Borstalboy, I completely agree that one should expect elements of a soap opera to be incorporated into the drama of the narrative, but there's a way to achieve that that's far less heavy handed than how it's being executed on SMASH. Come on- as soon as that scene started with Michael and Julia on the stoop, with five minutes left in the episode, you knew it was going to end with them kissing and the son seeing them from the window. For an affair that no one is supposed to have known about, they've now shown them kissing twice in two
very public places (once on the Brooklyn Bridge, where anyone could have seen them, and once on the street in her neighborhood, potentially in front of any and all of her neighbors.) That's just sloppy storytelling, especially when it involves two characters who are relatively famous within the world of the story. That should give them even more of an incentive to keep things under wraps.
I think that storyline of her affair and her attraction to Michael would also be way more effective if you
liked the Will Chase character and saw him as a viable alternative for Julia. That way, you'd feel the same conflict she's feeling. And yet, in the way he's actually been characterized so far, you're just left feeling like he's a slimy jerk looking to break up her family and his, with no concern for anyone else. For someone as level-headed and smart as Julia's been written to be, the only basis you're given for her doing something so horrible is Michael being attractive. That's not enough.
I also think you hit the nail on the head about the seeming dichotomy in how they want to portray Ivy- is she a ruthless bitch who will do anything she needs to do to succeed, or is she just cracking under immense pressure to perform in a high stakes situation? I'm inclined to think the former, but the writers certainly don't seem to know either way. There's a difference between a complex character and a contradictory one, and they're erring on the side of contradictory.
I think there's a similar problem with how they're portraying the director- is he a maniacal genius who will do whatever it takes to produce a great show, including keeping a good personal relationship with Ivy afloat, or does he have genuine feelings for her? You can't have him belittling her in the rehearsal room, belittling her in his apartment, and then turning around and showing genuine concern for her two seconds later. Is he bipolar? Since she seems to be, perhaps that's why they're the perfect couple.
Tonya Pinkins: Then we had a "Lot's Wife" last June that was my personal favorite. I'm still trying to get them to let me sing it at some performance where we get to sing an excerpt that's gone.
Tony Kushner: You can sing it at my funeral.
Updated On: 3/6/12 at 11:29 AM
