Smash: The Phenomenon (2x14)

I might be crying right now. Maybe a bit. I swear, I actually have a certain level of respect for Smash right now that I didn't really think was possible. I'd like to start by saying that I think the idea of killing off Kyle is a a bad one. Just, as an overall idea, it's bad. Kyle was really one of the only characters who had any likability or charm in this whole show, and I think it's a good thing Smash isn't getting another season, because I don't know how they'd do any more without him as a moral compass.

That being said, as I watched this episode I really started to get the sense that the writers and creators had planned this death from the very beginning. Everything was set up so perfectly, and even if the death itself seemed to come out of nowhere and be a really cheap way to create drama, the fallout from it was so perfect that I have to assume they knew this was coming all along. What do I mean by a perfect fallout? Well, let's take a look at some of the specifics of the episode.

First of all, we have Derek and Karen's "almost" night together. I am so freakin' happy that these two did not have sex. There was no reason for it to happen and I really don't see them together that way. I still think Ivy is the only girl for Derek, and I think Derek is starting to see it too, even if Ivy doesn't agree.

Then there's the adorable Tom and Julia stuff, wherein they are still awkward and broken up, but it turns out Tom wants to dissolve their partnership not so he can steal Gatsby, but so he can help make sure Julia has the rights to it on her own. This was the sweetest thing, and the moment when Julia realizes the truth she just lets out a little "oh" as everything just becomes abundantly clear.

Then there's Eileen and Jerry... I'm just glad that the episode didn't focus too much on them, because they bore me. I did enjoy seeing a classic moment when Eileen threw the drink on Jerry, and I think it's fantastic that Jerry has come out of the woodwork to sponsor Hit List and get it to Broadway. It adds a great tension for the end of the season. Ultimately I just think that Jerry and Eileen work better as plot devices to move things forward. It's too bad, but they just don't interest me as characters all that much.

And now for Kyle. This episode did something very smart in showing flashbacks with a lot of the characters. It was heartbreaking to see memories with him from Tom, Julia, Jimmy, Karen... these moments seriously broke my heart. Kyle was such a sweet, genuine guy, and you could really see how they all cared for him.

I truthfully believe that his death is going to cause Jimmy to get his life together and become a better person. And this is what I mean by a brilliant, perfect fallout: this whole time, Jimmy has been the troubled one and Kyle has been a nurturer. We've had numerous comparisons between Hit List and Rent, so I always felt like it would be an obvious move for them to kill off Jimmy and turn the show into a hit. I wasn't expecting it to be Kyle instead. We've been hearing about this song "The Love I Meant to Say" for a while now, but we haven't heard it yet. Jimmy was always going to need something to snap his character out of the drug-rut and bring him forward. Karen wasn't enough to do it, but Kyle was. Jimmy singing that song at the end was absolutely heart-rending. It was the perfect moment to honor Kyle and it brought tears to my eyes. As idiotic as it was to kill off such a brilliant character, I think that the show handled the aftermath better than most shows do. When Jimmy sang that song, it was clear to the whole world that he was singing it to Kyle. I loved how he started the song looking at Karen, as it's supposed to be his character singing it about the death of hers. But after a few lines, he was just looking out at nothing and singing his soul out to Kyle. Jeremy Jordan is a great actor and his voice is insanely powerful. This song was the most emotionally draining thing that Smash has ever done.

I guess I also have to mention Scott, because I think that he is the perfect example of a character handled poorly. When he first appeared in the show, I didn't understand the point of him at all. I thought his connection with Julia was forced and his entire presence just felt like a waste. Then, I started to really enjoy him. I started to see a genuine relationship between him and Julia, and I was excited to see her lucky in love for once. And then, after all that, he makes a dick move and Julia's done with him. I agree with Julia's decision to leave him immediately - it was truly awful that Scott would use Kyle's death as a promotional gimmick. But why did they do this at all? I liked Scott! And now suddenly he's a villain? It didn't make any sense to me at all and it felt like a total waste of a character that they actually spent a good deal of time trying to develop.

Other little things to mention... the connection between Tom and Kyle during their flashback scene was amazing. I was very annoyed at the idea of having the two of them get together, because it felt like a forced way of connecting Kyle with another big character, and I didn't understand what the point was of giving Kyle another boyfriend if he was then immediately going to have sex with Tom. But it wasn't just sex. That scene between them was so genuine, and Tom's reaction to Kyle's death was one of the saddest moments in an episode filled with sad moments.

Speaking of that flashback scene, all of the songs in this episode were phenomenal. I've already touched on "The Love I Meant to Say." Jimmy's other song in the beginning, "High and Dry," was also beautiful. We saw a brief moment of a song from Bombshell called "At Your Feet," which was fun but actually felt a bit out of place in an otherwise somber episode. However, I loved when Tom serenaded Kyle with "Vienna."

I actually have a lot of things to praise in this episode. Derek had a lot of lovely moments. I loved how sad he was about Kyle, but he just refused to show it. He was vehemently against the idea of putting the show on, because for once the success of a musical was not the most important thing on Derek's mind. He basically told Ivy over the phone that he started doing Hit List because of Kyle's enthusiasm and energy, and it broke his heart that the kid would never get to enjoy the end of it. He gave a stirring speech to the cast of Hit List before they went on stage, telling them that they were the only ones with the power to tell Kyle's story. In all, his character was explored in a really fascinating way and it broke my heart to see how much he really cared for Kyle.

In an astonishing turn of events, it turns out that Katharine McPhee can actually act! She seemed genuinely devastated by Kyle's death, and her worry for Jimmy throughout the episode was palpable. Her voice was cracking and she looked like she was constantly on the verge of tears. The scene between Karen and Jimmy was a really intense and beautiful moment, as Karen told Jimmy that she loved him. Jimmy was a mess, blaming himself for Kyle's death and wondering what the hell he was supposed to do from here. It was enormously satisfying (if a bit obvious) when he showed up to do the show in tribute to Kyle.

So, I guess my overall impression of this episode was very positive. The premise itself, that of Kyle's death, seems insulting and trite and just wrong. But... the execution was stunning. It's almost difficult for me to give this a score, because while I hate the means, the method was great.

8/10