Zoey's Extraordinary Dad

**Zoey's Extraordinary Dad** is the twelfth episode and Season One finale of NBC's musical dramedy *Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist*. It aired on May 3, 2020.

## Episode Summary

After hearing an ominous song, Zoey does everything in her power to stop something bad from happening.

## Plot

As Zoey brushes her teeth, she looks at herself in the mirror and starts singing “Bad Moon Rising.” When Zoey walks away from the mirror, the song stops, but as she walks by various reflective surfaces in her apartment, the song continues. After some time, Zoey rushes out of her apartment and knocks on Mo's door. Zoey tells Mo that she thinks she's singing out loud again, but Mo says she looks fine to him. Mo asks what song Zoey said, and Zoey tells him it was something about a bad moon rising and that it sounded like a bad omen. Zoey wonders if the song was a warning and asks if everything is okay with Mo. Mo admits that he is in the middle of a creative breakdown and denies that it has anything to do with Eddie when Zoey prods him. Zoey maintains that Mo is sad from the breakup because he sang "Issues," but she says she has to make sure everything's okay with her dad and family and then leaves.

Zoey walks into her parents' house as Howie tries to feed Mitch something through a straw. Zoey greets Howie and asks how her dad is doing, to which Howie replies that Mitch is much more alert than normal that morning and that he was crushing him in gin rummy earlier. Howie walks off, and Zoey hugs Mitch, who presses his buzzer three times to say "I love you." Suddenly, Zoey hears her mom scream. She runs into the kitchen and asks Maggie if she is okay. Maggie has her hand down the sink drain and she tells Zoey she dropped her wedding ring. She reaches for a switch on the wall, and Zoey yells at her to stop, thinking she is going to turn on the garbage disposal. However, Maggie just turns a light on and fishes her ring out of the rain. Maggie asks Zoey if she noticed how lively Mitch was, and Zoey agrees. Maggie declares that it's one of Mitch's good days, and Zoey shifts her eyes.

Later, Zoey walks into SPRQ Point and sees a wet floor sign on the ground. She steps around the sign and the puddle altogether to avoid walking by it. Zoey notices that Leif is back on the fourth floor and greets him. Leif says he is glad to be back, and Tobin chimes in that now they have their own Omelet Bar. Tobin mentions that he has had three omelets so far and brags that his cholesterol is high. Leif walks up to Zoey's desk and asks how Max is doing. Zoey says she thinks he's fine and asks Leif why he asked. Leif is surprised that she hasn't heard.

Zoey storms into Joan's office and asks why Ava would fire Max, but Joan says she doesn't know. Zoey says she feels awful for Max, but Joan seems unsympathetic. Zoey asks Joan if everything is okay, and Joan says she thinks she's getting fired. Joan recounts that she got a voicemail from Danny Michael Davis and says she hopes it was just a butt dial from his smart pants. Zoey asks Joan what smart pants are, but Joan avoids the question. Zoey advises Joan not to call Danny back because she doesn't want her to get fired, too. Zoey reassures Joan that Danny will forget about it. Joan insists Zoey doesn't ask her about the smart pants.

While Zoey and Max wait in line at the cheesequake place, Zoey asks Max why he didn't tell her he got fired. Max says he felt embarrassed and reminds Zoey that they have not talked much lately, anyway. Zoey assures Max that trying a cheesequake will make him feel better, but Max says he's not sure. He reminds Zoey that he worked at SPRQ Point for five years, and he's not sure what to do. Zoey reassures Max that they'll figure it out and then says she had a feeling all morning that something bad was in store, and this is clearly it. Simon walks up and interrupts the conversation. Zoey exclaims that Simon is back, and Simon says he thought he would surprise her with some cheesequakes. Zoey stammers that he cheered her up with them, and now she's going to cheer up Max, who got fired. Max awkwardly confirms this, and Simon says that sucks. Zoey walks up to the counter and wonders whether she should order two or three cheesequakes while Max and Simon uncomfortably glance at each other. After Zoey gets the cheesequakes, Simon says he's going back to the office. Zoey says she'll see him there, and Max says he won't because he doesn't work there anymore. Zoey laughs excessively, and Simon raises his eyebrows then leaves. Max doubtfully asks if that was funny.

Zoey and Max sit at a table with their cheesequakes, and Zoey apologizes for the exchange with Simon. Max sarcastically says that Simon's pity is exactly what he wanted today. Zoey asks him to tell her what happened when he got fired. Max starts explaining what happened, but as he talks, Zoey sees Simon looking at them from a distance. Simon starts singing “Jealous” as Max's voice fades, and Zoey looks at Simon. Simon dances around the food court and looks enviously at Zoey and Max while Max continues to talk, unfazed. After the song is over, Simon leaves, and Max finishes telling his story and says then Ava fired him. He notices that Zoey has zoned out and asks her if she’s still there. Zoey says she heard every single word and starts expressing her shock, but is cut off by a ceiling lamp that falls down and crashes on a nearby table. Zoey and Max jump back in shock. Max asks Zoey if she is alright, and she wails that she is not.

Later, Zoey walks into Simon's office and says she forgot to ask him how Vegas was. Simon says it was really cool and that it was nice to see his mom so happy. Zoey says that Simon is glowing, and he replies that for the first time in a long time, he is feeling better. Zoey says that is great, but she also asks if he is expecting any bad news today. However, Simon says he doesn't think so. Simon gives Zoey a t-shirt he got during his trip and asks Zoey to have a seat. Zoey tells Simon he doesn't have to be jealous of her and Max or anything. Simon admits that he was jealous and then notes that he never would have admitted that easily before. He tells Zoey that there was a lot unsaid between him and Jessica, and he does not want to make that mistake again. Zoey says she appreciates the honesty and the shirt, which she says she will wear all the time.

When Zoey exits Simon's office, Mo confronts her and says she is not fooling anyone and that he knows exactly what she did. Zoey asks him what he is talking about, and Mo says he knows she sent him and Eddie a fake email saying that Gucci was having a sale. Mo bemoans that he went down to Gucci and saw Eddie there. Zoey says she was just trying to help him with his creative block and that she thinks he's still into Eddie. Though Mo insists that Zoey is wrong, he starts singing “I Will Follow Him” and dancing cheerfully. When the song ends, Zoey tells him that he sang another love song about Eddie and that he's not listening to what his heart wants him to do. Mo tells Zoey her power is very annoying. Zoey's phone buzzes with a text from David that Emily is in labor. Zoey panics and grabs her coat.

Zoey walks purposefully into the hospital and asks a nurse if she knows where Emily's room is. She sees Emily, in a wheelchair, and David and asks if everything is okay. Emily tells Zoey it was a false alarm and that they’re going home, and David jokes that the baby is messing with them already. Zoey asks if the baby is okay, and David says yes. Zoey resolves to not let anything happen to their kid. Zoey asks David why he looks sad, and David says he was excited for Mitch to meet the baby. Emily calls for David as she is wheeled out, and David follows her out. Zoey hears something and looks through a window to see an MRI machine. The same MRI technician who gave her an MRI in the Pilot approaches Zoey and tells her the machine looks scarier than it is and that it is extraordinary how many people it has helped. As he walks into the room, he starts singing “I've Got The Music In Me," and Zoey looks after him uneasily.

When Danny Michael Davis walks into SPRQ Point looking for Joan, Zoey runs up to him and says that Joan is in a meeting in the conference room. Zoey introduces herself to Danny and notes that she left him a message earlier. Danny reminds Zoey that she also sang "Pressure" to him in a room full of people and says that he finds her charming and disturbing. Zoey tells Danny that Max was fired unfairly and asks if she can hire him back. Danny agrees, and Zoey thanks him profusely.

Danny walks into the conference room while Joan is in the middle of a meeting and says he needs to talk to her. The rest of the people in the meeting leave the conference room. Joan insists that she was trying to call Danny back but couldn't find a charger for her phone, and Danny says he thought it would be easier to just stop by. Danny confides that he is in trouble with the FCC, SEC, and CIA, and that there is a good chance he will be going away for a while. He asks Joan if she is willing to run SPRQ Point for the next 6-18 months. Joan asks in disbelief if Danny wants her to take over the entire company. Danny says there is a board meeting in Singapore on Friday and asks Joan to come with. Joan pretends to contemplate his offer but then accepts enthusiastically.

Mo knocks on the door of Eddie's apartment, and Eddie opens up. Mo pleads for Eddie to let him say what he wants to before he says anything. Mo says he broke up with Eddie because he was afraid of opening up to him, and that he hasn't always been on the receiving side of love. Mo confides that he tends to push people away, but he really cares about Eddie and wants to make it work. Eddie stands there silently and then pulls Mo in for a kiss. He then leads Mo into his apartment, and they close the door.

Later, Zoey grabs wine and popcorn and sits down on the couch next to Max, and he asks her what movie she's in the mood for. Zoey tells Max to pick but says that she has to tell him something first. Zoey tells Max that she got him his job back, surprising Max. He says that it's incredible but says he doesn't want the job back. Zoey looks confused, and Max explains that he liked how it felt being in charge on the fourth floor and that he doesn't want to go backwards. Max exclaims that he is excited about the future, and then he looks over at a contemplative Zoey and asks her if she's mad. Zoey says she likes seeing this side of him and then leans in and kisses Max. Max asks Zoey why she did that, and Zoey says she felt like it. Max then pulls her in for a deeper kiss. As they kiss, Max pulls away and starts singing "All Of Me." Zoey tries to go back in for a kiss, but Max keeps singing. After a bit, Zoey slaps a hand onto Max's mouth, stopping the song. She tells him he's singing her a love song, and Max feels embarrassed. Zoey asks if Max can think of something sexier, and Max agrees. They resume kissing, but Max quickly breaks into song again, singing "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)" and dancing. Zoey slaps a hand onto his mouth again and asks him to just make his mind go blank. They start kissing again, but Zoey's phone starts ringing. Max asks her not to answer, but Zoey says she has to check. She sees that Howie is the one calling and answers the phone. Zoey tells Howie she will be right there, and Max asks what the phone call was about. Zoey says the bad moon rose.

Zoey and Max walk into the Clarke home and see Mitch on the couch. Maggie asks Zoey to come into the kitchen, and Zoey asks Max to give her a minute. Howie tells Zoey, Maggie, David, and Emily that over the past couple of weeks, Mitch has been eating and drinking less, and now he has completely lost the ability to swallow. Howie says that in a few hours, Mitch's organs will shut down, and he has a steady supply of morphine to keep Mitch comfortable. The family sits there, devastated, and Howie assures them that he will do whatever he can to ease the transition. David laments that Mitch won't even be able to meet his grandson and says he has to go lie down. Howie asks Emily to go sit with David, and they leave the kitchen. Zoey sits motionless, her eyes red with tears. Maggie takes her hand, and they look at each other mournfully.

While in his apartment, Simon gets a call from Max. Max informs Simon that Zoey's dad isn't doing too well that says he thinks that Zoey wanted him to know that. Simon asks Max if he can do anything, and Max asks Simon to shoot Zoey a text or do whatever they do. Simon thanks Max and says he appreciates him calling, and Max acknowledges this.

Zoey walks over and asks David if he wants to talk to Mitch. With tears streaming down his face, David chokes out that he has so much to say to Mitch but doesn't want him to see him like this. Zoey consoles her brother and reminds him that Mitch never held back his emotions, so David shouldn't either. David jokingly asks when Zoey turned into a spiritual guru, and Zoey replies ever since a magical MRI machine changed her forever. David gets up to talk to Mitch. Emily asks if she should stay where she is, but David says that she's his wife and Mitch loves her and would want to say goodbye. Zoey looks down introspectively as they leave.

Max walks towards the door with his arm around Zoey's shoulder and kisses the top of her head. Maggie says she wants to say goodbye to Max, and he expresses his condolences to her. Maggie says she is glad that Max was there and asks if he got a chance to say goodbye to Mitch. Max says that he did, and while he hugs Maggie, he whispers to her that he told Mitch exactly how he feels about his daughter. Maggie smiles and whispers back that she's pretty sure Mitch already knew. Max walks out the front door, and Zoey hears the beginning of a song. She looks over and sees Mitch singing "Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)" to David and Emily. David cries and starts singing with his father. Emily puts Mitch's hand on her belly, and Mitch and David sing to Emily and David's unborn child.

Zoey walks Max walk to his car. Zoey starts talking about earlier, but Max says they will have plenty of time to talk about what happened later. He hugs Zoey and tells her to focus on herself right now. Zoey watches as Max gets into his car and thanks him. As Max drives off, Simon pulls up outside the Clarke home in his car. Simon emerges from his car and tells Zoey she wasn't supposed to see him and that he was just dropping off a lasagna he made. He recounts that a lot of people brought casseroles for them after his dad died, and it seemed like the thing to do. Simon expresses his condolences to Zoey and reminds her that he knows what she's going through and that he's here whenever she needs him. Simon says that Zoey helped him through a hard time, and he is ready to return the favor. Zoey says she might need his grief basket, and Simon says he'll make her her own. Simon kisses Zoey on the cheek and gives her the lasagna.

Inside the house, Emily asks David if it is okay for her to go upstairs and rest for a little. David says of course and asks her if it's weird if he eats something. Zoey comes back inside with Simon's lasagna in tow, and she sees that Mitch is in his bed. David notes that he and Howie moved Mitch and thought he would be more comfortable in bed. Zoey sees Maggie singing "Dream A Little Dream Of Me" to Mitch as she lays on the bed with him. After the song ends, Zoey walks away.

Zoey eats ice cream straight from the container with Howie and asks them if this is when they have the talk about what death is like. Howie says it depends on if she's lookinf for some words of wisdom, and Zoey says she's game if he has them. Howie says that death is hideous and wildly unfair, or maybe it's beautiful and a very necessary escape from our physical bodies. Zoey asks which way she should choose to look at it, but Maggie enters and tells Zoey that if she wants to talk to Mitch then it would be a good time. Howie looks at Zoey.

Zoey approaches Mitch and starts talking with him. She says she is going to try to go another way with this tonight. Zoey tells Mitch that she is doing pretty well at work and the guy who she liked who was engaged now likes her, though her hooking up with her best friend complicates things. Zoey also says that she doesn't mind the big musical numbers she has been hearing lately and that they might actually be helping her. Zoey says that she is not doing well, but she's not doing that badly, either. She reassures Mitch that she's okay, in case he was wondering. Suddenly, Mitch takes a gasping, labored breath. Zoey calls for Howie and asks what's happening. Maggie enters and calls for David. Howie tells them that it's Mitch's lungs and goes to give him more morphine. Maggie asks if this is normal, and Howie confirms and tells her to hold Mitch's hand to let him know that she's there. Howie injects Mitch with the morphine, and Zoey and Maggie both look distressed. Zoey hears a "psst" and looks over to see Mitch standing in the living room. He tells her he wants to talk to her for a minute.

Zoey gets up and walks over to Mitch, who is dressed in a suit. As Zoey approaches Mitch, her clothes change into a fancy dress. Mitch holds out his arm and tells Zoey to dance with her, and she takes his arm. Zoey and Mitch start slow dancing, and Zoey glances over at her family standing over Mitch in bed, and then back to the Mitch he is dancing with. Zoey says she doesn't hear any music, and Mitch says sure she does. He asks her what she calls the songs she hears, and Zoey says heart songs. Mitch says that's a good name for them. Zoey tearfully asks Mitch what she will do when she can't hear him sing anymore. Mitch assures Zoey that she will always hear him and that all she has to do is listen. Zoey hears a sob in the other room and looks over. Mitch asks why she is looking over there and says he is right here with her. Zoey hugs Mitch tightly. An instrumental version of "True Colors" plays, and they continue dancing. Mitch wipes Zoey's tears and says they can do better, giving Zoey a fancy spin. They keep dancing and laughing together until Zoey spins back to reality. She looks back at the living room, which is normal again, and then hears Maggie sobbing.

Some time later, Zoey, Emily, Maggie, and David sit in the car after Mitch's funeral. Zoey asks if they should do this, and David says they can stay in the car for a few more minutes if Maggie wants. Emily says they don't mind waiting and that she prefers this to being around people. Maggie says it's okay and that they have to face the music at some point, anyway. They walk out of the car, into the rain, and open their umbrellas. Maggie starts singing "American Pie," followed by David, Emily, and others. The song ends as Zoey sings by herself acapella while sitting next to the spot on the couch where Mitch used to sit.

## Cast

### Starring

* **Jane Levy** as Zoey Clarke
* **Skylar Astin** as Max Richman
* **Alex Newell** as Mo
* **John Clarence Stewart** as Simon Haynes
* **Peter Gallagher** as Mitch Clarke
* **Mary Steenburgen** as Maggie Clarke

### Guest Starring

* **Michael Thomas Grant** as Leif Donnelly
* **Kapil Talwalkar** as Tobin Batra
* **Andrew Leeds** as David Clarke
* **Alice Lee** as Emily Kang
* **Zak Orth** as Howie
* **Noah Weisberg** as Danny Michael Davis
* **Patrick Ortiz** as Eddie
* **Hiro Kanagawa** as Dr. Hamara
* **John Ralston** as Paul

### Co-Starring

* **Adam Beauchesne** as MRI Tech
* **Duncan Bourke** as Tony
* **Charles Andre** as Chef

#### Uncredited

* **Joshua Blumhagen** as Dancer
* **Micah Chen** as American Pie Boy
* **Nicholas Dohy** as Brogrammer
* **Olivia Morandin** as Dancer
* **Kevin Tookey** as Dancer

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