NBC's SMASH, Season 2 -- Discussion- Page 103

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 5/4/13 at 10:33pm

Yeah......

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 5/4/13 at 10:40pm

Well, you only count toward ratings if you are a Nielsen family.

[broadwaytbay]

Posted: 5/4/13 at 10:46pm

I don't even pretend to understand ratings... but I know I enjoy this show... and clearly as much as everyone likes to complain about it they keep watching... maybe they enjoy it... maybe they enjoy the sense of overwhelming superiority they derive from dissecting and smarming about it. and no smarming may not in fact be a real word.

[E.Davis]

Posted: 5/4/13 at 10:48pm

So we only got 15 seconds of "At Your Feet" and now since Hit List is going to Broadway Karen is going to steal the Tony from Ivy. I know it is all fake but I have to much invested in this hot mess of a show.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 5/4/13 at 10:53pm

"I mean, on one hand it was almost twenty years ago, but on the other, it's still kind of icky."

Yeah. I don't blame them for going along with it because it's above their pay grade and Jesse really only knew him for a few weeks. But it's definitely icky and the fact that none of the show creatives saw that is more shocking to me.

[Kad]

Posted: 5/4/13 at 11:18pm

"Well, you only count toward ratings if you are a Nielsen family. "

And since Kristine Nielsen isn't watching the show, it's ****ed.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 5/4/13 at 11:21pm

For the season 3 Christmas episode, will Kyle come back and show Jimmy what broadway would be like if he never wrote music?

[Gothampc]

Posted: 5/4/13 at 11:22pm

Ivy's going to get her butt brought up on charges at Equity. Calling in sick a week after they open when she's not sick?

[Gothampc]

Posted: 5/4/13 at 11:37pm

Did I miss something or was this episode only 30 minutes?

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 5/4/13 at 11:51pm

AV Club giving this episode an "F" made me a little too happy.

[JohnyBroadway]

Posted: 5/4/13 at 11:52pm

When do we get Kyle's Don't forget me?

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 5/5/13 at 12:15am

So who covered for Ivy in Bombshell?

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 5/5/13 at 12:21am

Her mother.

[fingerlakessinger]

Posted: 5/5/13 at 1:30am

I'll admit, I teared up at Jimmy's song when he started to choke a bit. But after watching it, I said out loud (to myself) "That was RENT...." and it did feel...tacky.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/5/13 at 2:35am

It was exploitative and disgusting and I'm livid. All-time low for something that I didn't think could sink any lower.

[peachesr82]

Posted: 5/5/13 at 5:16am

That was a really uncomfortable watch. I kept thinking 'oh they're not actually going to..oh they are.' Something felt quite inappropriate about it and especially with two original Rent cast members on the show.

They'd mentioned Johnathan Larson in an earlier episode and correct me if I'm wrong but isn't there some kind of Rent poster in Jesse's office? So it even exists in Smash land. I just found the whole thing a little baffling on all levels.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 5/5/13 at 5:33am

I just remembered something that was bugging me during the episode. Wasn't Jimmy fired, meaning that he wouldn't be allowed to perform?

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 5/5/13 at 7:36am

Peachesr82 - Yes, there was "Rent" poster in office. Everybody has known since the start of the season that "Hit List" was basically another "Rent". Does anybody really think two young guys in their early twenties are going to write a show like "Bombshell"? I don't think having Kyle die was a 100% attempt at being just like Rent (maybe 95% - lol). I believe they wrote it as a way of shaking Jimmy up and turning his life around.
Like almost anyone who liks Broadway, I know the story behind Rent and how similar the episode was to real life. That being said, it really did not bother me. I guess I would leave it up to people who were involved in the original production of Rent to determine if it was "tacky" or "offensive".

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 5/5/13 at 7:59am

broadwaytbay - I am like you, just enjoy the show. I know it is not perfect or totally realistic but it entertains me. I like Hilty and the songs from "Bombshell". Given the right song, McPhee sings well also. Story line got better once they started concentrating on shows going to Broadway instead of the personal issues from Season one.

[Kad]

Posted: 5/5/13 at 8:41am

So how many gay stereotypes did they manage to wring out of Kyle? He's a sensitive musical theatre writer, possibly promiscuous, with an unrequited love for his straight friend who dies so his straight friend can clean up his act.

Progress!

[Amalia Balash]

Posted: 5/5/13 at 8:44am

The attempt to shoehorn Hit List into Rent Redux didn't work for me, but I was moved by Jeremy Jordan's last song. Karen as muse to Derek and inspiration to Jimmy and all-around megastar has never worked for me, but I listened to the Bombshell album the other day and I realized I don't mind her voice at all. The golden-toned Kyle flashbacks would have worked better for me if we'd seen parts of those scenes before, because the way they were shown just felt like some kind of Touched By an Angel mishmash.

At the end of the show, I want Ivy to be happy however she defines happy. And I want Derek to throw Karen over that bridge.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 5/5/13 at 8:49am

You forgot the 'sissy' stereotype -- that he needed big ole straight Jimmy to protect him.

[Kad]

Posted: 5/5/13 at 8:51am

Thanks dramamama, you're right. So I'm counting 6 gay cliche/stereotypes.

I guess that's what's bothering more than the Rent connection.

[JohnyBroadway]

Posted: 5/5/13 at 10:06am

Where was the Kyle that we saw last night, the whole season?

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 5/5/13 at 10:08am

In heaven. Duh.