It's no fun to get behind when covering television since the new episodes just keep arriving. Let's dance through the past three weeks of Smash, our new favorite show, and be back in the now. Who's joining this kick line?
1.4 "The Cost of Art"
In the stellar fourth episode, we've reached day one of workshop rehearsals. The show is speeding along like it's about to be cancelled and wants to cram everything in. In the past I've criticized the show for a mildly sedate energy in certain key moments but that hasn't been from the typical television problem of the plot not advancing.
I love first days, don't you?
The episode title is a literal reference to Eileen's (Anjelica Huston) original Degas which she hopes to sell to finance her Marilyn the Musical workshop. Thematically its a foreshadowing of impending grief for these showbiz folks as they struggle through the creation of the musical. Ivy (Megan Hilty) didn't realize that Karen (Katharine McPhee) was in the chorus and there's lots of power plays and wounded feelings. Karen didn't realize that Ivy was sleeping with the boss and there's lots of unspoken judgement and wounded feelings. Derek continues to blow so hot and cold that Ivy can't function and there's lots of insecurity, sex and wounded feelings. Meanwhile Derek (Christian Borle) and Julia's (Debra Messing) new love interests suggest that these two just aren't very good at managing their personal lives outside of work.
"Rumor Has It" ...Bobby is so fierce.
LET'S BE BAD with CHEMISTRY after the jump...
This episode even solves the annoying / unexpected problem of Katharine McPhee being both NBC's suggested star of the series and her character Karen being the one we least like to spend time with now that the show has settled into its groove. The company, formerly all on Ivy's side, finally befriends Karen but they tell it like it when she whines about how hard she's trying.
Oh my god you are so not trying."
-Bobby (Wesley Taylor who we already love) staging an intervention
Set List: Originals - "20th Century Fox" (Company) and "Wolf" (Company); Other Songs - Michael Buble's "Haven't Met You Yet" (Nick Jonas, guest star) and Adele's "Rumor Has It" (McPhee & Company)
Cultural References: Oliver!, Degas
Anjelica Awesomeness: "I need some Bubble wrap." "Bubble wrap?" "You've heard of it."
Gay Gay Gay Bobby's intervention / sartorial judgment "It's a disaster"
Best Moment: That rousing "Wolf" number, which is performed impromptu to convince the episode's guest star (Nick Jonas) to invest, has a great chaotic lead-in as Eileen gathers her team "Show time". The energy never lags once that 'let's put on a show' spirit catches fire. You know musical comedy is working when the performers are having as much fun as you are watching.
Curtain Call: "I just want to feel safe."/ "Than go back to the chorus!" The show has sometimes struggled with justifying its contemporary songs but the excellent rendition of "Rumor Has It" fuses the throughlines of both its female leads episode threads and tells you so much about both of their ongoing complicated relationships to their own possible stardom. This is how it's done. If the show can keep this up, we'll be veritably begging for "Show time!" every Monday.
Grade: A
1.5 "Let's Be Bad"
There was no way to go but down from "The Cost of Art" but there are two special things about this otherwise merely good episode and the first is the increasingly great work from Debra Messing. She does the kind of stretching that tends to work wonders for career longevity in that she is working from a familiar template 'High Strung Woman With Gay Best Friend' but she's adding new notes to it. Tom & Julia re already much different than Will & Grace and not just from the switch to musical drama from sitcom comedy. She's aces in every single scene in this episode whether she's getting the dressing down from Tom for playing with fire, raging at her son for a stupid move that gets him arrested and then grounded, or trying to ignore her own feelings about her former lover Michael Swift (Will Chase) and failing.
Julia: I was eating ice cream and apple pie."
Tom: You're playing with fire."
Meanwhile Derek (the excellent Jack Davenport) and Ivy continue to struggle with very different viewpoints about their relationship to each other and to the show and some of these interpersonal dramas start to feel a bit like repetitive. The show within a show hits its highest peak thus far with a breathtaking book and musical number performance of "Let's Be Bad" in full costume. Sadly the episode is dragged down by Karen and Dev's annoying subplot about his potential promotion and hers should Ivy falter. McPhee's solo in this episode is also the show's worst thus far, mere filler and incongruous at that.
Set List: Originals - "Let's Be Bad" (Hilty & Company x 3); Older - "Happy Birthday" (McPhee), "It's a Man's Man's World" (McPhee), " A Song For You" (Swift)
Cultural and Movie References: Hermes, "The Marilyn Memoir"
Best Moment: "Let's Be Bad"
Anjelica Awesomeness: "How quaint"
Gay Gay Gay Tom's romantic plots are not agreeing with me. That is all.
Curtain Call: "A Song For You" and a very dangerous kiss (Julia & Michael) with a shocked witness (Julia's son)
Grade: B+
1.6 "Chemistry"
With the latest episode the series is starting to feel more like a workplace soap opera with occassional music and less like a musical in a workplace. I hope that doesn't last. But thankfully the soap part is good. Who knew that Debra Messing could sell sexual angst and guilt this well? The episode kicks off with Ivy losing her voice, sending everyone including producer Eileen into panic mode.
A leading lady with vocal problems? Nobody believes that even when it's true!"
Ivy takes pretanazone to heal quickly and it gives her hallucinations so we see Karen in Marilyn garb again reminding us all that Ivy makes a way way better Marilyn and the show should really quit this teasing about Ivy losing the role she already won to Karen.
Set List: Originals "History is Made at Night" (McPhee & Chase); Older - Jessie J's "Who You Are" (Hilty), Florence and the Machine's "Shake It Up" (McPhee); Traditional - "Hava Nagila" (McPhee),
Best Moment: "I can't think if you touch me" - Debra Messing is just selling the romantic chemistry and guilt. Who knew she had this much drama in her.
Gay Gay Gay "You boys are very clever" Eileen stars palling around with the young 'uns, hitting the dive bars.
Anjelica Awesomeness: she loves a cheap drink. And the bartender "one for you."
Curtain Call: This episode doesn't end with a musical number. Though the prologue of "History is Made at Night" with Ivy exploding at Derek is cathartic bitchy fun. Well, he really is awful to her.
Grade: B- Mostly because the musical numbers weren't good --Ivy's felt like a cheap music video, even if she was meant to be drugged up -- and didn't feel organic to the plot.
Previous Episodes
"Pilot" in which we meet our cast and crew and "Marilyn the Musical" sparks in Tom & Julia's mind.
"The Callback" and "Enter Joe DiMaggio" in which we get our Marilyn and her main man.