Smash: Tech is a Mess

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Tech week is rough, let's not lie. I don't think the show really explained much of why to the non-theatre audience, but maybe that's not their prerogative. However, the whole episode was a mess. Dev cheating on Karen and then proposing came out of left field, Julia's freak-out over the re-hiring of Michael Swift and her family's decision to go to Boston for two weeks with her was awkward, Derek becoming better acquainted with Rebecca shouldn't have been so shocking to Ivy, Ellis now getting thrown errands to keep him from eavesdropping was ridiculous, and Tom taking so much of Sam's father's side was unbelievable. This show is starting to remind me of Glee - I originally tuned in for the music, but had to give it up because the drama bothered me so much. I have a strong feeling that I'll be dumping Smash over the summer, though I will give it more consideration before throwing it into the wind. 

Smash "Tech" (S01E13): The cast heads to Boston for tech week, and problems begin to arise. The guy playing DiMaggio just got a pilot and leaves for Vegas, so the plan is to rehire Michael Swift. Tom chickens out of telling Julia, so Eileen has to. [I stand with Derek on this one - Tom needs a spine, badly.] Julia suggests other possible leading men and begs Tom to side with her, even saying that she'll quit if Michael Swift returns. Eileen worries about everything falling apart. [what kind of bar closes when it's still daylight out?] Julia eventually gives in when Frank (who has been living back at home for all of a week) and Leo decide to accompany her to Boston during Spring Break. [why give ultimatums if you're going to cave anyway?]

Rebecca also reacts poorly to the news, as she isn't prepared to rehearse with a different actor. Ivy has to stand-in for a bit, but she just becomes paranoid that something is going on between Derek and Rebecca. [good. Ivy and Derek needs to end.] Later, Ivy and Ellis hear Rebecca and Derek being intimate in a dressing room.[cliche, much?] But, that's only the start of the problems with Rebecca. She needs more time for her costume changes, so Derek asks Tom for a longer lead-in to a specific song. [for not seeing Rebecca ever taking any voice lessons, she sure has improved.] Then, to accommodate some elbow-length gloves that Rebecca adores, Karen and Ivy must remove them on-stage to save time. [this annoys me, though I've certainly seen similar things done before.] While this is going on, Tom proposes adding a new song for Ivy and Karen, which was cut from Heaven on Earth. [I didn't even understand where he was coming from in suggesting such a thing!]

Sam takes Tom to meet his family, who live in Boston. Tom mentions to Sam's parents that dancers often have physical issues that halt their careers, so Sam's father asks Tom to convince Sam to make a different life choice. [the family commenting on the boys kissing was cute.]

Dev's colleague, RJ, comes by and they end up making out on the couch. He then goes to Boston as he was planning and takes Karen to dinner. He proposes, but she claims to be under too much pressure to give him an answer, which infuriates him. [well, yeah. if it's a public proposal, the polite thing to do is accept and then turn him down later in private!] He later talks of the "sacrifices" he has made in order to stay with her, admits to making out with RJ, and claims that he wants to be with her forever. [why confess about RJ? what does that do for you?] He then heads to a bar where he buys Ivy a drink, and they apparently meet for the first time. [the rest of the internet is snarking about the likelihood of them recognizing one another, so I'll leave that alone.]

(Photo by: Will Hart/NBC)