Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist: A premiere for a public in mourning

The Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist Season 2 premiere joins us in our grief

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist has done it again. After a first season that seemed to get better with every episode, it seemed impossible that the second season could sustain that constant growth.

Well, consider the impossible possible—because that’s exactly what happened.

From the very first notes of Alex Newell’s gut-wrenching rendition of “Rise Up” to the episode’s ultimate conclusion, “Zoey’s Extraordinary Return” took on the daunting task of being true to where the series left off, while recognizing that its audience was a world in mourning.

When Season 1 ended with the death of Zoey’s beloved father Mitch, no one could have predicted that following our heroine through her grief would feel so much like slugging through our own.

But, well. Here we are.

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist Season 2 is off to a moving start

Even without the parallel of what more than 350K (and counting) families are living—in the U.S. alone—the Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist premiere would have been the same powerful, emotional episode we’ve come to expect. But in the wake of the damage wrought by a pandemic that still hasn’t finished with us, there’s an extra warmth in knowing through this uplifting musical platform that, in our grief, we are not alone.

In Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist Season 2, Episode 1, Zoey is starting to return to the outside world after six weeks of isolated mourning. She thinks she’s ready. But when she goes back to a world that didn’t shut down just because she did, it’s harder to navigate than she could ever have imagined.

Everything has changed. Simon and Max, once just two sides in an ever-intriguing love triangle, are suddenly friends with each other. They, along with Mo, are a new trio of besties—brought together by Zoey’s grief.

Our heroine is so bombarded by change at work, it’s hard to know where to even begin. Joan is leaving and wants to promote Zoey. There’s a new coworker in Max’s old position. Thanks to SPRQ Point’s budget cuts, the ever-revolving food bar is now a “No Bar.”

Oh, and something about dogs?

All of this eventually leads to Zoey admitting she is not, in fact, “ready for any of it.” It hurts to see Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist’s leading lady snap. And yet, it’s somehow cathartic. If only we could all just rant about how abnormal everything is.

Jane Levy’s performance as a person who’s trying her best to move forward but just not able to pick up the pieces is stunning. Each line about how difficult the grieving process makes perfect sense in the series’s world. But the way it speaks to an audience going through its own extended pain, with no end in sight, is stunning.

So, what are our conclusions about why this has happened and how we should deal with it? As Zoey tells Max:

"Life’s not fair. Nothing makes sense. There’s no meaning to any of it?"

The best we can do, as the Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist Season 2 premiere reminds us, is “Carry On.” But it’s not easy, was probably never meant to be, and we certainly can’t force the world to return to normal—whatever that even means—just because we long for it. That, too, is a parallel to the current state of the world.

Among other touching moments, Mitch’s goodbye messages are probably the most difficult to watch. They’re bittersweet and wonderfully done…But thinking about so many families saying goodbye to their loved ones via Skype or not at all, then suffering through Zoom funerals, there’s an extra layer that no one could have predicted.

All in all, “Zoey’s Extraordinary Return” is a love letter to anyone who has ever had trouble picking themselves up again after a loss. In that love letter, there’s a line more important than any empty encouragement about how it gets better (because we all know, on some level, it doesn’t):

"I think we all just need to lean on each other as much as possible right now."

That doesn’t mean the episode was all doom and gloom. David’s line, “we don’t understand the concept of time anymore,” is a funny nod new parents; but it doubles as humorous commentary on life in lockdown.

There’s also Zoey’s hilarious reaction to the “Hello, Dolly!” heart song that greets her upon her return to work, everything about Clarkeman, and even that big bear hug with newcomer George. Shoutout to Harvey Guillén for already being someone whom we adore on this show.

Even in the darkest of times, life has its bright moments. “Zoey’s Extraordinary Return” is clear proof that the series creator Austin Winsberg understands that.

By the end of the Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist premiere, we see Zoey feeling enough like herself to make decisions—both for her job and for her heart. It’s a promising look at what it might mean to move forward.

But even with better days on the horizon, we all know mourning isn’t a totally linear process. There’s still a long way to go.

Considering the way this series has always understood humanity better than most, it’s probably safe to say this isn’t the last we’ve seen of difficult times. That, too, seems to be the story for the real world. But, at least for that hour we spend each week with Zoey and her extended fictional family, we might just feel a little less alone.

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist airs on NBC, Tuesdays at 8/7C.