Zoey's Extraordinary Distraction

**Zoey's Extraordinary Distraction** is the second episode of Season 2 and the fourteenth episode overall of NBC's musical dramedy *Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist*. It aired on January 12, 2021.

## Episode Summary

Zoey's attempts to spend private time with Max are continually thwarted by both Mo and work problems. The Clarke family gets a new guest when Emily's sister, Jenna, comes to "help" with the baby.

## Plot

Zoey and Max passionately make out on Zoey's bed. Max pulls away and notes that Zoey's stuffed giraffe is staring at him, and she tosses it aside. They resume, with Zoey pulling away every few seconds to express how being with him is a nice distraction from her grief. Max says he is happy to be Zoey's distraction. Out of the blue, Maggie walks into the room with popcorn and asks who wants to watch *House Hunters*, interrupting Zoey and Max, who scramble to sit up on the bed. Flustered, Maggie awkwardly addresses them and hands Max a bowl of popcorn in case they "work up an appetite." Maggie leaves the room and says she'll turn the TV up so she can't hear anything. After being unceremoniously interrupted, Zoey and Max agree to meet for a date at Zoey's apartment the following evening.

When Zoey walks downstairs the next morning, she sees Maggie on a website for PSP and asks her why she is looking at it. Maggie says she likes to see if there are any breakthroughs in Mitch's disease. Zoey reminds Maggie that she is allowed to take a break, but Maggie says she does not know how to turn all her helping energy off. Zoey shuts the laptop screen and asks Maggie if they can talk about something else. Maggie asks Zoey if she and Max finally did it, and Zoey pleads for her to not talk about her sex life. Emily and David walk in and overhear the conversation, and Emily asks whether it was Max or Simon, hoping it was Simon. David quips that Max has put in so much more time, and Zoey insists that the family needs more boundaries. Maggie asks Emily where her sister Jenna is, and Emily says Jenna was supposed to get in last night but got sidetracked. Right then, Jenna rings the doorbell. Maggie opens the door, and Jenna excitedly greets everyone and says she got them all breakfast burritos. Emily and Jenna hug, but this affection quickly turns into animosity when Emily starts singing "Poison" while looking at Jenna. After the song ends, Zoey warns Maggie about Emily and Jenna before heading off to work.

While Max and Mo meet to discuss their business venture in Mo's apartment, Max describes their plan of attack moving forward and then says the last thing they need to do is sign a contract to make everything official. Mo looks taken aback and says they don't need to do that, but Max insists that the partnership agreement is very basic. Mo insists that he can't be locked down and that the contract would limit his freedom, but Max persists and says he just wants to be professional. Max gets a call from Zoey but puts his phone down to keep talking with Mo. Mo says he is like a little bird who can't be locked in a cage and rattles off a list of excuses before running out of the apartment quickly, leaving Max baffled and confused by his behavior.

Zoey gets off the elevator on the fourth floor of SPRQ Point while leaving a voicemail for Max letting him know that she came in early to work to motivate the troops so they can all be out by five and have sex. She starts saying she hopes her first day as boss will be smooth sailing but then hears a huge commotion coming from the bullpen, where the coders are playing some kind of flipping game. As Zoey surveys the scene, George happily explains that he and Tobin are friends now and side-hugs him. Zoey greets the team, and the Brogrammers stop and look at her as she asks why them messing around is a good use of company time. Leif pulls Zoey aside for a quick executive sidebar.

Leif tells Zoey he knows it looks like they are wasting time, but he is just letting the Brogrammers blow off steam. He maintains that studies show it helps with productivity. Zoey says she is glad Leif is embracing his new role but wonders how a game called "Nut Punch" helps with productivity. Leif relents and promises to get the coders to focus. Zoey notes that if they finish quickly, they can all go home early tonight.

Simon walks into Zoey's office and greets her as his boss. Zoey enjoys the revelation that she is technically Simon's boss but jokes that that doesn't mean he gets special treatment. She says she is going to ride him so hard but quickly walks back the accidental innuendo. Simon asks her if she has checked social media lately because the new SPRQ Point Watch update is blowing up. Zoey congratulates him and the marketing team, but Simon clarifies that he didn't mean that in a good way and shows her a video of a man saying his SPRQ Point Watch is burning his wrist off.

While the fourth floor prepares to meet in the conference room about the SPRQ Point Watch scandal, Zoey texts Max that there is work drama and that she needs to push their date back a couple hours. Zoey addresses the table and says that something is causing the watch batteries to overheat while people are wearing them and that they need to fix it fast. She asks Leif if the issue could have something to do with the software update that went out the day before. Leif stutters and says it technically could, but it could also be a hardware issue, a third party app, or because Mercury is in retrograde. Suddenly, Danny Michael Davis appears on the large screen behind them.

The coders look on in awe as Zoey greets Danny with surprise. Danny apologizes for interrupting the meeting and recalls that though he is not legally allowed to run the company at the moment, he wanted to offer a little advice. Danny asks the team for ideas on how to spin the watch scandal to the media. Tobin interjects with an idea to claim the video is a deepfake and make deepfake videos of all the competitors' watches in an attempt to confuse the entire marketplace. Danny harshly tells Tobin to get out and then advises Zoey to kick him out. Zoey turns to Tobin and asks him if he would like to get out, and Tobin hesitantly leaves. Zoey asks if anyone else has an idea, and Simon suggests that they frame the problem as one of overreach. Impressed by Simon's idea, Danny asks Zoey to move him. Zoey rolls the screen to point at Simon, and Danny spontaneously appoints him as the new PR Spokesperson for SPRQ Point.

While Maggie rifles through a pile of medical papers, she gets a message from Emily asking for her help. Maggie replies that Emily is in the living room with Jenna, but Emily doubles down. In the living room, Emily yawns while Jenna explains how she found a life coach who got her to such a good place mentally that they started dating. While Emily and Jenna continue discussing her fleeting relationship with the life coach, Maggie walks in and notices Emily's drowsiness. Maggie interrupts the conversation and tells Jenna she has some flowers blooming in her greenhouse that she has to see. Jenna agrees and pauses to talk to Emily again but sees that she is already asleep and follows Maggie out of the room.

At SPRQ Point late at night, Zoey looks at her phone and, realizing the time, texts Max that she totally lost track of time and is leaving soon. Zoey shuts her laptop and informs Leif that she is heading out. Leif assures her that the coders have never been more focused though they are playing a game called "Fire Wrist" in the background. Tobin bows out of the game, and George gloats his victory. Zoey asks Leif if they really made a game out of the thing they were supposed to fix, and Leif says that though they finally figured out how to simulate the overheating issue, that turned into a game. Zoey instructs Leif to stop the game and runs off.

Zoey rushes onto the elevator with three other women already there. One of the women remarks that Zoey looks like she wants to get out of there faster than they do. Zoey explains that she has a big night planned and clarifies that it is one that was several years in the making. The woman asks Zoey if she is the new boss on the fourth floor. Zoey confirms that she is and asks the women if they are coders on the fifth floor. They say they are, and the one woman notes that she doesn't think she has ever been on the elevator with three other female programmers before. Zoey agrees and says that as a gender they must stick together. However, right as the elevator dings upon arriving on the ground floor, Zoey rushes out and yells that she is going to go have sex.

Zoey and Max eat together at her apartment, which has been decorated with fairy lights. Zoey grabs a bite of food off Max's plate with her fork and quips that he probably can't tell, but the meal is just very tastefully presented takeout. Max says everything is very nice minus the terrible smell and below Arctic temperature and asks Zoey if she hasn't been back there. Zoey cuts him off before he can mention her father's death and says no, and there is definitely a dead thing in the microwave. They hear opera music from Mo's apartment, and Zoey remarks that that is never a good sign. Max says that there is a decent chance the music is because of him and explains how Mo shut down on him while they discussed their business. However, Max says it's their night and they should focus on each other. They clink their glasses but both remark that the opera is very loud. Max jokes that Maggie's house may have been better, and Zoey says she'll be right back and heads off to Mo's apartment.

Zoey pounds on Mo's door, and Mo opens up and asks her if she is back in her place. Zoey says just for the night and asks Mo if something is wrong. Mo asks why and Zoey points out the opera music. Mo changes the subject and says he'll turn the music down now that he knows she is here. He starts closing the door, but Zoey pushes it open and walks into the apartment. She asks if everything is okay and says that Max mentioned that things didn't go smoothly between them earlier. Mo reiterates that it is not Zoey's problem and pointedly apologizes for the noise. Mo turns off the music, and Zoey starts to leave, but then she hears Mo start to sing. Mo sings "Too Good At Goodbyes" while dancing expressively and looking at the contract from Max. After the song, Mo asks if Zoey needs anything else and tells her to enjoy her night. Zoey leaves and says it is hard to imagine that now.

Zoey walks back into the apartment and tells Max that she doesn't know what went on between the two of them, but Mo just sang to her, and she felt a lot of inner turmoil there. Max says that that is crazy and that all he asked was for Mo to sign a basic partnership agreement. Zoey says that that must have triggered something major for Mo because he is ready to say goodbye. Max wonders to what, and Zoey says she doesn't know but Mo is in a really bad place. Zoey takes a long sip of wine, sighs, and then asks Max if he wants to do it. Max assents, and they start kissing right as Mo's opera music starts playing again. Max pulls away and says that the singing is very emotional and intense and he wants their first time to be special. Zoey agrees but also says she wants it to be soon. Zoey says she will do some digging to find out what is going on with Mo.

At SPRQ Point the next day, Zoey texts Mo and asks if they can have a makeover night, and Mo expresses excitement. Simon walks up to Zoey and says he would love to report some good news about the SPRQ Point Watch to the media. He asks her what the odds are that they will have a fix soon, and Zoey says she thinks pretty high. However, Zoey hears the beginnings of a song and looks over to see Leif with two Brogrammers circling around him in their desk chairs. The Brogrammers all look at Leif as they start singing "Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing" to him. Leif takes over the song and sings the rest by himself. As the song ends, Zoey tells Simon to not get his hopes up too high and asks Leif for a quick executive sidebar in her office.

As Jenna and Maggie walk outside, Jenna thanks Maggie for babysitting her the last couple of days. Maggie tries to deny the babysitting, but Jenna recalls that Emily used to make David do it, too. Maggie tries reassuring Jenna that Emily and David are both just exhausted from taking care of their newborn. Jenna insists that she came to help, but everything she does is not the Emily way. Jenna explains the difficulty of being Emily's big sister, since Emily is always ten steps ahead no matter what. Maggie suggests to Jenna if she truly wants to help to think about what Emily needs at the moment. Jenna makes a host of exaggerated suggestions, and the two keep walking.

Zoey sits down in her office with Leif and asks him if he has any more insight on what happened with the watch. Leif says that they are just going app by app to check for any coding errors, but Zoey reaffirms to him that he could always tell her if he was feeling guilty or bad. Leif explains that he knows exactly why the watch is malfunctioning because it was his fault. He explains that he rushed through the update all on his own without doing a proper safety check after the rest of the programmers wouldn't listen to him. Leif laments that the coders all know that the mistake was his and that he is a bad manager. Zoey commends Leif for wanting to perform well in his job and reassures him that it is perfectly normal to make mistakes along the way, calling back to her early days as manager. Zoey tells Leif to keep moving forward, and her phone beeps with a text from Mo, wondering when they are starting Zoey's makeover.

As Mo applies copious amounts of makeup to Zoey's face, Zoey says she feels ridiculous. Mo tells her that if she doesn't stop talking, he is going to let her leave without proper blending. Zoey not-so-subtly wonders out loud if Max would like the makeup look on her and even less subtly suggests that even if he didn't, she is sure they could work out some kind of compromise. Mo accuses Zoey of coming over as Max's spy while under the guise of wanting a makeover. Zoey apologizes and says that Max told her that the idea of a contract seemed to spook him. Mo clarifies that he has had problems with partnerships in the past and that seeing the contract brought up unhappy memories for him. Though Zoey continues to coax Mo to open up, Mo chastises her for taking advantage of makeover night and tells her to get out. Zoey stands askance, and Mo says he doesn't care that she looks like Rafiki and to get out.

Presumably the following morning, Zoey and Max walk up to Mo's apartment with coffee in tow. Max maintains that Mo is being irrational and that he can find another business idea, but Zoey says the thought of her two best friends working together is too good to just let them both give up on it. Max knocks on Mo's door, and Mo opens up. Zoey proposes that Mo and Max try some team-building exercises to build trust. Mo starts closing the door, but Zoey says she'll let him give her a full head-to-toe makeover. Mo opens the door again slowly and asks if he can burn all of Zoey's sweaters. Max agrees at the same time Zoey says no and looks at him, and Max shrugs. Mo reluctantly agrees and motions for Zoey's binder. Max hands Zoey her coffee and walks into the apartment, and Zoey leaves her friends to work it out.

At work, Zoey finds Leif slumped asleep on a hanging chair and asks him if he really pulled an all-nighter. Leif admits that he did but also says that the watch is fixed. Leif explains that in between rounds of office games, he managed to get the team to focus briefly. Leif says the floor is like a frat house, and Zoey points out that Tobin seems to really be in his element as she looks over to see George and Tobin taking shots of coffee creamer. Leif tells Zoey that the coders invented a new game called "Cranberry Leif" where they just throw dried cranberries at him, and Zoey recalls when the coders used to play "Snowy on Zoey" with packing peanuts. Leif says that was a fun one, and Zoey nods and heads to her office.

Mo says he has had enough after hours of team-building activities with Max. Max says that to be fair, they have taken a coffee break, a lunch break, and there was one time Mo just ignored him for 45 minutes. Mo insists that he can't commit to the contract, but Max pleads with him to try one more exercise. They agree on Two Truths and a Lie. Max starts off by saying that he once got into a street fight, but Mo abruptly cuts him off and says that that is the lie and asks if they are done. Max continues despite Mo's protest and says he may have started hooking up with their friend and that after 31 years, his dad has not once said he is proud of him. Mo finally relents and tells Max that in his early twenties, he started a jeans company with his best friend, Zora, and ended up cutting him out of the deal. Mo says that him and Zora had been friends since junior high, but they haven't spoken in six years, which is why Mo won't sign the contract. He explains that he can't trust himself. Max says it sounds like Mo has a lot of guilt about what happened and though every relationship is always a risk, whatever problem they have, they can work out. After seemingly coming to a consensus, Max gets an SOS text from Zoey and says he has to go in a panic.

Max knocks on the door of the Clarke home frantically and yells through the door asking if Zoey is okay. Zoey opens the door and says she is fine before taking Max's hand and telling him she needs his help with something. Max, confused, follows as Zoey leads him upstairs. Zoey asks how it went with him and Mo, and Max says he thinks they made some progress. He asks about the SOS and says he got out of his Uber and ran across the bridge to get to the house. Zoey says she hopes he's not too tired for this and leads him to her room, where she set a romantic ambiance with rose petals on the bed and a swan made out of a towel. Zoey tells Max that Maggie and Jenna gave David and Emily the night off, and they are watching the baby at their place. Max smiles and asks what she did with the giraffe, and Zoey assures him that she hid it in the closet.

Zoey says the setup might be a bit much, but she wanted it to be romantic. Max smiles and asks Zoey if she made the swan herself, and Zoey says she may have gone to origami camp in middle school between hooking up with guys. Max laughs, and Zoey asks if he wants some champagne. They clink their glasses and agree that they are, in fact, doing this. Max explains that on the off chance that they might have found themselves back in this situation, he has been working on a way to block heart songs from popping into his head and ruining the moment. Max explains that he found a very open-minded therapist in Berkeley who gave him some strategies. Zoey seems open to this and tells Max to lose his top as she starts unbuttoning her own.

When Max sees Zoey with her shirt unbuttoned, he starts involuntarily singing "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" as he removes his own shirt. Zoey looks at him with confusion and asks him about the song. Max says that means it's working and that though it is an odd soundtrack for intimacy, he picked a completely random and neutral song to displace any other emotions. Zoey says she can roll with that, and Max resumes his singing as Zoey undoes his belt, his voice quavering when she pulls it off. When Zoey starts pulling his pants down, Max’s song changes to “I’ll Make Love To You” as he pulls Zoey into an embrace. Zoey smiles but sees Max's face twisted in concentration and changes her expression to one of confusion. Zoey interrupts Max, and he asks her if another song snuck in there. Zoey confirms this but says the song was very smooth. Max frustratedly pulls off his pants and reassures himself that he can do this if he just gets more in his head. Max pulls Zoey into another embrace, and his heart song subsequently alternates between "Take Me Out To The Ball Game/I'll Make Love To You" a few more times as Max struggles with his focus. Eventually, Zoey says “time out!” and Max expresses frustration at continuing to sing two heart songs.

Zoey tells Max that she doesn't care what songs are coming out of him, but Max says he really wanted both of them to be in the moment and to give Zoey the grief vacation she wanted without her hearing every single thought running through his head and ruining the experience. Zoey says knowing what's going on inside Max's head makes her feel closer to him, but Max says it makes him feel like she has endless insight into him while he has nothing. Zoey asks if he wants to know what is going on inside her head, and when Max says yes, Zoey explains that she is a little nervous, but mostly excited because it's about being with him, her best friend, and whatever happens, they’re in this together. They kiss, and Max starts singing the first few lines of “A Moment Like This.” Zoey continues singing the song out loud, which surprises Max. Zoey explains that she is duetting with him since she knows the heart song and feels the same way. Max and Zoey trade off verses of the song, him singing in her head while she sings out loud. Finally, they both sing together and then kiss.

The morning after, David expresses gratitude at having dinner at an actual restaurant and a full night’s sleep, and Emily marvels that Jenna was able to pull off a 3 AM feeding of Miles. Maggie says she had to pry Jenna's eyelids open at one point, but she came through. David implies that Maggie gave Jenna the idea to give them the night off, and Maggie says that Jenna is trying. They look over to see Jenna sprawled out asleep on a chair in the living room. Emily clarifies that she does appreciate Jenna, but she's just a lot and thanks Maggie for helping her. Maggie says she has been in help mode for so long, it's pretty much the only thing she knows how to do. Emily doubles down that Maggie should be wary of Jenna. They hear footsteps approaching and look over to see Zoey and Max arrive in the kitchen. Zoey and Max awkwardly greet everyone, and they all give each other looks. Zoey asks Max if he’d like some cereal, Max says that would be lovely. David asks if they are going to talk about what obviously happened as Max sits next to him, and Maggie and Emily scold him gently. Zoey takes a spoonful of cereal from Max's bowl. Maggie and Emily tell David that it is important that the women in his life keep him in line, and Max agrees that men are the worst and that without women, the world would be like one endless frat house. This having sparked something in her, Zoey excuses herself to go to work but leans over and gives Max a quick peck on the lips first, which takes him by surprise. David tells Max that if Zoey wasn't his sister, he'd high five him. Max chuckles, and David seriously tell him not to hurt her and fakes him out for a high five.

At SPRQ Point, Leif asks Zoey if she wants to do the honors, but Zoey reaffirms his status as boss. Leif tells the Brogrammers that since taking over as team manager, he hasn't exactly loved the dynamics in there, so him and Zoey decided it was time for a change. Leif then introduces a few new members of the team, who are the three female coders Zoey encountered on the elevator a few days before. Tobin is baffled by this, but Leif says they are playing a new game called "find your seats on the fifth floor" and sends Jared, Gabe, and Kevin off. Tobin walks up to Leif, asks what he is doing, and reminds him that they are called the Brogrammers for a reason. Leif says not anymore and welcomes Mackenzie, Yasmeen, and Cass to the fourth floor. Mackenzie looks at the whiteboard of games and says she doesn't know about Extreme Marker Jousting but is down to play Nut Punch as she sets her stuff down on a desk.

Mo finally signs his contract with Max, and Zoey walks into his apartment decked out in 80s fashion, with her hair very curled and her clothes very sequined. Zoey says she is happy for them and says she expects great things. Max jokes that he got into bed with both of his friends, and Zoey and Mo ridicule him for his joke. The three of them chat happily as Mo pulls out his phone to take selfies.

## Cast

### Starring

* **Jane Levy** as Zoey Clarke
* **Skylar Astin** as Max Richman
* **Alex Newell** as Mo
* **John Clarence Stewart** as Simon Haynes
* **Mary Steenburgen** as Maggie Clarke
* **Andrew Leeds** as David Clarke
* **Alice Lee** as Emily Kang
* **Michael Thomas Grant** as Leif Donnelly
* **Kapil Talwalkar** as Tobin Batra

### Guest Starring

* **Jee Young Han** as Jenna Kang
* **Harvey Guillén** as George
* **Noah Weisberg** as Danny Michael Davis
* **Morgan Taylor Campbell** as Mackenzie

### Co-Starring

* **Shadi Janho** as Millennial
* **Melanie Hidalgo-Cruz** as Yasmeen
* **Beta Chan** as Cass

## Trivia

* According to showrunner Austin Winsberg, Mo's line about Zoey looking like Rafiki, the baboon shaman from *The Lion King*, was improvised by Alex Newell.
* Mo's ex-best friend Zora is named after Zora Bikangaga, a story editor and writer for *Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist.*

## Gallery

* Pictures
* Videos

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Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist 2x02 Promo "Zoey's Extraordinary Distraction" (HD) Jane Levy series

## References

1. ↑ https://twitter.com/austinwinsberg/status/1349168065066328067?s=21