SMASH Recap: “The Callback” (Episode 2)

The pressure is on for Karen Cartwright (Katharine McPhee) and Ivy Lynn (Megan Hilty) as they await a decision that could alter one of their lives: the lead in the new play about Marilyn Monroe. For Karen, she seems to be daydreaming – big time. Even though she is actually at work, she is imagining herself on a stage singing Blondie’s hit single “Call Me” to a packed crowd inside a small club that includes Julia and Tom (Debra Messing and Christopher Borle), the composing team behind the musical, Eileen Rand (Anjelica Houston), the producer, Derek Wells (Jack Davenport), the director and her boyfriend Dev (Raza Jaffrey). Soon enough, she is knocked back into reality by a co-worker who reminds her that she has customers waiting.

Derek and Karen

It has been four days since the initial callback and the creative team cannot seem to decide between the two ladies. Tom obviously wants Ivy in the lead while Derek argues the virtues of Karen since she is new; but he also states he doesn’t want to simply give the part to a “neophyte” not without “more information”. The argument continues between experience versus been green or “light”. In the end, the team decides to have a second callback.

As is expected, Ivy is nervous about the long wait and is concerned about the second callback, but in true Broadway fashion – given her years of experience – she knows how to handle it all; but does stress to her friends that she “doesn’t want to do the ensemble anymore”.

Soon enough, Karen is called in for a dance callback, being put through the paces by Derek with several back-up dancers in toe – one of whom is good friends with Ivy; and, as you can imagine, he is willing to act as a spy for Ivy, providing her with details on the new girl who is vying for the lead role. As the rehearsals of a key number for the play get underway, Karen is excited and nervous about doing her best to impress the creative team, but she has problems in the beginning learning the footwork. Meanwhile, Ivy is waiting outside the dance studio, reading yet another book on Marilyn, and is soon brought into the studio, upon the urging of Derek, for an awkward introduction to Karen.

Karen Cartwright

Eventually, Karen and the back-up dancers perform the dance routine for the song “20th Century Fox Mambo” for the creative team and as that part of the play is performed the back-up dancers transform into period costumes and eventually Karen is transformed into Marilyn. The creative team seems impressed and Karen is proud of her performance, but in the end, the tough decision is made. Tom goes to see Ivy and congratulates her on getting the role (unbeknownst to him and everyone else is that Ivy has gone horizontal with Derek, which could eventually spell disaster, but let’s not jump ahead of the storyline that has been aired so far, right?)

Karen as Marilyn

One of the B-stories within this episode, continuing from what was set forth in the pilot is about Julia and her husband Frank (Brian d’Arcy James) learning that their adoption of a Chinese baby could take at least 2 years; Frank being upset about yet another “hurry-up and wait” for the adoption to happen; his desire to return to teaching (he is a science teacher) and his eventually coming around to meet up with Julia at an adoption support group meeting where Julia reads a letter that all of the adopting parents were asked to write to the birth mothers.

Another B-story is an important dinner for which Dev is invited to attend with one of the Deputy Mayors, a dinner for which he asks Karen to attend with him. That, of course, gets – basically – screwed up because of Derek, who pulls Karen back into the dance studio to run lines, causing her to completely miss the dinner and for Dev to be very upset with her.

And the other B-story is the continued antagonism between Eileen and her soon-to-be-ex-husband Jerry (Michael Cristofer), who has learned about the Marilyn play and warns Eileen that it will fail because instead of her seeing Broadway for what it is – a business – she fell in love with the theatre – as if it were an art (in his mind’s eye anyway). This only drives Eileen to move quickly on the play – to get it out there fast – and make it succeed to prove him wrong.

The final montage as Ivy sings on-stage at a local bar, surrounded by her friends and Tom, circles around to all of the lead cast: Frank and Julia at their adoptive parents support group; Eileen basking in the possibilities of what is to come at her office; Karen in Dev’s arms, obviously upset at learning she didn’t get the part and back to Ivy singing with big hopes and dreams ahead of her.

The Creative Team

“The Callback” is the second episode of the new series Smash on NBC. The next new episode of Smash will air Monday, February 20 at 10/9c.

What did you think of this episode? Were you blown away by the musical numbers? Did you pick Ivy as the one to get the lead role or did you want Karen to land the lead? Were you expecting that Derek and Ivy would hook up? What are your thoughts on the adoption B-storyline? Please share your thoughts below.