SMASH Recap: “Hell on Earth” (Episode 9, Season 1)

Tom and Julia, the team behind Marilyn the Musical, are also the people behind the fictitious Broadway show “Heaven on Earth” but their lives right now are more “Hell on Earth” especially Julia because her husband of 18 years, Frank, pieces together Julia’s affair with Michael thanks to some ill-placed song lyrics that were mixed in with the couples’ adoption papers, which is still an admittedly weak storyline at best. This leads to Frank confronting (and ultimately punching) Michael over the affair. Michael, not knowing any better, lets it slip that “it happened so long ago”, setting Frank off even more; so much so, that he packs his bags and leaves.

Things aren’t much better for Ivy as she is saddled with far too many prescriptions from her doctors for which her dancer friend Sam discovers when they meet up at a local café. Sam is, obviously, worried about her and rightfully so. Later on, Ivy’s medication gets the better of her, causing her major problems during a performance – albeit within the ensemble – of “Heaven on Earth”. She comes off as if she is drunk, tripping over her own two feet, not performing at her best and even falling flat on her face with the show’s lead screaming for her to “get the hell of stage”.

Earlier in the episode, Karen is trying to make the best of everything by going on an audition for a national orange juice commercial (which ironically or not) Ivy is also going to [to make matters worse Karen gets the commercial and Ivy gets the door slammed in her face] and attempting to pick up more shifts at her day job: food services.

Things aren’t much better for Tom – although his dilemma isn’t nearly as bad as the ladies right now – since he decides to attend a special fundraiser for a friend of his boy-toy lawyer John. As it turns out, the event is a Republican fundraiser for a college friend of John and, of course, Tom is a Democrat and hates Republicans (although he repeatedly says he likes John despite his voting preference).

Then there is Eileen and Derek arguing over Marilyn the Musical because they need a NAME to appear as Marilyn. They are both on edge (as are Tom and Julia who are once again laid upon by Eileen with coming up with a name for the musical) with Derek demanding a full script be presented to him for his notes and for Eileen to get him a “damn star”. In retaliation (or more so to keep Derek in line), Eileen hatches a meeting with another esteemed director; she has lunch with this esteemed director and is spotted at a local hot spot by the one reviewer at the Post who spreads the news everyone. This, of course, sets Derek off and he harangues Eileen for her under-handedness; but her plan works: he’s on board.

Now we come to Ellis, the ever enterprising would-be producer who really doesn’t have a clue. He worms his way into a meeting with a representative of a big box office actress, thinking that if he can get her to take the role of Marilyn that he can get a co-producing credit for the play; but that somewhat slaps him in the face when Eileen puts him (rightfully so) in his place that there is “much more to producing a play than the casting”.

In the end, Frank has left Julia and Julia and Leo are devastated. Tom and Sam are worrying over Ivy, treating her entirely too much like a child; and oddly enough, Karen and Ivy – well, they don’t exactly bond over the whole incident of Ivy’s meltdown on stage – for which Karen witnessed because she was, of all things, returning a pair of expensive sunglasses to Ivy that they inadvertently swapped during the audition for the OJ commercial – by singing “Cheers (Drink to That)” by Rihanna right in the middle of Times Square. And because of the bomb shell that is dropped on Julia by Frank because of her infidelity that leads her to finally picking a name for the play, for which Tom just loves. Marilyn the Musical will now be known as Bombshell.

Now if only a bombshell could be dropped on the series to set it back to the promise of what the pilot was suppose to deliver. This show needs to be heavily revitalized – STAT! – despite it getting a second season renewal order already.

“Hell on Earth” is the 9th episode of the new series Smash on NBC. The next new episode of Smash will air Monday, April 9 at10/9c.

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