After downing our thirst in a mo-jito, the clock has stirred to the hour goodie bag special where a cheeky mars bar is replaced for a secret weed stash in “Zoey’s Extraordinary Trip.” We start this week’s episode in a murky basement where its drums remain silent to Aiden’s submission of Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten.” See, some people like his nostalgic sidekick Zoe prefer to dream up their future down to the minute. He’s a big fan of breezing through. What side of the coin does Max sit on? Perhaps there’s lenience towards his ex-lover as her red hair matches the paint on Mo’s apartment walls, the chatter of finding a financier bouncing off. So far, it’s only been a couple of A-Gays (code for rich, powerful, and very gay men). The wild card is our honorary special guest, Max’s father, who is an established dentist.
Over at SPRQPOINT, a vivid light show occurs where its neon strobes match the disco baseline playing underneath an over voice introducing their boss, Danny Michael Davis. He’s a new man with a clean shaven ankle previously strapping a bracelet as all charges in his name have been dropped. What does that mean? More time to spend at the company as he whisks Simon away. Adding to the grocery list of reasons one shouldn’t have a fire watch strapped to their wrist, the chirp cannot see people of color. Who better to help get out of a sticky situation than one of those blurry figures? He awkwardly hugs it out, knowing it already doesn’t sit well on his conscience. Taking the top spot on Zoey’s danger bound list is picking strawberries without wearing sunscreen, but as Aiden fiddles with his silky oak guitar, there’s a naughtier idea brewing. “Drugs—” is the five-letter word coming out of a stammering Zoey. She’s quite like a preschooler who has snuck into a no-go zone, profusely shaking their head yet minutes from being caught out as distant ears can pick up on high-pitched giggles. She hastily swallows it down with water then spits it out. Who’s ringing? Dannyboy.
A situation looms in his lair decorated by a towering water painted self-portrait. He doesn’t let Zoey in as phones have slotted into being his archnemesis. However, he does schedule a run-in as he pins her address. The various ways buzzword “equally” rolls off her tongue is our identifier of minutes until her high sets in. The inside of Max’s car is stuffy as his dad takes the passenger seat. We immediately understand why these two don’t get along due to I-Spy’s tossing over to how perfect he would be becoming the family businesses IT guy? They’re opening two new offices, therefore, plenty of employee retail. Mo fades into the intercom, he comes with zero financers and remember the national coverage WIRED magazine interview? It’s been nixed. Just as the phone call itself, silence befalling the father and son duo.
Walking the makeshift wonderstruck vineyard are both Maggie and the silver fox customer who she previously turned down. He’s acting a tad disgruntled — something which Jenna points out. Zoey is crawling over sticky floors in high hope her boss has taken a detour. A knock is all it takes to send it up in a puff of smoke. Except he’s activated the camera on her phone, meaning he can see her? Is that even legal?! Her words are straight to the point as she opens the door for a window gap of a second before it closes upon her sliding down with a pillow in hand stroking its material. He picks up this situation falls into the wrong side of the okay odometer. “One Direction,” he provokes with a bold tongue. “Give me your stash.”
The otherwise colorless nature of a monotone neighborhood zaps into one of those lucid dreams where everything is just a bit off. We know it’s nothing out of the ordinary as it is just Zoey’s powers playing out, you know, those inside thoughts channeling into a boppy early 2000s number located deep into Spotify’s archive. This time its artist starts with an N; yep, Niall Nicki Minaj. Due to the televised hour, we may not be able to hear the punchy swear word, but every time there’s a distinctive pause from one of the three, we know that’s where the expression usually would’ve been in their version of “Starships.” Car honking brings us right out. Apparently, Maggie has popsicles stored in her refrigerator, and off they go.
Laying out on the chair therapist style is Max, who doesn’t see the light at the end of their financier search tunnel. On the other line is Simon, he wants to bring up the company’s racial discrimination over bread rolls. “Of course,” comes agreement from Mo. Max, on the other hand? Seemingly likes the opposite as there is no way he’s asking his father for money despite him owning a boat named The Tooth Ferry. As the timely slot of dinner has been taken, the perfect place to ask would be their already planned out breakfast. It looks like Zoey’s high has taken a low point as she tearily stretches out on the kitchen table. The backstory as to why her refrigerator is stocked with icy poles is that it was the only thing Mitch could eat during his final days. In theory, it acts as a really kind gesture, but Zoey merely points it out as a fruitful dive into devastation. That the only thing caring gets you, in the long run, is a broken heart. So, what’s the point in it? Danny thinks the same as he mules over the many ways the company has turned into a relentless chore.
Inside the newly designed restaurant establishment’s brick walls are Mo and Max giving a PowerPoint presentation to an already z’s steamed father. His question lands in “how exactly do you make real money off of this?” Present the drink menu, the wealth mine of cocktails. Zoey, who is perched in the corner, hears the whimsical ivory keys belonging to Linkin Park’s crippling “Numb” sung by a gut wrenching Max. Zoey, on the other hand, is selling seats for her not caring seminar. There’ll be one last-minute fill-in as Max turns the table providing two solid points. 1. How can she expect him not to care about his father when she always cared about her relationship with hers? 2. It’s one of his favorite personality traits of hers. I mean, would we want to live in a world where the thoughts playing jukebox is broken from Zoey not helping the person in question out every episode?
Jenna’s out on the porch swiping through her digital camera as Maggie storms in. Wildfire news spreading tells someone dumped fertilizer into the customer’s porch. It’s artistic. At least that’s what those photos portray. However, there’s a proposition. If Maggie doesn’t fire Jenna, then she’s on the chopping block … the chopping block that’s already been cut in half as she not only quit but severed ties with Jenna. Maggie’s study should be redesigned as a boxing ring as the two fight upon making their way over. “Your sister was right. It was crazy to take a chance on you”, Maggie says leaving the finality of her words hanging in the thick air.
If any hands are remaining in the air questioning as to why the freshly out of jail Danny looks the most awake out of the two office stoners, then they’re surely dragged down after the word of a living herbalist. It keeps his brain so on target that he’s decided to sell the quickly plummeting SPRQPOINT. The only problem is it would come with the hefty side-effect of everyone losing their jobs. The positive? They’ll be free like him. It’s a topical conversation brought to the Clarke family dinner meeting. Or at least the second in the agenda as the first fall onto our Jenna issue. In she walks with the lent gardening kit, its shiny green bucket passed onto an oversized hooded David who had planned to go back to his dinner yet walks outside upon Emily stating they should do the family check-in. Something Zoey is also cursing the universe for since one knows, it’s not in her nature to stop caring. Darn!
There’s a weigh-in happening in Mo’s seriously dark apartment, which apparently only supports two lamp lights. Should he play onto the company’s strings as their person of color puppet, anticipatingly waiting to move up the ladder and score some power? Or should he quit now, therefore making a statement? It’s yet to be decided as San Fransisco’s inky blue nightlight takes us over to Max’s dad’s side of the neighborhood, where all the punny dentists reside for a seminar. It’s time to send him off as they drive to the airport, but before they do, there’s a sneaky envelope in his bag. Inside is the finance needed to support the restaurant. Support, a word the two don’t share the same meaning of. One lends to a monetary donation regardless of a hit to their bank account, while the other is knowing the idea is one of genius. Unfortunately, the money slides back into his father’s pocket as Max refuses to take it.
After telling Maggie caring is in the Clarke’s family motto, a popsicle treasure hunt leads Zoey back into Aiden’s den, where she finds her boss. “Well, you’re too late,” he starts being interrupted with a, “Already sold the company?” If the company was cold, then perhaps as he views her through a cleaned-out box. On the flip side, the other decision would take months to spurt. During such, he has plans to spin the globe until there’s a setlist of where he could take the jet with Aiden beside him. Zoey reminds him of what he’s created and could lose as there are distant recalls of a press conference. Jenna owns her goodbye tour as she places her giant backpack mere centimeters away from the front door, and it comes with an additional stop. The eldest Clarke waves at her. There’s an apology airing between the two and an almost promise for them to remain on their steady career paths. Speaking of, the red swirling in two wine bottles may just be enough as Max tells Mo about their current financial situation. They’ll figure it out together.
The frenzied media may be a circus, but Simon is walking their tightrope as he breaks out into Nina Simone’s “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood.” He’s having conflicting thoughts on what to do. Either choice that he makes will leave some residue. Unfolding the printed-out paper, he pauses to present hard facts: on their board of 10 people are only two women and zero of color. This needs to change.
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on NBC.