Smash: A Side Story

I saw this episode as a mostly non-canonical side story to the main plot of the series. Rather than work on Bombshell, Derek, Ivy, Karen, Tom, and the stage manager are all working on Veronica's one-night show. Sure, Eileen is dealing with the legal ramifications of producing a show with dirty money and Julia does some major rewrites, but those were side-story plots. The entire thing really makes you wonder what is going on... the episode got barely three million viewers last night, and that's terrible news for the series. Music is not enough, and I'm not sure that those being Smash get that. On that note, I really like Kyle and Jimmy's work, as well as the new opening credits montage. But, I'm still struggling to remain interested in the show, and that's not helped by the fact that the dramaturg, once again, has tricked Julia. So much so, in fact, that he's almost got her eating out of the palm of his hand without even involving Tom, and that makes me enraged.

Smash "The Song" (S02E04): Let me explain that dramaturg part a bit more... see, Julia is under the impression that she's giving a lecture on collaborating to Peter's students. Instead, he ambushed her again and wants her to watch Bombshell performed by his class, only he's changed the names, removed the songs, and changed the setting. [which is a great dramaturgical exercise.] Peter's point is that the characters and actions need to be strong enough to stand as any people in any setting. Julia buys Peter's play, The Singing Bird, and finds it terrible. He surprises her by agreeing, and the next thing you know, they're drinking wine and Julia realizes that Marilyn didn't have a voice - all of the men in her life spoke for her, so the scenes should be written from their perspectives. [that seems like a big change, but I guess we'll see!]

Ronnie's mother is apparently her agent, and has turned the one-night performance into a filmed event for Bravo, so it's gotta be good. [wow! I did love the stage manager's note about Ronnie being a little old for a mother-agent, LoL.] There's some concern over whether Ronnie should stick to her classic pieces or sing new stuff, which would help her shed her old image. Karen decides to try getting one of Kyle and Jimmy's songs into the rotation, and Derek gives them six hours to come up with something for Ronnie's specific voice, against Tom's wishes. [I think Karen might have overstepped some boundaries there.] By the time they write something, however, Derek is back to "classic Ronnie" selections, as per her mother's request. Jimmy freaks out and goes missing, though Tom decides that his work is good and wants to use it. [awww!] Karen finds Jimmy hopped up on drugs, and he kisses her. Nothing is planned to be used of the boys, but Ronnie sings a song by surprise, with Karen and Ivy as backup. The final curtain call includes the now-known Kyle and Jimmy. [dumb luck bothers me.] 

Will Hart/NBC

Nick returns the night before Eileen is deposed, and then turns himself in. Still, she tells the truth about what happened, losing her position as producer of the show in the process. [...but I LOVE Eileen! we're not going to stop seeing her, are we??] Her husband, Jerry, will take over as that's what he wanted all along, and paid off Ellis handsomely to pull it off. [was anyone surprised to learn it was Ellis? I sure wasn't.]