A to Z - Episode 1.02 - 1.03 - Double Review : "The Ups and Downs of Zeldrew"

Big is for Big Glory Review
Written by Ryan Koh & Directed by Michael Patrick Jann
Episode 2 is a nice continuation the pilot. Zelda and Andrew are completely infatuated with one another telling both their closest friends of the amazing night they had together.

However it gets slightly awkward, Andrew had a planned a date with a fellow employee, Brooke. Andrew being the decent guy he is, doesn't want to cancel but doesn't want to hurt Zelda, he "likes her". Stu tries to tell him that they aren't even "exclusive" so what's the big deal. Stu, so far seems against "Zeldrew".

Lydia has an office meeting, she instructs the entire office to test out the Wallflower app which leads to a lot of the employees getting closer than usual towards the end.

Andrew tells Zelda he's going out with Brooke and to seem confident Zelda quickly replies that she too has a date, then immediately wants to know about Brooke (this curiosity feeds more into Episode 3 also). Stephie is quick to help her out and finds out that she's basically a "whore" (well she's really not but Stephie's is just trying to look out for her friend. Stephie is more supportive than Stu so far, which is nice as Lenora Crichlow, the actress playing Stephie is genuinely more likable than Stu, who's more douchey than lovable dochey (this changes thankly in Episode 3.

Whilst Andrews on his date with Brooke, Stu fills him in on Zelda's newly found date (she just notarized him) with her co worker, whom Stu is constantly bragging has a big "package" making Andrew nervous naturally. But before the end of the night, Andrew tells Brooke he's completely fallen for this girl he recently meet and Brooke says she was only using him to get her boyfriend jealous and everything seems like its going to work out. Sadly though Andrew shows up to Zelda's front door to only find a shirtless guy and his heart sinks, Ben Feldman being a genuine guy does a great job at showing the vulnerable side to a guy that is usually shied away in the characterisation of males on TV. Thankfully it's all a misunderstanding, Zelda was just cleaning his shirt but I can relate there's a lot of times people over react to what could be a simple explanation to an otherwise confusing situation.

On the other side, Lydia complains about the Wallflower app being broken to Dinesh since she hasn't been tapped yet and in a moment of weakness Dinesh taps her yet Lydia takes this out of context. Dinesh trying to keep his job taps her but she denies his affections since this is a place of work however the reason no ones tapped her is due to "Big Bird" reputation which we learn more about in Episode 3.


All seams well between Zelda and Andrew after she clears the air about last nights misunderstanding and they have lunch. But Andrew being the optimist and romantic guy he is blurts out that he's been "walking around with music in his head, and it's not just any music it's the old end credits to this week in baseball which only pops into my head when something truly incredible and live altering happens, that's how much I like you." Zelda's thrown off and awkwardly replies "That's sweet, Thank You." However we know this is because Zelda isn't one for saying what's on her heart too much. Just before the episode ends, Zelda gets her big glory song moment and its awesome!


Before the episode closes, Zelda opens a package to find a sweet and thoughtful gift. Since Zelda is such an unusual name it's hard to find a personalised license plate, something I completely felt with Zelda, Nirat's already hard enough to pronounce let alone find in stores. To her surprise Andrew cut together her name from other license plates, a truly meaningful gift from the heart. Zelda goes to Andrew thanking him and says she wants to be exclusive with him

C is for Curiouser & Curiouser
Written by Bill Callahan & Directed by Steve Pink
Episode 3 opens with Andrew and Zelda in complete infatuation, arm and arm, "despite having just met, they felt like they truly knew each other" and Ben Feldman and Cristin Milioti convey this extremely well, a true testament to their acting abilities.

Zelda's best friend Stephie, tells Andrew she thinks theres a glitch with the Wallflower App his company made since she's just been getting "prison" type guys. This drives her storyline during the episode. Andrew offers to set Stephie up with his friend from softball and she's quick to LuLu him (an app that searches ex boyfriends better than Google). Andrew finds this strange since him and Zelda met without knowing a lot about each other and went for the moment which is just sweet.

Lydia finds out her employees are talking about her and wants to know what else they say. However, it seems Howard pushes Lydia to far saying she as their superior has full access to all the computers in Wallflower. I guess some people had better start deleting their browsing history to which Dinesh and Lora unanimously decide to wipe their "footprint". Wonder what these two are trying to hide. I had a school teacher who used to have eBay, Skype and Facebook opened during class all the time and we would know especially when the computer screen was enlarged over the whiteboard. So it's safe to say people take advantage of the internet especially WiFi all the time even at work, people are less afraid of their bosses it seems or maybe their just addicted to the internet.

One thing I didn't expect was for Howard to smash his laptop in a rather sudden and violent manner (hope he has insurance). I also wonder what dirty secrets was on there that he didn't want seeing the light of day, perhaps a flashmob video or karaoke video? It's amazing in this day in age how everyone's basic information and more is so easily accessible with just a click of the button, like Ron Swanson from Parks and Recreation, I also really that so much of our lives are free to strangers, no wonder there's a growing stalker rate.

Andrew and Zelda have a nice date at a lovely restaurant where she decides to share a "run in with the cops" story hoping he'd share a similar one. Zelda confronts him with a video she found of him on the internet being questioned by some officers and what seems like a confrontation turned into a somewhat sweet moment. "Were you not going to tell me about your inner demons or was I going to find out when you cut my air hole supply in a supposed diving accident on our honeymoon", Cristin Milioti is awesome at delivering funny yet serious lines and the head roll thing she did was just the cutest, there I said it. The whole offence was just a misunderstanding over mustard.

Meanwhile, Stephie's quest for Mr. Right continued" and what seemed like she'd hit a wall, she finds someone she liked on Wallflower however Stu catfished her to the date, he just lied about being British and extremely handsome. Instead of going on a date, Stu decides to be kind, something thats a first for him so far on the show, he helps Stephie out with her Wallflower profile. He helps her out, changing her profile photo to something less academic and tells her men find that if a women earns more it's "intimidating". The "Data" just happens to be very "sexist" and this is a true reflection on our current society though it's evolving, with now woman being in higher power, it's a constant struggle between men and women for respect. Stu's kindness payed off and after loosening up her profile she already has 3 hits, this says something negative about men and it's good the show touched on that in 20+ minutes.

Zelda comes over to Andrew's nice house and gives him a bottle of Soy Sauce. I'm really enjoying her quirkiness and just constant in the moment attitude, it's really fun and Cristin Milioti does a great job portraying this with a somewhat reminiscent vibe to the late Mother, may she rest in peace. Zelda feels bad for snooping and applaudes Andrew for his restraint, but little does she know, he fell down the rabbit hole too. Thankfully, Andrew doesn't lie and lets secrets fester and comes out quickly, telling her he read her "Wallflower Profile", I was so happy for them, I really dislike when shows have to hide secrets and then eventually they come out and bits them in the butt.

Andrew quickly apologies. However Zelda reveals she was actually was married to Gustav. This was quite the twist, I didn't expect it but it was for a good reason, to help a friend keep his visa and continue practicing Law and the marriage ended when he received his citizenship. I have to say wouldn't anyone just want to be friends with Zelda, she's such a kind hearted and thoughtful person, not many lie for a friend. Andrew tries to move past this but wants to know more, actually one thing more which Zelda answers. Zelda then decides they should just be truthful, and if TV and Movies have taught me anything, that's the best way to go, how many lies ended in heartbreak, separation and divorce.

Andrew and Zelda make a pact to be honest, yet Andrew being a guy consumed by curiosuity and a little jealosuly searches Gustav, finds some somewhat emasculating photos and similarly Lydia is late night searching too, searching her name and her nickname "Big Bird" is brought to light. The next morning Andrew spies on Zelda who just happens to be on a job related lunch but unbeknown to Andrew who tries to hide when he finds out but gets stopped by some police officers.

Stu and Stephie decide to fake it since Andrew told Stu that if they "don't patch things up" it gets harder for Zeldrew. Just when I thought the supporting characters were just plain strange, it seems the have hearts and more importantly aren't just one layered.

To end the episode Zelda saves Andrew from "jail", calling in a favor. They both have a heartfelt moment sharing one thing they have learnt about each other, Andrew always phones his dad and Zelda is a good friend. The episode ends with the friends pretending to be friends to their friends for the better of their friendships.

The moral of the episode is that curiosity is sometimes a flaw in people, they just have to trust the person their with. However for Lyda it as harder, she wants what her employees think of her just like kids want to know what other people think of them at school, its a common paranoia and the truth doesn't always set you free. Howard tries to make a better situation to spare Lydia's feelings telling her Big Bird from Sesame Street is actually an important character, "he's a bird without equal". Lydia embraces this and makes noises in the office, I think once you embrace what others find a flaw in you they no longer have power over you but this takes a lot of confidence and Lydia definitely has that.

I really enjoyed this episode and the show, it's too bad for the ratings, Cristin and Ben are genuine and honest in their performances, if only more people would watch live or at least DVR it more.

If my review isn't enough for you to give the show a chance, check out this awesome SpoilerTV article by Tonya Papanikolas here Reasons to watch A to Z from A to Z.

Watch A to Z, Thursdays 9:30|8:30c on NBC.

About the Author - Nirat Anop

Nirat watches a lot of TV Shows, some of his favorites are Sleepy Hollow, The 100, Orphan Black, Once Upon a Time, Outlander, Teen Wolf, Gotham, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Arrow, Sherlock, Doctor Who, The Legend of Korra, and The Goldbergs. He was born in South Africa and now lives in New Zealand. He's a University Student. He will be reviewing Selfie and A to Z this season. He's also the backup reviewer for Daredevil, Agent Carter, Gotham, Fresh of the Boat and Galavant, so you may see a review by him for either of these shows. Feel free to add him on Twitter.

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