Hey Hope!
Today I have to share with you my most current binge-watch. Last week, I was browsing on Hulu and decided on a whim to watch the first episode of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist… and then the second… and the third… and so on. HP, I’m currently blanking on if you have Hulu or not, but if not, let me know and I’ll sneak you my password because you have to see this show, girl.
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist follows Zoey, a twenty something woman in Los Angeles who is a computer coder for a living. After Zoey experiences a strange event, she can suddenly hear everyone’s inner song- the song that most resonates with their inner thoughts and feelings at that moment. Zoey has to decide what to do about this new power, and figure out what this means for the relationships in her life. Should she help everyone whose song she can hear? Or will it hurt others more than help them by working through their innermost vulnerabilities and emotions?
This show is like none I’ve seen before. It isn’t cheesy, and I like that it keeps true to the narrative and stories of all the characters, never settling on the easy way out by giving its characters only one emotion or storyline. This show isn’t afraid to explore all aspects of people’s emotions, and actually gives its characters a lot of depth. Even though there are a lot of storylines going on at the same time, it doesn’t ever feel jumbled or lost in focus.
One of my favorite things about the main character Zoey is that I feel like everyone can relate to her in one way or another. Zoey’s driving force is family and helping other people to find what will truly make them happy. She isn’t afraid of embarrassing herself and truly cares about all the people she encounters, which I find very admirable. However, since Zoey is so focused on the wellbeing of others, which is only heightened by her new power, she tends to put her in some self sabotaging situations and she fails to do what is best for her because she is focused on other people. However, I like the focus the show writers put on this, and it leads to some interesting scenes that show who is truly there to help Zoey when she needs it.
The songs in this show? Amazing. They have great singers all across the board, and the songs are very well adapted to the plotlines and almost never feels like a distraction, but rather an advancement in the story that is a valuable addition to the writing. This show deals with heavier topics as well as light ones, and the balance of light and dark is something that makes this show feel so human and raw. HP, to wrap this post up, I decided that to honor the show’s title and your love for Spotify playlists, I would share with you a playlist I made of my favorite songs from Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist. However, all the songs are way too good to do a top ten, so I’ve picked my favorite song from each of the twelve episodes that I would definitely add to my own playlist (and there are a lot to choose from). Don’t worry, no spoilers on the context of the song with the show. If you watch this show, I’m interested to hear your favorite songs as well! :)
Episode 1: “Help!” sung by the full cast
Episode 2: “I’ve Got the Music in Me” sung by Jane Levy
Episode 3: “Superstar” sung by Michael Thomas Grant
Episode 4: “The Great Pretender” sung by Alex Newell
Episode 5: “Just Give Me a Reason” sung by Andrew Leeds and Alice Lee
Episode 6: “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” sung by Skylar Astin
Episode 7: “Bailamos” sung by Alex Newell and Patrick Oriz (I can’t get this song out of my head HP, it's so catchy!)
Episode 8: “I’m Yours” sung by Jane Levy
Episode 9: “Happier” sung by John Clarence Stewart and India de Beaufort
Episode 10: “The Boy Is Mine” sung by Lauren Graham and Renee Elise Goldsberry
Episode 11: “Bye Bye Bye” sung by Skylar Astin
Episode 12: “American Pie” sung by the cast (this is a masterpiece! Definitely my favorite song in the show)
-maddie
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