Smash: "Hell on Earth" and "Understudy"
Tuesday, April 10, 2012 at 7:44PM Continuing our coverage of our favorite new show "SMASH" the only musical on television that makes any cohesive sense from epiosde to episode and is tangentially about the movies, too.
Karen and Ivy are slowly becoming frenemies. I'll drink to that
In "Hell on Earth" the long form narrative gets back up on its feet after that episode that felt like it didn't happen: Ivy's sour downward mood continues as we see her phoning it in amusingly and then disastrously in the hit musical comedy "Heaven on Earth" (with special guest star, the awesome Norbert Leo Butz... who recently won the Tony for the Tom Hanks role in the musical adaptation of "Catch Me If You Can"); Eileen continues to push when others would have given up; Ellis continues to scheme and even puts out to get an "in" with a movie star; Debra Messing continues to make a case for an Emmy - holy hell she's great on this show even though her storylines have the least to do with the actual creation of a musical; Tom continues to clash with his Republican boyfriend; Karen continues to prove Ivy's point that everything comes easily to her when she books a national commercial.
Set Lists, Gayest Moments, and UMA THURMAN!
The most interesting and temporarily sweetest development is discovering that Derek hasn't thrown Ivy out of his bed post Marilyn. Smash even uses this opportunity to take potshots at televisions obsession with crime procedurals as Derek searches for a new project.
Ivy: What are you reading?
Derek: It's a TV Pilot. [sarcastically] JD MBA PHD who solves crime. It's riveting.
Ivy: Is there a part in it for me?
Derek: How's your dead hooker?
Set List Originals: Brooklyn Bridge" (tiny excerpt), "Knockin' on Heaven's Gate" (title?); Contemporary: Rihanna's "Cheers (Drink to That)"... the least amount of music in any episode.
Gay Gay Gay: Tom's giggle when his boyfriend tells him he's a Republican. Oh wait, he's serious.
Anjelica Awesomeness: "Oh good so there's actually one thing you can all agree on." Eileen's righteous bitchiness when all of her collaborators announce that they don't want to chase movie stars for the Marilyn Monroe part. She's also awesome dressing Ellis down when he oversteps and won't answer the phone.
Curtain Call: The musical gets a title and Debra reels from the "Bombshell" in her final closeup.
Grade: B
With "Understudy" a new mini arc begins with the invasion of The Movie Star (aka Rebecca Duvall aka Uma Thurman). Or almost begins. They save Uma for the finale. Karen (Katharine McPhee) gets center stage as the understudy while they wait for the star. Ivy (Megan Hilty) is persona non grata on the boards after her meltdown. Eileen finds new investors for the show, virtually every romantic relationship is starting to fall apart (except the ones that are just starting) and we're back to the rehearsal rooms where the show is strongest. It's not that the romantic dramas aren't interesting, it's just that they shouldn't be the entire focus. The peak of the episode was halfway through when Tom stepped in for the actor playing Mr. Zanuck for a comedy number about Hollywood vs. Monroe. The song by the Hairspray team Marc Shaiman and Scott Whitman is typically strong. I so want this to be an actual Broadway show, don't you?
Chorus: A studio executive has no beliefs
that's the way of the studio system
We bow to every rear of all the studio chiefs
and you can bet your ass we've kissed 'em.
Even the firs in the hollywood hills
know the secret to our successs
it's those magical words that pay the bills.
"Yes" and "yes" and "yes".[Mr. Zanuck enters to lots of "good morning groveling"]
Mr. Zanuck: Gentlemen take a memo.
Today the trades are all aglow
with grosses for our Miss Monroe.
The things those vermin mustn't know
is what she puts us through.
She makes directors wait all day
one line per hour is all she'll say
And still she thinks we're gonna pay?
she needs a talking to.Tomatoes like her must be put in their place.
If she don't shape up soon she'll soon be walking.
Cuz the buck stops with me...Chorus: Yes you're right, we agree.
Mr. Zanuck: Don't say "yes" until I finish talking.
Wonderful to hear a song that wittily comments on Monroe's uncomfortable relationship with the studios. Tense it was from the beginning until the day of her untimely death (50 years ago this summer)
Set List: Contemporary Hits - "Break Away" (Megan Hilty); Originals - "Three on a Match" (Extras)... a terrible song from Julia & Tom's first hit; "Yes. Yes. Yes" (Christian Borle) and "Kisses Come Free" (title? Katharine McPhee) which we've heard a few times now.
Best Moment: The "Yes" number. Great staging - Smash is generally strongest when it's focusing on the creation of the musical at it's center.
Gay Gay Gay: The wardrobe malfunctions in that "Yes" number. If the number takes place in a steam room and they're wearing towels why are they flinging them about? Is this a naked musical? The investors won't approve.
Anjelica Awesomeness: "That's incredibly sweet. Got seven million under there?"... everyone knows Anjelica can do fierce, funny and bitchy. But her Eileen is many sided and her vulnerability mixed with persistence is beguiling.
Curtain Call: Enter Uma Thurman...
Am I in the right place?"
Yes, Uma. You most definitely are. Can't wait for next week's episode.
Grade: B/B+
Aren't you always excited when Uma Thurman makes a grand entrance?
Reviews, Smash, TV at the Movies, Uma Thurman, musicals
Reader Comments (11)
for me, 'Never Give all the Heart' sung by Katharine was the best song of the night! actually, it may be my favorite song on Smash
I really enjoyed the scene between Derek and Karen where he actually sees her as Marilyn. She wasn't as fiery in the role as Ivy but she wasn't the blank slate that she usually is. It got me wondering about whether McPhee has intentionally been holding back so that we can really see Karen grow. I can't wait to see what Uma does next week, the preview for the next episode looked great.
@Nathaniel, have you seen the preview clip of next week's episode? If the little highlights of Uma are telling us anything, then this show has FINALLY found the character with the necessary voice. I'm expecting big, big, big things from this guest arc. And if I'm failed, then to hell with this mess!! All I want is the unaired pilot of "The Miraculous Year," whatever vault HBO has it hidden deep within. When "Luck" was canceled, I crossed all fingers that it might be resurrected.
YES! We're back to form with 'Understudy'. It's as if the TV show is riding the waves of the musical itself, trying to find its way, taking a wrong turn, then falling right back where it belongs, with knock-out numbers and star-making moments.
The script was also very strong in this episode (see all the arguments between Dev and Karen), with Kat McPhee carrying all her scenes nicely. I think she's a better TV actress than Hilty, and that's what's saving her so far. We finally got a glimpse of her as a star in the making (at least through Derek's eyes), and i totally bought it - I was starting to lose hope what with Hilty nailing every number since the pilot. But McPhee is wise in holding back, as she did on 'Kisses are free', leaving room for the character to grow and make the transition credible.
I also think the chemistry between Karen and Derek is muy caliente, can't wait to see where that goes (also I'm sick of Dev and Karen making out in every goddamned scene).
thefilmjunkie -- immediately after writing this i thought "wow, i didn't mention that really interesting scene between Karen and Derek !"
Steve -- what is "the miraculous year"?
I loved the scene between Derek and Karen as well, when he hallucinates her as Marilyn. I agree, I don't know if she's being directed that way or what...but McPhee has been comatose since the pilot unless she's singing. But that was the first glimpse of how great she could be.
Anyway, loved Ivy's pill-popping meltdown during Heaven on Earth and her screaming in full angel costume in Times Square. So cheesy it was amazing.
Nathaniel, I'm pretty sure that the miraculous year was the pilot HBO ordered that starred Patti Lupone and many other broadway favs, with a score by Adam Guettel that was about a composer writing a broadway musical. So we probably would have had a high class prestige drama with that, instead of the musical soap opera we have with Smash. Being a serious minded musical theater person myself I would have loved to have seen HBO's show ordered into series. Smash is so dead wrong about so many things its not even funny. Actually, scratch that. IT IS hilarious in many horrendous ways which is why I have a drink or two in my hand every time I watch.
Nathaniel, Sean's right, except I think Patti had a very supporting role as the lead on the musical within the show. Plot was squashed after Stephen Sondheim got a hold of the script and determined it stole too many details from his own life. Focus was on an alcoholic, high-brow musical composer (Norbert Leo Butz), his fucked up father and sister (played by Frank Langella and Hope Davis). Susan Sarandon played the director of his new musical, Lee Pace played Butz's love interest, with Eddie Redmayne and Laura Osnes in supporting roles as well. I remember hearing the pilot was to open with the composer snorting coke off a playbill of MY FAIR LADY.
Oh, and the show was written by John Logan and the pilot directed by Kathryn Bigelow right off her Oscar win.
LOVED everything related to "Heaven On Earth" - Norbert Leo Butz is so fantastic! And Megan Hilty milked that meltdown for all it was worth. Particularly loved her and Karen sort of bonding.
But this most recent episode... everything related to Bombshell was great, especially the Zanuck number, but the stuff between Karen & Dev and Tom & his boyfriend(??? I thought they were just friends after the awful sex???) moved WAY too fast, no? Like, the leap to "you're in love with that chorus boy" seemed a little premature. I mean, we can see it because this is a TV show and foreshadowing and all that, but he sees them being chummy a few times and instead of thinking they're really good friends accuses Tom of having feelings for him? Is he supposed to be an insane, jealous prick? And Dev is really infuriating. Just tell her you didn't get the promotion, stupid! Yelling at her solves nothing! For someone who has been so supportive of Karen, it really didn't take much for him to turn on her. Yeah, there was the reveal of Derek's "sexual harassment", but Karen is an adult, however naive, and Dev's response was kind of insultingly chauvinistic.
And I couldn't care less about Julia's family (especially her son), except for the fact that Debra Messing is KILLING IT in every single one of those scenes!
Uma! Will have to jump on board Smash then i guess :).
I forgot Uma Thurman was joining the show for a few episodes. Man, I really need to catch up on this show...although I haven't watched it since Episode 2.