Review: Smash Season 2 Premiere
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| Jennifer Hudson and Katherine McPhee prove that once upon time, American Idol actually produced marketable talent. |
NBC had a lot riding on Smash,
the big, expensive musical drama about the creation of a Marilyn Monroe
musical called Bombshell. After a stellar pilot, the show somewhat
undeservedly became one of the most mocked pieces of entertainment in pop
culture, resulting in the firing of creator/showrunner Theresa Rebeck and
several major cast members. Following an
extended hiatus to accommodate the show’s retooling, Smash has finally returned with a two hour premiere that largely
resembles last year’s incarnation, although under the surface lurks a host of
subtle but significant tweaks with the potential to radically increase the show’s
overall quality.
Season two of Smash picks
up right where season one left off, with the cast and creative team of Bombshell eyeing a Broadway transfer
after a largely successful run in Boston.
Karen (Katherine McPhee) received glowing reviews for her performance as
Marilyn, while critics also singled out director Derek (Jack Davenport) and
composer Tom (Christian Borle) for their many contributions. Unfortunately, the press wasn’t so enamored
with Julia’s (Debra Messing) libretto, and the behind the scenes shenanigans
that plagued Bombshell’s development now
threaten to overshadow the final product.
Meanwhile poor Ivy (Megan Hilty) finds herself struggling to get back in
Karen’s good graces after sleeping with the rising star’s boyfriend, a move
that has caused the entire creative team to give her the cold shoulder.
One thing new showrunner Joshua Safran has repeatedly
promised is that Smash 2.0 would
focus more on the backstage drama and less on the character’s soapy personal
lives. The season premiere certainly
supports that statement, with all unresolved interpersonal plotlines wrapped up
by little more than a wave of the hand before new show-related conflicts are
introduced. While this is a welcomed bit
of house cleaning, it eats up a large portion of the premiere’s first hour and
makes that episode feel like a repeat of the misguided tonal shifts perpetrated
under Rebeck’s guidance last year. In
fact, the first hour is so hamstrung by having to clean up last season’s mess
that I’d wager the decision to have a supersized premiere was driven primarily
by the network’s desire to trot out the second episode as a better example of
what season two has in store.
The new storylines introduced during the premiere are
actually quite interesting, and executed with a more consistent tone and pace
than we’ve previously seen. The Rebecca-inspired financial woes Bombshell encounters show promise, and
illustrate that Eileen (Anjelica Huston) should really be more suspicious of
her bartender boyfriend’s extensive bank account. Having serial womanizer Derek hit with a
succession of sexual harassment lawsuits is a stroke of genius that makes
excellent use of the delightfully smarmy Davenport, and the addition of
Jennifer Hudson as a Tony-winning actress/inspirational figure for Karen brings
with it a welcomed dose of spunk and genuine star wattage. (As expected, Hudson’s musical numbers are
positively thrilling.)
But the storyline with the biggest implications for Smash’s future is the introduction of a
competing musical being developed by struggling Brooklyn songwriters Jimmy
(Jeremy Jordan) and Kyle (Andy Mientus).
It accomplishes the hat trick of providing a point of contrast by which
to judge Bombshell’s progress,
creating conflict by offering the possibility of key cast members jumping ship,
and making Smash’s world seem more
alive by not having Bombshell exist
in the vacuum. Bad-boy Jimmy also makes
an intriguing love interest for Karen by virtue of being the only person who
doesn’t immediately worship the ground she walks on, although right now the
character is so aggressively off-putting it somewhat negates any narrative appeal
he provides.
Speaking of Karen, the struggling artist from Iowa has
emerged as the show’s most problematic character, a handicap made even more
maddening by the fact that she is clearly intended to be Smash’s protagonist. Her experience
in Boston has replaced her wide-eyed naivety with an unearned sense of
entitlement, resulting in diva-esque behavior that makes her increasingly hard
to root for. Karen now treats Ivy with
the same disdain Ivy exhibited for poor, sweet Karen in season one, but whereas
Ivy was eventually scolded and told to tone down her hatred the other
characters are inexplicably willing to support Karen’s vindictiveness. On the plus side, this has allowed Ivy to
revert back to the insecure but likably ambitious woman she was in the pilot,
becoming a much more compelling character in the process (and her budding
friendship with Julia certainly doesn’t hurt matters).
Overall, the first two hours of this season of Smash give us a show that is slowly but
surely recovering from the dark days of Bollywood-inspired fantasy numbers that
marked season one’s low point. The show
still has its quirks, including an eye-roll inducing transition into a Derek-centric
musical number and a couple of highly implausible plot contrivances (Karen is
apparently the only actress in New York who still lists her physical address on
her resume). But many of last season’s
most glaring problems are conspicuously absent – although I fear dearly
departed Ellis may reappear further down the line – and replaced with a slicker,
more coherent tale of backstage politics and rival projects. The show has a vast untapped potential, and
hopefully Safran and crew can harness it to create true must-see TV as the
season progresses.
