by Amy K. Bredemeyer
Despite the fact that the building is hot, the lead has low self-esteem, and the best singer in the ensemble has someplace better to be, the workshop is finally here. There were highs and lows, but we did get to hear part of "Let Me be your Star" again, which I like quite a bit - I might even have to purchase the song before the entire album becomes available. But there were several other things in this episode that I found to be fairly strange... For starters, what was with that sequence of everyone sleeping/awake the night before the workshop? Maybe it was supposed to give viewers a sense of the various strides in which the performers/staff take the pressure, but it just didn't "work" for me. Plus, why did Eileen invite the bartender to stay for the workshop? That seemed really awkward to me - unless we're trying to start setting up a romance, which I don't want, either. And what was with Tom suddenly realizing that Ivy's friend is gay? Was that not made clear earlier? When Tom was over at Ivy's apartment when she was sick, I'm pretty sure the kid even said he was gay... he just also likes sports. And, to end on a positive note, the day before the workshop, I really liked the scene where Julia stood-in for Ivy (who was trapped in the elevator) to play against Michael - they made that bit of dialogue come alive, I think.
Smash "The Workshop" (S01E07): There's a problem with the heat, so Eileen tries to talk to the building manager, but time isn't on their side before the workshop begins. Eileen takes it upon herself to invite an unlicensed plumber she knows through her neighborhood bartender to fix it, but that doesn't really work out too well, either. [but it's not really re-addressed, so I guess it doesn't much matter how it went in the end?]
Bernadette Peters arrives, playing Ivy's mother. She immediately steals the spotlight, singing "Everything's Coming up Roses" upon request. [love her singing that song! I have her recording of it from years ago! But I like her better when she sings in Into the Woods.] Ivy feels inadequate so Derek comforts her, but then criticizes her, telling her to get her head in the game. It doesn't help that her mother tells her she'd be shocked if Ivy could pull off Marilyn convincingly. She eventually tells Ivy that she loves her and thinks that she should start doing something else - not because she isn't good, but because she's tired of seeing her looked over. [that must be rough on a parent, especially one who had a career in the same field.]
Karen goes to a recording studio to cut a demo, and they ask her to stay, though she decides that the workshop is too important, even if she's only in the chorus. [she's just gotta show her NYer friends what Midwestern values are, eh?]
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| (Photo by: Eric Liebowitz/NBC) |
Michael continues to upset Julia, so Ellis decides it's time to tell Eileen about the affair. [ooooh.... that snotty brat!] Eileen tells him to keep quiet or "he'll never work in this town again." [good. I was afraid that she'd take his side, as she's around him so often lately! (which doesn't really add up... anyway...)] Julia is only bothered more when she comes home to find Leo smoking pot with a friend. She goes to yell at him, then realizes he knows about her and Michael. She tells Michael, but at that point it doesn't matter because Tom suggests they cut him from the show and Julia agrees, against Derek's wishes. [I was surprised that Derek didn't fight it more - he was all about fighting for Karen over Ivy in the beginning!] Julia tells Leo that they're firing Michael because he "wasn't right for the part," which gets Leo crying again. [are we really going to believe that this is a mother-son secret? Frank isn't going to find out?]
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