Marvelous Geeks

Where there’s a lot more we wish we could’ve seen with Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas, what we get intrinsically captures what the first holiday after loss is like. Grief isn’t linear, and from the moment Mitch Clarke passes, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist shows us precisely what that sentiment means. Grief looks different on all of us, and as similar as two paths can be, there are still notable differences in how people process. As Andrew Garfield so beautifully put it in his interview with Stephen Colbert, grief is all the unexpressed love, and in the way that tick…tick…BOOM! brings that to life through music, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist has been a similar form of comfort for so many viewers.

Thereby, it remains a gift that both pieces of fiction come out at the same time where the world is still fighting through a global pandemic, and it seems like losses are everywhere. Art, in this form, thus always provides the necessary comfort and almost effortlessly at that. Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas is a gorgeous piece of fiction that will undoubtedly guide someone through the pangs of loneliness upon its release. And while there are some impressive numbers throughout the film, the covers of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” and Judy Garland’s “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” deserve hearty praise.

In what rings like a love letter to everyone who’s ever lost someone, Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas lightens the dreary road so many are going towards with the holidays approaching. From a cast and crew who’ve continually made it clear they care most about the stories that are hardest to tell, the film acts as a reward for the fans who tirelessly to see a conclusion.

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April 11-17 “Zoey’s Extraordinary Mystery” | Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist Alice Lee

We haven’t gotten nearly enough of Emily on Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist this season, but on “Zoey’s Extraordinary Mystery,” Alice Lee was given the chance to touch on some incredibly rough heartaches, which she managed masterfully.

We do not see postpartum brought to life on television often, and even when we do, it seldom feels like it is given the proper attention that it deserves. Here is to hoping Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist actually delivers on what it is setting up because Alice Lee was brilliant in her evocative rendition of Demi Lovato’s “Anyone.”

The song is an emotional one as is, but the execution mattered in order to get the message across and have it tie into the story seamlessly. Therefore, much to no one’s surprise, Lee was crushing in her exhibition of revealing the fact Emily is lost in how alone she feels. She is there, but she isn’t really and Lee brilliantly showcased the brokenness of her spirit through both song and her physicality.

On this series, we generally get intricate choreography with the musical number, but with this number, we were given something that felt even more evocative because it revealed Emily’s inability to cope with things. The way Lee moved her body in the chair and how she used her hands to cling to her knees was harrowing to watch. You could feel every ounce of Emily’s darkness–the way she feels completely helpless, and the detail that she does not know how to handle any of it it came through so poignantly, it was heartbreaking.

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I had not heard “American Pie” before Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist—and before even watching, I didn’t spoil myself to see what song writers would have chosen to address the Clarke family’s grief. It worked and it worked beautifully. It worked because not only did it give each character the most appropriate part to sing along to while creating a masterful, single shot frame, but it worked because grief isn’t linear, and the lyrics could not have been more telling of that detail.

Howie describes grief in one of the most nuanced ways I have heard thus far when he states: “Death is hideous, ugly, and grotesque, and wildly, wildly unfair. Or maybe, death is beautiful, and spiritual, and transcendent, and sometimes a very necessary, and a very freeing escape from our physical bodies when they are no longer habitable.”

Grief never looks the same for two people no matter how closely shared your experiences are. It’s different for everyone. It has no timetable. It does not usually come with a warning even if the death is expected. And ultimately, you never stop grieving—it doesn’t even get easier really, you just grow to understand it more. I suppose, you get used to it. And that might be the saddest notion in the world—you get used to it. Something so dark and so complex, you get used to it.

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January 31-February 6 “Zoey’s Extraordinary Trip” | Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist Skylar Astin

This week was full of exceptional performances making this choice thankfully a difficult one. Frankly, we love it when this happens—the harder it is to choose, to more set we are on why we chose the one that we did. And on Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist especially the performances were extremely tough to choose from, between now Golden Globe nominee Jane Levy’s rollercoaster of a high to John Clarence Stewart’s crucial number and speech that Simon delivered, we were floored. (This was our close second.) But Linkin Park’s “Numb” is one heck of an evocative song, and if you had told us that a contemporary ballad of it would work, we’d put a big huge stop sign in front of you to ensure that never happens.

And yet, Skylar Astin brought the number to life masterfully forcing us to bite our tongues with the belief that yes, “Numb” can be reworked if it is done well. As much as the choreography worked in showcasing a myriad of built up emotions, Astin’s expressiveness did the trick with spectacular ease. The lyrics are one thing, the vocals are another, the painstaking look of exhaustion and desperation that Astin brought to life with his expressions nailed the number best.

When you looked at Max, you understood just how deeply rooted his issues with his father are. You understood just how tired he is of taking risks and being shot down just because his dreams look different from his family’s. You understood the darkness that comes from knowing that once again, you have put yourself in front of somebody, and you have not been enough. You felt the aching tiredness in his physicality, which the choreography brought to life through a contemporary dance that (still can’t believe I’m saying this), surprisingly worked with this song.

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January 10-16 “Zoey’s Extraordinary Distraction” | Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist

It’s been an exceptional week for TV and we actually had a tough decision to make this week. (We missed this challenge.) WandaVision has finally premiered and though we still have no idea what’s happening on this show, we’re into it–especially where costumes and humor are concerned. A Discovery of Witches had another fantastic episode that’s setting the season up with great new characters. The Expanse gave us an incredibly heartwarming and beautifully vulnerable moment between Naomi and Filip right before everything went south. (This was our second choice, by the way.) And the Heartland premiere came with a shocking death no one was expecting. But in this house, we finally binge-watched all of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist and the latest episode was the right kind of joy we needed.

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Last year was fairly uneventful where TV was concerned. There are still so many favorites on hiatus due to the global pandemic and our screens feel much emptier. But with a new year comes new premieres, and we’re so jazzed to have to more things to talk about it. It has felt like a century.

The Rookie on ABC

After a massive cliffhanger in the season two finale, ABC’s The Rookie will be returning Sunday, January 3, and we can’t wait! When we last saw Officer John Nolan, he’d just discovered that his mentor and dirty detective Nick Armstrong had framed him, planting evidence in Nolan’s home. The police procedural television series revolves around the LA police department as the 40-something John Nolan, the oldest rookie in his workplace, navigates the ranging duties as a police officer. While we’re curious to see what is in store for Nolan (and those Chenford/Tucy moments!), we’re also interested to see how the show will address the current social climate. Creator Alexi Hawley has stated that season three will be an opportunity to address real-world issues such as police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement, and the cast has expressed that it’s important for them to help spread the message that people don’t share the same experiences when it comes to police encounters. With its diverse cast paired with its dramatic storytelling, the season three premiere of The Rookie is a must-watch.

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