Smash Review: Keep Your Enemies Close and Celebrities Even Closer

This week was another episode devoted to setting up the drama for next week, but there was still enough of interest plot-wise, so I was never bored. The storyline was devoted to the introduction of Bombshell’s new star, Rebecca Duvall (guest star Uma Thurman), and she’s well on her way to making Ivy’s melodramatic diva-tribes look like child’s play. Meanwhile, the creators of SMASH are doing their best to break up every romantic pairing that we started with in the pilot.

We begin on day one of rehearsing with the stars, and everyone—including the remarkably naïve Karen—is excited to be working with the Rebecca Duvall. (Karen even dressed up for the movie star.) The cast is warming up and waiting around for the token celebrity to arrive—this will be the only time during the entire episode that Rebecca manages to show up on time for something.

While they’re waiting, Tom and Sam are still wrapped up in flirt-fest, nauseating everyone around them until Julia decides enough is enough and browbeats them into going out to dinner together. (You can’t really blame the poor woman; Julia’s love life is currently a disaster—I wouldn’t want to watch their coquetry either.) She makes the reservation herself, and Tom and Sam officially have their first date. (Awwwww.) Now the production team can get back to discussing whether or not Ms. Duvall’s too old to play Marilyn—it seems she’s got a few beyond where Monroe was when she died. Of course, this is show business—actors in their late twenties regularly play teenagers—so Rebecca’s age is unlikely to stand in her way. Her singing, on the other hand, leaves a lot to be desired, and the ensemble members—with the exception of St. Karen, who I’m beginning to think would give Mussolini the benefit of the doubt—quickly transition from excitement to bewilderment. All this build up and Rebecca Duvall can’t sing? Uh oh.

They take a quick break, so the production team can come up with a “constructive solution.” Karen glibly suggests group suicide, but they decide to bring back Ivy instead. Given Ivy and Karen’s history, though, they may find that bringing her back isn’t much more constructive than group suicide, when one or the other inevitably secures the role of Marilyn. (I’m guessing that’ll be the season finale cliffhanger.)

Not surprisingly, Karen’s