What I’m Watching: Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist: Season 1, Episode 5 “Zoey’s Extraordinary Failure” (B)

The structure of this show and how Zoey gets to experience the problems of others through the songs they sing to her continues to be effective, but I think this show still feels a bit clunky in the way that its characters interact. Zoey had this incredible power and she’s still navigating how to use it, and having Mo to confide in about it all is helpful, even if she’s not always interested in how she resolves what she hears. Trying to intervene in her brother’s marriage would have gone better if she had pressed him about why he was spending time away from home before talking to his wife, a character we’ve barely seen featured on this show thus far, and planting a problematic seed of doubt in their impending parenthood. Joan’s approach to delivering anonymous feedback to her employees was definitely not a good one, and Zoey ended up in an unfortunate place as a result of what Leif was told. I did like his rendition of “Everybody Hurts,” and Peter Gallagher’s latest musical performance was also a strong spot of the hour. I didn’t really touch in my review of the previous episode on Maggie talking to Zoey about how she was interested in an engaged man, and this installment took that a whole lot further. Simon’s song was energetic and intense, and ending with him standing so close to Zoey at her door about to kiss her was an agonizing way to close. The one benefit of being behind on TV – the next episode is already available!