SMASH Recap: Debut Episode “Explosive”

When you are an aspiring actress making the rounds of countless auditions, you might just imagine yourself on stage, dressed in a glittery costume, enrapturing your audience with your voice and talent; but when a cell phone rings to interrupt that vision, you realize that you are simply inside yet another audition room where you are brushed off by a disinterested producer. Welcome to the life of Karen Cartwright (Katharine McPhee) a waitress by day and an aspiring singer and actress the rest of the time.

Tom and Julia

Then there is the composing team of Tom Leavitt (Christopher Borle) and Julia Houston (Debra Messing) just returned from London where their hit Broadway play “Heaven on Earth” has just opened; and it is supposed a “time-off” period for the team especially Julia who is in the middle of an adoption with her husband Frank (Brian d’Arcy James) with teenage son Leo (Emory Cohen) in toe.

But rather than the “year off” that Julia is supposed to take (according to her husband, who, might we add, hates the theater because Julia is “never home” when she has a play in motion), she and Tom are given the seed of an idea for a new play about Marilyn Monroe provided by Tom’s house sitter and new assistant Ellis (Jaime Cepero). With one song written by the composing team and privately recorded (or at least it would seem for a few brief hours) by Broadway trained actress and “Heaven on Earth” ensemble member Ivy Lynn (Megan Hilty), who is personal favorite of Tom, the seed has taken root.

Karen

Before any of them realize what is happening – and especially once that one song goes viral because of Ellis not only recording it on his cell phone but then also sending it to his mother (which eventually gets rave reviews from THE New York Times Post reviewer) – a big-time producer, Eileen Rand (Anjelica Houston), who is going through a nasty divorce from her producer-husband, is jumping on board to get the show on the stage. She brings along well-known (but reviled by Tom) director Derek Wills (Jack Davenport), who creates a musical number (as an audition for Tom and Julia) to go along with a baseball number they wrote, featuring Ivy in the lead role surrounded by a troupe of male dancers.

This then leads to open auditions for the lead role. Enter back into the picture, Karen Cartwright, who shows up as the only girl NOT dressed as Marilyn; and she really surprises the powers that be with her singing: she has that special something they are all looking for; well, except for Tom who WANTS Ivy in the lead.

Eileen and Derek

The showdown is on as both Karen and Ivy get callbacks for the lead role; but before the big callback and the grand finale number can take place, Director Derek calls Karen to his apartment at 10 o’clock at night so she can prove if she can “do the sex” since she’s proven she has the singing chops to pull off the lead. While Karen has a devoted boyfriend, Dev Sundaram (Raza Jaffrey) [who works in the mayor’s office and is able to stand up to Karen’s disapproving parents who think she is wasting her life trying “to make it in New York” and should just move back home to Iowa] and obviously isn’t inexperienced, she doesn’t ‘seem’ to have the sex appeal needed to pull off this type of role. In calling her to his apartment, Derek needs her to prove that she does have what it takes; to which this news freaks Karen out. But after a few frantic and tear-filled moments in his bathroom, she saunters out to his living room wearing nothing but her bra and his white shirt, singing “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” in a breathless-like whisper (ala Marilyn, of course) and wins him over.

As the final scene rolls out, it is a diva showdown as Karen and Ivy prepare for the callback, singing one of the main songs from the play as they leave their homes and make their way to the studio where they both impress all the key players as the screen fades to black on the final note of the song.

Ivy

“Explosive” is the debut episode of the new series Smash on NBC. The next new episode of Smash will air Monday, February 13 at10/9c.

What did you think of the Smash pilot? Did you enjoy the build-up of how the Marilyn play came together? Did you enjoy the “Will and Grace” inspired relationship between Tom and Julia? Were you turned off my Derek’s atypical attitude as a much-in-demand director with a chip on his shoulder? Did you enjoy the musical numbers? What are your thoughts on the dynamics between the characters? Please share your thoughts.