S02.E13: Zoey’s Extraordinary Goodbye

[DCCFan197605]

1 hour ago, rejnel said:

"We Can Work It Out" was the highpoint of the episode for me.

A👏men👏to👏that👏!

[Empress1]

I absolutely love Perry’s voice.

[roctavia]

1 hour ago, srpturtle80 said:

Yes! This cracked me right up as well. I really wanted more information lol.  I know most people don’t like DMD but I find him amusing.

I really, really hope we get another season. I love all the musical numbers on this show, and while this season didn’t have the charm of the first, I still enjoyed it! 

Danny Michael Davis is perfect when he is used in just the right amount... we've seen a lot more of him this season, but aside from the drugs episode, it has been fleeting enough that he hasn't overstayed his welcome. 

Him and the candle was hilarious and also seems like the kind of thing a kooky boss like him would do.

[Court]

On 5/16/2021 at 10:11 PM, UnoAgain said:

And yet another show where they play around and tease the white female lead with a black man.. But then quickly find a way to undo it and put her with a white fella... I just seen it too many times to be upset about it anymore... Good songs.. Nice finale.. Let's see if we get a season 3

This really bothered me as well as the show fulfilling all these stupid ways shows typically go. 

I wanted to love the finale and I did love parts but I'm so annoyed with the love story that I kinda hated it. 

I wish the show had gone the route of Zoey/Max realizing they love each other as best friends and aren't in love with each other. I wanted to see her tell Simon about her powers and see that relationship navigate the difficulties of that. 

Mo's line, you have kids, I have her was the best line. 

[HighQueenEB]

How did people not pick up on Rose and Max breaking up before the end of the episode from "Shake It Off"?  Her line in that song was "I never miss a beat, I'm lightning on my feet, and that's what they don't see, that's what they don't see."  That was what tipped me off to her not being endgame for Max - she's been picking up on the clues, just as clearly as Simon, that Zoey & Max had some weird, unresolved relationship issues.  

[bros402]

This episode was a good finale. I hope if we get a season 3, they have better plotting, since this season was rough.

On 5/16/2021 at 10:11 PM, UnoAgain said:

And yet another show where they play around and tease the white female lead with a black man.. But then quickly find a way to undo it and put her with a white fella... I just seen it too many times to be upset about it anymore... Good songs.. Nice finale.. Let's see if we get a season 3

At least they handled it well? Both of them wanted to break up and it sort of felt organic - even if it was only in a few episodes - it was a few months in show time.

On 5/16/2021 at 11:06 PM, chaifan said:

This may be the unpopular view, but I did not like this ending with Max being able to hear heart songs.  I liked Zoey's abilities being tied to the MRI glitch, which gave us a tech/medical explanation.  With Max now in the mix it's now more of a fate/chosen one type of situation.  Not crazy about that. 

Other than that, a good episode.  And, as others have mentioned they tied it up nicely if they don't get renewed for Season 3. 

If they do get renewed for Season 3, please keep Mary S. out of musical numbers.  She just doesn't have the musical chops, especially compared to the rest of the cast.

I think Max was only able to hear Zoey's heart song only because she is fully open to him now - she isn't restraining herself. IT could be another facet of her ability.

Mary was rough during the Taylor Swift number.

[possibilities]

8 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

3. Mission based heart songs only occur with people she knows/has a relationship with. 

 

I don't think that's true. She has often heard songs from people who seemed totally random, and it was only after hearing the song that she made the connection with them. She has been focused more on her close relationships lately, but it wasn't always like that.

[DCCFan197605]

Good interview with Austin Winsberg.  About Max hearing Zoey’s heart song:

DEADLINE: How did you decide that flipping the script on Zoey, and reuniting her with Max, was the way to go with for end of the season?

AUSTIN WINSBERG: You know, we had been talking about giving Max the powers for a long time. It was something that had been discussed since midway through season one, and we had dropped a lot of hints throughout the season, in these conversations, and fights between Zoey and Max, about the inequality in the relationship. About the fact that it is unfair for him, that she gets to hear what’s going on in his head, and he doesn’t get to hear what’s going on in hers.

So we’ve really planted that a lot, and then, with her dad coming to her, in the finale, and talking to her about being part of the universe. Maybe, the universe does everything for a reason. To have that happen at the end is just an interesting way to finally give them that equality, because I think that, in any relationship in life, there needs to be equality.

And I feel like they were never going to be able to fully make it, unless he could at least empathize, or understand what she’s going through.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

10 hours ago, srpturtle80 said:

Yes! This cracked me right up as well. I really wanted more information lol.  I know most people don’t like DMD but I find him amusing.

 

8 hours ago, roctavia said:

Danny Michael Davis is perfect when he is used in just the right amount... we've seen a lot more of him this season, but aside from the drugs episode, it has been fleeting enough that he hasn't overstayed his welcome. 

Him and the candle was hilarious and also seems like the kind of thing a kooky boss like him would do.

I initially didn't like Danny in S1 but I think they've found the right way to make him weird and eccentric without being unbearable. Giving him little moments like with the candle have gone a long way in making him more likable. They've also had him take his had out of his ass and be a lot less self centered this season which helps.

6 hours ago, HighQueenEB said:

How did people not pick up on Rose and Max breaking up before the end of the episode from "Shake It Off"?  Her line in that song was "I never miss a beat, I'm lightning on my feet, and that's what they don't see, that's what they don't see."  That was what tipped me off to her not being endgame for Max - she's been picking up on the clues, just as clearly as Simon, that Zoey & Max had some weird, unresolved relationship issues.  

When she initially met Zoey she was friendly because she was introduced as Max's friend, but as she saw them interact more she definitely became more wary. Not that I can blame her. She wasn't being irrationally jealous. The way that Max and Zoey have acted in front Rose has been really cringeworthy, like when they had lunch after (the) Bay to Breakers and they were fighting like a couple would. It's obvious to anyone who has seen them in that kind of context that they are more than just friends. I actually think Rose was being very mature and exercising massive self control after seeing some of Max and Zoey's interactions.

[dubbel zout]

5 hours ago, DCCFan197605 said:

And I feel like they were never going to be able to fully make it, unless he could at least empathize, or understand what she’s going through.

This would seem true for anyone Zoey is in a relationship with. 

1 hour ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I actually think Rose was being very mature and exercising massive self control after seeing some of Max and Zoey's interactions.

I'm surprised Rose didn't dump Max somewhere along the line, tbh. Max has been a jerk with her.

[ams1001]

20 hours ago, memememe76 said:

But I loved the Shake It Off

Me too (but my favorite is still The Rock on Lip Sync Battle 😉).

[tennisgurl]

13 hours ago, roctavia said:

Him and the candle was hilarious and also seems like the kind of thing a kooky boss like him would do.

That was so funny, probably the most I laughed the whole episode. I think they've used DMD really well this season, they used him just enough to keep him funny but not so much that he's annoying. I think they have found a good balance with using him the right amount. 

The stuff with work started out a bit rough this season, but I think they found a good balance for Zoey's co-workers where they're usually comic relief but aren't too over the top. It helps that they've all become a lot less selfish and obnoxious and have more to them beyond being jerk foils for Zoey.  

[DanaK]

It continues to crack me up that Zoey and others continue to use DMD's full name when referring to him and especially when addressing him to his face

[Trini]

Gotta say, as a Zimon fan this one stings. I was hoping that at least Zoey would tell Simon about her powers so even if they broke up, it would be from a place of honesty. I already figured Zoey/Max were endgame from the first season, but I don't know why they had to make their love story so convoluted. So the whole pop-up in New York was a mcguffin? Max breaks up with Rose after he was in love with her 2 episodes ago? Then they've presented both Simon and Rose as ideal partners who did nothing wrong, so when the breakups happen it's Zoey and Max who look like the 'bad guys' - who deserve each other?. Yeah, I'm not really down with that take, here or in other rom-coms. I'm not even against Zoey/Max, but the writers made things unnecessarily messy this season.

On 5/16/2021 at 10:11 PM, UnoAgain said:

And yet another show where they play around and tease the white female lead with a black man.. But then quickly find a way to undo it and put her with a white fella... I just seen it too many times to be upset about it anymore... Good songs.. Nice finale.. Let's see if we get a season 3

Glad I'm not the only one who noticed this trend. The one this reminds me of is Season 3 of The Good Doctor where the white lead has a mature, patient (black) "starter" girlfriend so he can learn sex to be with his actual (white) love interest.

Zoey and Simon are so good separately and together, I was hoping they'd do something different here.

 

16 hours ago, bros402 said:

At least they handled it well? Both of them wanted to break up and it sort of felt organic - even if it was only in a few episodes - it was a few months in show time.

I guess -- but they generally make these breakups amicable/mutual so that the lead doesn't look bad. (Although I do think they kinda made Zoey look bad.)

In other relationships; I was amazed that both Tobin and Mackensie could fit in that sphere chair! (What do you call those??)

I loved the group numbers and Zoey's heart song at the end. Someone here called that the next twist with the powers could be them transferring to someone else, kudos! I don't know if I want to see someone else other than Zoey with the powers for an entire season (if we get one), so I hope it's temporary. But it is an interesting twist.

I liked most of the conclusions for everyone; Max bailing on the pop-up seemed dumb, though.

Edited May 18, 2021 by Trini
added word to clarify

[Pj3422]

3 hours ago, ams1001 said:

Me too (but my favorite is still The Rock on Lip Sync Battle 😉).

I play that clip so often; it just makes me happy. 

[ams1001]

11 minutes ago, Pj3422 said:

I play that clip so often; it just makes me happy. 

Me, too. :)

[bros402]

13 hours ago, DanaK said:

It continues to crack me up that Zoey and others continue to use DMD's full name when referring to him and especially when addressing him to his face

I mean it just feels natural.

It'd be like calling Colin Robinson in What We Do In The Shadows Colin, it just isn't possible.

[DCCFan197605]

14 hours ago, Trini said:

Although I do think they kinda made Zoey look bad.

Lord, they made Zoey look insufferable this season.  A low-drama Simon/Mo/Max throuple was preferable.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

15 hours ago, DanaK said:

It continues to crack me up that Zoey and others continue to use DMD's full name when referring to him and especially when addressing him to his face

It's Jordan Catalano syndrome!

[shapeshifter]

4 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

20 hours ago, DanaK said:

It continues to crack me up that Zoey and others continue to use DMD's full name when referring to him and especially when addressing him to his face

It's Jordan Catalano syndrome!

Hah! Google tells me there is a "Jordan Catalano Syndrome," but it is not related to routinely using a long version of a person's name. 
And now I'm thinking of serial killers known by 3 names, heh. 
But both Jordan Catalano and Danny Michael Davis are characters who the writers want the viewers to relate to as being important and/or more powerful to all the other characters, even though the actors are not any more significant than those who play any of the other characters. So their longer names remind us that they are not just "Jordan" (or "Jordy") or "Danny," but rather, respectively, the most important person in the life of lead character Angela Chase, and the boss of Zoey and owner of the company she always wanted to work at and the money behind Maximo.

 

 

[Shanna Marie]

I wonder if it's not actually a case of Max getting Zoey's powers, but rather her power shifting from strictly "receive" to also "send." Her problem had been her inability to read people and pick up on things, and her power made her better at that. Now the next issue to work on is her ability to open up and share herself. The whole opening number was all the people in Zoey's life telling her to "sing, sing a song, sing out loud, sing out strong," like they were asking her to open up. And then she did.

I doubt they'll have her flip entirely to "send" mode without the "receive" on an ongoing basis because you wouldn't want to have the cast they have and then have only one character doing all the musical numbers, so I think it may be a two-way thing. They may assume that it's Max also having the powers, but then discover he doesn't hear anyone else, and then someone else hears Zoey sing when she's letting herself be vulnerable and open with them. The time she was glitching and was doing the singing was embarrassing because people weren't hearing it as musical numbers, just her randomly singing, but if it's like what happened with Max, the person in question would hear the musical number and no one else would notice anything.

But would knowing that when she opens her heart to someone, they'll hear her heart song make her open up more or shut down? That gives them something to work with, emotionally.

[D Angel]

1 hour ago, Shanna Marie said:

I wonder if it's not actually a case of Max getting Zoey's powers, but rather her power shifting from strictly "receive" to also "send."

Great. Now Zoey will go around spreading what most people will think are hallucinations. A "send" power can only apply to Max and Mo and, if given a chance, her therapist. Boy would that blow his mind!

But this opens up a curious possibility. Could the MRI tech at the hospital, who hinted that he was aware of the powers in a later episode, have accidentally transferred to her his power via the combination of his proximity to her, the MRI and the earthquake? Now that we know the power is at least somewhat transferable, I'm hoping this is the direction an NBC or Peacock ZEP Season 3 will take it.

Nevertheless, if this is the case, boy it would have been much better to go this route in Season 2. Zoey could have tried to find ways to share her power if she knew it was possible.

[shapeshifter]

6 hours ago, Shanna Marie said:

I wonder if it's not actually a case of Max getting Zoey's powers, but rather her power shifting from strictly "receive" to also "send." Her problem had been her inability to read people and pick up on things, and her power made her better at that. Now the next issue to work on is her ability to open up and share herself. The whole opening number was all the people in Zoey's life telling her to "sing, sing a song, sing out loud, sing out strong," like they were asking her to open up. And then she did.

I doubt they'll have her flip entirely to "send" mode without the "receive" on an ongoing basis because you wouldn't want to have the cast they have and then have only one character doing all the musical numbers, so I think it may be a two-way thing. They may assume that it's Max also having the powers, but then discover he doesn't hear anyone else, and then someone else hears Zoey sing when she's letting herself be vulnerable and open with them. The time she was glitching and was doing the singing was embarrassing because people weren't hearing it as musical numbers, just her randomly singing, but if it's like what happened with Max, the person in question would hear the musical number and no one else would notice anything.

But would knowing that when she opens her heart to someone, they'll hear her heart song make her open up more or shut down? That gives them something to work with, emotionally.

I love all of this. 
Dear ZEP PTB,
In order to assure future successful seasons of this show, it is best if you arrange a luncheon with @Shanna Marie ASAP. She has already offered her ideas without financial remuneration, but perhaps some tiramisu in a doggy bag would be a nice way to express your appreciation.
Sincerely, 
shapeshifter

 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

On 5/16/2021 at 11:18 PM, possibilities said:

Leif was kind of a dick outing the "who did Danny really pick" thing at the dinner.

There's no way he wouldn't have mentioned this earlier, probably when Max was hired at the later date.

On 5/17/2021 at 1:30 AM, Sarah 103 said:

As soon as DMD mentioned lawsuits, I thought "that's supid. Just buy the small company. It's much easier and saves tons of time and legal fees."

On 5/17/2021 at 8:32 AM, dubbel zout said:

DMD seems to enjoy harassing small businesses in court for his own amusement, so I'm glad Simon was able to change his mind.

Yeah, he  seemed to relish the idea of destroying the startup.

[springbarb]

On 5/16/2021 at 11:22 PM, shapeshifter said:

But if Leif hadn't told her, Zoey wouldn't have realized how Max really saw her, which, I suppose, in a 2 words would be: adoring respect.

It would've worked better if Leif had shut up, but DMD spilled it to Zoey.

On 5/16/2021 at 11:39 PM, roctavia said:

I do like how they handled the break up with Simon. Even with Zoey wanting to break up, I'm glad it wasn't one sided and gave Simon some agency to speak for what he wants, what works for him and that their relationship wasn't working even though they had a close bond. Hopefully they can get back to a friend place, since I really enjoy the actor. I'm glad they picked up the thread of supporting minorities in small business, it's a great new role for Simon as a character.

Was very glad to see Simon be the one to initiate the breakup. He deserves better; Zoey was never invested. If the show continues, I hope to see him in his new role at Sprqpt.

On 5/17/2021 at 8:38 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Danny trying to violate some sort of weird fire code by dancing around with a candle to distract Perry cracked me up. What I really want to know is if Mo asked him to do that or if he was just being Danny. I thought that his late night tours would end up having the board get rid of him but I guess that was just more Danny being Danny.

That was the highlight of the episode for me.

On 5/17/2021 at 11:35 AM, SnarkEnthusiast said:

I was just coming here to comment that! It's also a little bit of extra spit in the eye to have her initially choose Simon... why even bother supposedly resolving the love triangle if you were going to spend the entire next season immediately establishing not only that she still has romantic feelings for Max, but realizing that her feelings for Simon were actually platonic all along, apparently?

I don't think we're supposed to think Zoey was ever platonic about Simon; I think the problem is actually the opposite--she was very much attracted to him physically, but was never emotionally there.

I was surprised at the ending, because I had assumed that Max would be gone for the between seasons break--he shows up a few months later, and he and Zoey are ready to commit then. I'm glad that Zoey seems all in now, but she needs time on her own, I think.

[Notwisconsin]

It was really good until the ending. Giving Max powers and his breakup was one of those "deus ex machina" moments that made little sense within the world of the show and appeared extremely lazy.

The thing that makes a good fantasy is that you can have only one absurd thing and everything else has to logically built around it. LOGICALLY. This wasn't done in this case.

[shapeshifter]

4 hours ago, Notwisconsin said:

It was really good until the ending. Giving Max powers and his breakup was one of those "deus ex machina" moments that made little sense within the world of the show and appeared extremely lazy.

The thing that makes a good fantasy is that you can have only one absurd thing and everything else has to logically built around it. LOGICALLY. This wasn't done in this case.

If they have only Max being able to hear and see Zoey’s heart song because of their connection and Zoey finally opening herself emotionally (like what @Shanna Marie described above) I think it can be a logical progression. 

 

OTOH, if the show gets just 1 more season, they might at well "go for broke" and have Zoey's opening up emotionally result in her heart songs being heard by many of the characters, perhaps changing them for the better (thinking Danny Michael Davis) and then in the penultimate episode Zoey's shrink recommends a brain scan that results in turning it all off --except for the personal growth and connections that were a result of the heart songs.
{and scene} 

Edited May 23, 2021 by shapeshifter

[Sarah 103]

16 hours ago, Notwisconsin said:

It was really good until the ending. Giving Max powers and his breakup was one of those "deus ex machina" moments that made little sense within the world of the show and appeared extremely lazy.

The thing that makes a good fantasy is that you can have only one absurd thing and everything else has to logically built around it. LOGICALLY. This wasn't done in this case.

I think this series plays by the same fantasy rules as Field of Dreams. There is magic. There is also no real or logical explanation for the magic. Over time more people become aware of the magic, and you're either on board with that or you're not. 

[bros402]

18 hours ago, Notwisconsin said:

It was really good until the ending. Giving Max powers and his breakup was one of those "deus ex machina" moments that made little sense within the world of the show and appeared extremely lazy.

The thing that makes a good fantasy is that you can have only one absurd thing and everything else has to logically built around it. LOGICALLY. This wasn't done in this case.

imo there's only one way to make it work logically within the parameters the show has set - she truly opened up to Max and he is able to hear her heart songs as a result. She hasn't opened up to anyone else fully that we have seen. She didn't tell her dad everything when he was dying, she held things back from her brother and mom, and we know she didn't tell Simon everything. Max is the first person she has fully opened herself to - in all aspects.

[Sarah 103]

2 minutes ago, bros402 said:

imo there's only one way to make it work logically within the parameters the show has set - she truly opened up to Max and he is able to hear her heart songs as a result. She hasn't opened up to anyone else fully that we have seen. She didn't tell her dad everything when he was dying, she held things back from her brother and mom, and we know she didn't tell Simon everything. Max is the first person she has fully opened herself to - in all aspects.

I agree with you. My theory is that the only people who will be able to hear Zoey's heartsongs are people who already know about her power (Max and Mo) and only in moments when she open or emotionally honest with them about what she is feeling in the moment. Moments when she is not trying to hide or analyze her feelings/emotions. 

[Shanna Marie]

On 5/24/2021 at 12:48 AM, Sarah 103 said:

My theory is that the only people who will be able to hear Zoey's heartsongs are people who already know about her power (Max and Mo) and only in moments when she open or emotionally honest with them about what she is feeling in the moment. Moments when she is not trying to hide or analyze her feelings/emotions. 

That was where I was going with that "Send/Receive" thought I had -- she has to be totally open in order to send so that others hear her heart song, and if she hasn't told them about her power, then she's not being totally open with them. As long as she hasn't confessed this thing that's pretty central to her being right now, she won't be able to send her heart song to them and they won't be able to hear it. But I wonder if someone who does know and can hear (like Max and Mo) might be able to hear her singing to other people. That happens with her, where she gets to eavesdrop on other people's heart songs directed to those people. So, if Max is present when she's with her mom, might Max be able to hear what she sings to her mom that her mom doesn't hear, for instance?

[Sarah 103]

2 hours ago, Shanna Marie said:

That was where I was going with that "Send/Receive" thought I had -- she has to be totally open in order to send so that others hear her heart song, and if she hasn't told them about her power, then she's not being totally open with them. As long as she hasn't confessed this thing that's pretty central to her being right now, she won't be able to send her heart song to them and they won't be able to hear it. But I wonder if someone who does know and can hear (like Max and Mo) might be able to hear her singing to other people. That happens with her, where she gets to eavesdrop on other people's heart songs directed to those people. So, if Max is present when she's with her mom, might Max be able to hear what she sings to her mom that her mom doesn't hear, for instance?

I hadn't thought about that aspect of it. It's brilliant and I love it. It would open up so many opportunities for Max to hear what she sings when she's with her family, or with some people at SPRQPoint when they go out for drinks/dinner/a product launch event at MaxiMo's. 

[Heather M]

I don’t understand why they made it so hard to watch season one, once season two started running. I can’t get anyone on board with the show because they refuse to get peacock and it’s not on Hulu.

[possibilities]

You don't have to "get" Peacock. I watch stuff over there and all you have to do is go to the website and watch stuff. I didn't even have to download an app or pay any $.

They do have some shows behind a paywall, but I don't think Zoey was one of them.

[shapeshifter]

5 hours ago, possibilities said:

You don't have to "get" Peacock. I watch stuff over there and all you have to do is go to the website and watch stuff. I didn't even have to download an app or pay any $.

They do have some shows behind a paywall, but I don't think Zoey was one of them.

True, but some people are paranoid (often with reason) about creating a username and password, and I’m pretty sure even free Peacock asks for that. 
That said, I like how Peacock kind of feels like the old days of TV before cable fees.

Edited June 5, 2021 by shapeshifter

[momo]

On 5/17/2021 at 3:49 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Zoey sings I Melt with You

 

Thanks for this!  When I watched the Christmas show, I couldn't remember Max breaking up with the other person or him getting the power!