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Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist: “Zoey’s Extraordinary Reckoning”

By Karen | February 10, 2021

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist‘s aired a new episode from its second season this week. Let’s first find out what this episode was about.

Here is a synopsis for this week’s episode entitled “Zoey’s Extraordinary Reckoning“:

Simon wrestles with his future at SPRQ Point after calling out racial bias at the company; Mo and Max pitch a new investor for their business venture.

Join Nice Girls Roz, Karen, and Rueben as they share their thoughts on this latest, new episode of the second season [spoiler alert]:

Roz: This was a hard episode to watch for me, in the sense of the feeling of sameness with Simon’s struggles. Most of my jobs see me with a few other Black teachers, and the process that comes from recognizing my place as a model but also as a beacon to stand up for a collective identity that I can’t say is mine.

Talking about inequality is hard, but during Black History Month, I’m glad to think more and more about the place of race in education.

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Rueben: This episode really had an impact on me, as I always believed that I was much like Zoey: that I don’t see color, I see the person. I see my friend Roz, I see my friend Lisa (both of my fellow NiceGirls). I see my friend Grace, who is not a staff person of this site but is of Asian descent, who I see as my friend, not her nationality. I always thought that I was “doing the right thing,” but obviously I have a long way to go and quite a bit to learn, just like Zoey, but I hope that I can grow and change, becoming better.

I was moved by Mo singing to Zoey when she asked for advice about how to talk to Simon; I was moved by Tobin opening up to Zoey about why he accepts the jokes thrown his way; I was moved by Simon singing out during that failed (albeit well-intentioned) town hall on the 4th floor of SPRQ Point. I was pleased that the board listened to what Simon had to say, and while there is “a lot of work to do,” I can appreciate the board’s intentions to make things better and that Simon told Zoey he would “take it as a win.” If only that could be applied to the day-to-day in our own reality.

I wasn’t surprised, however, that Danny Michael Davis went to Zoey about the boards’ directive for Simon to take back his words, which to me was just so wrong, but believable since that would and has happened so many, many times. I was also a little disturbed when he claimed to be a “hero,” as he said he would demand real change from the board. This isn’t about him – although I get it that you’ve got to have this kind of character in the story since they exist far too much in reality – but it was annoying to say the least.

On a side note: I loved that Danny Michael Davis agreed to financially assist Max and Mo with their restaurant, and LOVED the artwork and set up of the restaurant. It totally has the feel of Mo all over the place, and the artwork was incredible! I’d also like to see Max – perhaps, somehow – work more with the folks on the 4th floor – after seeing them help him with the problems on the Maximo website. It was fun to see him work with them, and it seemed to delight Max too. There’s gotta be a way to make that happen, right? And, just as Karen has said before were are the girl coders. Give them more interesting storylines, c’mon?!

Back to the main storyline, I hope they continue to focus on making things better at SPRQ Point, focusing on the 100’s of comments made by employees all over the world, showing a continued glimpse of what PoC have to tolerate, deal with and contend with every day, and how to make things better and more equitable.

Karen: I feel similarly to the sentiments expressed by Rueben. No matter how much of an ally you think you are, the episode would make you think about how much better you can be. We can all do better. I was actually taken aback when Zoey said, “as a woman in the STEM industry…” since it’s something I’ve said many times. I believe I’ve even said it here in this column.

I wonder if the showrunners had the idea to do this episode waaaay back in the beginning. The show is perfectly cast for the discussions and situations in “Reckoning”. The songs were 100% on point and the performances were superlative. I want to highlight John Clarence Stewart as the MVP this week. I felt joy when he felt joy, I saw his frustration, and his despondency was palpable.

I’m warming a little to Danny Michael Davis – although his role in this one was a bit of a roller-coaster.

I’ll be watching this again before the show comes back in March, and I encourage you to do the same. It’s a lesson we can all learn more about.