SkimIt
After an emergency goodwill operation in Cuba with Sean Penn, Bombshell's new star Rebecca Duvall (Uma Thurman) makes her Smash entrance -- amidst a cast full of Debbie Downers.
The Little Usurper
No, we're not talking Game of Thrones here: When Ms. Duvall doesn't show up on time, Karen (Katharine McPhee) lands the coveted promotion of understudy for Marilyn. And the award for Silliest Moment of the Night goes to Derek (Jack Davenport) visualizing Karen as the embodiment of Marilyn after she tells him that the script is terrible during a rehearsal. Shouldn't that have been grounds for termination?
So-Called Investors
Rebecca Duvall's lax schedule has Eileen (Anjelica Huston) batting off investors who are threatening to jump ship. But who needs crotchety old rich people when you've got a studly bartender (Thorsten Kaye) who can convince a millionaire rock star named Randy Cobra to invest in your show instead? Eileen takes full advantage of Nick's odd friend, and then gives him one heck of a kiss. At least somebody's happy around these parts.
Separate Sides of the Bed
To be honest, I'm surprised Karen and Dev's (Raza Jaffrey) relationship has lasted this long. Dev learns of a high-profile job opportunity in D.C., which creates a rift between him and Karen, who has finally landed a great gig in NYC. Then Derek shows up at Karen's apartment at night like a complete idiot and swaps fisticuffs with Dev, who assumes they are sleeping together. Anyone else like this show better when it's actually about theater?
A New Strategy
This week's obligatory Top 20 cover came in the form of Ivy singing a very down-the-middle rendition of Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway" while fantasizing about playing Marilyn and being showered with love. Naturally, she immediately decides to switch gears and be nice to everyone; the only reason for this character shift that I can figure is that now we're supposed to feel conflicted between rooting for Karen and Ivy.
Raise your hand if you felt cheated by Uma Thurman's 13 seconds of airtime at the very end of the episode. How long do you think she will last before the Bombshell team decides to axe the star and cast Karen and Ivy as dual Marilyns? That's where this is going, right?
Best Lines:
"Some goodwill mission with Sean Penn."
--Julia explaining why Rebecca Duvall unexpectedly went to Cuba.
"Isn't it on Wikipedia?"
-- Julia to a dweeby interviewer after he asks details of her and Tom's working relationship.
"I live in a world of stand-ins."
-- Derek after learning that Tom will be standing in as Darryl Zanuck during a rehearsal.
"I thought that if I never told you, maybe it wasn't real? Now it's real."
-- Julia on why she didn't tell Tom about Frank (Brian d'Arcy James) discovering her affair.
"Hello, am I in the right place?"
-- Rebecca Duvall upon arriving at her first Bombshell rehearsal.
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