Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist: Why Max Should Be the Only Option

The love triangle on Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist is already starting to become tiresome.

While love triangles do serve a purpose if they are written correctly, they mostly tend to stress out viewers and take the focus away from the situation at hand.

In the case of the Simon/Zoey/Max love triangle, the issue is simple. There should never have been a triangle in the first place.

Although NBC has not yet renewed Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist for a second season, anything is possible with a fanbase as passionate as this one's.

If the series does continue, there is one straightforward and easy way to improve it.

Put less emphasis on the love triangle and more focus on the love story.

The problem isn't necessarily what the romantic drama does to the show. The problem is that the relationship between Zoey and Simon is so warped and hollow that there isn't much of a point to it.

A well-done love triangle divides fans. If we can't make up our minds, how can we expect the character to do it?

But besides a very small percentage, everyone on social media is firmly on Team Max and has been since day one.

Why is that?

The answer is that the series makes us dislike Simon, while still trying to make us like his relationship with Zoey.

Rather than being a genuine guy who's actively trying to work through his grief, Simon comes off as someone who wants to have his cake and eat it too.

The worst part of it is the constant excuses made for the way he treats other people.

Simon cheated on his fiancée and led on Zoey, but instead of being told off by Mo, Mo sympathized with him.

It almost seems as if the show is saying, "cheating's not okay, but it's understandable."

It's an unnecessary message to send on a quality and heartfelt show that does an incredible amount of things right.

There's no denying that there is some onscreen chemistry between the actors, but their romance feels artificial.

The whole reason why Simon was drawn to Zoey on Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist Season 1 Episode 1 had nothing to do with their ability to connect on the kind of personal level the show tries to emphasize.

Sure, they both know what it's like to lose a father, but Zoey only realized Simon's sadness because of her newfound powers.

Simon was shocked that Zoey could read him so well, and her continuous ability to do that is what pushed them closer together.

However, it's all a lie.

That's not to say that Simon doesn't grow to like Zoey as a person, but the main aspect that made him feel so close to her and so far from his fiancée is that Zoey always knows exactly what he needs.

Jessica wasn't unable to read Simon because no one knows him like Zoey; she simply doesn't have powers that let her hear his innermost thoughts.

The comparison of the women seemed unfair, to say the least.

Although Simon and Zoey probably won't make it in the long haul, adding this complicated relationship as an obstacle to an already dramatic love story is messy.

Knowing that Simon is also an option for Zoey doesn't make me love Zoey and Max's romance more than I already did. All it does is frustrate me as a viewer.

There are plenty of ways to create a slow burn romance between two best friends without bringing a third party into the picture.

Max was in love with Zoey long before her powers allowed her to read his mind, and she also trusted Max enough to tell him the truth.

There are a countless number of arguments that could express why Max and Zoey should end up together, but that's not even the point I'm attempting to make.

It's perfectly viable for both Zoey and Max to have other love interests throughout the series.

Sometimes, it's hard to avoid.

But a love triangle that is going to continue into the second season hurts the show and Zoey's relationship with her best friend.

The love triangle takes the focus away from everything else in the series and makes it a show about 'ships rather than a musical that happens to have a great romance.

Two of the main plot points of Zoey's Playlist, aside from her powers, were her relationship with her family and Zoey trying to sort out whether she loved Simon or Max.

In an installment that left the audience heartbroken, Zoey's dad, Mitch, succumbed to his disease on Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist Season 1 Episode 12.

So, where does that leave us?

Is the love triangle going to be an even bigger issue during Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist Season 2?

Because I think it's time for it to die off, once and for all.