Smash: Musical Chairs (2x07)

After last week's great episode of Smash, I was a bit nervous to see how well this one could hold up. I didn't LOVE it as much as last week's episode, but I still enjoyed it. I'll start with the things that I didn't actually like, so that I can spend the rest of the review talking about the good stuff.

The Jerry sub-plot. Thank goodness it should be over at this point. I was getting really sick of that. The entire episode, Eileen and Julia's characters just talked about how awful Jerry was and how everything was falling apart. It wasn't until the end that we learn that Jerry has finally caved and that Bombshell belongs to Eileen again. I haven't been too invested in this plot thread for a while now. Like I've previously mentioned, the character of Jerry just doesn't hold my attention. Hopefully now we can get this messy business behind us and move on to better things.

Another small problem that I had was the way that Liasions finished off. Terry Falls' number was HILARIOUS! The audience was laughing, and I was actually pretty engaged with it. But what didn't make sense to me was the ending, when he kept singing after the music had stopped, fell off of his swing... and then all of a sudden the show was being canceled? It was a bit disappointing to me to see that after all of that work that Ivy did with Terry, there was no real pay-off. It sort of felt like the entire Terry Falls story arc had absolutely no point at all. Also, I liked Terry. I liked Terry and Ivy's interactions. It's too bad we probably won't be seeing any more of him.

This is probably a nitpick, but I found Karen quitting Bombshell to be rather... undramatic. It might have something to do with the fact that while Katharine McPhee can sing, she's a little less solid on the acting. It was also just the writing of the scene. It felt like it was such a simple and uncomplicated thing for Karen to do, to just walk away. Shouldn't this have been a more dramatic moment? However, one thing AMAZING came out of this - Ivy is coming back to Bombshell! I can't wait to have her back with Tom and Julia. It will be so fun to see what she brings to the role.

Okay, now for the other good stuff - Derek's journey during this episode. I actually loved all the stuff between him and Jimmy and Kyle. There was resentment, there was readjustment, there was pay-off. A show being directed by Derek, starring Jimmy and Karen? Yes please! This is going to be amazing. The very start of the episode was really funny, when we saw Derek having to get his own coffee while Tom, directing Bombshell, ordered a specific drink and had it brought to him. It was a bit heavy-handed, but adequately set up the contrast between Bombshell and Hit List. However, by the end, he was telling Jimmy and Kyle that he still believed in them, and was even willing to direct a show in a tiny 80 seat theater if that was what they wanted.

The tension between Karen and Jimmy is really great, but I do wish they would just get on with it. Another problem I had with the episode was Derek's scene at the end. The only reason I think his threat to Jimmy works is that it is in fact consistent with Derek's douche-y character. I guess I was just a bit disappointed because I thought he was growing beyond this aspect. It will be interesting to see tensions rise between Jimmy and Derek over Karen, but I was really liking the whole teamwork thing, and it's sad to think that it won't get any time to grow.

On that note... ugh every time Tom and Derek scream at each other I just want to smash them together, force them to hug it out, and start them on an epic bromance. Seriously. These two are secretly hot for each other, I swear. Or if not that, Derek only lashes out at Tom because he secretly wants them to be best friends. Okay, maybe I'm reaching a bit here. But I just think that the drama between the two of them is so great. I loved the scene when Derek gave over his choreography and his blessing to Tom. More of that, please! I hope we continue to see these two character interact as the show goes forward, even though they are now working on separate projects.

Another note on Liaisons. Although I was a bit disappointed that the entire plot arc of this show seemed to lead to nothing, it did serve for a nice opportunity to get a bunch of our characters together. Everyone was represented. On opening night, Karen and Tom were there (Bombshell) and so was Hit List, represented by Derek, Jimmy, and Kyle. On top of that, we had Ivy in the cast and even Jerry was there. It connected Ivy to the rest of our story, which I appreciated.

A cute but small moment that I have to mention: Jimmy wasn't very gracious about receiving criticism in the beginning, but by the end, he was sheepishly telling Scott Nichols (the Manhattan Workshop Director guy) that "it was a good note. Thanks, uh... thanks for giving it." Aww. Jimmy you are too cute.

The episode ended once again with a new song for Hit List. After last week's "Heart Shaped Wreckage," which was amazing, this week's song "Rewrite This Story" was a bit bland. Jimmy and Karen (Jordan and McPhee) sound heavenly together, as always, but the song itself wasn't as good as the one from last week, at least in my opinion. Still, it was fun to listen to, even if I probably won't be putting it on my iPod so I can listen to it again and again (which I may or may not have done with "Heart Shaped Wreckage." Oh, shut up.)

In short, it was a good episode! I had some problems with it, but I enjoyed it all the same.

7/10