revealed in this episode engaged in sophomorically sabotaging his immediate superior, so why not the big boss? I couldn't really tell from the song.

 

 Leif is totally playing Joan.   He's arrogant, chauvinistic and cutthroat.  Joan's divorce was public and she likely said something about how lonely she was during her drunken haze at the party and Leif saw his in.   Between Joan stating the obvious about this being an HR nightmare and his song, which implies he's seducing her for his own ends, he's likely going to blackmail Joan into prompting him and most likely demoting Zoey both to make way for him and for to satisfy his own ego.

 One thing good about this episode, there were more songs.   I'm in this for the music as much as anything so I don't like when the skimp on the musical scenes.  Except for Mary Steenbergen's.   Besides being a--lets say not great--rendition of that song, it hardly seems appropriate for a mom to be singing to her kids.    

[possibilities]

Well yes, he put a spell on her. That's not a love song, that's not someone who's entranced with YOU, it's someone who's into pulling YOUR strings....

That said, I never imagined those vocals could come out of that character OR that skinny little body. So it was hard to not enjoy it, and pretend the story itself wasn't making me ill.

Tobin is now taking Zoey's advice to repair his frienship with Lief, and then when it works he's allying with Lief to destroy Zoey. Something's gotta give in this web of awful choices. Zoey may not always get things right, but she's trying at least as hard as anybody else right now.

I don't like this thing where Max is angry that Zoey isn't reciprocating his romantic agenda. If I were him, and she'd said she was confused and had to leave, and was then avoiding me, I'd be either giving her space or apologizing for putting her on the spot and making her so uncomfortable, and I'd let her know I was sorry if I'd overstepped because I still valued her friendship even if she wasn't in love with me.

Then I'd curl into a ball and try to get over myself and figure out how to do that. I'd be embarrassed, not angry. SHE DOESN'T OWE YOU JUST BECAUSE YOU WANT SOMETHING.

I knew, when Mitch was laughing during the interview, which aide he was going to like best. I also liked that really none of the applicants seemed at all good. In my experience, there are a lot of HORRIBLE applicants and it's VERY HARD to find ANYONE who doesn't seem like you'd be utterly insane to actually hire. They got lucky that they found one needle in that haystack, and that getting over his rough edges didn't take too long.

 

[shapeshifter]

10 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I don't like this thing where Max is angry that Zoey isn't reciprocating his romantic agenda. If I were him, and she'd said she was confused and had to leave, and was then avoiding me, I'd be either giving her space or apologizing for putting her on the spot and making her so uncomfortable, and I'd let her know I was sorry if I'd overstepped because I still valued her friendship even if she wasn't in love with me.

Then I'd curl into a ball and try to get over myself and figure out how to do that. I'd be embarrassed, not angry. SHE DOESN'T OWE YOU JUST BECAUSE YOU WANT SOMETHING.

That's how I'd be too --which is why I finally gave up and just got comfortable living alone. 

But what didn't make sense to me was how Zoey could still not fall in ❤️love❤️ with Max after she had not only seen his perfect, hot body in the previous episode, but she had been transfixed by it.  I suppose this is going to be one of those things where she eventually realizes she's been in love with him all along, and then either they will have a tear-jerking romantic song and dance, or they'll set up another triangle --which should be an easy, obvious choice for the show runners, but some idiot will probably make them go with the triangle.
But now that Max has been mad at Zoey for no good reason (IMO), maybe the triangle is a necessary evil to give him a personality make-over.

 

 

 

Edited March 23, 2020 by shapeshifter

[Guest]

22 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I don't like this thing where Max is angry that Zoey isn't reciprocating his romantic agenda. If I were him, and she'd said she was confused and had to leave, and was then avoiding me, I'd be either giving her space or apologizing for putting her on the spot and making her so uncomfortable, and I'd let her know I was sorry if I'd overstepped because I still valued her friendship even if she wasn't in love with me.

Then I'd curl into a ball and try to get over myself and figure out how to do that. I'd be embarrassed, not angry. SHE DOESN'T OWE YOU JUST BECAUSE YOU WANT SOMETHING.

I really hated that they immediately glossed over Zoey’s legitimate reason to be upset by revealing her poor choices and making Max the victim. They did the same think with David and Zoey. It’s a good thing Skylar is charming because Max is crossing over into obsessively creepy.

There are some really weird and unhealthy relationship dynamics happening in this episode. Lief is a complete ass to Tobin and tells him that he’s embarrassed to be his friend and some how it’s turned into a sweet gesture. Then the Lief and Joan scene was just bizarre. 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

Was there any chance that Leif was seducing Joan just to take over the company? I mean, Leif has been a fair-weather friend who it was revealed in this episode engaged in sophomorically sabotaging his immediate superior, so why not the big boss? I couldn't really tell from the song.

 

1 hour ago, Maverick said:

 Leif is totally playing Joan.   He's arrogant, chauvinistic and cutthroat.  Joan's divorce was public and she likely said something about how lonely she was during her drunken haze at the party and Leif saw his in.   Between Joan stating the obvious about this being an HR nightmare and his song, which implies he's seducing her for his own ends, he's likely going to blackmail Joan into prompting him and most likely demoting Zoey both to make way for him and for to satisfy his own ego.

He was totally doing it to get ahead of Zoey.  No question in my mind.  He was jealous of anytime she spent with Joan, thinking she did it to gain an advantage, and now he's going to attempt to do the same thing in spades.  I think Zoey should have "innocently" walked in on them while they were kissing and put the kibosh on the whole thing.  It's not as if Joan would have fired her for interrupting them. She would have been deeply embarrassed, but hopefully would have come to her senses.

 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Songs available on itunes/amazon:

• Bailomos - Alex Newell & Patrick Ortiz
• Don't Speak - Kapil Talwalkar
• A Little Less Conversation - Mary Steenburgen
• If I Can't Have You - Skylar Astin

[Dminches]

This show is starting to morph into a typical network show.  Most of the singing and dancing is well done but the story lines and character interactions are becoming way too cliche-ish.

Bummer.

 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I was genuinely shocked that Max was really singing and that he had arranged a flashmob so congratulations, show, for keeping me on my toes.

I get where he was coming from - he put himself out there and declared his feelings so he wanted some kind of response from Zoey (although the running away should have been a pretty big clue) but I was really annoyed when he confronted with her with things like "you can't leave me hanging." Just because you decided to blindside her with this declaration of love does not mean that she has to give you an immediate response. You're allowed to have your feelings but she is allowed to have her own feelings and time to process whatever those feelings are.

And that just made him an even bigger hypocrite when Zoey told him how she really felt and he said that she just threw a really big bombshell at him. So he's allowed to have time to process a revelation like that but she wasn't when he publicly declared his love in the form of a flashmob?

I can't believe that sober Joan still hasn't realized how invasive this stupid chirp idea is and how people are not going to appreciate AI scanning their faces every time they're in public.

I didn't like the nurse as soon as she opened her mouth at the interview but since she was the only one who seemed even halfway competent, I knew they would hire her. I get that her main concern is her patient's health and medical care but you also have to take into account a person's comfort and quality of life. Unless Mitch is diabetic, I don't see why he can't have a milkshake. I was glad that Maggie brought back the guy who made Mitch laugh. And good for him for sneaking spinach into Mitch's milkshakes! Pro tip: that's even easier to do when you make mint shakes!

Tobin totally cracked me up while he was singing Don't Speak. The actor was clearly having fun with the dancing which I loved. I felt bad for Tobin though. It's hard enough when your BFF starts avoiding you but when he doesn't show up to one of your special friendiversary events that's really hurtful.

I loved the visual of Mo and Eddie doing a sexy partner dance while everyone else at the club was fist pumping all around them.

Ugh, Leif is obviously doing this so he can leapfrog past Zoey and then eventually get Joan's job when he reports their relationship to HR.

Edited March 23, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo
typo

[Clanstarling]

9 hours ago, Dani said:

I’m tired of shows portraying grand gestures as the pentacle of romance when they are frequently selfish. Ironically Autumn would have ate that shit up but with Zoey it’s tone deaf.

I would run away too - or at least freeze and not deal with it. It's too much - especially when you are not actually in a relationship.

7 hours ago, possibilities said:

Then I'd curl into a ball and try to get over myself and figure out how to do that. I'd be embarrassed, not angry. SHE DOESN'T OWE YOU JUST BECAUSE YOU WANT SOMETHING.

Amen.

As for the approaches to Mitch's care - I think if you're terminal and there's nothing to be done about it, you should at least be allowed to do/eat the few things that still bring you pleasure. The outcome's not going to change, you might as well have as much quality of life as you can.

[ahpny]

7 hours ago, Dani said:

Then the Lief and Joan scene was just bizarre. 

More than bizarre, I was creepy and manipulative and, according to workplace anti-sexual harassment videos I was compelled to watch 25 years ago, a potential form or sexual harassment. (Zoe and other co-workers would be the victims of this type of sexual harassment which would arise if Joan were to treat Lief differently at work because of an affair). Perhaps we can give Joan some slack for being emotionally vulnerable after her divorce and being suddenly-single or the first time since Lief was in diapers.

Lief, well, has no excuse and his actions seem calculatingly evil. He's been shown to have no redeeming values other than having good coding skills. (He does sing and dance well, so there's that too).

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I can't believe that sober Joan still hasn't realized how invasive this stupid chirp idea is and how people are not going to appreciate AI scanning their faces every time they're in public

This is also creepy and manipulative, but it's already happening in real life. See https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/03/16/dressing-for-the-surveillance-age, and therefore it's hardly a novel idea. Maybe putting all this in an earpiece is "new," but that seems beyond the "coding" capabilities of this firm.

[Lady Calypso]

And what makes the Leif/Joan stuff even worse, besides the fact that Leif is manipulating her and probably doing this just to spite Zoey, is the fact that Joan also wrote that horrible review that set Leif on this path in the first place. So, when Leif finds out, he'll probably have no hesitations in reporting their relationship to HR. There would be a lot against Joan, unfortunately, so I see her taking the brunt of the blowback. 

Leif's gross; the actor is great and I love hearing him sing, but the character should be fired by the end of this season (seriously, if it was discovered that Leif had a good twin and then he just ended up showing up to replace Leif after this whole mess, I'd be pleased). But I also don't like Joan. She's definitely being taken advantage of, but she also SHOULD know better and I haven't liked her weird power dynamics with not just Leif, but a little bit with Zoey as well. I don't like her style when it comes to doing her job. I know I'm supposed to like Joan but I think my issue is not even just the character, but how I think Lauren Graham doesn't quite do it for me. She's been great in other roles but there's a disconnect with her and Joan. 

[dubbel zout]

12 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

And yeah, the flash mob was totally inappropriate. Skylar Astin is very lucky that he's charming, because Max is not really that great of a character.

Seriously. He's becoming kind of a douche.

12 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

Hopefully the guy that they picked will be good in transitioning Mitch into the next steps (and, judging from him putting spinach in Mitch's milkshake, there's hope there). 

I liked the spinach part, too. I hope they don't ruin this guy. He's kind of a mess, but so is everyone else on the show, so he fits right in, heh. I just don't want something terrible to happen to Mitch because the guy isn't paying attention.

3 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

• A Little Less Conversation - Mary Steenburgen

This song is actually for sale? Oh, dear. 

3 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

So he's allowed to have time to process a revelation like that but she wasn't when he publicly declared his love in the form of a flashmob?

This always reminds me of public proposals. I think they're awful for so many reasons, and I wish more people would turn them down. The proposer is basically using peer pressure to force a yes. That's gross and manipulative. (But if you like that sort of thing, you do you.)

[ams1001]

1 hour ago, dubbel zout said:

This always reminds me of public proposals. I think they're awful for so many reasons, and I wish more people would turn them down. The proposer is basically using peer pressure to force a yes. That's gross and manipulative. (But if you like that sort of thing, you do you.)

Seriously. If we've been together long enough for you to propose, you should know that would be the last thing I'd want. If you're going to do something like that, you better be damn sure a.) what the answer will be and b.) that the target will actually enjoy it.

[shapeshifter]

I suppose public proposals work when the couple are both in on it but make a game of not speaking about it to each other --if that makes sense. 
Likewise, if Max was sure Zoey would like a flash mob (like if she had said, "I wish someone would do that for me" while they were watching a romantic flash mob performance on YouTube) then he would have at least had reason to do it. But, even then, she is his supervisor at work, so, NOT a romantic flash mob for her. So much better would be a "You're a Great Boss" flash mob performance. 
But then Joan should know better too. 
I guess they don't have an HR department.

 

[dubbel zout]

It reminds me of a recent incident in a doctor's waiting room I witnessed. A woman walked out saying, "Thank God! Thank God!" over and over again. She'd clearly gotten very good news. We were all happy for her, but on the other hand, a lot of people in there were living with bad news, and I was annoyed she kept yammering until she got out of earshot. Have some sensitivity for others, lady, and stop with the performance.

That's how I see most public proposals and declarations of love. It's a performance for the person giving it more than the person receiving it. "Look at me! Look how loving and thoughtful I am!" Yeah, no.

[tennisgurl]

The only reason I could buy Joan being into Leif, even while she is lonely and on the rebound, is if she could hear him sing. God dang he has some serious pipes on him! He is so obviously putting the moves on Joan to get a leg up in his career, and its squicky and icky on every level, but that was a great version of I Put a Spell on You. 

Not only that, but Joan and Lief are apparently starting an episode of Black Mirror and no one is saying anything about it! Their App sounds like a logistical and legal nightmare and a massive violation of privacy, and someone needs to acknowledge this!

Max finding out and him confessing that he is in love with Zoey just seems so out of nowhere. He had never said anything about his feedings towards Zoey, outside of songs that only Zoey can hear, and now he decides to randomly confess via flashmob? Something that he would have to know that nervous, feelings averse Zoey would hate? Its like the writers got really excited about the idea of Zoey mistaking a flashmob for a musical number, and really wanted to do it, but never really thought much about context. Neither Max nor Zoey really came off great in this one. As I mentioned, the flashmob was an awful idea, especially for someone like Zoey who is so emotionally guarded, and he was kind of a dick in general, being all annoyed with Zoey for not being into his romantic gesture and being really obstinate about believing her music power. Yeah its a stretch, but this seems like a really weird thing to make up, including bringing Mo into it! Zoey probably should have been honest about her feelings, especially after some time had passed. She never really told him until the end if she liked him that way or not, and she has been kind of using her power and the fact that she knows his thoughts to manipulate him so that she doesn't have to deal his feelings for her, even if it was with good intentions. Plus, she is still his supervise, which is enough reason for them not to be in a relationship.

I figured pretty quickly that they would go with the more relaxed guy instead of the super strict nurse after he made Mitch laugh, he seems like a much better fit for them. Its important for Mitch to get proper care and for them to take his illness seriously, but at the same time, its not like Mitch is going to forget that he cant move or speak, he needs to have some normalcy and some fun things in his life too instead of feeling like a sick person every second of the day. 

Zoey listening to true crime podcasts to relax seems very in character!

Edited March 23, 2020 by tennisgurl

[springbarb]

14 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

But what didn't make sense to me was how Zoey could still not fall in ❤️love❤️ with Max after she had not only seen his perfect, hot body in the previous episode, but she had been transfixed by it.  I suppose this is going to be one of those things where she eventually realizes she's been in love with him all along, and then either they will have a tear-jerking romantic song and dance, or they'll set up another triangle --which should be an easy, obvious choice for the show runners, but some idiot will probably make them go with the triangle.

 

16 hours ago, memememe76 said:

Did I miss it or did Zoey not mention her feelings for Simon? She tells Max that she will be 100% truthful but explains her not declaring her love for him based on some bleh fear of losing their friendship, but doesn’t mention that she happens to have feeling for another guy?

Zoey basically admitted that she likes Max, but just doesn't want to date him yet--she can't handle a relationship right now. (Also, SHE'S HIS BOSS, but the show seems to want to ignore that part.) It can definitely still lead to a triangle; Max could find someone else (on his own) just as Zoey is like, "The time is now!"

Regarding Simon, I think that at this point, she's fine not telling Max about him. She's trying to get rid of those feelings and she and Simon were successful in this episode at maintaining a distance, so she probably figures that there's nothing TO tell. At the moment.

[dubbel zout]

15 minutes ago, springbarb said:

(Also, SHE'S HIS BOSS, but the show seems to want to ignore that part.)

What's exasperating for me is that Joan does mention the boss/employee dynamic, so the writers are clearly aware of it. I hate the inconsistency.

[nilyank]

9 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Just because you decided to blindside her with this declaration of love does not mean that she has to give you an immediate response. You're allowed to have your feelings but she is allowed to have her own feelings and time to process whatever those feelings are.

I think what upset Max is when he finally believed her about her superpowers is that she had known for months how he felt and rather than deal with it (as she had with the other people that she hears sing), she pushed him off on Autumn. She had time to process her feelings but she didn't really and had pulled away from him without talking to him about it.

[buckboard]

42 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

What's exasperating for me is that Joan does mention the boss/employee dynamic, so the writers are clearly aware of it. I hate the inconsistency.

I've seen at least two shows just this week where a couple discusses all the reasons why it would be wrong to have a romantic relationship with a fellow employee and then a minute later kiss and get together. 

It's even worse when the relationship involves a boss and someone she supervises.  THAT should be the impediment to any relationship between Joan and Lief or Zoey and Max.  Period.  End of discussion.  

[springbarb]

Also, the description of Chirp made me think of Google Glasses, which went absolutely nowhere.

[seacliffsal]

Things I wish after watching this episode...that they NEVER have Maggie sing and dance again...that Max will start demonstrating more social awareness (and maybe he should do that shirtless [referencing last week's episode])...that Leif gets the ENTIRE company in a sexual harassment case because Joan even acknowledges that she knows better but still is getting involved with an employee...

I do enjoy this show, but the writers should show some common sense in their writing and story lines.

And, as far as I'm concerned, Max should sing in every episode.

[Guest]

This show is like dollar store Glee had a baby with bootleg Pitch Perfect (between Skylar Astin and the lead actress looking like Brittany Snow). 

I'm very skeptical that Joan would gamble her entire career to bang a dweebish, sniveling 23-year-old because he was the first person to offer her sex. Although according to this show, your office is Tinder and you can only be attracted to your coworkers.

The Max/Zoey/Simon triangle is a mess because all three work together and they've already telegraphed Max as the "winner" because of their History and the Friends to Lovers trope (also he's white and writers tend to have a fixation with the white love interest winning).

At least Moe got laid.

[srpturtle80]

3 hours ago, buckboard said:

I've seen at least two shows just this week where a couple discusses all the reasons why it would be wrong to have a romantic relationship with a fellow employee and then a minute later kiss and get together. 

This happened on the most recent Stumptown, was that one of the shows you were referring to? If not, add a third in there lol.

While I really don’t enjoy hearing Mary S. sing, I also didn’t really get the point of her song. It was just kind a strange. And I also can’t believe that song is for sale on iTunes but the song sung by Lief isn’t. Huh?

Does anyone know how many episodes are left? 

[chaifan]

Leif's number was amazing!  The character is a jerk, but the actor has an amazing voice.  Probably one of the best songs all season.  

On the other hand, Maggie just ruined one of my favorite songs.  Possibly forever.  I don't think every character has to sing, especially when there's no mystery as to what they're thinking.

Here's my pure speculation....  Leif uses this "thing" with Joan as blackmail-lite, to get her to promote him, claiming Joan pursued him, he felt pressured,etc.   It backfires when Zoey saves the day by saying I saw it all.  But, Joan then enacts a strict no fraternization policy, putting the kibosh on Zoey & Max and Zoey & Simon.  

 

 

 

Edited March 25, 2020 by chaifan

[LisaM]

My favorite parts revolved around Maggie hiring a nurse for Mitch.

Was bored by the Spellaversary guy (whose name I cannot recall) pining after Leif.

The Joan/Leif kiss = ugh

[Clanstarling]

My take on the "Little less talk, little more action" was she wanted her kids to shut the hell up with all their grousing, which would make her happier. It wasn't a perfect fit, but it worked for me.

I'm impressed that Steenbergen is willing to show how badly she sings, that takes guts.

I like that not everyone is a great singer. I mean, it's great to hear the powerhouse singers, but I just don't care if some of them aren't. Doesn't ruin a thing for me.

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

My take on the "Little less talk, little more action" was she wanted her kids to shut the hell up with all their grousing, which would make her happier. It wasn't a perfect fit, but it worked for me.

I'm impressed that Steenbergen is willing to show how badly she sings, that takes guts.

I like that not everyone is a great singer. I mean, it's great to hear the powerhouse singers, but I just don't care if some of them aren't. Doesn't ruin a thing for me.

But Mary Steenburgen is known as a singer, so either her character is supposed to be a terrible singer, or, perhaps she has developed a condition that negatively impacts her ability to sing and is now singing in spite of the handicap to make a statement like what you suggest, @Clanstarling?
She’s my age, so it wouldn’t just be natural voice aging (my new son-in-law was pleasantly surprised at my ability to stay in tune over the holidays).  I could spend a bit of my isolation time to sleuth around the web to discover what’s up with MS’s singing on this show —unless someone else here already knows?

[possibilities]

On 3/23/2020 at 9:22 AM, Clanstarling said:

I think if you're terminal and there's nothing to be done about it, you should at least be allowed to do/eat the few things that still bring you pleasure. The outcome's not going to change, you might as well have as much quality of life as you can.

Not only that, but IT'S HIS CHOICE. Even if he's not terminal, he has the right to decide what he wants to do about it. The nurse was acting like she was in loco parentis, which she was not. Mitch is an adult, she is his employee. She can give him medical advice if he wants it. But her job is to take care of him and he gets to decide what he wants that to look like.

[ams1001]

16 minutes ago, possibilities said:

Not only that, but IT'S HIS CHOICE. Even if he's not terminal, he has the right to decide what he wants to do about it. The nurse was acting like she was in loco parentis, which she was not. Mitch is an adult, she is his employee. She can give him medical advice if he wants it. But her job is to take care of him and he gets to decide what he wants that to look like.

I couldn't help wonder where she got the hospital bed and who's paying for it. Don't know if it was on her list of things to get but Maggie seemed surprised by its presence so I'm guessing she didn't okay it before it was procured. They must have really good insurance if a hired nurse can just order stuff like that without talking to the family first.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

But Mary Steenburgen is known as a singer, so either her character is supposed to be a terrible singer, or, perhaps she has developed a condition that negatively impacts her ability to sing and is now singing in spite of the handicap to make a statement like what you suggest, @Clanstarling?
She’s my age, so it wouldn’t just be natural voice aging (my new son-in-law was pleasantly surprised at my ability to stay in tune over the holidays).  I could spend a bit of my isolation time to sleuth around the web to discover what’s up with MS’s singing on this show —unless someone else here already knows?

She’s known as a songwriter but in the press for the show she said that she doesn’t consider herself a singer. Before this she’s only done a little bit of singing. 

Edited March 24, 2020 by Guest

[buckboard]

17 hours ago, srpturtle80 said:

This happened on the most recent Stumptown, was that one of the shows you were referring to? If not, add a third in there lol.

While I really don’t enjoy hearing Mary S. sing, I also didn’t really get the point of her song. It was just kind a strange. And I also can’t believe that song is for sale on iTunes but the song sung by Lief isn’t. Huh?

Does anyone know how many episodes are left? 

Yes, SRPTURTLE80, Stumptown was the other show this week where I saw this situation come up, although it is a pretty common plot devise.  And an annoying one.

[Empress1]

1 hour ago, ams1001 said:

I couldn't help wonder where she got the hospital bed and who's paying for it. Don't know if it was on her list of things to get but Maggie seemed surprised by its presence so I'm guessing she didn't okay it before it was procured. They must have really good insurance if a hired nurse can just order stuff like that without talking to the family first.

I wondered that too. America's health care system doesn't make anything easy, so I found it impossible to believe that you could procure a hospital bed for someone without them knowing.

It always interests me when a pair of friends exists, one falls in love with the other and tells them, and the other says s/he doesn't want to wreck the friendship. To me, the friendship is already wrecked. Maybe not wrecked, but at the very least it's different. A relationship between two people where one is in love with the other is not the same as a relationship between two people who are friends. It's not like Max has stopped being in love with Zoey because she said she can't be with him, so the idea that their relationship can go back to "normal" is off to me.

(I would say no to anyone who gave me a public declaration like that because they should know me well enough to know that I loathe public declarations like that. A scoreboard lighting up "Marry Me Empress1" is my nightmare.)

I loved Mo getting some. I thought his tender moment at the club was so cute.

17 hours ago, SnarkEnthusiast said:

I'm very skeptical that Joan would gamble her entire career to bang a dweebish, sniveling 23-year-old because he was the first person to offer her sex.

She needs to go on Raya, that dating app for famous and/or rich people, and keep it moving and stop getting with her subordinates. That was so gross.

[Guest]

On 3/24/2020 at 10:16 AM, ams1001 said:

I couldn't help wonder where she got the hospital bed and who's paying for it. Don't know if it was on her list of things to get but Maggie seemed surprised by its presence so I'm guessing she didn't okay it before it was procured. They must have really good insurance if a hired nurse can just order stuff like that without talking to the family first.

 

On 3/24/2020 at 11:59 AM, Empress1 said:

I wondered that too. America's health care system doesn't make anything easy, so I found it impossible to believe that you could procure a hospital bed for someone without them knowing.

Given Mitch’s diagnosis I assume they are working with a palliative or hospice company. Those companies work with medical rental companies that can provide things like beds very quickly with very little input from the patient. Combine that with an overbearing nurse and I have no problem believing a hospital bed can be delivered without any warning. 
 

With hospice we knew about the bed but had no idea what other equipment was being delivered. It was very surprising how quickly those thing can delivered and removed. 

Edited March 25, 2020 by Guest

[Clanstarling]

4 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

But Mary Steenburgen is known as a singer, so either her character is supposed to be a terrible singer, or, perhaps she has developed a condition that negatively impacts her ability to sing and is now singing in spite of the handicap to make a statement like what you suggest, @Clanstarling?
She’s my age, so it wouldn’t just be natural voice aging (my new son-in-law was pleasantly surprised at my ability to stay in tune over the holidays).  I could spend a bit of my isolation time to sleuth around the web to discover what’s up with MS’s singing on this show —unless someone else here already knows?

Voices age differently, just like everything else. It depends a lot (I think) on what and how they sang when they were younger. In other words, how much they strained their vocal chords. But also, as you say, on various conditions that may or may not be diagnosed.

1 hour ago, Dani said:

She’s known as a songwriter but in the press for the show she said that she doesn’t consider herself a singer. Before this she’s only done a little bit of singing. 

I didn't know that.

[Empress1]

1 hour ago, Dani said:

Given Mitch’s diagnosis I assume they are working with a palliative or hospice company. Those companies work with medical rental companies that can provide things like bed very quickly with very little input from the patient. Combine that with an overbearing nurse and I have no problem believing a hospital bed can be delivered without any warning. 
 

With hospice we knew about the bed but had no idea what other equipment was being delivered. It was very surprising how quickly those thing can delivered and removed. 

Oh, good point. My grandparents all had hospice care and the service was excellent.

[Clanstarling]

1 minute ago, Empress1 said:

Oh, good point. My grandparents all had hospice care and the service was excellent.

My mother did as well - but her insurance (Medicare) covered it. So I think it kind of depends.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

On 3/24/2020 at 3:39 PM, Dani said:

On 3/24/2020 at 1:16 PM, ams1001 said:

I couldn't help wonder where she got the hospital bed and who's paying for it. Don't know if it was on her list of things to get but Maggie seemed surprised by its presence so I'm guessing she didn't okay it before it was procured. They must have really good insurance if a hired nurse can just order stuff like that without talking to the family first.

 

On 3/24/2020 at 2:59 PM, Empress1 said:

I wondered that too. America's health care system doesn't make anything easy, so I found it impossible to believe that you could procure a hospital bed for someone without them knowing.

Given Mitch’s diagnosis I assume they are working with a palliative or hospice company. Those companies work with medical rental companies that can provide things like beds very quickly with very little input from the patient. Combine that with an overbearing nurse and I have no problem believing a hospital bed can be delivered without any warning. 
 

With hospice we knew about the bed but had no idea what other equipment was being delivered. It was very surprising how quickly those thing can delivered and removed. 

Where is the queen sized bed that Max moved downstairs?  Did she get the hospital bed delivery people to move it upstairs?  Did she throw it out?

Edited March 26, 2020 by ItCouldBeWorse