Smash 2.08- Episode Recap and Discussion Thread

Hey guys. I’m recapping Smash tonight. Figured I’d get the thread up and running so you guys can discuss things.

The episode opens on Jimmy (Jeremy Jordan) and Ana (Krysta Rodriguez) singing a song from Hit List. Scott (Jesse L. Martin) is watching and leaves to put his thoughts together. Over at Bombshell, Tom (Christian Borle) is now directing, and is having a hard time connecting with Karen (Katherine McPhee), and actually gives her a line reading. And with Liasons, Ivy (Megan Hilty) is still struggling with getting Terry (Sean Hayes) to understand the part. Back at Bombshell, Jerry (Michael Cristofer) hates the new choreography, and isn’t sure Tom is the right choice to direct Bombshell. Eileen (Anjelica Huston) and Julia (Debra Messing) are trying to figure out how to keep Tom from being fired before Eileen can get Jerry ejected from the show for conspiring with Ellis.

Scott isn’t sold on Hit List, and doesn’t think it’s ready to be the main stage show. Derek (Jack Davenport) isn’t happy with the idea that Hit List will be an 80 seat theatre. Derek and Jimmy argue about the show. Eileen’s daughter Katie (Grace Gummer) is back to help her mom get Jerry off the show, but it looks like they hit a brick wall. Terry performs a bit from Liasons, and it’s terrible. Cringe inducing actually, and the people in the audience look terribly bored. Derek and Karen talk about Hit List, and how Karen should really be involved. Eileen tells Julia that she couldn’t get Jerry off, and wants Julia to walk away from the show. Eileen shows Julia the papers that Jerry was supposed to send to Derek to get him to sign off on his choreography, and Jerry never sent it. He wants Derek back, and is betting on Tom to fail. Julia isn’t having it.

Kyle (Andy Mientus) is trying to fix the show with Jimmy when Karen stops by. Jimmy is still mad that Karen had to bail from the show. Jimmy is really against rewrites, and against Karen because she’s not in the show anymore. Karen leaves. Scott gives Derek some hints that things might work out for him, and then Scott runs into Julia. They apparently go way back, but we don’t spend much time on that. Julia has the papers for Derek to sign. Derek toys with Julia, and Julia is on to him the whole time. She’s not having it at all this episode, from anyone.

Karen and Ana walk down the street together, talking about their shows. They find Tom with flowers at their doorstep. Tom apologizes to Karen, saying he’s still learning and that he’s sorry. Tom asks Karen to be his date at the Liasons opening. Karen thinks it will upset Ivy, but Tom thinks Ivy will understand. Terry found some reviews of Liasons, and it’s going down in flames, and he’s not happy, so he goes to Ivy. Ivy continues to be a straight shooter and tells him she wishes she could get out of the show. Terry agrees, and compliments Ivy on his acting. Ivy tells Terry to make the show batshit crazy, so at least they’ll go down in a blaze of glory.

A reporter runs into Karen and Tom and interviews them about Bombshell. Derek, Jimmy, and Kyle see the interview, and bicker more about the potential changes to Hit List. Eileen is still looking for evidence against Jerry with Katie. They’re reminiscing about the good old days. They find old pictures of when Jerry and Eileen were actually in love. So happy to have Grace Gummer back on the show. She brings out a different side of Eileen. Julia comes in and has a license from the Marilyn Monroe estate that’s licensed to Eileen. Julia believes THIS is the item that will take Jerry down.

Karen and Derek are talking to each other when Jerry approaches them, clearly wanting Derek to come back. Tom runs into Jimmy and Kyle, and they see Jerry talking to Derek. Tom gets into Derek’s face, and Derek gets back into Tom’s face, and also yells at Jimmy. Derek tells Tom that he’s wasting some great material that Julia wrote, and wasting Karen’s talent. He then tells Jimmy that he’s wasting his shot. Jerry takes the opportunity to offer Bombshell back to Derek.

Terry is doing what he wants with Liasons. He’s bringing his own sillyness to the role, and the rest of the cast seems to not know what’s going on. He slaps some boobs, lol. It’s a lot better than what we saw earlier, and Terry is really comfortable being silly. I wonder how Ivy will work into this equation. She’s not really a silly person. The audience seems to really enjoy this. Terry falls at the end of the number. Tom tells Ivy afterward that her number was the best. Karen takes a backseat to Tom and Ivy’s conversation, and realizes that Ivy is Tom’s Marilyn, and suggests to Tom that when Liasons closes, that Tom cast Ivy as Marilyn. That would free her up for Hit List.

Derek, Jimmy, and Kyle talk about Liasons. Derek tells Jimmy and Kyle he’s committed to Hit List, and he believes in them. Karen walks over and tells the three boys that she just quit Bombshell so she could do Hit List. She still has to make sure she can actually get out of her contract. I wonder how Ana will take this… she seemed pretty stoked to be the lead.

Eileen, Katie, and Jerry meet with Tom and Julia, and they all lay out their plan in front of Jerry. They tell him that 20% of the songs in the show would have to get cut from the show because Eileen has the rights to it, not Jerry. Jerry says No, and Eileen says she won’t let it go because Jerry hurt Nick. Jerry doesn’t care. As they’re leaving, Katie tells her father how disappointed she is in him. She is ready to walk out with her mom, when Jerry calls them back. Terry announces that he’s dropping out of Liasons, and the director announces the show is closing on Sunday. Derek hands Tom the contract saying Tom can use his choreography. Eileen gets the show back from Jerry. Eileen is asking who the star will be, and Tom tells her that Ivy just got freed from Liasons. Julia and Tom toast Eileen. Eileen toasts them. Everyone seems happy.

Join me again for the next Smash episode. How is Ivy going to take being back in Marilyn’s shoes? Will Hit List be an actual hit, or did Karen and Derek make the wrong move? What the hell happened to Sam? Wasn’t he promoted to series regular?

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Contributor to mjsbigblog.com. EIC of macthemovieguy.com, Contributor at houseofgeekery.com. Holds a BA in Film from the University of Central Florida.