Smash: The Fringe (2x06)

Holy God. Smash. This show just has this wonderful problem with completely blowing me out of the water occasionally. This week was one of those times. Yikes. I honestly have very little to say in terms of what was wrong with this episode. Almost everything was just so right. Let's talk about it:

I'll start with Ivy's plot thread in the episode.Terry Falls is hilarious. I loved seeing Ivy sing her song and nail it so entirely. And it was so satisfying to see Ivy tell Terry the truth, again, and have her be listened to this time. If I had to complain about something here it would only be that I wish we had more. I think it would be in the show's best interest to develop some of Ivy's cast mates a bit, just to create higher stakes.

Okay, now for Bombshell. Things are happening, man! At first, I was upset that Eileen had chosen the old version of the show instead of the new. If the characters in a show are getting fed up with something, chances are the audience is going to be as well. However, I kind of like putting the show in a rut like this. And, we didn't stay there for long. Now that the characters have learned of Jerry's treachery, we can get him out of the way and move forward. 

Derek's quitting speech was fantastic. I loved everything he said and how he played it. Mad props to Jack Davenport for that performance. I was getting nervous about Julia and Tom's fighting, because I do not like the idea of Julia going off with Peter AT ALL. I am so glad that Tom is going to direct. The show actually did a nice job of subtly leading up to this moment. I can't wait to see how it goes! I can't stand the thought of breaking up Julia and Tom.

One small problem I did have with the episode was the way they keep trying to tie in Ellis. I'm fine if he's still a presence, but I'm not cool with how blatant it's becoming. I mean... Karen running in to Ellis's ex-girlfriend? That was too much of a big coincidence for me. Jerry is also just too much of an underdeveloped villain. He's just there to be a conflict for the other characters, so at times it's hard to get invested.

I didn't like the new version of "Never Give all the Heart." I'm still bummed we're not getting to see Julia's new book. But... whatever. That was a small nitpick.

And... Hit List. Yes. Yes yes yes. The only part of this storyline that I take slight issue with is the whole "misunderstanding" angle with Karen and Jimmy. But their chemistry is so amazing, the songs are so great... that guy's voice is like a chorus of really hot angels. I swear. I love that they are getting ready to make it big, I love that Derek is going to direct, I love Karen's conflict over what might be her one chance at a big break and at what really speaks to her soul... Katharine McPhee (Karen) looked stunning in that blue dress at the end... it was all... just... so... amazing. It should have been cheesy to have Karen walk out of the crowd like that, but it worked. I liked that Derek was having this artistic vision of the show. It brought us back to Derek the Artist, and away from Derek the Complainer/Jackass. Amazing.

Okay. Clearly you can tell I enjoyed this one!

9.5/10