Mo’s Choir
Returning for another week, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist clears its throat and sings another harmony, this time to the tune of Mo’s conflicted feelings. With another five songs showcased and plenty of emotional drama, this musical series continues to hit the right notes. Episode 4 of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist begins with Mo questioning Zoey about her and Simon messaging each other. Brushing it off as a platonic friendship, as they’re heading out the door Mo suddenly starts singing ‘The Great Pretender’. After this beautiful rendition, Zoey questions her about it but she simply brushes it off. Meanwhile, Maggie tries to find her purpose while David stays behind to look after their Dad. At work, Max bursts in singing ‘Con Te Partiro’ which Zoey immediately suspects is because he had sex that night. This certainly rings true and after warning him against moving too fast with Autumn, Zoey heads home and hears Bonnie singing from behind Apartment 2. However, she also hears Mo singing ‘Great Pretender’ again but she hurries out the block of flats before Zoey can see her. Zoey follows her though to the church choir and questions the way she’s dressed. It’s here we find out Mo is actually male! He berates Zoey and heads back inside where he struggles to hit the high notes and get the right vibes for the song. Meanwhile Zoey’s Mum finds her purpose by helping Simon’s engagement. Zoey returns to her flat and hears Bonnie singing, stopping by to pick up on her singing vibes and suspecting she wants to go on a tropical holiday. Back at work, Joan sings Wrecking Ball; a throwback to her crumbling relationship. Zoey tries to pry further into it but she changes the subject, walking away and leaving her to contemplate whether she should have got involved in the first place or not. At home, David and his Father talk and he mentions their wedding video via his laptop screen. David listens to his speech and pays particular attention to the segment involving parenting advice. Upon listening to himself talk on the video, he begins to sob. David comforts his Father before heading home to Bonnie and talking about what happened. Pastor Steve mentions Mo being gender-fluid and knowing the truth about him. He hands Zoey a note and tells her she needs to try and get through to Mo as sick children are relying on him to sing at the church choir. Zoey eventually does talk to Mo and as she rotates her spoon around her teacup (a creepy throwback to Get Out!), Mo talks about her gift and they discuss her dilemma between being a fraud and being true to himself. Unable to get through to Mo, Zoey heads to the bar and talks to Pastor Steve again about how Mo feels. He gives some good advice and helps Zoey channel her inner empathy. Back home, Zoey talks to her Mum about Simon, who pleads with her not to have an affair and follow the same path she did. Eventually Zoey caves and tells the truth about just why she’s been messaging Simon. They’re bonding over her Father but her Mother simply smiles, telling her to have faith. After David and the rest of the family find out the gender of his child (a boy), Zoey heads home and helps Bonnie conquer her fear and come outside her flat, handing Mo her rent cheque and heading back to her apartment. It’s enough for Mo to see this leap of faith and conquer her own fears. She heads into church and sings ‘Light Of Mine’ as Zoey finally sees Mo’s true light and it’s certainly shining bright. With some controversial themes thrown around surrounding gender fluid underlined by a good moral about being yourself, Zoey’s Extraordinary’s Playlist continues to entertain while injecting in societal issues at the same time. For some, this may be a little heavy-handed (after all, we’ve been convinced Mo was female since the first episode!) but there’s enough here to make for an enjoyable watch nonetheless. The blending of old and new songs is a nice touch and certainly helps this series sparkle. As a nitpick, there’s a few too many recent songs that don’t always emphasise the pain or anguish characters are going through (Wrecking Ball and Roar feel far too cheesy and out of character for Joan given she’s older than the rest of the cast) but despite that, there’s enough here to make for a decent series and one you’ll likely stick with for the long haul.
—This Week’s Playlist—
The Great Pretender – The Platters Con Te Partiro – Andrea Bocelli Wrecking ball – Miley Cyrus This Little Light Of Mine – Odetta Kokomo – Beach Boys
