Previously, on Smash
We open tonight on Karen slipping away from Jimmy Charming's bed in the dead of night. Jimmy is naked and unconscious. He's never been more appealing. She gathers sheet music from his piano and sneaks out the door. Jimmy awakens and sees that the music is gone.
His reaction is slight...
Which displeases Derek, as we learn that this is the scene from Hit List where “Amanda” steals “Jesse's” songs in this world without intellectual property lawyers or the Internet. Derek says this is the moment where Jesse realizes that he's been used and his life's work stolen. Jimmy explains that no, Jesse has no idea what's just happened and Derek's interpretation is wrong. Not a concept Derek appreciates exploring on the first day of rehearsal (or, frankly, ever) but rather than push the point he simply calls for a bigger reaction than a shrug.
Ivy is certainly prompting a bigger reaction than a shrug on her first day back with Bombshell, tearing through “Let Me Be Your Star”.
Everyone's enchanted except Tom, who's broken from the mood by Julia's ringing cell phone.
A smiling Eileen departs to meet with Agnes the publicist. Tom chides Julia about the phone and tells her “it's been a week, he's not calling back.” Julia protests that Scott was one of her closest friends in grad school and it's been 15 years so he can't still be holding on to whatever the problem between them for all this time. She insists there's something else she's not getting. Tom: “Yes, the hint.” Snerk.
As the chorines snack on croissants left over from the Liaisons opening night/closing night party, Tom congratulates Ivy on her improved performance. She attributes it to his presence as the director and offers a suggestion about her breathing in “Star”. He loves the idea and asks her to bring any suggestions to him. He opens that request to the entire cast, encouraging them to converge on his place that evening with input because unlike some people he thinks actors are more than just a body with a voice. Ivy immediately asks for a break in the second act since she's in every scene and could use a breather. Tom glances at Julia, who looks like she just swallowed a bug, and tells Ivy they'll figure something out.
Eileen has arrived for her meeting with Agnes AKA Santana Lopez from Fifteen Years In The Future to discuss publicity for Bombshell.
"My Mexican third eye is never wrong."
Eileen comments on how much Ivy's face resembles her mother Leigh Conroy's and Santana Lopez from Fifteen Years In The Future notes that Ivy got her mother's rack as well. Santana Lopez from Fifteen Years In The Future frets that Ivy's name and rack don't have the same drawing power as Leigh's, since Tom's name (and rack) don't put butts in seats. Santana Lopez from Fifteen Years In The Future says that they need some positive press because the story on Bombshell right now is that it's a “hot mess”. Then she yells at her assistant through the Blutooth that was hidden under her hair for failing to get someone on the phone fast enough. “I'm aging here, Sean, I just hit menopause while on hold.”
Eileen wonders how the story for The New York Times is looking and Santana Lopez from Fifteen Years In The Future tells her it's not happening. Eileen's incredulous since the head of the Arts section, Richard Francis, is a dear personal friend. Santana Lopez from Fifteen Years In The Future informs her that her dear personal friend is the one who axed the story.
Ivy runs up to Sam, who hasn't been seen for weeks, in the street outside rehearsal. He's back in town for a week on break from The Book of Mormon touring company and will be crashing with her. She reports how great Bombshell is going now that there's a director who listens to her. Which is totally not fair; Derek listened to her and took her suggestions several times. Sam says he's jealous but won't say whether it's of her being in the show or getting to work with Tom. He reminds her that it was Tom who practically pushed him into the tour and out of their relationship.
As Tom arranges some chairs (the gays and their decorating, am I right, fellas?) Julia wonders why a chorine is thanking her for the monologue he suddenly has in Act II. It's Tom's way to get Ivy the breather she asked for. She lectures him about how being the director means he has to be like a parent but I'm distracted by the hot chorine in the background doing stretches and deep back bends.
Tom turns and spots Sam come in with Ivy. Their reunion is tepid at best.
Back at Hit List Ana and Karen are goggling at Jimmy and Ana suggests she pass him a note in study hall or some damn thing. Kyle bops in before I can fall asleep and he has the casting list for the role of “the Diva”. The three of them scan the list, attracting Jimmy's attention. Karen suggests Ana audition but she figures she doesn't have a chance. Jimmy scans the list and snatches it from them.
He finds Derek and Scott in the house and bellows “Lea Michelle? Lea Michelle?!” Derek: “Say it one more time, she magically appears!” Hee!
Jimmy rants that Derek has no idea what the show is about. It's about people coming from nowhere and casting a celebrity in it will overshadow the rest of the work. Derek explains that casting a real star to mirror the “biggest star in the world” of the show will be a coup. Jimmy's all screw your coup and bolts. Title sequence!
You know, Jeremy Jordan is so sweet and personable in the “Ask Smash to fix your school theater building” commercial, I don't understand why the writers and directors refuse to allow even a trace of that into his performance.
Scott is surprised at the high level of tension on day one and Derek replies, “He's charming, isn't he?” Shout out! He says Jimmy's just a kid and Scott replies that listening to kids works better than ignoring them. Derek needs to start working and playing well with others.
Bombshell rehearsal. Sam is amazed at how different the atmosphere is from touring and he's kind of regretful that he left. Tom suggests he come back and Julia swallows another bug. She pulls him aside and whispers that there's nothing open except Marilyn's mother, Gladys. Hey, if Tom can drag it up as an agony auntie, Sam can play Gladys. Tom's sure they can find something and besides, he misses Sam.
Eileen storms the offices of The New York Times, strewing assistants in her wake. She confronts Richard Frances, played by silver fox Jamey Sheridan who also guested on tonight's episode of NCIS.
He tells her the story has been done and done so she invites him to rehearsal in hopes that he'll find a new angle.
Tom is not enjoying the evening's party at his place. Julia finds him searching through the book in search of something he can add for Sam. She cajoles him to drink champagne tonight and tell Sam tomorrow that he couldn't make it work. The man himself appears with Ivy and drags Tom out to play the piano.
Karen snags some ratty shirt of Jimmy's and amidst their non-chemical romance they spitball the idea that Amanda steals a shirt from Jesse along with his music and then he sees her wearing it in a video. Karen thinks that would be like taunting Jesse but Jimmy thinks it would mean Amanda misses Jesse and who would've thought Jimmy was the romantic in this pair? He suggests she mention it to Derek. She suggests he do it and defends Derek against Jimmy's loathing for him. She talks about how she and Derek finally connected and Jimmy insinuates that Derek wants to connect his hoo hah with her woo hoo and she totally doesn't get it.
Back at Tom's party the gang scoops some papers off the piano, drafts of old shows he's been searching to find Ivy her Act II breather. Sam spots a number from an abortive musical set in Las Vegas in the 1960s.
It's the number we got a sneak preview of, "Let's Start (Tomorrow Tonight)”. Love it. It's charmingly effervescent and Leslie Odom, Jr. does a great job with it, in the self-professed style of Nat “King” Cole. But my focus keeps shifting to Bobby, who's working backup with Jessica.
He's fedorable
Jessica's rocking a pop-up top hat, because of course Tom has a pop-up top hat ready to go at all times, and there's a white dude right at the end who can't clap on the beat to save his life.
The song ends and Sam and Tom have a nice moment on the piano bench. Ivy feels that the song practically fits Bombshell already; Julia laments that Marilyn didn't know Cole. Tom suggests that he might have, since Cole was a big JFK supporter who performed at a lot of his rallies. They can introduce JFK at a rally with Nat “King” Cole. Julia insists that how we meet JFK, at the same time Marilyn meets him, works just fine, but if it's that same horrible number we saw back in “The Dramaturg”, it most certainly does not. Tom yodels “Call the Mormons!” because Sam is coming back to Bombshell. Julia looks like she swallowed two bugs at once.
Hit List rehearsal, Day 2. Derek and Team J/K look over Derek's set design concepts, which involve “photographic sets” on LED screens. Kyle's all “Yes Mr. Zanuck” but Jimmy hates it. Derek insists he needs some way to make a statement and Jimmy suggests making it with the show itself. They argue again some more about What Is Theatre as karen stands mute in the background. Team J/K leaves and Karen tries to make his life easier by suggesting he audition Ana for the Diva. Derek says she's fine playing Jesse's sister and Karen doesn't press the issue.
Tom wakes up next to Sam, then nestles back down in bed and lays an arm across him.
Awwww!
Derek heads into Scott's office to find him perusing his set design plans, which he got from Snitchy Jimmy. Scott's worried that they will overwhelm the show and the theatre but Derek, promising to deliver a “Broadway show with an off-Broadway budget”, convinces Scott to at least look at the idea in action.
Eileen enters the Bombshell space wondering where Ivy is as she was expecting to run through “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”. How is that dog of a number not been cut? Tom explains that he's changed things up for a possible new number. She's livid that she wasn't informed and as they start getting into it Santana Lopez from Fifteen Years In The Future arrives with NYT Arts hottie Richard Francis who is immediately all um, I'll wait outside. Santana Lopez from Fifteen Years In The Future incinerates them both with her words and goes after Richard.
Eileen icily informs Tom that he can have one song about JFK but not two. Julia agrees and claims that “Our Little Secret” is the better choice because it's about Marilyn too. Wrong on so many levels. “Our Little Secret” sucks and “Let's Start (Tomorrow Tonight)” does not. Further, LS(TT) is not “about” JFK in any way other than the planned usage of it as being performed at a JFK rally. JFK doesn't even need to be on the stage. And it would provide the break that Ivy needs in Act II. Eileen orders Tom to choose one or the other and stalks out.
Julia gently explains to Tom that “Our Little Secret” is relevant to the story they're telling and LS(TT) is not. Dammit, she's right, and Tom knows it too. But he promised Sam. But he only promised Sam last night so according to Julia it's perfectly fine to break it, because Julia is a terrible human being. She insists that Sam will understand; Sam arrives seconds later in costume and does not in any way understand. He's already quit his job. Tom repeats “thinking...thinking...” like a computer from Star Trek and Julia guides him out, telling Sam they'll be back. Now Sam looks like he swallowed a bug.
In a pedeconference Karen tells Ana that she pitched her for the Diva but Derek needs to hear it from her. Ana doesn't want to push Derek and risk losing the part she already has. Then she gracelessly changes the subject to Karen and Jimmy and I lose interest.
Meanwhile Team J/K are also pedeconferencing and Kyle can't believe Jimmy went over Derek's head to Scott. Jimmy insists he won't let Derek “beat” him and Kyle correctly deduces that this is about Karen. Jimmy tells him that Derek wants to date Karen, and I don't think “date” is the correct word choice. Kyle wonders if Jimmy will stay away and they spot Karen and Ana entering the theatre. Jimmy moves to intercept but Derek blocks him. He sarcastically thanks him for taking his presentation to Scott, who loves it, and Jimmy needs to get ready to do a number.
Eileen catches up to Richard on the street and he tells her that there's no new story, except for the one in which she took the show back.
She agrees but telling it would drag daughter Katie into it. Richard comments that readers would eat up a “mother and daughter band together to save the show” story and hey, remember how Ivy has an actress mother and they need someone to play Marilyn's mother?
As Tom and Julia stroll down a Brooklyn sidewalk Tom wonders if they're going to buy pot. Just talk to Leo, I'm sure he's holding. But no, she's dragging him to watch Derek direct because directors have to make the hard decisions and no one's better at that than Derek and also Tom hasn't been watching Derek direct almost every day for the last year. Whatever.
So they go in the theatre where Derek and the cute but tragically hip lighting guy Blake are struggling with the video files and LED screens. She also spots Scott off in a corner and shortly moves off to run her secondary mission.
Jimmy declares the LED screens and spending precious rehearsal time on rebooting computers ridiculous. Derek thunders that he will not have “some kid walking across a stage for five minutes”. Jimmy thunders back that it's five minutes of a kid walking across the stage to the woman he loves and if that can't be interesting without whiz-bang then someone is doing a bad job and that someone is Derek. He says that Derek relies on tricks and gimmicks because he doesn't have anything else. Tom is grimly fascinated.
Derek asks Karen what she thinks but Jimmy tells him not to put her in the middle. He snaps at Jimmy to shut it and asks Karen again. She sides with Jimmy, and surprisingly so do I. Derek declares them all pathetic and stalks out, pausing to snark “hope you enjoyed the show!” at Tom.
Meanwhile, Julia catches up to Scott and we learn that she didn't screw him 15 years ago; she screwed him over. He was supposed to direct her first play but she got offered Lincoln Center and Mike Nichols and dumped him. He lost his slot at a performance venue and didn't work for a year and he's spent the last 15 years scrabbling to get back to New York. “So excuse me if yours isn't the first face I wanted to see.”
Tom and Derek conversate on a stoop. Tom marvels that Derek doesn't care at all what any of his actors think of him and Derek explains that you need to be respected, not liked, and you can't be their friend. Tom notes that won't be a problem for Derek and Jimmy and Derek gives an exasperated laugh. He can't handle a 24-year-old kid who thinks he knows Derek's job better than he does. Predictably, Tom says Jimmy reminds him a lot of Derek at that age. He had ideas that everyone around him was convinced were wrong until he proved that he was right. He encourages Derek to listen.
In a scene that feels chopped into ribbons Kyle tells Ana he thinks Derek is sleazy and hates that Karen hangs around with him. Ana asks who Karen should hang with, Jimmy? Kyle says that isn't what he meant. Ana responds that we've all wanted things we can't have and that the trick is to go after the things we can have. Right on cue the cute yet tragically hip Blake appears and he and Kyle exchange smiles.
As Jimmy studies the script on-stage Derek walks in and gives us his origin story. He started out in places like this and his shows were intimate by necessity. With time came bigger shows, more money and bigger sets. He admits that Jimmy may possibly have a point and asks what he thinks the show is about. Jimmy: “Two people falling in love.” I thought it was about a guy taking revenge on those who wronged him through pop songs but OK, two people falling in love it is. And also it's about what gets in the way of that, which is other people. Derek agrees to show that.
Thirty seconds later Derek presents a fully choreographed number for a song called “Voice In a Dream”. Jesse has just heard Amanda singing one of his stolen songs on the radio. He's not angry but he does want to see her again. Jesse is on one side of the stage in “Green Point” where Jesse is and the other side is “Los Angeles” where Amanda is about to perform her first big concert as “Emily Thorn”“Nina”.
Jimmy launches into the number, which involves him trying to cross the stage to get to Amanda while chorines push, pull, prod and otherwise impede him until the end, when he joins her in “Los Angeles”. The song is generic pop but acceptable. The chorines at one point manipulate Jimmy's limbs, recalling a similar effect on “Dig Deep” last season, but some of his motions are distractingly herky-jerky. But Jimmy looks smokin' in a tight red henley so I am ready to forgive much.
The number earns a round of applause.
Scott locks up the venue and Julia ambushes him on the sidewalk. She apologizes, acknowledging that she hurt him and that her apology is fifteen years late. He thanks her and offers his condolences on the end of her marriage and they part.
At some dive bar Ana exits the ladies' shall we say lounge and Karen admits they are cowards. Ana protests that “using that bathroom was the bravest thing I've done in weeks. I had to make mittens out of paper towels.” All right, she can stay.
Karen says no, she means she's crazy about Jimmy but doesn't have the stones to admit it. “Even right now watching him hit on that guy for Kyle has me feel all melty.” Ana decides to put herself on the line first and jumps on the stage. She calls out Derek and insists she's the one to play the Diva before launching into her version of Beyoncé's“If I Were a Boy”.
I suppose it's fine but I don't care enough to really have an opinion.
At an undisclosed location, possibly somewhere in the Bombshell space, Tom informs Sam that he can't add the number to the show. Sam is pissed, saying he quit his job for this. Tom replies that he quit his job because he was unhappy. Sam fires back that he quit his job for a lot of reasons, not least of which was that he thought Tom was ready for a serious relationship. He leaves in the hope of getting his job back.
Definitely at the rehearsal space Tom runs into Ivy who suggests changing some of her costumes as a way to distinguish her Marilyn from Karen's. Tom says the costumes are fine and by the way no break for you in Act II. Ivy had hoped they could at least talk about it and Tom points out that they just did. But her breathing note was genius.
He calls places, from the top and as he settles in his chair he tells Julia he cut the number. She sympathizes, saying she knew it was hard but they both know it was right. He agrees, and tells her she needs to trim the fat on the Gladys scenes tonight because Eileen's found someone for the part. Julia heads off as Eileen arrives to report that Leigh Conroy has agreed to come out of retirement to play Marilyn's mother. Tom considers Ivy's feelings for about three seconds before telling Eileen to cast Leigh.
Derek offers Ana the part and she accepts, contingent on his buying her a drink. They wander off and Karen and Jimmy yammer and she asks if he likes her, she means really likes her? Yes Captain Carl, Miss Yvonne really likes you.
Before Jimmy can respond Derek returns offering to buy the next round. Instead Karen asks him to walk her home for some unfathomable reason. Jimmy wonders if Ana is going with them but Derek notes that Ana has hooked up with some burly man and OH MY GOD KYLE AND BLAKE ARE TOTALLY MAKING OUT!
“You taste of clove cigarettes and desperation.”
Derek walks her home and invites her for another drink. She says no and goes up. As she enters her apartment the buzzer sounds. She thinks it's Derek and agrees to the drink and buzzes whoever up without hearing his voice which is a great way to get raped. Instead of Derek or the neighborhood rapist it's Jimmy and they totally do it on the dining table where people eat.
Another strong if somewhat anvilicious episode. The parallels between the two shows and in particular between Tom and Derek were a bit on the nose but nonetheless interesting ways to have both characters grow a little. The scene on the stoop in particular had a strong “you mean all this time we could have been friends” vibe between the characters that I enjoyed a lot. The scene with Kyle apparently acknowledging that he has feelings for Jimmy was not properly supported in previous episodes and was handled amazingly quickly but on the other hand skipping a protracted unrequited crush/love plot is just fine with me. I still wish Bobby and Kyle had hooked up but Kyle and Blake is an acceptable substitute. Sadness for Tom and Sam even if I didn't find them the most believable gay pairing. Since Odom is supposed to be a series regular, maybe we'll see a reconciliation and a happy ending after all.
And I want Santana Lopez from Fifteen Years In The Future and Stage Manager Linda to have a spinoff series where they get gay married and travel the country in a van and save a regional theatre production every week.
