Smash: The Dress Rehearsal (2x11)

This episode had a lot of promise, and it delivered on... some if it. But not all. I'll start with my biggest problem: the lack of music. Even the less-than-brilliant songs from Smash have been fun to watch, but this week had an annoying habit of skipping right over them. The most flagrant example was when apparently there was a new episode of Hit List, but we skip to the end, with Derek saying it was good. What was good? I want to see! It was a lame cop out.

I'm not really going to cover the plot of this episode, because I don't have time for that. Also, I have no readers, so what's the point in recapping what I just watched? I'm just going to separate this into a "pros" and "cons" list really quick.

Pros: Tom. I really enjoyed Tom this week, and I thought most of the Bombshell stuff really hit the nail on the head. If it felt a bit like a rehash of last season's scramble to prepare Bombshell for opening, I didn't mind it. It made for great drama and really hit on all the things about this show that really should be the focus: the drama of working in the world of theatre. It was nice to see Julia have a good idea about Bombshell and help things get off the ground.

I also liked the payoff when the New York Times reviewed Bombshell and Hit List in the same article, and Tom finds out that Julia has been helping with Hit List. Tom looked like he was about to cry as he read the name Julia Houston in the paper. Kudos to that acting! It made complete sense why he would be so mad. Julia says "you said you didn't need me!" To which Tom replies: "So you ran off to help Derek?!" Great point, Tom!

Kyle! I do adore him so much. I really liked that he stood up for what he wanted this week. He sided with Derek about the changes, even though Jimmy and Karen were both against it. His conversations with Jimmy this week were great. Jimmy accusing him of being jealous was weird... I never really got where they were going with that. Is Kyle supposed to be in love with Jimmy? Ah, who knows? But it was nice to see Jimmy apologize, and the two actually shared a hug! I liked that this episode acknowledged Kyle as a person with some real talent. I also liked the idea that Derek's vision for the show wasn't just to spite Karen and Jimmy, but was actually due to an artistic vision. I hope that this momentum keeps going.

Ivy. I loved her dilemma about nudity, and I loved the way she resolved it. I also, believe it or not, like the dynamic of her relationship with Derek, particularly at the end when they both established that it's totally casual.

Cons: Sam. He had a few funny lines in this episode, but then he dramatically tells Tom that he'd rather be unemployed than work with him. What was the point of that whole subplot, then? Bye, Sam...

Karen. Karen and Ana's bitch-fest this week was just nasty and pointless. Again, I don't think that Ana's presence is all that important,. so I don't get why everyone is raving about the Diva. On top of that, it's so annoying to see Karen act so petty. Aren't we supposed to like her? Also, her casual references to Jimmy's drug use were unrealistic. I am glad that she's staying pissed at him for once, though. I hope she actually stays angry this time instead of instantly forgiving him when he makes puppy-dog eyes. I am just really not compelled by their relationship.

The drug dealer guy. Apparently, his name was Adam. Why is this show trying to do a drug subplot? It's trying to be so deep, and failing so spectacularly.

So, there were some good things about this episode, but the lack of any full musical numbers just reminded me that the musical numbers are my primary motivation for watching in the first place.

5/10