5 takeaways from Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist Season 2, Episode 6
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist Season 2, Episode 6, “Zoey’s Extraordinary Reckoning” was probably one of the best hours the series has aired to date. It explored how systemic racism can lead to even the most well-intentioned people doing more harm than good.
Too often, these stories are told by white people, through the eyes of white characters. They end up creating a white savior narrative. Thankfully, the Zoey’s Playlist cast and crew (mostly) avoided that trap.
Zoey’s gift allowed her to see that Simon (John Clarence Stewart) wasn’t the only one hurting at SPRQ Point. But she didn’t save the day—not at all. She spent most of her “extraordinary reckoning” making all the wrong choices, even she wanted to help her friends.
Far too often, that’s what we, as “white allies” do. Instead, let’s listen to what the series’s Black and brown characters taught us.
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist Season 2, Episode 6 elevated voices of color
First and foremost, when you’re telling Black and brown people’s stories, let them do the talking. Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist added Luther Brown to the choreography team for this episode. Zora Bikangaga wrote it, with Anya Adams as the director.
Just as their characters were central to the story, actors Alex Newell and Kapil Talwalkar were integral to helping create it. Then, of course, there was the force to be reckoned with known as John Clarence Stewart, who can not be praised enough.
Heart songs have always been the main way this series has delivered its messages. If you’ll notice, all the musical numbers in Episode 6 featured Black and brown performers and silenced the white characters.
Most telling was the way white people just sat, frozen and useless in the background, when Stewart’s Simon sang and danced to “Black Man in a White World.” SPRQ Point’s white employees had plenty to say during their self-congratulatory failure of a town hall. Where was all their “allyship” during Simon’s heart song?
Right. Absent.
Stop making your Black friends do the work for you
In the overall scheme of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, Mo’s heart song to Zoey wasn’t just about racial bias. But it was definitely a huge part of Mo’s message, as well as the straw that broke the camel’s back.
You can’t constantly resort to “asking your Black friend how to talk to your other Black friend.” Sure, you need to hear their voices in order to have even a hope of understanding. But when it’s time to do the difficult work of actually supporting people of color? That’s on you.
"Look, Zoey: I love you, but. You rely far too much on me to do your emotional heavy-lifting. And it’s exhausting. I mean, it’s hard enough for me to walk around this world as I am. And no, I’m not about to tell you how to talk to your Black friend at work. So, go figure that out on your own."
Zoey learned this the hard way when she was asked to make Simon retract his statement on SPRQ Point’s race problem. It was a rude awakening to hear that Mo had finally had enough.
But honestly? Mo was way kinder about it than most people would have been—and almost certainly more so than Zoey deserved.
And while we’re on the subject of that whole exchange: Alex Newell will, henceforth, be known as Alex J. Blige. Alex can do no wrong as Mo, but his performance of the Mary J. Blige’s “No More Drama” was a showstopper in an already-killer episode.
Saying you don’t see race is not the “help” you think it is
As Simon struggled to decide what to do about his position at SPRQ Point after he’d taken the impossibly brave route of speaking up in the first place, he felt utterly alone. Zoey alienated him even more when she thought being a woman in STEM made her qualified to speak for him.
Yes, it’s true that being a woman makes Zoey a minority in her business. But no, she’s not living Simon’s experience. She never will.
When Zoey told Simon he had to retract his statement, it didn’t take a single word to know he expected that news. You also didn’t have to look too hard to find out just how tired he was.
John Clarence Stewart dominated this episode. But it was his entire exchange with Jane Levy’s Zoey, as Simon, telling the story of what it’s like to have to “amputate” parts of yourself as a Black person in this world that stood out the most.
"Simon is a Black man. You seeing me as ‘only Simon’ denies a fundamental part of who I am. And you, asking me to walk back my words, Zoey? Is telling me to deny that fundamental part of who I am. And whether you’re doing that as my boss or my friend, that makes you part of the problem."
In order to combat the problems we make people of color face, we have to actually see those problems. Zoey’s “I just see Simon” line—just like her offer to rewrite a Black man’s statement to please the company’s all-white Board—was harmful.
Not all experiences are the same and we should hear everyone’s stories
When we spoke to Kapil Talwalkar about Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist Season 2, he hinted that we might learn “what’s lurking behind the jokey facade.” Episode 6 certainly delivered.
Tobin has always been the comic relief. At Zoey’s town hall, he joked away his chance to speak out by cracking, “racism’s whack.”
Later, one of his coworkers called him “Slumdog.” Once again, Tobin made light of the situation. But his heart song revealed that, deep down, he was hurting just as much as Simon. It was just in a different way.
Like John Clarence Stewart and Alex Newell (or Alex J. Blige, if you will), Kapil Talwalkar delivered a moving performance and absolutely nailed his heart song in “Zoey’s Extraordinary Reckoning.” His story, as Tobin, was about what it’s like to be a first generation American.
"You want to know why I make jokes all the time? It’s because I’m a first gen. It’s how I fit in. It’s how I’ve always fit in. Because I don’t really fit in anywhere."
Zoey was shocked to hear that everyone’s favorite funny guy didn’t feel like he belonged, even at SPRQ Point. And she couldn’t figure out why he wouldn’t speak up, even as she was navigating the consequences of Simon’s decision to do so.
"To who? HR? Danny Michael Davis? ‘People are treating me like I’m an Indian guy.’Guess what, Zoey: I’m an Indian guy."
Eventually, Tobin did find the courage to stand with Simon. It started the dominoes falling to lift up many more voices, at SPRQ Point’s offices across the world.
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist Season 2, Episode 6 didn’t fix racism
Starting the conversation is the first step. But the journey is far from over.
Just like Simon said to the Board at the end of the episode, we have not “cured racism.” Like Zoey, we’ll probably make a lot more mistakes than progress along the way.
But, along with Mo, we’ll celebrate the small victories. Watching such an incredible hour of television, which put the spotlight on the series’s people of color, certainly counts as something worthy of praise.
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist returns to NBC on Sunday, Mar. 28 at 9/8c.