I was at the deli, torn between a hot ham and cheese and a turkey on rye. Then I thought, "You know, Marilyn once ate a turkey on rye." I knew then it was fate.
I do grow more ambivalent about it has the weeks go on but Im'a keep watching a while. Hopefully they'll realize that shoving Karen down our throats is backfiring and they'll start giving us more Ivy. Megan Hilty was wonderful in the scene where she was in bed with Jack Davenport but that scene in the rehearsal room was so over the top she may has well have been twirling a mustache.
I can deal with all these shenanigans, at least for a while, I guess. Is this what it is like to be a Glee fan?
I liked this last episode and I know it's a tv show but one thing that really bothered me was how did Jonas know the lyrics to a song he never heard before?
And when Karen was at the bar dancing with her new friends, why did she stand out, when the whole episode was about how she had to learn NOT to stand out.
We're expected to believe Karen never saw A Chorus Line? It was straight out of "don't pop the head, Cassie."
Ivy is such an unlikeable character though...I don't want to see any more of her at all....Hopefully when her mother (Bernadette Peters) appears she is even worse so I feel sorry for Ivy .
RE: Karen at the bar, I mean I thought the point of her 'standing out' was that she realises she doesn't want to be in the chorus and wants to be a 'star' (leading to the drama about when Ivy/Karen once again fight for the lead role, which I'm sure is going to happen in a few episodes). Although I've only listened to the CHORUS LINE cast recording so I'm not sure if there was more to your comment that I didn't get because the reference is lost on me..
I've given up on expecting brilliant (or even very good) writing on this show, and I admit I enjoyed this episode much more. I think they could go more campy soap, and hope they do.
Interesting (well, to me) this was the first episode Michael Mayer didn't direct, and Theresa Rebeck didn't write, I wonder if that improved it... David Marshall Grant did write it -- I liked some of his writing on the early better years of Brothers and SIsters though I still always think of him as the actor who seemed to play every other gay role from Bent to Angels in America to the gay guy on thirtysomething.
"And when Karen was at the bar dancing with her new friends, why did she stand out, when the whole episode was about how she had to learn NOT to stand out. "
I admit that I could suspend my disbelief with the impromptu performance at the party, but THIS part really bothered me. "Iowa" aka Karen goes from being unreasonably hated by the "ensemble", then is suddenly taken VERY quickly under their wing, and they go ON about teaching her how to be a member of an ensemble and not stand out. SO what do they do? They teach her a routine to Adele, take her to a bar, and then they perform it with her singing lead and them performing as her backup dancers. Ummm... Lesson learned? (And I often love Wesley Taylor, he was one of my fave performances in the Tales of the City musical but man could the director tell him to just tone everything about his performance on this show down a bit?)
But doesn't everybody want to be a star? I was confused by this, too. Do people really dream about performing in the ensemble of a musical as much as starring in a musical and winning a Tony? All (or most) of them must have ambitions to be lead actors, but they had to learn to suck it up and not pull focus while in the chorus, as Karen should learn.
qolbinau, in A Chorus Line, Zach is hesitant to cast Cassie because she doesn't dance like anyone else. He thinks she should be a star and he does not want to let her start over because she keeps pulling focus when the focus should be on the (non-existent) star being referenced in "One". The "don't pop the head, Cassie" lines are proving Zach's point that she sticks out when she shouldn't, and she almost didn't get the job, but the last time, she pulls back and blends in.
Ha! That must be why there were a decided lack of "amazings" peppered throughout.
And I'm with AwesomeDanny. I realize that Karen's dream isn't to be in the ensemble, but Jesus, does anyone think we're supposed to feel sorry for her? Maybe it's my dislike of Katherine McPhee, but no, I don't feel sorry for her at all. Ivy may be written to be unlikable (at least this week she was) but she's still the more compelling character.
So, the ratings in fact did not go up. And this was their big push, their big "this is where it gets good." 2.4 is not good for a show like this and anyone who tries to spin that any other way is not living in the real world.
bk it is underperforming for sure, but it's lucky to be on NBC and will at least play out the 15 episodes (I don't see huge hope for a second season). but c'mon what "big push"? As far as I know, one blogger (on a major blog site, but only in her Smash blog that presumably mainly Smash viewers would be reading) and several people on here were virtually the only ones to say that it improves in episode 4. It's not like NBC increased advertising, or claimed in the ads they had "if you were disappointed, THIS is where it gets good". I doubt anyone who hadn't watched Smash yet, or had already given up on the show had even heard that some felt it improved.
I don't know from where it emanated, but I read in many places that episode four was the one to get great. Is the "blogger" paid by NBC? I completely understand it will play out its episodes. What happens from there depends on the egos of NBC and Mr. Spielberg. Of course, one does have to read the endless Facebook updates from the mom of one of the stars - that's daily and, of course, all shows are GREAT! :)
Sorry bk, I wasn't trying to pick an argument, I just thought that there hadn't been any real push on the part of NBC to proclaim the episode as the episode when the show will turn around. The only blogger I saw (and I don't read many, so there may have been more) was on the Huffington Post's site, and I don't think she's paid by NBC because her blog also said that even though she's a fan, she thought episode three was beyond awful and that everyone should ignore it or skip it (it was linked on this thread).
Confused--you have a mother of one of the stars of the show on your facebook and have to read her messages about it every day? How, umm, fun...
I'll admit I'm a "fan" on their Facebook page, but hadn't realized one of the star's mom's was posting on there. I don't really care for Katherine McPhee either, but according to Facebook page, she has a following and lots of people siding with her character.
I for one, love when Megan Hilty is on, but can't believe how quickly her character has turned. I noticed as well that Michael Mayer didn't direct the last episode.
I thought it would have been more realistic for the character of "Sam" to take Karen under his wing, as he was the first one who treated her with kindness.
Also, it seems as if the dancers from the first two episodes have been replaced.
I just saw online that the people behind SMASH at NBC are doing something really neat. They are providing funding to schools to enable them to provide sustainable musical theater programs for their students. I applaud them. NBC's "Make A Musical" program
Sorry bk, I wasn't trying to pick an argument, I just thought that there hadn't been any real push on the part of NBC to proclaim the episode as the episode when the show will turn around.
I agree. Except for those of us obsessed enough to read blogs, I don't think the general public knew that Epi 4 was the one when the show was supposed to get better.
The true test will be whether those people still watching now tell their friends, "Oh, it's gotten much better. You should check it out again."
My daughter has two gay dads and grew up going to Broadway shows, but she is not a theater person by anyone's definition. She thought Epi 4 was greatly improved. Now let's see how many people in Northern Massachusetts she tells...
Erik, I didn't think you were trying to pick a fight. I'm just telling you what I saw.
Others: the mother doesn't post on the show's Facebook page, she posts on HER Facebook page. Since I've known her for over a decade, and she's a Facebook friend, I see the posts in my feed or food or dinner or whatever they call it.
"Watching SMASH, I feel the way cops must feel watching LAW & ORDER."---Casting director friend of mine.
That said, I'm glad its doing well. There are vispers that NBC could very well be going bye-bye if this one doesn't catch on and bring their stock up a bit. As in, the whole network.
I thought it was disgusting how members of the ensemble/Ivy treated her at the beginning. I know how she feels, it's her first day doing something she loves and she just wants to do her best. They were being rude to her and I'm sure it didn't feel good. When you're an ensemble it's like a family, they're a part of something great (Marilyn) so why not enjoy the ride together and embrace "the newbie" and show her what she needs to do? Who cares if she went against Ivy for the role? It's a job.
As long as the show stays above 2.0, itīs lock for a renewal. NBC is in a disastrous state. Someone here tried to compare the production expenses to Parenthood. Parenthood shoots in a studio, using the same sets and is shot in a very improv/natural style that I imagine makes the production affordable. On the other hand, the cast is big and not cheap (it was reported that Lauren Graham gets 150k/episode, Peter Krause 125k and Craig T. Nelson is over 100k, too). Not cheap. but so far it looks like it will be renewed for another season. (I hope so, I love the show.)
I was so excited to hear that they were planning a show about Broadway back in May. Then I saw the first previews and my excitement doubled. I loved the pilot and then it went all down, sadly. I just canīt get really into it. I will stick with it because if someone makes the effort to make a show about theater, Iīll be there but itīs no must-see tv. And itīs not even reality problem for me. I know tv shows have to add some drama and change stuff but the dialog and some choices in directing are just soo bad. Starting to be a mock-tv instead (which isnīt bad either, for my amusement, not so great for the show itself.)
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Posted: 2/29/12 at 09:44am