Largely famous as Britney's sister's show.Pacific Coast Academy was previously an all boys school, but has just begun admitting girls. Among that first class of girls is one Zoey Brooks, who has to contend with the boys when it comes to any privilege among the school. But of course, having a gender integrated school proves to be appealing for both sides and it basically becomes a college-type atmosphere but with teenagers.The show began with Zoey and her roommates Nicole and Dana, with Zoey making friends with Chase and his roomates, Michael and Logan. Zoey was also called upon to look after her younger brother Dustin, with the slightly crazy geek Quinn always ensuring that Hilarity Ensues at PCA.As time went on multiple characters were replaced, with varying degrees of Suspiciously Similar Substitute. Dana left, and was replaced by Lola. Later Nicole left, which allowed Quinn to move in with Lola and Zoey.Created by Dan Schneider.The origin of the Nick Verse, created when Drake Bell showed up As Himself.
Adorkable: Chase falls fully under this, to the point that even Nicole finds him adorable one time
Agent Scully: Logan is an interesting case, as he is this purely out of fear and panicked denial instead of any type of rational
All-Cheering All the Time: Zoey and her two friends are trying to make money for something so Logan hires them as cheerleaders for a week or so. At first he makes them cheer him on for nearly everything, but then they actually cheer at everything (getting rejected, taking a bath, sleeping) so he gets tired of it and pays them to shut up.
Almighty Janitor: Herb, a skilled Shakespearian actor and impressive improviser
Ambiguous Disorder: Nicole's in-show reason for leaving after season 2, Obsessive Male Gender Disorder. It may exist (depending on who you talk to) but it's unlikely Nicole's case was strong enough to necessitate action.
Ambiguously Brown: Both Dana and Lola lean into this, but as their surnames are Cruz and Martinez respectively it’s implied both are Latinas.
Ambiguously Bi: Michael. Lola too, but she's more the type to just joke about it.
Anchored Ship: Zoey and Chase in the final Season, when due to some miscommunication, Zoey is at PCA, while Chase is in the school she was supposed to be going to in England. The end result is a Type 1.
Annoying Younger Sibling: Dustin initially seems to play this straight, later it’s very obviously subverted.
Beautiful All Along: Quinn. She gives herself a makeover to try and win back Mark, only to fail and have Logan fall in love with her. He puts her glasses back on her and says "There's Quinn.", right before their first kiss. Of course, Quinn is played byErin Sanders, however, this does put a nice spin on the cliche of a geeky girl taking off her glasses, getting a makeover, and having a guy fall in love with her.
Beta Couple: Lola and Vince, Logan and Quinn, Michael and Lisa
Betty and Veronica: An interesting case, as Logan could be considered the Veronica to Mark’s Betty for Quinn’s affection. Another case of canon comparison is Rebecca being the Veronica to Zoey’s Betty in terms of Chase. In Fandom strictly, Dana is often considered the Veronica to Quinn’s Betty for Logan
Big Brother Mentor: YMMV, but Chase can be seen as this for Dustin most of the time. Logan once tried to be this to Dustin with unsuccessful results
Michael:(seeing the Dean's wrecked car) It's wrecked. Zoey:Thank you, Michael.
Catch Phrase: Michael tried to make “Dripping” into one and later he tried to make “Flump” after he heard someone using “Dripping” but could not take credit for its invention
Crash into Hello: Chase first meets Zoey when he crashed into a flagpole on his bike while waving to her.
Deadpan Snarker: Among the males Chase surely is the biggest one in the series, followed more subtly by James and among the females Dana wins the snarking trophy with Zoey in second place
The Dandy: Logan could be considered a modern version of this
Does Not Like Women - In the first season Logan really seemed upset that a bunch of teenage girls would be allowed in his school. ... kinda of makes you wonder
Ugh. Except when it doesn't. Logan probably just didn't want girls ruining the bachelor pad like dynamics. He's been shown multiple times flirting with girls from other (nearby schools) so it's not like he wanted to be away from girls.
Yeah- it's more his sexist attitudes than anything.
Fanservice: It's really amazing how much they got away with Beach Episodes and putting the cast into appealing outfits. Granted, this goes for both guys and girls.
The Fashionista: Zoey and Lola. Lola did cool off a little by the third season, though.
Foe Yay: Logan has this with all the females in the series, but its most obvious and biggest case is with both Dana and Zoey
Fridge Logic: One episode the girls are trying to disprove the guys' theory that guys act different when hanging out with girls. So they disguise Lola as a guy. How does this prove their point if they don't know it's a girl?
It proves their theory because the guys were trying to argue that it's biology or natural or something that when a girl is around they just naturally act different, as though it was against their will or something. So if it really was biology then regardless of them knowing Lola was a girl, they wouldn't have been able to naturally act like themselves. You could see the idocy in that theory I'm sure?
Funny Afro: Chase has a bushy "Jewish afro" constantly referenced by the other characters. He tends to shrug it off, but lampshades it himself after Zoey throws a pillow at him that knocks him off his chair. He gets up, pats his head and exclaims "You dented my 'fro!" in good humor
Genius Ditz: YMMV, but Nicole; in all her ditz glory is a straight A student and lowering that percentage freaks her out.
Getting Crap Past the Radar: The ENTIRE episode where they all tried to get "tapped" by the Silver Hammer Society. To be fair, they meant get tapped on the head with a silver hammer to be initiated into the society, but they just keep saying stuff about being tapped, and it gets even weirder when the girls start talking about being tapped.
Logan wears a shirt saying "I spent ONE NIGHT IN PARIS." Which is the name of Paris Hilton's sex tape.
In "The Radio," Zoey gives Chase a taco in exchange for a $10,000 antique radio, suggesting that a taco (of another variety) could be something of value (e.g. Zoey's "taco"). The final scene of this episode is utterly shameless.
From "Chase's Girlfriend": "You won't need those balls for a while." It's also the tag quote!
"Paige at PCA" begins with Lola discussing her feet. Except it sounds like she talking about her boobs at first.
In "Chase's Grandma", the robe Zoey is wearing at the pajama birthday party for Chase is very slinky. Her pajamas are sorta skimpy as well but it's a sheer robe- not the sort of thing a 16 year old should be wearing, especially in public and especially since she's in the rain later in the episode.
Chase: You can't just look a girl in the face and say, "I don't want to live with you anymore." (cut to Quinn's room where she is looking at Zoey) Quinn: Zoey, I don't want to live with you anymore.
The Glasses Gotta Go: Subverted with Quinn, who after giving herself a makeover, actually gets her glasses put back on her by Logan, and he says, "There's Quinn." before their first kiss.
Good Cop/Bad Cop: On Lola’s instance, both her and Zoey try this in one episode on season 4 with Lola taking the place of the Bad Cop and Zoey taking the place of the Good Cop
Hair of Gold: YMMV, but Zoey could actually fit in this qualification
Heterosexual Life Partners: Chase and Michael, full stop. Logan also shares this with both Chase and Michael; especially notable with Michael in season 4. Zoey and Nicole from season 1-2 and Zoey, Lola and Quinn from season 2-3-4 also qualify
Hippie Teacher: the psychology teacher in “Zoey’s Balloon” falls under this
Humiliation Conga: Rebecca gets one at the end of "Zoey's Balloon" when Zoey and the rest of the students at the lunch area do the Macalana and Rebecca flees in disgust.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Logan, Logan, Logan. Although most of the time you have so squint to see it, he does have a Hidden Heart of Gold in him and it becomes obvious in the 4th and final season of the series
Last Minute Hook Up: Zoey and Chase. After three seasons of shipteasing they finally confess their love to each other, only to not be able to do anything about since they're now 6000 miles apart. Chase returns in the final episode, and he and Zoey kiss and become a couple in the last five minutes.
Laugh Track: Averted. Feels like a breath of fresh air as opposed to Dan'sothershows that abuse the living hell out of it.
Love Makes You Dumb: Chase, numerous times throughout the series. Michael in "Michael Likes Lisa."
Man Hug: Michael and Chase have no trouble indulging in this
Market-Based Title: The series is sometimes just called Zoey outside of the USA, since the "Subject 101" format for class names isn't used a whole lot in other countries.
Meganekko: Quinn, to the point where Logan actually puts her glasses back on her before their first kiss.
Miracle Rally: In the 1st episode, Dana leads one of these in the game against the boys. Although the girls in the end don’t win the game, Dana’s participation makes the game extremely close, and the girls do win the respect of the coach and the boys.
Mama Bear: Zoey is this in terms of Dustin when he gets bullied.
Meaningful Name: Chase (as in 'pursuit'). Came in handy for naming the series finale TV movie "Chasing Zoey" ("Chase"-ing Zoey, Chase 'n Zoey).
Meet Cute: Chase and Zoey meet when Chase crashes his bike into the school's flagpole
Nearly all of the other ensemble characters (and even a few inanimate objects) have served as cockblockers to this relationship at some point in the series.
Mood Whiplash: The episode "Chase's Grandma" starts as your average sitcom episode about one of the main character's birthday and the other characters wanting to put together a great birthday behind his back - then during the very last scene of the episode, Chase's grandma (who was coming to the party) passes away ending the light-hearted episode on a really depressing note.
Narcissist: Logan. Notably it causes him to lose a contest in Hands On a Blix Van, since his arrogance prevents him from believing that Zoey is lying to him. (Or more accurately, he's so arrogant that he doesn't believe she could lie to him.)
Also, the contest had been going on for almost a full day, so he probably couldn't think straight.
New Transfer Student: Technically all the girls at PCA are this in the first season, but the most obvious case is Zoey. Lola in the second season.
Nice Guy: Chase and Michael both tie for possibly the biggest one in the series and in season four both the reformed Jerk Jock Vince Blake and Romantic False Lead James fall into this
Oblivious to Love: Zoey is oblivious to Chase's feelings for her. This gets painful when it drags on for three years, despite multiple attempts by Chase to tell her his feelings. She's oblivious even after she is told flat-out by her friends that Chase is in love with her, and had been since he met her. Lola even goes so far as to pull a random student from the hallway. And Zoey still doesn't believe it!
Lola: Ginny, could you come here a minute?
Ginny: What's up?
Lola: 'Blank' is in love with Zoey. Fill in the blank.
Ginny:(as though it were the most obvious answer in the world) Chase.
Lola: Thanks for playing.
Odd Friendship: If one takes times to think about, Chase and Logan’s friendship seems to fall into this, as they are so incredibly different and normally seem to be the kind of friendship that would not work thanks to their personalities but more than once is showed that they are acutely dear and close friends
Only Sane Employee: Kazu, the owner of PCA's Sushi Rox, seems to be one of this in comparison to the other adults on campus. Mr. Bender also seem to be this
Only Sane Man: Chase constantly falls into this, something that is obviously not very difficult when your competition is Logan and Michael. Throughout the first season 1st season, Dana proved to have elements of this as well
Put on a Bus - Dana after the first season. Nicole after the second season. Chase for most of the fourth season. Basically no character was too important enough on the show that their actor couldn't afford to be fired.
Put On A Bus To Hell — Alexa Nikolas quit the show because of a feud between her and Jamie Lynn Spears. Alexa's character, Nicole, was an intensely boy-crazy, insecure kid who hated unfamiliar situations — and Zoey says in the third season premiere that Nicole has been shipped to an all-girls boarding school. In a previous episode, Nicole had broken down sobbing when she thought she'd have to transfer to another school. Ouch. The writers know how to punch.
Really Gets Around: Logan, serial kisser and dater per excellence fall into a kid – friendly version of this
Six Student Clique: Zoey (The Head), Quinn (The Smart One and The Quirk), Lola (The Wild One), Chase (The Smart One and The Quirk), Michael (The Quirk with aspect of The Wild One) and Logan (The Muscle). Other qualifications among the group are Nicole (The Wild One and The Quirk), Dana (The Muscle) and James (he shares qualification with both The Head and The Sixth Ranger)
Shout Out: There have a few references to iCarly, including one episode where Lola has a ringtone that is the show's opening theme song and another where she is visiting the iCarly website. Both of them were before the said series began.
Spicy Latina: Arguable and mostly implied because of her surname, but Dana Cruz, both sarcastic and confrontational, could fall under this. Lola Martinez could be considered a milder version but she has some aspects of this
Start My Own - Logan after being rejected of the "Silver hammer" club.
Strange Girl: Lola initially acts as this in order to scare both Nicole and Zoey, but later its subverted as it comes to light that the Strange Girl characteristics she had where all a mere “acting exercise” and that Lola could not be farther from this trope.
Take That: Towards the end of episode two in season three, Zoey and Chase talk about how they think it's dumb that two people can't be friends without suspicions arising about their feelings for each other. This could be considered a Take That to the fans who ship the pair, or just shippers of anyone on the series.
They do end up together, so it's a Broken Aesop at best.
Taking the Heat: Zoey at the end of the episode "Prank Week", so she could save the school's co-ed status. Due to an oversight during her subsequent apology (the statue acting up and the students rioting), her expulsion is revoked AND the school remains co-ed.
This Means War!: Zoey in "Prank Week" after getting soaked with a giant water balloon. She had previously been saying that they shouldn't sink down to the level of the boys.
Tomboy and Girly Girl: Dana is the most obvious tomboy on the show to girly girl Nicole in season 1. Quinn and Lola to a lesser extent in seasons 3 and 4. Zoey, being a Canon Sue, rotates between being a tomboy or a girly girl based on whatever the episode calls for.
TrailersAlwaysSpoil: Or in this case opening credits spoil. The trailer for the first episode of Season 2 depicts Lola as a goth chick. She wasn't. This may have been a surprise...if they didn't show her as normal in the opening credits.
Unneccessary Makeover: In-universe, in "Quinn Misses The Mark", Quinn gives herself a makeover to try and win back Mark. She ends up ditching it when Logan falls in love with her and puts her glasses back on her and says, "There's Quinn" right before their first kiss. (Of course, she's played by Erin Sanders, so she's extremely hot either way).
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