Review: 'Smash' - 'The Cost of Art': What not to wear
Can Nick Jonas save "Marilyn: The Musical"? And how does Ivy deal with stardom?
Anjelica Huston and Nick Jonas in "Smash."
A review of tonight's "Smash" coming up just as soon as my mother sets me up for a date at a steak house...
After "Smash" hit an early low with last week's episode featuring barefoot karaoke, lots of Ellis and the most whitebread Joe DiMaggio in filmed history, the series put itself back on firmer footing with "The Cost of Art." The show still has many problems — and a lot of the material involving Karen in particular annoyed me — but at least this episode dove headfirst into the kinds of stories and conflicts it should be dealing with if it wants us to care at all about the journey of "Marilyn: The Musical" from Milan to Minsk an idea to a hit.
We got deeper, for instance, into Eileen's various money woes and how they're impairing her ability to go out on her own and produce this show. Because Eileen's played by Anjelica Huston, there's a built-in assumption, I think, that she's supposed to be this formidable, ultra-competent font of wisdom, but I like that she's turning out to be more fallible than that. She really is in over her head a bit, just as Jerry insists, though she manages to get her way out of trouble by making a very convincing pitch to Broadway-prodigy-turned-sitcom-star Lyle West.
And though the presence of a non-bonus Jonas brother does little for me, Lyle's birthday party turned into one of the more interesting sequences the show's done so far. (Assuming you can ignore the weirdness of everyone at the kid's birthday party being a minimum of 10-15 years older than him.) In particular, the impromptu performance of the USO song was among the show's more infectious musical moments to date(*), so much so that I didn't even mind that Lyle either magically knew the lyrics to a song he'd never heard before or could expertly improvise some of his own in mid-number.
(*) It helped that the performance finally gave Debra Messing a chance to look like she was enjoying herself, rather than Julia being wracked with guilt over her hypothetical adopted Chinese baby and her affair with Michael Swift, or smelling trouble from Ellis. I like Messing in general, but Julia's been a big drag on the show thus far. Christian Borle's been carrying that partnership in terms of happy moments, and that was even before Tom was surprised to realize how much he was enjoying the blind date his mom set up.
And though Ivy's "half a diva" turn could feel like yet another desperate attempt by the show to get us to root against her and for Karen, I think the idea of how a veteran chorus girl reacts to finally being center stage is an interesting one, and the show effective tied her bad behavior together with her neuroses about being the star to the point where she seemed complicated and messy, and not like a two-dimensional villain.
On the other hand, pretty much everything involving Karen drove me nuts. The idea that she'd be able to shame one of Ivy's closest friends into switching teams — or, at least, into playing for both teams at once (which isn't what Ivy wanted at that point) — with her speech about how she didn't sleep with Derek was cringe-inducing and not believable with what we'd seen of these characters before. It's another case of Karen being pure and good and perfect in her blandness — though I don't know how much fault there is the writing and how much is Katharine McPhee's acting — and the more it happens, the more I wind up rooting for Ivy just because I don't like being this manipulated. And then after the other members of the ensemble perform a backup singer intervention on her, the way the show chooses to demonstrate what Karen has learned is with a performance of "Rumor Has It" in which she's clearly singing lead? Huh?
"The Cost of Art" was the last of the four episodes NBC sent out before the series premiered. I'm not sure if I'll be getting other episodes in advance, though given the rapidly-declining ratings, I imagine NBC will do whatever it can to keep people talking about the show as the season moves along. I'll do some kind of write-up of episode 5 sometime next Tuesday morning, and after that, we'll play it by ear after that.
What did everybody else think?
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February 28, 2012 at 12:12AM EST Reply to CommentAlan, you didn't find it absurd that Eileen assembled a "dream team" to sell Nick Jonas on the show that consisted of Dimaggio, the lyricist, the annoying assistant (he can sing? and dance?), and a cater-waiter they pulled out of the crowd in the middle of the song? You didn't find it absurd that by the 2nd chorus everyone was already singing and jiving along? You didn't find it beyond the pale that Nick Jonas knew lyrics to the song and was playing electric guitar without an amp? That song was infectious like the stomach flu, and once again showed that this show only pretends to care about verisimilitude.
sara While all you note is true and requires a certain suspension of belief, isn't this the exact same thing that happens in every musical. If it wasn't a show about musicals I would think it ridiculous, here to me, it makes perfect sense.
February 28, 2012 at 10:12AM ESTrcade The show has done impossible musical numbers before, like when Ivy and Karen were trying out and they suddenly found themselves on a Broadway stage in a full production.
February 28, 2012 at 10:44AM ESTI think the rule of thumb here is that musical numbers sometimes depict what the participants are seeing in their heads, not on how it really happened.
So when Nick Jonas jumped up and performed his amp-less electric guitar, it was a metaphor for how much he was digging the song.
Also, the cops on Cop Rock weren't really singing in the squadroom.
sepinwall I think there was a much more clear delineation in those fantasy numbers in the first and second episodes than there was with the USO song last night (or with "Rumor Has It," which several of you are trying to explain away as Karen's fantasy). When the show has previously done a fantasy number, the setting, scenery and atmosphere all change significantly from what's happening in the real world (say, during Karen daydreaming about "Call Me" while working at the coffee shop), whereas this was just them hanging out in Derek's apartment, no costume changes or anything else to clearly delineate fantasy from reality. I think we were supposed to take it for what it was.
February 28, 2012 at 10:48AM ESTJedyKnight I didnt find the impromptu USO number unbelievable.. Specially since for me it seems to progress from the beginning where only the cast/staff of the show were singing, to the end when other people like Jonas and the waiter were participating, specially since it seemed people that were going to end up dancing where at first watching other move to see how to follow (like when an electric-buggy busts out in a wedding), the same with the chorus, it's actually normal to hear a song been song by others, and a few minutes into it, at least know how the chorus goes to repeat.. and yes, the Jonas character was imho easier to believe he could improvise some accompanying line of lyrics, and a little less easy (but not hard) that he could follow up with his guitar.. as with the waiter, it can be assumed had some dancing and/or singing experience specially since another waiter had already mentioned she had to Eileen as soon as she is in. I mean is not 100% a regular thing to happen, but in a party for a star born in broadway, assisted by a lot of people that work in broadway-related jobs ? not far-fetched.
February 28, 2012 at 11:59AM ESTand i agree with Alan, in-your-head fantasy sequences are easily distinguish from "real" life signing/dancing.. specially since usually lighting, staging, wardrobe, make-up, etc all change in fantasy sequence.
sjwoo Regarding the Rumor Has It number -- I do believe when Karen takes center stage and sings solo while the other three are in the background, that part is fantasy. I have no problem with that. What I most definitely have a problem with is in the non-fantasy sequence, Karen is still moving her arms in the same way the others told her not to move. Never for a second did I believe Karen was in an ensemble in that sequence -- she was the star. And that's just stupid.
February 29, 2012 at 11:30AM ESTmelanie Nick Jonas barely improvises one line and only sings one line from the chorus with them, which if he is the genius kid he's supposed to be in the show, is not that hard to pull. For the amp, that's a mistake from the script supervisor, that happens in a lot of movies and TV show.
February 29, 2012 at 9:28PM ESTAs for "Rumor has it", I think what the writers were trying to show is, no matter how much Karen tries to become part of the ensemble, she hasn't given up on the idea of being the star of the show. You can't expect her to give up her hopes after one night with the other dancers. Yes, she didn't learn anything at the end of the episode since she's clearly still trying to shine, but I'm guessing we will see more of Karen struggling to fit in so it's not completely improbable. We are used to the 3 arc-story with resolution at the end but the truth is characters can also have contradictory feelings and behaviors, just like in real life
Vitor The male waiter is actually a member of the chorus, one of Ivy's friends.
February 29, 2012 at 11:41PM ESTthais Yes, the waiter is that same dancer that has been with show since the auditions, and Ellis has been there during the workshop too. Ellis and Julia must have heard and watched the song be peformed hundred of times, so there wasn't a big disbelief on my part that they could do it (or that Ellias could sing and dance because I doubt he signed oon to work with Tom because picking up someone's dry cleaning is his dream career)
March 4, 2012 at 9:26PM ESTJohn
February 28, 2012 at 12:14AM EST Reply to CommentCockblocked by Anjelica Huston and a Degas.
If nothing else, I'll remember this show for that.
Yeah, I was completely mystified by the decision to show that Karen was learning to be an ensemble member by having her sing lead. Also, can I hold Ivy to her promise that the Mets will be alright?
taynement
February 28, 2012 at 12:19AM EST Reply to CommentI am really rooting for Smash but it clearly has a lot of kinks to work out. The whole about turn from the dancer in Ivy's camp was very unbelievable. I cringed at Karen's version of Rumor Has It. There's so much going on that I don't even know if the writers themselves know where they are going. Is Karen going to cheat on her boyfriend? What does Ellis have cooking? What will Julia and Michael do? There's obviously going to be funding but how will they go about it? All that being said, I am still going to tune in till NBC pulls the plug.
diane Karen is now officially the worst Mary Sue on TV. Everyone loves her (except the part of the audince that aren`t McPhans - ouch!), she wins over Team Ivy by giving a cringe-inducing inspirational speech. terrible, terrible character. BTW, Ivy and Hilty blew her away last night. Now that was a charismatic turn. NBC was throwing their weight behind the wrong girl.
February 28, 2012 at 7:42AM ESTjlschaefer
February 28, 2012 at 12:21AM EST Reply to CommentIt was a lot better than last week, though I'm not sure that's saying much. I wasn't as annoyed by Nick Jonas as I expected to be (his presence was the one flaw of the Les Mis 25th Anniversary concert) but watching him try to hold his own opposite Anjelica Huston felt kind of silly.
This show was my most anticipated new series of the season, which is probably why I'm not enjoying it as much as I thought I would. I saw the pilot early and loved it, but these subsequent episodes have been very underwhelming. I'll continue watching since on paper this should be the show for me (a TV nerd who loves musical theater), but I want it to (and think it can) be a better than what it is right now.
S
February 28, 2012 at 12:40AM EST Reply to CommentI took that last part with Karen singing as one of her Dream sequences. Like the writers were trying to imbue the fact that Karen wasn't made to be a backup and that she was made for the lead.
Erin I thought the same thing - I think we were supposed to get that she was envisioning herself as the lead in her head, but she wasn't actually singing.
February 28, 2012 at 12:49AM ESTbettyd I agree. I thought it was her going into her fantasy modes again.
February 28, 2012 at 1:09AM ESTJohn But isn't that just as bad?
February 28, 2012 at 1:12AM ESTIf she's trying to get down how to be an ensemble player, it undermines the message when she ignores that in her head.
Will No John, it's not. It's the direction the show is taking her. She's gaining the ensemble's trust, but thinking 'I will only be happy as a lead, I know I can do it.'
February 28, 2012 at 1:43AM ESTKendra I think it started as a dream sequence but morphed back into reality once she moved back in line with the group...yet she was still clearly singing lead.
February 28, 2012 at 2:54AM ESTFEBRUARY6
February 28, 2012 at 1:42AM EST Reply to CommentMaybe NBC and the writers cold add another 'MARILYN' TO AUDITION. Michelle WILLIAMS. Between all these rehersals and cat fighting, another Marilyn can be just the ticket.
It might stop me from noticing DEBRA MESSING'S grandma Moses clothes. The costume designer must be working over time. They have one of the most talrnted beautiful actresses Debra/grace wearing second hand thrift clothes. She is not Judi Dench!@ do an intervention on her wardrobe.
march14 Hair and clothes are very important for this show. Julia is not coming across any place close to what I remembered. She looks beautiful, but agree her clothes are matronly. Very surprised no one noticed it.
February 28, 2012 at 2:25PM ESTgregel
February 28, 2012 at 2:35AM EST Reply to CommentI missed episodes 2 and 3, but boy has Karen become a villain rather quickly. She should be happy with getting into the chorus, they are not justifying her eventually (we assume) taking the lead. It's bizarre how Ivy is so being set up for a fall.
Um, why was the Jonas character just singing in the middle of his party? That's never happened at any NYC party I've been at. Even ones with Broadway people.
xd It's pretty much a TV version of "All About Eve". Not so surprising, but yah, the story's progression has gone really fast. Are they going to continue this storyline into season 2 if there is a season 2? Or are they going to do what Ryan "Extremely Gay and Incredibly Untalented" Murphy is doing with American Horror Story?
February 28, 2012 at 11:16AM ESTnic919
February 28, 2012 at 2:55AM EST Reply to CommentIf those dancers were really Ivy's friends, there is absolutely no way they would have gone to Karen's side, and especially not because of that pathetic speech she gave. I can't blame McPhee's acting on this ridiculousness, at least not completely. It is a logical flaw the writers should have understood. In reality they would have mean girled Karen into further depression. Unless they secretly hate Ivy, which was not shown, they would not let the upstart who has never had to really work the grind, to just waltz into the part.
FEBRUARY6 They are still Ivy's friends. Thgy nice talented kids, and they just want to be nice. Ivy is the star so far, Not doing anything negative.They might be more experienced in being in an ensemble. They just want to welcome Karen.
February 28, 2012 at 12:04PM ESTMy personel gripe is noT this group right now it's Debra and her wardrobe. Doesn't amyone notice they are not more up to date. Angelica Housston is the grand dame, not Debra. Her clothes are for an olderr person. remember her on as GrACE aDLER. sHE LOOKS MORE LIKE bETTY wHITE.
Bryan L That was a horrifically unrealistic scene. I kept wondering why they didn't have Karen endear herself to one of them in another fashion. Couldn't they have written a scene where Karen's boyfriend fixes a parking ticket or helps one of the cast somehow? It would make more sense and give him something to do.
March 2, 2012 at 11:07AM ESTAndrew
February 28, 2012 at 3:09AM EST Reply to CommentThere is some high quality suspension of disbelief required at this point to make the spontaneous sing-alongs work, and I definately cringed when Nick Jonas joined in the song at the end.
But I was already yelling at the set - wondering why they called DiMaggio to the party (the big counterbalance to Marilyn) but only had him sing backup. He was artificial drama for Julia at the party.
Add the Karen chorus lesson/immediate lead in the final number, and frustrations are mounting.
It's like the producers and writers are working off a checklist. Huston divorce update? Check. Song for Ivy? Check. Irritating assistant appearance? Check. Star turn for Karen? Check.
Here are some more cliches the writers should embrace (but thus far, amazingly, have not): Leave the audience wanting more. Sell the sizzle, not the steak. And sometimes less is more.
Still rooting for Smash... But then again, I also root for the Mets. And fear the worst for both.
march14 Agree with the check list point.
February 28, 2012 at 2:20PM ESTSo many issues for them to get in. Now we have winey ivy and "why does everybody hate me Karen" that impromtu number by Jonas. A little embarrassing. The show is coming across as. A nite time soap. 10 pm slot doesn't work. Would like to see it work, as well. They have to eliminate some issues.
march14 Agree with the check list point.
February 28, 2012 at 2:20PM ESTSo many issues for them to get in. Now we have winey ivy and "why does everybody hate me Karen" that impromtu number by Jonas. A little embarrassing. The show is coming across as. A nite time soap. 10 pm slot doesn't work. Would like to see it work, as well. They have to eliminate some issues.
Bryan L Yup. Calling DiMaggio was just stupid and awkward. It's plot hammering -- shoving characters around awkwardly to put them where you want them, rather than making it work organically.
March 2, 2012 at 11:10AM ESTOnlyMe
February 28, 2012 at 5:29AM EST Reply to CommentKaren is too stupid to root for.
How does she not know that the other dancers were taking dance lessons? Why isn't she taking dance lessons herself? And voice lessons for that matter. And her continually pulling focus was obnoxious, not charming or endearing. The character is awful.
sara This is the one thing that really made me dislike Karen tonight and the character in general. I can handle the cast breaking into unrehearsed song and dance, the ridiculously large NYC apartments given probable salaries and the odd storylines for Debra Messing's character but you really want us to believe that this woman who so wants to be a star on Broadway has not been taking classes in anything and everything that could help that happen. And that she didn't realize that everyone else was. No way.
February 28, 2012 at 10:27AM ESTIt makes the character not just dumb but completely undeserving of being the star. I don’t remember if it has been established that she went onto some sort of college or theater school after high school but I don’t think they did. So that means she moved to NY right after high school thinking the lead in whatever theater performance she was in would be enough to make it. And in all the time since she has not been taking classes? No wonder this was her first call back. Give me a break.
e From the way they promoted the show, it appeared that Karen was going to be the good gal. She's so likeable a personality and Megan Hilty not so much, yet they're doing everything they can to mess with those images for no particular reason
February 28, 2012 at 11:18AM ESTKelly Someone has to be in the show asking those questions, because normal people don't know these things. That's all that's happening - it may not be particularly well done, but it's not some devious plot to make you think she's the world's stupidest theater dork. She's being introduced to this world because the audience is being introduced as well - it may not be believable, but it's necessary. And TV can't be strictly realistic all the time, because that would be really boring.
February 28, 2012 at 4:58PM ESTsepinwall But if you want to make her the tool of exposition, you have to make her even newer in town than she is for her to not seem absurdly naive, or lazy, or arrogant, or all of the above. She basically had to walk straight off the bus and into the "Marilyn: The Musical" audition for the writing of her character to work.
February 28, 2012 at 5:06PM ESTSara Kelly, Maybe I just want the show to be smarter about how it shows us this world. Have someone else ask the question, explain the process.
February 28, 2012 at 6:23PM ESTI think the show does want to introduce the audience to the process of making a Broadway show and that is a pretty interesting concept. I don't mind them doing it through Karen and her big break. What I have a problem with is the way the writers are doing it. She has been in NY long enough for her to have had multiple visits from her parents and gone on multiple auditions, so she has been shown to not be “right off the bus” and even if she was I guess I have a hard time believing someone who felt passionately enough to move across the country to pursue their dreams (which is awesome in and of itself) wouldn’t be doing everything in her power to make them a reality.
I was on stage crew for our theater group in high school and there wasn't a student on stage who didn't take extra classes if they were serious about wanting to perform later in life or get into a school with a good theater program. These kids were the minority but I would think every school has them. I think people who are exposed to theater in any form (high school, community, heck the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade) know that making it on Broadway is a grueling and competitive task that requires both talent and hard work; I just don’t understand why Karen couldn’t show this too. I get that Ivy is supposed to be the veteran and Karen the ingénue but that doesn’t mean she can’t have been practicing, and preparing and likely would have been since she was a kid.
I tend to over think TV so I am probably doing that here but the way she seemed to not even realize other folks were taking classes really struck me as unbelievable.
sepinwall Yeah, I think Ellis would be a much more useful target for information dump than Karen — and if that were his role, as opposed to this All About Eve nonsense with him and Julia, he might be tolerable.
February 28, 2012 at 6:29PM ESTOnlyMe Sara,
February 28, 2012 at 8:45PM ESTThanks for expanding on what I wanted to say.
I realize that there needs to be some exposition, otherwise the show ends up being too "inside baseball." But they needed a different entry point. Ellis could have been a good target. Or they could have had her explain things to her boyfriend. They could have shown her outsider status by having her in the wrong class, one taught by a teacher all of the insiders pooh-pooh or disdain.
But right now, she looks entitled and lazy. I'm all for a good underdog story, but I want to see the underdogs earn it. Rocky punched meat & jumped rope and the Karate Kid did the whole wax on/wax off montage.
As they have written her, Karen isn't doing any work; she's just naturally wonderful at everything. That's not an underdog. Possibly she's an outsider, but when she's written as so amazing that nearly everyone who sees her loves her right off the bat, she's not really even that far outside.
Teklanika
February 28, 2012 at 11:24AM EST Reply to CommentMcPhee is virtually unwatchable as an actor. This show is a mess. They made a huge mistake deciding to make Ivy the bad guy when she was instantly more likeable in every way over Karen. And, Karen's pretentious English boyfriend doesn't help her likeability.
Now I'm just getting upset that they are purposely trying to tear Ivy down so they think I'll be okay with Karen getting the lead which everyone knows is going to happen.
This show was a good idea, but it's going down in flames due to poor execution and poor casting choices.
Sally Mac I think Hilty is the less watchable one. Her Broadway chops must not translate that well to the small screen. Every line seems awkward and forced.
February 28, 2012 at 5:12PM ESTI have never seen McPhee in anything before including whatever season of American Idol she was in. And the writers and producers of Smash have set up too many overly convenient and predictable plotlines.
But as for execution and casting, I'll take McPhee over Hilty from the pilot on through this past week's episode. I'll take sappy and predictability over awkwardness.
JedyKnight
February 28, 2012 at 12:09PM EST Reply to CommentAt the start of the series, I thought it was going to fun to have to female leads that could both be rooted for competing for the position, even the juxtaposition of the young talented but inexperience to the processional experience one.. but as it has follow between deepening well the characters and sometimes showing one as a do-no-wrong angel vs. a villainous diva, it is leaving me not really sure the show is living to it's potential. Seems for every good idea, there is a mistake in execution, e.g. (as many others have pointed out), the "teaching Karen how to be part of the ensemble"
At first having Ivy been a B#$# to Karen to the point to get her excluded could have been better done if we can see more clearly that is awkward and a blow to your confidence, if you have someone that could have had your role trying to outshine you in every rehearsal a few feet behind you, that Ivy was acting out more out of insecurity more than been mean. (I think we can guess it, but it needed to be clearer).. the idea that Karen wants to be star, and maybe thinks she doesn’t have in her the capacity to play second fiddle (or just a voice more among many) was a good one, and the other chorus members trying to explain to her that she needed to stop trying to stand out and focus more on blending in with the others was a great story to follow, but was not executed as well as required, and having her dance with the chorus, but end of singing alone defeat the purpose of the training.
Still, I watch Smash and feel like compare to, lets say Glee, is 10 times better (as a drama), and it can also be fun. So here's hoping it gets better in execution.
Kelly
February 28, 2012 at 4:50PM EST Reply to CommentOk, so I'm still the only one in Camp McPhee. I'll just hang out here on my own, it's fine... *sniffle* *roasts a solitary marshmallow* (I also don't feel like I have to hate one or the other: both ladies have it going on and are coming from believable places, as far as I'm concerned.)
I still think McPhee works perfectly fine as an entrance to the world for the audience. Normal people would feel all these things: sad not to get the part but still grateful for the job; confused about her role; annoyed that the girl who slept with the director is the one who got the part and is pushing her out of the show. How is that villainous? And presumably every "ensemble" member dreams the same dreams of being a star - otherwise, why are they doing this crappy crappy job? One more time: her being a newbie introduces people to the weird, insular world of Broadway show-making. Maybe the writing is clunky, but that outsider status and normal person reacting all needs to be there for this show to get an audience outside of theater nerddom. (I mean, that audience isn't actually coming, but that's the idea.)
heatseeker I'll happily share a marshmallow with you in Camp McPhee. I think she's great to watch. There's something very pleasant about her singing and dancing. Megan Hilty is great, too, although I find her acting a little over-the-top. And as for the characters, I thought Ivy was acting like a manipulative little bitch in the workshop rehearsals. Her raging insecurity is incredibly unattractive.
February 28, 2012 at 5:41PM ESTR I'm with you guys. I can't believe so many people are hating on McPhee. I think she's adorable and he singing is stupendous. I didn't see her trying to "overshadow" Ivy at all - it was baffling to me how ridiculously sensitive Ivy was. I guess I'm what the show's creators are hoping for from its audience: annoyed by Ivy, rooting for McPhee, and loving all the stuff in between (except the priducer's money troubles-I don't give a rip about that).
February 28, 2012 at 10:31PM ESTedwina Reply to comment...
February 29, 2012 at 3:47PM ESTMike b.
February 28, 2012 at 7:16PM EST Reply to CommentI guess the gas problem in Derek's apartment had been fixed.
Christina
February 28, 2012 at 7:23PM EST Reply to CommentSo, this episode underscored the fact that the Director lied to Ivy about his apartment being unvisitable (on top of the knowledge that he first invited Karen over), right?? And was Rumor Has It supposed to foreshadow that Karen will hook up with the Director?
As some other commenters have mentioned, Karen fantasizing about being lead is not that hard for me to understand. I just thought some of her lines were a little clunky tonight; namely the one about Ivy's friend who "should be helping her". Why should some random ensemble member be helping her friend's rival stay in the cast??? We understand that everyone's a beginner at some point in their life, but IT'S BROADWAY & is competitive as it gets.
Despite her clunky lines tonight, I am sooo team Karen/McPhee. Ivy's insecurity issues are way more grating to me.
diane "And was Rumor Has It supposed to foreshadow that Karen will hook up with the Director?"
February 28, 2012 at 10:23PM ESTI have a question about Rumour Has It. Why was the singing intercut with Ivy and director reflection in the window? I mean, if Karen singing with the chorus is reality, and Karen taking the spotlight is a fantasy, where do ivy and director fit in? If I didn`t know better, I`d think Karen is actually jealous of the hook up, hence why thinking about them doing it in the aparentmet that she visited, while singing Rumour has It. I hinesrly don`t know how to explain the insertation of those two but your comment about foreshadowing Karen and director affair made me think.
Sara I thought it was because of a specific line in that song, something about “just cause I said it doesn't mean that I meant it”. I thought they were included in the montage because they don’t really seem to know where they stand with one another and in Ivy’s reflection it seemed like she was questioning what was going on. To me Ivy comes off as insecure, which I can kind of understand. She seems to be questioning why she was given the part, did sleeping with Derek get her the part and if it did, will it be taken away if she stops sleeping with him. She was still a bit of bitch to Karen but at least I can understand where it is coming from. And it wasn't helped by Derek's wandering hands and subsequent explanation of them. I don't know if any of the above is true but that was my original thought.
February 28, 2012 at 11:12PM ESTChristina Yes, I think it could be foreshadowing for the things you both mentioned.
February 29, 2012 at 1:17AM ESTThem crossing Karen's fantasy with Ivy's Director hook-up seems veryy ominous. I don't think they've crossed consciousness, so to speak, during a fantasy since they both were actively auditioning.
So you think that the line: "just cause I said it, don't mean that I meant it" shows where Ivy & Director stand with one another? I think you're right about that, especially because it seems that the Director easily lies to Ivy. Ivy's insecurities do seem more justified as you put it..
The part for me that was most ominous was that Karen's boyfriend shows up at the bar only to 'hear' Karen singing this song. The final words of the song are "rumour has it, he's the one I'm leaving you for." I don't think that Karen will cheat just yet but would bet that they'll start showing her being more tempted.
cgeye
February 29, 2012 at 3:45AM EST Reply to CommentSadly, I agree -- the show is bound and determined to shoot Karen's likability and complexity in the foot.
How is reminding a chorus gal about Ivy's sleeping with the producer supposed to cause guilt, when that friend signed off on Ivy having a good time with him, without guilt?
And why in the hell would that speech move the chorus team to intervene in Karen's sticking out like a sore thumb... because she *doesn't* know how to move or sing to complement a group's effort... so when she takes a few hours' tutorial, she can't even shut up for one song, and learn how to support her team?
(And she's not taking dance lessons, in a show where she'll dance all the time? Really? Is the money she's not spending on that going for that clothes binge she can somehow afford this episode, but couldn't last episode, 'cause her boyfriend said he'd handle her money worries... on a city paycheck?)
The worst part of this is how this job experience is so alien to what would happen in any other profession. If a seasoned admin finally got a promotion to junior management, and she brings along her team... but somehow her new boss doesn't trust her, and proves this by hiring the next best candidate, as her assistant -- this new executive's not supposed to take this as an insult? The assistant, talented as she is, is supposed to be as good as the exec, even with her overwhelming lack of experience and lack of political sense? And we're supposed to take this dysfunctional management style (not even cataloging the textbook sexual harassment) as the best the best of this industry can do?
The shame of it is that this subject has inherent drama to it, in simply depicting the honing of production numbers, the artistic choices made and discarded, the way a group of self-involved people come together as a winning team -- yet, every week, the least interesting people get airtime, and the most interesting people never get to work at full throttle.
And, ain't it peculiar we see neither hide nor hair of Julia's fambly? That if this were a basic workplace drama, we wouldn't have wasted four frakking episodes on their whining, but instead had seen through Julia's tenseness and phone conversations that she was betraying her family's needs, until things blow up? If they took that route, we wouldn't have needed the Most WASP Joe DiMaggio in the World to show that Julia used to have something under those schmattes....
We're supposed to be grateful this was better than GLEE, but we should be ashamed it can't even get to the level of FAME. Has the level of storytelling gone that backward, that we don't know how to make a TV musical with drama?
Alf
February 29, 2012 at 8:16AM EST Reply to CommentRochelle, Rochelle.
Lily
February 29, 2012 at 10:30PM EST Reply to CommentTrust me, I'm all for consistent storytelling (die, Glee, die) but if people try to pick up on every single slightly unrealistic second of a show, there wouldn't be anything on TV. The writers should definitely stop pushing Karen down our throat with the boring naivity, but I still think the show has plenty of potential. So they didn't say anything about Derek's place being fixed, it doesn't mean Ivy didn't notice, she clearly fantasizes Derek's true feelings for her anyway. Just because every little detail is not mentioned in every episode doesn't mean it's gonna disappear. I think people are used to the inconsistency of Glee and looking for inconsistency in this one too. Let's see how it turns out in a dozen episodes.
Shows like Friends, Community or Parks and Recreation only became great and found their tone after the first season.
UKTheatrefan74
March 4, 2012 at 9:23AM EST Reply to Commenti really really want to like this but something which was billed and blowing the lid on the theatre world with behind the scenes story doesnt feel like its been written by anyone who's worked in theatre at all??
if Karen has been to drama or musical theatre school she should know all this stuff about extra dance classes and what is means to be part of the chorus - she just comes off as whiny. none of it rings true. Would Ivy really be that bitchy in real life - no i dont think so, theatre is certainly more collaborative process than the dvia antics being displayed in this show - it feels like its written for 10 year olds. I think Karen/ McPHee is miscast - shes not a natural dancer and is more pop than musical theatre - although her voice is very versatile - but she could never be a Marilyn. I dont understand Ivy's supposed naivety around the director - she is meant to have been in the chorus for 7 years - she would know how the business and those in it operate.
i am seriously in despair of all new shows not writing for adults - its in a primetime slot so please write for us like we are intelligent people!
Arnie Heff
March 6, 2012 at 3:14AM EST Reply to CommentI thoroughly enjoyed the pilot, but it seems as though a whole new writing team was brought on after it was filmed. In the next few episodes, the plot and characters were poorly developed. I think there has also been lots of miscasting too...Megan Hilty is too doughy-looking on camera and she has no chemistry with her love interest Davenport, Katharine McPhee's acting is absolutely flat, and Debra Messing is wrong too - the part is too matronly for her. And, to top it all off, the gay characters are so stereotypical it's very aggravating. They behave like bitchy queens in this show, especially the Christian Borle character who is not believable as Messing's writing partner. The only interesting character and actor is the director played by Jack Davenport, the only actor who seems to be not miscast. And, if I see Angelica Huston toss one more drink in her ex's face, I'll flip the channel.
Arnie Heff
March 6, 2012 at 3:15AM EST Reply to CommentI thoroughly enjoyed the pilot, but it seems as though a whole new writing team was brought on after it was filmed. In the next few episodes, the plot and characters were poorly developed. I think there has also been lots of miscasting too...Megan Hilty is too doughy-looking on camera and she has no chemistry with her love interest Davenport, Katharine McPhee's acting is absolutely flat, and Debra Messing is wrong too - the part is too matronly for her. And, to top it all off, the gay characters are so stereotypical it's very aggravating. They behave like bitchy queens in this show, especially the Christian Borle character who is not believable as Messing's writing partner. The only interesting character and actor is the director played by Jack Davenport, the only actor who seems to be not miscast. And, if I see Angelica Huston toss one more drink in her ex's face, I'll flip the channel.
Arnie Heff
March 6, 2012 at 3:16AM EST Reply to CommentI thoroughly enjoyed the pilot, but it seems as though a whole new writing team was brought on after it was filmed. In the next few episodes, the plot and characters were poorly developed. I think there has also been lots of miscasting too...Megan Hilty is too doughy-looking on camera and she has no chemistry with her love interest Davenport, Katharine McPhee's acting is absolutely flat, and Debra Messing is wrong too - the part is too matronly for her. And, to top it all off, the gay characters are so stereotypical it's very aggravating. They behave like bitchy queens in this show, especially the Christian Borle character who is not believable as Messing's writing partner. The only interesting character and actor is the director played by Jack Davenport, the only actor who seems to be not miscast. And, if I see Angelica Huston toss one more drink in someone's face, I'm done.
Arnie Heff
March 6, 2012 at 3:17AM EST Reply to CommentWhat the hell is wrong with this website?
Arnie Heff
March 6, 2012 at 3:19AM EST Reply to CommentWhy is it so difficult to add a comment on here? I thoroughly enjoyed the pilot, but it seems as though a whole new writing team was brought on after it was filmed. In the next few episodes, the plot and characters were poorly developed. I think there has also been lots of miscasting too...Megan Hilty is too doughy-looking on camera and she has no chemistry with her love interest Davenport, Katharine McPhee's acting is absolutely flat, and Debra Messing is wrong too - the part is too matronly for her. And, to top it all off, the gay characters are so stereotypical it's very aggravating. They behave like bitchy queens in this show, especially the Christian Borle character who is not believable as Messing's writing partner. The only interesting character and actor is the director played by Jack Davenport, the only actor who seems to be not miscast. And, if I see Angelica Huston toss one more drink in her ex's face, I'll flip the channel.