Smash: The Show Must Go On

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

I'm kinda glad that everyone hated the Smash finale, because that means I'm not alone. I don't care if it's Broadway-esque or not, I'm through with this garbage. I wasted too much time trying to like this show. I've seen a few predictions that NBC is going to regret that they gave it a second season, and I think they may be right. Forcing the Dev-Ivy hook-up to come to light, having Karen get scared hours before she's set to go on, letting Julia and Tom finish the finale only fifteen minutes before the curtain goes up, allowing Ellis to come clean about his plot to eliminate Rebecca, conveniently giving Julia time to be suspicious about why she was vomiting, and showing Ivy contemplate suicide herself were all just too much. I didn't like any of those ideas (except maybe Karen's freak-out), but mixing them all together into a giant pile of disaster wasn't attractive. For a first-season finale, it failed completely to interest me in tuning back in. One improbably moment after another, plus extra oomph all around (a quick moment between Michael and Julia while Frank looks on? sure! why not?!), I just got fed up with this drama.

Smash "Bombshell" (S01E15): We begin twelve hours before the curtain goes up. With Rebecca out, the creative artists must decide if Karen or Ivy will take the lead. Despite the fact that the costumes won't fit her and that she doesn't know all of the show, Karen is selected to take the challenge. [those costumes wouldn't have fit Ivy, either, by the way.] Quite a few people are unhappy about Derek's decision, and Ellis takes it up with Eileen, talking about how he did the dirty work of putting peanuts in Rebecca's smoothie to get her out of the way for Ivy. Eileen fires him. [...but do you think he's gone? no.] Ivy takes a direct approach and asks Derek why he picked Karen. Ivy then decides to retaliate by telling Karen that she slept with Dev, giving her the engagement ring he misplaced as "proof." [but Karen knows how sneaky Ivy can be, so I'm not sure why she would believe her.] Karen confirms the truth with Dev, and soon winds up crying in the wardrobe room. While Derek consoles her, Ivy dresses for the lead, assuming that Karen won't return.

Photo by Eric Liebowitz/NBC

As Tom and Julia finish the final song, she vomits, which she hasn't done since she was pregnant with Leo. [oh, COME ON!!!] Ivy's mom shows up, assuming her daughter will play Marilyn, so Ivy feels she disappointed her once again... and our final shot of Ivy is her with a handful of white pills.