Zoey's Extraordinary Renewal

[D Angel]

Thread to discuss a potential Season 3, either on NBC or shifted to Peacock.

[D Angel]

I've created this topic since there isn't yet one dedicated to this discussion and what we would hope to get from a potential 3rd season.

For my part, I only got to watch a little of the E! ZEP marathon over the long weekend. I happened to catch S1 E12 and rewatching just the first 5 minutes of that episode was a stark reminder of how much better S1 was than S2. Jane Levy was great and funny and sensitive. The pacing and dialog was great, and the musical numbers were very well integrated rather than forced. And the episode just got better (and sadder) throughout.

The scene in that episode with Howie and Zoey eating ice cream at the kitchen table and discussing death was perhaps the best one of the entire series. I appreciated it more after some time passing but the heart and soul was what made ZEP S1 so great. And Zoey running into the MRI tech at the hospital when she rushed there because David (incorrectly) reported Emily in labor, and the tech sings a few bars of I've Got the Music in Me, added just enough intrigue to keep the mystery alive. Sadly, S2 never revisited that tease, since I'd expected Zoey to find it irresistible to pursue.

The start of S2 was also OK, but the music seemed more forced and while the stated intention was to address the theme of grief, with the Clarke family's rendition of Carry On, that plot line already reached it's climax. I watched just E1 and E2 from the second season because the rest of the marathon was shown overnight. I only got back to it for E13, which seemed wrap up all the main story lines, except with the twist of Max hearing a heart song from Zoey. While the scuttlebutt was that the writers/producers intended an S2 cliffhanger, on watching the episode again they hedged to give the series somewhat of an potential ending ... just in case.

But back to the last season 1 episode: It was so good that I'm hoping S2 was just a sophomore slump and that they can find their footing again and deliver drama and comedy, and compelling themes and characters in S3. Then they can call it quits since there's only so far they can take this premise. They can answer all the big questions and set the main characters on an "into the sunset" story arc for the remainder of their lives and maybe try to give the loyal audience some thematic ideas on hearing heart songs of others and employing that empathy in our lives.

I told lots and lots of people of ZEP S1 and described it as more than the sum of its parts. I now know I was right about that. S2 was a huge disappointment as I doubt anyone who watched S1 would be just as happy with S2, unless all they cared about were the songs and dance routines.

[Retired at last]

I watched the marathon, too, and remembered how wonderful and fun the first season was, but when you see them one after the other, you forget just how often they had Mary S trying to sing! Same with Lauren Graham. Way too much of both of those women. And I didn't remember how often Jane Levy sang in the first season. She was much better in S1. I agree with everything you said, @D Angel. I am not sure where they will go with the next season, though. They have already established Max and Zoey as a couple (yay!), so I am not sure what will happen there; Simon will go on to manage/mentor the new smaller acquisition team - fine; I hope Maggie is out traveling with Deb and finding fun again (so we don't see her); and I really don't care about Emily and her brother, so I am not sure what will be left. Mo is fine, but I don't know what is in the plans for her. Maybe Zoey will actually do some work?