Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist – Zoey’s Extraordinary Memory

By: Madison Ruby

The episode opens up with Zoey (Jane Levy) recalling a special moment with her deceased father Mitch (Peter Gallagher) where they watched a meteor shower when she was a kid. The meteor shower has now returned twenty years later and Zoey says her and her dad promised they would go together, but now that he is “no longer available” she is planning on going alone. David (Andrew Leeds) is now a stay at home dad and seems to be enjoying it, but you can tell he is burnt out. Zoey hears him sing “Drift Away” by Uncle Kracker. After Aiden (Felix Mallard) invites Zoey to come watch his band, she instead insists David should go since he used to be in a band and clearly needs some time away from the baby.

It is the night before the opening day at MaxiMo’s and Max (Skylar Astin) is making sure everything on his list goes right while Mo (Alex Newell) is testing his latest cocktail concoctions, as the fire marshal says they are too dangerous for the restaurant. Many things need to be changed before they can open with his permission, including the bedazzled exit sign.

Zoey is trying to get someone to come with her to the meteor shower, but no one seems to be able to attend, except for two people that she least expects nor wants – Leif (Michael Thomas Grant) and Tobin (Kapil Talwalkar). Zoey drives them and they are confused by the way she is going, the odd snacks she brought (because they were the ones she had when she was a kid) and the fact that she made them sit in the back. They’re joking about how they feel like she is kidnapping them and Zoey is in her own personal hell. Zoey wants to recreate the exact moment she had with her dad, but they keep complaining and don’t understand, nor does she care to explain to them. Meanwhile, Leif keeps getting texts from this girl and sings “Tainted Love” by Soft Cell. Zoey being distracted by Leif causes her to miss the meteor shower, as the clouds begin to cover it. She is super upset about it.

The next day the lines at MaxiMo’s are getting long as the fire permit is awaiting to be signed. Finally, they are ready to open and the excitement shines through Mo and Max as they start singing “Let’s Get Loud” by Jennifer Lopez. The restaurant is a hit as everyone gets in and it starts going, except for Zoey who ordered Leif such a complicated meal she has to assemble it on her own. She is counting down the time until the next meteor shower, which she hopes she can see since she couldn’t last night. Right before she is about to leave, Leif asks her to see how the date is going, since it seemed to be okay. Unfortunately, Leif’s date reveals to Zoey (who she thinks is a waitress) that she is only on this date to network and that Leif is not her type. Zoey realizes she can’t leave now because she told Leif to go out with her again.

David decides to go see Aiden’s band and brings the baby. After they say he can jam with them, he comes back ready to impress them. They don’t have a keyboard player, so David thinks this is a lowkey audition when they do a rendition of “Watermelon Sugar” by Harry Styles and it sounds amazing, with David catching on and not even knowing the song. He asks if he is in the band afterwards, but they weren’t looking to add anyone, just offering him to play with them. This creates an awkwardness as David thought he was for sure going to be in the band and now have a hobby, but they just see him as an old man who has a baby.

At MaxiMo’s Zoey prepares to tell the crowd a speech written by Danny Michael Davis (Noah Weisberg) since he is the investor in the restaurant. They talk about how diverse they want MaxiMo’s to be and let everyone know that anyone who walks through that door is welcomed. Zoey begins reading the speech from him, which has a lot of celestial wording in it as he then says he is watching the meteor shower which is a once in a lifetime opportunity. This is a big trigger for Zoey, who has to leave as she starts tearing up.

They are clearly all wondering what is going on since she didn’t tell any of them and she admits this is all a lot for her because the meteor shower was an activity she shared with her dad. She was tired of being a burden and being so sad about it, but her friends reassured her that she couldn’t possibly be. Everyone decides to go with her to see the meteor shower, except for Mo who is wearing an “inside” wig. They end up having a great time, listening to a song Mitch liked on the way there and seeing the meteor. Zoey says the best part is watching them watch it, like her dad said to her as a kid.

The fire marshal comes back to give a protective saint to Mo, hinting at a possible future love interest for him. Max also runs into a girl he knew growing up, who will be in town for a while. They start texting and flirting.

Lastly, David decides he is not happy with Aiden’s decision. He storms in there and starts listing off amazing rock stars who are fathers and he stands up for himself, saying his keyboard skills overall make them sound better. Aiden’s band members agree and when David says he can probably get them gigs, they tell him they will do a trial run with him as the new keyboardist.