When it comes to OTP moments between our favorite characters and ships, let’s be honest. We shippers can never get enough. So as we go through our weekly rewatch of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist (not for the first time), Fangirlish author Lizzie and I thought we’d break down moments that…okay, maybe they wouldn’t entirely have made sense for Zoey and Max (aka Clarkeman) to kiss…but we certainly wouldn’t have objected to a kiss or two! Starting with the Pilot…
Chemistry? Established
Jade: I think the first scene where fans wanted them to kiss (or maybe fans just wanted to kiss Max) is in the coffee shop. “Keeping it lean for the ladies” is somehow both incredibly dorky and incredibly endearing at the same time. It may not be the most logical place for them to kiss. However, it it does establish their chemistry. (And there is arguably a little flirtation foreshadowing there, with Zoey knowing it’s on his dating profile) What did you think of their chemistry right off the bat? And do you think Zoey actually helped Max set up his dating profile, or has she just done some friendly profile stalking?
Lizzie: Considering she mentioned it in front of him and he seemed cool with it, I think she actually helped him set up the profile. Which just makes me think of ALL THE YEARS these two were basically that fic with two friends who are pining for each other and totally and completely in love and everyone notices but them? I think that’s the setup there, and that’s the chemistry they’re going for (which, hey Jane and Skylar TOTALLY sell). If Zoey (and us) kinda get a little distracted afterwards because hot guy, well, that’s just the next step in that fic, isn’t it? Come on, Jade, don’t you think there’s an office pool betting on when they’re gonna get together? I bet Tobin runs it.
Jade: Oh, there’s definitely an office pool going on! Leif even confirmed that people thought there was something more between them at some point. (You know if Leif thought it, then he wasn’t alone.) And you’re right. Tobin absolutely would run the pool. But you have to think that there’s at least a little friendly profile stalking going in there too, with Zoey offering to “help” him find the right dates…only to coincidentally find herself being overly critical of the matches he makes. She may have set Max and Autumn up, but that didn’t stop her from getting a little jealous when they did start going out!
If She Could Read His Mind…
Jade: But if we’re talking moments where they could have (or should have) kissed, a lot of Clarkeman fans really love the scene where Zoey suggests the idea of reading minds to Max. Obviously, that scene took place before she learned about his feelings for her, so it wouldn’t necessarily make sense for her to kiss him in that moment. However, fandom is our sandbox, and we’ll play in it however we went to. The look on his face (and what she subsequently discovered) could be interpreted that he had some thoughts he was very much not wanting her to hear in that moment. What do you think? Is that a contender for a kissing moment?
Lizzie: To be fair, I would probably be totally fine with the entire show being about them kissing, so that’s not really a fair question to ask. But I think this is mostly setup for the idea that – unlike with other people – Zoey really did want to come clean with Max right away, she was just scared by the song at the end. If he manages to keep his feelings inside his head for about five more minutes, Zoey would have totally told him what was going on, I’m pretty sure. Don’t you agree?
Jade: Oh, absolutely, Zoey was on the verge of spilling the truth about her powers. Which really goes back to the scene where she confesses in order to not to address his love confession. She could have chosen a dozen other things – easily – to avoid giving him an answer. Telling him about her powers was certainly a good distraction. It was the hardest one for her to sell, as well. That she told him about her powers suggests that she wanted to tell him the whole time – which makes sense, since he’s her best friend. But I do like your idea of making an entire show about them kissing. Who do I have to write to make that happen?
A Little Kiss Would Tell
For my money, if I had to pick a scene where they should have kissed, there’s really only one choice. Max sliding across the floor on his knees, singing “I Think I Love You” wins it, hands down. I know she hadn’t perhaps considered him in a romantic light until that moment, but all I’m saying is…you lay a kiss on him, maybe the two of you can figure out if he loves you for sure! What about you, Lizzie? To kiss, or not to kiss? And, while we’re at it, the lyrics to that song are less certain than would come later (in “Sucker,” “I’m Gonna (500 Miles),” and “All of Me”). Look at his face right before turns and he sings about his love. He seems a little reluctant to share his feelings, even during his heart song. Do you think Max knew he was in love with Zoey for a while before that scene? Or was he just coming to terms with his own feelings for her?
Lizzie: To kiss. I mean, how could she even resist him? But I actually think, as stated above, that he was just coming to terms with it, and honestly, maybe without her powers she might have found herself coming to terms with it too, in a more normal way. They’re THAT fic, after all. Maybe he was attracted to her now being his boss, which would be coming pretty full circle because Zoey seem to really dig independent Max in the finale. One more way these two are perfect for each other!
Jade: Wow. I hadn’t even put that parallel together. Max was attracted to Zoey as his boss, and Zoey was attracted to his newfound confidence from having been a boss in the finale. Amazing. Now I’m just gonna…I’m gonna need to stew on that for a while. Like you said, these two (adorable idiots) are indeed perfect for each other!
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist if available on streaming now on Hulu and through the NBC app.
