This show is getting so boring. I’m having trouble making it through the episodes at this point. I could probably sum up this episode in a few words but for the sake of the recap I guess I can ramble. Michael and Julia carry on with their rekindled affair and it’s gross. Affairs are rarely likeable. Is it that hard to break up with your partner beforehand? And when you have a kid? With eyes? Who is watching you makeout with your new boyfriend from his bedroom window?
Ivy is a bit sick and tired of Derek’s habit of humiliating her in front of everyone in the workshop instead of treating her like the goddess she is. The final straw comes when Derek asks Karen to show Ivy how it’s done and to give her lessons after hours. I hate that they’re making Ivy a villain. She is still so much better than Karen for the part. It’s just laughable at this point. Karen’s biggest worry of the episode is how sexy she can be in a revealing dress that she apparently proves to herself by publicly making out in a car. I just. Whatever.
Nick Jonas guest stars on this week’s new episode of Smash. A multi-millionaire child star who just so happens to be good friends with Derek. Not quite as good as he is with Ivy. And Karen is just realizing just how close the two of them are. Unfortunately for her, she’s going to have to get ahead in this business on her own.
It makes it a bit harder when no one in the ensemble will welcome her or help her learn the ropes. Karen struggles to fit in during the workshop rehearsals but Ivy continues to have her removed from performances. She just stands out too much and is obvious competition for Ivy. I don’t know why Ivy has no confidence. She is still, in my opinion, the better Marilyn.
The dancers eventually turn to help Karen make a splash in the right way. They help her with clothes, dancing, and her performing with a group. It leads to them singing and dancing to Adele in a bar where..Karen sings and dances lead. Wasn’t the point supposed to be that she wasn’t to outshine the others?
Derek throws a big party for Lyle, the rich, talented star. Eileen sets her eyes on him immediately to alleviate her money troubles. This kid has so much money he doesn’t know what to do with it all. She has a painting worth hundreds of thousands but her ex husband’s name is on the receipt. She can’t sell it to anyone else. Lyle agrees to help her out if she can prove to him that their show will be a hit. Michael, Ivy, and Julia put on a performance with one of the songs from the show and it’s great. Finally, a catchy song from this thing.
Ivy notices Derek chatting up another girl at the party so she agrees to a tour of the bedrooms with Lyle. Um. Ew. How old is he? Is he even legal? At least he can sing Michael Buble. Derek doesn’t back down and clings to his right to flirt as long as it can lead to an investment in his show. Classy.
The team is looking for the perfect Joe Dimaggio for the show. They think they’ve found it in Michael, a performer who has worked with them in the past. Derek goes to see him perform a weird Bruno Mars theater show. I can’t tell if this is for real or not and I’m more perplexed that no one is laughing. Michael has a history with Julia and it turns out he and her had an affair a few years back and she would rather he not be in the show at all. He sounds sooo much better when he’s singing about Marilyn than Bruno Mars.
Karen is disappointed that she’ll only be in the ensemble because of the time required and the lack of money she’ll be receiving. She’s hesitant about letting her boyfriend support her financially. Sounds like a dream come true if you ask me. Karen goes to Iowa for a friend’s baby shower and participates in some southern karaoke. I’m really starting to lose interest in her character entirely.
Ivy is still sleeping with the director and Tom is pissed when he finds out. He loves an opportunity to hate on Derek. Tom and Julia fight over it and Ellis butts in. He’s been wanting money for the Marilyn idea and steals Julia’s notebook. He then grows some balls and throws a little attitude back at her for how she treats him. This won’t end well.
The competition for the role of Marilyn is heating up. Both Ivy and Karen got callbacks. And now the fun begins. Karen needs to work on her dancing and well, everything else. Ivy has spent a good chunk of her life studying Marilyn. She has the experience, the look, the talent, and a much better voice. I’m trying to figure out why we’re supposed to be rooting for Karen over her.
Other than her scenes with Derek, I’ve so far had trouble sympathizing. I mean, sure. Every struggling Broadway hopeful is looking for their big break. But in this case, I don’t think she’s right for this specific part. She has a great talent for somewhere else. But, it wouldn’t be much of a show if it was that simple. The chemistry between Derek and Karen is electric and I’m just waiting for the day she’ll probably cheat on her boyfriend. She pisses him off after missing an important business dinner. He blows up but not much else happens after that. It’s nice to see a relationship not explode over little mistakes like on the common drama.
Maybe it’s because I’m mentally photoshopping myself into the scenes where Jack Davenport is whispering in his dreamy accent. I don’t know. What I do know is that he’s not having sex with her. Yet. He’s having sex with Ivy. Everyone saw that hookup coming but it wasn’t as sleazy as I was expecting. I was expecting a cringey casting couch scenario like when Karen initially went to Derek’s apartment. In this case, they were working together and had a moment.
There’s some adoption sub-plot going on in this episode that I really couldn’t care less about. Julia wants to adopt a baby girl from China. Her son wants her to do it. Her husband changes his mind because of how long it’s going to take and he’s getting on in years. She goes through with it anyway. The end.
Derek chooses to stay rather than leave to go back and direct My Fair Lady. The group comes to a decision on the part. They award the role of Marilyn to Ivy. Well done. But will they change their mind?
Smash has been hyped as the best new show of 2012. With a star studded cast including Jack Davenport, Anjelica Houston, and Debra Messing, it seems like it has all the necessary qualities to succeed. We viewed the pilot episode early on without any idea of what to expect. All I knew about the show was the cast and the inevitable comparisons to Glee. So what did we think?
Spoilers: Plus watch the pilot episode here:
Smash has more of an Ugly Betty feel than NBC’s answer to Glee. There’s more plot than random outbursts of song and it has more of a drama feel to it. The show focuses on Broadway. Two girls hoping to get their big break in a musical centered around Marilyn Monroe. The force behind the musical (Debra Messing) juggles family life and the hopes for adopting a child with her busy career writing the musical.
Jack Davenport plays the extremely talented, but somewhat bitter director with a personality that clashes with the others in the musical. Jack Davenport seems perfect for this role. He’s played everything from the sympathetic male lead in a chick flick to a pirate. We couldn’t be happier to see him in this. These characters disagree over who should be the lead in their musical.
Their choices are Ivy, the more realistic and qualified singer, or Karen, a waitress with disapproving parents who just wants to get her big break. The audience may recognize Katharine Mcphee from American Idol. She has a lovely voice but I found it hard to believe that it would stop an entire casting crew in their tracks. I also kind of cringed when she had to be sexy with the director. It gave me a creepy casting couch vibe. Both girls get callbacks and this sets into motion what can only be described as a bitter fight to the finish. Who will they choose?
All in all, Smash was definitely one of the better pilots of the season.
Will we be tuning in again? YES. Definitely. It has the cast and potential to be amazing. The comparisons to Glee shouldn’t even be an issue and this could be the breakout show NBC needs.
Watch the pilot episode here before it airs in February on NBC:
