Zoey's Extraordinary Reckoning

**Zoey's Extraordinary Reckoning** is the sixth episode of Season 2 and the eighteenth episode overall of NBC's musical dramedy *Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist*. It aired on February 9, 2021.

## Episode Summary

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.

## Plot

After Simon finishes giving his press conference, he stands stunned as he looks over the crowd. He walks toward the elevator, and Zoey looks at him with concern. Zoey walks onto the elevator with Simon and asks why he didn't tell her. Simon says he did try to tell her right after Danny dropped this on him, and she wasn't really listening. Zoey says she thought she was listening and assumed the problem with the Chirp was just a coding issue. Simon steels himself and says that when a Black employee tells you that a tech device is having trouble recognizing people of color, he thought she'd put two and two together. Zoey says he's right and that she was so focused on coming up with a solution that she wasn't hearing what was behind the problem. Simon says now she knows, and now he needs to process the fact that he just publicly called out his own company as its spokesperson to every major news media outlet in Silicon Valley. Simon sighs deeply and walks off the elevator, and Zoey watches and walks out slowly after him.

In Mo's apartment, Zoey tells Max and Mo about Simon's press conference. Mo says he's proud of Simon, and Max says that took guts. Zoey agrees and sits next to Max on the couch. She says she feels like an idiot because Simon tried to tell her there was more to the problem with the Chirp, and she just wasn't hearing him. Zoey says the PSA is right: don't do drugs. In disbelief, Max asks about the drugs, and Zoey says she may or may not have done them with the CEO of SPRQ Point. Max asks if Danny Michael Davis gave her drugs, and Zoey says she gave him drugs and now he thinks they're besties. Zoey's phone buzzes, and she says Danny is texting her spiraling about Simon's press conference. Mo walks in with a tray of tea and says they could ask Danny to invest in their company, since no one is easier to shake down than a well-intended billionaire with white guilt. Max seems unsure, but Mo says guilt money is better than no money. Zoey says it's not a terrible idea, and Mo says how could he refuse them. Max insists they can't pitch the founder of one of the largest tech companies in the world their restaurant, but Zoey texts and says they can since they're on Danny's calendar tomorrow for five minutes. Max says that was fast, and Zoey says she told him they're besties. Max nervously says they can do this in only five minutes, and Mo says they can do anything, they just need to get Danny to listen to them. Zoey says Mo's right—listening is what she needs to start doing more of.

At SPRQ Point, Zoey walks up to Simon at the food bar and says she thought about what he said, and she can’t change the whole company, but she can try and make things better on the fourth floor. Zoey gathers all of the employees in a town hall. Simon asks Zoey if she’s sure this is the best approach, and Zoey says since he rightly pointed out that she wasn’t listening, they are doing to listen. Zoey addresses the employees and says she organized the town hall to talk about their honest feelings about race at work. Zoey opens the floor, but the employees stay silent. After a bit, Leif speaks up and says he finds that it helps to have a talisman to help the conversation flow. Mackenzie tosses Leif a koosh ball, and he talks about reflecting on his own biases and what Waswa, his Ugandan roommate in college would think. Tobin looks visibly uncomfortable. Leif then tosses the ball to Tobin, who stammers and then just jokes about racism being wack before tossing the ball to the fourth floor receptionist Alicia, a Black woman. She passes. A series of white employees deliver a variety of tone-deaf, unproductive comments. One white woman announces her engagement, and the employees clap. Simon looks deeply uncomfortable. The clapping fades with only the Black employees on the floor continuing, and Simon sings “Black Man In A White World.” After the song, Zoey asks Simon if there was anything he wanted to add. Simon says he would rather not, and he excuses himself. Zoey lets the employees go back to work and admits that she does not know anything.

Zoey runs after Simon as he walks to the elevator and insists that though the town hall didn’t go as she envisioned, she meant well. Simon remains silent, and Zoey asks him to tell her what she can do to help. Simon tells Zoey that he is more concerned about the reaction to his press conference, especially since he has not heard from Danny Michael Davis. Zoey offers up that no news might be good news, but Simon says he doesn’t think so. Zoey asks if there is anything else she can do, and Simon says no. He tells Zoey he is going to grab lunch with Tatiana and that they can talk later. Simon gets on the elevator, and Zoey stands with a look of uncertainty on her face. Later, Zoey sits at her desk and uses voice-to-speech to practice different text messages to Simon apologizing for the town hall and explaining her motivations. She continues starting over, finding that she can’t get the message quite right.

Max and Mo stand before Danny Michael Davis in his office and give him their restaurant pitch. Mo explains that they wanted to create a restaurant that celebrates inclusivity, and Max starts talking about their tech. Danny cuts him off and says he read the pitch deck and loves it. Max shows Danny his app, which glitches when he tries to simulate scheduling the arrival of an order. Max scrambles to override the glitch, and Danny asks if he has come up with a workaround for it. Max says he has but just hasn't updated the code. Danny says to cut to the chase and asks what kind of investment they want, floating numbers in the millions. Max says 150, and when Danny says million, Max clarifies thousand at the same time that Mo says yes. Danny agrees to give them the $150,000, and Mo says they won't let him down. Danny gets a text and gets up to leave, telling Max he wants an update on the glitch ASAP. Before he leaves, he tells them to feel free to take a phone on their way out. After he leaves, Mo tells Max he told him Danny would invest. Max asks Mo if he's sure he wants to take Danny's money, and Mo says to call it the beginning of their reparations as he picks through the stack of phones. Max says if Mo is alright with it then he is, but he whispers that he has no idea how to fix the glitch. Mo reminds Max that the building is full of people who could help, and Max says he'll take care of it.

Danny walks into Zoey's office and tells her they need to talk. He tells her he just left a meeting where the board members requested that Simon retract everything he said at the press conference. Zoey seems taken aback, and Danny clarifies that Simon needs to say that what he said was just his opinion and not representative of the larger experience of being an employee at SPRQ Point so they don't get sued. Danny tells Zoey he's going to have her be the one to talk to Simon, and Zoey says she doesn't think she should. Danny reminds Zoey that she's Simon's supervisor, but Zoey still looks unsure. Danny leaves to go meet another board member.

Max walks onto the fourth floor and smiles as he looks around. When he walks up to the coders, Mackenzie asks who he is, and Tobin tells her that Max used to work there, and everyone knew he was secretly in love with Zoey. Mackenzie makes thirsty remarks directed at Max. Leif greets Max and says he feels terrible about getting him fired, and Max replies not as bad as he felt but says it's all good because he got Danny Michael Davis to fund his new concept. Wanting to run his tech by them, Max asks where Gabe and Jared are, and Leif says they got transferred to the fifth floor. When Max turns to leave, Tobin stands up and says he could run his tech stuff by them, and Max agrees and hands Tobin his tablet. Max explains that the scheduling tab isn't syncing with all the food delivery apps. Leif compliments the design and asks Max if he did it all himself, and Max deadpans that when he's not being judged by his peers, he has some talent. Leif says they can help him out, and Max hesitates. When Tobin tosses a whiteboard marker at Max, he contemplates it and says let's do this.

Zoey walks into MaxiMo and approaches Mo, who is busy working on a mural. Zoey asks how the pitch went, and Mo tells her that Danny agreed to invest. Zoey says that's great and tells Mo she has a problem she wants to talk to him about. Zoey tells Mo that Danny told her to tell Simon to retract his comments from the press conference and asks how Mo would say it. Affronted, Mo points out that Zoey is asking her Black friend how to talk to her other Black friend. Zoey stammers out a denial and says she thought Mo could offer guidance. Mo asks since he's Black, and Zoey continues to backpedal. Joined by the people he was painting the mural with, Mo sings "No More Drama." After the song, Zoey asks Mo if there was something he wanted to say. Mo tells Zoey he loves her, but she relies on him too much to do her emotional labor. He says it's hard enough to walk around the world as he is and says he won't tell her how to talk to her Black friend at work. Zoey says he's right and she knows Simon, so she can be real with him. Zoey turns to leave and says the mural looks good.

As Simon leaves the Coffee Bar, Tobin walks up to him holding a bunch of cheese sticks and tries to start a conversation. Simon says it's a busy day and tries to end the conversation, but Tobin cuts him off and says it was dope to see him speak out and that he feels him. Simon seems surprised by this and points out Tobin's joking during the town hall. Tobin clarifies that he's not a public forum type of guy but maintains that he has Simon's back. However, Simon seems unconvinced. Zoey walks up to them and asks Simon if they can talk, and he agrees. Zoey and Simon walk into his office, leaving Tobin standing awkwardly outside the door. Tobin watches them and opens his mouth as if to say something but leaves.

Simon tells Zoey he received her text. Zoey tells him she's his boss but also his friend, so she's going to be real with him. She tells Simon that the board wants him to retract everything he said at the press conference. Simon takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. Zoey says she know's it's unfair but insists that she's just the messenger and that she can help him write a revised statement. She tells him he's not alone in this, but Simon responds that he does feel very alone. Zoey insists that she's on his side, but Simon says it's impossible for her to be on his side in this situation and that she can't rewrite an experience she knows nothing about. Zoey says she knows a little as a woman in the tech world, but Simon says that has nothing to do with his experience as a Black man. He explains that he never had a mentor like Joan and that he constantly has to prove why he deserves to be there. Zoey says it's awful, and Simon says it's the truth and that he constantly has to amputate parts of himself to make other people feel comfortable. He asks if she even has to think about that, and Zoey says when she sees him, she just sees Simon. He says Simon is a Black man and that she is denying a fundamental part of who he is by asking him to walk back his words. He says he won't be retracting anything.

Zoey walks into Danny's office as he is in the midst of working on three different screens. He asks why she told him not to quit again, and she says because he's the leader of the company and he has to do better. Danny starts talking about SPRQ Pants, but Zoey cuts him off and asks him to put away his devices for a second. She says she spoke with Simon and he's not going to revise his statement. She says she feels like they're part of the problem. Danny says the first step toward growth is awareness, and Zoey says this is about his too because he's head of the company. Danny sarcastically asks if he invented racism and reminds Zoey that he has a foundation. Zoey says she's sure it does important work, but they should both take a look at their role in the problem at SPRQ Point. Zoey says thinks Simon feels very alone right now, and they should stop asking him to retract his feelings. Danny interrupts and says he can't just tell the board that one guy is unhappy so they should change the entire company. Zoey says maybe things should start working differently and leaves.

Max erases something on the whiteboard. Mackenzie asks if it's the redirects, and Max says checked that already Hot Topic. Leif asks about the database, and Kane says covered that an hour ago, Big Bird. Max wonders what they're missing, and Mackenzie continues to thirst after him. Zoey walks over and asks Max what he's doing there, and Max says Danny told him to get some help with a coding error after investing. Zoey says Mo told her and congratulates him. Zoey says she likes seeing him there. Tobin exclaims that he got it and solves the coding error. Max thanks Tobin, and Kane says it's a good thing they outsourced it to Slumdog. The coders laugh, and Zoey turns around and looks back at the group. Tobin says when Max's company goes public and he has stock options, they'll all be calling him Slumdog Tobillionaire. The coders laugh again, but the sounds fade into the background as Tobin starts singing “The Tracks Of My Tears.” Zoey watches sadly, and after the song ends, Tobin turns back to the group and puts on a smile. Zoey asks Tobin if they can chat for a sec, and he jokes for the group to pray for him. Max thanks the group for helping him and says tells Mackenzie he feels both flattered and objectified. Max says he's going to add a special SPRQ Point discount for them to use at the restaurant, except Leif.

Tobin sits with Zoey in her office. Zoey says she wanted to check in and see how he was doing. Tobin says she saw him crushing it out there, and Zoey clarifies that she wants to know how he feels about Simon's press conference. Zoey says she feels like he might be upset and that it must be tough making himself the butt of the joke. Tobin says not really since most humor comes from personal experience. Zoey asks if it's worth it for him to put himself out there all time time for other people's amusement, and Tobin brushes off the question. He stands up to leave but lingers at the doorway and then closes the door and turns back around to face Zoey. He says he makes jokes all the time because as a first-gen, that's how he's always fit in since he doesn't really fit in anywhere. Zoey asks about SPRQ Point, and Tobin replies that people in other departments are shocked when they meet him and he doesn't have an accent or isn't the guy delivering their shawarma. Zoey stands up and says no one should have to feel that way at work and Tobin should say something. Tobin asks who he's supposed to tell and what he's supposed to say. Zoey says the company is asking Simon to qualify his remarks and Tobin could help him and other people who feel similar. Tobin says he respects Simon for speaking out, but he doesn't want to stir the pot. Zoey persists, but Tobin stands firm and walks out of her office.

Simon sits on the stairs in Mo's apartment building and tells Mo he knows exactly how this goes: if he doesn't retract, the company will slowly ice him out until he has no voice. Mo says he just had a vision of him without a voice, and he doesn't like it. Simon sighs and wonders if he should just retract everything he said and keep his head down. Mo maintains that Simon shouldn't have to put his head down anywhere and that they don't deserve him if he can't be his whole self there. Simon rubs his eyes sadly and tells Mo he's right. Mo asks what he's going to do, but Zoey walks in and greets them. They silently look over. Zoey walks over to her door and pauses before turning around and apologizing for making them point out her blind spots. When Zoey turns back around, Simon says wait and tells her that he decided to go in first thing tomorrow and tell Danny that he quits. Zoey nods solemnly and says okay before turning back around. Confused, Simon says she's not going to make some big speech and tell him he shouldn't do it. Zoey says no, he has to do what feels right for him, and she supports him. Simon and Mo shrug and look at each other.

Zoey walks into SPRQ Point the next day and looks at Simon's empty office. She walks by Mackenzie, who marvels at something on her phone and shows it to Zoey. Zoey looks at the phone and says she can't believe this. She takes Mackenzie's phone and quickly walks up to Tobin, exclaiming that he spoke out and hugging him in his chair. He says he did. Zoey asks what changed his mind. Tobin says he wasn't going to say anything, but he thought a lot about their conversation was feeling pretty raw after a couple *Queer Eye* episodes and a Negroni nightcap, so he decided to speak up. He says he had no idea the hashtag #BIPOCAtSPRQPoint was going to blow up like that. Zoey notes that there must be hundreds of posts, and Tobin mentions a few supportive SPRQ Point hotties who slid into his DMs. Zoey remembers that Simon is in Danny's office quitting because he thinks he's the only one who feels this way and says they need to see this. Tobin agrees, and they rush off to stop Simon.

Zoey and Tobin burst into Danny's office, and Zoey holds up the phone and tells Simon to hold up. Danny tells Zoey to take a breath, and Zoey tells them that Tobin posted about his experience online, and now there are hundreds of SPRQ Point employees sharing their stories. Zoey also notes that the stories are from SPRQ Point offices all over the world. Danny tells them to sit down and says he has the internet too and he saw the posts. He says he and Simon have been going through them together. Zoey nods and questions if this changes everything. Simon tells Danny clearly he's not alone. Danny says thats true and that he can't believe this all happened under his roof. He says he's going to walk into that board room and demand real and lasting changes because that's what a hero does. The others point out that he's not the hero, and Danny says that the agenda for the board meeting has officially been amended.

At the board meeting, Danny addresses the board and says as they know, they are here to discuss their course of action based on the claims made by Simon, but it has come to his attention that he might not know what he's talking about, so he has invited someone far more qualified to speak on this. Simon, Zoey, and Tobin walk into the room, and Simon walks to the head of the table. He sighs and tells the board he would indeed like to clarify his words from the other day and get more specific about the racism that exists within SPRQ Point. He also says he'll be revising his statement to say that it's not just his experience. Simon uses the clicker to bring up a bunch of tweets from SPRQ Point employees speaking about their experiences with racism in the workplace. Simon says a Black executive in New York was working late one night and was profiled at his own desk by a security guard. A receptionist in London was let go and then told it was because her locs looked "unprofessional." In this very office, an intern quit because her boss joked that if she were ever to come in late, he would call ICE. He tells the board they're not going to be able to fix this problem with just diversity committees, workshops, and donating to a few places, but by changing the culture here. Simon says it's about being inclusive in the rooms where decisions are being made, including this one.

Later, Leif slings his backpack over his shoulder and approaches Tobin. He says he was reading some of Tobin's comments and noticed that he was talking about white people who worked at SPRQ Point. Tobin says yeah, and Leif apologizes for any harm he may have caused as a beneficiary of a society that upholds the colonial power of white men. Tobin cuts him off and tells Leif they're good, but he needs to dial it back with the virtue signaling. Leif agrees and says that even in discussing his own internal biases, they're creating a dialogue. Tobin says seriously, stop it. Leif asks if he wants to get a beer, and Tobin enthusiastically says yes. Leif says he found a guy who sells it out of a vintage stagecoach, and Tobin says and they're back.

At MaxiMo, Zoey sits with Simon and Tatiana as Tatiana reads off her phone that the SPRQ Point board has made a commitment to invest $50 million in Black-owned startups and attain equal representation in all leadership positions by 2025, including the board. Simon says she can stop there, and the rest is just a series of apologies. Tatiana remarks that the press release went out fast, and whatever Simon said to them must have rocked them to the core. Simn says he hit them with a few body shots, and Zoey says yeah he did, like a drunk white girl in Daytona. They give her a weird look, and she says they don't know her past. Mo raises his glass and says he wants to make a toast. He yells at Max to get out of the kitchen. Mo says that he wanted to throw a party because when a friend does something amazing, it should not go unrecognized. Mo says Simon walked into a room full of powerful white people and told them what needed to be said and done. Simon thanks everyone but maintains that it's not like they cured racism, and there's still a lot of work to do. Mo insists that Simon should take this as a win, and they have to celebrate the small victories. Mo raises a glass to Simon, and Simon starts singing "Tightrope." Mo, Tatiana, and the other people of color in attendance join in, dancing boisterously. Zoey smiles when the song ends, and they all toast to Simon. Zoey asks Simon how he feels after everything that went down. Simon stares contemplatively and says relief.

## 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 (credit only)
* **Michael Thomas Grant** as Leif Donnelly
* **Kapil Talwalkar** as Tobin Batra
* **Andrew Leeds** as David Clarke (credit only)
* **Alice Lee** as Emily Kang (credit only)

### Guest Starring

* **Alvina August** as Tatiana Morris
* **Morgan Taylor Campbell** as Mackenzie
* **Noah Weisberg** as Danny Michael Davis

### Co-Starring

* **Jarrett Carlington** as Jarrett
* **Beta Chan** as Cass
* **Cecilly Day** as Alicia
* **Melanie Hidalgo-Cruz** as Yasmeen
* **Kane Nelson** as Kane
* **Isaac Keoughan** as White Employee #1
* **Rachel Schaefer** as White Employee #2
* **Hannah Levien** as Amanda

## Gallery

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Simon Calls Out Racial Bias at Work - Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist