Note: This piece was originally published on my Substack. I’m archiving it here on Beehiiv for accessibility and continuity. Minor edits may have been made for formatting.
Was Zoey Brooks truly the villain of her own story? Personally, I don’t think so
Sorry for going AWOL for a few weeks, dear readers. I wanted to go quiet so I could finish my next video before F1’s summer break ended—because fun fact! I’m not just your friendly neighborhood F1 race recap writer, I’m also a YouTuber/video essayist! I plan to talk a lot more about F1 through the video essay format, but I wanted to finish a video my longtime fans wanted first: A video about the Nickelodeon show Zoey 101.
You can watch it below, or continue reading to get a basic idea of what I’m arguing in it and why it matters.
What’s the Thesis?
Many people on the internet criticize Zoey for what I feel are stupid reasons. They call her a “Mary Sue,” “bland,” or even “bitchy”. But, those labels shadow how she’s actually written. In The Anatomy of Zoey 101, I put the discourse on the table and cut it open, revealing Zoey as a messy teenage girl with a consistent set of principles and boundaries… written into a double bind and then punished for surviving it.
I also argue the Zoey hate stems from the woman who portrayed her, Jamie Lynn Spears. The Jamie Lynn Spears criticism is justified— there are many reasons to dislike her (for example, one of her co-stars has publicly discussed how Jamie Lynn mistreated her on the set, even using her older sister Britney to get back at her.) But, Jamie Lynn Spears is not Zoey Brooks. Confusing the actress with the character is lazy media literacy. Zoey didn’t write the scripts, frame the shots, or run the PR. She’s a character. Analyze the character.
The Receipts (quick hits)
Here are some of the episodes I discuss in the video, including how they show Zoey isn’t what much of the internet claims she is:
Prank Week (S1E05): Zoey offers herself up to protect the girls’ future at PCA after a prank gone wrong, a selfless sacrifice so the other girl students have a chance to succeed.
Backpack (S1E10): Zoey gets plagiarized by an older student. She responds by improving her design and selling it, spending the proceeds on a dorm jukebox.
The Dance (S1E12): Two boys game a “compatibility” quiz for to get paired with Zoey for a dance. She calls them both out as pathetic and ditches them. You go, girl.
Election (S2E03): Zoey refuses a guilt-soaked “noble dropout” after campaign shenanigans with her so-called best friend. Correct.
Why it matters
We’re fast to punish girls on TV for traits we reward in boys: initiative, competence, and a spine. Calling Zoey a “Mary Sue” or “awful” flattens her entire character arc. She’s a principled kid navigating adults’ systems and paying for it. We can critique power and industry rot without dumping that anger on a fictional teenager. Different files, different accountability.
That’s all for now. The video again in case you forget:
P.S. Thanks for the patience during the quiet stretch. We’re back on grid soon; Lazy Thoughts resumes for Zandvoort.