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Clara:
Hello. Hello. Hello, and welcome to Clara and Dani's Extraordinary Podcast. I'm Clara-
Dani:
... and I'm Dani.
Clara:
And this is a podcast about the NBC TV show, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, in case you hadn't guessed. Each week, while the show airs, we'll release a new episode, breaking down what happened on the show that week and our reactions to it.
Dani:
We'll give our overall impressions, dive deep into key plot points, and of course, break down each episode;s heart songs. We've decided to start on season two immediately since it's on right now, but we'll go back to season one sometime during the next hiatus.
Clara:
This is our third podcast together. And for each of the podcasts we've hosted, we've chosen a show we really love, but this one has special resonance for me, Clara. Like Zoey, I work in the tech industry in the Bay area and like Zoey, I'm very close to my dad. And also like Zoey, four years ago, my dad was diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder. It's not the same one that Mitch has on the show, but there are some commonalities across these progressive degenerative disorders, and I think even more similarities in the experience that Zoey and I share as people who are close to someone who has one.
Clara:
I felt this acutely watching season one, which came out right when my dad was coming home after a three month stint in rehab, following an injury that was made more complicated by his particular disorder and the sort of medical needs that arise from that. The show did a lot to help me process what he was going through and what I was feeling as a result of it. It opened up space for some of the hard conversations I had to have with him and other family members. So I think all of this is to say that, yes, this is going to be a podcast where we talk about everything that goes into making a fun TV musical, hopefully with some of the people who make this one. But for me, it's also a really deeply personal podcast. So you'll probably get a little bit of a little bit of both, a little bit of fun, little bit of a dealing with our feelings.
Dani:
I mean, that is kind of our thing.
Clara:
It's our jam.
Dani:
We pick the saddest fucking shows that are also deeply funny.
Clara:
What can we say? We have a very particular brand of humor.
Dani:
We really do. I mean, I feel like I should put it out there that I actually did not receive the show very well the first time I tried to watch it.
Clara:
And I insisted that you try again.
Dani:
You insisted that I try again. I mean, I feel, and we'll get into it more, but I feel like it's because the first episode is so jarring, but I think you're supposed to feel that way because she feels that way.
Clara:
Yes, yeah.
Dani:
They did a really good job of that. I think that that's why I was just like, "Oh no, no, no. This is too much." But you get used to it.
Clara:
Yeah. Yeah. And you loved it in the end, right?
Dani:
I did. I think, what was it? Maybe like episode four or five that I was like, "Okay, I really like this."
Clara:
Skylar Astin won you over.
Dani:
I mean, that's not hard, but-
Clara:
Okay. So this is just a trailer. So that's covering of what we're going to cover just a little logistics. But before we go, since we haven't done season one yet, thought it might be fun to do like a little highlights from season one and hopes for season two. So if you have not watched season one yet, and you're hearing this trailer hit stop now, unless you want to hear all manner of spoilers.
Dani:
Which like, what?
Clara:
I know, I know. But you know, people could have gotten excited about the trailers for season two. Anyway.
Dani:
People are weird like that. I know. I know.
Clara:
Yeah. So Dani, highlights?
Dani:
My highlights, I feel like for me the highlights are in my mind or certain numbers, certain musical numbers. I love the very first episode with her dad, Mitch, singing-
Clara:
Oh, True Colors. The Cyndi Lauper song.
Dani:
True Colors. Because I love that song in general. It's just, I've always loved that song, but it's just like, "Oh wow." I feel like you just, you know exactly what kind of show it's going to be right off the bat.
Clara:
Yeah, I was rewatching the first episode with my husband and he like turned to me when they're on the sail boat in that pilot episode and was like, "I forgot how deep they got into this in the very first episode."
Dani:
I had forgotten that too. I was like, "Oh wow. They really just, they showed their hand like really early, like what this show is going to be about." And I definitely, one of my favorite musical numbers from the entire show is the number between Simon and his ex fiance.
Clara:
Oh yeah.
Dani:
Jessica, I think is her name.
Clara:
Jessica, yeah.
Dani:
The Happier, The Best Deal/Marshmallow Song, just the musical arrangement that they pulled for it. And the dance number that they did. It shook me. But I feel ... and I think that's like you had personal resonance with Zoey and I feel like that crumbling of their relationship unfolded right after I had just gotten out of a relationship that was really hard to end. And that song was something that I had already was related to. So when I heard that, I was just like, that cut me deep.
Clara:
Yeah. I remember you also mentioned The Proclaimers song 500 Mile, or I Want To Be, I think is what it's called. I Want To Be.
Dani:
Yeah. I mean, I love that song anyways. It's such a jam.
Clara:
That's my go-to karaoke song.
Dani:
I love that song and I've loved it ever since I saw the movie Benny and June when I was really young, which is very problematic movie now, but it was really good at the time, but yeah, I loved it and obviously Skylar Aston performed it and I've been a fan of his for a long time, at this point. I don't know what, Pitch Perfect came out with 10 years ago now?
Clara:
I think longer than that for the first one.
Dani:
Yeah. Yeah. So he's a really good singer and I just like, that's a song
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that's just like, I don't know. It's kind of hard to make it sound really good. And not over the top.
Clara:
Not cheesy.
Dani:
Yeah. Not cheesy. It's a very cheesy song and, I don't know.
Clara:
Which is why it's my go-to karaoke song. Because cheese is the number one factor you're looking for in karaoke.
Dani:
It's true, it's true. I loved that and I really loved the Crazy number.
Clara:
Oh yeah, yeah.
Dani:
When Jane sings that, I feel like that's when I really was like, I think that's the first time that I heard her musical talent really, really come through. Because I feel like a lot of the songs aren't really her, she sings sometimes, but it's pretty rare.
Clara:
Yeah. Well, I mean, for most of it, she's just listening to other people.
Dani:
And then I think you're going to mention it, but the American Pie number at the very end of the show. That last episode, I mean, like it's just a gut punch. So.
Clara:
I actually love that you approached it from musical numbers because that is very different from what I did. I was just like, "These things made me cry. And so I loved them."
Dani:
I mean, there was a lot, I feel like that made me cry, but for some reason, musical numbers stick out in my mind, but that's since I need to rewatch it again, when we deep dive into season one, but that's what sticks out in my mind. That, and I love when Simon sings Jealous by Nick Jonas, just because I'm a huge Nick Jonas fan. And I just love fucking that song, but it was just like, that whole moment is just hilarious.
Clara:
Well, okay. Now that you've done the fun part, I will talk about all the things that made me cry in season one. So I think most of my favorite moments from season one were, again, big emotional moments. And the sort of three that I'm pulling out to highlight are, in no particular order, when Zoey and her brother finally take action to get Maggie to accept, help with Mitch and just help in general because she's been like taking everything on for herself forever. When Zoey's emotions spill over and she starts acting out her own heart songs. So I mean all of the numbers that she did there were were good, but I think especially the scene in the boardroom.
Dani:
That was crazy. I was just-
Clara:
So much so.
Dani:
... I was so anxious watching the whole episode.
Clara:
Yes. Well, and I think ... I'll get into it a little bit more, but I think by that point they had set a couple times what other people are seeing. So there's the moment in the coffee shop with Mo seeing, saying all he sees is a bunch of people just getting coffee or whatever. But that is, I think, the most when we're in somebody else's perspective while it's happening and of course she's actually singing in the real world. So anyway, that one for sure. And then all of the last episode, which this is not an exaggeration at all. We got to the point, I can't remember if it was when Mitch died or a little bit before then, but I literally, I just started sobbing and I had to pause it for 15 full minutes and just cry. There was nothing else I could do.
Clara:
And that's not a thing I normally do in TV shows, but it just, it so resonated with me. I think obviously, especially being in the situation that I'm in and my dad being in the situation that he's in. Having that particular resonance, but it also just was a, I think a very, it felt very realistic how they portrayed his death and her reaction to it. And then I appreciated the scene where she's dancing with her dad, with her dad's-
Dani:
Oh, yeah I love that one.
Clara:
... I don't know if I would say ghost, but you know, like manifestation and there was something really special to me about the fact that he brought her away from having to directly watch the death because it's like he was still sort of protecting her in that moment. And I'm welling up talking about it. So I should probably stop there.
Dani:
Oh man. Yeah. I'm very close, I was very close with my grandpa. So there were definitely parts of the show and her grief that reminded me of losing my grandpa. I think it really hit me in the final episode as well, that whole ghost conversation that she has reminds me of like, I don't know, it just reminded me of something like my grandpa would do. Even though he can't do that, but I was not able to emotionally be there when my grandpa passed. A couple of my family members were actually there, but I was like, "I can't do it. I can't be there." I just couldn't do it. So what I had done is, I had written him a note and had my grandma read it to him. But I think I said bye to him a couple days before because I was like, "I just, I can't do it."
Clara:
Yeah. And I think there was something special about, I mean, it's a different situation in that she was in the house and she'd been in the room up until that moment. But I did feel like that was him trying to relieve her of any guilt that she might have about any of it. Not just about being in the room or whatever, but when you're losing a loved one, especially if it's progressive and not sudden, there's no guidebook and there's all these questions that you have about "Am I doing the right thing?" at any given point in time, and so I think for me that scene was the culmination of like, yeah, there's no manual for doing this. And just cut yourself a little slack. It's going to be hard enough without you beating yourself up.
Dani:
Yeah. And I think that's really important. We've discussed in even our last podcast, there's no wrong way to grieve. Everyone grieves differently. So I feel like that is a really good kind of portrayal of showing that.
Clara:
Yeah. Well, should we, we should talk about what we want to see in season two. You want to go first again?
Dani:
Sure. So for season two, for one, I feel like this takes place in San Francisco, the show needs to be just a little bit more queer for me. Obviously there's Mo, very queer. But so the very first episode, I had already known kind of what was going
to happen a little bit because of Tumblr and the internet and stuff. So I knew that Max was going to have feelings for Zoey and I also think it was in the trailer, but something about his character in the pilot specifically, I was like, "He just seems like the gay best friend." And so even though I knew it was coming, it was almost shocking anyways, that he had feelings for her because he just doesn't seem like he has feelings for her. You know?
Clara:
Who do you think he has feelings for?
Dani:
They both have a thing for Simon. I'm just kidding.
Clara:
I definitely thought that Leif and, oh, what is the?
Dani:
And Tobin?
Clara:
Yeah, Leif and Tobin, we're going to be more than friends.
Dani:
I 100% thought they were a thing. I was so shocked when Leif was not gay. I mean, that's fine. I mean, that's totally breaking that whole stereotype of that.
Clara:
Yeah. Of the [crosstalk 00:13:26] manicured man being gay. Yeah.
Dani:
I totally read Tobin is as gay for him at least. So that's when he's sings-
Clara:
He could be bisexual.
Dani:
[crosstalk 00:13:35] Don't Speak, yeah, that's true. When he's saying don't speak about losing his connection to Leif, I was all, "That is the gayest thing I've ever heard." And I was there for it and I know I'm not the only one, there's a lot of people who ship them and they're called coder boyfriends.
Clara:
I feel like we should probably state at this moment that we're both bisexual women. Just.
Dani:
Yes.
Clara:
To be clear.
Dani:
I feel like I always do this, but I would love to see Max be bisexual. I would love that.
Clara:
You would love to see everyone on the show be bisexual. Let's be real.
Dani:
This is true. This is true.
Clara:
But especially Max.
Dani:
But especially Max. And of course, I also shipped the coder boyfriends, so I'm down for that.
Clara:
Okay. So season two, we started this with what do you want to see in season two? So you want to see?
Dani:
Queer. Queer rep.
Clara:
More queer.
Dani:
Queer rep. I also would love to see what are they going to do with Peter Gallagher? Is he still going to be on the show? Are we going to get just flashbacks? Because I feel like flashbacks for context will be really important eventually. You know?
Clara:
Yeah.
Dani:
I feel like they can't just not have him on. I would like to see that. I just want more flashbacks in general. I feel like a lot of these characters need more of a backstory. I know I read that Max's dad is going to show up at some point.
Clara:
Oh, interesting.
Dani:
And I know that he does not have a good relationship with his dad.
Clara:
That doesn't surprise me for some reason.
Dani:
Yeah. But I mean, we'll get into all of our feelings about them and that stuff, like the love triangle and all of that eventually.
Clara:
All right. So what I am looking forward to in season two, I like everything you said, but the things that I sort of tend to focus on, being very self-centered as I am, are the way, I'm interested to see how Zoey works through her grief and specifically the extent to which the channels of communication stay open between her, her mother and her brother. Because I think one of the things that felt very real to me and also very important about that first season, is they had to change the way that they started talking to each other and interacting with each other and being more sort of, it's not that they weren't honest with each other before, but maybe being a little more blunt with each other to try to work through this thing. And I think it would be easy for that to disappear now and for them to sort of fade back into this, "Okay, let's go back to normal," kind of situation. But I don't want that to happen.
Dani:
I have a feeling within at least the first couple of episodes we'll definitely be seeing Zoey deal with the five stages of grief. And I would really love to see how they interpret that musically. You know what I mean?
Clara:
Yes.
Dani:
And I also think she needs to go to therapy, but we always say this. Everyone needs to go to therapy.
Clara:
Yeah. Well, but I mean, I feel like it's very, especially in her case.
Dani:
Yeah. I just feel like that'd be a really interesting dynamic to show, especially with the whole musical aspect, seeing what her therapist thinks.
Clara:
Yeah. Because that's maybe not something you want to know. I don't know that I always want to know what my therapist thinks.
Dani:
Probably not.
Clara:
I think one thing that I sort of, this is a soft prediction, because I don't know if it's a season two prediction or just a general thing, but I think it would be interesting to see ... I think Maggie is going to have another relationship at some point. And I think that's where we're going to see some of that communication conflict with the kids again. And part of that is because it's such a trope, right? The parent dies and then the other parent gets back in a relationship and the kids think it's too soon or whatever.
Dani:
I was thinking about this actually. And I was like, for some reason, I just felt like maybe she would start seeing the guy that took care of the dad.
Clara:
Ooh, Howie, is that his name?
Dani:
I think so.
Clara:
Man, that would be a really interesting confluence of both the trope that I was talking about and, the what is it, the Florence Nightingale effect?
Dani:
Yeah. It would be very tropey but I feel like it would work.
Clara:
I will say-
Dani:
And it it would make sense, because I feel like people do lean on someone who was there for [crosstalk 00:17:58].
Clara:
I thought you were going to say that it was that she would get together with, is it Patty LuPone [editor's note: it's actually Bernadette Peters] who plays the pie lady?
Dani:
I think so. I think.
Clara:
I thought you were going to say that they were going to get together.
Dani:
I mean, I'm always down for like super late realizing you're queer. I would be down for that queer storyline too, but I just don't see it. I don't know why, but Zoey's family just is really straight to me.
Clara:
Well, I think it's because her brother, especially.
Dani:
Her brother is very straight, but like even Zoey herself, she's very straight in my opinion. I usually try to make most characters gay or bi, but I just like, she's not on that radar.
Clara:
She doesn't give off that vibe.
Dani:
Mm-mm (negative).
Clara:
But, yeah. I can see Maggie and Howie getting together and I can see that being hard, not just ... for a variety of reasons for the kids.
Dani:
Oh, yeah.
Clara:
Yeah.
Dani:
I would also like to see his daughter again, because she was pretty awesome.
Clara:
She was. That was ... Oh, that was another ... Actually, that was one of my favorite musical numbers, I think.
Dani:
That was awesome. I mean, you just don't see it that often. So I mean that representation.
Clara:
All right. I think that basically we can call this trailer done. Hopefully all you all listening from our last 10 minute discussion of season one and season, what we're expecting in season two, get a sense for what we're about and the sort of frenetic nature of our conversation. So yeah, I hope you join us this season and you can follow us on Instagram at Our Extraordinary Podcast. Bye.
Dani:
Bye.