"Oh, of course it is. The kids camped out on the sidewalk, the off-Broadway buzz, etc. It's totally a ReNt ripoff. I just assumed Jimmy would be the one to die since it's so obvious (and Smash doesn't shy away from obvious) but they kill the saintly gay instead - just like ReNt!"
How is Kyle saintly? He slept around on his boyfiend pretty quick with Tom. He basically started the fight at the opening night of "Bombshell".
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/16/07
Oh, way to go, SMASH. Kill Kyle off? Why don't you just throw a hamster in the wood chipper while you're at it.
If nothing else, this episode answered last season's burning question of "Can Katharine McPhee's acting get any worse?" with a resounding YES. I got a good laugh when she took a tumble.
And yes, Tom and Julia are not only behaving like children but are repeating, repeating, repeating again the same argument they have been having all season.
Whizzer - On 2nd thought, you are right especially with the bar scene. You would think after being the reason Karen got hurt he would have gotten his act together after the show. It is a normal reaction to being angry about being fired but saying all of those things on top of the bar were probably a bit of a over reach.
The idea of having Jimmy be the "angry" young man is not a bad idea, they just wrote it horribly. The slightest disagreement about anything set him off and they never balanced his character well at all. People who have alcohol/drug problem are not total idots 24X7 365 days a year like Jimmy.
I think Kyle is saintly, indiscretion with Tom aside. He has suffered all these years with this unrequited love for Jimmy- and worse, Jimmy has been aware of his love and probably been manipulating him for years.
Kyle has taken care of Jimmy through countless addictions and even Jimmy said he was the only family he ever had.
I just hope Sam sings at his funeral.
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/16/07
AV Club gives it a C+ and goes into why the tortured genius storyline isn't working
Featured Actor Joined: 6/15/08
I did a little research to see how Smash did in the Live +7 DVR ratings and total viewers for previous weeks when it was on Tuesday. To my surprise, Smash was at or near the top of the list every week for having the highest percentage increases in the 18-49 rating for all shows during that entire week. Take a look at these numbers:
18-49 Ratings
Week / Live / DVR / Total
2-19 / 0.9 / 0.8 / 1.7
2-26 / 0.9 / 0.8 / 1.7
3-05 / 0.8 / 0.7 / 1.5
3-12 / 0.9 / 0.7 / 1.6
3-19 / 0.7 / 0.7 / 1.4
3-26 / 1.0 / 0.6 / 1.6
4-02 / 0.9 / 0,6 / 1.5
Even more surprising was the jump in these numbers:
Total Viewers in Millions
Week / Live / DVR / Total
2-19 / 3.287 / 2.074 / 5.361
2-26 / 3.038 / 2.027 / 5.065
3-05 / 2.676 / 2.068 / 4.744
3-12 / 2.902 / 1.898 / 4.800
3-19 / 2.661 / 1.678 / 4.339
3-26 / 3.053 / 1.695 / 4.748
4-02 / 2.984 / 1.635 / 4.619
On average, Smash had the biggest percentage increases in total viewers and 18-49 ratings than any other show on TV...regardless of the day or time slot.
Wow, that was a great recap as to why Jimmy isn't working. This rang especially true:
The Jimmy storyline has turned into what the Karen storyline was in the first season: something where the show’s writers have lost all perspective on how the audience might perceive things to the point that they seem to be writing a different show than what is actually up on screen.
The writers were SO sure the audience would love everything Jimmy and it has backfired on an epic scale. He took down Karen with him, and I think it is really showing in McPhee's performance. It's almost like she doesn't want to be there anymore. Maybe she had the insight that this storyline wasn't working, but was helpless do anything.
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/16/07
On a happier note, I think it good humored of NBC to bring back "The More You Know." TV executives really do know what's best for us all.
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