Miss last night’s episode? Here’s what you need to know about SMASH’s “Hell On Earth”
AIRDATE: 4/02/12 WRITER:: Scott Burkhardt DIRECTOR: Paul McGuigan SYNOPSIS: As Producer Eileen Rand struggles to keep her fledgling Marilyn musical afloat by searching out a top-tier movie star for the titular role, Julia’s marriage comes to a screeching halt, Karen successfully auditions for an orange-juice commercial and Ivy finds herself having trouble adapting to a return to the life of a chorus girl in Heaven Can Wait. INTRODUCED: A very different side of Ellis who evidently will do just about anything to attract movie star Rebecca Duvall (Casual Friday 2) to what he clearly believes is his project, the star of Heaven Can Wait played by Broadway favorite Norbert Leo Butz and real-life NYPost gossip columnist Michael Riedel. The latter of whom plays a surprisingly integral role in ensuring that director Derek Wills doesn’t jump ship to a… brace yourself… television pilot featuring a PhD who solves crimes. NOTABLE QUOTABLE: “Bombshell,” which in the case of last night’s episode not only serves as the new title for the Marilyn musical going forward, but also the state of Julia’s life. A life that was left in shambles after Frank finally connected the dots with regards to his wife’s slightly less than professional relationship with Michael Swift. LESSON LEARNED: Well aside from the shocking revelation that there are in fact gay republicans (!) we, or to be more accurate Ellis, learns a very valuable lesson (“There is more to producing than casting!”) after finally getting put in his place by Eileen. CRITIQUE: Despite our continued disdain for Ellis and general indifference to any and all story lines involving Julia’s ever-so-messy personal life, it speaks volumes for last night’s episode, appropriately titled “Hell on Earth,” that it was anything but. Chrisitan Borle’s Tom continues to charm, Katharine McPhee’s Karen remains a character to root for, while Ivy Lynn’s increasingly erratic behavior that saw her go from chorus girl to street performer in the span of forty-four minutes had us ready to hop a plane to New York to hang out with Megan Hilty in Times Square. GRADE: B
SMASH airs Mondays at 10PM on NBC (CTV Two in Canada). Catch up on past episodes you may have missed for free online at clicktowatch.tv