Zoey finally opens up her heart (songs) to someone else in a phenomenal finale (that wraps up a tonally uneven season in a perfect little bow). Read on for my review of “Zoey’s Extraordinary Goodbye”:
It seems like just about everyone around Zoey is in good spirits, living their life and singing a song (specifically “Sing a Song!”) Zoey, however, can’t share in the predominant good mood. Max’s farewell party is quickly approaching, and as she faces saying goodbye to her best friend, Zoey begins to have second thoughts about whether putting things on pause with him was the right idea.
Her heart set elsewhere, Zoey makes to break up with Simon, but he actually beats her to the punch, bringing it up in a moment alone at work. “Here I was thinking this was gonna be hard as f--k,” she says. Simon expresses the same feeling that Max did earlier in the season - “You know everything about me, Zoey. And there’s a piece of you that I can’t know. That you won’t let me know.” However, the two still part amicably (later, she hears Simon singing “I’m Still Standing” by Elton John, indicating that he didn’t take their separation too hard).
Max and Rose’s goodbye party ends up being a great place for the entire extended cast of characters to “Shake it Off,” say (you know the song). Many different supporting characters are ready to move forward with their lives. Mo and Perry, for instance, who have been on bad terms since Perry confessed his hesitations, sing “We Can Work it Out” after Zoey prompts them to recognize their lingering feelings for one another.
Leif finds out that a company that is suing SPRQ Point over the Dronephone is a small start-up made up of young people of color. Danny Michael Davis had intended to squash them in court, but finding this out makes Leif feel like a different course of action would be more appropriate. Leif brings it to Simon, who shows interest in working out a better solution for everyone involved. Simon goes to Danny the next day and suggests acquiring the company instead, so the other team can continue to develop the project and also work their way up in SPRQ Point’s ranks. Danny takes to the idea, and promotes Simon for the second time, putting him in charge of the project.
Everyone toasts Max goodbye, but when it comes to Zoey’s turn, she begins to talk about how she got the SPRQ Point job over him (which, as we recall from last week, she actually didn’t, although Max never told her). After seeing her coworkers’ confused reactions, Danny tells Zoey the truth and she fully realizes how much Max has always given to make her happy. Frustrated that he would do such a thing and not tell her, Zoey begins to berate Max in private, but Max confesses that he didn’t give up the job out of pity, but because he truly felt she deserved it more. “Sorry you had to find out like this,” he says. She stops him before she leaves, but only tells him that she’ll miss him.
That night, Zoey has a dream of her father in the SPRQ Point office, where she tells him about all of her stresses and struggles with her life and her powers. She dreams of Max leaving and panics, not wanting to let him go. She realizes this whole time she’s been afraid of taking a risk with him, leading to her being closed-off toward him and pushing their potential relationship to the backburner. Encouraging her to chase after what she wants with no regrets, Mitch sings her OneRepublic’s “I Lived” and they dance together. When she wakes up, she has a new conviction.
In the classic romcom move, Zoey and Mo rush to the airport to stop Max from leaving. Zoey is about to run up to him and confess her love but she hears him singing “When a Man Loves a Woman” as he hands Rose her bags. Heartbroken, Zoey leaves without going up to him. “It’s over,” she tells Mo.
With this, we begin an end of season wrap-up - Maggie decides to begin dating again, Mo and Perry (and Perry’s kids) start to work things out, Tobin and Mackenzie stay together, Simon leads his new team, and Emily, David and Miles are all doing well. Everyone seems to have figured out what’s right for them - except for Zoey and Max.
Zoey sits alone at the park, playing with her shield ring that she was given at the start of the season. Suddenly, she hears a familiar voice behind her - it’s Max, come to tell her that he broke up with Rose at the airport. “She could tell I was distracted. Thinking about someone else.” His heart song was about Zoey, not Rose! They both confess their feelings for one another, and Zoey promises him that she won’t be afraid or run away from her feelings anymore. Suddenly…
With a shocked look on his face, Max hears Zoey singing and dancing to Modern English’s “I Melt With You,” heart song-style. Did he and Zoey switch powers? Did he also gain powers? In the (ill-defined) logic of the show’s universe, this makes no sense, but metaphorically this idea really ties the season together. In season about the immense difficulty Zoey has opening up to others, now that she has formed a close and intimate relationship, it does fit thematically to wrap it up with someone who can now understand her inner feelings the way she knows everyone else’s. How they’ll explain this away in the universe is another story entirely - I doubt Max got any MRIs or encountered any psychics on the way home from the airport.
What an episode! While, admittedly, season 2 was a step below the first season in most ways, there is still so clearly a lot left for Zoey to give. This finale simply couldn’t top last year’s, but it came pretty dang close, and I see no issues with keeping this storyline going. The show has disproven my greatest fear - that it had nothing to run on once the original grief storyline had ended. And now the love triangle (ugh) has been resolved, so season 3 (if we get one) should be clear skies from here on out!
What did you think of “Zoey’s Extraordinary Goodbye?” How do you feel about the season’s ending? What would you want to see in season 3? Let me know in the comments!
Zoey’s Extraordinary Quotes-List:
Zoey: I just wanted to let you know, I actually haven’t told anyone about you and I... except for Mo. Oh! And my mom.
Simon: Wow, all right. Well maybe it’s best that we keep it that way, just for tonight? For them.
Zoey: Oh, yeah, yeah! I agree. Let’s not make tonight about us. For Max and Rose’s sake. Oh - there they are! Wow, you guys look great!
Max: Thanks!
Zoey: Simon and I broke up.
Zoey: Oh. Oh, oh - you don’t have to come with me.
Mo: Are you kidding me? I’ve been through all that other nonsense with you, I’m not missing the best part!
Danny: Oh, did you run this by Zoey yet?
Simon: Oh, because she’s -
Danny: Your boss.
Simon: Oh, no, but she’ll be fine. She’s a very understanding and rational person.
(Cutaway)
Zoey: How are we gonna do this? Bomb threat? Drive onto the tarmac? Oh, are we gonna stuff some drugs into Rose’s backpack?
Max: Zoey...I think you just sang a heart song to me.
Zoey and Max (together): ...What...the… - (End of episode).
