WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist Season 2, Episode 3, available now on Peacock and Hulu.
The second season of Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist has seen Zoey confront head-on the gender imbalance at her workplace. But despite taking decisive action early on in the season, the issue of the predominately male workplace -- and their associated antics -- continues to plague Zoey. One way to continue to push back against the growing tension would be to bring back the beloved character of Abigail.
Season 2, Episode 2 saw Zoey working to dismantle the gender imbalance at SPRQ Point. She had been the only woman programmer on the fourth floor, and her promotion to manager left an entirely male team. At the end of the episode, Zoey invited three more woman programmers to help set things right. However, Zoey's motivations may not have been for the best. She only worked to undo the gender imbalance because the all-male team was turning into a frat house, not because she was intentionally trying to create an inclusive workplace.
The latest episode shows that Zoey's gambit may not have worked. The men are still up to their old shenanigans, naming their company softball team the "Brogrammers" and choosing a logo of a silhouette holding a baseball bat in a suggestive manner. After someone complains about the sexist and exclusionary nature of the team jerseys, the men start a game in the office and shatter Zoey's window with a baseball. So, not only has the still predominately male programming team not changed, but they're also still up to their frat house behavior.
The problematic gender imbalance at SPRQ Point seems to be a running issue for Zoey -- one that could be helped by remembering the woman programmer that the show has already introduced. Season 1 introduced viewers to Abigail, the daughter of the caretaker that was working with Zoey's father. Abigail was studying computer science at a local university and on multiple occasions, Zoey and her team members discussed how she would be perfect for one of SPRQ Point's internships.
Bringing Abigail back would not only help to increase the number of women on SPRQ Point's fourth floor but if she swapped with one of the main programmers, the men would no longer have the majority. This would be a great start to helping to create an inclusive workplace, but it's not the only good that Abigail would do. She's already met some of the team, including Tobin, one of the most troublesome members, who thought she would be a great addition. Bringing Abigail on would feel like a nod toward Tobin's contributions, which could mean he'd make less of a fuss about it.
Abigail can't solve all of SPRQ Points gender problems, but working to increase the number of women programmers and making the existing team feel like they were part of that decision would be a great way to settle some of the tension that's been building. Bringing Abigail back would also show that Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist remembers its earlier promises and has the ability to set up larger plot turns seasons ahead of time.