Smash - Season 2 Episode 5 - Recap and Review - The Read-Through
Recap and review of Smash - Season 2 Episode 5 - The Read-Through:
I've always been of the belief that Smash is at its best when it's exploring the process of putting a show together from concept to curtain time. For this reason alone, "The Read-Through" stands as one of my favorite episodes of the series, particularly because it's among the few episodes of the show to really build the feeling that there's something at stake here, beyond the question of whether Karen (Katharine McPhee) or Ivy (Megan Hilty) are going to hit the big time. While making it to Broadway is often portrayed as the only goal worth having on this show, this episode asks the genuinely fascinating question of whether or not it's worth getting to Broadway if you have to compromise your artistic integrity by putting out a product in which you don't believe. It's a weightier question than this show has ever asked, and speaks to the creative processes of each of these characters. Whether it's writing plays or writing songs, producing shows or directing them, or even exploring the craft of acting, every character gets a chance to exercise his or her creative muscles, and it makes the episode feel far more substantial than it would have if it had simply been concerned with the question of whether or not Karen would get together with Jimmy (Jeremy Jordan), for instance. At the very least, it felt more important than last week's episode, which centered on a character who wasn't going to be around past that episode. With the twin machines of "Bombshell" and "Hit List" in motion, the series feels more purposeful and driven than at any point in its run, I'd argue.
Credit: NBC
The episode opens big, with Tom (Christian Borle) envisioning a new number for "Bombshell" called "Public Relations," centering on Marilyn meeting with the press after her plane touches down. I'm not sure, from a strictly aesthetic perspective, that it's one of the better songs in the Bombshell catalog, but "Public Relations" is still an utterly delightful number that does more for Katharine McPhee's version of Marilyn Monroe than any song so far. In the show's manic obsession to get us to buy Karen as a better Marilyn than Ivy, it seemed to forget to actually show us why, yet her performance here gives us a better sense of why she was chosen. Of course, since the entire scene is taking place in Tom's head, who the hell knows if it's any real reflection of Karen's ability? Regardless, there's a certain quality to how Katharine McPhee (and Karen, by proxy) embodies Marilyn here that makes her casting make sense. Also, any number that allows Christian Borle to show off his considerable theatrical talents is aces, in my book. In addition to just being a fun number, it contributes an important plot point for later, as the imagined sequence illustrates Tom's infatuation with the workshop draft of the "Bombshell" script. He's fascinated by how Marilyn "created herself" in the eyes of those who would worship her, and it's an important plot point that comes into play later.
There is no A-plot this week. Thus, the episode can be broken down into concise, digestible nuggets:
Credit: NBC
-Ivy and the Clown: The episode introduces a new big-name star in the world of Smash, Terrance "Terry" Falls (Sean Hayes), a film star best known for his comedy roles. One of the costars of Liasons derides his involvement with the show, saying it would be like "Jim Carrey doing King Lear." Terry spends the episode goofing off, leading Ivy to worry that her potential big break in one of the most heartrending shows ever written will be turned into a complete joke. She comes to realize that no one has the balls to tell the big star that he shouldn't be doing pratfalls in a serious drama, and so she tells him herself. However, it doesn't really sink in, as Terry continues with the antics. Ivy, fed up with his goofing, unleashes on him the best way she knows how: with her acting. While Terry is fooling around in the scene, Ivy enters and plays it completely straight. It's an excellent bit of work from Megan Hilty, and it's filmed smartly, with no excessive tricks of editing or music, simply allowing Hilty's acting to do the work. Rendered dumbstruck in the presence of true talent, Terry breaks down and asks Ivy how she does it. It's a lovely little heart-to-heart, and Sean Hayes really makes the most out of a somewhat flat character -- or, rather, he's flat until you realize why he is the way he is: He misreads Ivy's advice about feelings being the key to good acting, and disposes the cocktail of medications necessary to keep him in balance. Hayes plays the off-his-meds Terry with manic energy that breathes life into a character I was initially resigned to hating. It really was a terrific turnaround.
-The Adventures of Jimmy and His Less-Talented Friend Kyle: Last week's episode had me genuinely wondering what, if anything, Kyle (Andy Mientus) brought to his partnership with aspiring "genius" Jimmy. It seemed that the only thing he contributed was the initial dream of a Broadway show, and the barest skeleton of a story. There were always murmurings that he was "writing the book" to the show, but he never really had anything to show for it, and the best parts apparently came from Jimmy while they were wasted on New Year's Eve. It feels like Jimmy is simply doing Kyle a solid by making his dream come true, returning the favor for all the times Kyle has been there for him in the past. But Kyle doesn't actually seem to have any real talent of his own. Turns out, this was intentional, as Kyle finishes the book for "Hit List" and gathers friends of his, Jimmy's, and Karen's into their apartment for an informal read-through of the show.
When Act I is finished, everyone makes up excuses to leave, and it comes out that everyone thinks Kyle's writing songs (Jimmy's songs get rave reviews though). Kyle has a meltdown, insisting that nobody has any idea what they're talking about, that his work is fresh and original. But Kyle later comes face-to-face with his shortcomings, wondering how he could be so bad at something he loves so much. Kyle is convinced that Karen and Jimmy just have an ineffable something that he'll never have. But Karen, in a moment that actually got me solidly in her corner, tells Kyle that she wasn't born with her talent. It required years of voice lessons and dance lessons. Karen insists that Kyle can, and will, get better. (Of course, this is immediately undermined by Karen and her roommate Ana (Krysta Rodriguez) suggesting that they adopt a sung-through approach, where the entire show is music, with no dialogue -- effectively rendering Kyle useless, beyond simply providing the outline for the story)
Credit: NBC
Meanwhile, Jimmy and Karen deal with the fallout of their kiss last week. It's easily the weakest part of the episode, for me. Karen goes on and on about him to Ana, and Ana takes Jimmy aside and tells him not to play around with Karen, that she's been through a lot. Ultimately, while hanging out on the roof of his apartment complex together, Jimmy explains that he doesn't want to take advantage of her, and that Kyle told him about her "situation." He offers his hand as a friend. They shake hands, and like that, they're friends. Nothing more. I will say that Katharine McPhee does a wonderful job communicating just how badly she wants to kiss Jimmy in this moment, all from her body language. It's a rare bit of subtlety that comes across beautifully onscreen. Jimmy seems to pick up on it too, asking Kyle if he's sure she's dating Derek (Jack Davenport), to which Kyle responds, "He dates all his leading ladies." Misunderstandings, for the win.
-A Tale of Two Scripts: Meanwhile, Julia (Debra Messing) has formed something of a bond with Peter (Daniel Sunjata), spending the weekend working with him and finishing the final draft of "Bombshell." However, a series of comments from Jerry's enthusiastic secretary (guest star Nikki Blonsky) leads Julia to suspect that Peter is trying to usurp her as the show's writer. She confronts him and discovers this isn't the case, that the script Jerry (Michael Christofer) read had to have come from somewhere else. Regardless, Peter insists that it doesn't matter, that Jerry will love the script because it's the best piece of writing he's ever seen anyone do. The read-through bears this out, as even Derek has to admit that it's "bloody brilliant", and one of the best scripts he's ever read. The episode spends a lot of time hyping up this supposed masterpiece script Julia's created, writing a check that I'm not sure the final product would be able to cash. Turns out, we might not even get to see any of it produced. It's revealed that Tom was the one who forwarded to script to Jerry, as he wanted to see what the show would be like, and Tom just sent him the first script he had. But it goes deeper than that, as that workshop draft is the script Tom is most passionate about. Julia's original "Bombshell" told the story of how Marilyn created herself, while Julia's new script paints the portrait of a Marilyn defined by the men in her life -- and while Tom acknowledges that Julia's new script is brilliant, it's just not a story he believes in.
Credit: Craig Blankenhorn/NBC
Jerry agrees. He feels that while Julia's script will probably win them a ton of awards, it's not actually going to make any money, leading to an incredulous Derek replying, "Are you seriously telling me you won't produce this because it's too good for Broadway?" Jerry sticks to his guns, and Tom is, begrudgingly, on his side, with Julia and Derek opposing him. This means the tiebreaking vote falls on Eileen (Anjelica Huston), who's still in an emotionally-fragile place now that Nick is in prison. She gives consideration to which one she'll choose: the script that won't win awards but will make money, or the script that will sweep the Tonys but fail to recoup its investment? Of course, none of the parties involved have any way of knowing that Julia's masterpiece won't be a huge financial hit. Nor do they know that Julia's lightweight original draft won't be a big awards season winner. They simply have precedent to go on. That's partially what makes the choice so intriguing -- and why it's so disappointing that the show cuts to black before we learn which script gets picked. Of course, if I had to guess, I'd say Eileen goes with the workshop draft, if only because Julia's new draft was built up to such a degree that there's no way the show could possibly live up to the hype. But I guess we'll find out soon enough.
"The Read-Through" gets just about everything right, and delivers an insightful look into the artistic compromises necessary to hit it big. That's a fascinating theme, in my opinion, and one that I hope gets more traction as the season rolls onward.
